Suzanne and Titus – Part 2

Amazingly, right after the ceremony, the rain stopped, which allowed the photographer, Bill Quinn, to get some great outside shots while guests mingled inside during the cocktail hour.

             

Then it was time for the reception to begin! The ballroom at Vizcaya was beautifully decorated in shades of pale pink, champagne, and ivory, with touches of black and gold. Audrey Chaney from Botanica Floral and Event Design made the most beautiful floral arrangements, mixing up tall and short throughout the room. Botanica also provided many wonderful decor pieces including the adorable settee that the bride and groom used for their sweetheart table. The floral and decor pieces that were intended for the outdoor cocktail hour, found new homes all throughout the ballroom.

After dining on a delicious meal, then came dessert! Musarrat Afshan of Pretty Sweet outdid herself with this amazing assortment of sweets. The beautiful trays and serving pieces were provided by Botanica Floral and Event Design. In addition to the dessert buffet, each guest was served a beautiful cupcake in the same flavor as the bride and groom’s cutting cake. Take-out boxes were provided for guests to take a few sweets home.

The best “wow factor” of the day came during the first dance. Yes, DJ Mike Anderson of Creative Memories Entertainment actually made it snow in the the ballroom! The guests were blown away and it made for such a memorable first dance. It was the perfect touch for a December wedding!

Some how, the rain that had foiled the morning ceremony plans, managed to continue holding off during the evening hours. So after the wedding reception was over, photographer Bill Quinn took Suzanne and Titus out for some great photos around Downtown and Old Sacramento.

            

Congratulations Titus and Suzanne! May you have an amazing happily ever after!

Special thanks to my AMAZING vendors!!

Venue: Vizcaya   vizcayasacramento.com

Photography: Quinn Photography   www.quinnphotography.net

Flowers and Decor Rentals: Botanica Floral and Event Design   botanicaevents.com

DJ and Lighting: Creative Memories Entertainment   www.creativememoriesdj.com

Dessert :  Pretty Sweet    https://prettysweet.co/

Linen: Mimi and Company   mimiandcompany.com

 

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and welcome 2016! How many of you got engaged over the holiday season? It’s a very exciting time in your life, but now that the excitement has worn off, the real work begins…….planning your wedding day!

Most couples start with an exact date in mind, but I strongly advise against that. Instead, chose a “time of year” and be a bit flexible within that time frame for your wedding date. Many couples who become engaged over the holiday season, have visions of getting married “that Spring” or “this Fall”. Problem is, many of the venues and vendors that you want, are already booked. In the Sacramento area, May/June and September/October tend to be the most popular times to get married. It makes sense as the weather is usually pleasant (and most likely rain free) with temperatures that aren’t too hot compared to July and August. If you are flexible in the your dates, you have a better chance of still getting married “that Spring” or “this Fall” as are there are at least a few openings left. They just might not be your “first choice” of dates.

Next, sit down and talk budget. What is your budget for this wedding? My experience shows that most weddings are a combination of the bride’s parents, groom’s parents, and the couple all contributing to the wedding costs. The average wedding in the Sacramento region costs between $25,000 and $30,000. Now, pick yourself up off the floor from fainting and gather your thoughts. What does this include? How can I cut back on this?

Which brings me to my next step…….hiring a coordinator! Yes, I know….of course I am going to say hire a coordinator. I AM a coordinator! But I am honestly telling you that I usually save my clients money in the end, most often covering the cost of  what my fees were. Why??? Because this isn’t my first wedding “rodeo”. I’ve seen it all and know what a wedding needs, and what it does not. I know venues and vendors you don’t. It sounds like I’m being a bit pretentious, but I’m simply being honest. I’ve been building up my resources and knowledge on weddings in this area for years. I am going to be honest with you when it comes to why certain things will or will not fit your budget.

In my first planning meeting with clients, I ask them to tell me 2-3 things that are the MOST important to their wedding day. It could be great food, great entertainment, best photographer, lots of flowers, etc. Whatever your 2-3 most important priorities are, that’s where you should focus the majority of your budget. If you make those few things really shine, the other areas you spent less on will hardly be noticed by your guests. The other STRONG suggestion I make to my clients is be reasonable about your guest list. The more guests you have, the more it will cost. That’s just basic math. Think about it, how well do you REALLY know your 4th cousin that you met once when you were 3 years old? Do you REALLY think they will be offended if you don’t invite them? Chances are, they probably won’t. When making a guest list, stick to the people who matter in your life. If your parents are “insisting” that the 4th cousin be invited, then they need to be prepared to add more funds to the budget.

I’ll end today’s blog post here. In my next week’s post, I will talk about the next step…..venue search and selection. Until you know where the wedding will be, it’s virtually impossible to plan the rest of it.

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Emily and John’s Wedding

It was such an honor to plan and coordinate Emily and John’s October 2013 wedding. Emily and John, and their families, were so much fun to work with and the day couldn’t have turned out more perfect! All of those months of planning just came together seamlessly on wedding day. The ceremony was at St. John Evangelist Catholic Church in Carmichael with the reception at the hall on the same property. I think my most favorite part of the day was when Mariachi Los Gallos (who I quietly snuck into the back of the church just before the processional without the guests even noticing) right on cue, started playing the moment Emily and John kissed. Then they play the music for the recessional. After that, the festive mood continued as the mariachis lead the guests to the reception hall and performed up on stage during the cocktail hour and dinner.

The guests were treated to a delicious Mexican themed dinner prepared by Bocca Catering. They also had a blast at the photo booth by Encore Photo Booth. After Mariachi Los Gallos left, DJ Laith Kaos played to a packed dance floor well into the night.

Linen, dishes and lighting were all rented from the wonderful Classic Party Rental. All of the beautiful bouquets and floral pieces were made by Brandi at Party Petals. The photographer, Stacey Kennedy, recent shared these great photos with me.

Congratulations Emily and John! Thank you for letting me part of your very special day. I wish you both a very Happily Ever After 🙂

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