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Real Weddings :: Becca & John

0 · May 19, 2016 ·

August has been on my mind a lot lately. It really is a beautiful month to get married in, although it’s also a reminder that summer all too soon will be coming to an end. Becca and John got married in August. It was the most picturesque day. The heat of summer was all around with the breezes to Lake Michigan there to keep it in balance.

St. Joseph played host the celebration, with the nuptials being held at his parent’s beachside residence that ended up only being partially completed by the big day. But in the end, it didn’t matter that everything wasn’t perfect. It didn’t matter that construction schedules ran behind. What mattered was their love. It was on this same property that he had proposed to Becca one year prior, in the town where both had spent the summers of their youth, so in the end, it really was perfect.

It was a Jewish ceremony with a custom made birch chuppah. It was brought to my attention that the four open sides of a chuppah represent open doors and hospitality. Becca and John’s home will always be a place of welcome for friends and family. I love the tradition of being married under a chuppah all the more now. And theirs was extra special as it was adorned with Becca’s grandfather’s pray shall. Don’t forget to add just a little sentimental value to your wedding day.

After the ceremony, the celebration continued at The Heritage Center, where guests were wined and dined and danced the night away. A live band, a cupcake truck and a sparkler exit complete with a pedicab driven by the best man for the getaway vehicle of choice. Warm summer nights like these will live in our memories forever.

You can also see this wedding featured on Style Me Pretty here.

The Mathematics Behind Planning a Wedding

0 · Feb 18, 2016 ·

Ever noticed how many numbers are involved in wedding planning? The realization hit home again this morning after weeks of catching up on the accounting and the nasty side of running a business…and taxes. Ugh.

BHLDN Table Number | Wedding Planning Tips | The Day's Design | Clary Pfeiffer Photography

Photography: Clary Pfeiffer Photography

From an entrepreneurial standpoint, this seems obvious and expected when you own and operate a small business. But I started thinking about this from a bride’s perspective too. There are centerpiece calculations, seating chart dilemmas, invitation orders, meals, bridal attendants, amount of alcohol consumed, seats and modes of transportation and then the really obvious number quandary – the dreaded budget.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg and perhaps one of the reasons that planning a wedding is so difficult. So much of it is left to chance, predictions and mathematical calculations.

‘If Grandma Betty contributes $5,000 and Papa Joe gives us $2,000 plus we can add $8,000 from our savings and Mom and Dad said they’d contribute as much as they did for my brother’s wedding (whatever that amount was!?) And then if we invite 150 guests, maybe 125 will show up so we can expect to pay for only 125 meals but then we have to feed our vendors so that’s an extra 10 meals but only alcohol for 125, yet there could be as many as 15 minors there so maybe we will have more to spend on wine because there should only be 110 people drinking. And then do those tables seat 8 or 10 guests? Maybe we can have less centerpieces which will allow us to put more towards a ceremony arbor. But Aunt Susie can’t be sitting next to Uncle Bert which will mean we can only have 7 people at that table… Should we order enough cake for all our guests? Does everyone even like cake? Do we rent the same amount of chairs for the ceremony and the reception – I heard lots of guests only come for the reception and my wedding party will be standing up anyway. Or can the catering staff just move the chairs from one place to another for us? And what vendors do we tip and are there expected percentages? Who’s going to take my 65 miscellaneously collected vintage containers home at the end of the night? And how many wedding presents can I really fit in my car…’

If that has you just a tiny bit mind boggled, know that I barely scratched the surface of all the numbers and logistics that needs to be walked through before your wedding celebration can flow seamlessly, or at least with very few hiccups involved.

As I wrote this, I started having flashbacks to this Father of the Bride moment (which is without doubt, the best wedding planning movie ever) and it’s no wonder that George Banks has a mental breakdown.

My advice? Get rid of the superfluous buns. Hire a planner. Relieve stress. And I need to hire an accountant.

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Real Weddings :: Tim & Christina, the Video

0 · Jan 28, 2015 ·

It’s hard to imagine condensing an entire wedding day into just over 3 minutes and yet Coastline Studios has done it with a perfection that captures the absolute heart of Tim and Christina’s relationship. This video transcribes every reason why I’m so in love with my job. It perfectly captures the true essence of marriage and what the relationship of man and wife and a Christ centered bond is all about. This couple and their families were such a joy to be around and made me fall in love with the wedding industry all over again. Every word of this is so heartfelt and sincere – I simply could not imagine a more perfect wedding day if I tried.

Dear Tim & Christina – thank you for allowing me to be a part of such a momentous occasion and what is sure to be the most treasured day of your life.

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