It's been about 9 months since I did a wedding in Kenosha. Yesterday was the day of one of my former bride's (Hi Kelly!) friends. I love referrals because I loved working with Kelly last year. She was easily one of my favorite brides. So when her friend Monica asked me if I would be able to DOC her wedding day this year, it was a no brainer. Any friend of Kelly's is going to be nice and sweet as well, I just knew it. I was so right. Monica is one of those girls that you meet and just want to be friends with right away. Her smile is so sincere it's almost sick. She has this attitude that I can't even put into words. She's cheerful, real, classy, and immediately knew the real purpose of the day of her wedding. She was never caught up in the hoopla of it all.
Monica & Andrew were married in the same small Catholic church in Kansasville that Kelly & Pete were wed in the previous Fall. The church is just quaint and exactly out of a storybook when a country church is described. I really do love it. As I ventured downstairs to see my bride for the first time, it was all I could do not to cry right there. There are just some brides that I get this feeling with. I think it's the ones that I know are 100% in this whole wedding thing for the right reason. So, I promised her I wouldn't cry but she looked spectacular. Her dress was perfect for her and just gorgeous. The girls were all pretty in pink. And then her dad came down to see her for the first time. Oh boy. There was not a dry eye in the place. The first time a dad sees his little girl in white is always a moment to cherish, but this one....well, this one had even more meaning. Just a few weeks ago Monica's dad had a heart attack. One that very well could have killed him, but something pulled him through and he was there for his little girl's special day. I can't wait to see the pictures captured of this moment. Dad broke down and hugged Monica like I've never seen a father hug his daughter. I'm getting all emotional just thinking about it again. Oh, and then to lighten the mood a little, Dad cut his finger somehow and we had to bandage him up just minutes before walking down the aisle.
With personal reflections shared between Monica & Andrew, it made the ceremony even more special.
Oh, and did I mention Kelly is now a new Mom?!?!? And I got to see her and her 4-day old baby who she bravely brought to the ceremony. No way was she missing her friend getting married. I thought that was incredibly sweet.
The reception was held at the Italian American Club in Kenosha. It's a very unique venue and lots of great history behind the building. I'll admit....they probably need to tear down the wallpaper and the plastic vertical blinds and perhaps restore those items to it's natural more historic state, but overall it's a great place.
There was a bit of a snafu with table numbers (A groom and his guys shouldn't be allowed to place table numbers the morning of the wedding! ha, ha) and the seating chart, but it was rectified pretty quickly. The cake was almost 5 feet tall and made by a friend's step-mother. It was definitely a WOW moment! So many personal touches went into this reception. The DJ was a friend of the family, and from what I could tell, was doing a very nice job. The couple is leaving on Monday for Paris for their honeymoon (a HUGE surprise for the bride!) so the groom's cake was a stack of suitcases that we surrounded with Paris cards and a small statue of the Eiffel Tower. They also used a very cute suitcase for their card box. Innovative, meaningful and cost effective!
I know this couple had a great time last night. They were already dancing up a storm just being introduced into the reception! It was so much fun to work with Monica. It was quite an honor yesterday to have so many people coming up to me asking me if I was the Wedding Planner and when I would say "yes" they would say how much they have heard about me, how Monica would talk about me, and I even received a few hugs! That's when you head home, tired feet and all, and know that those are the reasons you keep doing weddings weekend after weekend.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
A Grand Event
I did a wedding a few weekends ago at The Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva, WI. If you're not familiar with this venue, it is the former Playboy Club from way back in the day. It is 'Grand' for sure, and although the remnants of Playboy are long gone and no longer linger bunny tails or the famous backward bend when they deliver your drink, the Grand Geneva still lives up to its reputation.
It's one of those places where everyone is on their best behavior. Where even the "kids" that are bellman, golf assistants, catering crew are acknowledging you by name or Miss or Sir. I like that. While I'm not a stuffy, formal gal in my regular day to day life, I still like the allure and the sanctity of knowing that there are still places like this that exist. A place where you can go and KNOW without a doubt that you will be taken care of and respected no matter what. Pretty neat.
Sabrina & Lee come very different places. As in countries apart. Sabrina is from the IL parts and Lee is from Wales. As in the country. And guess what? He's staying here...because he met Sabrina. In a bar. I will argue to my death to those that say you can't find love in a bar. Yes you can!
These two individuals experienced a ceremony that perfectly combined his Scottish heritage (kilts and all and let me tell you....those guys looked amazing!) with American traditional elements. Did you know that in Wales they pin boutonnieres upside down? They think us Americans pinning them flower side up is a bit out there. :) I have to admit, I liked the look of an upside down boutonniere. Sabrina & Lee performed a sand ceremony in lieu of the Unity Candle and they also did a rock ceremony, another piece of Wales brought into the day. Their favors consisted of a Celtic tradition of each guest receiving a wooden loving spoon. And since Lee is a huge Rugby fan and player his groom's cake was of a Wales Rugby team. Very cool indeed.
It was fun to be around the Wales accents, the sharply dressed men from Wales (seriously, they know their shoe fashion!), and witnessing the coming together of traditions and cultures.
Cheers to Sabrina & Lee! And Cheers to the Grand Geneva staff for pulling off yet another event flawlessly. And a special thank you to their bell staff, who without, I would have been lugging way too many things long distances around that resort.
It's one of those places where everyone is on their best behavior. Where even the "kids" that are bellman, golf assistants, catering crew are acknowledging you by name or Miss or Sir. I like that. While I'm not a stuffy, formal gal in my regular day to day life, I still like the allure and the sanctity of knowing that there are still places like this that exist. A place where you can go and KNOW without a doubt that you will be taken care of and respected no matter what. Pretty neat.
Sabrina & Lee come very different places. As in countries apart. Sabrina is from the IL parts and Lee is from Wales. As in the country. And guess what? He's staying here...because he met Sabrina. In a bar. I will argue to my death to those that say you can't find love in a bar. Yes you can!
These two individuals experienced a ceremony that perfectly combined his Scottish heritage (kilts and all and let me tell you....those guys looked amazing!) with American traditional elements. Did you know that in Wales they pin boutonnieres upside down? They think us Americans pinning them flower side up is a bit out there. :) I have to admit, I liked the look of an upside down boutonniere. Sabrina & Lee performed a sand ceremony in lieu of the Unity Candle and they also did a rock ceremony, another piece of Wales brought into the day. Their favors consisted of a Celtic tradition of each guest receiving a wooden loving spoon. And since Lee is a huge Rugby fan and player his groom's cake was of a Wales Rugby team. Very cool indeed.
It was fun to be around the Wales accents, the sharply dressed men from Wales (seriously, they know their shoe fashion!), and witnessing the coming together of traditions and cultures.
Cheers to Sabrina & Lee! And Cheers to the Grand Geneva staff for pulling off yet another event flawlessly. And a special thank you to their bell staff, who without, I would have been lugging way too many things long distances around that resort.
Weather
I'm on a significantly long (AKA: Boring) layover and decided to amuse myself and my readers with some much overdue blogging. I'm on my way to Hawaii so while this may be a wedding blog, I'm fairly certain you will all get a sneak peek of my paradise island vacation when I return.
If you're in WI, or just about anywhere in the States I suppose....you know that our weather has been less summer-like than usual. While the first day of summer was only yesterday, typically we still get a good amount of sun and warmth in the month of June. Not this year. We have been declared a state with multiple disaster areas, homes lost, farm crops under water, rivers literally washed away one day and then rising too high the next. Torrential rain showers clouded our days for weeks on end. I wish I was kidding. It's sad actually. People may read this and think it's only rain! But it's not....it's more than that. What this weather has done to our state, and my city, in particular is just unbelievable. What it is doing to the already deflated local economy is only making it worse.
What does this have to do with weddings? Well, by some act of God or whatever you may believe in, the weddings this month that I have done have all managed to be held under clear skies. At least for the ceremony moment. It was almost eerie the last few weekends how the ceremonies all went off without any weather alerts, no tornado sirens blaring, blue partly cloudy skies, temps in the 70's. And then....for each wedding the clouds started rolling in. Storms made their ugly head. But not until the most important, the most beautiful part of these couples days took place. Crazy. But it makes me think that sometimes someone greater really is shining down on happy moments.
Here's to better weather the rest of the summer!
If you're in WI, or just about anywhere in the States I suppose....you know that our weather has been less summer-like than usual. While the first day of summer was only yesterday, typically we still get a good amount of sun and warmth in the month of June. Not this year. We have been declared a state with multiple disaster areas, homes lost, farm crops under water, rivers literally washed away one day and then rising too high the next. Torrential rain showers clouded our days for weeks on end. I wish I was kidding. It's sad actually. People may read this and think it's only rain! But it's not....it's more than that. What this weather has done to our state, and my city, in particular is just unbelievable. What it is doing to the already deflated local economy is only making it worse.
What does this have to do with weddings? Well, by some act of God or whatever you may believe in, the weddings this month that I have done have all managed to be held under clear skies. At least for the ceremony moment. It was almost eerie the last few weekends how the ceremonies all went off without any weather alerts, no tornado sirens blaring, blue partly cloudy skies, temps in the 70's. And then....for each wedding the clouds started rolling in. Storms made their ugly head. But not until the most important, the most beautiful part of these couples days took place. Crazy. But it makes me think that sometimes someone greater really is shining down on happy moments.
Here's to better weather the rest of the summer!
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