It's a scary place out there - better just dive in!

Some of you may have noticed we've changed our look a bit... don't get too used to it, as we're still working on all of our branding and we're just in the "in between" phase.  I'm terribly sorry for the branding confusion - and I know it can't be good for my business, but as some of you may now know (from my previous post earlier this week), I was forced quickly to change my branding due to my lack of trademark research (note to future entrepreneurs, if you're looking to open your own business any time soon, be sure to do ALL of your homework - including a trademark search!).

So here is what you are going to be seeing in the near future {hopefully}:

- The big web site reveal {eeek! so exciting}
- New blog reveal {with a link that matches our new schnazzy domain!}
- New logo and color scheme

What we've already been working on:

- New Facebook page {please follow us here!}
- New Twitter page {please follow us here!}

Here is what you're not going to see:

- Change of content {it will be a different name, same great information!}
- A lack of posts {we've been on the decline lately with posts and I'm terribly sorry!  We're definitely going to get better}


We have a lot of work to get to... so like the title of the post suggests - we better just dive in!  I hope you're going to continue to join us on our journey of starting our business!  If you have anything you'd like to see, please contact us or leave a comment below!

Wedding Wednesday: Song Selection Assistance

I've never had to plan a wedding of my own {hopefully that day will come soon}, so I can't exactly say that I've had trouble with picking out the music for my big day {the boy says he'll be choosing the music selection if/when our big day comes, we'll see how that works out!}.  I will admit, though, I'm a huge fan of music at any party - and the music selection for a wedding definitely requires more thought than say a 32nd birthday get together.

Although music is an important piece of your wedding to think of when it comes to your guests enjoyment, there's more to it than just making sure you choose the right DJ or band to rock your venue late into the night.  There are many musical choices needed for a traditional wedding.  First we'll start with your ceremony - you'll have to choose your prelude, processional, recessional and postlude.  Then there is the music for your reception -  your introduction, first dance, father & daughter dance, mother & son dance, cake cutter, bouquet toss, garter toss and the last dance.  Whew - did you know there would be so many??

The Knot threw together a list of songs that would be fitting choices for the type of wedding style you have centered your wedding around {or based on your musical tastes as a couple}.

For the couple hosting an Indie style wedding, here are some suggestions:

Ceremony Recessional:
"Hello Sunshine" - Super Furry Animals
"Love and Some Verses" - Iron and Wine

Reception Entrance:
"La La Love You" - the Pixies
"Baby I'm Yours" - the Arctic Monkeys

First Dance:
"First Day of My Life" - Bright Eyes
"Question" - Old 97's

Father-Daughter Dance:
"Gracie" - Ben Folds
"Flood of Sunshine" - the Posies

Mother-Son Dance:
"Opened My Eyes" - Straw Dogs
"Only You" - Joshua Radin

Cake Cutting: 
"Tonight is Forever" - Acid House Kings
"Love It All" - The Kooks

Bouquet Toss:
"Give a Little Love" - Rilo Kiley
"Miss Magnolia" - Matt Costa

Last Dance:
"You Are the Best Thing" - Ray LaMontagne
"December Night" - Laura Warshauer


For couples planning an "all American" wedding, here are some selections for you:

Ceremony Recessional:
"All You Need is Love" - The Beatles
"City of Blinding Lights" - U2

Reception Entrance:
"Stay" - Dave Matthews Band
"Rock'n Me" - Steve Miller Band

First Dance:
"If I Should Fall Behind" - Bruce Springstein
"My Best Friend" Tim McGraw

Father-Daughter Dance:
"Just the Way You Are" - Billy Joel
"Father and Daughter" - Paul Simon

Mother-Son Dance:
"Learning to Fly" - Tom Petty
"Kind and Generous" - Natalie Merchant

Cake Cutting:
"Brown Sugar" - The Rolling Stones
"Love You Madly" - Cake

Bouquet Toss:
"Just Like Heaven" - The Cure
"P.Y.T. {Pretty Young Thing" - Michael Jackson

Last Dance:
"Celebration" - Kool and the Gang
"Love Shack" - The B-52s



Lastly, for those couples planning a trendy wedding, check out these music choices:

Ceremony Recessional:
"Something Coming Over" - O.A.R.
"No One" - Alicia Keys

Reception Entrance:
"If it's Lovin' That You Want" - Rihanna
"Love Like This" - Natasha Bedingfield

First Dance:
"I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz
"Bubbly" Colbie Caillat

Father-Daughter Dance:
"This is My Now" - Jordan Sparks
"Daughter" - Loudon Wainwright III

Mother-Son Dance:
"Blackbird" - Sarah McLachlan
"Viva la Vida" - Coldplay

Cake Cutting:
"Candyman" - Christina Aguilera
"Green Light" - John Legend

Bouquet Toss:
"Single Ladies {Put a Ring on It" - Beyonce
"Womanizer" - Britney Spears

Last Dance:
"Let it Rock" - Kevin Rudolf
"Just Dance" - Lady Gaga



Did you find some new ideas from this list?  The Knot provides an abundance of music ideas for both your ceremony and reception, so be sure to check it out here.

What songs did you play for the various activities for your wedding?  Would you say your music choices matched the style/theme of your wedding?  If so, was that your plan??  We'd love to hear how you came up with your musical selections!

Real Wedding: Cairnwood Mansion Escape

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted a real wedding for the Wedding Wednesday series... I apologize!  If you read my last post, you know there has been a lot going on with the blog, and the business, so I've had my energies focused elsewhere... but it's my goal to get back to posting regularly - and that means more than just a weekly Wedding Wednesday post!

Today's feature comes from the fabulous photographers Justin and Mary of Justin & Mary Photography.  Tiffany and Dan's wedding took place at the gorgeous Cairnwood Mansion in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.  The couple were married on a bright and sunny July day, surrounded by the love of their family and friends.

I love the heart shape the brides earrings make for this photo!

I just ADORE this venue!  It's insanely gorgeous!

The handsome groom getting ready for the big day

... and the beautiful bride getting ready for the day

Such a stunning bride... and beautiful dress!

The couple set a river rock with different words that were important to their marriage inscribed on them.  At the end of the night, they had their guests hold the rocks while saying a prayer.  The couple then collected all the rocks and will place them in their new home.  Such a unique and creative idea to remember your wedding beyond the photographs!

The gorgeous bride and her mom walking down the aisle.

The groom kept his eyes closed until his bride and soon to be mother in law reached the front of the aisle. {Check out Justin & Mary's blog to see the look on his face when he saw his bride standing in front of him... it's adorable!}

I just can't get over this gorgeous venue!!!

Look at that huge wedding party!

I love this photo for some reason...

.... this one too!

I love the simplistic color scheme of white and powder blue for a gorgeous, outdoor summer wedding.

Love that cake topper... and the bride and groom re-enacting it!

It's not every day that you see the guests of a wedding surrounding the couple for their first dance like this... I thought it was a very sweet gesture!

Justin and Mary did such a fabulous job on this wedding... but with a gorgeous couple and wedding like this one, I'm sure it made their job a piece of cake!  If you're interested in viewing more FABULOUS photos from this wedding, and reading more details, head over to Justin and Mary's blog.

Business Confusion

There's nothing worse than putting all of your thoughts, ideas and hard work into a business name only to find out that name is already taken. My bad business news of the week came last Monday evening when I opened an email to find that the business name "CK Events" has been trademarked by a company in Indiana.  While there is no one to blame but myself, it's such a frustrating discovery because my blog and Facebook page come up as 2 of the top 3 results in a Goggle search. UGH.  I should mention - I did research the business name on the Minnesota Registered Business name site... AND I searched the internet for the company name - nothing popped up on either.  So I thought I was smooth sailing {I guess I should have done more homework}.

So... I'm starting to get myself focused on some rebranding.  I'm just thankful this whole trademark thing popped up now before I announced the premier of my web site and revamp of the CK Events logo.  So for now, I apologize for the lack of posts - it might be a slow process of getting back into the swing of things.  I've been trying to get everything switched so that I'm not longer infringing a trademark.  Bear with me... we'll have the new web site and branding up soon... so give us your thoughts and please stick around with us during the transition!  We'll announce a NEW business name and web site soon... I hope you'll join us in the new journey!  :)

Happy Monday! :)

Desserts In Shot Glasses

As many of you all may have noticed, shot glass desserts are super popular right now!  And why wouldn't they be - you're guests are able to sample many different flavors of dessert in cute little glasses!  I think these little desserts provide extra lip-smacking goodness on a dessert table, too!

Click the links below each photo to get the recipe for that dessert!

Cheesecake shooters

Cookies and Cream shooters

Key Lime Pie shooters

Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake shooters

Chocolate Trifle shooters

Raspberry Tiramisu shooters

Strawberry Shortcake shooters

Double Chocolate Mousse shooters

What recipes have you tried and loved for your own dessert buffet?

Wedding Wednesday: Tips for the Bridal Party

So your friend just asked you to be a part of her big and special day, one of the most important days of her life... her wedding.  Now what?

The job of a bridesmaid doesn't just consist of throwing and attending her bridal showers and bachelorette party, standing around for lots of photos and partying the night away at the wedding, it means you're there for whatever the bride needs.  Weddings are a lot of work, and a lot of stress, and as a bridesmaid you're committing to help the bride stay as calm and stress free as possible, which includes before the big day, and during!

Source

Read on for some tips from Erin of The Not Wedding, as featured on Every Last Detail.

The Week of:

- Assist with any loose ends, whether it's finishing the welcome bags, favors or decorating the reception hall.  Be helpful and do it all with a smile!

- At the Rehearsal Dinner, make sure the bride is able to mix and mingle with all of her guests, but make sure she isn't drinking too much and that she gets into bed at a reasonable hour!

- The night before the wedding, make sure she's relaxed and calm enough to get some sleep - try playing some cards, watching a movie, or enjoying an activity that's a stress reliever for her!


The Day of:

- Just as you did the night before, make sure the bride is calm and relaxed.  If there's any issues that arise during the day, be there to help out.

- Make sure she has her overnight bags packed, make-up case ready for touch-ups and a change of shoes for later in the evening.

- Prior to the party getting started at the reception, help the bride bustle her dress.

- Help the bride and groom out by getting their drinks for them - they will have a ton of people to greet and thank, so any trips to the bar you can eliminate will be totally helpful!

- If you have time, take photos throughout the day and night... even though they'll have photos from their photographer, it's always nice to see some "behind the scenes" photos of their guests enjoying their time.

- As the reception wraps up and the couple are heading to their hotel room (or wherever their post-wedding reception may be), stick around to help the family tear down the reception venue, pack up cars, make sure wedding accessories and gifts make it to where they need to be.


After the Wedding:

- If the bride and groom are hosting a gift opening brunch/lunch, be sure to attend and help with any final obligations (be the person to write down which gifts were from which guest, help them carry their gifts to the car, see them off to their honeymoon).

- If able, offer them a ride to the airport for their honeymoon, or offer to pick them up from the airport.


Did you know there was so much that went into being a bridesmaid?  I certainly didn't in the weddings I've been a bridesmaid in!  Head over to Every Last Detail to read more tips for bridesmaids, and be sure to check out all the other wedding inspiration she has to offer (especially Tuesday's for her Tuesday Tips series!).

Recipe Love: Cupcake Poppers

When you take a look at these awesome cupcake poppers, what's the first thing you think of??

Yep - they look just like macaroons!  LOVE!  I came across these little gems from Tablespoon via The Sweet Life blog and just had to share!  I totally want to try these for a party.  To be honest, these little cupcakes seem to be 10 times easer to make than macaroons... and sound a bit tastier (OK, I've never tasted a macaroon, but I must admit... I'm a LOVER of cupcakes!).  Head over to Tablespoon to print off this super easy to make for your next party (or Easter dessert)!