Photo Credit: Laughwithdoraz.wordpress.com

I found some interesting wedding stats from www.soundvision.com the other day regarding weddings in the US that I thought would be fun to share!

The Numbers:
• 2.3 million couples wed every year in the US, nearly 6,200 weddings a day
• The average age of a bride in the US is 25.3
• The average age of a groom is 26.9
• The average number of guests invited to a wedding is 178
• 1/3 of those getting married each year have been married before (wow!)

The Money Behind the Marriage

• $72 billion is spent on weddings per year

Photo Credit: www.cjsoffthesquare.com

• The average wedding budget is $20,000 (Really!? But probably not in Southern California…)
• Average cost of wedding rings for the bride and groom: $1,016
• Traditionally the father of the bride would pay for everything. Today however, the bride and groom themselves pay for the wedding about 30% of the time; the bride’s parents pay about 17% of the time. The rest of the time, costs are covered by different sources – the bride and groom and one or both sets of parents (according to surveys by Bride’s magazine)
• $19 billion per year is spent on wedding gift registries
• $8 billion per year is spent on honeymoons
• The average honeymoon budget is $3,657
• Over  91% of all to-be-weds register for gifts. The couple receives gifts from an average of 200 guests
• Most wedding guests spend between $70 and $100 on a gift

Timing of Weddings
• June is the most popular month for weddings, then August, followed by September and October. Here’s a monthly breakdown:
January 4.7%
February 7.0%
March 6.1%
April 7.4%
May 9.8%
June 10.8%
July 9.7%
August 10.2%
September 9.6%
October 9.4%
November 7.4%
December 7.8%

Photo Credit: www.suntouchedweddings.com

• 80% of weddings are performed in churches or synagogues

Honeymoons
• 99% of newlyweds take a honeymoon
• The average couple will spend 3d more on their honeymoon than on a regular vacation
• 40% of honeymooners will travel within the United States, about 60% will travel to a foreign country
• Honeymoons usually last 7 to 9 days
• The most popular destinations are Las Vegas (what?!), Hawaii, the Caribbean, and 
Jamaica
• 35% of brides and grooms have a valid passport

Other Interesting Info
• The top wedding city in the world is Istanbul, Turkey with 166,000 for the year
 (I would have never guessed that!)

Istanbul. Photo Credit: KusadasiProperties.com

• Las Vegas, Nevada is in second place with 114,000 weddings

Sources for Statistics
US Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2003/cb03ff02.html; 
The Knot (http://www.theknot.com/au_industrystats.shtml); The Association for Wedding Professionals International (http://www.afwpi.com/wedstats)
; Sellmoreweddings.com; 
Sellthebride.com (http://www.sellthebride.com/tipsstats.htm)
; American Demographics
; Bride’s Millennium Report: Wedding Love & Money
Bride’s magazine.

Article by Sound Vision staff writer (www.soundvision.com)

How exciting!! A wedding I worked on last fall 2009 was just featured in the Asian-inspired wedding magazine Serendipity magazine‘s summer 2010 issue!

Thanks to all of the wonderful vendors (and my smart assistant Dora!) who helped make this wedding as beautiful as it was, including the amazing bride and groom Leslie and Kenny Fong who trusted me to handle all the little details of their big day.

I’m very excited to be planning another wedding at the Pacific Palms resort in November of this year and look forward to more amazing weddings to be featured to inspire all brides!

Photography: Manda Murphy Photography, Elaine Lee

A rich red and gold color scheme was perfect for this party atmosphere.

I was lucky enough to plan a 60th surprise birthday party at the Cicada restaurant in downtown LA in the spring. If you’ve never been to the Cicada, you’ve missed a hidden gem within the downtown LA located within the business and jewelry district. Now this restaurant is not your typical restaurant venue; on first entering I was immediately impressed by the ornate décor and true representation of the late 1920’s. From the beautiful dance floor and grand chandelier to the live big bands and costumed staff, the Cicada restaurant transports you back into times of the Roaring 20’’s and the Prohibition.

The theme for our party was very fitting, a 1930’s theme where we asked guests to dress up in their best. The guest of honor was definitely suprised when over 70 guests caught him off guard upstairs in the mezzanine overlooking the dance floor.

Guests dressed in their Sunday best!

The set menu included appetizer choices of tiger shrimp, Caesar salad, iceberg wedges or a soup of the day; the main entree selection were New York steak, Pistachio encrusted Salmon, pan-seared chicken breast, or Lobster Linguine, and desserts were to die for with choices between the chocolate molten lava cake or the fresh berry cobbler. Guests signed the guest book and enjoyed the photos of memories inside. A full live 1930’s band played throughout the night and invited both party guests and restaurant guests to fox trot the night away!

Enjoying the live band under the grand chandelier.

The building that the Cicada resides in one of Los Angeles 1st Art deco buildings, the Oviatt building, designed by Albert Walker and Percy Eisen in 1927. The restaurant is actually located within the Oviatt penthouse. At its time it was a “Who’s Who” spot for many exclusive parties including Howard Hughes, John Barrymore and many others. For more information to book your event and Coordinator at this location; please contact Joanna Chong with J.Soiree at (323) 244-8865 or the Special Events department at the Cicada at (213) 488-9951.

Photo Credit: Tripadvisor.com

One of your closest friends/relatives asked you to be in their wedding! How exciting and special! Right? Now the wedding is approaching and the Bride has become a BRIDEZILLA! So how do you deal with her without messing up your friendship or family bond? Here are some tips:

1. Walk a Mile in her Stilettos!

Photo Credit: Fashion.Okbnetwork.com

Remember she’s getting married and a wedding can bring on a lot of stress to her and her future spouse, so she might not be thinking too clearly. Try to be a little understanding by helping her de-stress! Take her for a spa treatment, a long walk, or for a lunch date. Reassure her that things will be okay regardless of all the pressures of the wedding.

2. Offer up Some Assistance!

Photo Credit: Dennis Clifton

Before you start saying no to all of her demanding emails and calls, consider what you can help in some of the wedding plans. Just be sure that she doesn’t go overboard with her requests of you and others. Suggest a DJ, help her choose her her make-up or even help decide on the menu choices for the reception. Giving her the little extra advice or assistance might be all she needs to calm down some of her BRIDEZILLA fits.

3. Remember your Relationship with the Bride.

Photo Credit: NewFriends4U.com

She’s being a BRIDEZILLA now, but don’t forget the friend she was before all of the wedding chaos happened. Don’t allow this one event to ruin your relationship with the bride. She’s going to say and do things that she may not mean because of her emotions, so you have to be the reasonable one and try not to take offense. This is one of the most important days of her life, and she will look back and know you put up with her.

4. Hire a “Professional” Wedding Planner.

J.Soiree At Your Service!

Most BRIDEZILLA’S are just overwhelmed and anxious brides that need a lot of help. Suggest hiring a “professional” planner (no, her mom or your aunt doesn’t count) that can help with her with every little detail, emotionally, financially, and logistically. This can eliminate the headaches and drama for everyone’s sake.

5. If Everything Fails…..Reality Check.

Photo Credit: Tigerlillyjewelry.com

So you’ve done everything you can and it’s come to this. Depending on the bride, you may need to set-up a meeting or casual lunch/dinner to discuss the main issues of the wedding. Just invited the closest of friend or family for a mini-intervention. Let her know that her behavior may not be at its best and it’s making things a little uncomfortable for everyone to be excited about this day. Make sure it doesn’t turn into a “Trash the Bride” discussion, but help her get back to reality of the special meaning behind all the wedding planning and that she will be marrying the man of her dreams. Again reassure her that you are there for her no matter what.