Planning a Wedding: How One Man Is Doing It

Everyone tells you that planning a wedding is a lot of work and can almost become a second job. As I was growing up I heard this and kind of shrugged it off. Ever since I was a little boy, I knew that I wanted to get married someday; commitment-phobic I am not. But, I always assumed that the woman I would marry would plan the wedding. Actually, I thought that she would have the wedding already planed, long before we even met.

So I guess it only makes sense that my fiancé grew up not wanting to get married at all. There was nothing planned or thought out, no dress that she wanted to get married in or song she wanted to dance to. She was actually kind of anti-marriage.

Now we’re getting married this fall and it seems that the lion’s share of the planning is falling (no pun intended) to me. To be fair she is definitely helping out and is more than willing to give her opinion on anything put before her, but I am the driving force behind our committee of two.

So, what do we have so far? I don’t think that we are doing too badly. We have a venue, my mom and step-dads patio in central Virginia; we have a guest list; we have a “theme”, harvest time with an extremely casual dress code (shorts and tee shirts will be allowed). What we have the most of, though, is ideas. We want letterpress invitations (our colors are those of the fall) and we will probably want a tree incorporated into them somehow. We want a string quartet for the ceremony, but do we want a live band or a DJ for the reception? I don’t know and neither does she. We want a buffet style meal, but what kind of food?

I know that it will all come together in the end - my fiancé works best with a tight deadline - but for now, having this hanging over our head is stressful. I would definitely welcome any ideas, advice or cool harvest-type options. I know that I will have the opportunity to view a huge selection at the National Stationery Show, but let me know if you have any.

Oh, I guess we do have one more thing, just last night we ordered our “Save The Date” magnet. Here it is:



- Aaron

Fall Into Action

Am I the only one that’s in shock that it’s fall already? In the world of the NSS girls that means one thing –the 2008 National Stationery Show is officially in motion! Post-show analysis is complete and exciting promotions are in the works. So is the planning for seminars, special events and other activities to make the show fun, interesting, exciting and productive. On the admin and customer care front, fall also means meetings galore to be sure we’ve covered all of the bases in our communication to customers! Most notable in my role as Show Coordinator, is that contracts and deposits are pouring in (the due date was yesterday – October 3) from returning exhibitors.

So what’s the inside scoop?

Looks like NSS 2008 is going to be great! Sure, it’s only October, BUT our long-standing exhibitors are returning and expressing plans to unveil new booth displays, and many of last May’s first-timers are asking to double their booth space or upgrade to a corner! From my point of view, this means they had a REALLY strong first Show. And I can’t forget to mention that we have more applications for the 2008 Show than we have had at this point in the past 3 years, with lots of brand new companies as well as some former NSS favorites looking to return to the market with new product collections to debut!

The boss (Patti) tells me that my instincts are right on; that these are important indicators of the strength of last year’s show and the confidence that May 2008 will provide the return on investment “ROI”, she says, is key to their decision making. I have learned a lot about the business in my first full year on the job. One thing I can say for sure is that it is an exciting business, and our industry is filled with fantastic, creative people.

I hope you’re looking forward to the Show as much as we are! If you’re considering applying for exhibit space, I recommend doing it now – the small booths are going fast! And if you’re an Attendee – did you know that you can register to attend AND book your travel plans already? Just click here to get started. Get the best deal at your favorite hotel before it fills up – might as well do it now -- I know I’m going to!

**Jess**