Sep 23, 2013 | vendors, wedding planning
Full-service caterers create a beautiful buffet. Photo courtesy of christytylerphotography.com.
I have noticed that there is often some confusion about caterers and what they do. I’d like to lay out the distinction between “catering” and “full-service catering” for you.
Any restaurant, chef, or catering company can do “catering.” That might be as simple as bringing big foil pans of food to your location and dropping it off–along with a few napkins and plastic forks, if you’re lucky. Especially when restaurants say that they do “catering,” often they mean only that they can make quantities of food for a crowd and bring the food to you.
“Full-service catering,” on the other hand, is almost always done by companies that specialize in it. The services offered by full-service catering companies generally include:
- Hiring service staff (servers, bartenders, etc.)
- Coordinating rentals (dishes, furniture, tents, serving equipment, etc.)
- Event planning
- Furniture set-up (ceremony and reception) and table setting
A full-service caterer can take care of many of the details that otherwise cause headaches to those who are planning parties.
You might wonder, then, why would I need my own event planner if I hire a full-service caterer? The answer is easy: The event planner you hire is your advocate who is there to supervise all the vendors, including the caterer, to be sure they do what you have requested. Your event planner coordinates among all the vendors, looking out for your interests at all times.
Of course, if you must have your favorite restaurant cater your event and they do not provide full-service catering, consider hiring an event planner early. Your event planner can work with companies that provide servers and bartenders; recommend rental companies and work with you on rental lists; plan the timing and layout for your event; and make sure it all runs like clockwork.
Aug 5, 2013 | vendors, wedding planning
The Orrington Hotel, courtesy of their website.
If you’re interested in having your wedding or other occasion at a hotel but you are looking for something a little bit different, you might consider looking at the Orrington Hotel in Evanston.
The Orrington is both a classic, old-fashioned hotel and a recently updated modern event venue. The building has been in downtown Evanston for decades, but recent renovations have brought it up to date. There is a ballroom unlike any other hotel ballroom I’ve seen. While the decor is pretty standard, there is a huge, sweeping staircase that leads down into the space. It has many dramatic possibilities, including use as the aisle or backdrop for a wedding.
The hotel also has all the standard hotel amenities you would expect: catering, meeting rooms, guest rooms, etc. The staff seems friendly and accommodating. It is also in a great location with any number of restaurants, parks, and shops nearby, if your guests are staying for a long weekend.
If you’re looking for a party venue, take a look at this undiscovered gem.
Jul 8, 2013 | vendors, wedding planning
Crown Restrooms, as borrowed from their website.
When you’re planning your wedding, the first thing that comes to mind is probably not, “We’ll need portable restrooms!” But if you do need them, don’t let it be the last thing you think about.
If you are planning a backyard wedding or reception, or if your venue is in a park or forest preserve, you might need to rent restroom facilities. And since you’re planning a special occasion, you probably don’t want to rent the kind of portapotties you’d find at a construction site. This is where upscale portable restrooms come in.
There is a surprisingly large number of companies providing this service, but I have only worked with a couple of them. Crown Restrooms provided a restroom trailer at a wedding I worked on a couple of years ago, and I was suitably impressed with them.
The wedding was in a private park, so it was absolutely necessary to have adequate facilities. These fit on the driveway of the lodge. They were clean, had running water, and were large enough for the purpose. The company was reliable in its delivery, and everything functioned correctly.
It’s not a glamorous part of party planning, but the importance of good restrooms to the success of the affair cannot be underestimated.
Jun 10, 2013 | vendors, wedding planning
Here are some guests enjoying themselves in the Traveling Photo Booth. Photo by Light on Life Images.
Photo booths are all the rage at weddings these days. People seem to love them! At a recent wedding, I worked with the nice folks from Traveling Photo Booth.
The things I think are important in a vendor such as a photo booth are actually pretty simple: Is their equipment right for the job? Do they show up on time? Is their staff friendly, knowledgeable, and polite?
On all three counts, this company scored 100%. They arrived when they said they would and unloaded quickly. They got extra points for that, as there was very limited loading space. They set up and were ready to go when they were needed. The equipment was clean and high tech. They kept the crowd happy with their photos all evening. The staff was very accommodating. And they loaded out and left without a fuss. I would definitely recommend them again.
May 13, 2013 | vendors, wedding planning
Toast & Jam, as they appear on their website.
I had the great pleasure of working with one of the many talented DJs at Toast & Jam recently. There are a lot of reasons why this company stands out from the many other DJ services in Chicago. We’re lucky to have a lot of talented companies and individuals here, so it’s not easy to stand out.
I think the first thing I noticed about T&J is that it is a woman-owned company, and most of the DJs are women. That is unusual, because most of those talented DJs I mentioned are men. I don’t know that gender makes a difference in the quality of the talent, but it certainly caught my attention just by being different.
I worked with Toast & Jam on a wedding where the bridal couple were extremely specific about the music they wanted and–more important–the music they didn’t want. The DJ worked with them patiently and creatively to come up with a playlist that made them happy. She kept the music flowing and to the taste of the bridal pair. It all looked easy, but if you knew what went on behind the scenes, it was very impressive.
There are a lot of good companies to choose from when you are looking for a DJ, but I know I am going to be recommending Toast & Jam a lot.
Apr 15, 2013 | vendors, wedding planning
Spilled Ink Press, as they appear on their website.
The husband-and-wife team of Tony and Amanda is Spilled Ink Press. They are a small press with a big impact. Both trained as architects, they bring their design sensibilities to all sorts of paper products: invitations, thank-you notes, greeting cards, etc.
Not only does Spilled Ink do custom and semi-custom designs for all your paper goods, but they also have a dedicated eco-conscious focus. They make sure to purchase all the paper they use from sustainable and recycled sources and even make sure their designs use the paper as efficiently as possible.
For something unique and sustainable, look up Spilled Ink Press.
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