Inspiration: Peacocks

It seems that Carrie Bradshaw's blue feather in the Sex and the City Movie has inspired many, including myself, to find peacock inspired items for weddings and events.

So here is my inspiration board for this hot trend. I'm inspired by the jewel toned colors, which includes deep teal, emerald, and eggplant with hints of amber or gold. My inspiration gown is reminiscent of the peacock tail with its layered tiered train. The shape of the peacock feather inspires the peaks in the ceremony location as well as the groom's boutonniere.

Details of my inspiration:
Eggplant Dress: Romona Kavesa
Peacock Dress: Diane Von Furstenberg
Leave it to Love™ Boutonniere: DeAnna Cochran Jewelry
Wedding Gown: RS Couture for Kleinfeld
Invitation: Hello!Lucky
Amber Drop Necklace: Signature Gems

Hope this sparks your creative juices and may this bird's feather inspire your own event.

-Percy

Photos from above mentioned sites

Groom's Checklist...It Really Exists!

I was surfing some of my favorites sites today and came across the following "Groom's Checklist" from The Groom Guide. It's totally useful and gives you some ideas on how you can help lessen the stress of the planning process. So guys take note, print out, and get ready for the ride of your life.

The Official Groom Guide Checklist:

1. Suggest writing an engagement announcement.

2. Make a list of family, friends and co-workers you would like to invite. Start a spreadsheet with names, and addresses of guests.

3. Help work out a wedding budget.

4. Offer to call vendors to set up appointments.

5. Volunteer to confirm all services and vendors a week or two before the wedding.

6. Choose a Best Man and Groomsmen.

7. Meet with your Best Man and discuss responsibilities.

8. Make a trip to several suit and tux shops for a try-on session.

9. Set up formal wear options for the Groomsmen.

10. Purchase wedding bands together.

11. Help choose boutonniere styles for you and your Groomsmen.

12. Talk about honeymoon options with your girl and discuss a budget. Plan it! Then book everything, including plane tickets ASAP!

13. Suggest taking dance lessons.

14. Book a wedding night location.

15. Find city maps and airport transportation information to assist your guests with their plans.

16. Set up a time you and your bride can obtain and pay for the Marriage License.

17. Make wedding day transportation plans for you, your bride, and the wedding party.

18. Meet with your officiant or interview officiants.

19. Write a Toast and/or Thank You speech.

20. Write down a list of people you would like to thank publicly.

21. Make a list of songs you want the band or DJ to play or make a do-not-play list.

22. Thank and meet everyone at the wedding.

23. Find a location suitable for outdoor photos in between the Ceremony and the Reception.

24. Pay for and arrange payment (via Best Man) of the officiant’s fee, the musician and tips.

25. Have the Best Man deliver your Bride a special breakfast the morning of the wedding.

26. Write a special note thanking her for being your wife.

27. Write special notes for your father-in-law and mother-in-law, thanking them for everything they’ve done, especially for creating the most amazing woman in the world.

28. Thank your mother-in-law and father-in-law over and over and over and most importantly, do it publicly.

29. Tell your Bride at least 100 times that day that she looks beautiful and that her dress is spectacular.

30. Plan a surprise for the reception. I.E. example, fireworks, special music, monkeys, elephants, etc….

I personally think this covers it all. It really makes sense and it makes your other half feel like you are really into the planning process...even if you would rather be out hanging with the guys. For more advice on the wedding day...from the groom's perspective check out The Groom Guide.

-Percy

Photo from Gloria Plunkett Photography

Cupcake Couture

If these cupcakes taste as good as they look, then I have found heaven! We have all see sculpted cakes before, but cupcakes...yum...bite size masterpieces that you can hold in one hand. Cupcake Envy has me drooling.

I first saw this on Sasha Souza's Sparkliatti Blog Site and instantly was amazed, just as I am sure you are at this moment.

Cupcake Envy specializes in mini cakes including cupcakes and duh...miniature cakes and can customize each of them to whatever you want. It's the perfect edible accessory to a fabulous event. Even though they are located in North Carolina, Cupcake Envy will ship anywhere...which is a big plus. Looks like I know where my 40th birthday cupcakes are coming from...can I wait until March '09 for one of these creations?

Visit the Cupcake Envy Website and discover the unlimited possibilities. Looks like dreams really do come true! See additional photos of their creations on their Flickr site.

-Percy

Photos from Cupcake Envy

Starlight, Starbright...

First Starfish I see tonight. DeAnna Cochran Jewelry is making a big impact this summer with these great starfish accessories, titled Anthony's Wish™. She styles these pieces from a real starfish and they are absolutely gorgeous. Both the Anthony's Wish™ Cufflinks and Bracelet are hand carved of pure silver (.999 silver) and measures 1" in diameter. The bracelet is 7 inches in length.

For you brides and grooms out there, if you are looking for attendant gifts and you are getting married near the shore or having a beach themed wedding, these are exactly what you need! They are a perfect reminder of your summer or beachside wedding and a gift your groomsmen and bridesmaids will cherish a lifetime.

Additionally, what I love about these pieces is that by purchasing a DeAnna Cochran Jewelry Anthony's Wish™ Starfish Cufflinks or Bracelet you are also benefiting an organization called, Koinonia Foster Homes in Oxnard, California. Portions of the sale of these items are donated back to organization that first introduced Anthony to his adoptive parents. So not only are you giving a great gift to your attendants, but you are also giving to a much-needed organization. You are fulfilling many wishes with the purchase of these items. The starfish symbolizes rebirth and regeneration. It is also known as the symbol of hope, optimism, and determination.

The Anthony's Wish™ Collection by DeAnna Cochran Jewelry can be purchased through Skimbaco an online retailer located in Colorado. Check out the DeAnna Cochran Jewelry collection at Skimbaco today and discover the other charity pieces that this up and coming jewelry designer is known. Such celebrities as as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have worn DeAnna Cochran Jewelry. Suri Cruise is a big fan of DeAnna Cochran Jewelry's Jackson Leaf™ Necklace according to OK! Magazine Australia (Issue 108, A-List Kids! Inside Their Secret Lives) .

So make a wish and fulfill the wishes of others with the Anthony's Wish™ Collection by DeAnna Cochran Jewelry.

-Percy

Photos from DeAnna Cochran Jewelry

Make Your Wish at Wishpot

When you wish upon a ... pot? Forget the stars; make your wish on Wishpot, "a new social shopping service that makes it easy for you to share interesting things you find in stores and online." Do you ever go to an online store or see something at your favorite shop and want to remember it...well now you can with Wishpot. You can save items easily in your Wishpot account by going to the website of your favorite store or online shopping site and simply tap on your "Add to Wishpot" button. It automatically adds it to your Wishpot profile. Now you have your item accessible anywhere around the world and at your fingertips.

You can categorize your finds, share with the Wishpot community, and refer to your list for future shopping needs. It's a perfect site to keep all your gift ideas for Holidays, Weddings, Birthday or for whatever shopping needs you may have. It's easy to use and you won't have to remember where or when you saw it, because it's all in your Wishpot list.

For all you brides and grooms, go to the wedding section or Wishpot and see what the Wedding Experts are picking as the hottest trends in gifts, registry items, and wedding needs. Yes, Percy Sales is one of the wedding experts chosen by Wishpot...so come by and see my picks.

Do yourself a favor and explore Wishpot today. Making a shopping list for fabulous things has never been simpler or more fun!

-Percy

Logo from Wishpot

My Top Five Best Wedding Movies Ever

As a wedding planner, movies offer inspiration and a dose of comic relief for my much beloved career. It also offers an opportunity to cry...yeah okay so I am a guy who cries at chick flicks...call me a sap, but I just do. I just love wedding themed movies and now I am going to name off my Top Five Best Wedding Themed Movies ever...here they are:

1) Muriel's Wedding (1994): Set in Porpoise Spit and Sydney, Australia, this movie starring Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths was an indie sleeper. It gives a look to the trial and tribulations of Muriel Heslop who is looking for love and the ultimate wedding day. She is obsessed with ABBA so the movie has a lot of ABBA music...sounds like Mama Mia, but trust me it's much better. Such a fun movie. I can watch it over and over again.

Favorite Quote from the movie: "My life is as good as an ABBA song. It's as good as Dancing Queen. "

2) My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002): Who doesn't love watching the love affair between Toula and Ian. This is a great movie to relate to if you have a huge family. Nia Vardalos gives a wonderful performance and so does her dad Gus, played by Michael Constantine. Additionally, John Corbett is perfect in the role of the "gringo love interest." Plus it gives you insight on the type of dresses not to buy!

Favorite Quote from the movie: "There's a hole in this cake!"

3) Father of the Bride (1950) & (1991): I love both versions of the movie. The original starring Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy and the more recent version with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton. Gives an insight to the father's perspective of the wedding day. Great wedding and planning scenes and both Spencer and Steve give off great comic relief to the movie.

Favorite Quote from the movie: "Armani don't make polyester."

4) Sex and The City (2008): I love this movie because I have become attached to the characters in the TV Show. I love them girls. Additionally, this movie has some great gown inspiration and other fashions. It also shows that true love can conquer all.

Favorite Quote from the movie: "Charlotte has pudding in her Prada."

5) The Wedding Banquet aka Xi Yan (1993): Ang Lee's story of a gay Taiwanese-American who has a marriage of convenience to a woman who needs a green card. He has been getting pressure from his parents to marry...so this marriage is a good cover-up to his true life as a gay man living with his true love, Simon. Well everything gets really complicated when the parents decide they are coming to witness the wedding and throw a lavish reception. A wonderful cross-cultural story of love, convenience, and family.

Favorite Quote from the movie: "Better and richer, no poorer."

Let me know what your favorite wedding movies are and if you have not seen the ones on my list...I highly recommend that you run out and go to your local video store and rent them today.

-Percy

Photo from IMDb

Artistic Photography

My friend Ashley and her family (pictured) recently had their annual family photo taken by Bryan Niven and their photo was amazing. They are all rock climbing enthusiast, so he set they family photo on the face of a rock. Most of this digitally manipulated in, but WOW what a stunning piece of work.

I especially loved that Bryan captured all their individual passions in this photo. He also got the family pets in (goldfish and tarantula), which makes this piece of art even more personable. This is TOTAL GENIUS!

Anyone who is looking for a different type of engagement photo or family photo should look up Bryan Niven, who is based in Utah. I have not seen anything this original in such a long time. He could probably do an after wedding photo that would be artistic, light-hearted, and capture your feeling after the wedding day.

Browse through the Bryan Niven gallery to see all the other original works. You will be WOWED! be sure to see the "behind the scenes video" to see how this artist does what he does.

Bryan if you are reading this, how about shooting the Beardsley-Sales Family in beautiful Santa Barbara!

-Percy

Photo by Bryan Niven

Masterpiece of Words

I've come across a Website that can manipulate words that you enter or words from your blog into a really cool design, which they call "word clouds." Wordle, according to their Website, "is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like."

What I love about this site for events is that you can customize the words you want and use them for say...save the date cards, informal invitations, or for just something cool to put on your event website. They have numerous amounts of colors, fonts, and other gizmos so that you can create a unique "word cloud" that reflects you. Have a go at it at Wordle and see what you can create. The above "word cloud" was used by inputting my blog address and it pulled words from it creating the masterpiece. I was going to add some color, but I loved the simplicity of the black and white and the awesome font...very late 80's feel for me.

-Percy

Photo of Percy Sales Events "word cloud" from Wordle

Karma Chameleon

Some say that we have our own aura, a color or colors that we as people exude to others. Well people seem to think that mine is a multitude of colors like a rainbow, so I will take that for what it's worth, I guess I am some sort of chameleon, using certain colors when I need it most.

Talking about colors, I have come across this little gadget that can change the aura of your centerpieces. I think it is one of the most inventive gadgets made to date...well at least its useful for event and wedding planners.

I first saw this gadget at an event I attended and recently found it on one of my favorite wedding supply Web stores Save On Crafts. What's great about these LED vase lights is that it can transform your centerpiece and light your tables without doing the expensive pinpoint lightings. There are three different sizes 6" white base, 3-3/4" white base, and a 4" black base.

"The large vase illuminator is powerful. It has functions (two buttons on the side) that allow you to pick what color or colors you want (blue, green, red, pink, clear). It has 40 tiny bright led lights in the center. It is a battery powered LED lighting base that is used up-light centerpieces. Produces a great accent for centerpieces. On/Off switch, requires 3 AA batteries (not included). And easy to install," according to Save On Crafts.

I personally think this is a must have for any table centerpiece...even in your own home. I've tried it, it's very easy to use, and I can't believe the amount of light it actually gives off. So for your next event, try changing the colors of your centerpiece and see what type of karma it brings to you. I'm sure it will be all good.

-Percy

Photo from Save On Crafts

A Classic Twist

Bridal and red carpet hair is something I look forward to. It's always dramatic and oh so glamorous. It even looks more stunning when the right gown and hairstyle is paired together.

Lately we have been seeing a lot of loose, natural, unstructured approach to the cheveux de femmes, and though I love it on certain people, I think some people just need a little more control. I personally have always loved the glam of yesteryear...I am talking Grace Kelly, Maria Montez, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth and Lena Horne, when the hair really made the woman.

One hairstyle that I absolutely love...and it almost looks wonderful on anyone is the Chignon, pronounced "sheen-yon." It's a fancy word for a bun. According to Wikipedia, "The word “chignon” comes from the French phrase “chignon du cou,” which means nape of the neck. Chignons are generally achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck, but there are many different variations of the style. They are frequently worn for special occasions, like weddings and formal dances, but the basic chignon is also worn for everyday casual wear." I love this look because it has classic detailing and with the right hair accessory it can make a dramatic, but classic statement.

The Chignon looks especially wonderful with column or Grecian style dress or wedding gowns that have a french bustle that reflects the style of the hair. It's so clean looking and really highlights the woman's face and its not distracting by any means. You won't have anyone saying..."what was she thinking!" when you walk down the aisle or the red carpet. Sleek hair with a twist...now that's modern take on a classic!

So whatever style you choose for walking down that aisle, make sure your hair not only reflects you...but does not take away from you as well.

-Percy

Photo from dabblersupreme on Flickr

Real Weddings: Cesar & John

Here is a PhotoStory of Cesar & John's Wedding, held on June 21, 2008, at Chase Palm Park Center in Santa Barbara, California. The photos are by the incomparable Gloria Plunkett Photography. This is the first time I have posted client photos on my blog...I usually just put it on my Website, but thought I would test it out to see what people thought.

A little background on the couple...Cesar & John have been together for 14 years and have an 18-month old son. On May 15, 2008, the State of California made it legal for gay and lesbian couples to get married. The weekend after the ruling, the couple and their friends, including me, were sitting around and we persuaded them to have a ceremony and reception, since they have never had a commitment ceremony. So after talking it through, they asked me to plan a wedding for 100 of their family and friends the Saturday after gender neutral marriage licenses would be handed out. They had to wait 30 days from the court ruling to be able to get their license, so we planned it for June 21st, though they got their license on the first day they were able to on June 17, 2008...a historic day in California.

So in a month's time, I was able to plan their long awaited wedding and reception. Thank you to all my vendors who worked so diligently to make this day happen for them.

The ceremony was held on the green behind Chase Palm Park Center with gorgeous views of the Santa Barbara Harbor as well as the Channel Islands. Their colors were Tiffany Blue and Chocolate. They had a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres and a gourmet buffet dinner with an open bar catered by CP Catering by Chef Ledesma (new website currently under construction). Their ceremony flowers were a mixture of green and white gladiolas (unfortunately right before the ceremony, the wind picked up and knocked over the flowers on the stand...so we had to improvise with something smaller). The reception flowers were a mixture of hydrangeas, lilies, and orchids, all created by Gina Morales. Their first dance song was to David Cook's - Time of My Life. Their cake was two flavors...the bottom was chocolate with chocolate ganache filling and the middle and top tier was a white cake with passion fruit and toasted coconut filling, made by the amazing Christine Dahl. They gave their guests picture frames that also served as the seating cards. They threw a bouquet together on the insistence of the single guests, which was pretty funny to see (men and women fighting for a bouquet).

The best part of the wedding was the mixture of cultures and also the mixture of hearing and deaf people. John is deaf and about half of the guests were also deaf. So we hired an interpreter for the ceremony and reception. It was so wonderful to see deaf people dancing the night away to DJ Luke and seeing the interaction between the two groups. Additionally, their wedding coincided with the "Summer Solstice," the longest day of the year...and it was amazing that we had sunlight until almost 9pm that evening. It was truly a magical evening, one that I will treasure a lifetime. In the words of Cesar and John, "We had the wedding of our dreams...you made it a platinum affair on a beer budget." So I hope you will enjoy having a glimpse to their special day.

- Percy

All photos by Gloria Plunkett Photography
Music: I Sing for You from the movie Camp, Kiss by Prince, Groove Is In The Heart by Dee-Lite

It's Not a Bird. It's Not a Plane...

It's a Flogo! I am absolutely in love with this product. Flogos are perfect for any event especially weddings where you can release them as part of the ceremony.

I first saw these on Good Morning America and they were described as floating clouds. What I see is a new way to wow your guests. Flogos as described by the company that makes them, "Are synthesized from proprietary surfactant (soap) based foam formulations and lighter than air gases such as helium." The company can design almost any type of Flogos you would like. They can also be made in three different sizes, 24", 36", 48" and Flogos are "designed to last for as long as their visual impact is needed. Specific formulations are available to provide a life expectancy of a few minutes to an hour or so. This also greatly depends on atmospheric conditions such as wind direction and speed."

Flogos are 100% green and environmentally safe. The Flogos machine can generate about one Flogo about every 15 seconds, it is suggested that you do two machines to get a bigger impact. The Flogo art department can develop you a custom Flogo in about 10 days. It is suggested that if you have a more complex logo to work with that you might want to consider the 48" Flogo.

When released these Flogos look like clouds floating in the sky, but the great thing is you do not have to pretend a cloud looks like something, because in reality...these floating clouds are exactly what they are suppose to be. For more information or to view a demo video of the Flogos, please visit the Flogos Website or go to the following YouTube Video. I can't wait to use this for my next event!

-Percy

Photo from Flogos

Gift of Gab Can Score You Bling Bling

I was looking through some of my favorite wedding sites today and came upon this post at InStyle Weddings. Roberta Chiarella and InStyle Weddings are giving one lucky winner beautiful bridal jewelry for you and your bridesmaids.

Here's the gist. You must submit your best wedding fashion and style tip in 100 words to less to weddings@instylemag.com no later than 11:59 P.M. EST on 8/15/08. For official rules and regulations please visit InStyle Weddings.

I think this is a wonderful opportunity for those with the gift of gab! Good luck.

To view some of the fabulous jewelry by Roberta Chiarella, please visit her Website or the InStyle Weddings slide show of her collection.

-Percy

Photo from InStyle Weddings

They Say...Do What You Love

My passions are event and wedding planning...what are yours? I also love to blog, because it gives me the opportunity to share my passion to the world...so why not get paid for doing what you love to do. In this case, I have found a great site, through a friend, that networks me with businesses and products that I think are worthy of my readers. It gives me an opportunity to review some great new products, sites and uses for my entire event and wedding planning needs, and in turn pass on the information to my dedicated fans. The site is called PayPerPost and basically it's blog advertising. Think of it as commercials for your personal blog, but the nice thing about it is that you get to blog about the stuff you really enjoy writing about and relevant to your passion!

Regardless if you are a party thrower, party goer or anyone in between, and you have your own blog, you might want to look into hooking up with PayPerPost and making money for blogging about what you love to do. What are you going to do with all that extra moola? I'm thinking of Paris and Prague for my 40th...did I just say that out loud. I think it's a great way to support your passion and a new way to network and meet new friends and business partners. So do yourself a favor and check them out.

-Percy

Photo from personal stock photos

Being on Top at Alltop.com

If you are a blogger or a bloggee (is that even a term...maybe I just coined it...one who is obsessed with reading blogs) you may know of a site called Alltop. This site handpicks "all the top" blogs from all over the world and has collected them in one easy to use site.

They have tons and tons of categories that you can choose from. You can read the top blogs on such categories as Adoptions to Yoga and even Event Planning and Weddings, including...wait for it..."Let's Party with Percy Sales Events!" Yes they have chosen my blog to be on their website and can be currently found in the Event Planning Category as well as the Wedding Category. Thanks to Alltop for choosing me to be on their site. I always knew my site was interesting, but it's always wonderful to be acknowledged by others as well.

So I guess the pressure is on to keep up my blogging for my current fans and all the new fans that Alltop is going to drive to my blog site. If you are searching for particular blog topics, please visit Alltop and read the Best of the Best!

-Percy

Badge from Alltop

Culture Shock

Why is it that weddings from other countries are so much more colorful than those here in the US? I wonder if people from other cultures would think ours to be a little drab. I think it's time for Americans to finally let go of the traditional white and penguin suits and mix it up with some cross cultural aspects at their shindig!

How awesome would it be to be dressed more colorfully at your nuptials, or at least inject some color into it...you know I love bright happy colors. Pastels and soft colors are so passé. Take for instance this Indonesian wedding that has wonderful tones of pink and turquoise with loads of gold details...Well maybe a little less gold, though it is making a comeback. They aren't afraid of colors and in the big scheme of things, it actually looks good together.

I guess what I am saying is that color is in and I am starting to finally see it here in the US. Brides and grooms are starting to look outside of the traditional box and finding ways to have their nuptials stand out.

One bride that I have worked with went to the extent of mixing the cultures by changing the theme to her reception almost every hour. She started in the traditional white gown, nice white gloved seated dinner and the traditional toasts and dances. By the end of dinner she had donned a Sari, lights transformed the ballroom to a middle eastern feel with lots of reds and gold’s, belly dancers graced the dance floor and a buffet table serving middle eastern desserts were rolled out as the band rocked out to Bollywood style music. By the end of the evening, she had changed again to a Mexican inspired gown, the colors in the ballroom turned into cool blues - reminiscent or sultry evenings in Cabo San Lucas or Havana and the music changed to a Latin Cubano hip hop session. Cigar stations were rolled out, mojitos started to flowing, and Mexican inspired strolling ice cream vendors serving cones to the crowd. This was definitely a "Cross Culture" success - and the bride and the groom were both Caucasian.

I guess what I am trying to say is don't be afraid to infuse some different cultures into your day - even if it is just the music, it makes your wedding even more exciting and memorable for your guests and it’s a way for you to celebrate the world's diversity. At any rate have fun figuring out what part of the world you want to incorporate into your special day. Who knows it may inspire you in other ways.

-Percy

Photo from ABC News

Welcome to Our World

Great welcome gifts are always a nice touch for your out of town guests, it truly is appreciated and a wonderful way of welcoming them to your event. Dean & Deluca has created some amazing gift baskets that are ready to go, or you can customize them to fit your needs.

My favorite welcome gift from Dean & Deluca is their Summer Lunchbox, which features a reusable retro metal lunchbox filled with Busseto Saucisson Salami, Dean & Deluca Grafton Round, Olive Oil & Sea Salt Crackers, Dean & Deluca Fleur De Sel Pistachios, Dean & Deluca Milk Chocolate Bar and Dried Fanciful Mixed Fruit. A perfect snack for your guests.

The cost of this wonderful Dean & Deluca Summer Lunchbox is $65.00 each and 2nd day shipping is required. Seven items including the lunchbox is included in the price. I think it's a bargain, plus you give your guests some great Dean & Deluca products!

Now that I'm hungry - I think I will let you ponder how to welcome your guests to your event world.

-Percy

Photo from Dean & Deluca

Dual Use - Always a Good Thing

I love to use things for dual purposes. Not only does it kill two birds with one stone, but it also carries a theme throughout the evening. These mini lanterns fall into that category and one of my favorite event accessories this summer.

In reality this lantern, which comes in a multitude of colors, has three purposes for an event. It can be used as a seating card (tie a bow with the name of the guest and their table number on the handle), table light (put a tea light in it already lit or a battery operated one and have your guests put it on the table to add to the ambiance), and an event favor.

These lanterns can be bought through My Wedding Favors for a bargain, $3 a piece. So if you are having a summer or beach side wedding, this mini lantern is the perfect accessory. They also make great aisle decor hanging off wrought iron lantern hooks or just set on the ground surrounded by sand or sea shells.

-Percy

Photo from Brides.com

Hot Destinations

The honeymoon is usually the one thing that the married couple looks forward to...a way to unwind and relax from the whirlwind wedding that just had. However, couples are also looking for destinations to host their wedding.

Destination weddings are becoming more and more common. Couples are looking for settings that are more intimate and inviting only a handful of their closest family and friends. They are creating mini vacations for their invitees. What a way to remember a couples wedding day.

Here is my Top Five Hot Destination list for 2008. Maybe it will inspire your own honeymoon or destination wedding.

Percy's Top Five for 2008

1. Quebec City, Canada: Wonderful Old World Charm located in North America. Easy access from anywhere in the United States. Very French and Romantic and the Hotel Frontenac offers an amazing background to this walled city.
2. Santa Barbara, California: Often referred to as the American Riviera, this Spanish inspired town located just north of Los Angeles, offers perfect weather year round with picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean.
3. Sorrento, Italy: This lovely town located on the Amalfi Coast is perfect for any destination wedding. Set amongst blooming citrus with that quaint small town feel, you will feel at home even though you are worlds away. Easy Access from Roma (Rome) or Napoli (Naples).
4. Prague, Czech Republic: Prague is what Paris was 40 years ago, though it's quickly becoming the go to place for tourists. It's romantic and dramatic and offers the old world charm without the hustle and bustle of its larger European counterparts. Still it offers many amenities that are still affordable and the backdrop of the city is just breathtaking.
5. Maui, Hawaii: How can you go wrong with Maui? There are so many things to do and the landscape is just wonderful. The town of Hana offers a laid back - tourist free setting, while Kanapali and Kihei offers more of a vibe. Nevertheless, the island itself offers so much for you and your guests that you can't go wrong in choosing this location.

Hopefully this will help you make decisions on your honeymoon or destination wedding. No matter what location you choose, just remember that no matter where you are, the most important thing is that you are there together.

-Percy

Photo from InStyle Weddings