How long would you expect to take to plan your wedding? Maybe one year or even two, at least 6 months, right? The 2021 average engagement timeframe, according to Brides.com, is 13 months. Other sites will tell you it takes a minimum of 2-3 months to plan a successful wedding if you anticipate inviting guests outside your immediate family. Well, what if I told you this stunning wedding was planned in 5 weeks from beginning to end? And if I told you the couple lived out of stat

Back in May of 2020 I wrote a blog post all about why I love when couples decide to write their own wedding vows. (Keep in mind my husband and I did NOT write our own vows, so if you decide that this tradition is not for you that is 100% ay-okay!) Then I got to thinking about the couples who read that blog and said, “Alright cool, we are onboard – let’s do it!” But then who also probably thought, “Wait, where do we even start when writing vows?” That’s why I wanted to come ba

I want to tell you about one of my favorite weddings from this season, Katelyn and Tyler. I met with Katelyn three times prior to her wedding date. And all three meetings were just with Katelyn. I did not meet Tyler until rehearsal day. This is not terribly uncommon as typically the groom has only a couple requests throughout the process but doesn’t take a hugely active role in the planning. That is exactly where Tyler was at… I was able to get a pretty good sense of his pers

Coming at you with a second part of Two Myths and a Truth: Wedding Edition. I am bringing this blog back around because there are so many things that come up during client meetings where I am thinking “who told you that?” or “yep, that is absolutely true”, so I feel like it is important to put out accurate information and squash the misleading posts! With that said, let’s get right into it… If you book a wedding venue (versus being at a private residence), you don’t need a pl

Zephyr Lodge was one of those venues where, before 2021, I had not had the pleasure of coordinating a wedding, then I booked one wedding there and suddenly 3 more followed… Jessica and Aaron’s wedding was one of those. When they first booked with me, we had conversations revolving around a “plan b” because it was still June in the Inland Northwest, so we all know anything can happen. Well at the time, that “anything” did not include 106-degree weather, but that’s what we got!

Deciding on which gal pals to ask to join you up at the altar on your big day can be a major undertaking in it of itself, but do you really know what you are asking them to do throughout the rest of the planning process? And if you do have certain expectations from them, are you communicating those clearly? When I ask brides if they (at the very least) have considered a day of coordinator, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “well that is what I have my bridesmaids

As a play on two truths and a lie, today on the blog we are going to talk two myths and a truth: wedding edition! Don’t worry, I won’t make you guess which one is the truth because who has time for that these days. The important thing is for me to share the information, not to try to trick you. Just like with all the different news outlets, there is a lot of information about weddings out there. For many people this is their first time going through the wedding planning proce

You have just spent a pretty penny on some beautiful flowers for your magical day, but what are you supposed to do with them after the music is over? In April of last year, I did an in-depth interview with Emily from McBride Floral Design (you can read that HERE) and you guys loved it so much I asked her to answer a few more questions – this time about how to thoroughly enjoy and preserve your wedding florals after the festivities have commenced. What is the best way to help

Springtime here in the Inland Northwest is March through May. You may like the idea of getting married in the spring because it’s not as popular and the temperatures tend to be more moderate. However, spring can also be very unpredictable. Planning a wedding is tough enough as it is, but when you throw some unreliable weather into the mix it can create added stress. With that said, if it is your dream to get married in the spring here in the INW, you go Glenn Coco, there are

Do you get stressed out just thinking about putting together your wedding invitations? You may ask what information do I need to include? I have a blended family, how do I include everyone? I don’t want kids at my wedding, how do I convey that nicely? If I have a wedding website, do I really need RSVP cards? My goal is to answer all these questions and more with this blog post, so stick with me here! Starting at the beginning, you need to decide what kind of invites you are l

This is it… the first steps towards your next great adventure! You want to make sure the vibe is right. After all, the emotions will be flowing, and you want to simply glide down the aisle. What song is playing? Not sure yet? I can help with that. For today’s fun “Friday Faves” blog I have complied five of my favorite songs to consider for that all important walk down the aisle. A couple are traditional a couple are not, only one is not instrumental, but they all can make you

Raise your hand if you love bold colors. Now, raise your hand if you want to incorporate those bold colors into your wedding design plan, but you may not know how without looking like you are hosting a circus. I love when couples are not afraid to, strategically, add a pop of color or colors to their design plan because the world is made up of more colors than white, blush and ivory. Don’t get me wrong, those classic color palettes are beautiful and if that is your style, I a

The internet has completely revolutionized the way we live every day, in many ways we depend on technology for almost everything. In terms of how we plan weddings, the internet has helped evolve the industry into what we think of today. No longer do brides only have written publications, friends recommendations and radio/television ads to turn to for wedding information and inspiration. We no longer solely rely on snail-mail to collect RSVPs and we don’t have to stuff invitat

Creating a timeline for your wedding day can seem like a daunting task, but it is definitely a necessary one. As overwhelming as it may seem, this is one of those tasks, as an experienced wedding planner, that I can put together in a matter of minutes when taking into consideration some basic information. The best place to start is in the middle, with the ceremony. Then it is easiest to work your way backwards, before working your way forwards. When doing this, I want to give

Let’s get this party started and talk about the bar! What better way to do that than with something that brings the party to wherever you are… that’s right, I am talking about a mobile bar. I first met Candy at a networking event when the name Sip’n Easy was just starting to break into the wedding scene. When she told me about her business and the kind of experience she planned to bring to the events in our area, I was sold and apparently so was everyone else because she is a

A simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way. Think about how you feel when someone thanks you for a gift, your time, hard work, etc. It shows appreciation and conveys gratitude, but more than that it is a sign of respect and an acknowledgement to that person (or persons) that they matter. These are just some of the reasons why I love when couples say a thank you toast during their wedding reception. It doesn’t have to be much, one sentence or ten sentences, written out or imprompt

Tradeshows and bridal festivals are some of my favorite events to meet and chat up brides. However, many times in the middle of our conversation I will have a bride tell me, “Oh, I don’t need a wedding coordinator. That is what my maid of honor is for.” I am here to tell you that is absolutely not what your maid of honor is for and please don’t ask her to do it – I have been down that road too. Yes, there are certain things that your maid of honor can oversee both prior to an

Trends are a huge topic of conversation in the wedding industry. I am sure if you have planned or are currently planning your wedding you hear that term throw around all the time. A trend, in basic terms, is a general direction in which something is developing or changing. For example, right now, in 2020, we are seeing elopements and micro-weddings becoming very popular and thus, a big trend. However, that is not the trend I want to talk to you about today. This trend is some

When it came to our wedding, there was not much that my husband felt very strongly about. For the most part, he stuck to the “happy wife, happy life” philosophy which I appreciated because, I am sure like a lot of you, I had this day planned since I was a teenager. However, when we got engaged, one of the very first things he said to me was, “No, we are not writing our own vows. Period.” I’ll be honest, when he said it my first reaction (the one you can’t control) was to be s

Today I want to talk about all things floral! Flowers can arguably be considered one of the tougher things to budget for when you begin the wedding planning process because there are so many variables. For florists, it is not as easy as emailing off a list of packages for couples to choose from. Instead, they will ask you questions like… what kind of flowers do you want to see incorporated, how many bridesmaids/groomsmen do you have, do you want a cascading bouquet or a round