Weddings: Kelly and Matt Get Married!

KELLY AND MATT HAVE A SMALL, SIMPLE, OUTDOOR WEDDING!

Kelly and Matt had a very pretty, simple wedding in Denver. I really love the way they let the day have a life of it's own.

Sometimes keeping a loose grip on the reigns yields the best and most surprising results. They had small group of 8 and they encountered a mid-ceremony rainstorm that gave way to a rainbow! You can't plan this stuff.


I'm gonna let Kelly narrate this one: Her summary of their super cool, intimate wedding is just perfect!

All pictures are by Libby Holmes Photography of Denver, CO.

Kelly and Matt!

"Matt and I had a very elegant, honest, simple wedding.

Our goal was a ceremony that prioritized US and enabled us to be mentally/emotionally Present!
I didn't want to have to think about anyone other than us.... once the door opens to honoring others' expectations, it's no longer OUR wedding. And if it's not 'ours', what's the point?!"

"We sent out announcement cards to friends and family a few weeks before the ceremony and asked everyone to participate "in their own unique way" on our special day."

"We had loved ones in Australia, Kenya, England, Turkey, Spain, Switzerland, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Portland, Santa Fe, Athens... all over the world!... toasting, feasting, paddle boarding, going to concerts, attending art shows, hiking the Camino de Santiago- all as a way to honor the magic wherever they happened to be."

"We'd planned to all ride our bikes down to this incredible wastewater treatment plant that's now an urban reclamation site and preserve along the Platte River, but the weather was iffy so we drove my vintage Mustang instead - win/win!"

"Greg played a KIZZ song on my Mom's vintage ukelele and Jenn wrote/read a dedication. Maureen made bouquets from the flowers that Matt and I grew in our yard."

"Roger led an incredible heartfelt ceremony - we stood in the park, then it clouded over, then rained so we scooted shoulder-to-shoulder under a concrete overhang, then the rain subsided and a brilliant rainbow appeared!"

"The ceremony was built by our friends! We had no idea what anyone was going to do or say or play.... and this unknown aspect made it so incredibly real!"

"Afterward, the 3 couples went to a Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood Matt and I had gone there on our first date, and the food/patio are Awesome!"

"I made our small wedding cake that Matt and I shared with my parents when they came to town the next day-we grilled home-grown vegetables, told them about the ceremony, and packed for our trip to Spain the next day."

"Our attendees were:
Minister Roger Teal, me and Matt, neighbors Greg and Maureen, and friends Jenn and MJ + Libby the photographer.

It was just the 8 of us total."

Thanks again, Kelly, for sharing all the details of this lovely day!!

Did you have a wedding you would like to share?  

Contact us at thekitchenkc@gmail.com or on our Facebook page.

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Why Hire a Wedding Planner?

Is it worth to hire someone to do something you could do yourself?  Or can you...?

This may not be news.  Hiring a professional to guide you though unknown waters can save two valuable things:

- Money
- Stomach lining

If you just got engaged, now is the time to think about talking to a planner.  But, hold on!  This doesn't mean you have to hand over your creative control to a stranger who may or may not satisfy your needs.  A planner, a GOOD planner is not there to take over the vision of your wedding and cut you out of the loop.  

The role of a GOOD planner is to be YOUR agent.  They are there to argue on your side, arrange price breaks, advise you on common pitfalls, mediate family opinions and preferences and eventually, execute your wedding plan 
 
The most valuable (and possibly unreported) asset the wedding planner can provide is objectivity.  With the ever changing landscape of wedding etiquette, a knowledgeable planner can shed light on the common traditions and help you determine which ones are meaningful to you.  They can also help you navigate the sometimes treacherous waters between mothers/mothers-in-law and anyone else who wants to give you helpful guidance. See this post for more on the editing process.  What is Essential to a Great Wedding - and What Isn't.

Many times in my life, I have been attracted to the less expensive Do It Yourself solution to problems.  Sometimes that works out just fine.  Other times, I just end up spending my money twice.  Once, for all the supplies and fixes that come with the learning curve of being an amateur.  Then, again, to hire a professional to do it correctly.  

Your wedding, however, is not going to have a second time around!  Hopefully, you nail it the first time out of the gate.  

Simply, a wedding planner can help set you on a course to realize all of your dreams without the learning curve!

- They can save you money
- They can mediate difficult family disputes about taste and tradition
- They can be there for you when members of your wedding party are too busy to help out
- They take the whole journey of creating a perfect event with you and are ultimately the one who will supervise the decoration and execution of all details that you may be too overwhilemed to deal with two days before the big day.

My opinion: 

A planner is not for everyone and everyone needs a different level of assistance with planning an event of this magnitude. Seek out a planner who meets your individual needs and consult with them. You won't regret it.

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What Every Wedding Planner Should Know About Today's Brides - Thoughts?

I found this compelling post on the My Wedding Workbook Blog. What do we think?  Is this true of you or the brides you know?

http://www.myweddingworkbookpro.com/blog/index.cfm/2011/7/27/6-things-every-wedding-planner-should-know-about-todays-brides

6 things every wedding planner should know about today's brides

Posted At : July 27, 2011 8:01 PM | Posted By : Admin
Related Categories: Wedding Trends

Brides are usually the ones who seek out and eventually hire wedding planners (grooms are usually along for the ride), and since we launched our sister site My Wedding Workbook a few years ago we have surveyed brides on a number of areas, including their thoughts about hiring a wedding planner. Here are the seven things you should know as a wedding planner about your target audience.
1. They are most worried about their budget, their dress and their appearance.
According to our research, the top three things brides worry about is the cost of their wedding and staying on budget; their dress and attire for the wedding party; and their physical appearance (physical fitness, makeup, hair, etc.). As a wedding planner, you can reassure them that, by hiring you, you can keep their wedding under their specified budget and make sure they and their big day will be elegant and beautiful.
2. The top three places they first look for inspiration are wedding-related Web sites, blogs and search engines.
In the past, the first place a newly engaged bride-to-be looked for inspiration was wedding magazines and publications. But today's bride is fully plugged in and online searching for wedding ideas within a week of her engagement. So, if you want to be found, you need to have an online presence and the ability to be found on the Web.
3. Most brides still attend bridal shows.
In fact, 70% of brides in our research attend at least one bridal show, with many attending 3 or more. So if you haven't exhibited at a bridal show yet, you should visit a local show as an attendee to see the turnout and get a feel for if paying to be an exhibitor would be worth your while (and you should definitely ask if exhibitors get the attendee list or can market to the list after the event).
4. They say cost is the main factor in considering hiring a wedding planner.
Let's break this down. Of the brides who didn't consider a wedding planner, 75% said they didn't hire one because it was too expensive. Of the brides who did consider a wedding planner, cost was the top factor in deciding who to hire. You probably already know this through your experience with prospects; however, it emphasizes the need to demonstrate to prospects how you can help them save money (through your connections with vendors and negotiation abilities) and help them get the most value from what they do spend (by avoiding pitfalls, bad vendors, etc.).
5. They're looking for a planner who they connect with, who has strong vendor relationships and who has experience.
First and foremost, brides place a premium on personal chemistry. For them, they want more than a taskmaster and a planner; they also want someone they feel a bond with. In addition, they want to hear about your relationships with vendors (so you can negotiate good rates for them) and your past experience. So in your pitch, make sure you provide plenty examples and proof of these things. Also, case studies and stories of your event productions on your Web site also help.
6. They're asking their friends for recommendations.
When brides look for wedding planners to interview, the first place they consult for suggestions is their friends and family, followed by Web sites and online wedding forums, bridal shows and search engines. This should certainly give you a road map of where you need to market your services, starting with actively and regularly asking for referrals from your past and present clients as well as industry partners (we go into more detail about this in our recent white paper, which you can download here).

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No Joking on Game Day, Even About Cupcakes.

The day you are getting the goods together for a party, the catering kitchen can be a very tense place. The light humor that usually accompanies our work kind of takes a smoke break for the day. When we would be cooking to get a party out the door, if you would ask John at Catering By Design, "Do we really have to wrap 300 shrimp in basil and proscuitto?!", he would say "No joking on game day."And that meant business.

Let me set up the real story.  Meg's wedding was fast approaching.  Meg is a best friend of mine and it was my great pleasure to help her orchestrate her wedding.  We had been working on it for nearly a year.

We were totally prepared to set up and cook for Meg's wedding.  My daughter had been dropped off with grandparents for the weekend, all groceries were bought, prep lists were made.

Then, the unexpected thing that would throw off all of our plans, that we knew would likely come up; happened. Our cake maker had a major family emergency.  No cake.  No wedding cake.  Cupcakes, actually. Two-tiered, red velvet and strawberry, individually decorated cupcakes. The idea was still alive and well in our minds, but the baker and executor of the cakes was no longer in the picture.

Now, in a matter of minutes, I was the cake maker. I scrambled.  Found a VERY competent baker and tracked down some papers and decorations.

So, many hours later, here we are.  The night before the wedding. I was working with my baker, Amy Shapley.  We were doing a couple trial cupcakes for Meg's approval.  In our overtired state, we were joking and giggling and testing out icing tips and snacking on the crunchy edges of reject cupcakes.  Amy was taking pictures of our progress and snapped one of a particularly homely cupcake that had been eaten on, and had various clumps of cream cheese frosting here and there.

We thought it was the funniest thing we had ever seen.  Meg being our close friend, we thought she would get a laugh if we sent her this picture  via text of the cupcake "prototype".


Hours later, she still hadn't replied.  Finally, we hear from her.  "Looks great. But, will it also get a second layer?"

We got her reply and both froze.  She doesn't actually think we think that cupcake looks good, does she?  Is she delirious?

She didn't get the joke.

We were kind of embarrassed by the thought that she might be trying to make nice and settle for this pathetic little bastard child of a cupcake we made in our own delirium.

Then the words of my old boss rang in my head.... "No joking on game day."  The night before a girl's wedding is no time for silly pranks.

No matter how well you know someone or how funny you think it may be, the hours before a person's big day, is not a good time to try to get a laugh.  Lesson learned.

And in the end, the cupcakes did turn out beautifully.   

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What is essential to a great wedding...and what isn't?

Should it Stay or Should it Go?

Programs in an antique suitcase.  Photo by Lo and Behold Photography.

When you start planning a wedding, all ideas should be on the table!  It's your day and should be as close to your vision as possible. Many of us have dreamed of this day. We have specific ideas of a gorgeous, absolutely flattering dress, a bounty of flowers, delicious dinner, amazing pictures, heartfelt, tear-filled exchanging of vows. And on and on.

As you start adding the costs of all of these small details that exist in your wedding fantasy, it can be overwhelming to see the bottom line.

One of the best things your wedding consultant can do is help you EDIT.

Here are the essential ingredients of a good wedding:

1 - A fiance that you are totally in-love with.

2 - A space that suits your guest list (more on that later) and the attitude of the wedding.

3 - Clothes that fit perfectly and that you feel great wearing  (no matter the color, shape or size).

4 - An experienced and reliable photographer who will capture the mood of your wedding accurately.  My favorite is Deirdre at Lo and Behold.  http://www.loandbeholdphoto.com/

5 - Good music that creates atmosphere. 

6 - A memento for your guests.

7 - Something for your guests to eat and drink.  It does not have to be a four course, gourmet feast.  Even heavy appetizers can do the trick if you plan it right.

8 - The presence of everyone you love there with you to share your happiness.

Love sign made out of plastic sign letters, an old breadbox and some battery powered twinkle lights.  Genius!  Photo by Lo and Behold Photography.

The rest is negotiable.  Hell, you don't even need a ring... you could get tattoos or bracelets or whatever suits you.

Don't be afraid to buck tradition.  Weddings are different these days - and believe it or not, there are no wedding police. No one is going to report you if you don't have a big fancy cake, a champagne toast, or a pristine white gown.

It's your day. Don't be persuaded to spend money on things that don't matter to you.  Splurge on those things that are important to you.

So brainstorm like crazy and make the list of all the things you want when you start.  Then go back through that list and circle the 5 or 6 things that are the most important to you. If you are like me and like order, you could even prioritize every item on that list from most to least important.  Try to imagine that day with just those essential items from your list and I will bet you would be happy with just those things.  The rest is icing on the proverbial cake.

What is most important to you and what tops your list of essential wedding day must-haves?

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