On Saturday afternoon I headed out to Pronovias’ flagship New York store (which I just found out is their only US location!) to hear a fantastic panel by Christine Merser of Classic Party Rentals, Jessy of Fleurs, Thomas Preti and Josh Freidman of Elan Artists, the beautiful ladies of Always a Blogsmaid, and the delightful Sylvia Weinstock.

Among the terrific advice, my absolute favorites were:

1. If you don’t know exactly what you want, think of what you don’t want and work backwards.

2. For shy couples, have the DJ ask everyone to stand instead of announcing your first dance. Standing attendees are more likely to join in dancing.

3. Consider food choices other than the typical “chicken or beef” choices. Create a menu that is tailored to you.

4. A great way to punch up a wedding and make it more “you” is with color. A bright tablecloth costs the same as a white one.

5. If your location has a sound limit, use a band with amps, but turn them all the way down and make sure the band knows loud doesn’t always equal good.

My favorite advice of the night, however, came from Weinstock, celeb cake queen, 60-year marriage veteran, and total sweetheart, who schooled me on my August 2011 wedding date after I explained to her that C is finishing his Masters. “Who cares what you’re doing? Get married even if you have school or whatever else going on. Going through all of that together is a binding experience. I’ll call your fiance and tell him myself!” I really should have let her call C.

After spying a gallery of adorable invitation ideas and having a few slices of Sylvia’s cakes, we headed upstairs for a fantastic fashion show of Pronovias wedding gowns. Please enjoy a few pics from the event below and the rest on my personal Photobucket gallery as found here; all photos by the talented Ms. Lori Singlar. And, please, ignore both my hair and sweater eating me (it was a rough, hot water-less morning).