Movie-Themed Wedding

Jan 28, 2019 | Weddings

Bride and groom walk up the aisle at the head of the recessional.Sometimes I get really, really lucky and I am hired by clients who are doing something that is out of the ordinary and lots of fun.  No offense to all the other wonderful weddings I am fortunate enough to work on, but the quirky, original ones are my very favorites.  I have the photos from one of those from last summer, and I have to share them with you.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on them!

It was a small wedding in a very simple setting, at the Winnetka Community House, with catering by Catered by Design.  Stitely Entertainment provided the DJ, and Vanilla Video took the video footage.  Bridal party hair and make-up are by Beauty by Jaide.  And the lovely photos are all courtesy of Geneva Boyett.  Now, here’s the backstory:

The groom at this wedding is enormously fond of movies.  He used to be a film editor and still has a great love for all things Movie.  He also loves Legos.  And is a talented DIY guy.  The bride is into all those things, too, but in this case, it was the groom doing a lot of the decor.  They both have tremendous senses of humor and never started to take themselves too seriously in planning the wedding.

The ceremony was in the outdoor courtyard garden at the WCH.

An outdoor wedding ceremony seen from behind the guests. A floral and greenery arch, brick pillars, and summer trees frame the ceremony.

Here is a close-up of the lush floral and greenery arch provided by MilleFiori.

Close-up view of small-leaf greenery, dark and light pink roses, and flowers in various shades of blues and purples covering an archway.

And now for the unique part.  Remember how I said the groom loved Legos?  Well, the couple decided that, instead of having a unity candle as part of their wedding ceremony, they were going to have unity Legos.  I have to say, when I first heard from them about this, I had to wonder exactly how that would work.  Here are some photos of the unity Legos in the process of being assembled, with the groom in the background looking on happily (description follows the photos):

The bride and groom put in the final piece together:

In case it’s not clear what is going on there, this is what it is:  The groom started with a photo that had been taken of the two of them; he blew it up broke it down into its pixels; and then he made a Lego portrait out of that picture.  The final piece is about 30 inches square.  Once he had created the entire piece, he broke it down into 11 segments that could be fitted together again to create the whole picture.  Then, as part of the wedding ceremony, 10 special people plus the bride and groom came up to each fit a piece into the picture.  And here is the final result:

A large picture of two people made entirely out of Legos.

Ever seen anything like that?  I hadn’t!  And now they have this piece of artwork that was part of their wedding to keep forever.

And then there was the movie theme of the reception.  It started with the place cards.  Each one is a movie ticket, with the guest’s name and the name of a movie on it (along with the time and date and “Admit One,” just like a real movie ticket).

Place cards in rows on a table. Each one is designed as a movie ticket.

Each guest then found the table themed to match their “ticket.”  As I said, the groom is a DIY guy, so he also made the centerpieces.  Each one represented the movie that was the name for the table.  The place cards in the photo above name some of the movies:  Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Star Wars.  Here are the centerpieces.  See how many of the movies you can name!

A model of a brick building with smoke rising from the roof.A model of a car, with wheels askew.A model of a gateway saying "Jurassic Park," with a green car going in and a dinosaur in the background.A model of a Star Wars character carrying a long weapon, with a droid behind her. Model containing an egg-shaped brown monster and a human carrying a weapon and standing on what migh be a space craft.Model of a brownish humanoid creature.Model of a hand with knife-like appendanges.Model containing two large-headed, large-eyed humans. The one on the left has orange hair and is wearing blue overalls. The one on the right has yellow hair and is wearing a white dress. Grecian columns are in the background.

Unfortunately, the photos don’t capture the best thing about these centerpieces:  They light up!  My photos are not nearly as good, but here are a few showing how these looked once the lights were on.

The same model car, lit up with blue LED lights.The model building with red LEDs in the smoke.The "Jurassic Park" gate lit with yellow lights.

Isn’t that fun?

And, of course, the bride and groom wanted to take the centerpieces home with them, so they had to  request that the guests….

A place-card table with a sign reading, "Please do not take the centerpieces. Thank you!"

In the end, as always, it was a day about two wonderful people.  And these two had a sense of humor.  Here is the silly part of their first look–first the groom’s humorous reaction to the bride and then the bride’s funny take in response:

Two people in profile. A man in a blue suit on the right holds his arms out and crosses his two index fingers toward the woman on the left, who wears a white dress. Both are laughing.A woman in white crosses her arms in laughing disgust.

But here is how they really felt about each other:

A man and a woman kiss in an archway.A man and a woman in front of a greenery arch. He lifts her off the ground. They are kissing.

And here is how much fun everyone had that day:

Three men in blue suits, one woman in a white dress, and two women in lavender dresses. They hold hands and hold them up in the air together with an air of celebration.

An Arboretum Wedding

Jan 21, 2019 | Day-of Coordinating

I have some photos to share with you!  You may have seen some of these on social media, but I want to share the stories that go along with them here.  My sincere thanks to Artisan Events for sharing their beautiful images.

This was an absolutely amazing, multi-cultural wedding at the Morton Arboretum last summer.  The bride’s family is Catholic, and the groom’s family is Hindu.  The couple did their homework and had a beautiful celebration that honored both sets of traditions.

A pair of hands with henna designs.

The bride had had her hands (and probably more that I didn’t see) decorated with henna.  But she was in a lovely white gown for both the ceremony and the reception.  The groom wore a suit.  But many of the guests wore saris or sari dresses, making the assembled crowd very colorful when they gathered in the Arboretum’s Hedge Garden for a late afternoon ceremony.

The guests at an outdoor wedding ceremon are seated in rows in a green garden. Many are in Indian dress.

The ceremony itself had elements both from the bride’s tradition and from the groom’s.  A Catholic deacon welcomed the guests and performed the first part of the ceremony.  Following that, a Hindu priest performed an abbreviated (very abbreviated!) Hindu marriage ceremony.

Bride and groom are seated for part of a Hindu marriage ceremony. A Hindu priest stands to their left.

A bride places a flower garland around the neck of her groom.

And then, it was time for a party.  And, I have to say, the people at the Morton Arboretum really know how to throw a swanky celebration!  The room has a gorgeous view of a pond, but it was made even more beautiful by the artistic talents of Persephone Floral.

A row of round banquet tables with white linen, navy blue napkins, and floral centerpieces. Outside the windows in the background are a pond and trees.

A long table with a white linen and navy blue napkins, deecorated with a long garland of greenery and pillar candles.

A rounded floral centerpiece in a pedestal bowl, comprised of greenery, white and pale pink blossoms, and blue thistle flowers.

I have absolutely no idea what was so funny during the cake cutting, but you know what they say about a couple who laugh together.

A couple standing near a wedding cake and laughing helplessly.

The groom’s sister gave a pretty funny toast, too.

A woman in a blue sari dress stands, holding a microphone and a piece of paper. In front of her sit a man and another woman in a sari dress.

A man and a woman sit at a table laughing, with their faces in their hands.

Or maybe that last one was during the toast given by the bride’s father.

Finally, it was time to dance!  The David Rothstein Band kept the dance floor hopping all evening long.

A dance band of singers, saxophone, keys, drums, and other instruments.

It was a beautiful wedding day, one where everything ran smoothly and the guests enjoyed themselves.  And another lovely couple started their married life surrounded by friends and family, beauty and fun.

A lighted building in the dusk, seen across a pond, with reflections on the water.

Vendors I Know: Lena Rose Beauty

Jan 14, 2019 | vendors

A woman in a white, strapless dress and pearls holding a bouquet of pink roses and looking over her shoulder toward the camera.

You can have that freshly made-up look without harming your skin!

Sometimes you get that emergency call and you have to be prepared.  This time, it was from a bride who was getting ready for her engagement session.  She said that she doesn’t usually wear much make-up, but she wanted to wear make-up for photos.  The problem was that she had such sensitive skin that she couldn’t find anything that worked for her.  Did I know of anyone who could help?

Fortunately, I do know someone:  Jenny of Lena Rose Beauty.  When I’ve talked to her, I have always been impressed by the breadth of her knowledge about cosmetics and their ingredients.  She is passionate about making sure that everything that goes on your skin is safe and non-toxic.  And she has built that passion into a full-service spa and beauty boutique.

One of the things I really like about her approach is her commitment to sticking to the science.  She can tell you all about parabens (for example) and why they shouldn’t go on your skin.  That always gives me the feeling that her knowledge can be trusted, and that is not a quality that is always easy to come by.

So, if you need clean make-up or other beauty services, or if you want to support an eco-friendly local business, now you know where to look first.

More Unexpected Things A Planner Can Do For You

Jan 7, 2019 | wedding planning

Smiling, well-dressed guests at a party.

Having happy wedding guests starts with good communication. Photo by Becca Heuer Photography.

I always say that the things a planner can do for you are not limited to the ones you think of readily.  Yes, sure, I can recommend excellent caterers and steer you clear of all sorts of pitfalls.  Yes, I can likely save you money and time.  But it’s the unexpected things I can do that are (in my opinion) my real value (See this post and this one for some of my previous thoughts on this subject.)

And I would say that one of the most valuable things I bring to the table is my ability to improve communications.  I’ll give you a few examples.

A couple I was working with were interested in seeing a particular venue.  Since I was doing only partial planning for them, it was their responsibility to contact the venue to arrange for a tour.  They emailed the venue but never heard back.  I was able to reach my contact at the venue and make an introduction after it became clear that the original message had gotten lost in transit.

Another time, a photographer I had recommended missed a message that had come in on a busy weekend and didn’t know that a couple was interested in hiring him.  After a quick message from me, he noticed the missing message and was able to get back to them.

And, of course, a lot of what I do is to facilitate communication among the various vendors on any project.  Since we all have to work together–and our work is all dependent on one another–much of my planning time is spent making sure that the caterer, the DJ, and the photographer all agree on the timeline for the event.  I also facilitate communication among the caterer, the bakery, and the beverage supplier.  And between the venue and the florist–and so many other things.

In many ways, the job of the planner is all about communication.  Everyone needs to know what is going on, and someone has to make sure that they do.  This isn’t something you’ll ever see, but it is one of the most important parts of planning any event.  And it’s something a good planner can make sure always happens so that your wedding or other event goes off as planned.

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