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Posts tagged ‘Invision Wedding Planning’

Sep 7

The Holiday Weekend Wedding

Since we are all fresh off of our Labor Day weekend and pretty much everyone I know in the wedding industry had work on Saturday (as I did), I got to thinking about the pros and cons of having a wedding over a holiday weekend. And by holiday weekend, I mean Memorial Day and Labor Day. Any other holiday has too much else going on to really count as a good wedding date option. I, and every other wedding vendor, know that we don’t get holidays like most folks and I know that I will almost certainly be working those dates. I’m not complaining. It’s just a fact of our industry. We find other ways to take time off. But, with these weekends being so convenient for weddings, what should you take into account before you set that May or September date?

One of the best reasons to use a holiday is the fact that more people will be able to travel to your wedding. In the past, most of my holiday weekend weddings have been for destination type weddings. The long weekend allows for guests to travel to a great spot to enjoy a fantastic time with their friends. This would be my ideal reason for using such a holiday. It also gives you the opportunity to have even more time with your guests. Weddings like this are usually bigger and more lengthy, but you will appreciate all the extra time you have.

Lauren and JP’s wedding. Not actually on a holiday weekend, but this shot makes me feel like they are on vacation. So fun! Photo by Our Labor of Love.

Now, for the downfalls. As I mentioned, these dates are very popular. So, if you do decide to use a holiday date, start booking your vendors now! Venues, photographers, planners, etc. will all get snapped up pretty quickly. And, depending on where you are getting married, prices may not be as negotiable or may even be higher. Especially at those destination type locations, you can bet that you will be paying a premium for those holiday dates.

If you are worried that some of your guests might be upset that they have to give up their holiday weekend to attend a wedding, I would say that those folks are few and far between. Especially if you are having a destination wedding and they are going to have a relaxing time anyway. Everyone wins!

If I had to choose between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend for a wedding date, I would choose Memorial Day every time. The weather is usually good. And it is certainly better than Labor Day weekend here in Alabama. There isn’t too much else going on by the time Memorial Day rolls around. Graduations are over with and summer break should have started for everyone. Labor Day weekend, here in the South, has football and school and all kinds of other things that make it more complicated. So, Memorial Day weekend it is for me.

I did thoroughly enjoy my wedding this past weekend. Even though it was Labor Day weekend :) . The couple was super cute and had a blast with their guests. Seriously, I haven’t ever seen so many people on a dance floor – the whole night! It was great.

In the end, just know what you are getting in to before you sign up for a holiday weekend date. Everything is doable. Just think it through first! Until next time – XOXO, Julie

Aug 17

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Mary and James: Southern Wedding with Asian Flair {Opelika, Ala}

Today I have a treat for you. Mary and James are about the cutest couple you have ever seen. Totally in love and thrilled to be getting married. It was a total pleasure to work with them as their wedding planner.

They had a sweet ceremony at Mary’s mother’s house and then held a large reception at the new Event Center Downtown in Opelika, Ala. Mary hired Clay Mitchell at Opelika Floral Company to help incorporate James’ Japanese heritage into the floral decor. If I can gush for just a bit, Clay hit it out of the park. The flowers were perfect. Oranges and purples were used to create a gorgeous motif. The Event Center’s exposed brick and warehouse feel let the decor take center stage. Japanese lanterns were hung and specialty lighting added to create the right feel. It was gorgeous.

Please enjoy the photography of the lovely Erika from Kim Box Photography. She did a wonderful job capturing this beautiful couple and wonderful wedding. Congrats to Mary and James!!! I had a blast getting to know you. Your wedding was amazing!

Aug 10

Jennifer went with a very bold design using fuscia and black. She let Kim Nelson work her magic in the flowers and was thrilled with the result!

Trusting your wedding vendors

This is a hard topic to take on. It goes to the very heart of the success of any event, especially weddings. I know more than anyone that weddings are the most stressful and emotional events to happen to anyone. A girl dreams of her wedding her whole life. You invite the most important people you know to share the most important day of your life with you. You are spending a good chunk of money on this one event. You are making the biggest life decision a person can make. Having your day be all you wanted it to be is essential.

So, what happens when you don’t trust the vendors that you have hired to pull off this day, to do what you want them to do? Well, many things. Not the least of which is that you will waste too much time and energy on your wedding day worrying, needlessly, that things aren’t going the way they should. Also, you put a lot of stress on your vendors when they know that you don’t trust them (and believe me, they know). When that happens, things don’t go the way they should. Things can still turn out okay, but when you micromanage – especially the day of your wedding – your vendors will worry the whole day and not be able to do the incredible work that you hired them to do.

This is an easy scenario to avoid. First and foremost, you need to know that if you don’t trust the vendor to begin with, don’t hire them! If you are unsure, at all, that they may not perform or understand what you are really looking for, then they are not the vendor for you. It is really easy to get caught up in hiring a particular vendor based on budget alone. Money is always an issue. Obviously you should stay in budget. But, when you are sacrificing your style and peace of mind because you think you can’t afford a certain vendor, you have just created a problem. Take it from me, you will look back after your wedding and wish you had gone with the other vendor.

Unless you are talking about serious budget issues, most vendors can work a package for nearly any budget. For example, you might meet with one florist and have a fantastic consultation and feel that you click on the creative end. But, you get their quote and you see that it is above your budget. Then, you meet with another florist that you aren’t that excited about. You didn’t get a bad vibe about them, but you know that they didn’t quite get the look you are going for like the first florist did. However, their quote is very much inside your budget. What to do? Easy! Tell the first florist that things are a little high, how much you need to cut and what is their suggestion on where to cut back and still have the general look that you both know you want. You may not get as many flowers, but they will be in the style that you want. Quality vs. quantity.

Same thing could be said for a photographer or caterer. You will find that people are very willing to work with you and create the best package to fit your budget. Don’t get me wrong. Wedding vendors work very hard and, in general, everyone is worth the price that they ask for. I’m not saying that you should play hard ball for the sake of playing hard ball. That’s just mean. This is their livelihood. But, everyone that I have ever worked with is very happy to work up custom packages and quotes to help you get the wedding you want.

So, now that you have hired the vendors that you want in the first place, let them work their magic! Nearly every part of a wedding is a creative process. Vendors are very creative people, have a passion for what they do, and want to deliver that to you. Let them do it! There is nothing worse than watching a creative person being told how they should do their job. It’s excruciating for the vendor and you definitely won’t get what you want in the end product.

In the end, everything is based on trust. Know that you made the right decision in who you hired and let everything else go. Honestly, you will have a much better wedding day when you know that you have enjoyed it to its fullest and not worried about every vendor that you have hired.

Happy Wednesday! – XOXO, Julie

The featured photo is of Jennifer and Scott’s wedding. Jennifer went with a very bold design using fuchsia and black. She let Kim Nelson work her magic in the flowers and was thrilled with the result!

Jul 20

Wedding Inspiration – Winter

It’s about 1,000 degrees and 200% humidity here in Alabama and it has made me dream of a lusciously cold winter fete. Although, I have to admit that it is more than the lack of oppressively hot weather that attracts me to a winter wedding. I think that there is something innately romantic about a winter affair. The quiet that comes with the winter. The peacefulness and mystery of a snowy winter scene. The juxtaposition of watching a roaring fire and drinking warm libations while the outside world is blanketed in cold. It’s a study in contrasts and I love it.

So, while I have been pinning away at various wedding inspiration boards, winter scenes have been popping up and I thought that I would give us all a reprieve from the heat and discuss my thoughts on winter wedding design. To start out, I have to explain the difference between the words design and theme. I, personally, don’t like to use the word theme when it comes to weddings. Themes are for children’s parties. Not weddings. Design is something that will stand the test of time. Something that will be meaningful to the couple. I believe that a design is meant to support the event’s purpose. It is the environment. Not the focus. A theme is a focus and it will inevitably take away from the reason for the event – the couple’s love and commitment to each other. If you create a design that is the environment to support the event, it will be effortless and natural. Beautiful, yes. But, nothing that will overshadow the reason for the wedding.

Now that we are all clear on that point, on to the design. I know that this particular scene that I am setting isn’t necessarily achievable here in Alabama. While we do get snow, it is always on the most unbelievable day possible and completely unpredictable – like, we had snow on Christmas day last year. Who would have thought?!? Just keep in mind that I pack light. Well, not really. But, I would be super happy to travel to the Rockies where I would love to see this wedding happen. What I am really going for is an atmosphere of warmth and elegant coziness. Refined rustic. Kind of what I always want my Christmas Eve to feel like, if I were lucky enough to have it in the mountains. Anticipation and wonder. An air of magic. The feeling that even though you are dressed up for a celebration, you are relaxed because you are with your most favorite people ever.

So, here is a beginning to an inspiration board that I started for this winter fantasy wedding. See all of it here: http://pinterest.com/invisionwedding/wedding-designs-that-need-to-happen/

 

 

 

Jul 13

Brook Fleming and Tom Backenson wedding at Callaway Gardens Discovery Center
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Brooke and Tom: Classic Wedding Design {Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga}

After last week’s post about candid photos where Brooke and Tom were featured amongst other favorites of mine, I realized that not only was their wedding truly one of my favorite designs ever (I know I say this a lot, but seriously. Seriously.), I have not actually featured their wedding here on the blog. Their photos have popped up here and there for things, but no actual feature. How could I?!? So, I am making up for lost time and giving you a much needed feature of their classic wedding.

When Brooke and I met for the first time, it was clear that she and Tom fit with my design style perfectly. Nothing overdone. Nothing that will take away from the importance of the events. Simple and refined. Clean lines. Simple color palette. I knew it was going to be gorgeous. They had chosen The Discovery Center at Callaway Gardens as their setting. This building is completely done in light colored wood (floors, beams, ceilings) and has one entire side of the building with floor to ceiling windows. It also fit the clean lines and simple backdrop that they were going for. Brooke chose ivory and and sage green as her color palette. With the wood tones of Discovery Center, the palette was perfect. Brooke lives my mantra of less is more and everything about their wedding was just like that. Less is more. I was really excited to work with them as their wedding planner.

Since weddings at Callaway Gardens end up being more or less destination weddings, Brooke and Tom spent all weekend with their guests. People arriving on Thursday and Friday morning. Golf tournament (winner given a prize at the reception), rehearsal dinner, etc. They had a very full time with their guests. Something I wish for all my clients, but doesn’t always happen unless you are away from everything. They had a great time.

To get to what everyone wants to see, here is their wedding in a recap. Wedding photos by The Decisive Moment. Gorgeous. Exactly what Brooke wanted. And, I’m a big fan too. If you know me at all, you know that I will have to start with the printing. Brooke and Tom had some of the most cohesive and comprehensive wedding printing of any client I’ve had. I love it. Everything just fit perfectly. So, enjoy!

Congratulations again to Brooke and Tom! You guys are a fabulous couple, so fun to work with and had a gorgeous wedding. Cheers!

- Julie

Jul 6

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A brief on wedding photography

Seeing as how so many of us are either on vacation this week, or coming back from vacation and don’t want to think too hard on anything, I thought I would take a slower week on the blog and post just some wedding eye candy. I decided that I would reach into my photo file and pull out some of my favorite shots just to reminisce and maybe go into what I personally like about photography. So sit back and enjoy some oldies-but-goodies and some recent photos that I just really love. And, I do have more recent weddings coming your way for the blog. I’m just running a little behind :) . Hope everyone is having a great summer!

For this chat, I thought that I would stick to one aspect of a wedding in terms of your photography: emotions. I love how one photo can capture the essence of what was being felt. Which is probably why I really love the photo-journalistic style of wedding photography. Posed shots have their place (I have some favorites of those) and of course you will want to have the scene and the details of the day captured. Your album wouldn’t be the same without those. But, I am the type of person who would prefer to have photos all over my walls so that I can look at them all the time. And the photos that speak to me the most are the ones with emotions tied to them. So many times, those photos are of an unguarded moment. Something un-posed or prematurely thought about. It’s honest and pure. While I could give you photos of floral decor, or ceremony set ups or reception design, I thought I would focus on something that I have absolutely nothing to do with in terms of the wedding – those perfect moments when you are totally in the moment and things are just right. Kudos to all my photographer friends who work so hard to catch these moments. I am constantly in awe of your talents!

Brooke and Tom – photos by The Decisive Moment; Brooke was an absolutely radiant bride. I loved working with her and Tom and I enjoyed every moment of their wedding. The shots below make me super happy. Happy enough that I have prints of these hanging in my office – my wall o’ weddings if you will. I also think that there is something about black and white photos that puts all the emphasis on the emotion of the moment. Shocking for me to love something in black and white… At any rate, these are some of my very favorites.

Kara and Ian: photos by FlipFlopFoto.com; Kara and Ian were so great. Super fabulous and absolutely meticulous in their planning and hopes for their wedding. But, after all the planning and design and work and watching everything come together flawlessly, the thing that really makes me happy as a planner is to see my clients have moments like these. There is nothing better.

Lauren and JP: photos by Our Labor of Love; Oh, the joys of this wedding. Lauren, being the artist that she is, was flawless in her wedding design. Her attention to the paper details is something you don’t get very often. But, in all her work, she never let the significance of the day get lost. She and JP were totally aware of every part of the wedding day and you could tell that they drank it in.

Tracy and Stephen: photos by Burnett Photography; Tracy was possibly one of the easiest clients I have ever worked with. Cool as a cucumber during all of the planning and even more so on the day of the wedding. She and Stephen were a dream and even with the July heat factoring in on their wedding day, there was nothing that ruffled their feathers. Not once. All day long. Fabulous.

As elated as Tracy is in this photo, the smile on Stephen's face may just say it all. Too cute!

Tracy and her mom having the time of their lives.

Here’s hoping that this tides you over for the next week. I am doing a bit of traveling and I hope to have a new batch of weddings to share with you soon. Until next time!

xoxo – Julie

Jun 22

Floral ideas from Jess Margeson of Frou Frou

Hello readers! I am way excited to introduce you to my very first guest blogger! After my post on DIY wedding projects (see it here), I immediately thought of our own local crafty genius, Jess Margeson of Frou Frou, Inc. Jess gives her own touch to events on various scales. She can tackle true craft projects such as a life size tree made entirely of paper for an escort card display at one of my favorite weddings we’ve worked on together – or my one of my favorite weddings period. Or, she can handle fresh floral arrangements. She has a crafter’s heart and a southern bent – a killer combo! So, I asked her to chime in on some things that she has been inspired by for events and weddings. She was so kind to want to contribute and I know you will like her ideas. So, please enjoy her crafty musings today. -  xoxo, Julie

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By: Jess Margeson – Frou Frou, Inc.

You could call me a fool for fruit.

I have (with reckless abandon and little regard) added to fruit to almost everything my crafty little hands have touched this summer. I would say it’s the summer season that has me in this state but to be honest, it’s really a year-round obsession.

I love the idea of mixing mediums, so naturally this combination peaked my interested. Fruit not only adds bold pops of color but also brings in that ever elusive element of texture. And thus it’s the mixing of textures and mingling of mediums that take a design from pretty to pretty fabulous.

Check out the following for ways to bring this festive idea to ‘’fruition’’. Excuse the bad pun ;)

The Inspiration: Color Contrast

For Jessica’s spring wedding, the bride knew she wanted to play up the color pink. What better way to do this than to place pretty pink tones against the crisp coolness of Granny Smith apples? Petite bouquets comprised of spray roses, garden roses and antiqued hydrangeas sat in marked contrast to the backdrop of green apples stacked in clear glass cylinders. Set against the green of the grass surrounding Moore’s Mill Country Club, the effect was subtle but still surprising. And perfect for a summer soiree. *photo by Tristan Cairns

The Inspiration: Organic

Green apples were once again the focal point in this low arrangement used to mark guest tables at Oakbowery Plantation. The heavy emphasis on the color green paired perfectly with the lushness of this outdoor setting. *photo by Lucky Photography

The Inspiration: Lemon Yellow
When bride Morgan told me she wanted her primary color to be a ‘’lemon yellow’’ I immediately knew fruit would play a part. For her festive summer wedding at Fountainview Mansion, the vibrant palette popped against the coolness of the pool and subtly of the surrounding landscape. Lemons were the theme and the result was a zesty combination of cobalt blue and vibrant yellow! *photos by FlipFlopFoto.com

The Inspiration: Something Blue

Bride Erin requested a classic look, centered around the color blue for her summer wedding. Like Morgan, her wedding was also held at Fountainview Mansion so we knew the blue of the pool would be a focal point. To set off the blue of the hydrangeas, I once again turned to my old friend-the Granny Smith apple. The crispness of the green was a bold contrast to the classic coolness of the blue and the combination was perfect in this lush outdoor setting. *photos by Carson Studios

Jun 15

Peyton and Tyler – Married!

This wedding makes me smile all over! Peyton and I knew each other through a mutual friend as we all were in the events industry here in Auburn. Peyton planned events for the College of Science and Math at Auburn University. So, when it came time for her own wedding, Peyton was smart enough to know that she couldn’t handle the day all on her own. To be sure, she is one of the most detail oriented people I know and I loved following her progress in her planning. But, she decided to ask me to oversee her wedding day activities and make sure they all went as planned.

I was thrilled to be her wedding planner! Peyton has great taste and working with someone in the industry who knows events from a different angle is kind of a treat. We both knew the vendors well, we both knew how things should go. It was great! It was a warm wedding in July. But, things were perfect as guests gathered for a beautiful ceremony at Auburn United Methodist Church and then for the wedding reception at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art. A Toomer-tini greated guests (homage to Auburn’s Toomer’s Drugs Lemonade), station dinner and dancing on the patio. My husband, Dallas, served as my dutiful assistant that day and we had a blast. It was more than clear that Peyton and Tyler were happy, happy, happy!

So, here are the highlights from their wedding. It was gorgeous! Thank you to Greg Johnson of Greg Johnson Photography for the wonderful photos. Congratulations you guys!

Jun 9

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DIY Weddings – The Crafty Post

It should go without saying that “Do-It-Yourself” and weddings go hand in hand. Weddings are generally thought of as a woman’s domain and I know scores of women that just love a crafty project. I, myself, have been known to tackle such a project. In general, I wouldn’t say that I’m a “crafty” person. I would probably have to search for a while to find my glue gun. However, I will definitely jump into an involved project if a – I can’t find what I want or b – I know exactly how I want it and it would be best if I just did it myself (my long suffering husband can attest to this).

I was thinking about my various projects (wedding related and otherwise) as I flipped through my current copy of Martha Stewart Weddings. This issue is dubbed their “DIY Issue”. I consider Martha Stewart the be all, end all of DIY and crafty genius. So, I was loving the issue. After a while, though, I got to thinking about how you can take DIY too far. As much as I love personal touches, I just want to explain where DIY needs to stop and someone else needs to take over. Not that Martha’s projects are too much at all. It’s just that many people can get caught up in the DIY spirit and really take on too much. I have spent some time thinking about it and the following items are my Rules for DIY.

1. Hands on projects must end before the wedding day. Whatever items you decide that you will be constructing for the wedding, be sure that they can be/are finished before the day of the wedding. For example, that means that I don’t agree with or suggest that you, or anyone who is emotionally attached to the wedding, try to take on your own floral arranging. Most flowers will need to be dealt with the day of the wedding. You don’t need to worry about anything other than making sure you enjoy your family and friends as much as possible on your wedding day. Not the flowers. So, what items would be eligible under this rule? Invitations, favors, custom decor pieces. Anything that isn’t perishable. My favorite DIY item is invitations. They have to be done and in the mail at least 6 weeks before the wedding. While invitations can be stressful, at least that stress isn’t adding to the wedding day its self. Your wedding director will be able to help you set out all the pre-made centerpieces, guest book, etc.

2. Anything that has legal stipulations that comes with it should not be considered DIY. Food, alcohol, sometimes transportation should be left to the professionals. Please. Self catering is the worst thing I have ever heard of. It will not help your budget if anyone gets sick and then sues you. Or, if you are careless with your bar. Weddings don’t need to have police visits.

3. Second-degree DIY. This what I call it when you have talented family or friends who you can call upon for various wedding duties. And usually, these are budget friendly. Our favorite, right? I am all about working the “friends discount” system. But, be careful what you ask for. Getting anyone that you are really close with to do wedding day activities (food, photos, directing, etc.) can mean several things. First, those friends/family won’t get to enjoy your wedding. They are working. No fun. Second, what happens when something goes wrong with one of those items? Now, you are dealing with someone you are close with and not just a hired vendor. It makes things very confusing. Personal story: I love it when my friends and family get married. Not only am I just over-the-moon excited for them, but I want to be as available as possible for them. I would handle it all for them if they wanted me too. But, when my best friends got married and asked me and my husband to be in the wedding, I knew that it would be a little difficult for me to serve as wedding director. I do have a team that could have stepped in when I was otherwise preoccupied. But, Joanna didn’t ask me to do this. Instead, she hired another group of directors to help her with her wedding day. And guess what? I had the best time ever at a wedding. My husband and I got to celebrate our friends’ wedding like everyone else. Of course, during the planning, I was available as her consultant. But, that day was strictly about our friends and being happy with them. It was the nicest thing ever.

Just to make plain that I am not anti-DIY, here is a list of things that were DIY at my own wedding: all printing (The envelope liner photo is from an old Martha Stewart. I did that exact same collage-type liner for my invitations), favors and dress. Yep. My mother (seamstress extraordinaire) made my dress. It was the best part about my whole wedding. We spent hours designing it (inspiration from a Carolina Herrera gown) and I am still in love with it – 7 years later.

So, have a good time making your wedding as personal as possible. Just keep these tips in mind to keep you from being too stressed out come wedding day.

XOXO – Julie

Jun 2

Budgets, Calendars and the Well Planned Wedding

thedecisivemoment.com One of my favorite ceremony designs for Brooke and Tom's wedding.

I am a Twitter follower of many of the wedding industry movers and shakers. You know them – Martha Stewart Weddings (@marthaweddings), Colin Cowie (@colincowie), Preston Bailey (@prestonbailey), Style Me Pretty (@stylemepretty) and others (FYI – follow Invision at @invisionwedding. Do it. Now). Come to find out, many of them were attending the Engage!11 conference this past week and I got to read all their fun tweets from the events. This conference focuses on the luxury wedding market. We are talking large budgets. And, it got me thinking. While any wedding vendor will tell you that they would love to have luxury wedding clients all the time (and I’ve had my share), I want to let brides know that they don’t have to spend a fortune to have a beautiful, gorgeous, personal wedding. Let me try to define the difference.

I’ll be honest. A wedding that has a large budget is really fun to work on. Why? Because. It’s a fantasy. It’s where you can fine tune design. It becomes its own thing. It has a life of its own. I get the chance to get lost in the art of floral design, be the paper snob that I really am deep down and marvel at exquisite designer gowns.

But I have also found that the beauty of a wedding has less to do with the amount of money you are spending and everything to do with the amount of time you have to plan it. There are lots of tricks to finessing a budget to get the things you want at your wedding. Plenty of DIY options on various wedding projects. But, regardless of what you are spending on it, if given the right amount of attention, even a budget wedding can be perfectly designed and executed. These are the weddings that are featured on wedding blogs. These are the weddings that are looked at for years and elements copied. These weddings might look simple and easy. But, believe me. Every single detail was thought about. It didn’t happen by accident.

I have planned weddings with all types of time frames and all types of budgets and I would say that to give really good attention to details, you need at least a year. Of my favorite weddings that I have done, I have had 15 months to plan. One thing that will help you a lot is knowing what you want and don’t want. That gives you the extra time and brain-space to be able to fine tune the minute details.

Regardless of how much time you have – hire a wedding planner! I know you would expect me to say that. But, it’s the truth. A planner/designer (and make sure they can do both) will help you keep all your elements working together. Give them the freedom to have an editing eye over the whole thing. Putting together the entire picture. That is where it all starts.

So, call me!

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