Yesterday evening in the back yard of a Victorian house on the main street of a small town west of Chicago, there was a wedding like no other. Everything had been hand made by the bride–and when I say “everything,” I am hardly exaggerating.
Many brides have DIY projects, but few do what this bride took on. Not only did she make all the ceremony and reception decor and her invitations, but she also made 150 paper boutonnieres for her guests; silk flowers for the wedding party and her close family; her dress and jewelry; her mother’s dress and hat; and all her bridesmaids’ dresses.
If you want to see everything she did (along with instructions for some of the projects), check out her blog. It was an incredible feat of planning and crafting, and the result was absolutely beautiful.
Hand made table decor for the reception.
The photo above gives you a small sample of the DIY crafts on display at this wedding. Front and center is one of the table numbers leaning on the small container garden used as a centerpiece. All this is on the vintage wallpaper used as a table runner. In the background, you can see the doily menus on the plates and the votive candles in mason jars. In the lower right-hand corner is a glimpse of a paper napkin with the guest’s name hand stamped on it.
A wider view of the tables and tent decor.
In this photo, you can see how the decorations all came together. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the chandelier the bride made. It hung over the dance floor. I’ll post a picture when I get it. Here are a couple more photos to give you an idea of what it all looked like:
The basket of handmade paper bouttonieres.
Place cards in individual envelopes.
As if all this weren’t enough excitement, the annual tractor parade went by the house during the cocktail hour before dinner:
One of the tractors in the parade.
Another tractor in the parade.
The wedding guests watch the tractor parade.
Taken all together, it was a very exciting evening and a lot of fun for the guests. Even for me, it was fun. Because it was a wedding at home, not in a venue with staff accustomed to major events, a certain amount of extra work fell to me. Naturally, I was more than happy to do it, since that is what I am there for.
One word of caution, however. If you are planning your wedding for your home or your parents’ (or anyone else’s, for that matter), be aware that it is a tremendous amount of work for the person who owns the home. The parents of this bride were extraordinarily generous in opening their home to 130 guests plus wedding vendors. They moved a lot of furniture, cleaned, decorated, and gave up the use of their home and yard for several days. And I’m sure it will take a couple more days to clean up and return everything to normal. Their daughter and son-in-law are very lucky.
I had an interesting interview a few weeks ago for a corporate event. The organization was doing an awards ceremony and needed someone to get the speakers and awardees on and off stage in an efficient manner. At the interview, I stressed my live theatre background, thinking that it was relevant to the task at hand. The woman interviewing me, however, kept asking about my other events experience, because, as she said, “Your theatre experience doesn’t count.”
Despite her being a thoroughly well educated woman, I have to take exception to her point of view. I realize that there are many misconceptions about work in the theatre. There are those who think that “putting on a play” is not work and requires no real skill. I’d like to set the record straight.
The modern theatre stage manager is a professional who not only juggles schedules and keeps a director happy (sometimes no small task), but one who also coordinates the electrical, sound, properties, set, costumes, and (often) projections or video departments. The stage manager facilitates communication among all these people, plus the actors. And the stage manager is the executive instrument in the technical running of each performance. And if it’s a musical or an opera, add the elements of music and dance to the mix. It’s not an easy job, although it can be a very rewarding one.
Quite honestly, corporate events are much easier. They generally have fewer elements, although they have the same need for communication and coordination. And those that are as complicated as a theatrical performance generally hire a theatre stage manager to run them. But it’s the same skill set, in either case. So, theatre experience is more than relevant to other kinds of events. (I’ll comment on theatre and weddings again some day.)
So, if you are thinking of hiring me and have doubts about the relevance of my theatre experience, just ask me how it is related. I will be happy to tell you.
Here is the lovely couple. Photo shamelessly borrowed from their wedding website.
I had the best time yesterday coordinating a wedding. The bride was a lovely Chinese-American woman. The groom was Cuban-American. They had a pretty simple church ceremony, but at the reception, their families’ heritages were on full display.
The reception had most of the usual traditions you would expect at a wedding. The bride and groom had their first dance together; the bride tossed her bouquet; and the groom tossed the garter. But after the first dance, the bride changed from her white wedding gown into a gorgeous red dress. (Red is a traditional lucky color in Chinese culture. Many Chinese brides wear red.) She also put on a heavily embroidered Chinese jacket called a kwa and some special jewelry. Then she and her new husband performed a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, which involved them serving tea to their parents and grandparents and receiving gifts from them. Her aunts made the special tea and her uncles read a description so everyone felt involved in the ceremony.
After the tea ceremony, the groom’s family’s culture came to the forefront. The groom’s mother is old friends with the leader of a hot Cuban salsa band. The band played a late-evening set that got the crowd out onto the dance floor to dance salsa, cha-cha, and cumbia. Everyone felt like celebrating–and there are some fine salsa dancers among the groom’s family and friends.
Finally, at the end of the evening, the groom had a surprise for everyone. He’s a big fan of Michael Jackson, and he came out dressed in a full MJ outfit to dance to “Billie Jean.” Let me tell you, this guy had all the moves. The night ended on a high note.
And where was your humble wedding coordinator during all this? I was in two places at once, most of the night. I was lining up the wedding party for their introductions; making sure the best man and matron of honor were in place to make their well-spoken toasts; getting a dad and a mom ready to dance with the bride and groom; moving chairs and tables for the tea ceremony; making sure the bride had changed in time for the tea ceremony and had remembered to put on her garter; telling the band leader when to start playing, and when to stop; keeping the bride from finding out that her new husband was going to do a surprise dance for her; informing the DJ, photographer, and videographer about the next event; working with the banquet hall staff; and making sure everyone was happy. It was a lot of work, but for such nice people, it was a pleasure.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the photos from this very special wedding. I’ll post them as soon as I get them so you can see for yourself how beautiful it was.
Last week, I was at the second meeting of the Chicago Green Wedding Alliance. This is a group of wedding vendors who are all committed to environmental sustainability and social responsibility. The official mission statement is:
Chicago Green Wedding Alliance is established to encourage mindful weddings, commitment ceremonies, and social events by connecting a community of environmentally and socially responsible vendors with the conscious consumer. Members are united in their effort to continually grow and inform their responsible business practices through the support of their like-minded peers.
This group is still quite new but it’s an exciting group of people. Watch for more information on a vendor list at their website and some upcoming events.
Compostable disposables are a great idea for an eco-friendly party, right? Well, maybe.
But let me back up a minute, first. What is a compostable disposable? Well, plastic (like, for plates, cups, silverware, etc.) can be made from petroleum. That kind is definitely not compostable and you have to throw it out. Plastic can also be made from corn, and dishes and so on made from that kind of plastic are marketed as being compostable.
Technically, yes, it is possible to compost corn plastic. But the best authorities I can find (Smithsonian Magazine, for instance), say that it can only be composted in very hot, commercial composting facilities. Being curious about this claim, my husband and I tried some experiments, with the help of a friend who has a very good home composting pile. We took some cups and lids from my husband’s coffee roasting business to our friend. The cups were paper lined with a very thin layer of corn plastic. The lids were somewhat thicker plastic, but thinner than a plastic water bottle, and far thinner than a plastic plate.
The cups were shredded (with the assistance of the friend’s gentle pit bull) and put in the pile. The lids went in whole (since the dog wasn’t interested in them). In a reasonable amount of time (a few months, I believe), the paper and thin layer of corn plastic disappeared into the pile. So far, so good. That was last summer. A few days ago, we were back at the friend’s house, and she handed us a lid that had been in the pile for about 9 months. It was intact, whole, undisturbed. Even her warm, active compost pile had not been able to digest even that much corn plastic. Apparently, it does take a hotter compost pile to compost them.
Here is the lid after sitting in a nice, warm, active compost pile for almost a year.
But where do you find a commercial composter that will take corn plastics? You can search for them at Find a Composter. Search by state and then under “Paper and Compostable Products.” You will find that they do not exist in every state. For instance, while there are nine commercial composters in the state of Illinois, not one of them takes compostable plastic. Connecticut, on the other hand, has one such facility; California has fifteen. You might find, however, that many facilities do not take composting materials from households.
What is the solution, then? If you are throwing a party and want to keep it as eco-friendly as possible, use ceramic dishes. Rent them from a nearby rental house to reduce transportation waste. If you have to use disposables, consider paper. It is a renewable resource, like corn, and is much more compostable. And, as we discovered, paper cups lined with corn plastic are actually compostable, even in a home compost pile. If you need disposable utensils, though, there aren’t any really good answers. Something is going to be thrown away, whether it is corn plastic or petroleum plastic.
So, be wary of the claims of compostability. This is new territory and there are still a lot of questions to be answered.
Together, we plan even the smallest detail. Courtesy of sprungphoto.com.
Sometimes it takes someone else’s chance comment to point out how one is different from others. I had that experience this week when I was chatting with the owner of a very nice event space. She asked what services I offer my clients, and when I described what I offer for day-of event coordinating, she couldn’t help saying, “That sounds like a lot more than day-of coordination!”
Here’s what I offer besides coordination on the day of a wedding: one planning meeting at the venue; a two-hour rehearsal; confirmation of all vendors; timeline for the day; floor plans, if needed; vendor referrals; and unlimited phone calls and e-mails. Also, unlike some others, I am happy to book a year in advance. What this means is that when you hire me to do day-of coordination of your wedding, you also get a consultant who will work with you through the entire process. By your wedding day, I am thoroughly familiar with what you want to have happen and I have been able to think it through. And for all that, I think my prices are quite reasonable, too.
Why do I offer so much for so little? I like to offer my clients the highest level of service and value for your money. In order to be fully prepared to coordinate a wedding, it is well worth my time to get to know my clients and get to know what you want and what you expect. And for a minimal investment of time, I can help you to refine and improve your plans so you can actually have the wedding you want.
Would you like to find out what I can do for you? Get in touch and I’ll tell you.
As you probably know, Earth Day falls in the month of April, as does Arbor Day. Here in Illinois, Governor Pat Quinn has declared the entire month of April Earth Month. In his official proclamation (.pdf), he notes that the Illinois constitution “states that each person has the right to a healthful environment.” (I didn’t know our state constitution says that. Did you?) He also states his opinion that “although every day should be Earth Day,” the month of April is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness of environmental concerns.
Natural beauty reminds us to care for it--and ourselves.
What does this mean for you if you are planning an event? Well, the proclamation is a symbolic act, but maybe it will act as a reminder. Do you have a summer wedding or other event coming up? If so, you are probably in the thick of the planning during the month of April. Can you make decisions about your event with sustainability and the environment in mind? You don’t have to make everything perfectly eco-friendly, but perhaps you can make some small steps toward a greener wedding or event. If you need some tips, take a look at my eco-friendly celebrations page.
I have another part of my business besides wedding and event planning. I also make handmade lace wedding accessories. Lace wedding garters will go on sale very soon.
Pale blue wedding garter with handmade tatted lace
Above is a photo of a garter. The lace is all made by hand (by me, of course). Tatted lace is made of thousands of knots on very tiny thread. Each garter contains about 17,000 knots! The lace is attached to satin ribbon, and the garter has a soft cotton backing. The garter is entirely constructed by hand.
Here is a close-up:
Close-up of handmade lace garter
These garters are unique wedding accessories, unlike anything else you will find, anywhere. If you are interested in these garters, please contact me at Lace<at>LisaGordonEvents<dot>com. I will have more information available soon, so check back.
Three sisters wanted to throw a surprise birthday/anniversary party for their parents. Two of the sisters lived out of town; the third sister worked full time, had small children, and was going back to school, so she couldn’t do much planning. They needed someone to find a nice restaurant for the party, work with them to finalize the menu, arrange for decorations and set them up, and find a hotel for their guests. I worked with them on all these things, plus getting a birthday cake and finding another restaurant with a party room for brunch the next day. I was able to keep the costs under their budget and save them some headaches, as well. Their parents were beautifully surprised when they entered the restaurant’s party room to see all their friends and relatives from out of town there to celebrate with them.
Back in January I was interviewed for a green weddings segment on the show called “Save My Planet” on the Live Well HD Network. Well, it has finally aired and is available on their website. It’s a fast-moving overview of ways to make your wedding environmentally friendly. You can watch it here:
Chicago Green Wedding Alliance is established to encourage mindful weddings, commitment ceremonies, and social events by connecting a community of environmentally and socially responsible vendors with the conscious consumer. Members are united in their effort to continually grow and inform their responsible business practices through the support of their like-minded peers.
Technically, yes, it is possible to compost corn plastic. But the best authorities I can find (
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