Michelle Rago Blogs!

So excited to see the long-awaited launch of the uber talented Michelle Rago's Blog!! Her gorgeous website is updated frequently with some of the most incredible designs [and photography] and I am just truly blown away by her creativity and talent. Each event more spectacular than the last and no two even remotely resemble each other!

I have blogged about Michelle before and just think the world of her work. She is fun, down to earth and a delightful person and I have enjoyed getting to know her better since meeting her at the BFF Bridal event at Henri Bendel in NYC last spring.

Be sure to add this one to your RSS feeds - is sure to be a 'must read' for all!

Welcome to the Blog-sphere Michelle!

"Something Borrowed..."

Congrats to client ADORNBRIDES.com on the launch of their 2008 advertising campaign and brand new website!

The innovative concept of fine jewelry rentals for weddings and other special occasions is catching on as more and more celebrities do so when walking the red carpet. Brides can walk down the aisle in style wearing a necklace that retails for over $42,000, a bracelet that retails for over $11,000 and earrings retailing for over $4,000 for a fraction of the cost! This is one day that settling for the fake stuff is not good enough and ADORN has the answer.

The media has loved this company from day one - with features in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, In Style Weddings and many more. They are also having great success with affiliate programs for high end wedding planners, bridal salon owners and photographers - anyone who might suggest this as a unique and special option to their clients and in return receive a percentage-based referral fee. Again, the win-win-win I love to see in this industry!

They will be launching a fun, new Blog next month and are continuing to add more inventory and REAL wedding images and testimonials - so be sure to check out their site!

Kudos to founder Bert Stouffer and VP of Sales+Marketing Laura Marcusse for their commitment to 'doing it right' and offering a unique service to the wedding industry and of course to 'bling-obsessed' brides-to-be everywhere!!!

Marcy Blogs!

HI-LARIOUS!!!

That is the best and only way I can describe the incomparable Marcy Blum - eventiste extraordinaire. And now the world will get to share in what those of us who know her well have always adored most about Marcy - her brilliant and insanely funny sense of humor!!

Why? Because, Marcy has become a regular blogger on none other than the Huffington Post! That means an amazing 5.7 million 'thought leaders' who visit the site regularly will get a chance to laugh out loud and be inspired by one of the wedding industries most reknowned guru's! [Yes, that is 5.7 million blog readers described as an affluent, educated audience of opinion leaders...for those of you who have yet to start your own blog - you really need to get going - blogs are here to stay!!!].

Check out her first post on Valentine's Day here and be sure to sign up to be notified of future contributions! And for those of you [living under a rock] who are not familiar with Marcy - you can read her latest BIO here.

Marcy and I had a great chance to catch up on this and so much other wedding industry *gossip* [oooops - I meant *news*!] over a wine and a spectacular dinner together at BLT Market the week before last when I was in New York. It was indulgent for the two of us to get to spend so much time together just "us" and, as always, time spent with her just leaves me wanting more, more, more!! Adore her!

In addition to this, she is the top featured "Party Planner" in the current issue of Town&Country Weddings , just finished pulling off Donny Deutsch's 50th Birthday Extravaganza [complete with The Pussy Cat Dolls!], has her own Wikipedia entry and appeared on the TODAY show recently! Marcy has some exciting big plans for the coming year - and I will be sure to share them here as soon as I can! Hugs to her!!

WeddingMapper.com - Explore Globally, Plan Locally

Have you checked out the super cool site: WeddingMapper.com yet? Delight your clients by giving them a *hot* tip they will thank you for - a FREE, interactive and fun Wedding Map that they can easily add to their own wedding websites!

I enjoyed having them as a recent client for a review+assessment project and am thrilled to see the exciting growth and continuing evolution of this promising website!

What is a Wedding Map? A Wedding Mapper wedding map is an interactive and personalized guide to your wedding that shows wedding guests and vendors where and when everything is taking place for the big day and weekend.

They have astounding site traffic and are already getting well over 1,500 couples a week creating personalized wedding maps for their events around the globe! They recently added some fun new DIY templates for additional personalization and to capitalize on this trend. These are really perfect for ANY couple and the guests are raving about them.

Because of their exploding growth, high search engine rankings and coveted 'early' planning-stage visitation, they have recently begun offering affordable vendor listing/advertising packages - starting as low as $9.95 per month. Couples are also starting to use the site as an invaluable planning tool and relying on past WeddingMapper couples who give extensive vendor reviews and recommendations to make their venue and vendor selections.

I highly recommend you spend some time on WeddingMapper to explore maps in your own region and see what brides are doing and saying!

10 Incredible Years!

Impossible to believe that 10 years ago today, *February 21, 1998* I married the most 'outstanding' person in the world for me...Patrick! It has truly been the most incredible ten years of my life - filled with joy and laughter and of course blessed with two special little girls!!!

We all watched our 'wedding movie' tonight together...and it truly stands the test of time! It also really brought home to me that at the end of the day - through the dreaming and wishing and planning and agonizing and stressing about a wedding --- it really is all about the people that come together to celebrate this milestone occasion with you and the memories that they help you to create.

And more than ever, it makes you realize that the many, many details that were once so critically important fade over time...and all that you have left are the images and moments captured on film to help you remember them by. I have always been and will continue to be the biggest proponent of investing in the best professionals you can possibly afford to capture your wedding day...your most cherished memories are in their hands!

We were so very blessed to have had not one but three camera crews on hand for the entire 4-days of our 300+ person destination wedding 'extravaganza' - some of the most respected wedding professionals in the industry: wedding photography guru Andy Marcus of Fred Marcus Photography in NYC, Mitchell Sturat of HQ Productions who blew us away with video and John Unrue who shot over 2,500 black and white-only images on film [and took the image above]!

I feel today the same way I felt 10 years ago - like the luckiest girl in the whole world!!!! Happy Anniversary Sweetie!!!!

Breaking Industry News: Martha Stewart Buys WeddingWire

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Enters Transactions With WeddingWire

MSLO Expands its Weddings Franchise by Taking 40 Percent Stake, Signing Commercial Agreement with Online Wedding Planning Company

NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. NYSE: MSO today announced a series of transactions with WeddingWire (www.weddingwire.com), a localized wedding platform that combines an online marketplace with planning tools and a social community. The deal is part of MSLO's strategy to accelerate its digital footprint and expand its Weddings franchise online and in print. It includes the acquisition of approximately 40 percent of the equity in WeddingWire and a commercial agreement related to software and content licensing and media sales.

WeddingWire was created by a team of entrepreneurs, including two founding members of Blackboard Inc., to provide engaged couples with comprehensive vendor search and easy-to-use online planning and community tools. The platform's SmartMatch(TM) technology allows brides and grooms to find, research, and receive quick price quotes from vendors in their area, saving couples time, energy and money. WeddingWire offers a range of additional applications, including tools for creating a wedding website, managing budgets, guest lists, and seating charts. It also features social networking and user-generated content tools to help couples make better, more informed decisions.

Read Release in its entirety HERE.

Trash the Cake?!

Forget "Trash the Dress..." do I detect an even newer trend in "Trashing the Cake!?!" Check out this wild pic from the amazing Genya Garrett based in Panama City Beach, FL [be sure to check out her totally fun blog!]. I am dying to know the real story behind this and will share details when I get them!!

Speaking to The Knot

I am back from a crazy and intense 2+ weeks out of the office traveling on client business. I have SO much to blog about - and so little time to do it! So, in totally random order, I will just begin!!

I was completely honored to be asked to be the keynote speaker for this year's National Sales Meeting for The Knot + WeddingChannel. Wow. This past Monday I addressed over 140 members of their executive team at Disney's BoardWalk Resort. The topic was "Creating a Consultative Selling Approach" and was based on my experiences as a wedding industry consultant for the past 6 1/2 years in addition to my view from the client-side of the business for the past 17 years! It was an amazing morning and I was totally energized by the entire group.

It was wonderful to get an email later that afternoon from the incredible Carley Roney [who surprised me by giving my introduction to the team] :

"Can I tell you again what a rock star you are? David was really floored and he is not an easy one to impress and all of our people say you are the best speaker we've ever had. I can't thank you enough. So inspiring!"

I just love the energy in a room of wedding-industry professionals - it is unlike any other audience. Wedding industry speaking engagements are becoming an increasingly bigger part of the Engaging Concepts 'mix' and that is thrilling. To be able to share my unique experiences and point-of-view gained by working in so many facets of this special 'wedding world' with so many of the best and brightest minds in the industry is truly the perfect intersection of my passions. I am looking forward to exploring opportunities to further this aspect of the business in the coming year - so stay tuned!

Thanks again to Carley Roney, David Liu and the wonderful Lisa Aballo for pulling it all together - it was such an honor and pleasure to address their dedicated team of professionals - cannot wait to see what 2008 will bring for The Knot - these wedding brand innovators and undisputed market leaders!!

ENGAGING DAY: The Biggest Day of Your Year!

Happy Valentine's Day from Engaging Concepts! To those of us in the wedding industry - today is the SuperBowl - the biggest single day of the year in terms of engagements. It also bookends 'Engagement Season' which starts every year with Christmas Eve and ends today - the day that is dedicated to all things "Romance!"

We had some fun with this free e-card from PosePrints - and sent it to our clients. And yes, we know, it takes GREAT 'artistic license' with us [*wink!*] but was as close as we could get it - a girl can dream, right?!

Hope the day brings you many, many excited and qualified newly engaged leads - embrace them with genuine excitement and heartfelt congratulations !!! Cheers to the '08 wedding season ahead!!

On the Road Again!

The travel whirlwind continues! After an intense but successful week in Jamaica with Sandals, Preston and the *hot* young photography talent of Scarlett Lillian who documented the event - I am back but headed tonight to NYC for the whole week for the Cayman Islands Global Meetings where I will be presenting to the Minister of Tourism and the entire global sales + marketing team for long-time client: The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.

Booked morning until [late] night - I will manage to squeeze in a few dinners with cherished friends Randy Fenoli, Fashion Director of Kleinfeld and the incomparabe industry icon, Marcy Blum!

I promise full updates when I return to office on the 12th - and dig out from under the piles that are quickly growing!!

[above photo of a recent wedding in Grand Cayman by Rebecca Davidson]

Off to Jamaica!

Will be a bit quiet here on the Blog for the next week or so as I am off to Jamaica to conduct ongoing training for the wedding team from all [19] Sandals + Beaches Resorts.

Preston Bailey will be joining me to unveil his 2 latest collections for Sandals and he and his design team will be training the teams on-island to execute them.

Stay tuned for photos from the week's activities and of the great new destination wedding collections that Preston has dreamed up that are affordable for any bride!

Fabulous Find: Raj Tents

I recently received a wonderful press kit from Maurice at Raj Tents in CA. I have long admired their unique and gorgeous tents. Today, they sent word that they just launched a brand new website...prepare to get lost in all of the amazing tents, pergolas, custom linings, draping, furniture, lighting and more!! They have been featured in countless press outlets and now ship their work everywhere. Kudos to them - they found a need in the market and filled it - no more boring white tents and poles!!

Enjoy - www.rajtents.com !

2008: The "Expectation Economy"

As you have probably figured out by now - I am totally "Trend Obsessed" - it is so important to understand what is happening in the global marketplace in terms of consumer trends, insights and related hands-on business ideas for our clients [and loyal blog readers *wink!].

One of my frequent reads is the uber-cool, totally ahead of the global consumer and their behaviors site TrendWatching.com. Their February Trend Report is one that affects us all in a huge way and its surely one of the biggest challenges in today's marketplace - read on for some highlights:

"Capturing the essence of 2008's demanding consumer arena, it is—surprise, surprise—all about those pesky, demanding consumers:

"The EXPECTATION ECONOMY is an economy inhabited by experienced, well-informed consumers from Canada to South Korea who have a long list of high expectations that they apply to each and every good, service and experience on offer.

Their expectations are based on years of self-training in hyperconsumption, and on the biblical flood of new-style, readily available information sources, curators and BS filters. Which all help them track down and expect not just basic standards of quality, but the 'best of the best'."

The EXPECTATION ECONOMY has been building slowly in the background. The biggest difference from five to ten years ago? Word of mouth now travels the world in a flash, making product launches instantly global, turning every new brand—big or small—into a potential 'player', and most importantly, rewarding exceptional performance with immediate interest and approval from consumers.

In fact, never before has intelligence on the best, the cheapest, the first, the most original and the most relevant been so openly available to consumers. And never before have consumers enjoyed doing research and 'competitive analysis' as much as they do now, and doing it far more diligently than most corporations do.

Let's face it: in the past a brand could get away with not performing at its peak, since consumers didn't enjoy full transparency of the best, the cheapest, the first, the most original, the most relevant. That's really over.

And things are bound to get even more radical: the EXPECTATION ECONOMY is a given for younger generations, who are unburdened by an era of mass production, mass advertising and above all, mass ignorance.

So: not knowing who's doing exceptional things and setting your customers' expectations is not an option."

I will share more on this phenomenon in future posts as this one is already quite long - but I encourage you to think about how the "EXPECTATION ECONOMY" is affecting how you do business and what changes you can make right now to adapt!

TREND: The Destination Bachelor Weekend

From yesterday's special wedding issue in The Boston Globe - a look at the *hot* trend of the "Destination Bachelor [& Bachelorette] Weekend" -- yet another untapped opportunity for innovative hotels/resorts/destinations, travel and wedding professionals to experience the many benefits related to the wedding market! Click here to read the entire article - I pulled out a few highlights:

Stags Just Want to Have Fun

One boozy night at a strip club is increasingly being replaced by long-weekend bachelor parties where men play, eat, bond, and maybe even sip wine.

>>TWO MONTHS BEFORE his November nuptials, Boston attorney Dan Urman and nine of his closest buddies converged on a rented house at Lake Tahoe in California and spent 72 hours in a male-bonding ritual that would have made even Robert Bly envious. The men - who flew and drove in from 10 cities across the country - careened down muddy ski trails on mountain bikes, skimmed the lake in inner tubes lassoed to a powerboat, tried their luck at blackjack in nearby Reno, dined at fancy restaurants, and grilled pounds of steak and ribs.

>>Increasingly, so-called destination bachelor parties that typically span a long weekend and involve scheduled activities such as golfing, skiing, deep-sea fishing, paintball, and wine tasting are replacing the boozy last hurrahs of bachelor-hood.

>>Along with Tahoe, Las Vegas and Miami - both pulsating with nightlife - rank among the top US destinations for stag parties.

>>The trend toward uber-bachelor parties has evolved into a serious game of one-upmanship among super-competitive groomsmen in certain social circles, Bauer says. In 2005, Berkowitz's brother, who lives in Chicago, held his bachelor party in pre-Katrina New Orleans; later this year, Berkowitz will travel to other all-male gatherings in Miami and Puerto Rico.

>>But, boys, let me tell you, these are not cheap dates. The cost varies widely, depending on the quality of accommodations, restaurants, and entertainment, but men typically drop hundreds or even thousands of dollars on such weekends.

>>Several things have sparked the lengthier, pricier destination bachelor party phenomena: older first-time grooms (and brides) and their friends with more disposable income; an increasing percentage of couples who cohabitate before marriage, making an in-town affair too humdrum (not to mention awkward when a bachelor wakes up, hung over, beside his bride-to-be or doesn't come home at all); weddings that often involve family and friends who are geographically scattered and need to travel, regardless, making a sexy destination more desirable; a harried workforce that sees a relative's or friend's bachelor party as a chance for a "minivacation."

[Illustration from The Boston Globe]

J. Crew Weddings: "High Touch"

I received this email today from J. Crew announcing their brand new "Crewcuts" collection for flower girls and ring bearers. Adorable! A number of years ago when J. Crew launched their revolutionary line of reasonably priced but oh-so-chic bridal gowns it made headlines everywhere. They dared to challenge what had been a very formal business model of selling wedding gowns that had been operating the same way for decades and turned it upside down. They offered the gowns only online, with no opportunity to try them on [gasp!], the styles were simple and chic with good quality, the prices were unheard of starting from just $225 and usually not exceeding $1,000 and most importantly, the customer service was impeccable. The results for J. Crew have been a smashing success story and eventually expanded into outfitting the entire wedding party.

I love their call-to-action above "BRIDE TO BE? email ashley@jcrew.com - she's our wedding specialist, she'll wardrobe your entire wedding party and take care of everything [except walk you down the aisle)."

Now, J. Crew is a huge company - but they 'get' that weddings are the ultimate 'High Touch' event and treat brides with the respect that they deserve by going so far as to offer a name and a promise from the very start - no anonymous email address or receptionist or call center. I do not know Ashley, the bridal specialist at J. Crew, but I imagine she is quite popular and very good at what she does.

I must tell you that many in our industry across all categories could stand to learn a thing or two from this - are you sure that everyone in your organization embraces weddings and welcomes them from the very first point of contact? Are they so committed to providing extraordinary service that you would put their name and email address as the call to action in your advertising? J. Crew has taken market share from the traditional 'brick and mortar' bridal salons and continues to do so -- weddings are a people business and we all get one chance to make a first impression - it has to be welcoming, sincere and authentic at every opportunity!

Knot "Real Weddings" Awards

The Knot Announces First Annual Real Wedding Awards

NEW YORK, Jan 15, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --The Knot, Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT, www.theknot.com) the #1 wedding website, requests you to save the date for the launch of The Knot Real Wedding Awards - the first of its kind showcase the best real weddings across America.

Kicking off this Valentine's Day, the first annual The Knot Real Wedding Awards is a one-of-a-kind program that invites recently married couples and top wedding professionals to see photos, videos, and websites from the most incredible weddings of 2007.

Entries will be uploaded to viewing galleries where The Knot editors, real brides, a panel of experts, and the world at large will be able to vote on their favorites in the following categories:

-- Overall Best Wedding of 2007
-- Best Wedding Photos
-- Best Wedding Videos
-- Best Wedding Ideas
-- Best Wedding Web Pages
-- Best Wedding Blooper/Disasters

The winning events will be featured in a story in the best-selling The Knot Wedding Magazine, and a television special on The Knot TV. Visit www.TheKnot.com/RealWeddingAwards to stay tuned for more details regarding the program, including other fabulous prizes announced on February 14, 2008.

[Photo by Allison Miller Photo of wedding at client Casa Monica Hotel]

All About the Blog

Piggybacking on yesterday's post - I had come across this cartoon not too long ago and it made me laugh - for all my fellow Bloggers out there - I know you can relate!! Scary but sometimes a bit true [well, maybe alot true *wink!*]!

Blogging for [Wedding] Business

Blogs have taken web 2.0 by storm and the wedding industry has been no exception. What we do is so VISUAL and emotional and compelling and lends perfectly to the very nature of blogging. Witness the literal explosion of wedding professionals blogs, led by the wedding photographers. That should come as no surprise - after all, they have the stunning imagery and by nature are creative and most often, very techo-savvy.

I am surprised however at how far behind most wedding planners and event designers/floral designers are on this trend...and of course resorts/hotels/caterers and travel agents - not even on the map yet!! There are a few notable exceptions but as a whole - not even in the game!

So I found it of interest to read the piece in today's 1to1 Media marketing e-newsletter entitled: "Do You Need a Chief Blogging Officer?" It outlines the blog strategy of major companies such as Marriott, Southwest Airlines, The Dallas Mavericks and GM.

We are working with almost all of our current clients to develop or strengthen their Blog strategy...it is no longer luxury, in fact, I consider it a MUST in today's increasingly competitive and overcrowded market.

Debbie Weil, author of The Corporate Blogging Book, lists her top eight tips to a successful corporate blog on her website:

-Use humor.
-Write short. Less is more. [ok - I admit I need to work on this - if you know me at all you know I am not known for my brevity! *wink!*]
-Post at least once a week.
-Link to naysayers and competitors
-Appoint a blog editor [if you are too big or busy to do yourself!]
-Build redundancy into your approval process.
-Consider joining The Blog Council (an independent corporate blog association).
-Just do it...

That last point is the KEY! Just start. It is free, it is super easy [almost as easy as sending an email], and it is critical in developing an ongoing conversation with your clients.

Please share your blogs with me...I will add them to my personal RSS reader - which already is filled with over 125 blogs but always has room for more!!!

New Brides: The Renaissance Generation

Read with great interest this morning in Ad Age about the next generation of consumers [your brides!] - the "Renaissance Generation" - the rise of the cultural consumer. Described in a new book by Patricia Martin [which is already on its way to my office!]: "Cultural consumers thrive on information and ideas to fuel their creative self-expression. As the RenGen gathers force in our civilization, it will change how we live and work."

Fascinating and makes total sense...witness the meteoric rise in popularity of wedding-design blogs like Style Me Pretty or Snippet & Ink , the DIY-craze [see new site and book] that grows by the day and of course the explosion of increasingly creative wedding photography that goes well beyond documenting the wedding day!!

For our market - the 'cultural consumer' really translates to the 'creative consumer' and as we read in the recent release from TheKnot [see earlier post], creativity truly is the *buzz* word for weddings in 2008!!

Some interesting exerpts from the article:

"Here's a riddle for the new marketplace being formed by the convergence of art, technology, business and education: If creativity is the gift of a talented few, why are so many people suddenly creative? CMOs grappling with the transformative power of the internet and the likes of YouTube and Facebook as advertising platforms may be missing the big picture: The internet is facilitating mass creative output from anyone and everyone. And the velocity of change it's churning in our society is gearing us up for something profound.

Check it out: RenGen. Americans who thrive on content that drives creativity will set the popular-culture agenda and fuel business innovation, Ms. Martin contends in her book. In fact, it looks a lot like what happens right before a renaissance. What we are witnessing runs deeper than fads or trends. It signals a time of vast cultural transformation that is founding a new generation. I call it the RenGen, short for renaissance generation. At its center is a powerful new player: the cultural consumer."

AND

"The most valuable step you can take in positioning your brand for the rising renaissance is to be aware and to make your colleagues aware. The mounting evidence points to an enduring transformation. Sit down with your team and figure out how these ideas may impact your business, your brand and your job."

How creative are you in how you market, sell and service your current [and more importantly, your future] brides and grooms? How much creativity do you allow them in interacting with your brand? Interesting to explore...more on this as I learn more on this 'renaissance'!

"Just Engaged" BRIDES Nail Polish Collection

From my Inbox Today:

BRIDES magazine and Sally Hansen have teamed up to create a collection of must-have shades for every bride-to-be. Guided by BRIDES magazine, the industry’s authority on wedding day beauty and nail color Sally Hansen has custom designed Diamond Strength Nail Color shades to suit every blushing bride . . . this is the perfect “marriage” between America’s bridal expert and America’s #1 nail expert.

The “Just Engaged!” Collection is available in the following 8 shades:

-Sheer Magic
-I Do
-True Love
-First Dance
-Wedding Bells
-Sealed With A Kiss
-Passion Flower
-Wedding Bliss

What They Cost: $4.75

Where to Find Them: Drugstores nationwide

!!!FUN [and would make a really cute little and inexpensive bridal appreciation gift for your clients]!!!!!