Crowning & Fabulous: Bridal Black Friday!

If you are getting married (or think he's about to pop the question) then you'll love these bridal-savvy Black Friday deals!

For the DIY-er, check out craft stores like Hobby Lobby (50% off select items) or Michael’s (30% -50% off select items). {Click on those links for in store coupons!} Stock up on candy bags for your sweet table or ribbons for your ceremony program.

When it comes to the bridesmaid’s dress, brides catch themselves saying it all the time, “you can so wear it again!” This Black Friday think outside the box from your traditional bridal designers and look for dresses at Macy’s (20% off), Nordstrom (33% off evening wear) and other leading department stores for your maids and mothers. Every bridesmaid loves a dress that looks great and is great on the pocketbook. Don’t stop at the dress, also check out shoe sales and accessories like jewelry and purses to complete the look.

Take advantage of holiday sales and purchase gift cards to your salon for your wedding day hair, make-up and manicure. They make great gifts for the mother of the bride/groom, and any wedding attendants. Give them this holiday season or save them for the wedding.

Keeping in the spirit of giving, snag great prices on gifts for your bridal attendants and other key members of your wedding. Restaurant gift certificates are a great way to show appreciation to a religious member who performed your pre-marital counseling or married you.

If he hasn’t popped the question yet, or you are in the beginning stages of planning and not ready to take the Black Friday plunge, you can still be a savvy shopper and stock up on gift cards. Some retailers are offering buy one and get the second 50% off. Save now, buy later.

What’s even better than Black Friday? Small Business Saturday! Shop your local boutiques and stores for the best deals in Northwest Ohio. Photography studios Considering Lilies and JP Photography have Black Friday Specials. {See their great deals below.} Keep the savings coming with Cyber Monday and you can shop online for honeymoon airline and travel deals from great sites like Groupon.com.

Take a tip from Santa: make a list and check it twice. The savviest bride is the one with a game plan. List out items you need or wish to purchase. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. If you overbuy, you will not only overwhelm yourself, but you could risk breaking the bank and that’s no way to start a marriage.



Crowning & Fabulous: Colin Cowie Weddings!

As a fan of the fabulous Colin Cowie, I am excited to share that he is debuting a NEW wedding website
full of fabulously fun and creative ideas this October!!!!
Crowning Celebrations readers have a exclusive offer to view the new site. But before I reveal that, here are the juicy details:

The site will have three main channels: Confidentially Colin, MyCollection, and Inspire Me.

The My Collection channel keeps within Cowie’s tradition of exceeding expectations: new, fresh and innovative ideas. With this channel, brides will also be able to save, organize and share what inspires them privately and securely with their friends and family. 

The Inspire Me channel offers smart, in-depth articles for both the bride and groom covering every aspect of wedding planning from engagement parties to the honeymoon; fashion, beauty, travel and registry; how-to tips and tricks; trend reportage; inspirational ideas and more.

Confidentially, Colin: offers couples the chance to personally connect with Cowie and seek his advice on topics like proper wedding etiquette, planning logistics, and more. Here he shares thoughts, suggestions,
insider tips, advice and counsel from his 25 years of wedding planning around the world.

The website will feature ideas at all price points with new, trendsetting ideas from Colin's signature creations. It will be like having your favorite bridal magazine at your fingertips 24/7!

The website debuts in mid-October. But Crowning Celebrations readers can get a sneak peak NOW!!! Click on this link: colincowieweddings.com and get an insiders look at the new site!!!

Crowning & Fabulous: Toledo's 'Cake in Cup' WINS Cupcake Wars!

Congrats to, Lori and Dana at Cake in Cup

on winning last night's Cupcake Wars on the Food Network!

If you haven't tried Cake in a Cup, check them out:

6801 West Central Avenue

Toledo, Ohio (behind Tim Horton's)

419.491.1104

Flavors change daily. For a complete list, check them out here.

Also find them on facebook for some fabulous deals on "last call" cupcakes.

Crowning & Fabulous: Love my job! | Toledo - Perrysburg Wedding Coordinator & Designer

Whew - what a week! I have had some great consults with brides this week, along with networking mtgs with area pros. I love my job!

While I haven't had much time to actually blog this week, I want to share my two favorites from blogs I follow.

The first is from The Wedding Workbook Blog on the TOP SIX REASONS to hire a wedding planner/coordinator/conceirge/designer... we have multiple names and often wear multiple hats. Personally, I prefer "wedding coordinator and designer" because not only am I cooridnating the logistics, but designing a one-of-a-kind day!

1. Couples will save tons of time - Although a couple may know a thing or two about wedding planning, they don’t do this for a living, so they will have to spend lots of time and effort getting up to speed, not to mention all the effort required managing all the details of wedding planning. By hiring a coordinator, they free up all that time and turn everything over to an expert who will get everything done in a fraction of the time that it would have taken them.

2. They will save money – The couple probably doesn’t have firmly established relationships with many wedding vendors, doesn’t have much leverage in negotiating with them and doesn’t know the going rates of what they should pay for wedding venues, catering, DJs, transportation, etc. Coordinators, on the other hand, have all this information at their fingertips and can probably negotiate much better rates than they can, and these savings can offset some or maybe even all the fees they would pay a coordinator.

3. Coordinators will help protect couples from mistakes and fraud – Every bride wants her day to be perfect and error-free. Although there are always a few issues with any event, hiring a professional will help ensure there are a minimum of issues (plus, when there are issues, coordinators know how to resolve them promptly). As a seasoned wedding professional, we have probably seen it all, so we know all the tips and tricks for avoiding mistakes and slipups. In addition, coordinators can help them avoid being defrauded by a shady vendor by helping them navigate the minefield of vendor selection and negotiation.

4. Couples can focus on more important matters - Brides and grooms have enough on their plate with family, friends and social commitments besides trying to manage a handful of vendors and thousands of intricate details. Their wedding should be a day of bliss and enjoyment, not one of work and worry, and hiring a coordinator will let them relax and enjoy every moment.

5. Millions of people hire specialists every day – Couples themselves probably hire specialists to take care of tasks in which they lack expertise (like fixing their car or doing their accounting) or don’t have the time to do themselves (like housecleaning). Planning a wedding is a very big job, especially for someone who doesn’t regularly plan events, with little margin for error, so it only makes sense to turn it over to someone who is an expert.

6. The job will get done right – When you try to take on a big project that is beyond your area of expertise, there’s always that fear that you are making errors and leaving out important steps … and you are probably right. So, by hiring an expert, couples can have the peace of mind that the job will get done the right way and that their wedding is in the hands of someone very capable of making their dream day come true.


Can you agree? I thought so ;)

The Second fabulous post sums up my fabuously busy work week on why I love do to the biz of "I Do"!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Crowning & Fabulous: "Marry Me" Ring

 This ring says it all, "Marry Me"!

Whether you are the non-traditional type, or you're the kind of guy that wants to propose, but can't choose a setting, this ring speaks for you.

Designed by Solange Azagury-Partridge in 18-karat gold. This design can be purchased from Net-A-Porter.com or visit the designer's website for locations.

Crowning & Fabulous: Pomona Chocolates

Every girl loves getting packages. And today's was extra sweet!

To my delight I received a sampling from

chocolatier, Julia Lachowyn

of Pomona Chocolates in Huron, Ohio.

These homemade chocolates a free of fillers, waxes or preservatives and

can be styled and coordinated to match any color scheme and event.

My sampling included flavors such as:

Salted caramel truffle with fluer de sel sea salt

Rasberry Chambord bonbon with heart and vine print

Limoncello white chocoalte truffle

Limoncello white chocolate floral bonbon

Moijito bonbon with green geodesic print

Pomegranate and champagne truffle with raspberry dust

Animal printed passionfruit bonbon

Kona Coffee bonbon with white cubist print
Kona Coffee truffle with cacao nibs

They taste as fabulous as they look! And I have to say the sea salt is
a perfect compliment to the caramel truffle!!!

Chocolates can be ordered in any quantity. Two, four and one piece favor boxes are available.

To order contact Julie at (419) 433.3670 or email

Crowning & Fabulous: Jimmy Choo's 15th Anniversary Crystal Collection

Move over Manolo! I am loving Jimmy Choo's Crystal Collection for this year's bridal shoe. And whats even better is that it comes in flats for the girl who doesn't want to tower over her groom, but still wear fabulous shoes!

Or it also makes a great Mother-Daughter matching shoe.

The high-heeled Samba is featured in the middle with the matching Rachelle in the kitten heal. Shop Jimmy Choo online or at Nordstroms.

Crowning & Fabulous: Wedding Shoes

While sitting on hold trying to work out issues with my website, I went shopping. {What else is a girl to do?!} Don't you just love these shoes??!!! Yes, they are indeed the fabulous Christian Louboutin's.

For Wedding Ceremony:

For Wedding Reception and Honeymoon:

{While my website isn't fixed yet. I feel better now.}