Proposing Dreams Wedding & Events

Katie & Spencer - Holy Cross & Windows On Washington 4.4

Coordination & Review by Michelle (assistance from Sabrina) client's had the wedding assistant package.   Katie and Spencer were such a fun and fresh couple! Their day started off at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville IL. It was a beautiful setting for their romantic ceremony by Dr. Dale Meyer.     The church has a very regal feel which was perfect for Katie and Spencer to exchange their personalized vows. Zettl Photography was there to capture every moment.   This shot was just befor the ceremony and they hadn't seen each other yet....     Katie and Spencers reception was at Windows on Washington. Everything looked great, the black table linens really made the purple flower centerpieces pop.     Exclusive Events set the mood with purple and amber uplighting. Over the Top DJ kept the dance floor packed. This wedding party knows how to party.     The end of the night was completed by an amazing same day edit by their videographers, Gebbs Total Video.   Katie-Spencer SDE APRIL 6, 09 from GEBBS on Vimeo. More hot photos from Zettl Photography                     Congrats Katie and Spencer!   Vendor line up Ceremony site - Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Collinsville IL Officiant - Reverend Dr. Dale Meyer Ceremony Music - Rosewood Ensemble Photographer - Zettl Photography Videograher - Gebbs Total Video Reception site - Windows on Washington Cake - Hanks cheesecakes DJ - Over the Top Lighting - Exclusive Events Florist - Dennis (the brides Uncle)

Sabrina gets a new laptop...

It's about time!! I'm so tickled at all the little things it does...like this feature that tells me the temp and that its raining - cool! And my electronic sticky notes - can't lose those. Also both the electronic sticky notes and not printing for every meeting mean we are doing our small part to be green.

**Note the time 1:23 am - someone should speak with my boss about getting me better hours or some kind of stock package with this job LOL

Alan & Ashley - Graham Chapel & Point of View 3.14

 Coordination by Sabrina Review by Cassie – the client had the wedding planner package

 

I have to start by saying this was my first wedding of the year to assist with and I was coming in right at the end to help pull all the details together.  Ashley and Alan were a delight to work with and they truly complement each other. They are both project managers and while it was no secret that it was hard for Ashley to let go of control it was hard for Alan too!

The day started off with a morning workout for Sabrina with 7 flights of stairs (due to a false alarm at the Ritz) but needless to say she was on her game.  Everything came together and the ceremony at Graham Chapel was perfect.

 

 

 

Tim and Heather from Artisan Photographydid a great job catching the smiles and little moments throughout the day.  The reception topped off the celebration with Studio B!and of course cocktails & dancing.

Ashley and Alan truly were absolutely stunning and the day went off wonderfully. After a well deserved honeymoon they are off to their new home in Indiana.

 

Best Wishes to them both!!

 

love this

 

4 of the 7 wedding party members were siblings, I love these small family wedding parties.

 

 

  

Stunning...

 

 

Check out the amazing view at the appropriatly name - Point of View!

 

 

And this little gem taken of Tim Pastor and Sabrina at the end of the evening..

Big Day Vendor Line Up:

Bridal/Wedding night Suite: Ritz Carlton Clayton

Hair and Makeup: Saks

Photographer: Artisan Photography

Guest Book: Studio B!

Ceremony Site: Graham Chapel

Officiant: Bishop Fred Sansone

Musicians: William “Pat” Partridge

Florist: Hereford Andrew          

Rentals: Take a Seat

Transportation: Promo Sedan and Limousine

Reception: Point of View

Catering: Patty Long Catering

Reception Music: TKO

Bakery: The Cakery Bakery

Grooms Cake: Pat-t-Cakes

250 Post by Proposing Dreams Weddings & Events

I'm excited that today's post is my 250th Post!! I want to hear from you! What would you like me to replace this post with?

 

Must Take Photo List

I talked a little last week about the Must Take Photo List. I just can't stress enough how important this is and even more so doing it right.

You don't need to list and common photos like rings, bouquet, the kiss...those are going to be taken naturally. I'm talking about the key time just before or just after the ceremony. The posed pics with the family and wedding party. You DO NOT want to do this off the top of your head on the day of the wedding while the buzz of the ceremony is still surrounding you. You also don't want to look back and say "I didn't get a picture of just me and my sister".

So here are my suggestions. Take this list and change out your names and those of everyone you need photos with. Don't leave it to just say "Bride with Grandparents" it's better to say "Sally with Grandma & Grandpa Smith" "Sally with John Smith (FOB)" "Sally with Jane Smith (MOB)" "Sally with John & Jane Smith"

Replace the titles with real names

Pre-Photos

 

Groom’s Photos
o Groom alone
o Groom with Mother of Groom
o Groom with Father of Groom
o Groom with Parents
o Groom with parents & siblings
  Siblings Names
o Groom and Siblings
  Siblings Names
o Groom with Groomsmen
o Groom with Groomsmen and Ushers
o Groom with Bridesmaids
o Groom with Grandparents

*Any additional combinations that is important to you.

 

Bride’s Photos
o Bride alone
o Bride with Mother of Bride
o Bride with Father of Bride
o Bride with Parents
o Bride with parents & siblings
  Siblings Names
o Bride with Siblings
  Siblings Names
o Bride with Bridesmaids
o Bride with Bridesmaid and Flowergirls
o Bride with Groomsmen
o Groom with Grandparents

*Any additional combinations that is important to you.

 

Post Photos

o Bride & Groom with Officiant
o Groom & Bride with Wedding Party
o Groom & Bride with Wedding & Kids

Groom’s Side
o Bride & Groom Grandparents
o Bride & Groom Parents
o Add Siblings
Siblings Names
o Add Spouses
  Spouses Names
o Add Children
  Children’s Names

*Any additional combinations that is important to you

 

Bride’s Side
o Bride & Groom Grandparents
o Bride & Groom Parents
o Add Siblings
Siblings Names
o Add Spouses
  Spouses Names
o Add Children
  Children’s Names

*Any additional combinations that is important to you

Other tips: Start with the largest groups first and work to the smaller groups.

The other story I always tell to show example of why this is important is that we had a jr bridemaid and jr groomsmen in our wedding. The jr bm was my husbands niece and the jr gm was a young man I grew up babysitting. Often it's assumed that all the ladies are with the bride and all the men are with the groom and therefore I never got a picture with our jr gm nor my husband with his niece. Since our sibling are sisters for me and a brother for him crossing sides didn't dawn on my until afterward. So also make notes of special groupings. If you have a special aunt, god parents, family friend, etc.

So again - don't make a detailed list of every photo you want taken - let your photographer do thier job and show thier artistic ability. But for those pre and post formal photos it's very important to get that list together not only so nothing gets missed but to make this process flow smoothly and stress free.

Proposing Dreams Wedding & Events on Wordle

 

Wordle is just plain fun....It's neat to see what words are more used on a blog or website.

Visa Pizza Guy

I want to find out if this guy is real and where I can see him....I am in awe!

Katie & Spencer Album Teaser

I just got a look at Katie & Spencer's Album and I'm very impressed. I just wanted to show off this page in particular because their oh-so-fun wedding party really shows:

 

I love that they each got their own photo and fun pose. I wouldn't have liked this in theory but it turned out great!!

Hats off to Stephanie and Peter Zettl for a job well done.

We've joined Wedding Wire!!

Thank you to the previous clients who took the time to review our services on Wedding Wire. We were prompted to check out Wedding Wire when new clients we're starting to say they found us on Wedding Wire. We were very impressed with both the client and professionals side of Wedding Wire.

We had a great time putting together our store front and would love to have you take a look.

While checking out the bride/groom side we were impressed with both the checklist and budget list. We still feel that professional guidance is a great way tackle wedding planning but Wedding Wire provides tools that will certainly help you along the way. Also their FREE wedding website is not only very user friendly but stylish too. The guest list is easy to create, download and update. Note your guests can RSVP online and even select meal choices making that process so much easier.

Review Proposing Dreams at WeddingWire

What's the bottom line....

I found a certain theme while doing my daily blog reading today and that is "Your wedding is not a contest". At the end of the day, your married and that's all that counts.

And as part of the "Wish I had, Glad I did" follow-up I wanted to say a few things about Proposing Dreams and the way we work.

At Proposing Dreams we are practical, creative, realistic, and sane. We love to be a part of the big budget hoopla but know that it's not always the case. Very rarely will you hear the words "YOU HAVE TO HAVE....(insert over priced items here)" We don't HAVE to spend every dollar in the budget. We won't talk you into high dollar linens if you did not rank them high on your importance survey and you are just as happy with the house linens at your venue. We want to find a perfect balance between budget, style, want and need.

While there is an element of design and cohesiveness that we as planners have developed and incorporated into our packages it doesn't come before your wants, needs, wishes and most importantly your marriage. We are wedding planners first and event designers second.

The second part of the "Wish I had, Glad I did" follow-up is to point out a few repeats...

1) Good money and time spent on photography. Yes, (you know this) when it's all done and over there is a happy couple, two rings and the photos. Shop around, search outside your friends and family recommendations, trust your gut. NOTE: Make a must take photo list (see later post for more on this).

2) Take your time. Strongly consider taking photos before. (see later post for more on this)

3) Hire help! Pick at least a DOC, any DOC (well not ANY) but talk with us or one of St. Louis'top wedding planners (if we aren't right for you ask me for a list I'll be happy to recommend someone). Really it's THE BEST money spent. You have planned for so long do you really want to work on your wedding day or be stressed that Aunt Sally is getting it all right? Does Aunt Sally know what to do when the limo hasn't arrived or the bustle is just a mess? We do! Ok, I could go for hours on this one, please just consider it.

4) Get what you and your fiance want. Yes, there are people to consider when making decisions but it's your wedding don't fall into the "rules of weddings" if it's not what you want and on the other hand if you want total tradition don't let anyone tell you have to step outside the box.

4a) Guest count. Keep this where you want it. Yes, budget may dictate the final count or style of reception but if you don't want 400 guests don't have them. Respect everyone allowing x for you, x for him, x as a couple, x for family, x for each parent etc. Sort it out.

5) Some 50/50 topics: Seeing each other before: Personally I love seeing each other before and wish we would have done it for our wedding, but I can't make anyone feel like I do. I don't think I have ever had anyone regret it. And believe me I have sent hundreds of brides down the aisle and I still get choked up and really don't think it dulls the sensation for you either. But we respect your decision and promise to make it very special if you decide to see things our way :wink wink:.

Videography: Video's have come A LONG way, heck we even call it Cinematography now. It's much more story telling and exciting than even when I got married 8 years ago. I have many couples tell me they watch their video on eachanniversary - which we have now started but with today's videography you'll want to watch it more than that believe me!

When to leave for the honeymoon: We waited a week. Some say get the hell out of dodge asap. I even had one couple do the old fashion early exit at the reception and leave that night. It ranges. But know this...if you are leaving soon after your wedding be completely prepared and add 1-2 extra days to your honeymoon to relax before exploring your exotic location. Sometimes vacations can be a lot of work as you feel obligated to enjoy the sites, shop, explore, dine, etc. Get in and sleep for 24 hours. Plan for lots of room service, snuggling and wedding detox then you will be able to join the real world again.

Watch for more words of wisdom this week as I elaborate a bit more here and cover a few new topics.

Sabrina