Proposing Dreams Wedding & Events

Darn Font

Ok, I'm trying to figure out why the font is never the same when I post. It looks the same before I send it but then it's funky - so bare with me I'm working on it.

Sabrina

Sarah & Dan 6/9

Written by Elizabeth Barnett - Lead Coordinator

What a fabulous couple to work with! I met Sarah and her mother Marcia initially for our meeting, and I knew immediately they were going to be great clients. Sarah had hired us as a gift really for her mother, so that Marcia could relax and enjoy her daughter's wedding day. Their wedding ceremony was at St. Francis Xavier Church on the SLU campus, an absolutely beautiful ceremony made even smoother with the help of Andi, St. Francis's in house coordinator. Sarah was calm and so happy, Dan seemed relaxed, and you could just see on their faces how in love they were. I had her dad telling Sarah jokes before she walked down the aisle, which seemed to relax them both.

After the ceremony, the bridal party headed off in their trolley to take pictures and relax. Amanda went along with them, and remarked on how much fun they all were! Upon their arrival at the Sheldon Concert Hall, Sarah and Dan mingled with their guests during cocktail hour, and got a sneak peak at the ballroom. Our bride was delighted with the overall appearance, and so was I. The cake, made by a family friend, was 4 round tiers of chocolate fondant with dark brown ribbon, white frosting polka dots, and an antique cake toppper. The tables were decorated with white linens, green and white flowers in mint julep cups and lots of votive candles. Sarah had also rented gorgeous chivari chairs from Premiere Party Rental that made their reception all the more elegant. Their colors were green and brown, a perfect summer color scheme. The bridesmaids wore chocolate brown dresses, and the groomsmen wore tan suits with green ties. I loved the whole look of their wedding, so simple and so elegant. I was happy that I had been able to pull off the look Sarah had wanted.

Another amazing aspect of their wedding was the closeness of the two families; both sets of parents got along beautifully, and everyone geniunely liked each other. I rarely encounter such happiness on both sides of the family; not only was everyone happy for the couple, but also happy that they had gained more family members!

When Amanda and I left shortly after dinner, I knew they were in good hands with the staff of Russo's and Sheldon. They were a truly wonderful couple to work with, great people, and we enjoyed every minute of it!

Sarah and Dan honeymooned in Italy, we hope they had a fabulous time, and congratulations again!

Rich West: The bride's bouquet was lovely, and the whole family was extremely pleased with how their flowers turned out. Rich had arrived at the Sheldon before me and placed the mint julep centerpieces which were gorgeous. As always, we love working with Rich!

St. Francis Xavier: One of the prettiest Catholic churches in St. Louis in my opinion. And Andi, their in house coordinator is not only fun to work with, but super organized as well! She runs everything in the ceremony, which made my job a lot easier.

St. Louis Trolley: They arrived early, the driver was friendly, as usual not a complaint there!

Sheldon Concert Hall: The staff is friendly and helpful here always, and they have such a beautiful area. They even lock the wedding gifts in the art gallery after cocktail hour so no one will have to worry about them.

Russo's: I had the pleasure of working with Liz for this wedding, she is wonderful; fast, on top of everything, and efficient. Russo's always has delicious food, and they even helped us set up all the tables!

Hair and Makeup: Face and Body Spa. Sarah looked absolutely gorgeous, the staff at FAce and Body are a very well known and much used salon, and they did a fantastic job. Sarah's hair stayed in place all day, and her makeup was flawless and natural.

Elizabeth Barnett

Amanda and Jon! 6/16/07

Amanda and Jon! 6/16/07

Amanda and Jon contacted me over a year ago to help with their wedding when things were starting to get a little tough. I’m so happy that I got to be a part of such an amazing day - it was warm but not too bad.

They called one day and said “We’re thinking about doing the ceremony at mom and dad’s house can you come look and tell us what you think?” I said “Sure!” It was obvious this was the perfect place. See photos! Now I’m trying to convince mom that for the other two daughters we should have the reception there too!!

Photography – Michael & Lujanna Browers www.browersphotography.com 

Stunning!! They are so much fun – they never stop shooting – the photos are amazing!! What else can I say?? The photos speak for themselves. Here are a few I stole from their site. Check here for more http://browersphotography.blogspot.com

Ceremony – Mom & Dad’s House, the bride’s childhood home. It was gorgeous. An altar was built and decorated by friends and family. We had parking team, a greeting team. Lemonade and water was provided for guests when they arrived. We hung the programs on the chair and guests fanned themselves from the little heat wave.

Flowers – Lee Russo Designs http://www.leerussodesigns.com/

The flowers were stunning in yellow, blue, and white. We did opt to do all the pre-photos without flowers. It is really hot for flowers outside this time of year. Pale colored flowers brown easy and wilt. This is not the fault of the florist; it’s just too hot and humid for these flowers to be out of water. Remember this for your own wedding …. put them back in water when ever you can!! PS Don’t do hydrangea boutonnières or around the base of the bouquets once temps get above like 65. They just die!

Get Away Car – Dad’s Corvette!

Reception Location –

Crystal

Gardens

Beautiful location, good food, reasonably priced. Amanda had some difficulties in the beginning. The facility is newer and the contract is vague. We were able to get everything we needed outlined in the contract or via email. Tip – If you can’t get a new contract with changes at least send something via email and ask for a confirmation. The night of we didn’t have any problems. They did end up 6 meals short and we waited about 15min or so for those to be made up and sent out. They can also provide the cake and dj. We did opt for our own dj but used them for the cake. I wasn’t crazy about the layout because the dj ended up behind two rows of people and really in a hole in the wall. But it all worked out.

Entertainment – Tom Rotter - Block Rockin Beats! brbeats@yahoo.com

Tom is always fantastic. I enjoy his personality and song selection. I did have to give him some trouble for even owning Hanson’s Um Bop, but it was requested!! Tom was a trooper even after being put in the corner and having to climb over equipment to get back and forth.

Wedding Coordinator - Proposing Dreams – www. ProposingDreams.com

Amanda Dorrah was the training lead for this wedding, I was her assistant. She was great; I don’t know how to “turn it off” to allow her to take control. So I was constantly doing or saying what to do when she was already on top of it. Amanda is an amazing coordinator and will be well on her way to her own weddings soon!!

The day was perfect. Amanda and Jon changed clothes in the last 10 minutes, danced a few more songs and then waved good bye to friends and family as they rode off to the honeymoon suite for their 6:00am flight to

Hawaii

the next morning!

Doug & Donna 6/9/07

I can't believe it! Donna is married! I started working with Donna a year and a half ago and seeing her marry the man of her dreams  was like watching one of my little sisters get married. (This would be crazy because she has 4 little sisters and I have 2 and no father would survive 8 daughters).

Caution – IT’S A LONG ONE!

So the day was FABULOUS!! Weather was gorgeous, everyone looked amazing, the ceremony was perfect and the reception was a blast. I sort of got to hand pick the vendors for this wedding, Donna was a wedding coordinator's dream she did everything I told her too! :o) Big Thanks to Michelle Ross at Under Grace for the images.

Here are my personal reviews of her day, I thought you might like a coordinators view. Watch out I use words like awesome, amazing, and fantastic a lot:

Hair & Make-Up April Schaeffer & Cindy Rushing

www.realpanache.com

It's no big secret these are my girls! They were on top of their game. With the bride, 7 bridesmaids, and mom to get dolled up they started at 7:00am and they were completed and ready at 11:00. April is fabulous with hair and fun to be around the morning of your wedding. She loved that when it was all done each one had a different look. Cindy is amazing with make-up and hilarious! We talked about music, other weddings, and plans for the weekend. April and Cindy were going boating that afternoon and Cindy asked if I was going – we all chuckled when I asked Donna if she cared if I went boating instead of working her wedding. A+ for hair & make-up!!

Photography – Michelle Ross www.undergracephotography.com

Check here to see more pics www.xanga.com/undergracephoto

Michelle is a pro! Where ever she needed to be she was!! And lucky Donna – Stephen Seward www.stephenseward.net was her second shooter! Sometimes pros will help each other out being each others second shooter so what a great deal for Donna. Michelle started with the ladies, Stephen with the guys. I got to see about 30-40 images at the reception slide show and WOW, I can’t wait to see the rest. Donna wanted more urban style and her shots turned out so cool. She still got a lot of the classy traditional shot and some fun things too! A+ for Michelle & Stephen

Videography – Archway Media www.archwaymedia.com

Brian & Angee Ferris are so great! Arriving at the church they came in, unloaded, checked the place out and began shooting. Angee and Brian, a husband and wife team, wear headsets to stay in constant contact. I would often find Angee walking behind me talking lowly and think she was talking to me when she was deep in conversation with Brian – it was funny. I of course haven’t seen the movie yet but I have seen others and I trust it will be stunning! We also had the rare opportunity that Brian was at the reception while I was setting up and he was able to catch a ton of shots of us working and will be making me a little highlight reel for Proposing Dreams. A+ for Brian & Angee

Limo – Rogers Limousine Service – www.rogerslimo.com

I have always enjoyed Rogers Limo, they are courteous, on time, and cars are clean. David was our driver of our passenger coach bus – that’s the big one! I worked with David a month before and both times he was excellent. He is friendly, always on top of things, and truly cares about his passengers. Boys were picked up at 11:00, girls are 12:00 then David drove them all around until the drop off time at 6:00pm. David emailed me the week before with his cell number and then called on his way to pick up the guys to be sure that I got it and it was on my phone. A+ for Rogers and David!

Ceremony –

St. Paul

’s Lutheran Church of Des Peres www.stpaulsdesperes.org

Rev Smith, Carrie the in house coordinator, and Mr. Bender the organist were all a joy to work with. Carrie and I worked wonderfully together, they allowed us to make some changed to the traditional order of things and I think the ceremony was flawless. The only thing I would have changed – I haven’t worked with an isle runner is so long and I forgot it was being pulled down when we put Donna in front of the doors, therefore the doors we opened for just a peak when it came out. The ushers were blocking most of the view but hindsight it isn’t they way I would have done it. The church is gorgeous inside and out even with the construction going on. A+ for

St. Paul

’s

Flowers – Jupiter’s Garden – www.jupitersgarden.com

Well what can I say – they were stunning! Donna’s colors are one of my favorite color combinations hot pink and orange. Her bouquet was Hot Princess & Mambo Roses with mild pink Peonies. The Bridesmaids were the Hot Princess & Mambo Roses; the flowergirl had Hot Pink Hydrangea. The groom with Hot Pink, the groomsmen with Mambo. Not many florists can pull off white roses in June because the brown so fast but the parents all had white and they were beautiful to the last minute. Jupiter’s is retiring this year. It’s sad to see them go, they are always fun and the work is amazing. I have always enjoyed seeing the husbands when they deliver and talking with the ladies before and after a wedding. Jupiter’s – you will be greatly missed, Thank you for MANY fabulous weddings and best of everything in your future!!

Reception Location – Café DeMenil - www.cafedemenil.biz

The Café is one of my favorite locations! Dan Belmont and Staff are wonderful to work with. The location is beautiful and well kept, the food is wonderful and the service is great! When we arrived the tables were set and ready, we unloaded and started setting up the brides centerpieces, favors, table number, and menus. This is something the café staff will help with but it was a smaller guest count and we could handle it just fine. I was greeted by Dan (Mr. B as the staff calls him) and given anything I needed. When guests arrived Dan opened the bar a few minutes early and we were on our way to a spectacular evening. It was Dan & Patrica Belmont’s 34th anniversary and the bride surprised them with a cake and special announcement. Dinner was so good! We had a stations menu, with salad, pasta, and entrée stations. I had so much on my plate I was stuffed. Thorough out the entire evening Dan and the staff checked with me if I needed anything and when I did they were quick to help. The staff helped with the dismantle of the brides things and helped bring those things and the gifts to the car. Upon leaving I realized my side door had stayed ajar and my battery was dead. Dan brought over his car and jumped mine for me – now that’s service! Another A+ for a stellar evening!

Cake – Cakery Bakery – www.cakerybakery.net

MMMMMM! Yeah, it was delicious but it looked great too! Donna chose white cake with Raspberry filling and Lemon filling (separate layers of course) and it was great! I’m a big fan of lemon so I was in heaven. A+ Cakery!!

Entertainment – Jimmy Hussey www.arockindj.com

Another pro! Jimmy is so fantastic. He loves what he does and it shows. His set-up is crisp, his demeanor is smooth, and his professionalism is awesome. We wanted to change things up a bit with the wedding party announcement. We introduced them all a little later at the Wedding Party dance and did it theater style like this “Ladies and Gentleman it is my honor to introduce to you the cast of today's festivities, in the role of Bridesmaid and Groomsmen…..(all the names) and starring as the bride and groom Donna & Doug Vondera!” they each came out and bowed or curtseyed. Jimmy had a packed dance floor all night!! A+ for Jimmy

The Wedding Party –

The Bride and Groom were so awesome. I told Donna I could work with her forever but she wanted to get married not stay my client forever. :o( Doug was so sweet he sent flowers to the house, a card at the ceremony and couldn’t stop kissing his bride all day. He was a trooper for pictures and a machine on the dance floor. Donna was radiant! She was calm and collected and absolutely stunning! The bridesmaid we a blast! Four of which were her sisters who all have the amazing Weinhold smile. The groomsmen were gentlemen and up for anything. Donna’s parents were as sweet as they could be and just beaming while watching their first daughter get married. I have potential for 4 more weddings with this family! Doug’s mom was very sweet and appreciative all night.

Wedding Coordinator - Proposing Dreams – www.ProposingDreams.com

I can’t review myself although I think I did a pretty good job, but I can review my newest intern Michelle. Michelle was amazing. I had to call her at the last minute because my scheduled assistant got really sick the night before and just couldn’t make it. Michelle was stellar and fit right in! Thank you Michelle you were a big help and really amazing.

It was great! There was only one thing all day, well two. We had a menu card blow over on a candle before the reception. We kept the half burnt card for Donna as a keepsake but all disaster was avoided. And second, a bird pooped on me, but I think that’s good luck right??

Best of Everything to Donna & Doug!!

Sabrina

Blog Question - Hiring a Coordinator?

Sabrina,

I stumbled across your blog and have enjoyed reading it.  I have a
question for you:

What's the best way to go about finding a wedding coordinator?  I
don't mean finding a list of them, I mean figuring out which planner
or planning team will be the best fit for me and my wedding.  What
kinds of questions should I be asking?  Do I need to have an in-person
consulation with each one?

Thanks in advance for your help,
Kortney
(Boston, MA but getting married in St. Louis)

Kortney –

Great Question!!

The first thing with a coordinator or any vendor for that matter is good ole gut feeling. You need to connect with your vendors, feel like they get you and your vision. You don’t want any vendor who will take over your wedding, yet can still provide information to make the best decisions for your wedding day. Therefore meeting with a several vendors in each category is a great idea.

First check out websites, see who appeals to you most. The internet has become a huge tool in everyday life and consumer products. It has changed the way couples plan their weddings. Next, narrow it down to 3-5 vendors and then schedule meetings. If you are out of town arrange to schedule phone consultations. Don’t expect that a vendor can give you real time to discuss their services with an unscheduled phone call, plan ahead with an email asking for time. If you will be in town for meetings, that is even better. If you just don’t feel it with these first picks then press on to meet more. Try to lump your meetings together, waiting too long or mixing in different vendors can cloud your judgment for comparison. Ask other vendors for recommendations too.

I have researched the

St. Louis

market for coordinators and speak to some on a regular basis. Most provide three types of services in different ways. The basics are Full, Partial, and Day of Planning. Full Planning is the whole deal, side by side help with planning your wedding. Partial is guidance through out the planning process, and Day Of is allowing someone to take over at the end to execute all your plans on the day of the wedding. Deciding on what type of needs you have and what your budget will allow is the first step but may even be best decided after you meet with coordinators and get more details.

Questions to ask:

What services do you offer, how do they work, and how do you charge for your services?
Do you have a set of vendors you work with; will your work with vendors I want?
Can you keep me within my budget? Can you help me be creative with my budget?

Do you have references? (I personally, give my last 5 couples when asked so that there is no bias to who you speak with.)

Another great resource for questions, this applies mostly to Partial or Full Planning:

http://www.theknot.com/ch_article.html?Object=A00216175720&keywordType=&keywordID=&parentID=

About that gut-feeling:

”The consultant will probably initiate discussions -- take this time to consider manner, personality, confidence, warmth, whatever you're looking for. Whomever you enlist, do not hire a consultant who doesn't want to listen, is bossy, tries to convince you of what's best for you, critiques your ideas, has no references, and won't sign a written agreement.”

Do they appear organized, informative, and enjoyable? Do they want to talk about your ideas, plans, and needs? Do you feel a connection, like this person will execute your wedding your way?

Nine times of out ten after a client meets with me and I ask “So, do you have any questions?” They rarely do. To me, that means I’m doing my job to inform them about the services, our style, and their wedding.

Good Luck, please let us know if there are any other questions and of course if you would like to schedule a consultation! :o)

Sabrina

Quote for the day!

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!

Aren't weddings one of those moments? Don't be so busy that you don't have time to have your breath taken away!!

Wedding Etiquette

You’ll find different answers to different things all over. You’ll find that my answers are usually a little more realistic. Today’s couples aren’t in the same positions couples were in 1946 when Emily Post started giving advice. While I agree with some of the advice she gives I think some can be altered to fit today’s couple.

Recently asked:

Hi Sabrina,

When guests send wedding gifts in advance of the wedding is it appropriate to wait until after the wedding to send a thank you note or write a note as the gifts are received?

Thanks,

Sharon

Emily Post says:

Contrary to popular myth, the happy couple does not have a year’s grace period. All thank you notes should be written within three months of the receipt of the gift. Ideally, a response should be written on the day you receive a wedding gift. If that’s not possible, set a daily goal. It’s a lot easier to write three or four notes a day than to have to write a hundred notes in a month after the wedding!

I agree! Once a week send Thank You’s. When you get into the last few weeks before the wedding and things start to get hectic with planning and wrapping up at work to get ready for your well deserved honeymoon you can put those off until you get back. Just be courteous as to the time you take to send those Thank You’s.

Tony & Kate 6/2/07

Wedding Reviews from the coordinators point of view

June 2nd Tony & Kate

Hair & Make-Up so unfortunately I don’t have the contact info for her hair and make-up. It was her regular guy and she was going really early but she looked AMAZING! He did such a great job. As soon as they get back I will get that to post.

Ceremony – Our Lady of

Lourdes

http://www.ucitylourdes.org/ 

Father Sudekum was a blast! Yes, he was truly a joy to work with and didn’t give me any trouble about working with him to coordinate it was really nice. The church is beautiful and a great location. I can tell you that you have to be a registered parishioner to be married in the church.

Photographer – Cary Klein www.carykleinphotography.com

Cary and Stephanie are great! This is got to be like the 25th time I have worked with Cary and Stephanie and I always enjoy it. They are wonderful at what they do and so easy to work with. I’ll let you know when I have pictures.

Vidoegrapher – Bullwinkel Productions http://www.bullwinkelproductions.com/

Chas is a blast! When you’re having fun it shows in photo and video. Chas is professional and really on top of it. His final product is a clean, energetic version of your day. The turn around time is unheard of for post production.

Transportation – Absolute Perfect Touch – www.aperfecttouchlimo.com

Another great company! Ronnie was our driver and she was so much fun the wedding party and couple really liked her. Tony was a little frustrated to learn that he couldn’t reduce hours. I came on board with them after they booked this vendor and they had booked 10 hours. We tried to back it off to 5 and then a pick-up car at the end of the night but it was too late. You can add hours but not take them off, so that they know what is available for other bookings. But it was lesson learned and people took rides during the reception so it went to great use.

Reception Location – Spink Pavilion www.mobot.org

Gorgeous site, half was inside the pavilion the other outside in a tent and a little down the side walks and across the garden. Tony and Kate had a few more people than this space should hold but it worked out great. It was fun to mill around to all the different areas. We went back and forth on the tent to the bitter last minute and decided we had to do it. For the preps it did end up being needed but by the time guests arrived not another drop fell.

Catering –

Catering St.

Louis - www.cateringstlouis.com 

Catering

St. Louis

is the exclusive cater at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. The food was amazing. It’s pricing but there is a reason for that! We did a buffet cocktail dinner with Assorted Flatbread, 2 Sandwiches, 4 hot pieces, and cheese and fruit. Full Open bar and passed wine for the beginning. Again the food was superb and the staff was amazing.

Cake – Carondelet Bakery www.carondeletbakery.com

YUM! I’m a cake fan so if I’m eating cake I’m happy. It looked gorgeous, tasted great and wasn’t too expensive – what more can you ask for!

Entertainment – Phoenix Band www.phoenixband.com

Great Band, Fun and Energetic!

Flowers – A Rose in Bloom

Flowers were done by a friend of the family. While the flowers were really pretty the guy’s boutonnières didn’t last through pictures and she was doing all the set-up alone so we had to help complete the reception centerpieces. The reception pieces were really cool; I’ll post pictures as soon as I get a chance. Then at the end of the night she was gone (she was there as a guest) and left all the vases. Catering

St. Louis

was nice enough to let us leave them for her to pick up the next day.

The Wedding Party –

Tony and Kate were so much fun to work with. I think we laughed every time we were together! Tony was very involved in planning and keeping Kate calm. He did get in a little trouble from me when I found out he padded my time for rehearsal as well as everyone else, but all is forgiven now. They were awesome on the wedding day. The down pour of rain was while we were in the church and they didn’t let it worry them. Because they were staying at the Ritz Carlton they had the perfect indoor location for pictures as the rain moved out and then they did some outside stuff. The wedding party was made up of friends and family who were all so wonderful as I directed and moved them from place to place. Two of them were very pregnant and so cute! Kate’s parents were beaming watching their only daughter get married and Tony’s parents danced the night away.

Wedding Coordinator – Sabrina Torti – www.ProposingDreams.com

I don’t review myself but just talk a little about my day. We hung 75 paper lanterns in the tent early that morning. About 20 or so didn’t survive the storm but they still looked awesome. Kate’s colors were red and orange, so the lanterns looked really great in the outside atmosphere. I want to give a shout to

Erin

at Exclusive Events www.exclusiveeventsinc.com for accommodating a last minute “no tent” option which we weren’t able to do but she is so awesome and fantastic with correspondence that an honorable mention was deserved.

On Sunday morning I got a giggly call from Tony and Kate thanking me for a wonderful day! They said “It was awesome, thank you so much. Nothing went wrong; well at least if it did we didn’t know about it. We are so thankful. We’ll tell everyone about you!” That is so awesome that they thought to call me the next day!

Congrats Tony & Kate and Best Wishes!!!

Reviews Coming!

I'm a big fan of reviews!

You may notice that all my reviews are generally favorable. I will not post a slam, for me it's unprofessional. I may post something unfavoralbe and give you tips to watch for but every vendor should be given the benefit of the doubt from time to time.

Remember your vendors are human and mistakes can happen. Read your contracts ask for updates when changes are made. Take every review you read here or somewhere else with a grain of salt...some people just aren't easily pleased. If you start to see the same problems over and over then it warrants concern and action, but keep an open mind.

Pictures may be delayed. I want to invest in a good camera to capture things properly so until them I'm at the mercy of the photographer. As soon as I have access to photos they will be added.

If you want more information on a vendor please email me.

Sabrina

The Running of the Brides

http://www.filenesbasement.com/bridal.jsp

I think this would be so much fun! But I'm crazy like that!!

Read about what these gals are willing to do!!