Bella Vita Planning & Paper Co.

2011 Wedding Color Trends

2010-11-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

As the end of 2010 comes to a close we are excited to see what brides will be looking at for wedding colors in 2011. Here's a quick peek at the tropical colors that are expected to be hot!

Something a little different... For today that it is...

2010-10-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

We love Color. Sure you want to get married in White. Hey maybe even Ivory, but color, color is everything. Color makes things pop. Color adds dimension. Color gives depth. Color completes the look. So today, we embrace Color.

Find these Lovelies here...
There is a brief moment when a bride starts to laugh, and while she is laughing she grabs on to the sides of her dress and slightly lifts it up. There they are, her hot pink shoes. Something unexpected. Something unique.

Like I said, we believe in Color. We dream in Color. We choose to embrace Color.

Oh! One more thing! We want to know what you want! Do you like the Matrimony Chronicles? Do you want us to continue?? (we hope so!) Do you want to know about weddings? Do you want to know about us? Come on, spill the beans! Let us have it! What do YOU want?

The Matrimony Chronicles Vol. 1, Part 5 - Disaster at the Superfun Corral

2010-10-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

So everyone finally gets together to mosey on over to the fabulous pools at the MGM. Of course with the slow start we’re stuck in Timbuktu, lacking any decent view of the hot dancing boys with the fez hats rocking out to ‘Baby Got Back’ at the side of the pool. Oh well, at least they can’t see us ogle from this distance!

Because we got out so late we pack it in and head back to the room to get ready for our last night out in Vegas. (BOO) Everyone’s excited but bummed out at the same time. “Last night to live it up ladies,” I say as we try on 50 different outfits looking for the perfect complement to the last late night in the clubs. Josie cranks up the tunes. (Who cares if the people in the neighboring rooms don’t like Journey!)

We finally hit the town after making a pit stop at Fat Tuesday’s to pre-funk on jello shots and yardstick margaritas. The opportunities for the night are endless, as we have a wrist band for every club on the strip. Club hopping anyone? We pack it up in the party bus with the stripper pole and head out to The Bank. Got to start classy and work our way down the drunker we get!

At this point Gracie is still going on and on about the perfect proposal ALL THE WHILE totally checking out every hot brown boy that passes. “I knew you were still prowling,” Brien says to her while we make our way through the Casino. Gracie casts a side glance, lets out a laugh and under breath whispers, “Last night in Vegas, right….probably going to be engaged soon…a lady’s gotta do what a lady’s gotta do…” Wowee! Maybe Brie’n will get her drama after all!

So The Bank is pretentious. We like to think of ourselves as classy ladies but who are we kidding, we’re down home country girls. We like to rock out to some honky-tonk, shake our bodies to old school beats and sing our favorite parts of our favorite songs. Back to Coyote Ugly it is!

We skip the line (as beautiful ladies often do) and head on in. To our complete satisfaction we get into the joint just in time for ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ and a couple of cute boys at the bar who offer to buy us all beers. Bud Light Lime in hands we scoot on out to the floor, precariously parked next to the cutest bunch in the house. (We’re with a couple on single girls you know…) Immediately last night’s rude interruption is continued as Dundee appears out of nowhere. “Thought you Sheila’s were out after last night. Guess I was wrong,” he says in an accent that would melt any prissy uptight girl into putty. Gracie apologizes, making up some excuse as to why she ran last night, and proceeds to ‘Get Low’ with Dundee. Brie’n and I giggle while we guzzle our beers.

After an hour Gracie grabs one of us, says “bathroom,” and disappears. Funny, Dundee inexplicably disappears as well. Huh? Well, whatever, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ just started!

“Need another one?” I ask Brie’n to which she nods. I bend and twist through the crowd, back to the bar. While I wait in line I pass the time by posting on FB: “Rockin’ the house at Coyote Ugly! It’s Vegas baby, yeah!” After finally getting my turn at the bar, I whip around, 6 longnecks in hand, only to drop all but one. Thank God I had that one left. I felt like those Twix commercials. You know, the ones with the tag line “need a minute?” I start guzzling to buy myself time to adjust. There is Gracie, donning a stunned fake smile, standing next to her dude. NO, wait, NOT the Dundee dude, HER DUDE! She reaches out her left arm and gives me her hand. I’m thinking to myself, “get excited, say something cute and clever, close your mouth,” and all that comes out is “Uh…..ummm….hey…..Congratulations!? I think?”

The Matrimony Chronicles Vol.1, Part 4 - Are you freaking kidding me!

2010-09-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so. Girlfriend got a text from her dude. Yea right, big deal your thinkin', right? Yea. That's what I thought too. I was sincerely pissed that my little Gracie ruined my fantasy with Crocodile Dundee. I totally had the soap opera going in my brain too... She followed him over to the bar, he introduces himself as Jaime from Brisbane, and he didn't care that all the pretty ladies Grace came to Vegas with were happily married. Tonight, he wanted to buy the married ladies drinks. See, I knew you would like my soap opera. I think I am going to call it Gracie does V.... sorry, back to the story.

Ok, so, text messages. From the boyfriend. Big deal I say. Lets keep dancing. I only get to do this once a year and dude is cramping my painful shoes, hair done up, too tight dress, fake eyelashes style. I am rockin this freaking too tight dress by the way, and I am not going to let lonely boy back home in rainy ol' Seattle ruin my night! Some party pooper had to point out that it was late, and that they were tired anyway. "Come on girls, let's go to bed." someone says. "We don't even know if that accent is real anyway." Damn soap opera. Ruined. Totally ruined.

We traipse our way back across the sky bridge to the MGM, you know the one with all the Mexican kids selling "Ice cold water" for "One dolla", through the casino with the wanna be "thousandaires" cooing at us from the black jack tables to our crappy first floor, no view room. Wow. What a great night. At least that is what I was thinking as I peeled off the fake eyelashes (that were expertly applied by the way...) and stuck them in the middle of the tiny mirror (just to be a snag). Oh well I thought, I am too old for this anyway and I drug my poor blistered feet to bed.

The next morning, Nic wakes up way too freaking early. As usual. She whispers loudly that she is going to find a bagel and some coffee and heads out of the room. Which leaves everyone awake, wondering why the heck she tried to whisper in the first place. Grace starts getting all nervous nelly again about this text message. "He is SO going to propose. I just know it" she says. I, being the pissed off awake girl at 7:00am says " well he should, it's about damn time" Grace gives me a sideways glare and goes on gushing about how she hopes he will do it at the beach where they had their first date, and that she hopes he picked a ring with an emerald cut stone in it... blah, blah, blah.... I am still pissed at the dude for ruining my evening with Jaime, Or Dundee, whatever the heck his name was...

Around 11:00am everyone is finally up and going. Well at least up. Maybe not going. Girlfriend just drug her butt out of the shower, so at least I was kind of going. Grace hollers from the doorway, " I am headed to the pool, I will try to save some decent real estate" "Ha, good luck honey, it's almost noon" I say back. I heard her mumble something that sounded like "itch" under her breathe as the door slammed behind her....

The Matrimony Chronicles, Vol. 1, Part 3 - The Text

2010-09-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

A text message. No, wait, THE text message. The one that changes the rest of our 2010 Las Vegas trip. In that exact moment, as Gracie strolled behind the hot Australian over to the bar, as we waited with baited breath to see what would happen next, her phone buzzed. Thinking that it was a text message from one of us asking her to provide details later, she pulled out her phone and her expression changed.

She quickly made a U-turn back our way and told us we were leaving. Wading through the crowd, getting randomly groped by some passing hyena, all of us were looking at each other perplexed by what had just happened. We could only think the worst. Did someone die? What other horrible thing had happened? We emerge from the smoke machines and booming beats, surround Gracie, and ask, “WHAT HAPPENED?”

She couldn’t speak. She turned her phone towards us. Expecting to read some horrible tragedy this is what we read: Hey Baby! Hope you are getting your party on in VEGAS! I just wanted to let you know I love you! P.S. I have the BIGGEST surprise for you tomorrow!

Yeah. Our reaction exactly. WHAAAAT? Uh, we don’t get it.

“Come on guys,” she says, “ don’t you know what this means?” Honestly we had no idea. For all the pictures we take in Vegas I wish at that moment someone would’ve whipped out their camera and caught the expressions on our faces. Here we are in Vegas, in the middle of the New York New York, dressed to the nines, cocktails in hand, hanging out around a slot machine surrounding our friend with looks of puzzlement; jaws dropped. It’s a shame there’s nothing to post on the net!

Finally someone finally says, “Um….that he loves you?”

“No. I mean yes. But that’s not the big part. The big part is I think he’s going to propose when we get home tomorrow!”

Whoa now, hold up, wait a minute girlfriend. For starters, a “surprise” could mean anything; maybe he’s going to surprise you by picking you up from the airport, maybe he covered your house in flowers because you always chide him for not sending them to you, or maybe, just maybe, he did something he shouldn’t have and is now trying to plan something nice to make up/cover up/soften the blow. Not the nicest thought I know, but hey, it could be true. It could be a proposal, but it could be almost ANYTHING else!

The Matrimony Chronicles. Vol. 1, Part 2 - We Be Clubbin'

2010-09-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Not gonna lie. Getting over the tramp stamp was tough. It’s still being discussed in fact. But we don’t want you to think that we spend all of our time in Vegas soaking up rays (although we spent some pretty quality time at the Producer’s Pool; it has the BEST scenery!) We like to party… And we’re not talking about Pioneer Square, drag your boys and their beer around the Pub Crawl, force them to lazily skiff their feet back and forth in a motion they call dancing, party. We P.A.R.T.Y. – high ball cocktails, sexy dresses, and uninhibited beats you can’t help but move your body like a cyclone to. Now for some of us this is innocent fun. We’re married. The hubby’s are at home faithfully keeping the house clean, watching the kids, and doing yard work. For the others, those in “relationships” (just because you’ve gone out on 3 dates does not mean it’s forever girls) and those who are single can REALLY tear it up! In case you haven’t been to Vegas before let us reassure you, there is no shortage of extremely hot men.

Clubbing in Vegas is a game; a delicate balance of keep away and chase. There are predators out there ladies. You must beware. Hidden under trying-too-hard-to-look-expensive shirts, gallons of A & F’s Fierce and fancy pick-up lines they’ve googled are what can only be described as: hyenas. The Hyena: a scavenger; an ugly varmint of an animal; too much of a coward to ask you to dance so must attack you from behind so you don’t know what’s hit you (or rubbed up on you in this case). They must be classified as hyenas because “dog” is just too nice a term. We constantly fight to protect our girls from hyenas. They are filthy and rabid and must be avoided!

Now that we have that nasty little lesson out of the way let us focus on the desirable. Whether you like them smooth and dark, or tall and beefy, or any combination in between, Vegas will not disappoint those of you looking for a little eye candy. Now for us married ladies window shopping is all that’s allowed, but for our single friends this is like being in the candy store!

So we have this one friend. We will call her Grace. Grace has been dating a guy for over a year. He is a good guy and all of us really like him. But she’s in Vegas. And there is no ring on her finger! She is a bit of a nut – she’s a cute girl and is super nice, but likes to live life dangerously on occasion – and we couldn’t love her more for it. On this night, as we “get low” and “party like a rockstar,” Gracie finds herself on the radar of a very hot blond. He’s definitely no hyena; gave her the eye from afar and waited for her to stare back, casually asked her to dance and then gave her some room to dance WITH him but NOT on top of him, and eventually asked if he could buy her drink. She agreed. All innocent, right? Virtually NO touching going on at this point. We are all giddy, living vicariously through her, especially as she whispers to Katie as she passes by on her way to the bar, “He’s got an Australian accent!”
And THEN, it happens.

Curious to find out what happens? Check back soon and we’ll tell ya!

The Matrimony Chronicles. Vol. 1 - Viva Las Vegas

2010-09-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

We've got Girls. Like, the best Girls. They rock, and I mean really rock. They have signature dance moves and dorky nicknames. We share their lipstick, shoes, and secrets. Once a year, the Girls rally. I mean we really rally. All the way to the City of Sin. You know the place. Las Vegas. We dance, and drink, heck, I've even seen a cigar being held between perfectly polished nails. It's a no holds barred, lazy river floating, dance like your 21, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas kind of weekend. Oh, I should have said this earlier. So, I'll say it now. NO BOYS ALLOWED. Period. End of report. None. The husbands stay home with the kids, the boyfriends find better things to do, and the Girls, well the Girls go to Vegas. Except for this year...

This being our round three year in Las Vegas we have the city pretty well mapped out. The clubs we like, and the ones we don't. Where to eat cheap, and drink for free. We have Vegas down. We know to get up early and throw towels on the prime real estate at the pool. We remember to apply some SPF 35 beneath the Maui Babe so our Seattle skin doesn't sizzle. Like I said, we have Vegas down.

So this fabulous Vegas morning starts off at the pool. We have prime real estate, and then Nic points. We all think she is dancing, as there are some fabulous Vegas Beats playing, and maybe this pointing thing she is doing is part of her new move. Then we realize what she is pointing at. Imagine a speedo. (gross, I know) Imagine a fedora. Ok, now imagine a hairy man, in a speedo, wearing a fedora. Got it? Thrown up yet? If not, get a bucket, bowl, something, because Honey, "if your going to spew, spew into this". Ok, sorry back to my story. Hairy dude, speedo, hat. Got it. Ok, now imagine a tramp stamp. Ya know, the token lower back tattoo that every girl in her 20's has and every woman in her 30's tries to cover up. Tramp Stamp. Yes, I know it's crude. Back to the dude, now imagine he has one. A Tramp Stamp. It's not just any tattoo though, it is a tattoo of an exit sign. Tattooed above his rear end. His hairy, speedo wearing rear end. Did I mention how much I love Las Vegas?

Lovelies, tonight I leave you with the Tramp Stamp. To be continued...

The Matrimony Chronicles, Introduction

2010-09-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

So we have this friend. She’s pretty great – super fun, a little quirky and most definitely someone you could lean on in times of crisis. And she’s going to get married in a year. The reason for OUR excitement? We are going to tell you her story, the story of her wedding planning expedition from engagement to wedding day, from our perspective – the friends….who also happen to be wedding planners! 365 days of all that is the roller coaster that starts with a proposal and ends with an “I do!”

Now before you start thinking this is going to be some biography, the true story of our friend’s journey of putting her dream wedding together, we should warn you: we’re taking artistic freedom to interpret her story as we wish! We are telling it from our perspective and we reserve the right to embellish at will! The one thing we can promise is a thoughtful, informative and more than likely hilarious look at everything that goes in to planning THE biggest day of a girls life!

So tune in, and tell your friends! We hope you have as much fun as we will!

Get Ready!

2010-09-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

So the drum roll can go ahead and start now. Ahh, yes, now I hear it! Ok, so. We have so excited to start a fun new thing on our little peanut of a blog tomorrow. We hope that our faithful followers will get a kick out of it, and hey, maybe even share it with their friends. So set your watch, timer, Blackberry, iPhone, whatever to check back and take a peek. Get ready, for The Matrimony Chronicles.

The beauty of having a FAB photographer...

2010-07-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we are slightly embarrassed to admit this... We are two women, in the wedding business and we both have disappointing wedding pictures.... Thankfully both of us, had a friend step in and save the day and they are the only reason we have any good wedding pictures. So, Thank You Caroline Spott Photography for saving my wedding day!

With each wedding we do, we watch beautiful brides be photographed and know that they will cherish the amazingly captured memories for the rest of their lives. We can't help but feel slightly jealous...

SO, now that we are in the BIZ of weddings, we have the honor of meeting some amazing photog's. One of our fav's is our new drinking partner, Laura Marchbanks.
We shared some cement with her at Craven Farms last May for the 2nd annual Snohomish Wedding Tour. She recently honored us with some of her lovelies, so we thought we would share some for your viewing pleasure. ENJOY!

We heart Sodo Park

2010-06-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I want to first say Thank You to our faithful followers. Your numbers may be small, but we are ever so flattered that anyone in the world besides us would take a moment and read what we have been up to. Anyway! Carrying on!

Ok, so we totally heart Sodo Park. There are so many reasons. I am going to list some of the reasons for you now: 1. AMAZING Venue!! So pretty, and well run! 2. Fabulous staff, they do an amazing job 3. They have agreed to host The Knot Wedding Network - Seattle Market Party for us 9/9/10!!!! Thank you!! So excited! 4. Their food is AMAZING!

Here is a peek at the beautiful McCallister wedding! The bride, Gina is truly one of the most creative brides I have ever seen. I am so lucky to call her my friend! Thanks so much for letting Bella Vita be a part of your wonderful wedding! Thank you to Flowers on 15th for their beautiful handiwork on the fabulous blooms!

Snohomish Wedding Tour

2010-06-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

Bella Vita just got a sweet little present in the mail! One of the amazing photographers that joined us at Craven Farm sent us some photo's that she graciously took of our and Elements in Bloom's work at the Snohomish Wedding Tour this year... and they are fabulous!! We are so grateful to Dani Weiss for capturing our work so beautifully! We truly were lacking in pictures of our invitations and design work. We came up with some amazing new stuff for the show! Take a peek, we would love to hear what you think!!

Snohomish Wedding Tour

2010-04-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to be a part of the Snohomish Wedding Tour! We will be at Craven Farms! Come out and see us! www.mysnohomishwedding.com

Inspiration...just one more thing you'll get from hiring a wedding planner!

2010-01-25T21:51:00.001-08:00

Inspiration for some people comes from hearing a touching story, from watching a movie based on a true story of someone who changed the world... For a wedding planner inspiration can come from the bathroom aisle at Target!

Not to say we don't both love those heartwrenching stories of ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. But our "greater good" is in the world of weddings and that means creating an amazing event design on a specific budget. We have an eye that wonders through the grocery store looking for the next hot, trendy color palette. We've learned to see alternative uses to mundane household items. Our creativity is sparked by the design on a pillowcase cover, by the way a side table lamp casts shadows on a certain kind of metal, or how functional a bathroom accessory can be put to use in a centerpiece.

It's what we do. It's what we love.

Save your hand, maximize your returns.....bring some labels with you to a wedding show!

2010-01-19T21:05:00.001-08:00

It seems easy, right? How bad can it be filling this out?

Name __________________
Phone # _________________

Ask any bride-to-be who's attended a bridal show and she can tell you...print yourself some labels. Even at a small wedding show you're looking at 25-30 vendors, large venues you might see 200+ booths. Each vendor generally has a drawing for some % off, giveaway, etc. so you might be writing your name & phone # (and any other info they may ask for) over 200 times!

So you'll save your hand. If that's not enough here are some more benefits to having labels printed:
1. You can enter every contest/giveaway/prize drawing quickly and easily. Trust us, you'll walk by some booths and think to yourself, "Well, I don't really need that (fill in the blank) and I don't want to fill out that form AGAIN." By entering every single drawing you will maximize the chances you have to win something really cool/a great discount on something you need/win something you didn't think you need but after the wedding realize you couldn't live without or just WIN! Winning is fun, right?
2. The vendors who hold the drawings that you'd really like to win will be able to read your contact information. Wouldn't it be horrible to know your name was drawn but the vendor coudln't decipher your handwriting to figure out what your email address or phone number is?
3. You can send your faithful friends and family who came to the show with you around to the booths you might not get to because they're too busy (or you just didn't feel like stopping) to put in for those drawings for you.

So, you've taken our advice and are going to make some labels. What information should you include?
Bride & Groom-to-be's names
wedding date
phone number
email address
mailing address

By including these things you will be sure to have all the information any vendor may ask for. So go to Costco or stop by Staples and pick up some blank labels for your next adventure to a wedding show!

I am a lot of things...

2010-01-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

I am a make up artist... in a pinch... a pretty good one by the way. I am speech writer, when your best man isn't. I am train holder, a bra strap hider and I am flower girl briber. I have almost been a stand-in Maid of Honor and I am sure at some point in my career I will be an officiant. I can transform an plain, boring venue in a matter of hours into something that can never be duplicated by another bride. I can create an event that truly no one will ever forget. I am a lot of things... I am a Wedding Planner.

Engagement ring =$3,000, Wedding Venue =$4,000, Catering =$5,000

Getting to enjoy the wedding of your dreams and not lift a finger = PRICELESS

Hire a Wedding Planner!

bellavitaplanning.com

And the winner is...

2010-01-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS!
Kaylee Dart & Nicholas Gervasi!
You've won our drawing for $250 off any invitation suite and/or $500 off a wedding coordination package!
You can get in touch with us via email: info@bellavitaplanning.com or call or text us at 425.328.7980 or 425.367.2012

NW Bridal Showcase was a hit!

2010-01-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all of our faithful followers, those of you who stumbled upon us, and those that actually sought us out! Nik and I made a commitment to each other to be proactive in our blogging, so.... here I am! Last weekend we took up some real estate if you will at the NW Bridal Showcase in Everett, WA. I realise that I am biased, but I thought our booth was amazingly beautiful. With a little help from Stadium Flowers, a little zebra print and some new papery by Mrs. R things truly did all come together. (as they always do...) We were up super late, got up early, but for once, we were done before we had to be. Thanks Mrs. R for the coffee and the muffin!

We are learning the ropes, working the kinks out, and trying to climb in to a secure spot as a premier wedding vendor. Thank you so much to everyone that has stuck by us, and supported us on our journey! We would be lost without your help!

1 day down, 1 to go!

2010-01-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

Wow! Day 1 of the bridal show comes to an end and we are pooped! We met SO many great people today and hope to be able to work with many of the brides we met today in the future. With all of the last minute stuff done last night we are taking this evening to relax and unwind and gear up for tomorrow. Lilly helped us a lot today, she is quite the marketing engineer. But with a face as cute as hers and bright red curly hair how can anyone resist!

Busy,Busy Bee!

2010-01-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Bella Vita has a big week this first week of January!! We are taking up some real estate at the NorthWest Bridal Showcase this weekend being held at the Comcast Arena in Everett. We are super excited and scrambling to make everything come together. I think we both have found that we work best under pressure and with a lack of time. Things always work out, and they always end up beautiful. I can't wait to meet some new brides and spread some Bella Vita to the bride and grooms to be of our area!! Come visit us this weekend!!

It's almost time!!

2009-12-17T20:25:00.000-08:00

We just had our final meeting with our webdesigner, and our website is almost ready to launch! Can't wait to show it off and start booking lots of weddings! We are on track to have the website up and going for the NW Bridal Showcase on January 9-10th! We will have a booth, and hope to see all you bride's there!!

Photography...

2009-11-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

As Nik and I comb through pictures to post on our on-going construction project of a website I am struck by two things: Amazing photography, and heartbreakingly bad photography... I have a trained eye. One that see's detail's, things such as a hair out of place, a dress that should have been fluffed, a bra strap that is showing, a dead flower, a ribbon that is turned the wrong way, etc... I am not a photographer, I would like to be, but alas... I am not. HOWEVER, I expect a lot from someone who calls themselves a Photographer. Anyone who has ever held a camera has taken one of those pictures that is truly frameworthy. The stars aligned right, the lighting was perfect, and everyone was looking in the right direction. In my opinion if you are going to advertise yourself as a photographer and take someones "once in a lifetime" event in your hands, you should have more than just luck in getting a frameworthy photo. You should have not only a trained eye, but a trained hand as well. You should see the hair out of place, the bridesmaid who is flipping someone off, and the dress needs to be fluffed. You should see these things and fix them before the photo is taken, and someone like me, who is a trained eye (not a trained hand) see's them....

I see Scriptina...

2009-10-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

...and Comic Sans MS and Baskerville Old Face. Recently Brie'n and I were walking down the stairs at work when we ran into an advertisement for an upcoming event being held at the performance center. Was it the photograph on the sign that cause us to take a closer look? Was our interest in dance what sparked our chitchat? No, it was that we both instantaneously identified the fonts they used to create the wording on the sign! We chuckled at ourselves and how our wedding business is shaping the way we see the world. At first it seemed just a simple cause for snickers from our friends but I guess what it really means is we know the tools of our trade. And we are proud of that.

Wishes

2009-10-19T23:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone wishes for a wonderful life, happiness. For some, fame and fortune. Right now I wish I had taken more computer classes, specifically html, in college. Now I'm not saying that I would give up my seeming natural ability to be creative - to imagine a concept, discover a vision and be able to execute it - I know that is a rare gift and I treasure it. It just would've been nice if someone would've given me a little boot in the rear and said, "Hey, you might need these skills one day." Oh well, guess we will learn along the way!

Hmmm.... Rain...

2009-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

A creative thinker has to think out of the box. A creative thinker see's the world in a different light. A creative thinker looks at a photograph and see's not only the object that is the intended center of attention but what is in the background, the lighting, and why the picture is or isn't great.

Flower Girl For Hire

2009-10-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Little girls... I was talking to Lilly about her future employment at Bella Vita. I informed her that Auntie Brie'n and I have a wedding coming up and soon she will be called on to help out. "I'll pay you $25," I said. She quickly ran to her closet, pulled out the dresses she's worn as flower girl in previous weddings and asked "so which one will I wear?" Oh, how was I to tell this sweet girl that she would not be parading her beautiful red curls down the aisle? Rather she would be at our beck and call, in the background (not something she's used to),running around bringing us supplies, and generally doing the grunt work required of decorating a venue. She quickly said, "Well, I will do that because I can buy a Littlest Pet Shop with the money, but you let them know that if they need someone cute in their pictures I will be their flower girl...OR their ring bearer." And so, I have a flower girl for hire. If you'd like a pretty, red haired, experienced flower girl let us know. You buy the dress, she will perform the rest!

So I think I can dance...

2009-10-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Let me just say, I love my job... This job, my Bella Vita job that is. I am sitting as I type, watching So You Think You Can Dance, and blogging about my Knot experience last night. Yes, if you were wondering, I Think I Can Dance. So last night my BFF Josie and I went down to Seattle to the Hotel 1000 and did a little elbow rubbing with some of the Seattle wedding vendors. What a blast we had! Great food, great venue and good info to be passed around. What else could you ask for?? Gotta love weddings!

Continuing to get Bella Vita out there!

2009-08-18T20:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys!

We are adding our business to more and more websites! The latest one is Momementville.com! Make sure to check it out, and leave us a review while you are there!!

Strong-Curtis Wedding

2009-06-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Check out the great photo's from our first planning endeavour! Thanks Shannon and Anthony for letting us create your day!

Getting Bella Vita out there!

2009-06-23T19:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Today is marketing day! We are now on WeddingWire.com! An amazing FREE website for local brides and vendors! We are super excited about it, and hope it connects us with tons of new Brides out there!

Welcome to Bella Vita Planning!

2009-06-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome! This is our first posting! We are new to "blogging" but we are great at what we do, Planning Weddings, and wanted to get our name, and our work out there! Let me introduce us first, My name is Brie'n Miller and my business partner is Nichole Reedy. We both have "day jobs" but weddings are what we love best. We make custom paper products and plan weddings. Our invites speak for themselves and our wedding planning isn't too bad either!

Bella Vita came about as a joke really. A friend of our's was getting married, and becoming more frazzled by the minute so I threw out at him, "hey, why don't you let Nichole and I plan your wedding". I was thinking he was going to laugh me out of the room. Needless to say I about fell off of my chair when he said, "are you serious!! PLEASE HELP US!" and the rest is history. We spent his entire wedding day running around, but in the end it was one of the most beautiful, organized weddings I have ever been too. The bride and groom got to enjoy their day, worry about nothing and head to their honeymoon without havng to lift a finger.

Currently we are super excited to be working on the Nunley-Nelson wedding coming up in October. We are planning that one, and getting going on their beautiful wedding invites and programs. They are done in beautiful fall colors, wine, chocolate and pumpkin. It's amazing how many fun wedding idea's are out there!

We are also working on the Schultz-Fairbanks Wedding invites for November. They are really unique ivory and black with a splash of red. They are coming together awesome and we can't wait for the bride to see them!

We are always up for new business and are on the look out for new projects! We hope to keep all of our brides updated via this blog! So tune in to see how the invite and planning process is going!