REAL WEDDINGS: JULIE AND KWEKU

When Julie first called me she was in a total panic.  She and her fiancee were getting married in a month, at his parents summer home on the lake, in a small {very small} town in Wisconsin with a lot of tradition incorporated into their day.  All of the wedding vendors {and there were a lot of them}were coming from far away and there were so many details that there was an overabundance of coordination and planning to make sure nothing was forgotten.  I was leaving for a 2 week vacation, but by the sound of her voice I knew she really needed somebody to help her, if only for relief. 

Julie and Kweku had a beautiful wedding day.  The week prior was full of high humidity, very hot days.  Luckily, Julie hired professional companies to set up the tent, tables, chairs and linens.  By the time Saturday came along, she was feeling much more relaxed, Kweku was in a super excited mood and the heat had subsided. 

There were a few hiccups throughout the course of the day, but nothing Julie and Kweku knew about and nothing that wasn't easily remedied.  Here is a look at their beautiful wedding day.

 

 

 

Credits:   Week-of Coordination - Signature Events by Shelly/ Photography - Gravidee Design and Photography/ Rentals and Lighting -JK Rentals, Inc/ Linens and China - Karls Rentals/ DJ - Midwest Sound/ Limos - Bladers, RS Limo/ Bakery - Manderfields/ Indian food - Darbar/ Ghanian food - Baaba Yarney/ Flowers - Sterling Gardens/ / Videography - Sheepshead Studios

Tip Of The Week: Prioritizing

Photography by Heather Kessler Photography

You and your fiancee have your collection of ideas and inspiration, you know what each of you wants so now it's time to start putting these things in order and making your fantasies a reality!

The first thing you'll want to make sure of is that you don't lose any of these ideas.  Create a binder to keep notes, all your fun ideas and, later, all of your vendor contact information and contracts, timelines and other important paperwork.  Everything should be readily available to you.  Not only will this help you mentally, it will also keep you organized which will help you to feel cool, calm and collected.

This is also the step where you will prioritize all of your ideas to prepare to act upon them.  This is necessary to make sure you, and your wedding dreams, don't get lost in the whirlwind of wedding planning.  Prioritizing the fruits of your brainstorming session can be simplified into three categories: non-negotiable, negotiable, and neutral.

Non-negotiable:  These are the things that you WILL NOT change...no matter what!  This is the areas for the "must haves" only.  Example:  your great-grandmother's knife and server set that has been used in your great-grandmother's, grandmother's and mother's wedding.  This is non-negotiable!!

Negotiable:  This is for the things that you want but are willing to forgo.  Example:  you really want to have Cold Stone creamery available to serve with your cake.  You realize this may be quite expensive and are willing to give it up if it means you can have the ice sculpture for your shrimp appetizers.

 

 

 

Neutral:  Here are the things that you are more impartial to.  You would like to have these items, but won't miss them if you don't.  Example:  You really don't care what wines are served at dinner...

Make sure to come back next week for the most fun part of wedding planning - BUDGETING!!  (yeah, I was kidding about the "fun" part...)

How did you start out prioritizing?  Leave a comment for more suggestions.