TrinidadWeddings.com...giving a voice to "solopreneurs"

One thing I’ve learned about being in the wedding industry in Trinidad and Tobago, is that in the majority, the industry consists of small to medium-sized operators or vendors; and of the small ones, there are micro-operators.

These “solopreneurs” are the ones who have taken their love of decorating, consulting and creating and made their hobbies into sideline businesses.

When I started TrinidadWeddings.com in mid-2004, one of the visions was to create a “voice” or “platform” for those very solopreneurs – the people who would never be found in their amazing niches if it wasn’t for the internet and the TW Wed-Zine magazine.

Eight years later, we are more than ever committed to finding avenues where buyers can “support local” and where our advertised vendors can get maximum value.

This is why we will be partnering with Eventuality Limited for The Ultimate Epicurean and Boutique Market on October 27 at the Crown Plaza’s Ballroom.

It’s the first installment of markets for the Holiday season and is designed to facilitate independent vendors or independent business owners who need additional opportunities to market their services through in-house promotions and on screen advertising.

Andrea Coutain, Event Developer for Eventuality Lifestyle Events says “This event is different from the other “markets” as a vendor gets more than a table; vendors are given event marketing support leading up to the event and product marketing support at the event.”

 
There will be fantastic products and sampling from the Sweet and Savory section, make-up demonstrations and products in the Wellness and Beauty section. Customers can try on fashion clothing and accessories in the Jewelry and Apparel section and get home essentials at the Home, Art and Décor section.

TrinidadWeddings.com will be there to offer advice to brides-to-be and to offer a selection of top-quality bridal jewellery, hair ornaments and sashes. TW Wed-Zine magazines and bridal emergency kits will also be on sale.

Entertainment will be provided by Peter Louis of the band Zandolee and Random Rewards to customers throughout the day.

The Ultimate Epicurean and Boutique Market is supported by TrinidadWeddings.com, Heartbeat 103.5FM – Radio for Women, Gourmet Market by XE, AVit Support and First Batch Gourmet Cookies – Homemade from Scratch.

Admission is free of charge to the public, so I hope to see you there!

For more information on this event or future events check:www.facebook.com/theultimateepicureanandboutiquemarket or email at info@eventualityltd.com

Fabulous Wedding Ideas for 2012

2011 was popularised as the year of “vintage” and “do-it-yourself,” for weddings, however, make way for the return of elegance, romance and sophistication with the coming of 2012.
 

Here are 6 unique and easily implementable ideas for 2012:

Get guests to be interactive! – Offer up a dessert station where you can combine favours and goodies in one. You can have displays of candies, truffles, pastries, doughnuts, cookies, cup cakes and pies; then, provide guests with decorative bags, boxes or tins to take away their favourites. Have someone supervise the buffet station, so they can offer assistance and ensure all guests get a fair share!

Home-spun decorative accents –“Do-it-yourself” accents will still remain popular for weddings this year. Many brides will be looking at doing hand-crafted flowers made of paper, fabric, buttons or feathers to add a more personal touch to their decor. Some brides may even forego the floral bouquet and make their own, out of vintage brooches or feathers.

Orange is it! – The Pantone Colour Institute has named its colour of the year for 2012 as “Tangerine Tango” – a bold, reddish-orange that is sure to be a hit as an accent colour for wedding decor and on wedding cakes, this year. If orange is too bright for you, try the more subtle shade of coral.

Food stations – Inject an element of fun with your food, with an unusual food station, such as a sushi or a “baked potato bar,”where guests can choose their own toppings such as: cheddar cheese, bacon, chives, sour cream etc. You can even try a soup station, an omelette station ( perfect for a brunch wedding!), a burger “bar”( a great choice for the "after-party!") or an ice-cream station!

Royal Style – 2011’s Royal wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William, will continue to influence weddings into 2012. There will be a resurgence of lace in wedding gowns but in a more modern way, with: lace sleeves, non-traditional lace patterns and the use of lace as an overlay over coloured fabric. Lace and lace motifs or wraps, will also be seen on invitations. The Royal wedding also made the idea of using "flower girls" more popular and encouraged the use of nature-inspired accents - for example, the eight, twenty-foot high trees that were used inside Westminster Abbey.

Cakes – This year, even the cake gets some “bling” - with the advent of metallic cakes in silver and gold. Your cake artist can achieve this look with edible metallic paints and by using shimmer or pearl dust over fondant. Chocolate fondant cakes will also continue to be trendy this year.

The Creative Bride on a Budget!

They say that “necessity is the mother of invention” and perhaps it’s all the more true when you apply that to wedding planning!

Sometimes, this happens because of budget restrictions, unpredictable reactions from your bridal party or disappointments from wedding vendors; all of which conspire to force couples to get more creative with their wedding planning choices.

Here are some of my favourite ideas that won’t bust your budget and are easily implementable too!

1. Instead of having shrugs or boleros made for the bridesmaids, give each bridesmaid the gift of a pashmina (shawl) to add in a splash of your wedding colour. Think about how striking your bridesmaids would look in red dresses with black pashminas or rose-pink dresses with sage green pashminas!

2. Don’t want to pay for exquisite and expensive handcrafted sugar and gum paste flowers on your cake? Buy a gorgeous selection of crystal and pearl brooches or even strings of crystals and faux pearls and have your cake designer affix them onto your cake at strategic spots!

3. Use your engagement or courtship photos in another way during your wedding -  colour photocopy and paste them onto hard board and hand-number each one to match the table number you would like.

4. Cure wedding guests’ boredom during lulls in your ceremony or reception with a “get to know the couple” crossword puzzle that you have designed yourself and have had placed within the wedding programmes. You can even have prizes for the first few guests who complete them accurately!

5. Use different types and sizes of mirrors on your guest tables in order to add glamour. Pair with pillar candles ( at varying heights!) and glass pebbles.

6. To save dollars on printed escort cards ( these are given to guests as they enter the reception, so they will know where to sit), you can do-it-yourself by making origami escort cards – in the shape of diamonds, cranes, fish or anything that goes with your wedding’s theme.

7. If your wedding will be in the rainy season – a fun wedding favour might be to have “hot cocoa mix” in tiny bottles or packets for your guests; or for bridesmaid gifts you can do home-made bath salts by using 3 cups epsom salt (or coarse sea salt) , 1 cup of almond, canola or olive oil and essential oils for fragrance. Package the bath salts in glass bottles with pretty tags and voila! you have a low-cost, spa product!

8. Feel you don’t have an artistic bone in your body? Think about home-made oriented items such as giving gift baskets, getting fabric items monogrammed, or making a photo scrapbook for members of your bridal party

Do It Yourself (DIY) wedding projects add a really personal touch to your ceremony and reception. They're also a wonderful way to spend some time relaxing before your big day. The best thing about them is that you can tailor them to suit your colour scheme, theme, budget and style

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