Above: "Just Married" tandem bike displayed by the cupcake tower
Above: 1 of 2 tablescapes (tall centerpiece) using lantern, candle pillar and wreath mixed with fresh apples, gerber daisies, tulips, hydrangeas, curly willow, and berries; custom b&w striped runners; chalkboard/wood program; silver chargers; Jones Soda favors with custom label of couple
Above: b&w custom-designed letterpress invitations
Above: escort card table using fresh apples and pinned leaves with guest name and table name
I only posted several teaser shots of the reception. This time, I think I'm going to wait for the professional photos; they do much more justice! ;) This wedding's success was due largely to the fact that the bride and groom were amazingly decisive! B&W oversaw almost all of the planning in regards to executing the details, preparing the itinerary, and organizing everyone involved. The bride spent time preparing herself and the groom stepped in and gave me any and all information that I needed, including tying loose knots. They also handled other details with help of family and friends. Janissa came in as the day-of coordinator, running the show flawlessly -- to the minute. I've prepared my reflection from this beautiful wedding.
REFLECTION. . .(click for full post)
Dave proposed to Erica about 12 months ago, but it really wasn't until April of this year, when we actually started to move forward with the plans for the reception. With only a few meetings to grasp the reception vision, much of the planning was a breeze -- I was able to successfully present tablescape ideas, centerpiece ideas and many paper details that matched their likes. It helped that Erica already knew what she wanted from the very beginning, and with the invitations we designed several months back, we had a pretty solid idea of what needed to be accomplished. The goal at this point in the planning was to fully execute a d+i+c wedding; I knew the short time frame, but I didn't once, look back -- I simply moved forward with the little time we had and completed as much as I could, quickly.
The biggest challenge was nailing down the logistics for the big day, including the preparation till the end of the reception. Reason? I usually stick to design and Cyril, Christy or Janissa, steps in to handle this part of the wedding. In this case, I decided I would take care of design AND coordination. I knew that we had very little time to spend on the itinerary, but thanks to the tools we have at b&w, providing several options was easy -- and thanks to a very decisive bride and groom, the outline was approved with very minor edits.
1-wk before and the big day: A week earlier, I made all confirmations, finalized the outline, and studied all the contracts. Then, I handed over all the documents that Janissa needed to run the show successfully. My true feelings and advice is to KEEP THE OUTLINE SIMPLE. Keep the reception events to a minimum -- stick to the main things and try to avoid adding a bunch of little things that involve more people and more time. The more people you have involved, the more people the coordinators have to keep an eye out for. Most of b&w receptions stick to the traditional events, which is awesome because we know appx how long each of those things take -- these are the events that do run timely. It's definitely easier to manage and easier to predict a reception's success. Erica and Dave ditched the montage and only allowed a few to touch the microphone -- WISE! In our experience, it's usually the toasts or various speeches that dip into the short time we have to run a truly busy night, so if you can, really think about who you want to speak and also, who will abide by the time frame of about 3–4 minutes.
The day ran as smooth as can be, with the reception already set up by the time cocktail hour started. Jay's Catering did an amazing job at working together to help with the set up. Janissa did a truly exceptional job working with Steve, from Showcase DJ, to run the show. Erica and Dave moved right along with Janissa, taking her cues. We kept comparing our watches to the timeline and were on time, to the minute. It's always nice to see 95% of the guests still there when the dj turns off his music and lights come on -- shows they don't want the night to end! ;)
- Charmae (designer/event coordinator for bellz & whistlez)
