Surprise review from past clients

I love when I accidentally stumble upon nice words being said about me, by past clients. I just discovered Anne and John's review about me: "Katie did an amazing job of pulling together our wedding, it was so much more than we ever thought it would be! She is organized, detailed and takes the stress out of planning such a huge event! Katie also provided great vendor recommendations and saved us more than $2,000." and a 5 out of 5 star ranking.

Check out their complete review, including their words about the other vendors who participated. (Nature's Grace Design, KB Photography, Colorado Rose Cake Co, The DJ- Get Up and Dance, A Spice of Life Catering, Ryssby Church, Rembrandt Yard and Hotel Boulderado.)

http://www.weddingmapper.com/plan_wedding/co/denver/04j87e

Giving on your wedding day

Here is the article that I wrote and just submited to an editor for The Learning Channel website.


On Your Wedding Day, Give Back


More and more couples in this day and age are for-going registering for traditional wedding gifts such as toasters and bath towels. Why? Brides and grooms are older now and have been living on their own for sometime, or co-habitating with their fiancé. They already have all of the household items that they need. Some couples hope to receive un-conventional gifts such as recreational equipment or theatre tickets. Others create honeymoon registries. Others still, are increasingly turning their extravagant, one day celebrations into an excuse to give back. Whether an eco-friendly bride and groom, hoping to make an impact on the conservation of the rainforests, or a couple wanting to give to an organization specializing in research for a disease or disability that may hit close to home, there are many options of where to turn to when wanting to donate.

Sites to check out:
Changingthepresent.org - Lets friends honor a marriage with inspiring gifts: anything from providing a child with her first book to funding an hour of cancer research. Beautiful, personalized greeting cards include a photo and description of your gift. A few categories available to choose from are refugees, mental health, medical research, global warming and disaster relief.
IDoFoundation.org - Create a wedding gift registry with the I Do Foundation's partner stores and up to 10% of gift purchases will be donated to your favorite charity. Affiliates include Target, REI and Linens and Things.
JustGive.org - Couples getting married can choose specific charities, and justgive.org creates a special page the bride and groom refer their guests to, allowing them to donate to the charities in their names.

It is still concerned in poor taste to include information requesting a type of gift with the wedding invitations. Instead, get the message out by word of mouth. Enlist in the help of your immediate families and wedding party to pass on the word that you would rather your guests donate to a good cause than search for a blender. It is ok to let guests know, when they ask you where you are registered, that you are doing something different.

Need another excuse to give? You can spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars, on that little box of Jordan Almonds with the matching ribbon and mini picture frame/place card holder at each place setting. But is that a detail that you or your guests will remember years from now? Instead of a traditional guest favor, why not let your guests know that you are thankful they could witness your vows and that you have donated to your favorite charity in their names? You can describe the donation in a table card, a small scroll tied with a ribbon or any other way that can still coordinate with the colors and theme of your wedding. Some organizations, such the American Diabetes Association, will actually supply the table cards that explain the wedding donation to guests If you are remembering a specific loved one and that is why you chose the charity that you did, you can refer to them on the placecard with a special message:

In memory of ...
Although we can't see you,
We know you are here:
Smiling, watching over us
As we say "I do."
Forever in our hearts,
Forever in our lives —
And so we say our vows
In loving memory of you.

At the end of the wedding, the giving can continue. Ask your caterer to donate the leftover food to a homeless shelter. Have someone from your wedding party bring your floral centerpieces to a nursing home or hospital. You can even donate your wedding gown to an organization like bridesagainstbreastcancer.org.

St. Patrick's Day Wedding

Well I missed the ball on an inspiration collage for Valentine's Day, but here is an early one for St. Patrick's Day! Oh how I love Bells of Ireland!

Boettcher Mansion Wedding

Wow, I just realized I never posted on one of my favorite weddings. Dee Dee, an elementary school teacher and Stephen, a phys. ed. professional were wed in June at Boettcher Mansion in Golden.

We went with a nature theme with bright, jewel-toned colors, as in the ones seen here in the centerpieces. Orange, purple and red ribbon flowed from the outdoor arbor on the flagstone patio where the couple said their vow.s A twig of pine was tucked into each napkin with a pinecone at each place setting. The pinecones were collected personally by the bride and groom on nature hikes, leading up to their wedding day. Each table was labeled with the name of a national or state park that the bride and groom had visited together.The flowers were provided by Ria, with Nature's Grace Design, the cake made by a friend of the bride. Photos of the bride and groom's parents adorned their cake table.

At the end of the night, guests were shuttled back to their hotels, each with a World Famous Johnson's Corner cinnamon roll. The newlyweds departed in a turquose, vintage automobile, admittedly the photographer's favorite focal point to capture that night.

Photos are up of Anne and John's Wedding!

KB Photography did a great job photographing Anne and John's wedding on December 18th. The bride and groom raved to me about how thankful they were that Kevin and Jess followed them out into the cold and snow to photograph them and their wedding party galavanting around downtown Boulder. I finally had to put a stop to the group photos, to make them all come inside for the cake cutting, they were having way too much fun! Please visit Kevin's blog at http://kevinbphoto.blogspot.com/ to view the slideshow of their ceremony at Ryssby Church and reception at Rembrandt Yard.

Sail Away to Wedding Planning Bliss

It is only fitting that the theme for Colorado’s upcoming bridal show, presented by Go2Wed.com at Cherry Creek Marina and Yacht Club , be nautical. When brides arrive, they will receive their free Go2Wed boat tote. Pre-registered brides will be met with a themed gift, a great momento of the day. Wander around to visit with the area’s best wedding and event professionals, enjoy the views from the wall of glass windows overlooking the beautiful Cherry Creek State Park’s resevoir. Feel the airy breeze by the water’s edge as you relax, listen to music and sample the delectable hors d’ouvres provided by The Food Guy Catering. At the end of the show, be the lucky bride to win a FREE Honeymoon Cruise for 2 aboard a Carnival cruise ship prepared to set sail to the winner’s choice of the Bahamas or Baja Mexico! (Courtesy of Melody Sands, of Cruise Planners.) There will also be many other great prizes! So mark your calendar, we hope to “SEA” you there!

Las Vegas

Absolutely nothing to do with weddings or events but.............

Here are some pics from my trip to Las Vegas! (Without my kids!)

At the wax museum with Cameron Diaz.

The Gondola boats inside our hotel, The Venetian.