wedding
father of the bride’s…are the best
I’ve been a wedding planner for 7 years and it’s so cool how we get to get a glimpse into people’s families and interact with them on such a highly emotional and personal day.
Some of my most memorable weddings comes from my interactions with the Father of the Bride. It’s a tough day for them. Watching their baby girl walk down the aisle and turning his most precious possession over to another man….yeah, if you know ANYTHING about men, it’s a really, tough day for them.
So today, for a very personal reason, I’d like to pay a little homage to past Father of the Brides (or affectionately called The FOB) who personally made a big impact with me. There are many more than just featured here…
photo credit: studio b
2007 FOB, Steve Burris
What I loved about Steve he was a total business man with a great attitude. He actually interviewed me while his daughter and Mom sat quietly. Steve would chuckle about the expense of “flour and water” for a wedding cake and roll his eyes at his wife’s obsession for the perfect floral or gown to wear. But secretly, he loves his family and would do anything for them. Our team worked extra hard to WOW him at his daughter’s wedding and we met his high standards. He also let me know at the end of the reception that he would of spent TWICE the amount that he did for his little girl. Steve, thanks for letting me know that AFTER the event….
photo credit: jordan barclay
2008 FOB, Doug Little
Sometimes Dad’s are chosen. That was Doug Little, technically a step dad but in every important way, a real dad to his daughter. He’s pretty quiet, but has a sense of humor and a great laugh. He was a little overwhelmed by all the wedding planning. Not sure what to make of all the decoration selections or the food tasting. He would of been happy with a beer and a burger, probably. But the way he looked at his (step) daughter; pure joy would shine through his face. He couldn’t be more proud of his little girl. He even played along with the Jewish tradition of putting on the kippa for the ceremony (which he forgot to take off until WAY into the reception).
photo credit: jordan barclay
2009 FOB, Glen Sturm
Actually I met Glen for the first time the Friday before the wedding. You can see what an impression he made on me to make this short list on the blog. First, he’s a jokester and a prankster. I figured that out real quick. But he is also a planner. Actually all the Sturms meticulously plan out details. From taking dance lessons and practicing the day before with his daughter AT the reception hall for their Father/Daughter dance to writing his Welcome Speech about a year in advance, (which by the way, major props…that speech was awesome), to the high stool chairs that you brought from home so the bride and groom could sit while you made all the guests laugh.
photo credit: equinox photography
2010 FOB, Michael Espenlaub
Some Dads are rock solid, some are rockstars. Enter Michael Espenlaub. To begin with, his lovely daughter just wanted the planning…forever events team for design and decor for her wedding. But when Michael learned more about our Wedding Day Management service, he was sold and hired us. He came to EVERY planning meeting, even when we tried to “lose him” by going to sushi for a meeting (just kidding). He called me, “HIS wedding planner”. I won’t lie, a personal first. Favorite part of the day, we were walking his daughter outside to the front of the church minutes away from getting married, he hung back on the side watching her. He thought we didn’t notice, but we did. He loves his daughter very much and would do anything for her. And as a selfish bonus, has another daughter. Michael…….call me.
photo: my daddy and me in 1969
Why all this talk about Daddies today? Because this morning at 6:45am marked the one year anniversary when my own Dad, passed away. Instead of being sad, I want to remember good times and celebrate the living.
Being a Daddy’s Girl, I’ve always been acutely aware of the Father of the Bride and what he must be feeling on his daughter’s wedding day. But now since my Dad is gone, I seem to be drawn to watching them, watch their little girls.
So even though it is not “Father’s Day”, do me a favor. If your Dad is still living…..please call him, email him, text him or better, hug him and tell you that you love him.
we’re back!
You missed us, I know you did. Here’s a secret. We have missed YOU too.
While we’ve been absent to the blog, we birthed something new … a brand new website and look for planning…forever events.
We hope you take a moment to take a peak at it. This website would not be possible without our fabulous clients and even more fantastic photographers who were generous enough to share their photos with us.
Couple points of interest:
- Every event in our galleries are events we have produced through event planning and design/decor with floral.
- Notice a link on the right hand side: love stories… This link will feature recent weddings from start to finish. Clients if you would like to have your weddings featured there (and we would too), then please encourage your photographers to share their photos of your event.
Thank you all, it’s been a labor of love, but we think it’s pretty great. If you like it, please leave a comment!
wish upon a wedding
Pleased to let our readers be aware of a new non-profit organization that will be helping people who are terminally ill. I’m so pleased to announce/promote:
Wish Upon A Wedding was founded in San Francisco, CA, in January of 2010, by a group of wedding and business entrepreneurs and is America’s FIRST nonprofit wedding wish granting organization, producing weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States for individuals facing terminal illness, regardless of sexual orientation.
Chapters:
Wish Upon A Wedding is now boasting twenty chapters nationwide, headed by some of the industry’s most renowned leaders with plans to expand to over 40 chapters worldwide.
Presidents:
Sasha Souza, National President & SF Bay Area President
Kevin Covey, LA/Orange County
Stella Inserra, New York
Ivy Robinson, The Carolinas
Eliana Baucicault, Atlanta
Mary Alice Sublett, Tennessee
Mark Kingsdorf, Philadelphia
Heather Hamilton Sims, Houston
Elisa Delgardio, Orlando
Ali Phillips, Chicago
Daniela Isabella Ferdico Fagét, Seattle
Forming Additional Chapters:
Other chapters opening soon include Boston, Colorado, Arizona, Portland, Miami, St. Louis, Ohio and Nevada. We are also planning to open to chapters in other areas depending on need including international chapters. If you wish to start a chapter, please fill out the online form for consideration.
Who Is Behind Wish Upon A Wedding?
Many influential people in the industry are beginning to endorse Wish Upon A Wedding & you can find those endorsements on the website. There are also amazing people sitting on the Boards and Advisory Panel throughout the US such as Dana Larue Stiebel “Broke-Ass Bride” {LA Chapter PR Chair}, Leila Khalil {National PR Advisor}, Beth Helmstetter {National Outreach Director} just to name a few. They would love to have you join as well either as a board member or wish granter!
How We Grant Wishes:
To qualify for Wishes, applicants must be unmarried legal citizens of the United States, over the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with less than three years to live. Couples can be granted wishes either in the chapter where they live or in a chapter of their choosing as long as they are able to make the trip.
Couples can simply apply online to request one of three wedding types:
URGENT (Up to 10 guests, in hospital or at bedside);
BOUTIQUE (up to 25 guests, in home town of applicant);
ROMANTIC (Up to 50 guests, at any WUW destination)
How Can You Grant Wishes?
As the organization is building, Wish Granters are needed in all locations. Please apply online today to start helping Wedding Wishes come true. In two weeks, Wish Upon A Wedding will be granting the very first wish. To read more about that wish and the couple please visit the website.
Please use this info on your own blog and during the course of this week…if you have the time and the room on your blog this week.
It will help build a network of very important people in this industry whose main goal is to help these very deserving couples. After all, if you are in the business of creating lifetime memories, we are now asking you to help us create memories for those who are left behind because these couples do not have a lifetime together.
a happy mother of the bride
I usually don’t post these in my blog content (well in the kudos section), but I received this lovely email from a Mother of the Bride at 12:15am this morning. (And a similar email happened to my planner friend, Emilie Duncan).
Maddy + Gregg’s wedding was yesterday and it was fantastic. Small, intimate and lovely. What was personal for me was that Maddy’s father passed away few years ago, so we were extra sensitive to this issue, but we still felt that he was there in spirit.
This is the email:
Saundra,
Mere words cannot say how terrific I think you are. You made it all come together perfectly for one of the best weddings my family and I as well as our guests have ever attended. This day would not have been as happy and stress free without you. I know from a professional standpoint we were pretty small potatoes, but I could see how much you love what you do, and I am so grateful for you accepting us as your clients. You absolutely ROCK. I know I was a skeptic a year ago, but change makes believers, and I am absolutely your biggest fan.
Thank you again for putting all the special touches in to this happy happy day. You kept my baby and me smiling and worry free. You can add us to your list of references prospective clients can call and I will sing your praises from the rooftops. It was an A HA day all the way.
Warmest and heartfelt regards,
Stephanie Heine
Heart you both back!
wedding details :: napkins
Might sound silly, but a huge pet peeve of ours is how your napkin is folded on the table. It’s a detail that is often overlooked.
Your venue coordinator or caterers may suggest napkin folds like this:
photo credit: napkin folding guide
The pyramid, fan or bishop hat napkin fold should never see your wedding reception. And anything stuck in a glass goblet. These napkin folds are for business meetings, not your beautiful wedding.
However, if you get too creative on the fold, your caterer may not have the staff to implement a challenging fold for 300 guests. Remember too, that you have to use a stiffer 100% cotton napkin for some folds, which isn’t always what caterer’s carry. So be sure to check into that before you decide on a particular fold.
However it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Take a look what we’ve created at some of our weddings:
first 2 photos: studio b and 3rd photo: walker studio
The first photo, the bride Katie, decided to come in the day before the wedding with her bridesmaids and moms, and we hand tie bows/menus on each napkin. Definitely made a beautiful display on the table.
The second photo, the bride, Brittany, really wanted to have charger plates, however since we were having petits fours on the table it would have been too cluttered. I love this fold that drapes off the table. It gives a great presentatin and it’s easy to implement.
The final photo is our bride, Christy, really wanted silver chargers on the table. The table presentation was full, so in this instance it was better to go with a simple napkin fold and not take away from the decor.
What are you going to do with your napkins?
make a grand entrance to your wedding
Getting introduced into your wedding reception is a tradition that we LOVE to keep. It’s obvious you both are the guests of honor and it’s proper to make that recognition.
Here’s a couple of ideas:
- Let your wedding party go into the reception and start the party. Only you and your groom will be introduced into the wedding reception. It’s quick, clean and easy.
- Consider being introduced about half way into your cocktail party. Why miss all the fun?
- Make a real splash and do something fun and funky (but safe too). Like our clients Amanda and Brian. They had a super fun wedding party that were doing impromptu dancing and lots of fun antics. Amanda turned to my intern, Aubree, and asked, “What should we do?” Aubree suggested that Brian put Amanda on his shoulder….before the next beat, up she went!
photo credit: walker studio
What a fabulous entrance that made a great photo and the audience totally whooped it up!
So how will you enter your wedding reception?
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