Space Gallery

I had a wonderful weekend! I went to the pumpkin patch with my family on Friday then on Saturday I coordinated a wedding at the Space Gallery. The gallery is off of Santa Fe in Denver and is a unique space. There are three different rooms to have your celebration. The wedding was beautiful! In Colorado, you can marry yourselves, if you choose. This means you do not have to have a minister, justice of the peace or officiant, just the two of you and your friends. This allows you to be creative and incorporate what you would like in your ceremony. It was very touching and it had some funny parts as well. Since the wedding was at a gallery, the bride and groom did some artwork and hung it in one of the rooms. Then they asked the guests to name the pieces - some of the names were hilarious! It was such a great idea and you definitely got to see them through the art. Instead of having the traditional dinner, the bride and groom had an hor o'deauvers dinner. They had a mix of round table, cabarets and small tables. The food was delicious and the catering staff did a wonderful job. Overall, a stunning wedding! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your day, I am so honored! Enjoy your honeymoon!

Top Trends of 2008

I found an interesting article about the top wedding trends of 2008 and thought I would share!

Top 10 Wedding Trends of 2008

1. Color
Forget the pale pastels! 2008 is all about bright colors, especially yellow. Yellow is an ideal wedding color because it is fresh, energetic and cheery. Lemon yellow can be paired with Chocolate Brown or a brighter shade of yellow can be paired with silver or gray. Bright dual combinations are also hot this year. Chocolate with Pink, Aqua with Brown, Red with Light Blue, Yellow with Orange, and Pale Yellow with Dark Purple are among the favorites.

2. Letterpress Wedding Invitations
This seemingly old-fashioned form of printing is a hip and trendy look for today's modern couple. Letterpress is a printing technique that stamps ink into paper using raised lettering. High quality inks and papers are used to create a lush look. This makes any invitation an instant keepsake.

3. Green Weddings
Many couples are looking for ways to give back to the environment by having eco-friendly weddings. Consider invitations made from recycled paper, gowns made from 100% silk or cotton, wedding rings with conflict-free diamonds or made from recycled gold, serving organic or vegetarian foods at the reception and having your wedding in natural settings (parks, beaches, backyards, etc.). With the rising number of second weddings and later-in-life marriages, many couples are asking guests to donate to charitable organizations in lieu of gifts.

4. Non-Traditional Wedding Cakes
Forget the round layered cake...think square, octagonal or mixed shapes. One of the biggest trends for 2008 is the use of a monogram or calligraphy text on your cake. Words such as Love, Always, Forever, Honor are popular words when choosing calligraphy text.

5. Guest Participation
Let your guests feel as if they had a part in planning your wedding. Create a blog or wedding web site where guests can participate in polls to vote on your wedding cake flavor, the entrees, favorite song for the couple's first dance, the type of reception music, etc. Revealing their selections at the reception adds an extra level of fun and excitement.

6. Lots of Personalization
Create a unique monogram design or use your first names and wedding date to personalize your wedding invitations, napkins, coasters, cups, glassware, thank you notes, and wedding favors. Putting your 'stamp' on everything is not only very trendy, but very personal.

7. Entertainment
If you can afford it, consider hiring a live ethnic or cover band for your reception. Latin and Mariachi bands are a real hit and inspire festive dancing.

8. Food Stations
Forget the sit-down dinner or buffet. People like to graze, so consider setting up food stations around the reception room. Each station can have a theme -- sushi bar, fondue station, dessert station, etc.

9. Clever Wedding Favors
Hand out favors that not only practical, but useful. Consider personalized playing cards, ink pens, bookmarks, or coasters. Since eco-friendly weddings are in style, consider eco-friendly favors, like soy candles and wildflower seeds. If you still want to hand out the traditional almonds and chocolates, consider putting them in gift boxes made from recycled materials.

10. Wardrobe Changes
Gone are the days when the bride has only one look for her wedding day. Today's bride can have one look for the ceremony, and a fun, laid back look for the reception.

From here

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

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!

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!

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

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!