Real Wedding {Carly & Jesse} The Harbor Club 6/23/12

Carly & Jesse are the classic story of young love. She was a sorority girl & he a frat boy...need we say more? Well, we will! The beautiful ceremony took place at the charming Bellevue First Congressional Church and the reception was held high amongst the city of Bellevue on the 25th floor of the Symetra Financial Building, downtown. Needless to say, the views were breathtaking. The decor was simple, classic, and mostly purple! With an amazing staff and crew, the evening went off beautifully. The bride looked absolutely radiant and the groom happy and handsome as ever!

The night did not end until both the sorority and frat had each done their special chant to celebrate the event.

At evening end, the bride & groom whisked off in the limo headed to their hotel, then off to Oahu! Congrats to Carly & Jesse!

Vendors:

Venue & catering: http://www.harborclub.org/

Day-of Coordination: http://www.itsyourdayevents.com/

Photography: http://www.danapleasant.com/

Cake: http://kelliscakecreations.com/

IYD Wedding: Gillian & Mitchell July 21st, 2012

July 21st, 2012! It was a gorgeous day for a wedding on the Kirkland waterfront, at the always lovely Woodmark! We arrived to Woodmark to find the Marina Room filled with Gillian's flowers- they smelled amazing. Her flowers were very romantic and lush; garden roses, lilies, and in her color pallet of coral, white, green with navy blue vases;  crisp and nautical. She was getting ready in her suite, surrounded by all her bridesmaids and moms as the men were getting ready down the way! Gillian looked so beautiful in her lace dress, with an elegant pale grey silk ribbon around her waist. She was a vision! Mitch and his boys looked equally handsome! Courtney Bowlden of Courtney Bowlden Photography was busy snapping up shots of this great couple! Here is a peek into their day!

I loves this last one! It looks as though they are celebrities, making a get away!

Vendors

Venue/Catering -Woodmark, Kirkland WA

Planner/Day of Coordinator- It's Your Day Events & Expressions

Cake- Sweet Cakes

Photography- Courtney Bowlden

Flowers- Fena Flowers, Kirkland, WA

Stationary- Custom Design, Minted.

DJ/Band- The Action Slacks

Thanks Gillian & Mitch, for letting us help out on such a big day!

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Wedding Shows

So you are engaged! Or maybe one of your good friends are? Well congratulations! It's that time of year, where a huge surge in wedding shows is upon us. There are tons of shows in January and several on weekends even weekday nights throughout the remainder of the year. Some are large, some are more intimate. It can be really confusing to sort out and get the best vendors among whose-who especially at the larger shows such as The Seattle Wedding Show, The NW Bridal Expo, and the Seattle or Tacoma Wedding Expo's (from Brides Club).

Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your experience when visiting wedding shows:

1. Look for vendors who look like they are actually happy to be there and are engaging. Some people can be too pushy however. Don't let anyone push you in to anything you don't want. Interact with the vendors and get to know them a little. These are people who will be servicing you on one of the biggest days of your life. If you do not like them as a person why would you hire them?

2. Once you do get to know the vendors and there is someone you do like or someone you don't like, how are you going to remember them out of the hundreds of booths you are visiting that day? Do one of two things: Either bring a little note pad and make notes of names of companies you really did like or bring  a few colors of sticky notes and stick them on the brochures, flyers and cards given out by companies. You can use for example green for places you loved, yellow for places that were so-so and red/pink for places that were a huge no way! (Get the metaphor relation to a traffic light there?) Since they are sticky notes you can also make notes on them if you have the chance.

3. Look for vendors who are having sales specifically for the show or a short period of time. Many vendors offer special rates at the bridal shows, while others do not. Look for the ones who are offering a quality product but yet a special rate for you to take advantage of. Lots of places will give out free favors too! Loot score! (Make sure you get the free tote bag at the entrance).

4. If you haven't picked out a wedding cake (or if you are hungry even), make sure to stop by all the delicious cake booths offering samples. It is a great way to try out many bakeries all in one stop without having to travel all around the Sound to find that perfect cake or cupcakes or desert!

5. Lots of times you might see a great idea at a show as well. You might see a dress at a bridal booth you love or a flower centerpiece or a table display from a wedding planner or rental company that you just must have. That is why its always a great idea to have a camera. Sure you can write your ideas in your notepad but your camera will help you remember your idea even better, plus you and your MOH or fiance can document your fun experience. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

6.  At shows, nearly every vendor/booth is offering some sort of drawing. Save your hand some pain and strain and print your self out some pre-addressed labels. Make sure they include your phone # and/or email so they can contact you if and when you do win!

Upcoming Wedding Shows:

Seattle Wedding Show                                                                              January 7 & 8          Washington Convention & Trade Center

NW Bridal Expo                                                                                          January 14 &15        Tulalip Casino Ballroom (It's Your Day will be in booth #110)

Seattle Wedding Expo                                                                              January 14 & 15       Seattle Center

Space Needle Wine & Wedding Experience                                    January 19                 Space Needle

Tacoma Wedding Expo                                                                           January 21 & 22       Tacoma Dome

Lynnwood-Everett Wedding Expo                                                   January 28 & 29       Comcast Arena

Wine & Wedding Experience -Hollywood Schoolhouse          February 2                  The Hollywood Schoolhouse, Woodinville

Snohomish Wedding Tour                                                                    May 20, 2012           Venues around Snohomish

The Seattle Freeze!?

While I was eating lunch today I flipped on the TV and 'New Day Northwest' was on.  I would have changed the channel but they started talking about the Seattle dating scene and it sounded kind of interesting. A woman was on talking who I found out was dating coach Barb Morgan and she mentioned that " the most recent US Census reveals that Seattle has the second highest number of single households of any US city." Wow! That is insane! Her and the host and the other two guests who were two singles going through her program "60 Dates in 60 Days" then started talking about how maybe it was because of the Seattle culture and how it was hard to meet other singles. The male on the show mentioned he was from California and he was not used to it being so hard to meet people.

This actually blew me away because it reiterated a point my boyfriend tried to make to Christina and I the other day after he came back from a 25 day trip to Louisiana. Him and his friend said the people there were so friendly, unlike people here. That you can just go into any bar and start chatting with someone, whereas if you did that here, if a guy went up to a girl she might give you a dirty look and turn away or say something rude.

Barb Morgen recently launched the site www.60DatesIn60Days.com to encourage singles to get out and find someone already. She says that’s harder than you might think in a city where singles outnumber married folk and the term “Seattle freeze” is common.

So, what is this Seattle Freeze phenomenon or theory we have been talking about?  According to Urban Dictionary Seattle Freeze is:

A phrase that describes a local public consensus that states the city of Seattle and/ or its outlying suburbs are generally not friendly, asexual, introverted, socially aloof, cliquish or strictly divided through its social classes, thus making the city/ area difficult to make social connections on all levels.

Hmmm...really...what do you guys think. Do you find this to be an accurate portrayal of Seattleites? Also, Morgan asked this question and we are also wondering what you think-" Has this disproportionate number of singles has made it so easy to live an unmarried lifestyle that many just never get around to getting hitched?”

Let us know what you think!

-Ashley

Sources: UrbanDictionary, Seattle PI, New Day Northwest

Wine Tasting...Local, Easy & Fun!

For many brides, one of the tasks that comes with planning is picking out the wines for your big day. But what kind do you choose? Syrah? Merlot? A mixture? A nice sweet Riesling? If you are a wine connoisseur or have done your fair share of working in an Italian restaurant like my best friend, you might have no problem at all doing this. You may give your fiancé a list you already have pre-selected and send him off to Costco or your favorite wine cellar. But for the novice like me, who often finds the taste of red wine vinegary and lip puckering, you might find this task somewhat overwhelming.
How can you find wines that you’d like to be at your wedding instead of just randomly picking or having brands that your mother suggested or picked out for you? One way to do that is to go to wine tastings, and the great thing about that is where we are located, near a great Mecca of Wine Country in Woodinville.
According to the website www.woodinvillewinecountry.com, Woodinville is home to over 70 wineries! Woodinville, which is less the 30 minutes from downtown Seattle, is regarded as a unique haven for exceptional winemakers. It is home to the well known brands and historic grounds of Chateau St. Michelle and Columbia Winery to even the smallest and unique boutiques such as Convergence Zone Cellars or Pomum Cellars.
Visit one or several of the wineries in one day, you can easily plan your route with the map provided on the website or wander around the warehouse district and see what strikes you. Many of the wineries have what are called “tasting rooms,” located in a warehouse district of Woodinville off of Woodinville-Redmond road. These rooms usually offer up to 5 tastes of their featured wine for $5-10. But the great part about it is, if you like a wine you sampled, they will give you your tasting fee back-toward a bottle of wine to purchase. Some places will even offer this on multiple bottles.
This is why it works great if you are buying for a wedding. For example, I went into one winery that was offering their special that day of a clearance white wine at $7.99 a bottle, take away my $5 tasting fee and each bottle was then $2.99! Buy a few cases of those and you are set for your white selection!
So no, don’t pay those ridiculous bar fees or even grocery store prices! Grab a group of your friends, make plans and head to Woodinville. Many places will suggest reservations for groups over 6-8 however. But go ahead, make a day of it, try something new, something local, and check something off of your to-do list as well.