What could be more pretty than a gorgeous bride in Vera Wang, a dapper groom that can’t keep his eyes off of her, and an at-home vineyard wedding?
photography: Sally of La Vie Photography | coordination: fab.you.lous event design
Uncategorized, fab.clients, fab.vendors, mid.week pretty, minnesota wedding planner
These are my parents on June 7, 1980…
A LOT has happened in the last 30 years for them. In between those 30 years is 23 years in their current home, 3 dogs, 4 kids (3 of their own and they adopted me) in 2.5 years (my younger siblings are ‘Irish Twins’)! That’s FOUR kids… to help with homework, all in braces at the same time, practicing 4 different band instruments after school, 4 different sets of interests between dance, soccer, football, baseball, and band. Four kids going to formal dances, within two years of graduating in high school (two in ’00, one in ’01 and the last in ’02), getting our licenses and driving, in college at the same time (three of us graduated college in the same weekend!). In the 29 years of having kids there have been hundreds of hours of kids on tape, hundreds of curlers and ratted pony tails for dance, hundreds of claps and cheers and for trombones and football plays and finish lines crossed. There has never been a dull moment in the Fischer house!
They put off second honeymoons and campers, drove cars until they could drive no more, spent hours cheering us on, and worked their butts off to let us dance and play sports and play instruments. The lessons of their hardwork and team work were not lost on us kids. Each of us appreciates deeply the sacrifice and time our parents put into allowing us to be kids and to partake in activities that are still a big part of who we are today. Dad shared equal girly duties (hair curlers and dance competitions) as Mom did boy duties (track meets, band shows, and football games). They were always present, always participating, and that is something I know we will all share with our families someday.
Another thing that is not lost on us is that our parents still LOVE each other and that they are a TEAM. They didn’t just go through the madness of raising 4 kids (because that’s not enough, right?), their marriage survived two different bouts of cancer for my dad, the personal strain and burden of owning a family business, losses of parents and dear loved ones, the typical highs and lows of extended family and finances. Marriage isn’t easy – you have to work at it every day. But when you decide that you are going to love each other and be a team through the thick and the thin, the good, the bad, and the worst – and you mean it – you can make it. And they have. I am so appreciative to the wonderful example they have set for us – we know it’s an ever changing dynamic, but they make the work look like it can be fun and most certainly worth it.
photo credit: Zeidler Photography
Congratulations, Mom and Dad on your 30th Anniversary!!! Here is to another 30 – this time with hopefully more relaxation! We love you!
I’ve read elsewhere that some vendors do their preferred/recommended vendor lists by offering discounts or kick-backs to other vendors in exchange for guaranteed business. I was pretty appalled and didn’t believe it actually happened – until I got solicited for such an exchange. I cannot imagine agreeing to recommend a vendor you’ve never worked with to collect on a kick-back discount that really should be passed onto your clients. How can you really recommend someone you’ve never worked with or had other friends work with?! Trust that I will not partner with other vendors that operate in such a fashion.
As a planner, it’s my job to align the best vendors to match my client’s styles AND budgets. Each couple has a unique set of needs and any combination of Minnesota wedding vendors can be made to make their vision come to life. Not every vendor I work with fits the right categories for each couple, so I can’t say that I have a set preferred vendor list nor will I ever post one (and understand why other vendors don’t as well). I can honestly say I’ve only had one bad – scratch that – TERRIBLE experience with a vendor when they failed to show up to the wedding. Needless to say, for professional differences, I cannot work with them ever again (but then again, they’re not ‘doing weddings’ anymore… thank goodness!). I have worked with dozens and dozens of great vendors over the last couple of years and look forward to meeting new artists that I can collaborate with to create an incredible day for my clients.
With that said, I have to give a huge THANK YOU to the vendors that I’ve worked with that have been so kind to add me to their list of recommended vendors. Each of them were kind enough to add me to lists on their sites or blogs, and it means so much to me that these professionals want to work with me again. It helps that working with all of them was a pleasure because of our common link: the fabulous clients that chose us!
Here is my shout out to some fab vendors for their support. Check all of them out!
Julie and the ladies at Smart and Chic Bride
Justin and Chrissy the adorable husband and wife duo of Graddy Photography
Alissa of I Do Flowers
Gina Zeidler of Zeidler Photography
Jenny Semans of I Do Wedding Details
Emma Freeman of Emma Freeman Photography
and a shout out to James Ramsay of James Ramsay Photography
for inviting me to tag along and showing me the ropes at a recent networking event.
Just a heads up that fab.you.lous event design is offering a discount on your planning packages for all ‘off season’ weddings (Nov 2009 – March 2010).
Email us at: info@fabyoulousevents.com to inquire about your date!
photo: www.jmphotomn.com
Amber + Russ 1.24.09
There are many way to personalize a wedding and my favorite ways to help couples hone in their style is to personalize in small, surprising ways. Skip the whole ring bearer pillow thing, and opt for something that is more suitable for your taste and wedding style. I’ve collected pictures of some of my favorite alternatives. Enjoy!
The flower pillow is one of my favorite alternatives to an actual pillow. I love this one because typically you see the lime green button mum pillows and I’m loving the peachy pinks of this one. These take a lot of time to make, but the impact is well worth the effort.
Paloma’s Nest makes personalized porcelain dishes that can serve as ring holders for the wedding day as well as something to cherish in your home long after the march down the aisle. They are handmade with love and can be personalized to your liking in both shape and inscription.
One of my very favorite ideas is the book stack found on Style Me Pretty. The idea is by Chewing the Cud and Style Me Pretty’s wedding blog gives you the DIY instructions so you can make this on your own. Check out Chewing the Cud to see the rest of the incredible wedding that used this idea.
This lovely rendition lends itself well to a more natural theme. This is designed by Muscari Designs, you could purchase it from their site and save yourself the sawing and sanding, but it could easily be a DIY project. Just find yourself some birch and ribbon and you’ve got a ring bearer ‘cushion.’ This picture shows a single piece of birch wood with the ribbon coming out of the wood from the bottom, not wrapped around it.
