Notre Dame Basilica - Save the Date 2010!!

For most people, March 2, 2009 will be an ordinary, back to work Monday. But for those brides, grooms and families who are hoping to secure a date for their 2010 wedding at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, it is so much more! Its been called things like 'Basilica Monday' and 'Basilica Lottery Day', but according to Amy Huber, who is the Wedding and Baptism Coordinator at the Basilica, it doesn't have a name, it is simply the day the calendar opens up for wedding reservations for 2010. Amy will begin taking calls at 8:00 am, EST and stop at 4:30 pm, EST. When dialing in, you will not get put on hold, just keep dialing until you get through. If you hear a busy signal, hang up and try again, Amy is on the line with another caller. Can you plan a strategy to try and up your chances of getting the day and time you are hoping for? I think you can. These suggestions may not help you get through to Amy faster, but they will help you to be prepared to make a decision with confidence, once you do get through. The last thing you want to have happen, is to get through, but not be able to accept an available date. You'll have to hang up, then go through the whole process all over again.

1.) First and foremost, have five to ten, yes I said ten, dates and times chosen that would be acceptable choices. Discuss this in advance with all involved parties until you can all agree on a list of acceptable dates/times.
2.) Have multiple folks calling in on your behalf.
3.) If you are having multiple folks calling in, make SURE they have your list of acceptable dates and times, and that they are authorized to make a decision on your behalf.
4.) This may seem like it goes without saying, but remember that the calls are being taken on Eastern Standard Time - if you are on the west coast, that means calls will begin being taken at 5:00 am and end at 1:30 pm your time.
5.) Be patient, just keep dialing.

Good Luck Everybody!! We can't wait to hear from you once you secure your 2010 date!!

Baby Shower Fun!

When I found out that one of my assistant's was expecting, I immediately asked if I could help with the baby shower - and Jen, pictured here with me (her = red boa, me = blue boa) said sure!
And that was that.....until...
...she and her husband Troy came in with the ultrasound...they were going to have twins!! My original theme was scrapped, and after asking Jen if she was open to the idea, we decided to go with Dr. Seuss's Thing One and Thing Two - from the classic children's book, The Cat in the Hat.
In researching ideas on the internet, I ran across a pics from a 'Thing One and Thing Two' shower that Stem Parties had created. I took great inspiration from those images, and below is our spin on this theme.






The Thing 1 and Thing 2 onesies, plush toys, bibs and pacifiers (not pictured) came from a great website for all things twins and more! Just Multiples - www.justmultiples.com



I loved creating this party! Even more so because it was for Jen, who is my behind the scenes rock! While most clients never meet Jen, she is most certainly present at their events - doing the work that needs to be done to create magic for our brides and grooms. Whether it is comandeering one of the motor coaches we had shuttling wedding guests earlier to take everything back to the office after event tear down (linens,votives, etc.) to keeping yours truly on task, Jen is an indispensable part of Team CE! Love you Jen!