On-site Coordinators

I am often asked if couples should still hire an independent day of coordinator if their reception venue has an on-site coordinator. The answer is Yes.

Most reception venue have someone on their staff that acts as an on-site coordinator, working directly with the couples and as a liaison between the couple and the venue staff. But remember they are employed by the venue not by you, they will always have their own best interest in mind not yours. Depending on the size of the venue this coordinator may have other responsibilities beyond special events so their focus may be in multiple areas. If you have issues with one of your other vendors (DJ, florist, caterer, etc.) you will be the one handling this on your big day, not them. It is very frustrating when couples give all their wedding details to the event coordinator at the venue and work with that specific person during the entire planning process and then that person is not working the night of the reception and those details have not been passed on.

Hiring an independent coordinator takes a lot of pressure off of you and your family. They will deal with any issues that come up. When you hire someone they are being paid to be your advocate and to take care of your needs. And often you have worked closely with your coordinator over the last few months and have built a good relationship with them. You have gone over all the details with your coordinator, they know the event as well as you do so this will help to eliminate people bombarding you with questions all night and help to keep things from falling through the cracks. And of course, the obvious reason of having your own coordinator. This person will be with you all day, running the ceremony, the set up and then the reception.

On-site coordinators serve their purpose and can be very helpful when you have questions regarding the venue and its policies. But if you are in need of assistance on your big day and are concerned with having any issues handled in your best interest don't hesitate, hire a day of coordinator.

Candy Buffet Vases

If you are thinking of doing a candy buffet at your reception check out TJ Maxx and Marshalls for great deals on apothecary jars. I just got a larger sized jar with lid for $10!

Flavorful Favors for under $1

There are two things I look for when chosing favors, okay maybe three.

1. I find that guests love edible favors. Chocolates, jelly beans, M&Ms, anything tasty. Even a candy buffet is a great idea, just place a bag or box at the table with a cute note and have the guest fill them with all of your favorite candies.
2. With all the money you are putting into the rest of your wedding, favors should be reasonably priced. Since you are giving one to every person the cost of favors can add up quickly.
   
3. Whatever you give your guests as their favor should represent your overall look and feel of the wedding. The biggest way people do this is by incorporating your color scheme and any graphic they may be using.

The favors above were extremely easy to make and the cost came in for under $1 a piece! All the supplies for both favors pictured were purchased at Michaels.

I will start with how to make the favors in the top picture, the tulle with the cute charms.

• The tulle is available is pre-cut circles to make it easier to gather and tie and comes in different colors. Another super easy way to get this same sort of look is to purchase organza bags with pull ties (look on ebay if you want a specific color)
• Cut your chosen ribbon to a good length that you will be able to get a nice bow out of, slip on the charm before you tie the bow.
• Lay out the tulle circle and place your candy in the center, gather the edges together.
• Tie the ribbon around the tulle just above the candy and make a cute bow.
• Enjoy!

How to make the boxes with the ribbon bows.

• The boxes are available in rectangular ivory or white squares and they come in boxes of 100.
  
• The boxes are very easy to fold together.
• Place a square of tissue paper inside to surround the candy. Use paper in your wedding color to add a little splash when the boxes are opened.
  
• Fill the boxes with your candy, we used Assorted Gourmet Jelly Beans from GFS Marketplace stores. A 1/2 cup fit into the rectangle boxes.
  
• Next we cut the ribbon to a length that would wrap the box and provide a good sized ribbon.
• Tie the ribbon around the box and...voila! Adorable favors for under $1 each.

Here is one done using the square white boxes.

Have fun!

Ebony & Sean - August 15, 2009

Ebony and Sean were married this past Saturday! They have been dating since high school and have been looking forward to this day for a long time, which I can understand since my hubby and I dated through high school as well. I have been working along side Ebony since May of last year, I'm going to miss her phone calls and coffee dates!

Ceremony: Lamb of God Church
Reception: The Wave Room, Celebration Cinemas
Photographer: A&E Entertainment
DJ: A&E Entertainment
Decor: Celebration Central
Cake: M & M Bakery
Limo: Affordable Limo

Here are just a few of my snapshots from the day, check out more here.

I just love the pose, you can just tell what she is thinking!

Thank you, Ebony & Sean for letting me be a part of your big day and your life for the last 16 months! I wish you all the best in your new life together.

Destination Wedding Weekend

2009 was full of destination weddings for me, and by destination I mean the Michigan lake shore. Having family and friends coming to Michigan from out of state led my clients to many questions about how to make the whole weekend an event for their guests. The question of the importance of doing more for the guests then just the reception was asked. My answer is that it is very important to host your guests when they are attending a destination wedding.


Some ideas for your wedding weekend:

If you are able to find out where everyone will be staying while in town, welcome bags/baskets are a wonderful thing to surprise your guests with. Wedding guest baskets are a nice added touch, immediately comforting the travel-weary by making them feel right at home. I have seen couples do everything from sand pails full of snacks, bottled water and flip flops for a beach themed wedding to baskets with local wine, wine glasses, wine openers and snacks for a wedding held at a local winery. Another fun idea is to visit local businesses and collect information and coupons and put it all together in a folder for your guests to use while they are visiting. If it is not in your budget to put together a whole basket of goodies just a nice note and a bottle of wine is perfectly acceptable.

The rehearsal dinner guest list is traditionally made up of everyone that is involved in the wedding and their significant other. If you are having a destination wedding it is proper etiquette to invite anyone that will be in town for the wedding. I can see some jaws dropping and some gears turning...yes, I am aware that some of you have invited 100 people from out of town and most of them came in the night before. There is no rule to say that you have to have a fancy sit down dinner for your rehearsal night. The main rule to remember is that you want your rehearsal dinner to reflect the overall theme and feel of your wedding. If you are having a laid back wedding then do a park BBQ or backyard cookout for the night before dinner.

The wedding day usually takes care of itself by the time people are awake, have breakfast and get ready to come to the ceremony there isn't a lot of time for anything else. If you do a welcome basket including a list of local restaurants is very helpful for breakfast and lunch. One suggestion I have for the day of is transportation. If you are having your ceremony and reception at different locations hire transportation to bring your guests from their cars parked at the reception venue to the ceremony and back to the reception. Renting a bus or some trolleys for an hour isn't too expensive and the guests would love to have a personal tour of the area. This is especially nice if your ceremony venue has limited parking or is somewhere that you have to pay to park.

The morning after the ceremony your guests will most likely have to check out of their hotels late morning. But depending on the kind of fun they have at the reception they might not be getting up until the late morning either :) Inviting some of your closest family and friends to a Morning After Brunch is a nice way to say your goodbyes and thank them all one last time for coming all that way to celebrate with you. If you are staying in a hotel that has a small banquet or meeting room or if someone in the family has rented a cottage or house for the weekend, these would all be good places to host this brunch. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just some nice pastries, quiches and fruit would be perfect (Panera Bread does amazing catering).

By having some events pre-scheduled for your guests it takes a lot of stress off of them being in an unfamiliar place and it also shows them how much you appreciate their time. Believe me, it will not go unnoticed that you have put your guests comfort on the top of the priority list.

Ryan & Christina - Pro Pics

The professional pictures from Ryan & Christina's wedding are posted on Clever Creations Photography, check them out, they are beautiful!

http://www.clevercreations.smugmug.com/gallery/9011756_cwKpr#599569643_yoTes

Kate & Piet - July 18, 2009

Day of Coordination: Memorable Events LLC
Ceremony Venue: Lake Shore Chapel
Reception Venue: The Ravines Golf Course
Photographer: Steven F. Fox Photography
Florist: VS Floral
Limousine & Sedan: 5 Star Limo
Trolleys: Macatawa Express
Bridal Gown: September's Bride
Cake: Second Floor Bakery
DJ: Complete Music
Ceremony Musician: David Purnell
Officiant: Andy DeBraber
Linens: Special Occasions
Rentals: A-1 Rental

After all the "what-if's" and "plan B's", Kate and Piet's outdoor wedding turned out beautiful. It was windy and cold so the beach ceremony ended up taking place at the Lake Shore Chapel, an endearing little chapel that was built in 1904 for the summer residents in Douglas, MI. All of the guests met at the Ravines to board trolleys and a bus which took them to the chapel. The ceremony was very sweet, the bride and groom personalized it by having one of the groomsmen read "Oh! The places you'll go" by Dr. Seuss and the lyrics to "I Wanna Grow Old With You" from The Wedding Singer. Of course, I gave the bridal party a good story to tell by racing up the hill to switch the sprinklers off while the guests were walking up the sidewalk!

Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served in the clubhouse at the Ravines along with pink lemonade, lime slices and vodka in mason jars, so cute.

The couple chose to cut their delicious cake from Second Floor Bakery inside the clubhouse with all their guests present and then headed out to the lawn for dinner in the tent.


The tent was gorgeous, the floral centerpieces from VS Floral were perfect and really popped against the white and green linens. Of course, the centerpiece of the room was the candy bar, with the lime green and pink lanterns, ribbon and tulle and the wooden letters spelling out C-A-N-D-Y B-A-R!! Too Cute!!!

(I don't have one with the candy in them!!!)

Everyone did such an amazing job pulling this wedding together, it was fabulous. I love the families and friends of the couple and the couple themselves were adorable and so genuinely in love. It was my pleasure spending the weekend with them. This is exactly why I love my job!