Emmy + Peyton Wedding – Clementine Hall
Things to Consider When Selecting a Wedding Venue
Finding the right wedding venue takes a lot of time and research and can often be one of the hardest parts of planning a wedding. You need to make sure that your venue ticks all the right boxes before you make a final decision.
Your venue will influence your budget as well as the atmosphere on the day so before you sign on the dotted line, below are three important things to consider before you decide on your wedding venue.
- Venue size. Look at how many people you’re planning to invite to your wedding versus the number of people the venue can comfortably cater for. A crowded reception can be quite uncomfortable and if a venue is too large, it can affect the atmosphere and the overall look and feel. Put an initial guest list together before you start venue shopping so that you can make a better decision.
- What about the drinks? Alcohol and drinks are a big part of your wedding so it’s important to find out whether you can bring your own alcohol and what the costs are or if the venue will supply the drinks. Since you will also need a licensed bartender to serve alcohol, find out whether the venue can assist with this so that you can factor those costs into your final budget.
- Preferred vendors. You’re going to be working with several different vendors in the time leading up to and on your wedding day. Many venues require you to use their vendors so find out about this before you make a booking. If they do work with specific vendors, make sure that you’re happy with their experience, style, personality, and pricing. When a venue works with preferred vendors, it does mean they’re confident in their experience and ability to delivery but it’s more important for you to choose vendors that fit in with your budget and overall preferences.
There are many different factors to consider when choosing the perfect wedding venue but make sure that it’s a space that speaks to your personalities and style as a couple.
Brittany + Ben Wedding
Photography: Taylor Salerno
Venue:
5 Simple Tips to Help Take the Stress Out of Planning a Wedding
5 Simple Tips to Help Take the Stress Out of Planning a Wedding
1. Learn to say no
Planning a wedding is exciting and fun but it can also be one of the busiest times of your life. If you don’t want to end up being a nervous wreck a week before your big day, learn to prioritize and say no to any new commitments that would take away from other important wedding-related tasks. It’s really ok to say no every now and then.
2. Become the queen of organization
The more organized you are, the better your wedding planning experience will be. Keep a digital copy of all of your important documents, contracts and information in one file on your computer so that you can easily refer back to them when you need to. If you want to be able to bring important documents along to meetings with vendors, you can always create a wedding binder that contains all of the information you need. Plus it makes for a great backup copy too.
3. Have a little fun
There’s no need for you to be a frazzled bride. Take out your calendar and schedule a few fun days in-between all of your planning. Make fun and laughter a priority in the weeks leading up to your wedding. Sometimes it’s important to come back down to earth and remember why you’re choosing to marry your partner and that trying to control every single aspect of your day is only going to leave you wishing it was over. Go out and enjoy an afternoon with the girls where you don’t talk about the wedding at all.
4. Move your body
Exercise does wonders when you’ve got a lot on your plate and just need to take a breather and focus on your health. This doesn’t mean that you need to schedule in an hour at the gym every day either. If you’re strapped for time, a simple 15-20 minute walk or yoga session will make all the difference to your stress and energy levels.
5. Just breath
Take a complete timeout from wedding planning as often as you need to. Every bride deserves a relaxing soak in the tub or a heavenly hot stone massage to relieve some of the tension she might be feeling. It can be difficult to make time to simply relax but do your best to find the time, even if it’s just 30 minutes a week.
Wedding: Emily & Steve Isom
Photographer: Waldorf Photographic Art
A Picture Perfect Love Story | 5 Things You Should Trust Your Wedding Photographer With
It’s the beginning of February and we are all feeling the love… whether it’s shopping for the perfect valentines card, or planning the dreamiest date night for February 14th… we’re all in the mood for love. A valentine’s gift that is sure to bring back all the love for years to come are framed wedding photos… it’s a simple way to relive those precious memories!
When it comes to planning your wedding, picking a photographer is a BIG decision. They will essentially capture the day that always goes by WAY too fast for the bride and groom. You will look back on these photos for the rest of your days, so what should you rely on your photographer for on the big day?
Trust is the key ingredient to any relationship and this is true for the relationship you have with your wedding photographer. There’s a reason you chose them to capture the most important day of your life. While you may have a vision of how you want some of your images to turn out, for the most part, you are going to have to put a lot of trust in your photographer. Trusting your photographer a little more in these main areas will not only result in better images for you to remember your big day by but will also relieve you of some stress as well.
1. Choosing the Location of the Shot
You wedding photographer will have taken the time to familiarize themselves with your reception location or areas around your ceremony site to find the best places to photograph. They’ll know where gets the best light and where the best scenery is.
2. Time of Day to Shoot
Lighting is key to creating beautiful images and using the natural light of the sun will produce the best lighting setting but that doesn’t mean any time of the day will give you the same results. Your photographer will know what time of day will be best to take those gorgeous outdoor shots that won’t leave harsh shadows on your face or when to sneak outside to take some night inspired shots.
3. Poses
Trust your photographer to know what pose is the most flattering for you. They can see how the light is illuminating you and what is in the background. While some photographers will take into consideration your picture ideas, you shouldn’t be offended if they shoot down your ideas. Most times you’ll be working with limited time and light and you don’t want to waste much of either on your big day.
4. Editing Your Photos
Trust your photographer’s creative eye during the editing process. They will know which images will look best in black and white, color, cropped and which ones to add special effects to, if any. Part of the editing process is a part of their style and this is one of the reasons you hired them. Trust them to use their skills to make each image stunning.
5. Handling Printing Your Photos
Your photographer knows where to get prints made and probably has a long-term relationship with a reputable printing company. The worst thing you can do is have a stunning image, order a large print and find the colors are off, the image is blurred or it simply looks dull. Knowing where to get your prints made, what size they should be done in and which ones will look best in your albums, wall art or thank you cards is part of the package you get when you hired a professional photographer. Trust them and listen to what they think will look best for what you want.
Wedding of Swati + Prabodh
Photography by: Micah G Robinson | micahgrobinson.com
Hindsight is 2020
2020 was a doozy to say the least! As wedding planners, this past year was anything but normal. We were challenged with cancelled plans, adjusted expectations, and creating lasting memories for our clients despite the setbacks. Luckily, our brides trusted us to create the wedding of their dreams- covid style.
Meet Chloe + DJ. They are patient people, that’s for sure! Their wedding went from a June, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 260 guest count to an Oct. Noelle Hotel wedding of 62 people.
Meet Billy + Gray. They were able to still have their Halloween wedding date, we just held out hope it would remain with no changes and NO RAIN, and it did! The only change was the guest list reduced to more than half of what was previously expected.
Meet Amanda + Tim. This couple had an intimate second marriage with 25 guests, 6 course sit down dinner and reception at Cheekwood. We used the Chihuly exhibit as inspiration and back drop for palette- an absolutely stunning setting.
Meet Olivia + Clay. Their wedding went from 130 people in September at a downtown venue to a 65 person wedding at a farm in Bedford County at the gorgeous and lovely White Dove Barn.
Favor of the year in 2020! Custom hand sanitizer!
All in all, this past year was not what any of us expected. Thankfully babies were still born into this world, Spring still turned into Summer, and soulmates married their true loves. If 2020 has taught us all one thing- it is to take it day by day and, for us, to remember that weddings aren’t just about the idea we have in our heads, it’s about a marriage- the commitment you make to the other person when you walk down the aisle.
Photographers:
Chloe + DJ- Kathy Thomas Photography
Billy+ Gray- Someplace Wild Photography
Amanda + Tim- Kristin Sweeting Phtography
Olivia + Clays- Amy Aiello Photography
5 Easy Holiday Decorating How-Tos by Dawn
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again- CHRISTMAS! Everyone loves the feeling of Christmas, but let’s be honest…not everyone knows how to trim the tree! We’ve asked Dawn, owner of Premier WED, to share with us 5 easy tips on how she decorates her home for the holidays.
1. It’s all about scale! Do not purchase ornaments that are the same size. Choose a variety of sizes.
2. It’s all about texture! Choose ornaments of different textures and finishes.
3. Ribbon- this should be done in layers if possible. Creating visual interest with pattern or sheen will always finish your tree of beautifully.
4. We are seeing the sparse tree trend come back! You will want to leave branches revealed so the tree still shines through. Unlike the last 10 years where mesh took over.
5. Incorporating nature where it’s possible is always good! Berries and/or sprigs of greenery are a wonderful way to have your artificial tree look even more festive.
We hope these 5 easy How-Tos inspire you to have a little extra fun Christmas Decorating a little this year! Enjoy decking the halls with a warm cup of hot cocoa, an oven full of warm gingerbread cookies while watching your favorite Christmas classic film.
Styling by Dawn Schenkel
5 Things You Should Never DIY for Your Wedding
Everyone wants to save a bit of money on their wedding and DIY projects are a great way to do just that. However, there are certain things that you should simply leave to the professionals.
Wedding DIY Don’ts
- Your Photos. This cannot be stressed enough. Far too many couples have hired a cousin or friend to take some casual photos at their wedding in an effort to save costs, only to be disappointed later on. You may think that quality photos won’t matter to you but they do make a big difference, especially considering your photographer takes hundreds of photos in order to select a handful of beautiful shots that are then also processed. Everyone wants to look back at flattering photos of themselves on their big day and even if you’re convinced that a friend or family member will do an excellent job, it will never quite be what a seasoned wedding photographer can produce.
2. Your cake. Yes, it may sound easy enough to buy a few boxes of cake mix and whip something up at home but if it’s not a cake that you would be proud to present to family and friends and have in your photos, it’s best to leave the baking to the professionals. Plus, this would just be one extra thing that you would need to do right before your wedding when you should be relaxing.
3. Your hair and makeup. Unless you have an in-depth knowledge of makeup and hairstyles and could be mistaken for a pro, it’s recommended that you hire a professional to assist you. Wedding makeup artists and hair stylists know how to make your hair and makeup last the entire day, which is something you definitely want. Plus, this is your wedding day and you should be pampered and taken care of.
4. Your catering. Catering for a wedding is far more stressful and time-consuming than you can imagine and even if you had to rope in friends and family members, it could still end up causing you more stress than saving money is worth. Professional caterers know exactly what goes into preparing food for large groups of people and how to store and transport the food safely too.
5. Your music. It may sound simple enough to just put all of your music on an iPod and play it through a hired speaker but there’s something so useful about having a professional DJ or musician assist you with your music for the day, especially when it comes to your first dance and the father-daughter dance.
When deciding on your wedding DIY projects, really think about everything that goes into successfully completing that specific task before you decide to take it on yourself.
Melanie & Chuck Pruett Wedding
Photography by Bethany Renee
5 Simple Tips to Help Take the Stress Out of Planning a Wedding
1. Learn to say no
Planning a wedding is exciting and fun but it can also be one of the busiest times of your life. If you don’t want to end up being a nervous wreck a week before your big day, learn to prioritize and say no to any new commitments that would take away from other important wedding-related tasks. It’s really ok to say no every now and then.
2. Become the queen of organization
The more organized you are, the better your wedding planning experience will be. Keep a digital copy of all of your important documents, contracts and information in one file on your computer so that you can easily refer back to them when you need to. If you want to be able to bring important documents along to meetings with vendors, you can always create a wedding binder that contains all of the information you need. Plus it makes for a great backup copy too.
3. Have a little fun
There’s no need for you to be a frazzled bride. Take out your calendar and schedule a few fun days in-between all of your planning. Make fun and laughter a priority in the weeks leading up to your wedding. Sometimes it’s important to come back down to earth and remember why you’re choosing to marry your partner and that trying to control every single aspect of your day is only going to leave you wishing it was over. Go out and enjoy an afternoon with the girls where you don’t talk about the wedding at all.
4. Move your body
Exercise does wonders when you’ve got a lot on your plate and just need to take a breather and focus on your health. This doesn’t mean that you need to schedule in an hour at the gym every day either. If you’re strapped for time, a simple 15-20 minute walk or yoga session will make all the difference to your stress and energy levels.
5. Just breath
Take a complete timeout from wedding planning as often as you need to. Every bride deserves a relaxing soak in the tub or a heavenly hot stone massage to relieve some of the tension she might be feeling. It can be difficult to make time to simply relax but do your best to find the time, even if it’s just 30 minutes a week.
Photo Source: Caroline & Peter Hodkinson Wedding
Cue the Fireworks: Let Freedom Ring!
I love the freedom I have to take on what I feel is challenging, inspiring and a blessing! Owning my own event planning company has brought me so much joy, and freedom is a huge part of that! I have been able to build my business around my life, my family, my personal responsibilities. Freedom is a large part of the attractiveness of being an entrepreneur. When planning your own wedding during a pandemic and nation-wide upheaval, one of the best parts for my clients is freedom!
Freedom to ask yourself, what do I want my big day to look like? Should I have a “Micro” Wedding? The plus to having a guest list of 20 vs 120 allows for more freedom and choice when it comes to your wedding day. When catering to a smaller guest count, you may have the room to splurge on those smaller details that you wouldn’t have been able to before such as menu items, floral displays, and maybe that band you really wanted but was originally out of your price range.
Freedom to write your own vows vs. a church wedding that requires you to say specific vows dedicated by the Catholic Church, etc. If your faith is an integral part of your life, you have the freedom to choose how that relates to your wedding.
Freedom to personalize your wedding and make it specific to you and your groom is the most enjoyable part of planning! Ingrid Fetell Lee in her book, Joyful, defines the freedom aesthetic of joy as encompassing “nature, wildness, and open space.” Outdoor, nature loving brides will appreciate this definition, but even destination clients will want to explore their options in the freedom of choosing just the right location that represents their aesthetic joy!
Is it the beach, an enchanted garden, a historic mansion, art museum, or your home town church? No matter what you choose, enjoy the freedom you have to make it completely yours!
Photos included in this blog are from a wedding we planned for our clients Roman & Ellie, complete with a firework finale!
Photos by: Janelle Elise Photography
5 Reasons Why Every Bride Needs a Wedding Planner
Your wedding day is naturally one of the best days of your life. It consists of all of the little (and big) things that represent you as a couple, a day for all of your friends and loved ones to enjoy and one that you’ll remember forever. There are so many aspects that you need to focus on in order to bring it all together though, which is why this can be such a stressful period for brides too.
Hiring a wedding planner can make this joyful time a little easier on your nerves. Here are a few reasons why you should consider hiring a professional planner:
- You’ve never done this before
Chances are you and your fiancé haven’t planned a wedding before. Even if you have, there are always new and exciting trends, venues, and vendors popping up so it’s never the same. Some brides feel that they can plan their own weddings because they’ve helped a sister or best friend plan theirs but planning your own wedding is completely different. A professional wedding planner is the best person to guide you through this intricate process.
- The stress is getting to you
Planning a wedding is harder than it looks and if you’re already losing sleep over your massive to-do list, hiring a wedding planner can really make the entire process much more manageable and enjoyable for you. You should be excited about your big day, not stressed and tearful.
- You’re unsure about the costs involved
If you’re in the process of putting a budget together and would like some more guidance on what to expect based on your unique preferences, a wedding planner can be your guide. A professional wedding planner can offer you great insights on industry norms and trends and what you can expect. They can also really help you stick to your budget.
- You need a push start
A wedding planner can help you get the ball rolling so that you can start making all the important decisions. They’ll help bring your vision together and put you in touch with vendors and suppliers who can help bring your day to life.
- You’re under the impression that your photographer will help with the planning
Yes, a photographer can give you some guidance on the timing but they definitely won’t be assisting you with any other coordination or wedding planning. Your photographer will be able to tell you what time to start getting ready and how much time they’ll need for family shots but they won’t be able to assist with the clearing of the reception hall for décor shots, bustling your dress before you walk down the aisle or making sure that the men’s boutonnieres are pinned on properly, this is what your wedding planner is for. A wedding planner is there to make sure that your photographer can do his or her job on the day.