There Are No Second Chances

I found this article online today on Wedding Basics and thought it was the perfect thing to show you the worth of a professional wedding planner:

If I Had To Do It All Again, I Would...
By Lei Lydle
Founder and Editor
Last Updated: 10/19/2007 10:13:13 AM

If I had to do it all over again, I would have hired a wedding consultant to be there on my wedding day. Several things went wrong that day and if I had someone else that was extremely knowledgeable about weddings there, I wouldn't have had to deal with certain problems.
For example, the photographer's assistant did not notice that the hem of my dress was flipped up so it is forever flipped up in ALL of my pictures and memories. An experienced wedding consultant would have been participating in the photos and would have noticed and fixed this detail before any photos were shot.
In addition, the bus driver did not have the directions from the church to the reception that I faxed to the limo company. I had to let a guest point the way. If I had a consultant, she would have had copies of the directions for the driver.
After the photos, the entire wedding party was waiting outside of the church for the bus to return but it never did. So they all had to scramble into cars and hurry down to the reception. If I had a consultant, she would have made sure that the bus came back. . .

You can read the rest of the article on their website, but the article drives home a very good point: Bad things do happen to good people. And, unfortunately, many people don't have the chance to re-do their wedding day. Protect your investment: Hire a wedding planner!

The EYES Have It (Part Deux)

I imagine, as a point of reference, I should probably post a pic of my own eyes. So here goes: Katasha's eyes on an ordinary day (Look, Ma! No Falsies!):



Can you imagine what my eyes will look like on MY wedding day? Laughing, laughing. . .


What is your favorite every day make-up look? Please post your answers here.

The EYES Have It

There is one thing that I will not leave home without. . .and it's not my Visa or American Express Card.



What is it, you may ask?? Quite plain and simple, it's mascara. Whether I'm going out for a night on the town or across the street to the grocery store, I have to have on mascara. I'm not a make-up snob, either. It doesn't have to be Diorshow or Defincils or Parad'Eyes or Cils Magiques. It just has to be:



1. Black

2. Lengthens

3. Separates











My friends think I'm nuts because I already have long lashes, but I daresay that's not the point. I look washed out without mascara. My light brown eyes seem to blend in with my light brown complexion. I FEEL washed out without mascara. Putting on make-up does have some mental health benefits associated with it! Mascara adds a little glamour to my day. I am not dressed to the nines in Target, but I still don't look like a complete bum. Plus, as a wedding planner, I never know when I will meet my next potential client. I need to at least try to look the part!







What does this have to do with weddings?? Everything! Your wedding day is gonna be spectacular. It will be one of the best days of your life. You will be the belle of the ball and you will have all the pictures to prove it. So I say make the most of it and start with your eyes. Go deep. Go dramatic. Go smokey. Add color. Get some fake lashes if you have to. Stand out. After all, eyes are said to be the window to the soul. When someone gets a glimpse of my soul, I want it to look good on the outside! Can you name these famous eyes?

27 of These Might Be Nice. . .

Jim Hjelm has introduced two new Spring 2008 Bridesmaids Collections: Occasions and Just Teas. I like Jim Hjelm BM dresses because they are modern and fresh, fashion forward and body conscious. The dresses also feature supreme fabrics such as silk shantung, satin and chiffon. The following dresses will fit well in the buttercup/slate grey color trend that will be very popular in 2008:











Because of my Beyonce-like shape (ha!), I am a sucker for a trumpet skirt. It flatters and fits in all the right places. Navy and cream with an accent of pink color is classic.







A current client who has a love for deep reds and oranges would find this dress to be just perfect for her 'maids!







And what God-fearing, Alpha Kappa Alpha woman (moi) doesn't like green?!?!







The 2008 Jim Hjelm Spring Collection will be debuted in a trunk show at Bella Rose in Lexington, KY on March 6-8. Sorry, Indiana girls--that's as close as it gets to us. Be sure to visit the Jim Hjelm website for more information.
All photos courtesy of the Jim Hjelm website.

Cake Charm Ceremony

Personalization is where it's at to make your wedding day pop! Revive an old romantic Victorian-era ritual and have a cake charm ceremony at your reception.

The custom of "ribbon pulling," as it was called, dates back to time of Queen Victoria. A bride would hide small charms attached to satin ribbons within the icing of her wedding cake. The bride would then have each of her bridesmaids pull a charm from the cake before it was cut. It was believed each charm had a special meaning that would forecast the 'maid's future in love, luck and fortune. This oft forgotten sacrament will bring delight to your bridemaids. The sterling silver cake charms can also double as pretty thank-yous to your bridal party. Just add a a cute charm bracelet and stir!

Charms are hidden under each slice of the wedding cake and bridesmaids pull the ribbons to reveal silver charms that hint at their future. Each bridemaid can take a turn or they can all pull them out simultaneously. To futher customize your charms, alternate the colors of the ribbons with the colors of your wedding. The cake charm ceremony takes place after the bride and groom cake cutting, but right before the cake is served to guests. If you have more charms than bridemaids, then invite the other important ladies in your life (MOB, MOG, grandmothers, aunts, sorority sisters, etc.) to be a part.

Some of the meanings of the charms are:
Kite=Life of Fun and Leisure
Fleur-de-Lis=Love Will Flower
Engagement Ring=Next to be Engaged
Four-Leaf Clover=Lucky in Life
Anchor=Adventure Awaits
Heart=Love Will Come
Star=Wish Granted Soon

This is not a DIY project! If you want to incorporate the cake charm ceremony into your reception, talk to your baker and she can easily hide the charms under the bottom layer of the cake or in between layers. The charms should NOT be baked into the cake. Here's to being lucky in love!

Valentine's Day is around the corner!

Are you looking for something to do with your sweetie on Valentine's Day? I'm sure the pressure is on for guys and gals to come up with something impressive, better-than-last-year, and, oh--it must be from the heart! If you are in the Indianapolis area, look no further than The Villa Inn. I am a semi-regular at this amazing bed and breakfast that offers a spa, as well. I love, love, love their 60-minute swedish massage! You and your honey can participate in one of their Wine and Dinner Chats: "Wines of Romance" and then enjoy their ultra-luxurious rooms at a 50% discount! Their accomodations are to die for! There are only six rooms in the inn and every room includes:
Private 2 person Jacuzzi bath and shower
King or queen-size beds
Cable television
DVD players
DVD library
Phones with voicemail
High-speed internet access
Private roof top terrace for exclusive use of overnight guests
Complimentary snacks and beverages available in the Butler's Pantry
Workout facilities
Wake-up Coffee Bar
And you can add to that room service and an in-room massage for two. . .heaven!!
I think I've found my Valentine's Day experience for 2008. Now, if I can only get my cutie pie there. . .I haven't figured this part out yet. . .
What has been your best Valentine's Day present that you've ever given or received? I'd love to hear from you.

Hi, my name is. . .

Hello and welcome to my blog. My name is Katasha and I am the owner of K Sherrie and Company Wedding and Event Design. I have been professionally into special events for almost a year, but I have been coordinating weddings and parties and matinees and health fairs and baby showers and birthday parties and everything else for, like, forever. I am a pharmacist by education and training, and working in the retail environment is really what pushed me into striking out own my own. I love the thought of life and death decisions that don't really end in death, ya know? "She picked chartreuse over celadon??!! OMG!!" Really, I love details and making regular things look glamorous. I love making people happy and helping them realize that--they, too, can be fabulous! All it takes is that little extra something and I am happy to provide that something or help you find your "something." I would like to end this first entry with a popular email that floats around in the pharmacy world. It is extremely funny and extremely accurate. It describes what my regular day used to be like as your friendly, neighboorhood pharmacist. And then you will see why I have happily crossed over into something else. And if you don't believe it--ask some one that you know that's in the pharmacy industry and post their response. I would be glad to know what their comments are!

Why Your Pharmacist Hates You so Much
Okay, so maybe hate is a strong word. . .but this is why I'm always rolling my eyes at you and sighing very deeply when you come to the pharmacy. Almost all customers have inevitably asked, "Why does my prescription take so damn long to fill?" Check this scenario:
You come to the counter. I am on the phone with a drunk dude who wants the phone number to the grocery store next door. After I instruct him on the virtues of 411, you tell me your doctor was to phone in your prescription to me. Your doctor hasn't and you are unwilling to wait until she does. Being in a generous mood, I call your doctor's office and am put on hold for five minutes then informed that your prescription was phoned in to my competitor on the other side of town. Phoning the competitor, I am immediately placed on hold for five minutes before speaking to the tech, who puts me back on hold to talk to the pharmacist. Your prescription is then transferred to me, and now I have to answer the two phone calls that have been put on hold while this was being done. Now I return to the counter to ask if we've ever filled prescriptions for you before. For some reason, you think that "for you" means "for your child" and you answer my question with a "yes," whereupon I go to the computer and see you are not on file.

The phone rings. You have left to do something very important, such as browse through monster truck magazines and do not hear three PA announcements requesting your return to the pharmacy. You return eventually, expecting to pick up the finished prescription. . .

The phone rings.. . .only to find that I need to ask your address, phone number, DOB, if you have any allergies and insurance coverage. You tell me you're allergic to codeine. Since the prescription is for Vicodin, naturally, I ask you what exactly codeine did to you when you took it. You said it made your stomach hurt and I roll my eyes (and sigh deeply) and write down "No Known Allergies." You tell me. . .

The phone rings.. . .you have insurance and spend the next five minutes looking for your card. You give up and expect me to be able to file your claim anyway. I call my competitor and am immediately put on hold. Upon reaching a human, I ask them what insurance they have on file for you. I get the information and file your claim, which is rejected because you changed jobs six months ago. An a$!hole barges his way to the counter to ask where the bread is.

The phone rings. I inform you that the insurance that the other pharmacy has on file for you isn't working. You produce another card in less than ten seconds that you seemed to be unable to find before. What you were really doing was hoping your old insurance would still work because the copay was cheaper. Your new card prominently displays the logo of Nebraska Blue Cross and although Nebraska Blue Cross does in fact handle millions of prescription claims everyday, for the group you belong to, the claim should go to a company called Caremark, whose logo is nowhere to be found on the card.

The phone rings. A lady comes to the counter wanting to know why the cherry flavored antacid works better than the lemon cream flavored antacid. What probably happened is that she had a milder case of heartburn when she took the cherry flavored brand, as they both use the exact same ingredient in the exact same strength. She will not be satisfied though until I confirm her belief that the cherry flavored brand is the superior product. I file your claim with Caremark, who rejects it because you had a thirty day supply of Vicodin filled 15 days ago at another pharmacy. You swear to me on your mother's. . .

The phone rings.. . .life that you did not have a Vicodin prescription filled recently. I call Caremark and am immediately placed on hold. The most beautiful man on the planet walks by and notices not a thing. He has never talked to the pharmacist and probably never will. Upon reaching a human at Caremark, I am informed that the Vicodin prescription was indeed filled at another of my competitors. When I tell you this, you say you got HYDROCODONE there, not Vicodin. Another little part of me dies.

The phone rings. It turns out that a few days after your doctor wrote your last prescription, she told you to take it more frequently, meaning that what Caremark thought was a thirty day supply was really only a 15 day supply with the new instructions. I call your doctor's office to confirm this and am immediately placed on hold. I call Caremark to get an override and am immediately placed on hold. My laser printer has a paper jam. It's time for my technician to go to lunch. Caremark issues the override and your claim goes through. Your insurance saves you 85 cents off the regular price of the prescription.

The phone rings. At the cash register you sign. . .

The phone rings.. . .the acknowledgement that you received a copy of my HIPAA policy and that I offered the required OBRA counseling for new prescriptions. You remark that you're glad that your last pharmacist told you you shouldn't take over the counter Tylenol along with Vicodin and that the acetaminophen that you're taking instead seems to be working pretty well. I break the news to you that Tylenol is simply a brand name for acetaminophen and you don't believe me. You fumble around looking for your checkbook and spend another two minutes making out a check for $4.67. You ask why the tablets look different from those that you got at the other pharmacy. I explain they are from a different manufacturer. Tomorrow, you'll be back to inform me they don't work as well.NOW--imagine this wasn't you at all, but the person who dropped off their prescription three people ahead of you and you'll start to have an idea why. . .your prescription takes so damn long to fill!

Jeez--I LOVE weddings!