Momzilla! Is This Really a Thing?

You’ve seen the movie Monster-in-law, right?

You know the one with Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan, and Jane Fonda? Well if you haven’t, you definitely need to.

It sums up exactly what your brides (and you) might face when planning a wedding.

But in all seriousness, dealing with controlling moms and future mothers-in-law can be a nightmare for any bride.

So as a wedding planner, it’s your job to stick up for your client, and put mom in the corner.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’ve got some tips to help you out!

Understand Why Momzillas Exist

To handle a momzilla, you first need to understand what causes a momzilla. And it all comes down to emotions.

Moms’ lives are changing. Their babies aren’t babies anymore, and their family dynamic is shifting.

And when it comes to your client’s wedding and happiness, moms want to make sure it’s the best for you.

So when the mom of the bride texts you or her daughter all the time, know that it’s coming from a good place.

These moms just want the best for their children, and them reaching out to you helps fight their anxiety a little bit.

How to Handle the Craze Momzilla

Yes, momzillas can be crazy!

One moment they’re perfectly fine with how you’re handling everything, the next they’re crying because it’s not right.

How do you handle it?

One of the biggest things a momzilla needs is to feel included, to feel like you want them as a contributor in the wedding.

No one likes sitting out or feeling excluded, especially mom!

It’s alright to ask mom for her opinion, get her insight on what the bride might like, as well as explore any hidden talents she might have in design.

And it might help calm the beast.

Don’t Bend too Much

Now of course, the best way to handle momzilla is to make her feel included.

But, and this is a big but, always make sure you’re still the voice for your client.

Don’t let mom overstep her bounds and start taking control of everything. It’s your client’s day and she hired you to be her champion, even when it’s against mom.

The best way to handle situations like that if they do arise is to sit down with the mom and explain to her that while you are both thankful for her input and all that she has done, her actions are causing problems.

Sure it’s a little frank and abrupt, but no need to be ambiguous and beat around the bush with a serious issue like this.

Be firm when it comes to fighting a momzilla!

Ready to battle your first momzilla, event planners? We believe in you! Just remember, you’re there to help your client plan their dream day.

And to those event planners who’ve dealt with a momzilla, tell us your experience in the comment section below, or share it with us on our Facebook page.

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Go Full Royal: Something Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue for Your Wedding

Kate Middleton did it again! She stepped out and stunned the world, this time with a special tiara. The Duchess of Cambridge added the infamous Lover’s Knot tiara to her look for the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace. Known officially as the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, this tiara was a favorite by the late Princess Diana. All this talk about tiaras, jewelry, and princesses has us thinking back to the day she married Prince William. She wore the “halo tiara” designed by Cartier. It was an 18th birthday present to Queen Elizabeth from the late Queen Mother. Talk about a “something borrowed” for her wedding day, am I right? What do you have in mind for your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue? Well, we have some ideas to help you go full royal on your big day!

Old English Tradition

Where in the world did this tradition come from anyways? It actually began in England in the form of an English rhyme:

“Something Olde, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, A Sixpence in your Shoe.”

The tradition also extends to brides adding four additional charms to their outfit or to carry throughout the day. These are symbols of good luck and are usually given to a bride by her mother, sisters, or other relatives.

As for the representation of each of these items, it goes as follows: something old represents continuity: something new offers optimism for the future: something borrowed means shared happiness: something blue represents purity.

So to help you carry on with this country’s old tradition, here are some of our takes on bringing something old, new, borrowed, and blue to your wedding.

Something Old:

Family Heirloom Jewelry

Have you ever received any type of jewelry from a family member? Maybe a brooch, earrings, or bracelet? You can take these pieces and have a professional convert them to a hairpiece or a newer piece of jewelry.

Dress Decor

OK, maybe a headpiece isn’t the look you want for your wedding hairdo. What about if you take a piece of family jewelry and have it sewn directly onto your dress. For example, you have a string of pearls or gemstones. You can easily take them apart and sew them onto your gown.

Family Wedding Dresses

You might not be keen on wearing your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress, but to save hurt feelings and keep in the theme of something old, you can still use part of their dress. An idea would be to take a piece of the old dress’ lace and use it as a headband/piece or wrapped around your bridal bouquet.

Something New:

Initials

When you’re getting married, everything seems new! But what about starting with those new initials you’re about to get? You can embroider the initials on a wrap around your bouquet or on the inside of your dress.

Jewelry

Why not go all out and find a great pair of earrings or a necklace that compliments your wedding look or engagement ring? Not everything has to be a family heirloom; your wedding is a great time to make some heirlooms for yourself!

Something Borrowed:

Tie

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the other main man in your life when you’re planning your wedding: your dad! Remember him and keep him close to you during your wedding by including something of his in your wedding attire. One of the ideas we have is to borrow his favorite tie. You can tie it around your bouquet, making it a stunning addition and a memorable moment for him.

Veil

Did one of your best girlfriends just get married, or does your mother still have her veil in her closet? Why not ask to borrow it for your big day? Instead of making the purchase, you can always ask someone close to you and make this your something borrowed.

Something Blue:

Clutch

So blue might not be one of the colors for your wedding, but you still want to honor the tradition and include it. What do you do? Well you could always make your something blue a clutch. No one said what shade of blue you’ll need to pick, so you can pick anything from navy blue to aquamarine.

Hair Accessory

You know you’re going to have about a million and one bobby pins in your hair to make sure your perfect wedding hair lasts the whole day. Why not find ones with soft sapphires or cobalt blue gems on the end to represent your something blue? It’s a nice, subtle way to include the tradition without taking away from your overall look.

Sapphire Ring

You could go completely royal with this something blue look by opting to have sapphires in your engagement ring or wedding ring. It was one way Kate Middleton included a something blue in her wedding day look, and it could be yours too.

Ready to go full royal now? Get out there and find your something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue, today! It’s easier than you think. v

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The Pink Bride® - Tennessee’s Leading Wedding Resource

“To connect wedding couples with local wedding professionals for the ultimate wedding experience!”

The CEO and President of The Pink Bride, Fred Jacob, is here to tell us about what it’s like to be surrounded by ballroom dresses, flowers, and cake toppers—and how to make it in the wedding industry.

A quick snippet about the company...

This year, Fred Jacob is celebrating his forty-first anniversary with his wife, Donna. Congrats to the happy couple! Throughout their entire marriage, they have worked together as a team to make their dreams of working in the wedding industry a reality. Their love of weddings has even passed on to their daughter, Allison, who joined The Pink Bride team ten years ago. Allison currently manages the Nashville and Memphis division of the company. The Pink Bride serves as a resource for engaged couples in Tennessee to find the best wedding professionals in the state.

Tell us about the beginning years and about The Pink Bride Magazine!

In 1989, I started The Pink Bride with the goal of publishing a bridal magazine in my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Although I had no previous experience with publishing, I began writing editorials and putting together content for the first Knoxville issue, titled “Here Comes the Bride.”

After a successful first issue, I decided to expand my publishing efforts to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Subsequently, as each issue became more and more successful, I started publications in the Tri-Cities region, Nashville, and Memphis. Today, after 25 years in publication, my team and I debut each issue of the magazine at The Pink Bridal Shows®, held twice per year in five different cities. In 2014 alone, we distributed over 150,000 copies of the magazine.

What are The Pink Bridal Shows®?

My goal for The Pink Bride has always been to connect couples with wedding professionals in Tennessee. I wanted them to work together to create the perfect wedding experience. Nearly fifteen years ago, I decided to begin producing bridal shows. I thought of it as a way for brides to be able to find all of their wedding needs in one place. We refer to it as a “pop-up wedding mall.” Today, The Pink Bride produces two bridal shows in each of the six major markets of Tennessee— Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, and the Tri-Cities region.

The Pink Bridal Shows® have become a major source for brides to get great ideas and connect with wedding vendors. In this ever-growing electronic world, wedding professionals are still finding that the bridal shows are the most direct way to connect with brides. Why? Bridal shows let engaged couples and professionals interact on a greater personal level than can be achieved through the Internet.

In 2014, the bridal shows brought in nearly 9,000 brides and 800 wedding companies, which was the largest attendance the company has seen yet. As a company that continues to grow, we expect to have a 15% increase in 2016 as well.

Our largest show is at the Music City Center, where we cover over 90,000 square feet of space with nothing but weddings. With exciting fashion shows and a lot of wedding vendors offering great packages, couples are guaranteed to have a wonderful experience.

How do you keep up with technology in today's world?

To provide today's brides with the latest information, we really utilize Pinterest. It’s the number one social media platform brides can use to plan a wedding. So we’ve created individual Pinterest accounts for each one of our display advertisers. In addition, within The Pink Bride magazine, a bride can scan the bar code that is displayed on each ad for a company and it will take them directly to that advertiser’s Pinterest page.

What can brides expect on The Pink Bride website?

Our website, ThePinkBride.com, is a place for wedding couples to connect with wedding professionals. We reach over 50,000 visitors each month. The website is designed to make it easier for brides to find wedding information by providing them a convenient list of participating magazine advertisers and wedding vendors in each region. Wedding couples can also easily access tickets for upcoming shows, order The Pink Bride t-shirts, and purchase a copy of The Pink Bride magazine.

What is the The Pink Bride Statewide Venue Directory?

We are always working to make it easy for the bride and vendor to connect! Just this year, The Pink Bride debuted its Statewide Venue Directory. As a magazine that combines over 980 Tennessee wedding venues across the state listed by geography, the directory is a great resource for couples to sort through wedding venue options more quickly.

The Venue Directory is distributed to all wedding couples attending each bridal show, and is available for free at over 500 locations across the state. A complete list is also available at Venues.ThePinkBride.com.

We’ve heard you’re releasing a new app soon. Can you tell us more about that?

The Pink Bride’s latest creation, launching in January 2016, is called BrideScan. This app allows brides to easily access vendor information following a bridal show. Prior to the show, each bride and vendor will input their own information into the app. Then, at the show, when a bride takes interest in one of the wedding vendors, they will be able to easily scan a vendor’s bar code. When the bar code is scanned, the information is transferred from vendor to bride and vice versa. Following the show, both the vendor and the bride will be able to review the list of information.

BrideScan will be released nationwide for all show producers to be able to use in every US market.

Bridal Wars! We want to know more!

In Nashville on May 14, 2016, The Pink Bride will be doing their first event with Bridal Wars. Bridal Wars is a one day event in which brides create three-person teams and compete for prizes. We’re excited about this event, and we’re still thinking of new ideas to reach brides in Tennessee!

What else should we know about the Pink Bride?

Well, glad you asked! Because Nashville has become such a popular party destination, The Pink Bride created its sister company, Pink Bach Parties. This company connects engaged women to all of the hot activities in the Nashville area. PinkBachParties.com

The Pink Bride looks forward to the future and continues to evolve the company to fulfill its mission statement: To connect wedding couples with local wedding professionals for the ultimate wedding experience!

Thank you, Fred Jacob and The Pink Bride! The Inspherio Crew loved learning all about your company. Hey event professionals, be sure to check out The Pink Bride if you are in the Tennessee area; they’re great!

Do you have a success story to tell about your time in the event industry? Send us an email at support@inspherio.com or let us know on our social media pages:

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