Permission or Forgiveness?

I enjoyed this wedding for many reasons. It challenged me in a way I hadn't been challenged before. You may know, I am now living in Rochester, MN. The mother of the bride contacted me from Kansas City; and therefore, we had a bit of a working, long-distance relationship. Surprisingly enough the mother and I had only two phone conversations and one meeting the day before the wedding. I have to say I was extremely proud of the bride's vision, the mother's organization, and my implementation with the amount of detail that went into this wedding.

Even better, this bride and I could easily be best friends - we love the color orange, Corvettes and are both major daddy's girls.

Let's get started! The ceremony was at Country Club Christian and was very traditional and classy. Everything was simple, black and white - with the exception of the bride's surprise orange bouquet!


Her mother's dress was remade to fit her perfectly. You have to love the uniqueness and significance of this dress.




For all you daddy's girls, I couldn't resist this picture!


And, without a doubt, I have to highlight the mother of the bride after all of her hard work. She and I worked very well together. This is how a lot of our conversations went: "Anne, I don't care what they tell you, I want 12 votives on each table." "Anne, it doesn't matter what they say, I want the Corvette parked right here!" My external answer: "Yes, ma'am!" My internal thought: "I LOVE this lady! Let's get things done!"


Gotta love the first see.



For their recessional, the bride and groom had a traditional, petal toss exit. It was great that the church allowed us to drop real petals in the aisle, which is pretty uncommon. Anticipating the newlyweds to cross the threshold, a few youngsters were waiting above in the balcony to shower them with petals! So, not only did they get petals tossed from side to side, they had them drop from above. This was one of my favorite things to coordinate. I love the little touches! (And though you don't get a great idea from this picture, just use your imaginations!)


Here is one of the 'do you ask permission or forgiveness' instances. If you can't park the Corvette on the street, why not just back it up right on the sidewalk? Our families would get along so well!


There was also a running joke/concern between the father and the youngest son of will the car stay idling - will it actually start for them to ride away in...


Success! Dad was so proud of his baby (both car and daughter)!


And now to the party! The reception was held at the Hilton President downtown where they turned it up a notch. Unlike the subtle, black and white ceremony, the reception screamed with personality in orange and green. There was a definite transition, while taste and class were never compromised. There was a cocktail hour in the mezzanine and once the wedding party arrived, the guests were escorted to the ballroom.



The flowers provided by Botanica were exquisite.



The mother of the bride gave her kids these figurines as Christmas gifts when they were young. Now they are being used as their cake toppers. Love it!



It's common today for the bride to choose something interesting and personal as her guest book. This could be a photo album, a coffee table book of their favorite city or a symbol of something important to the bride and groom. This couple chose to let their guests write notes to them and drop them in a large brandy snifter. It was a great focal point of the entry table.


And my baby of the wedding - the entry table. Give me something with great detail and you'll make my night! Another commonality between the bride, her mother and me was a love for orchids.




Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your big day. It was such a treat for me to travel to Kansas City, and your wedding night will always be one that I remember. I hope that the same is true for you and that it exceeded your expectations!

Photography - Wirken Photography. Check out Becca's blog here.
Cake - Take the Cake
Flowers - Botanica
Chair Ties - Be Seated
Transportation - Horizon Limousine
Band - KC All Stars

Look what I spotted...

I have a new favorite route to run in Rochester...3 miles to the Historic Mayowood Mansion and back. But today, it's a favorite for a new reason! I spotted a wedding. My first Minnesota wedding. I was so excited I had to go back for some photos.



After a little research, I found out this is the Mayowood Stone Barn. And wow, is it perfect for an outdoor wedding!


I love the character of the old stone.


I don't think you could ask for a better tree! Amazingly, it acts as a canopy over the whole ceremony, giving it so much energy and intimacy.


Love, love, love chandeliers! Nothing more needs to be said.

And now it get's sneaky! I had to climb through the fence to get these shots...but I couldn't resist. Don't worry. I had a few "get out of jail free" stories ready just in case anyone came out asking what I was up to!


Personally, I'm sensing a secret inspiration due to these flowers...Texas country! Maybe that's why this gorgeous set up caught my eye. These flowers are beautiful and really enhance this vision (Le Jardin European Style Floral). I wish I could meet the bride...I'm picturing an elegant, simple, fully-laced gown with a bit of an antique feel. How about you?!


And I'll leave you looking down the isle. I can't get over the personality of this tree...looks like it just wants to give the couple a hug doesn't it?!

First Dinner Party

This isn't a typical post for me! Usually I only post events that I have planned or coordinated, but last night David and I hosted our first little dinner party since we've been in Rochester. It was so much fun I decided to show a few of the details.

There are some great running trails behind our house with the most amazing wild flowers. I thought that this would be the perfect excuse to pick some! I'm not sure if you are actually allowed to pick these flowers, so I think my punishment was itching the whole way home!



I just love all the vibrant colors, but I was a little bummed that the started to get droopy so quickly. But, what can you do? They served the purpose for the evening though, and it sure was fun picking them!

I wish I had a pic of the app I made because that did turn out perfectly. It was brie inside an amazingly, golden-brown puff pastry with jalapeno jelly on top! So easy and one of my favs. It was also fun to surprise one of our guests with his favorite beer...


And it brought back some great Kansas City memories while serving it (it's brewed in KC)!

Now David was in charge of the main course, his famous burgers, so I do have to give him credit for those!

Finally, I have to show off the apple pie I made! It's the Pioneer Women's Scrumptious Apple Pie, and you can find the recipe here. This is probably a better fall or winter-ish pie, but dessert is dessert so I figured I couldn't go wrong! To save myself time I didn't make the crust, but if you're looking for a good crust recipe her's is amazing.


We had a great time, and I have to say the couple that came over had the most adorable little girls. If I had pics of them, they'd be up here as favorites too!

A Little "Flair"

I apologize that it's been awhile since my last post. My husband and I were wrapped up in a big move...to Minnesota.

But I'd like to share a long-standing wedding inspiration and a little bit more about me. Something I have always LOVED are peacock feathers (much to my mother-in-laws disliking)! Don't you feel like you should enjoy a nice bold glass of red wine while looking at these fine feathers?!


To me these gorgeous feathers scream elegant, regal, bold and of course are stunning just like the bride should be! I also believe they can symbolize a Godly marriage, in which they are grand, glorious, exalted and majestic.

So, if you're looking for a bold or vintage inspiration, consider the peacock feather.

Below are a few items I found on Etsy.com that are making me re-plan my wedding as I type.




Including a real peacock feather with your save the date is an interesting and lively way to set the tone for your guests.


A hair piece for your bridesmaids is the perfect balance between staying simple and sweet yourself but infusing this sassy theme.



Less dramatic and informal invitation.


Well I'm definitely going to need one of these stampers!


And this creme colored, bleached peacock feather is a great way of playing with the vision, but toning it down a notch. I also love that this designer has added the texture of recycled paper.


China from Unique Tabletop Rentals (Style Me Pretty).



Beautiful, simple cake from Flora's Divine Cakes.


Bouquet by Craig Sole Design (Style Me Pretty).

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A few fast facts on the peacock:

• The male is actually called a peacock, and the female is technically called a peahen but can be still be called a "peacock" or "female peacock."
• The peacock is the national bird of India...jealous!
• The tail feathers are called a "train"...ironic?
• And the males flair their feathers to get the females attention. Worked for me!
  

Schloegel/Dunn Wedding

For never coordinating a winter wedding before, this was a great wedding to begin with. I think the saying is, "go big or go home," right? I loved every minute of coordinating this wedding. There was even a surprise performance at midnight, so when I say every minute I mean every minute!

Ali and I had a few unique things in common from the beginning. We both played soccer at TCU, and from our initial meeting I could tell we were going to have a ball together. No pun intended!

Ali described her vision as classy and fun with an emphasis on the dance floor. However, that vision was really brought to life by Maple Fields Florist. Her primary color was gold (with a touch of green), and it made for a perfectly elegant winter wedding.

(All photos were taken by Walt Whitaker.)




Bridesmaid dresses were designed and created by Candida Allison.



It snowed the day before the wedding, creating a picture perfect background for the bride and groom!



Ali and Tim were married at St. Peter's Parish, and I had the privilege of setting votives in each cove and on each ledge outside the church. It provided a wonderful first impression for not only the ceremony, but for the reception as well.



The details, my favorite part!



These days brides are getting very crafty with their "guest books." Instead of signing a traditional book that will never be opened again, brides are thinking of things that have a more personal touch and that they can truly enjoy. Things that can be used everyday as decor in their homes. A common idea is a coffee table book, either based on their wedding theme, wedding colors, places the bride and groom have traveled together or maybe where they will be traveling on their honeymoon. Ali chose these wine bottles! Very fun. As they sip a glass of wine together, Ali and Tim can remember the sweet moments or laugh at the crazy dancing! They used the Michael Beers Band, and they were phenomenal!


The cake, desserts and impeccable customer service were all provided by Indian Hills Country Club. This staff truly amazed me! I have never been so confident with a team I was working with.


I do love the popcorn! Some of you may remember the popcorn buffet I did in September. I'm excited to say that I take away more than just a few sweets from each wedding. I really do learn something new from each bride and each wedding and it inspires me for the next. The popcorn was displayed differently for this wedding, and it was a great idea to pre-bag the popcorn. It was easier for the guests and me. I was less noticeable, as restocking the popcorn was much faster and I wasn't cleaning the table nearly as often.

Ali also added some fun detail with the "pop in to see us" stickers on each bag. It was a very cute way to give each guest their new address!


As I mentioned earlier, here is the midnight performance. Ali surprised Tim with a two man Irish band to lead them out of the reception and into their limo. It was a perfect touch, and I do have to say I enjoyed the coordination. Throw in a last minute surprise and I'll raise my hand any time!

Ali and Tim, thank you so much for allowing me to enjoy your wedding day with you. I loved being your wedding coordinator and getting to know your families so well. You have such a fun crowd. Many blessings!