(1/10) Top 10 things to remember when planning a wedding, 2020

Top ten things to remember when planning a wedding…the less superficial list.

If marriage was easy it wouldn’t be so meaningful and weddings so beautiful.

ONE of TEN: Wedding planning will be stressful and complicated because people are involved. 

You may want to pick and choose which people you involve in what pieces of planning. You can tell them only so many cooks are needed in the kitchen for each course. 

You do not need to answer the myriad of questions that others you. Just politely tell them that you have it all under control and you will fill them in, in due time. 

Your colors are none of their business and design typically does’t start with color anyhow. 

For a good portion of you, wedding planning will reveal unhealthy boundaries that you have been putting up with, only thing is now the topic of discussion is as close to your heart as possible. Know what you need and communicate it clearly. Stand by your plans for mental well being, always. 

What if this project is a tool to reveal all that you need to learn to deal with, so that you can both have a wonderful life together? For some more than others, this is a period of great transition. 

Maybe your families are very different. Maybe they don’t know each other well yet. Maybe they don’t even like each other. Maybe you are from two families with different religious beliefs, even different holidays. You spend money differently, your childhood homes looked vastly different. 

This is all just part of life and it isn’t going anywhere after the wedding. You can derive so much good stuff from planning your wedding. Instead of resisting, sit down together and identify what is really going on and how you both feel about it, and how you are going to deal with it as a unit now and in the future. 

Remember you both are your immediate-immediate family now. 

Maybe you are doing yourselves good to seek help? And to that I say, people who get help are people who are continually learning…they are the winners, they are the ones that don’t break.

If marriage was easy it wouldn’t be so meaningful and weddings so beautiful. 

Some of you may not like what I write above. That is okay. Not everything above applies to everyone and by writing what’s above I am surely not stating that I know it all. Don’t be naive, old fashioned, simplistic and judgmental - those that divorce are not irresponsible or bad people. You and I both know that upwards of around fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. Marriage is not a mistake if it does. And divorce is not a mistake. I know I am not suppose to ever use the D word. I am a wedding planner. I am suppose to be all sunbeams, superficial fairy dust and overly girly. Eye roll. We all have to go where we have to go, to learn what we need to learn, however challenging. Life is one continuous experience and we are all headed to the same place. Certainly though, we’d all love to learn a bit faster, and spend less time struggling and more time loving.

The Power of Choice

These times are not easy and its absolutely not at all easy to shift our attention to anything but the uncertainly of the present moment but we all need each other to do so. We all need ourselves and each other to keep life moving forward.

Life keeps moving forward whether you are ready for it or not, whether you want it to or not. Resistance always reveals itself to be the only pain.

Everything does happen for a reason. The current moment would not have happened if the previous moment did not take place. We merely do not always know what caused the current moment but something did.

The only way to be in alignment with our best selves in the present moment is to have not resisted the previous one. Pain leads to happiness and happiness will lead to pain, or discomfort, over and over again. That is the nature of life.

If you give yourself a chance, some time to try again and again, you may find yourself engrossed in some task that makes you feel better. Get your attention off yourself and focus on something that will effect your future, that will effect our future.

I am so grateful for our clients with future events. Events we are currently assuming won’t be cancelled. They immediately take our minds into the future and keep them in the reality that this too shall pass. There may be a new normal but life will continue.

I am grateful for the added time I currently have to work on some long term projects that I had previously been battling time to complete.

I am grateful that I can be accountable to my own time. I still do have the power of choice and the power to choose my thoughts.

I am grateful for my health.

I am grateful that I took that plunge ten years ago to work for myself.

I am so grateful for my partner who is lovingly putting up with me and vise versa. Who meditates with me each morning, cooks with me and takes yoga with me.

I am grateful that I have discipline that I attribute in large part to having been a performer and a ballet dancer as a child. Its coming in way handy now.

I am grateful to my clients that are so appreciative of the time I am giving them during these odd times.

I am grateful for the fresh food I still have in the fridge.

I am grateful for everything that wedding planning has taught me, and event planning too. God, it teaches a ton. And working for yourself teaches you a ton. It makes you stronger than you ever thought you could be.

I am grateful for the work I have done on myself to get me to this moment because it makes these times far easier and there is still room for joy.

I hope....

In the long run I hope these times make us less judgmental, more grateful, more simple, less petty, more creative, more down to earth and connected as we now know how to better focus on what matters most.

XO

Ashley

P.S. Don’t judge my poor grammar please. :-)

Weddings in Madrid, Spain

Recently, we have found that there is an increase in couples who are looking to plan destination weddings. You could explain this increase by saying that destination weddings are ‘on trend’, but we would argue that there is another reason that destination weddings have become so popular. Couples want to escape the feeling that their wedding is a performance and to feel less pressure to conform to what others do. Just the notion of getting away from it all relaxes you. Shouldn’t one of the best days of your life be better than vacation? We think so!

Many of the popular places for destination weddings, such as Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast, are also becoming popular tourist destinations as well. With stunning views, beautiful store lined streets and good food to boot, who would not want to visit these places? I do think finding a place that is relatively easy for guests to travel to is important when considering destination wedding venues. With the right destination wedding, hopping overseas can sometimes be easier than a wedding destination in the states that requires a long drive and is far from local transportation. 

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to travel in and around Madrid to scope out a few venues for a client’s intimate 2021 wedding. I could write an entire blog about all of the incredible food I was able to eat throughout the week, but what stood out to me the most were the citizens I interacted with. They are all so incredibly nice and joyful. They don’t take life too seriously and have a remarkable love for food and art. 

Below are the venues I was lucky enough to visit. Some of these venues are more accustomed to weddings, while others operate like tented sites or off-site catering facilities where you bring everything in, which is totally doable for a destination location! We hope you enjoy reading about the venues and are happy to answer any questions you have about venue logistics (or the many meals we had!)

Finca Castillo de Monteviejo

Website: https://www.castillodemonteviejo.com/

Drive time: 30-40 minutes outside of Madrid 

Capacity: 200-400 people in the Salon

Finca de montevierjo exterior

Finca de montevierjo exterior

Finca dE MONTEVIEJO rECEPTION sPACE

Finca dE MONTEVIEJO rECEPTION sPACE

Finca de montevierjo foyer

Finca de montevierjo foyer

Finca  La Montana

Website: https://bodasenaranjuez.com/

Drive Time: 40-50 minutes outside of Madrid

Capacity: a banquet hall that can fit 300 guests and outside spaces. 

La finca montana exterior

La finca montana exterior

La Finca montana outdoor ceremony space

La Finca montana outdoor ceremony space

La FINCA MONTANA INDOOR RECEPTION SPACE

La FINCA MONTANA INDOOR RECEPTION SPACE


El Cortijo de Monico

Website: https://grupomonico.com/fincas-para-bodas/cortijo-monico/

Drive Time: 25-35 minutes outside of Madrid 

Capacity: 500 people seated and 750 cocktail. Outdoors: 200 people seated and 500 cocktail style. 

El cortijo de monico exterior

El cortijo de monico exterior

El cortijo de monico courtyard

El cortijo de monico courtyard

El cortijo de monica indoor space

El cortijo de monica indoor space


The Westin Palace Madrid

Website: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/event-planning/wedding-planning/madwi-the-westin-palace-madrid/

Drive Time: 7-10 minutes from the main road in Madrid 

Capacity: 20 multifunctional rooms and capacity for up to 600 in the largest room

WESTIN PALACE MADRID ENTRANCE

WESTIN PALACE MADRID ENTRANCE

wESTIN PALACE MADRID

wESTIN PALACE MADRID

westin palace madrid interior

westin palace madrid interior


El Viajero

Website: https://m.facebook.com/ElViajeroMadrid/?locale2=es_ES

Drive Time: 15 minutes from Calle de Gran Via

Capacity: 100 to 150 people

El Viajero terrace

El Viajero terrace

eL VIAJERO EXTERIOR

eL VIAJERO EXTERIOR

El Viajero indoor space

El Viajero indoor space


Bodega Del Real Cortijo de San Isidro

Website: https://realcortijo.com/

Drive Time: 30 minutes from the center of Madrid 

Capacity: up to 300

Bodega del real cortijo de san isidro ceremony space

Bodega del real cortijo de san isidro ceremony space

Bodega del real cortijo de san isidro wine vaults

Bodega del real cortijo de san isidro wine vaults

Bodega del real cortijo de san isidro reception space

Bodega del real cortijo de san isidro reception space









Barn beauty | Sonoma, CA

Barn beauty | Sonoma, CA

We cannot say enough fabulous things about the charming, ethereal Beltane Ranch in the Glen Ellen section of Sonoma, CA. Filled with tranquil light, away from it all but not too far, this ranch that makes wonderful award winning chardonnay and equally regarded olive oil, will leave you feeling refreshed and sane.

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