The Special Event--Really Special!!

This last week was a busy one for Megan and I!  We spent four days in Tampa, Florida for a conference which is put on by ISES, The International Special Event Society.  Can I just say, AWESOME!!!!!
We went to meetings and presentations on all sorts of event production related topics.  I attended sessions on floral design, general trends and directions that the event industry is headed, lighting, as well as some on the more nuts and bolts aspects of the business.  I feel like my head is going to explode with all the new stuff! :)

 This was from a class on doing simple things with flowers that don't necessarily require a florist.  This is something we do a lot!  We really got some terrific ideas for simple centerpieces, decor, aisle runners, etc.  This was an herb wreath that was tied to the bride's chair with a pretty ribbon.  The wreathes smelled divine! The little table was done with a "vintage romantic" theme.  Lots of silver mercury glass, roses, ranunculus, mums, candles.  It was lovely! The main speaker was Ian Prosser who had an entire alphabet of letters behind his name!  He also had an absolutely delightful accent and a terrific sense of humor.  Just listening to him was so entertaining!

 This class titled "Four Weddings and a Budget", discussed four wedding schemes with very expensive tables, where they showed how the table could be done more economically.  What was most interesting about this class was that the floral arrangements really drove the cost of the tables up! They showed one table where the centerpiece alone was $1200!!!!!  Not thinking we are going to see a lot of those at Aberdeen Manor!

This class was on having hard goods on hand that could be reused and repurposed.  We have accumulated quite an inventory at Aberdeen Manor.  It was fun to see some new and fresh ways of using some of the things we already have!

So what were some of the trends and directions that weddings are headed this year?  Well, according to Pantone--the world renown gurus of color--the color of the year is TANGERINE TANGO!  If I had to describe it, I guess I would call it a deep red orange.  Now since orange is probably my least favorite color, I'm sure you can guess how excited I was about this news!  Fortunately though, it's actually a pretty orange (I never thought I would say that about any orange!) and with the right accent colors it could be gorgeous!

Last year the "color of the year" was honeysuckle, which was actually a sort of dark pinky mauve.  We will probably start seeing more of it in weddings this year and next.  It takes us a while in Indiana for these things to filter in from the coasts! :)
Silver continues to hold firm as the metallic accent of choice, however gold is beginning to make a comeback.  And of course, bling, crystals, sparkly things, are all still huge in weddings.
The three big trends in weddings that we heard lots of talk about? 
First, the romantic, blingy, vintage theme is huge.  Lots of lace and ruffles, lush linens, extravagant centerpieces and florals with lots of hydrangea, roses, garden flowers, tons of candles.  soft colors or even all neutrals. 

Another popular theme, was the country/shabby chic direction.  Antiques, wildflowers, milk glass, mason jars, handpainted signs, homemade jam for favors, you get the idea.

The third trend we saw mentioned quite a bit, was Urban Sleek.  Lots of clean lines, minimal fuss, sharp contrasting color palettes, really, totally opposite to the other two trends! 

Of course the one thing we all agreed on was that when it comes to weddings, there are no rules!  And the trends and themes of weddings all get mixed and matched on a regular basis.  What is important is that all the elements hang together.  So you might be shooting for an urban sleek sort of wedding, but you love the "bling" so maybe you would have circles of faceted ribbon around the sleek cylinder vases on your tables. 

Another hot trend is the David Austin garden roses.  SO beautiful!  And they smell awesome!!

Take a closer look at the one in the center--that's called Green Eyes.  They are amazing! 

It's so different!  Here's an even closer look:

Isn't that an interesting look?  Can you see it in a very modern bouquet?  Or mixed with other flowers in a country bouquet?  I thought at first they had somehow stuck a green Trix in the middle of a white rose!

When push comes to shove, you go with what you love, and somehow it all ends up working together.  That's what's so much fun about weddings and being in "the biz"!  We get to play with all these themes and colors, designs and ideas--I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!!

There is so much more to talk about, but I'm concerned that all these photos are going to stop up the download, so I'm going to stop for now and see if this works.  I'll write more about the conference tomorrow! As if all of these fabulous sessions weren't enough, they had a huge trade show!!  OH MY!!!!  So there's lots more to report!  Stay tuned!

Aberdeen featured in Wedding Essentials Magazine!

We are very proud to tell you that the feature article in the current issue of Wedding Essentials was shot right here at Aberdeen Manor!  We had a great time with the staff and photographers from Wedding Essentials.  They spent an entire day here in late November, shooting all the pictures for the article.  And it turned out gorgeous!  The color palette was "peacock colors"--royal blue, teal green, deep purple-- awesome colors to work with!
For the shoot, we provided invitations, tables settings and linens, menu cards and place cards, hors d'oeuvres, an entree plate, tuxes, and the backdrop of our ballroom and chapel.  We decorated the cake table with peacock feathers, and even made it snow over the dance floor!  We had a great time planning all the different aspects of the photos and figuring out how we could best
Click on the link above to see the current issue online, or stop by and we'll be happy to give you your own personal copy--we'll even autograph it for you! :)

Being "Unique and Different"

Recently, I had an epiphany of sorts.  I was thinking about vendors and weddings and such.  It has always confused me that we would have brides who felt that they needed to choose vendors that were all new to us.  Nobody off of my Favorites List, all people we had never seen before.  Hmmmmmm.
So this is where my epiphany comes in.  It dawned on me that the reason some brides feel compelled to choose vendors that are different from the ones we normally use is because they think that having unique vendors will make their wedding unique!!!
In a nutshell, they couldn't be more wrong.

What makes your wedding unique?  What sets it apart from the weddings of all your friends?  I can tell you one thing that doesn't affect the uniqueness of your wedding, and that is your vendors.  Vendors are the framework that you build your wedding on.  They are the 2x4's and lumber that your house is constructed from, and upon which you decorate, furnish and paint to make your house unique.  It isn't the lumber that makes a house unique, it's the work that your architect does on the design, and the decorating that you do once the design is accomplished that make it so special.
So to carry that analogy along, you, my brides and grooms, are the homeowners, and I am your wedding architect/General Contractor (we do design/build weddings! :).  It is my job to help you design a beautiful and unique wedding.  Just as General Contractors have subs that they work with all the time, I have "subs" (that we call vendors) that I work with best.  We have our framers, our dry wallers, HVAC, windows, flooring, and painting, roofers, landscapers, concrete and asphalt contractors: all the different people that it takes to build a house.
It's my job as your "General" to bring all these people together, coordinate their work and schedule them so that your house is built efficiently and on schedule.  It's also my job, since we are "design/build" to help you tweak your floor plan to make it fit your family, to keep your design consistent throughout the changes we need to make, and to ultimately provide you with a home that reflects your tastes and your vision, and that you will be happy living in!
I have often said that I could use the SAME VENDORS for every single wedding we do, and our weddings would all still be unique and different!!!  Just as an interior decorator wouldn't do the same design in every house, a florist is going to talk with you and design something unique for your wedding. The DJ is going to play different music, suited to YOUR tastes, and provide the extra activities that you request.  Your cake designer will create the perfect cake for you.  It isn't WHO you choose that is important, it is THEIR LEVEL OF EXPERTISE!
The folks on our Favorites List have proven their expertise over and over and over again.  I could work with them week in and week out, and still have beautiful unique weddings every time.
I just finished reading a fun series of books by Nora Roberts, her "Wedding Day Series" which follows four women who start a wedding venue in the one friend's Mansion in Connecticut.  They are fun books, a little racey, because after all, it IS Nora Roberts!  Parker, who owns the Mansion, is the coordinator, Laurel makes the cakes, Emma does all the flowers, and Mackenzie is the photographer.  Together they create all these beautiful, unique weddings for their clients.  Basically the same people doing every wedding, but every wedding unique in its own way because they are professionals and know how to make them unique and flawless.
We often talk about "A-Team" weddings at Aberdeen.  These are the weddings that have all of OUR vendors for their event.  These weddings are as smooth as glass.  No worries about flowers that haven't shown up at 4:30, no cakes that are starting to slide apart, no DJ dragging his equipment in through the guests because he is late arriving.  These issues just don't happen when we have an A-Team Wedding.  Everything happens as it is supposed to, on schedule and perfectly timed.  Mike (the Transaudio DJ we work with most) and I have developed a psychic connection when it comes to orchestrating a ceremony and reception!  I look at him and he knows what to do!  It's magical!  We're like a pitcher and a catcher--we have our little signals that we pass back and forth, and the wedding progresses, perfectly timed and flawless.  The correct music plays, it fades beautifully in and out at the absolute perfect moment.  Who wouldn't want that sort of perfection for their wedding?
This same symbiosis occurs when Stringsounds plays for a wedding, or Cynthia Shelhart, or any of a number of other musicians on our list that work with me over and over again.  We all work together like a well oiled machine.  It doesn't mean that they play the same music each time, of course not!  Each wedding has its own unique music, what sets them apart is that they are flawless!
I could write a book about the issues we have had with vendors over the years.  Photographers and DJ's particularly because these are the people we work with throughout the event.  Some of them were just plain bad.  I've had to testify in court against a DJ who absolutely trashed a reception.  With others, I've had to try to fix the problems that they have created, either because they were unprofessional, inexperienced, or sometimes just unfamiliar with how we work and what we do.
It isn't that the people on our list are the only good vendors in Northwest Indiana; that's not my point at all.  There are, of course, other good vendors out there, it's just that they aren't necessarily familiar with our facility and us, and how we operate.  Consequently, it is much more difficult to create that perfectly timed, and flawlessly orchestrated wedding.
To continue our analogy, if your framing contractor isn't good, your house is eventually going to have structural problems, regardless of how beautifully you decorate it.  The walls will develop cracks your roof might leak, who knows what might happen?  If your landscape sub isn't up to par, you might have big problems with the sprinkling system, or the beautiful curly willow might be planted over your sewer line where it grows into it and creates problems later.
Even if you get lucky and choose good subs for your home contruction, if they aren't people that your General Contractor works with regularly, you could experience months of delay because he can't get them there to do the work.  When your GC uses a sub regularly, he has a lot more "clout" when it comes to scheduling them and getting them on HIS time table.
Obviously, the analogy could go on and on, and of course, it doesn't translate totally but you get the idea, right?   My point is this:  USE OUR FAVORITES LIST!  It's only purpose is to help you plan a flawlessly timed and orchestrated wedding!  It is YOUR personality, uniqueness, input, and ideas that will make your day unique and different from anyone else's.
And as ever, I am here for you to help you with the ideas portion.  If you need some help in that department, just let me know and we'll get together and see what we can come up with!!

(And by the way, do I need to say this again? WE DO NOT RECEIVE ANY KICKBACKS FROM OUR VENDORS!  The ONLY reason we recommend these folks is because we KNOW they are good, and we also know that they are familiar with our facility and each other.)

Ahhhhhhhhh!

After some terrifically busy weekends, and weekdays too for that matter, I finally have a day "off" to sit in my jammies all day (as in, it's 2:30 in the afternoon, and yes, I am still in the jams!)
So, what do I do on this golden day?  I read a beautiful book about EVENT PLANNING!!!!!  For the last 5 hours I have been pouring over an absolutely fantastic book---"Art of Celebration--New England".  I have stuck at least 20 markers into it, with notes written on them about the inspirations and ideas that the beautiful illustrations in this book have given me.  It's part of a series which includes a book for Georgia, Chicago, Northern California, Southern California, New York City, New England, South Florida, and maybe one more that isn't coming to me right now.  Oh, it's Washington D.C.
THESE ARE AWESOME BOOKS!!!!!!!  So many fabulous ideas for flowers, decor, lighting, food, linens, chair ties; you name it!  Obviously, the events featured in these books are gazillions of dollars.  They are, for the most part, REALLY high end events, but the beautiful thing is, so many of their ideas can be scaled back for the common man--or woman!  So many things can be done on maybe a slightly less grand scale, but still will add some great punch and spark to YOUR event.
I have these books at work, in my office, and I would be THRILLED to share them with anyone who would like to come by and look at them.  I'll even be happy to loan one out to you, just like the library, if you want to take it home with you and check it out.
An aside note:  There is a stationery designer in Boston by the name of Kelli Parker who does some truly lovely things with invitations and paper pieces for weddings and social functions, who was featured in this book.  I looked up her website, and on her blog she is having a contest to give a copy of this book to some lucky person!  Well actually, she already had the contest and nobody entered!  so maybe if a few people go to her blog and "enter" she'll give it to one of you!
And yet another aside note:  In one of her blogposts she mentions that the Dessy Bridal company is using Pantone colors for their gowns, and Pantone has an entire site dedicated to bridal colors and design.  You can order swatch colors, create mood boards for different combinations or for the colors that you have decided on; all kinds of fun things.  So if you are taking the day off today too, check it out!

Sorry, I have to get back to my book now, I think I should get dressed  before dinner time. :)

Ring Things and Ring Dogs

This morning, Colin Cowie shared some terrific ideas for the rings in your ceremony, so thought I would share them with you.  Here is what he has to say as well as his suggestions:

Exchanging rings is not only a symbolic and poignant gesture of two lives merging, it's another opportunity to add a personal, stylish touch to your big day. Having a little one carry a traditional pillow is no longer the only way for your ring to arrive (though, it is hard to elicit the same kind of "oohs and ahhs" a ring bearer inspires when he walks down the aisle).

• Man's Best Friend
  If your dog is an essential part of your life, why shouldn't he be in the wedding party?
   
• Branch-ed Together
  In many cultures, the branch is a deep-rooted symbol. Though the exchange of rings is not a tradition in a Greek wedding, having the rings brought out on an olive branch is a great way to put a modern spin on old traditions. The same can be done with a luscious grape vine.
   
• Under Your Nose
  Sometimes the best solution for a ring arrival is no procession at all. There are many creative ways for your rings to rest during the ceremony. If you're having a beach wedding, the rings can sit beautifully in an abalone shell. Using flowers can be a great alternative: pomander balls have the look and feel of a pillow but are a chic way to keep the rings in place.
   
• Passed Around
  For smaller weddings, passing around the rings is a beautiful and intimate gesture. Have your ushers pass the weddings bands around so your guests can touch them, symbolically handing their love and good wishes to you through the passing of the ring.

I particularly like the symbolism of passing the rings around through all the guests.  It really illustrates that the couple is part of a supportive community that will be there for them in good times and bad.  

We have had lots of ring dogs over the past 12 years.  I think we are probably up to about 14 or 15 total.  It's always fun to meet our couples' canine friends, and to be honest, they are many times much easier to deal with than tiny children! :)  We've had a Bernese Mountain Dog, a Jack Russell Terrier, a Husky, a Keeshond,   a Golden Retriever, a Labrador, several Heinz 57's, and most recently, a Chi-Wienie!

We do have a few rules for ring dogs that I would like to share with you.  It will make things easier for you, for me, and especially for your doggie.

1. Your puppy dog needs to have some basic training.  He must, of course, be well housebroken.  He should be able to walk on a leash and be able to sit and stay through the ceremony (if that's what you are going to have him do),  You need to think through how you would like to include him in your ceremony and what behavior that will require, then you need to start early on with the required training so that both you and your furry friend are confident on the big day.

2. It helps if your dog is used to crowds of people.  Some dogs get all freaked out by lots of people touching them and fawning over them (which is what happens at weddings).  Introduce your dog to people BEFORE the day of the wedding.  Incidentally, did you know that when someone leans down in front of a dog to pet them them, making straight on eye contact with them, that this is instinctually VERY threatening to a dog?   He needs to be accustomed to humans doing this to him, even though his genetics tell him that they are being aggressive, otherwise someone might get bit! And it probably won't be your dog!

3.  MOST IMPORTANT:  Someone who is NOT a member of the wedding party, or one of the parents, needs to be there JUST FOR YOUR DOG.  Obviously, this should be someone who knows your dog and gets along with him.  Your dog sitter shouldn't be anyone who has another job on the wedding day (usher etc.) and it shouldn't be anyone who is involved in the formal pictures.  This person is going to be there solely for your dog and will take care of him from the time he arrives for the ceremony until after the pictures when this person will take your dog home, or where ever he is going to go (your house, your mom's house, friend's house, etc.) while you all go on in to the reception.  The dog cannot be locked in the bride's room, or a car, or anywhere else, for the six hour reception, this just isn't fair to your dog!  

Our main concern, when having your pet in your wedding, is that your little friend is happy, and at ease, and taken care of, throughout the ceremony.  We want it to be a good experience for everyone.  You, your guests, us, and most importantly, your dog!

Making It Work

TUESDAY MORNING--

Megan calls me on my cell phone before I went to work—

“Mom, one of our grooms from 2004 called and needs to talk to you right away. He said that he and his wife are having some problems, and he would like to bring her here where they got married and dance with her to their first dance song.”

“Awwwwh!  That is so sweet!  Megan we have to do this!  When does he want to come?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

“We don’t have anything on the calendar tomorrow, do we?”

“No, I think it’s clear”

“Oh Megan, we have to do this!” I’m already choked up over the whole idea.

“Yes, I agree, we have to!”  Megan is a little on the teary side too.

“So did you pull their file?”  (Oh yes, we have files in our basement from every wedding we have ever done, all boxed and filed away by date—it’s amazing how often we refer to them)

“Yes, I have it here in front of me”

“What did they have for their dinner?”

“It was cranberry chicken, pesto smashed potatoes, and California medley.”

“Hmmmmmmm.  We are serving cranberry chicken Thursday for the golf outing, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Ok, let me call Patti and see if I can make this happen!”

“Ok, bye!”

So I dial up Patti, our chef,

“Patti, one of our former grooms called, and he wants to dance with his wife and re-propose to her on the dance floor where they originally had their reception.  Have you ever heard anything so romantic? 

“Oh my gosh, that’s awesome!”

“I know, so here’s what I’m thinking.  We’ll set a little table on the dance floor and serve them the dinner they had for their reception.”

“Oh that would be sooooo cool!  I think we can do that.”

“You’re amazing!  Thanks!”

TUESDAY AFTERNOON---

So I go to work, and as soon as I get to my office, I call Kevin (not his real name of course) ---

“Hi Kevin!  Megan told me about what you want to do, I think that’s about the sweetest thing I’ve heard in years, and we would like to make it extra special for you by serving you your wedding dinner as well!”

“Really?  That would be terrific!  How much would that cost?  I would love that!”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s on us, we’re all just so impressed with how romantic this is, we really want to make it special for you.  Can you be here at 5:30?”

We go on to discuss all the finer details, what their first song was, how he will play it and the timing of the whole thing.  Then we hang up.

WEDNESDAY---

Our kitchen staff comes in to do prep for our Thursday event, and while they are there, they prepare two plates of wedding fare for our guests.  Patti leaves them in the cooler for me with explicit instructions on how to finish the chicken, separately from the plate, in the oven so that it is crisp and nice, exactly how long to leave it in, etc. etc.   I read all my “marching orders” and figure the times out so that I can put the plates on the table at exactly 5:25, under plate covers, so that Kevin and Lauren will have the place to themselves. 

5 PM

Everyone has left for the day.  I go to the kitchen and turn the oven on, fill the water glasses, pour the wine, light the candles on the table, and reread my instructions.  All the doors to the building are locked except for the main doors in the front. 

At 5:20 I hear someone in the lobby so I walk out to see if someone has come in.  My biggest worry is that someone else will come in and “blow the moment”!

Just as I get to the door I see Kevin, looking very spiffy in a suit and tie--

“Where’s Lauren?”

“She’s in the car, blindfolded, she doesn’t know where I’m taking her!  Can I bring her in?”

“Sure!  I just need about 5 minutes to finish your dinners, but you can come sit down and I’ll bring it to you as soon as it’s ready.”

5:25 PM

I plate up their dinners, put the orchids on them, and the plate covers, and take them out to the table. 

“She already cried!” Kevin says with a laugh and a big smile.

“It’s just so…..” Lauren says with a tremble in her voice “It’s like being back at our wedding all over… that’s where we sat, and it’s just so….” She can’t go on, I can hear the tears in her voice.

“Well I’ll leave you two alone, enjoy!” I say, and I leave.

I go to the kitchen to straighten up, and after 20 minutes or so, I hear Tony Bennett singing “The Way You Look Tonight”.  Kevin had mentioned that this was the song for their first dance.  It’s slow and sultry, husky, as only Tony can sing it, with a simple piano accompaniment. 

In my mind I see them on the dance floor, under the spotlights, swaying slowly in unison, as I have seen so many couples over the last 12 years.  But this time it’s different—this time it’s only for them. 

The song ends and I hold my breath, knowing that he is dropping to his knee and asking her to marry him all over again.  What will she say?  My mind races with all the possible outcomes. 

I listen at the door of the kitchen, and all I hear is the music playing on the ipod. I don’t hear any voices, have they left already? I go out to check on them, and there they are, big smiles on both of their faces. 

“She said yes!” Kevin tells me, the excitement and joy in his voice nearly has me running for the Kleenex box!

I give them both a big hug.

“That’s wonderful!  You know, we marry people for keeps here!”  I say with a laugh, “You guys take your time.  Would you like a little more wine?”

I hope things work out for them.  I hope that they once again find the love that they had the day they were married.

 Sometimes it isn’t easy being married. 

Sometimes you just need a fresh start; a new beginning. 

Sometimes you just need to dance again.

Growing Pains!!!

So I have a new computer.  Yaaaay! Right?  Well kinda.  It's nice to have a new computer that is really really fast, and it's nice to be able to see the letters on the keys (even though I don't look at the keys when I type, honest I don't--Miss Hedrick--my 10th grade typing teacher! :) but I had used my old computer so much that I wore the letters right off the keys!)
Here's the problem with a new computer, my old computer was like an old oversized sweater that you wear on weekends to watch movies and eat popcorn.  It was SOOOOOOO comfortable!  I knew all of its ins and outs, we were a team.  Now here is this newcomer, this stranger, that's like a new pair of four inch heels!!!!  Ouch!  It hurts!!
I had been using Windows XP 2003, (I jumped right over the Vista years, yay!)  Now, all of a sudden I have to deal with Windows 2010!  I also have Google Chrome instead of Internet Explorer, and Office 2010 instead of Office 2003!!!  My head hurts!  I feel like I've never touched a computer before!  I'm sitting here thinking that I want my old comfy sweater back, but time marches on, and my old sweater was thread bare and falling apart, time for new.  So I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and plow through this.
My kids used to tease me because I had a brick of a cell phone that was about 5 years out of date, but I wouldn't get a new one, because I just didn't have the time to learn how to use it!  The learning curve nowadays with all the new technology that is constantly bombarding us, is astounding! We used to have a TV with an on/off switch and a dial to find our choice of about 4 or 5 channels.  Our phone plugged into the wall, and had a rotary dial, and all you did was pick it up to talk and put it down to hang up.  We didn't have computers, cell phones, VCR's, TIVO, or any of these electronic wonders.  It makes my head hurt to think of all the things we have had to figure out how to work over the last 20 years--even my stove and microwave require studying the manual to figure out how to use them.  About the only thing left that doesn't require a Master's Degree in electronics is my freezer.  I love my freezer.  It's easy.
I know, my age is showing.  All of you that are 30 and under take all of this in stride because you've never known anything different.  Those of us that grew up in a simpler time keep trying to adapt, and for the most part, do a pretty good job of it, but boy, something like this really makes my head spin!
So if you don't get a speedy reply to your email in the next couple days, it's probably because I haven't found the "reply" button yet!  Thank goodness we still have the qwerty keyboard!  Brandon tells me that the new MS Word 2010 is going to make me crazy for the first couple weeks till I get used to it.  Oh, I am looking forward to THAT!  I had just finally made friends with 2003, and now I have to change again.  Sigh.

On another note, but also related to technology, I listened to my parents' wedding yesterday morning from 1949!  My father, ever the early adapter that he was, had set up a reel to reel tape recorder in the front of the church to record their wedding ceremony.  Wow.  They were both 19 years old, pink cheeked and wet behind the ears.  I heard my grandpa answer "her mother and I do" when the minister asked who gives this woman.  My dad and my grandfather both passed away in 1982, my mother in 1992.  How precious to hear their voices again--younger, and not what I remembered, but definitely them.  We also had an 8mm movie (in COLOR which was the newest thing in 1949!!) of my parents' wedding.  I haven't seen that in a long time, but it was always the hit of the home movie nights.  The finale was always the wedding movie.  I would love to see that again.  I think my brother has it.  Hopefully he has had it converted to a DVD.

Precious.  These things are so precious.  I guess the bottom line of this post is that you have to keep up with the technology.  Old VCR tapes need to be converted to DVD before all the converters are gone along with the players (how many of you still have a VCR player? Hmmmm?)  And in the future, something will come along to replace the DVD's and we will need to convert our DVD's to the new technology so that we can still use them.  So that hopefully, 62 years from now in 2073, you, or your children, or even your grandchildren, will be able to watch YOUR wedding video and see what you were like so many years ago!

Now, I need to go learn the ABC's of all this new stuff on my computer.  Argh!