Final wedding at the Orting Manor - Aug 2011

After 10 years of wedding planning I have finally decided to throw in the towel and stay home with the kids on the summer weekends. I'll still help out family and friends and the occasional bride here and there, but I just couldn't stand working every weekend in the summer while the kids were out having fun in the sun without me. Once they are grown I'll probably come back to it but itll be nice to have those nice summer weekends off, we dont get very many up here in the NW. I'll miss helping all those brides on their special day and please do contact me if you need any tips or ideas or having a wedding in the sumner/orting area.

********************************************************************************

Here are some pictures from the last wedding I did last august

(on of course the hottest day of the summer)

This was at the Orting Manor in Orting and what a wonderfull place!!!

I only agreed to help with this wedding because it was 2 minutes from my house and I am so glad I did. The owners of the house were amazing!!!! They let us do anything we wanted and even helped me tie over 200 bows on the ceremony chairs. They even offered to bring me some food/drinks from their house, they were just really really sweet and I highly advise booking this place for your wedding!

Got to use my signature cafe lights above the cocktail area/dance floor.

Looked GORGEOUS once it got dark, it was my absolute favorite thing from that event.

Ceremony location which we turned into a bocce ball/ladder ball area during the reception.

And I cant take credit for all of this event, the bride was AMAZING!!!

The pool - still shocked no one went swimming in it.

There were color coordinating beach balls in there.

Another shot of the cafe lights, cocktail tables and the DJ booth

She was a husky and he was a cougar - One of the best looking grooms cakes I've ever seen.

It was a great event and probably my last for a long time.

Highly advise booking @ the Orting Manor,

also Christie Katone was once again my caterer and Rebecca Brottman for Photography, both affordable and super great and flexible to work with - I Love down to earth vendors.

Getting help to add your special details!

Wow it’s been a long time! Family life has sure kept me away from keeping up with the wedding industry but I’m slowly getting back some time as the kids are getting a little older and keeping themselves busy. Only having a few weddings this summer has actually been nice giving me more time to focus on the kids and add more details to the weddings I am coordinating. It’s amazing how many details you can add when you have the time. This past year I have actually been thinking back on my own wedding since our 5 year anniversary is this July and realizing how many mistakes I made on our big day. Overall I really didn't care about the details at the time - I just wanted to get married!!!! For some reason my main goal was to not have anyone work that day so I didn’t have any setup/details for anyone to do. Little did I know my family and wedding party would have loved to help me decorate and add details to make my day special. I wish I would have added the chair ribbons I wanted, and the ceremony decorations, and the extra centerpieces, and the favor table, and the cocktail table area and the kid area. But I didn’t because we didn't have a lot of setup time and I didn’t want to put anyone to work. My advice to all brides, put your "people" to work or pay the extra $100-$200 to hire someone (watson events) to come do your setup. It’s worth it in the end and you won’t regret not doing the things you wanted. Make your day special with the extra touches you want, it’s worth it!

FAQ's

Having scaled back on doing weddings in the past years I have also scaled back on updating this blog site. I still do coordinate a few weddings every year mostly for friends and family and everytime I help someone plan a wedding I get a lot of the same questions! SO if any of you out there are getting married or plan to eventually I thought I'd go ahead and answer those questions before you even need to ask!

Q: When is the best time of year to have an outdoor wedding in Seattle?
A: Online there is a dryest days of the year calendar you can find (I think Steve Pool does it) and it shows that the dryest time is the end of July, then beginning of August and then Beginning of July and so on and so forth. Your best bet is to find your location early and book it sometime close to the end of July and ALWAYS ALWAYS have a back up plan for rain!!!! Living in the Northwest Rain should always be expected and remember if it rains on your big day its Good Luck!

Q:Do we have to have a rehearsal dinner at a restaurant?...
A: Heck NO! DO whatever you want. I have always felt the rehearsal dinner should be fun and laid back! You have to dress up and be formal enough on your big day and this may be the only chance you get to talk with family and firends that are in from out of town. CHoose a location thats relaxing and comfortable. I love the back yard or beach BBQ's make it fun and enjoy yourself!

Q: How long should a wedding/reception last?
A: This obviously depends on if you are having an all in one location and what activities you have for the big day. Ceremonies can go anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours depending on your beliefs and religion. If you are having your ceremony and reception and different locations PLEASE PLEASE have someone handing out directions to the reception after the ceremony, trust me! Receptions: I usually allow for at least 4 hours for a reception and add on from there. The average is probably 5-6 hours but this will depend on your activities and what kind of a group you have. If you have a young active crowd they may want to stay later and drink and dance, but if its a smaller group of close family you could probably end it quite a bit earlier.

Q: What if I forget soemthing the BIG DAY OF?
A: If you are really worried/stressed about this then hire a coordinator. If you dont have that option thats why you have friends and family. Things like Garters and cake cutters,etc... somehow get forgotten a lot so try and think of a close friend or family member that can run to the store for last mintue things, this should save you a lot of stress. And if it cant be fixed dont worry about it, dont let a forgotten stocking or shoe ruin your day make it work and it will be that much more memorable! Remember your attitude will make the day for everyone, including you!