Jul 29, 2019 | wedding planning
Here I am checking things off the list I made at the walk-through.
Whether I am doing full planning for my clients or coordinating the wedding, I always do a walk-through at the venue with them. Lately, I’ve been getting more questions about the walk-through, so let me (ha!) walk you through the process.
Ideally, I like to have the couple, the caterer, and a representative from the venue all there at the same time. I prefer not to have anyone else there. Sometimes the couple will invite family members, members of the wedding party, the officiant, the DJ, the photographer, the florist, etc. But I’ve noticed that the more people you have in the room, the longer it takes. Yes, it’s great to have a meeting of the minds in person, and it’s one way to solve problems in advance. But I can also accomplish the exact same end via email and phone once we’ve walked through the venue.
There are always certain decisions that need to be made at a walk-through: Where do you want the ceremony set up? Where and when do you want certain things to happen (toasts, cake cutting, dances)? What are we going to do in case of bad weather? Usually, the caterer has a long list of questions they need answered, and the venue has a shorter list. I have all the same questions, so we go through the day step by step to ensure that everyone understands what is planned.
Out of this, I make a master schedule for the entire day, and someone (venue, caterer, or me) makes the ground plan and furniture layout. (It all depends on the situation who does it, but it doesn’t matter as long as it gets done!) I also make a list of the tasks I am responsible for on the wedding day, and a list of items I’ll need to keep track of. I also usually end up with a list of questions for other vendors that I spend the next week or so getting answered.
In all of this, my function is to consolidate and organize and transmit the information to everyone who needs it. I’m the central clearinghouse for everything. And that’s why I always say, “Tell your planner everything you want and everything you are thinking.” That way, I can make sure that things happen just the way you are imagining they will go.
Jul 23, 2019 | Weddings
I have photos from one more wedding last summer to share with you. This was quite the wedding! The ceremony was on the bride’s parents’ front lawn, and the reception was a mile down the road in a tent in a private park near the Fox River. The rain held off until the reception had started (lucky!), but some outdoor activities had to be cancelled due to the weather. They had wanted all the guests to send floating lanterns down the river at the end of the evening. Scroll down to the photos at the end to see what actually happened.
All of these lovely photos are courtesy of Kelly Jo Photo. Catering was by 3 Chefs Catering; tent from Blue Peak Tents; DJ from Waysound Recording; Zippy Photo Booth did their thing; flowers from Wildrose Floral Design; dessert from B’s Sweet Bites; video by Whole Hearted Wedding Films; and portable restrooms from Crown Restrooms.
Jul 15, 2019 | wedding planning
Actual view out the window looking at where the ceremony was supposed to take place. Photo by Becca Heuer Photography.
This is a tough one to think about. I like to stay positive, but I can’t help noticing that it’s getting harder and harder to do outdoor events, due to changes in the climate. One of the things that climate change brings is more instability in the atmosphere. I’ve noticed that that can make weather prediction trickier.
I’m no meteorologist, but watching the weather has been a hobby of mine for a very long time. I enjoy looking at the weather radar maps and at the weather forecast maps, and making my own predictions about future conditions. Up until recently, I was pretty accurate. Given enough information, I could make a good call on whether a given event was going to be able to be outside, or not.
On a recent weekend, I had two outdoor weddings on a Saturday. I’m used to being able to make a weather call 24-48 hours before an event. Well, that didn’t work this time. Starting about 36 hours before the event, the weather forecast changed drastically about every six hours. First, it was a high chance of rain; then a low chance; then back to a high likelihood; and then low again. The only thing that wasn’t predicted was what happened: clear skies and sunny. (I guess that falls under “very low chance of rain”??)
One wedding that day had to make their rain call the day before, when it looked like there would almost definitely be rain. They had the wedding indoors, even though the day was gorgeous. The other wedding didn’t have to make the call until about 3 hours before the ceremony time. By that time, it was a pretty sure thing that it was not going to rain, so they managed to have their ceremony outdoors.
So, if you’re planning a wedding, or any other outdoor event, just be sure to have a solid rain plan, and be ready to use it at a moment’s notice. It seems that there are times when it may be hard to tell what is going to happen.
Jul 8, 2019 | wedding planning
Here is your planner/coordinator team at work. Don’t be fooled: Sometimes we’re working hardest when we are standing still! Photo courtesy of Godzroqk Designs.
So, you are getting married, and you’ve never done this before. You don’t know: Who is in charge of running things on the day of your wedding? Is it the venue manager? The caterer? Your planner or coordinator?
The answer is: Yes!
Now, I’m not going to promise that my experience will predict what every other wedding team will do; different people work different ways. But here is how I see it:
The venue manager is there to protect the interests of the location. Whether it’s a historic mansion or a downtown loft, they want to have someone there to make sure the physical location (and its reputation!) remain intact. They are also invaluable as a source of information on how the space works best–and where to find things. They are your first Very Important Team Member (VITM).
The caterer is not just in charge of food. The caterer is also in charge of the staff that makes 90% of your event happen. They set up chairs for the ceremony (unless the venue does that), take them down, move them to the reception location, set up and set the tables, set up and stock the bar, serve, tend bar, and clean up at the end of the night. So, if something needs to happen in any of these areas, your caterer is in the picture. Your Caterer is #2 on the list of VITMs.
Finally, you have your planner or coordinator. They work exclusively for you, representing your interests, in so far as you have communicated them to her. Ideally, your planner, caterer, and venue manager all work together as a team.
The one person who should have the most information, though, is your planner–who also has the scoop on your florist, DJ, officiant, photographer, bus company, hair and make-up people, and all the other professionals you have hired.
The way I like to work is to gather all the information possible from all of your vendors, and then share it with each of them. That helps to keep everyone on the same page. It means I can answer questions from each vendor about what all the other vendors are doing, and I can coordinate among them for maximum efficiency.
If the bus is running late getting the guests to the ceremony, I can alert the caterer that we are running behind. When the videographer needs to get a sound feed from the DJ, I make sure they are working together. And a thousand other little things that make the day flow.
What this means for you when you are planning your wedding is that you should always keep your planner or coordinator in the loop. You will probably never see 90% of the work I do for your wedding because it mainly takes place under the radar. But the more you tell me about what you want and what you have planned, the better I can make it all happen.
Jul 1, 2019 | Weddings
If you have been following me on Instagram (and, if not, why not?), then you may have seen a few of these photos from a wedding last summer. This was one of the sweetest weddings I have worked on in a long time. It was also culturally very interesting. I didn’t know much about Korean wedding customs beforehand, so I got to learn a few new things. I had worked with clients of Chinese heritage in the past, so I was more familiar with things like the Chinese Tea Ceremony. But there is always more to know!
The other thing I loved about this wedding was that it was very much an Evanston wedding. The couple are both graduates of Northwestern, so they got married at Alice Millar Chapel. The reception was at the Evanston Golf Club— which is technically in Skokie, but it is close enough! Flowers were from FlowersFlowers in downtown Evanston. And all photos are by Evanston’s BlurFoto.
Molly’s Cupcakes provided the cake; DJ and photo booth came from Windy City Mix; and transportation came from both LCW Coach and VIP Livery.
Take a look at this completely adorable couple and their cute, cute wedding. First, a few photos of the ceremony venue.
The bride’s father walked her down the aisle–and then slipped into his clergyman’s robe to perform the ceremony!
And then the fun began!
At the end of the reception, it was time for the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. As the groom’s uncle, who was master of ceremonies for the tea ceremony, explained, the tradition came about as a way for the groom’s family to welcome the bride as part of their family.
Everyone had a fun day!
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