Sometimes the art of finding inspiration is just stepping outside, breathing in fresh, cool air, and seeing how nature can lure in such beautiful and rich ideas.  For this inspiration shoot, we went with a woodland creature feel.  We wanted to convey a since of being one with nature and how the beauty created in our décor can play right off of the beauty found directly in our natural surroundings.   The colors of this shoot mimicked exactly what can be produced in nature as we stayed within the green, and warm gold color scheme. The inspiration can be described as fairytale, woodsy, historical, earthy, lakeside, and yet still have a contemporary flare.

The inspiration shoot was shot at Bridal Veil Lakes and was absolutely perfect for the scene were creating.  The natural beauty of the venue made it easy to find all sorts of nature shots with our bride and table scape.  The lush and warm colors of the venue were distinctly in line with the woodland creature inspiration.  What a fabulous venue!

Rebecca Dryer photography was able to capture these images from our inspiration.  Her art is incredible and she was fully in tune with the theme and feel we were going for with this inspiration.  Her eye for detail and perfect light was very apparent in this shoot.

The table scape was created through our ideas in combination with Helene from East West Floral.  The scene came alive with the products found at Barclay’s Event Rentals and Helene’s incredibly artistic eye in floral design.  Together we were able to craft such a stunning and breathtaking vision.

This shoot was so inspiring that we couldn’t use just one dress we had to utilize two gorgeous gowns that were both equally fitting to our inspiration.  The first one had a very modern antique and feathered appeal.  The one shoulder strap gown was enhanced with feathers, tool, and lace.  It had a very romantic and whimsical feel that really reflected the woodland creature fit.  The second gown was a much more simple and lose fitting feel.   With luxurious beading covering the top and a thin empire waist, the rest of the dress flows straight to the ground.  The gown is a beautiful essence of the fairytale and more historical feel to the shoot.  Both textures and styles of the gowns were perfect for the shoot and were provided by Bridal Exclusives.

When choosing vendors, you will either pick a complete stranger, or someone you know.  There is nothing wrong with selecting vendors that you know, but there are definite precautions that need to be taken when there is a personal relationship in the background.

Don’t choose a vendor based on the fact that you know them.  Make sure they are at the professional level and style you are looking for.  You don’t want to get into a spot where you would feel bad or like your letting them down if you don’t give them your business.  It is your day, and you need to choose what is best for you.

Often friends or “friends of friends” are chosen as vendors because of the special price you are able to get.  Yes, the price is important, but many times the price is only low because of the lack of experience, business license/insurance, or the fact that their service is more of a hobby.

Another part of being a good vendor is being able to take the clients style and desires and really make your product or service personal and perfect for each couple.  A risk of choosing a friend as your vendor is a severed relationship.  A vendor you don’t know is a lot easier to let go of at the end of the event.  A friend however, will continue on after the event.  The tension that can sometimes be created in the stress of it all, can really cause problems in the future of the relationship.  You need to make sure you can trust your friend as a vendor and that they will be able to work on a professional level.

Another unfortunate risk you take when selecting a friend or “friend of a friend” is the money involved.  Sadly, I have seen many friends get taken advantage of.  We once had a couple who paid their friend of a friend vendor in full.  Unfortunately, the vendor took their money and then never showed up at the wedding and stopped communicating with the couple.  The vendor not having a professional business made it difficult to try and pursue any legal matters and the couple was just left in the dust.

All in all, it is totally okay to choose vendors you know, but making sure they are people you can trust as professional vendors and will ultimately provide the best product or service for your wedding must be carefully and seriously considered.

The men’s collection will be offered in two different styles, one style in gray and one in black.  These tuxes have a very modern, yet luxurious texture andfit.  The jacket is slightly shorter than your average tux and they have a narrow lapel.  These slight fit differences will make the tux look a lot more tailored and fit the form of his body.  The idea is very classic, modern, sophistication. 

The tux rentals start at $219.99 for a whole outfit and are offered in 3 different fits.  There is a standard fit, slim-fit, and “big & tall” sizes.  “For more than twenty years, I have shared my design vision with women around the world, so it is exciting to now have the opportunity to share that with men as well,” said Vera Wang.

Finally, there is an affordable and easily accessible option to a designer style tux for men.  Portland has really struggled with variety in menswear for weddings, so this should really boost our access into specialty, modern fitted tuxes in the area! 

According to traditionally wedding etiquette, the Groom’s family is typically in charge of paying for the rehearsal dinner.  This is an event that usually takes place the evening before the wedding directly after the wedding rehearsal.  The Groom’s parents usually will plan this event from start to finish, with input from the bride and groom, as a way to thank out-of-town guests and family for coming to be a part of their son’s biggest celebration.  The Groom’s parents are also responsible for their own wedding attire and a gift for the newlyweds. 

The Groom is traditionally in charge of paying for the officiant fees, the marriage license, and the honeymoon.  Depending on the financial status of the groom, many times the parents will also chip in and help their son with these costs as well.

So many couples break tradition, and don’t follow these guidelines to a T.  The financial responsibilities will vary for every couple.  The two families just have to sit down and discuss, who will be responsible for what and whether or not the bride and groom will contribute themselves as well.  There are no set rules on finances of a wedding, just do what works for you!

Beyond the rain plan, the weather canalso be a problem on the opposite spectrum…Sun, sun and more sun!  While, a beautiful sunny day may be exactly what you are hoping for on your wedding day, the sun can also cause some obstacles for your guests.  Some ideas to think about for a hot, summer wedding may be getting hand-held fans for your guests, having chilled water and lemonade available when they arrive, and some sort of tent or covered area for shade.  When people are hot, they can get dehydrated and easily irritated.  The best way to prevent that extra stress on your special day is providing these fun and simple amenities to avoid the frustration all together!

Pros:

• Family affair: if you are wanting a more casual and comfortable feel to your wedding, kids are often a fun addition to the mix of generations at the biggest celebration of your life
• Say cheese: Kids can add a lot of depth and/or silliness to photos
• The “awe” factor:  plain and simple kids can be adorable!!

Cons:

• Budget: Each person at your wedding will cost a certain amount of money, take into account whether that number is worth it to you or not
• Noise:  With kids will come certain levels of noise and chaos.  Whether we like it or not, kids will be kids, and they are not always easy to control.  Although activities and babysitters help keep the kids entertained and out of trouble, the things kids will do are still unpredictable.
• Level of formality:  Weddings without children can create a definite sense of formality.  It gives the event an adult like essence, whichmany guests find relaxing and freeing.
• Supervision:  Need for a hired sitter, or for parents to have to be distracted by caring for their children

Recently, a woman house was robbed and over $18,000 of jewelry was taken.  She was unaware of the fact that having jewelry insurance was a necessity given her costly collection, so not only could she not get back the sentiments and exact jewelry pieces she owned, she couldn’t get the money they were worth back either.  It was very unfortunate to hear how this poor lady who had gone trough enough tragedy already and was not able to even have the money back to try and replace them.

If you have recently been engaged or have a large amount of highly valued jewels, please strongly consider exploring your options in jewelers insurance.  Many jewelers offer you insurance at the time of purchase, you can increase the amount connected to your Homeowner’s insurance, or you can get entirely separate insurance for your jewelry.  For more information on jewelry insurance, please visit http://www.jewelersmutual.com/

Don’t let your valuables go uninsured!

Site Coordinator:  A site coordinator works for a venue.  They are usually the main contact you will work with throughout your planning process, but depending on how big the venue is or how it is managerially organized, this could mean working with a few different people throughout the process.   A site coordinator is a very loose term, so you must be sure to double check exactly what that means to each company.

Sometimes the site coordinator is just the person who makes the arrangements for you to rent the space and is there to answer any questions you have.  They will give guidelines and rules to their venue and go over details they validate important to know when using their space.   They can often times give you tips on how to use the space, what’s been done before and a general idea of what to expect when you get there for the rehearsal and day of.

Other venues may provide you with a site coordinator that will act as a person who keeps you in schedule and is in charge of all the vendors on the day of.  They help with the flow and be sure to make this day run as smoothly as possible.

Some venues also provide ceremony site coordinators as well.  This type of site coordinator is there to run your rehearsal and the day of.  Telling the bridal party exactly when and where to go.  This is a nice feature, but certainly not always provided

Wedding Planer:  A wedding planner is generally a separate and individually owned company solely devoted to helping you planning your wedding day.  They are there to hold your hand throughout the whole process.  They can help give you strong recommendations for vendors, set up appointments, ask the questions you wouldn’t know to ask, help you sit down and figure out exactly what needs to be done and the time frame to do it, and they are there for the set up, through the event, and tear down.  The list could go on for quite a few pages on what exactly a wedding coordinator can do to help you along your wedding day, but this is just a brief concept on what they do.

The best alternative would be to have both a venue site coordinator and a wedding planner, but be sure to ask exactly what your venue provides and what their responsibilities are.  The mistake is when you assume the site coordinator has it covered and they knew nothing about it.  A wedding coordinator can give you much more extensive and one-on-one help and can save you a lot of wasted time and confusion.

Photography by: Evrim Icoz