Wedding Planning Tips: For the couple that has everything, may we suggest giving back

Choosing a charity that is close to your heart is a way to pay-it-forward and can be useful for the couple that already has everything.

Event Success’s, Jacky Grotle, suggests to clients whose households are already complete, or those that have avidity for helping others, to give back through making a charitable ‘registry’.  A few of her favorite sites that allow you to “celebrate generously” include:

Get Hitched Give Hope
I Do Foundation
Just Give

Jacky suggests ways to communicate your desire for guests to make a donation in your name to the cause you care about most is through your wedding website, an insert with your invitation, signage and/or a photo at the event with information about your charity, or a take-away with a tag. 

Charitable wedding registry from Event Success. Photo by Azzura Photography

Event Success couple, Lee and Linda, thanked their guests for celebrating their special day with them through make a donation to a cause very close to their heart and gave each guest a long-stem red rose at the end of their celebration with a tag identifying those recipient charities.  Attached to the long stem red roses was a card saying "A gift has been made in your honor to Save the Children and Foto Kids in Quatemala to bring lasting change for children in need. Linda & Lee"

Wedding Planning Tips: Creative ways to collect cards

Creative ways to collect cards

Jacky Grotle, Event Success, knows all about bringing form and function to your wedding. Today’s tip explores creative ways to collect wedding cards.  Jacky suggests making it apart of your décor. “Use a vintage suitcase, bird cages, flower pots, or decorated boxes to collect your guests cards that work with your wedding theme.” 

An example of how Event Success incorporated her couples love of travel into their card collection and theme is seen in this lovely example from Wallflower Photography which features a vintage suitcase as the centerpiece.

Photo by Wallflower Photography

Executive Chef Bobby Moore of Barking Frog's Signature Dish-Grand Marnier Prawns

Grand Marnier Prawns as seen here from a catered Event Success wedding, from Chef Bobby Moore of Barking Frog, are amazing!  Enjoy at the restaurant, Willows Lodge-Fireside Lounge (they’re on the Happier Hour menu) or for the DIY chef in us all, enjoy making them yourself. 

Bon Appetito!

Grand Marnier Prawns-Photo by Azzura Photography

GRAND MARNIER PRAWNS

20 - prawns                                                 
1 ½ cups corn starch 

Sauce:

1 cup Grand Marnier                                       
3 Tablespoons. dried orange zest (pulse in a coffee grinder)   
4 cups orange juice                                            
2 cups mayonnaise                                                         

For the sauce, add the Grand Marnier to a sauce pan and burn off the alcohol, cool immediately.

Reduce in a separate pan the orange juice to a syrup and cool immediately.  

Combine the Grand Marnier, orange syrup and pulsed orange zest powder with the mayonnaise and refrigerate.

To cook the prawns, heat canola oil or frying oil to 350 degrees. Dust the prawns in the cornstarch, shaking off any excess starch. Fry the prawns until crispy (about 2 minutes) and drain on paper towels. In a large bowl, toss the hot prawns in the Grand Marnier mayonnaise to coat.

From Bobby Moore, Executive Chef, Barking Frog. 

Taste Chef's Signature Dish at Weddings in Woodinville on January 26th, 2014 at Willows Lodge-tickets available through Brown Paper Tickets.

Understanding your "Plan B"

 If there’s one thing you can count on here in the Pacific Northwest it’s that our weather is unpredictable at best.  Just this last week we saw thunder, sunshine, hail, mugginess, and winds all within a few hours of each other.  That’s where sage advice from founding board member Jacky Grotle, owner of Event Success, has advice for all brides, living here in our gorgeous, albeit, capricious, NW or not, to always have a “Plan B”.

“Using outdoor spaces are a favorite choice here in the NW, however you should always understand your ‘plan B’.

As a veteran wedding planner we understand that more than anyone!  We explain to our clients that they have to accept and love the ‘plan B’ as weather here is never certain.  It is ideal if the venue has a large enough indoor area to host your ceremony or reception that was meant to be outdoors.  If that is not the case, you should consider a canopy tent (a tent without sides) to cover your guests from rain or sun.  This is a great choice as it can frame the event a give you some parameters for your decor. 

Sometimes a space is just too lovely and the client just does not want a canopy, such was the case with Angie and Dom with their outdoor Leavenworth wedding.  When my clients choose not to have a canopy and there is not an interior space, I always have available umbrellas (just in case).  They were very happy to have Event Success and our umbrellas as it was lovely for the ceremony but it did sprinkle a little at the reception. 

These photos show that a few sprinkles did not dampen the event and the first dance was very romantic with the umbrella for two.”

Leavenworth wedding by Event SuccessOminous clouds are no match for a prepared bride & her wedding planner.Dancing under the stars and sprinkles.

Vendor costs, a tricky question to answer

This entry was originally posted back in April, but as this is the most frequently asked question of our vendors, we thought it would be good to repost.

“How much do you cost?” 

It’s a question that’s frequently asked, but tricky to answer.

With bottom lines on the mind, brides are eager to request on the spot quotes for our planning services. Unfortunately, pricing out your unique event is not that cut and dry. Brides – here are a few pointers to keep in mind when “shopping around.”

Photo from Package Perfect BlogFirst, bridal shows like Weddings in Woodinville are not the ideal setting for a quick quote. Instead, these events are created to immerse you in the wedding world and introduce you to excellent vendor sources for products and services. While some vendors – like transportation providers or makeup artists – can give you a direct quote upon meeting, when investing in a wedding planner, capture the contact info of your favorites and follow up with them after the show. It’s this post-show one-on-one time that enables your planner to grow a deeper understanding of your wedding and form a more accurate, personalized quote.

As the foundation for your quote, planners request your day, date, time, guest & wedding party number, ceremony & reception location and your ideal, total budget. Here in the Northwest, Saturdays in June through August are considered prime dates in high demand. Friday and Sunday weddings may incur lower rates, but discounts vary by consultant or may be dependent on other factors. Your ceremony & reception’s location are also hugely significant to the quoting process. For example, a destination wedding on Maui or Washington’s San Juan Islands would require higher vendor and consultant travel costs than a winery wedding in Woodinville. The venue itself may even present challenging working conditions – think: a remote cliff-side ceremony vs. a resort ballroom reception.

Lead-time is another element to consider.  Ideally, consultants welcome 10 - 12 months for proper planning. For a wedding with production beginning 3 - 4 months prior, additional manpower is often necessary and may drive costs up.  That being said, if the wedding is fully planned and a bride chooses a Week-of Wedding Coordinator to implement and execute plans, consultants will sometimes reduce costs if your chosen date is still available.  

How Much Do You Cost? Written by Jacky Grotle of Event Success.  

At Event Success, we offer a range for both Full Planning and Week-of Wedding Coordination pricing, though we still rely on one-on-one time with our brides to determine their unique, precise needs and costs in the process of realizing their dream wedding.