Trash The Dress

Trash the dress is a style of photography, established by John Michael Cooper in 2001. Trash the Dress, or TTD, is a declaration that the wedding is over and instead of storing that gorgeous gown away, never to be seen again, express yourself with a beautiful photo shoot. TTD can be shot at a beach, an abandoned building or even a roof top. Choose a place that fits your personal style, a place that expresses your creativity. Some brides choose to to go to the extreme with their shoots by burning or tearing the dress. Others choose to get the dress wet or dirty and have it cleaned afterward and boxed up for storage. It's your personal preference as to the style of TTD shoot you want. The most important part, is to express yourself and have lots of fun while doing it!

Pictures by John Michael Cooper

What do you have planned for 2010?

5...4....3....2....1 Its time for a new year! A new year means new goals. My 2010 goals are to build my business as an event and wedding planner as well as help out more in my community.

I look forward to meeting and working with new clients as well as building relationships with them. The greatest accomplishment an event planner can have is to see the smiles on their clients faces. I look forward to watching the events unfold in front of my eyes and have it be everything my client and I have envisioned. I am also excited to be having my booth at the Brides on a Budget Wedding Expo on February 13th at Jackie's Galaxy in Bristol, RI. I look forward to meeting new brides and networking with some local vendors. I plan on coordinating a networking mixer for all the local vendors in RI, MA and CT. Networking is a vendors best friend!! You can never meet enough vendors, these are the people that my whole business is based on, without them, I would be nowhere! One event i am very excited about is the charity event i am hosting in mid July. The event is for Brides Against Breast Cancer, and it will be a bridal gown sale at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI. Brides will be able to purchase designer gowns for amazing prices and 100% of the proceeds will go to Brides Against Breast Cancer. BABC grants wishes for women in stage 4 breast cancer and i am honored to be hosting an event for such an amazing organization.

Well I sure have a full year ahead of me and I am truly excited to see it all unfold. What do you have planned for 2010?

2010 Wedding Trends

2010 is right around the corner, and with a new year, comes new trends. 2010 will be the year for smaller and more intimate weddings. Not only could this be a good thing for budget reasons, but will also be romantic. Imagine your family and closest friends gathered together in a beautiful garden surrounded by delicate roses and hydrangeas, an arch draped in organza and a harpist serenading you as you walk down the aisle to your future husband, now doesn't that sound romantic? Warm, bright and bold colors will be the latest thing in fashion for 2010. Purples, turquoise and pewter are all chic and would be a great addition to your romantic affair.

Should i hire a wedding planner?

In these tough times, brides feel the need to try to cut costs. One thing that you NEED to do is hire a wedding planner. Contrary to the belief, wedding planners will not be an added expense. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. Wedding planners actually save you money.

How you ask? Well here is a few reasons:

* With a Rolodex filled with vendors, your wedding planner will be able to introduce you to vendors that are within your budget.

* Believe it or not, we know are stuff!! Wedding planners can go over your contracts and make sure that their are no hidden fees, the last thing a bride & groom need are surprise fees at the end of their perfect day!

* So you’ve dreamed of your wedding since you were 4 years old? A wedding planner will take your dreams and turn them into magical memories.

* STRESS FREE….that’s so important for a wedding planner. The bride and groom should not be stressing out on their wedding day. You should not have to worry about the DJ’s huge speakers blocking your sweatheart table, or that there is not enough waiters to serve your guests. Wedding planners are there to take care of all that, most of the time it’s before you even notice that a problem has even occurred.

The list could go on and on, but i think you get my point. Wedding planners are not only there to make your day perfect, but they are also there to keep you within your budget.

So my advice to every bride…..HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER!!