Enough time for serious jitters

Alicia Robinson

Planning a wedding takes time, and for some people preparing to tie

the knot, the planning begins now.

Because many people get engaged between the December holidays and

Valentine’s Day, by this time of year, couples have wedding planning

on their mind, said wedding consultant Judy Feenstra, who has helped

put together weddings in Costa Mesa for more than 30 years.

Couples usually allow six months to a year to get the venue they

want, she said. Business is picking up for Feenstra, who has returned

to work after some time off.

After setting the wedding date and choosing the location for the

event, many brides-to-be start looking for a photographer, said John

Blom, who runs a photography business in Corona del Mar.

In Southern California, people often hold either the wedding

ceremony or reception outdoors, so October is the preferred wedding

month for many, Blom said. He books weddings as far as 10 months in

advance.

Jewelry, a dress and shoes, and invitations must also be selected

ahead of time. Those accouterments will be showcased this month at

South Coast Plaza, marketing director Debra Gunn Downing said.

This is the third year the shopping venue has focused on weddings

in February. Not only do many engagements take place this time of

year, but retailers bring out wedding fashions and accessories then

as well, she said.

“We get a lot of traffic for this promotion,” she said. “We have

over a hundred stores that sell wedding-related merchandise.”

Among those stores are the bridal salon at Saks Fifth Avenue,

which will host three trunk shows of designer bridal collections in

this month.

Also at South Coast Plaza, jeweler Black, Starr & Frost will show

off its diamond jewelry on Saturday and Sunday, offering wedding cake

and champagne for visitors. One hot seller today is vintage-looking

jewelry because celebrities have been wearing it, said store manager

John Clancy.

Once the jewelry and dress are chosen, brides often pick what

they’ll wear with their dress.

Lingerie retailer Wolford and shoe seller Stuart Weitzman also

have events planned this month to show their wares. At Stuart

Weitzman, shoes made of clear Lucite have been among the most popular

styles, store manager Darlene Gardner said.

Finally, invitations must go out about six weeks before the

wedding, said Jessica Haapla, associate manager at Crane & Co. Paper

Makers. This year, couples are choosing to incorporate more color

into their weddings through the invitations, she said.

With so many choices to make, the biggest challenge of planning a

wedding is bringing all the elements together and fitting them into

the budget, Feenstra said.

When the economy is in a slump, people are more frugal, and

wedding spending tends to slow down, she said. But she’s expecting an

upswing in the coming months.

“Everything I see, everything I read is very optimistic about the

wedding business this year,” Feenstra said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.