Sep 22, 2014 | Budget Planning, DIY, Weddings
If you have the time and skill, you can go all-out and make a chandelier, as this bride did.
I’m still thinking about DIY weddings, and about when DIY is a good idea and when it is not. One of the most successful kinds of do-it-yourself wedding planning is in the area of decor.
There are some kinds of decor that are better left to professionals. Things like flowers (see my thoughts on that here) and lighting fall in that category. If you want to hang large objects from a ceiling, I would recommend hiring someone for that, too.
But there are lots and lots of things that are suitable for DIY: table runners, table numbers, card box, place cards, photo props, menus, programs, favors. Especially if you are planning unique decor, it may be easier and cheaper to make it yourself, rather than hunting down the perfect item at craft shops, second-hand stores, rental shops, and the internet.
Of course, it takes extra time–sometimes lots of extra time–and a little skill to do it all yourself. As always, plan carefully and leave yourself enough time. You don’t want to end up like a friend of mine who was frantically hand-writing place cards late on the night before her wedding. Plan to have it all done early and get help if you need it.
Sep 9, 2013 | Eco-Friendly Events, Family Parties, wedding planning, Weddings
Try a beautiful outdoor location for your celebration.
I’m thinking about locations for eco-friendly weddings and events. There are many choices you can make to have a sustainable location for your event. The place you choose can have a large impact on how sustainable your celebration is.
For example, you can choose a LEED certified building, or rent from and support a location that has an environmental mission, such as a botanic garden or organic farm. You can also look at the Green Hotels Association to find a hotel with an environmental commitment. Or you can find an eco-friendly restaurant through the Green Restaurant Association. Celebrating outdoors, of course, reduces the power needed for lighting and air conditioning. If you’re having more than one event on the same day (such as a wedding and reception), you can have them in the same location to reduce the amount of transportation needed.
There are lots of easy things you can do to make your wedding or other celebration more eco-conscious. Every little bit helps!
Feb 11, 2013 | DIY, wedding planning
If you have the time and skill, you can go all-out and make a chandelier, as this bride did.
I’m still thinking about DIY weddings, and about when DIY is a good idea and when it is not. One of the most successful kinds of do-it-yourself wedding planning is in the area of decor.
There are some kinds of decor that are better left to professionals. Things like flowers (see my thoughts on that here) and lighting fall in that category. If you want to hang large objects from a ceiling, I would recommend hiring someone for that, too.
But there are lots and lots of things that are suitable for DIY: table runners, table numbers, card box, place cards, photo props, menus, programs, favors. Especially if you are planning unique decor, it may be easier and cheaper to make it yourself, rather than hunting down the perfect item at craft shops, second-hand stores, and the internet.
Of course, it takes extra time–sometimes a lot of extra time–and a little skill to do it all yourself. As always, plan carefully and leave yourself enough time. You don’t want to end up like a friend of mine who was frantically hand-writing place cards late on the night before her wedding. Plan to have it all done early and get help if you need it.
Apr 9, 2012 | Uncategorized
If it's the cake that has be to perfect, start early. Photo courtesy of Artisan Events.
Every wedding planner has a calendar or timeline laying out the important steps necessary to plan a wedding and reception. The timeline is an important part of planning your wedding, but there are other equally important things to think about in order to have the wedding you really want. Here is one of them:
For everyone, there are one or two elements of the ceremony or reception that will make you unhappy if they aren’t as close to perfect as possible. For me, it was the food at the reception. The meal I served my guests had to be better than anything I eat on an ordinary day. Most caterers just weren’t up to the job, and I didn’t care for their attitudes, either. I interviewed half a dozen caterers and tasted their food before I found one whose food and attitude I really liked. With the elements that are most important to you, take time early in the planning process to find someone to do the job you will be entirely happy with. See or taste samples of their work. Get at least two references. Don’t settle for second best or feel pressured by any vendor. You know what you want, and it is always possible to find it.
May 28, 2021 | wedding planning
Well, it’s officially wedding season, because recently I had my first on-site, live, in-person wedding since October 2019. And it was a fantastic way to get back to planning weddings.
This was a small, low-key backyard celebration at the groom’s parents’ home. The couple wanted a non-traditional and eco-friendly wedding, and that was exactly what I was able to help them have. They brought in everything they needed so guests could be outdoors and comfortable. We had tents, upscale portable restrooms, a composting service, a pizza truck, a mobile bar service–and puppies!
“Wait, did you say puppies?” Yes, puppies. The couple and their families all love dogs. Being from out of state, these two couldn’t bring their own dogs with them. But it didn’t seem right to them to get married without any dogs present. They got in touch with the local humane society, who had three beagle mix pups they could bring. It was great! The puppies got much-needed socialization time during cocktail hour, the guests (especially the kids) got to play with puppies, and the humane society got a nice donation.
As my first pandemic wedding, it was educational for me–and quite safe. It goes to show that you can follow all health department guidelines and still get married and have a good time. Here are a few photos I took.
Indestructo provided their usual high-quality tents for the wedding.
Restrooms are not glamorous, but the fancy restroom trailer from Crown Restrooms almost makes the cut!
If you want glamorous, CLaS Mobile Bar definitely fits the description!
The Crust Culture pizza truck is a pretty amazing set-up.
Crust Culture also did a nice appetizer buffet. Note the compostable dishes. The bar service also brought compostable cups, and so there was almost zero waste at this wedding!
And there were puppies! The couple were the first people to greet the pups as they came out from their carrier.
There were snacks for the puppies, too.
The groom’s mother baked this gorgeous cake for them, and decorated it with sugar photos of the couple.
I hope to be able to share the professional photographer’s images with you at some future time, because this was a really fun wedding, and I’m sure she captured it much better than I could.
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