Friday, September 26, 2008

Wedding Slideshow

The slideshow for Bernadette and Haydn's wedding from a few weeks ago is up and I wanted to share it. Enjoy!

Bernadette and Haydn's Wedding Slideshow

Photographer: Traci and Nic with Real Photography

Monday, September 22, 2008

Boulder Theater








This weekend I had the pleasure of coordinating Kate and Jon's wedding at the Boulder Theater in Boulder. They hired me earlier this year after having some difficulty with another planner and let me say I am so glad I able to make their day come together!

They had an nontraditional ceremony but it was still very moving. They had a reading, a couple read thoughts from friend and family regarding marriage and a phenomenal singer! They also did a ring ceremony which involved passing their rings down a sing that was looped to their immediate families. They also had their vows read to them by their bridal party as opposed to the officiant doing it. It was very beautiful!

The reception was definitely a party! They had fantastic food - which included two different buffet. One side had burgers, fries and onion rings and the other side had chicken, eggplant Parmesan, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and salad. No one was hungry afterward. Then they had a ice cream soda bar and cake - one word awesome!

They had a band come in and play, The Glen Schull Band, and it really set the tone for the evening. After the band left, they concluded the reception with more contemporary music.

When all the festivities were conclude, the bride and groom left in a classic black and yellow Rolls Royce.

All in all the wedding was very much them. I am sure they are going to have many wonderful years together! Congrats again Kate and Jon!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

An article

One thing brides always ask me is what I can do for them. I found an article about some of the things a coordinator can do for you. Enjoy!

From marthastewart.com/weddings

Hiring a wedding coordinator was once a luxury. Today, for many couples, it's a necessity. Planning a wedding is more complicated than ever, now that most brides and grooms don't meet and marry in the same hometown. Both the bride and groom usually want to be involved with the arrangements but are often preoccupied with work or school. They have high expectations of their weddings, but are novices at organizing such big events. Not only can a wedding coordinator handle the time-consuming, stress-inducing details, but he or she can also help make the planning itself an enjoyable experience. "Many couples have tremendous wedding days," says Elizabeth K. Allen, a planner with offices in New York City and Atlanta. "But looking back, they realize how stressful it was to get there. A wedding coordinator helps to make it an enjoyable process all around, so the couple has great memories of the engagement and the celebration."

Wedding coordinators provide a variety of services, from the general to the very specific. They can help you determine and stick with a budget, for example, or suggest suitable reception locations. They can save you lots of time, especially if you're looking for unique services, such as a caterer who specializes in vegetarian meals, or a photographer with a talent for black-and-white images (most coordinators will have collections of photographers' portfolios on hand, so you don't have to spend valuable time meeting with dozens of photographers yourself ). Because wedding coordinators have worked with many vendors in the past, they are knowledgeable about those professionals' or companies' strengths, weaknesses, and fees -- and whether fees are negotiable. Some coordinators even serve as shopping companions and advisers as you try on dresses, shoes, and veils. Best of all, talented wedding coordinators can act as counselors, helping to appease the conflicting opinions of various family members.

Wedding coordinators can be especially helpful for couples who are short on time or live far from the location where they plan to be married. Tiphaine Ravenel and Paolo Bonetti faced both dilemmas. The couple lives in Colorado but wanted to be married near the bride's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. Tiphaine's mother, Mollie Fair, feared that the couple's distance from the wedding site, combined with the short engagement period, would not allow the three of them to organize the perfect wedding. So they hired a coordinator who created a schedule and helped them elaborate on ideas they had for an outdoor, interfaith ceremony.

The coordinator also addressed the little things they might otherwise have overlooked, such as finding a restaurant that could store the wedding cake Tiphaine's friend had made in California and then shipped cross-country. But perhaps her greatest contribution to the wedding plans was to give the bride and her mother the confidence they needed to handle many details on their own. "It was a relief just to know we had the phone number of a very experienced person and could use it if we needed it," says Mollie.

Wedding coordinators can be lifesavers when time is short, but that doesn't mean you should postpone getting started if you can help it. Most coordinators say you should plan a wedding at least six months in advance -- a year is better. It is important for you to use the time wisely. To make your interviews with potential coordinators the most efficient, bring along clippings from magazines showing food, decorations, and settings that appeal to you, as well as photographs of any weddings that you enjoyed and might like to duplicate. During the initial consultation, try to determine whether this is a person you can trust and with whom you will feel comfortable working.

If you know you'll need someone to hold your hand through every step of the planning process, this is the time to ask whether the coordinator already has several other events to organize for the same month as your wedding. If she is not available, it won't matter that she's the best in town. Then determine how many meetings you actually need, whether it be one a month or one a week. Many couples appreciate the comfort of having a wedding coordinator on hand the day of the ceremony to ensure that all goes according to schedule.

I believe this article gives brides an idea what I coordinator can and should do for you. Furthermore, I believe this is what I do for my brides! Happy Planning!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Denver's A List

This year I have been nominated for Denver's A List. This is a huge honor for me. I appreciate everyone that has already voted - thank you to friends, family, brides and grooms, husbands and wives and other vendors. If you haven't voted, I would flattered to have your vote as Best Wedding Planner. You can vote at:

http://kmgh.cityvoter.com/something-classic-events/biz/88959

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Bernadette and Haydn's Wedding

Last weekend I have the pleasure of coordinating Bernadette and Haydn's wedding. We have been working together since last October and it could not have been more fun. At first they were going to do a big wedding with all the to do, but they opted to go for a smaller affair - something that was better suited to the two of them.

On Friday, we had the rehearsal. We had it at a park in downtown Colorado Springs. Of course, like all brides, Bernadette was running late (sorry B to bring it up). After everyone arrived, we got started right away. We were able to make it through without any casualties! After the rehearsal, we went to the rehearsal dinner at Sonterra's Grill. The meal was fantastic! After dinner, they handed out the gifts to the bridal party and the parents. Everyone who knows me, knows I cry at EVERYTHING! So it was no different when Haydn spoke about his parents, I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. After the speeches, the groom's parents brought a karaoke machine! Every table did a song and it was hilarious! What a great bunch of people! Seriously it was great!

Bernadette and Haydn's wedding was stunning. Her colors were pink and brown - she incorporated them into anything she could, including the cake. The ceremony was done by the groom's father and it added a personal touch. The reception was full of drinking and dancing. The signature drink was a Blushing Bride - it was a big hit! Overall, the wedding was fantastic and I had so much fun getting to know them over the last year! Congrats you two!

You can take a sneak peak at some of the pictures at www.realphotography.com/blog Traci and Nic are wonderful photographers and so much fun to work with! If you don't have a photographer yet, check them out! Seriously...

They did a photo booth with props at the reception. Everyone got into it and it was a great idea to capture a picture of each of the guests! What a great idea!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

More from yesterday...

So I had a relaxing weekend but now I am gearing up for a busy month! I have wedding galore and cannot wait to share them with you.

I had a bride use marthastewart.com/weddings website to design her reception layout. She said it was very user friendly and she could do whatever she wanted. The only flaw she said is that it only does square or rectangle rooms. But I thought I would pass it along to other people who might need some help desiging.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Worry Free Weekend

I finally got a break! The three day weekend was nice and was just what I needed. I have been so busy with weddings and a new job, I thought I might go insane. We spent the weekend around the house, basically nothing! I did however go with a bride to pick her wedding gown! Her wedding is next year in April and she narrowed down her choice so she went to try on one more time and buy. The is bride has been a friend of the family for 12 years...

ok, my daughter is crying so I will finish in a bit...