Inspiration Board for the ABC Table Top Competition

Ethereal Romance

Ethereal Romance:
Ethereal= heavenly, spiritual, marked by unusual delicacy or refinement
Romance= Love affair

Isn't this a great definition for marriage? All of the inspirations on the "board" represent these definitions in some way. There are many layers to this theme, but here is "skimming the top." The feathers, gems, colors all have a heavenly connotation. The black and white photo speaks of a romance that has stood the test of time, delicate and refined, just as the silver and diamonds must endure in their procession to beauty.


On March 15, 2010 Amber May will be a contestant in the annual Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) and International Special Events Society (ISES) table top design event. The event will be held at Columbia Winery from 5:30 to 8:30 pm. Come by and see the final design of the Amber May table (click here for link to invite).

Wedding at Arctic Club Hotel

Recently I coordinated a wedding at the gorgeous Arctic Club Hotel in the Dome Room. The outside of this hotel does not do justice to what lies within. The deep, dark woods and marble floors speak of another time. As well as the bar and lounge area just beyond the registration counter. One private, lounge room off of the main lounge area was perfectly described by a wedding party member when he said, "I could see FDR and his comrades enjoying a drink or two in here." The Dome room is stunning with its ornate ceilings. The room is quaint and large enough for about 150 guests seated comfortably and can then be transformed into a reception room, while guests are treated to cocktails and appetizers in the lounge after the ceremony. The staff is professional and is efficient in the turn around of the room. The only draw back this venue is the parking situation if you cannot afford a parking garage or valet, as one must park on the streets.

I was fortunate to be working alongside a few vendors that were very pleasant to work with.

Photo Elan, a husband and wife team, were creative with group and space. They are a peaceful couple to work with on the day of and took the group off site to do some "Downtown Seattle" shots.

Greg Lowder of Affairs to Remember was the DJ for the evening, providing sound for the ceremony as well as getting the party started for the reception. His wit and ease of temperament made for a good fit for the couple. I was glad to finally be able to work with him as I've met him before at meetings for the Washington Chapter of Association of Bridal Consultants. (Check him out on the new radio show Nearlywed Radio on Saturdays from 11 am to noon, on KKNW 1150 AM.)

Another vital part of the evening was Reverend Patrick Callahan (it was funny to be working with someone of the last name- he may have even been a priest at my mother-in-laws church over 20 years ago!). Mr. Callahan added humor and details to the ceremony that were unique and enjoyable; he explained the background of the couple and their future plans. He also has a unique story as he left the priesthood to marry the love of his life.

Making Your Relationship Last

A must read for looking forward to a long lasting, good marriage!
Written by a friend of ours.
http://www.journal-newspapers.com/articles/2010/02/02/in_this_issue/monthly_features/feature_story/doc4b622bf6dc979472294595.txt

Sophia and Wayne

Last summer we were privileged to take part in the wedding of Sophia and Wayne. I just so happened that Sophia's mother was a past acquaintance of ours and that made this an even more special occasion for us.
Their ceremony took place at Bethany Community Church in the Green Lake neighborhood of Seattle; the church's coordinator Suzanne was exceptionally helpful and pleasant to work alongside.

Sophia did all the planning herself; being very organized she made our job of decorating and managing much easier.

GH Kim Photography captured all memories posted here. This husband and wife team were enjoyable to work alongside as well.

Sophia's dress was from Cynderellie's Closet Bridal Boutique and altered by Barbara's Bridal Alterations .

Her flowers were beautifully done by Lea at Acanthus Floral .

Maygen and I had the task of decorating the reception room and had an interesting time hanging fabric from the ceiling of the Everett Yacht Club. The staff of the EYC are very personable and made set up of the reception easy.

The chair covers and sashes were delivered and assembled by some employees of Seattle's Best Chair Covers. Pipe and draping was rented from ABC Rentals to cover a wall of pictures that didn't go with the rest of the decor and added an elegant feel to the room.

Their cake was made and delivered by Edmonds Bakery- Very yummy and reasonably priced.

Food was made on sight by Chef Bert and his very lively support team of cooks and servers, consisting of long time employees, family members and friends. They were very efficient and "on top" of things the whole evening. A unique bit about Chef Bert is that he came to Wayne's place and made a dinner tasting for Sophia and Wayne to sample his dishes.

City DJ provided music and emceeing for the evening. They are a wife and husband duo that definitely kept us on schedule and livened things up. In the picture above you can see the wedding party had a blast...they were the last ones to leave enjoying each others dance moves until the very end.

All photos provided graciously by GH Kim Photography.

Contact info: 425-223-4443/ http://ghkimphotography.com/

Rolled Back Prices on Rentals

Pedersens, a local events rental company, is having an anniversary and they are "rolling back" some of the prices for some items for until May 2010. Check out the link and we hope it helps with your budget!

http://news.pedersens.com/seattle/2010-01/

Seattle Wedding Expo 2010

We are going to be a vendor in the Seattle Wedding Expo January 9-10, 2010.
Come by our booth and check out our low-budget design ideas. We will be next to the seating for the fashion show.
Below is a link to their website. Purchase tickets online now and get 2 for the price of 1. We hope to see you there!

http://www.bridesclub.com/bridal-shows/seattle-wedding-expo.cfm

Planning September's ABC Meeting

We had the opportunity to plan a meeting for the Washington chapter of Assocation of Bridal Consultants, of which we are members. If one takes the opportunity to do this it involves planning every detail of the night, although the venue is set. Because we are advocates for local living the option of the Woodland Park Zoo as a meeting was exciting.

We met with the staff of the Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ) Katie and Carol and the onsite catering manager Sarah (for Lancer Catering). They were all very nice to work along side and excited as well to make local living the theme of the evening. Upon viewing some pictures of their past events the choice of the colors green and orange were chosen since apples and peaches are seasonal fruits of September in the Northwest, to carry the theme of living locally.

Sarah and Chef Brandon came up with a wonderfully appetizing menu for appetizers as well as dinner. Most of the ingredients were purchased locally, the fish from Ballard.

Next, we invited other vendors to showcase their talents/wares.

Sheryl of Paper Moxie made menu cards for both meeting places that also included a list of vendors with in.

Anne of Floressence made the tables more beautiful with her arrangements in reused vases and locally grown flowers and plants.

Missy of Fossil Fire brought her not so edible chocolates along for display and spoke breifly on how supporting local artists is also a part of living locally.

Aria Style provided decoration of the ceiling and Pedersens Rentals the linens (orange napkins and bright green seat cushions!) and chairs.

Cupcake Royale donated some yummy mini cupcakes. Their ingredients are locally grown and purchased and one of the flavors was seasonal.

Last but not least we invited Derek from a group called Business Alliance of Local Living Economies to share his thoughts and educate us in the wedding industry on ways that we can further live, do business, and wed locally.

The whole meeting was photographed by Daniel of Daniel Usenko Photography (all photos in this blog are thanks to him!). David of Live Oak supplied sound equipment for the main room.

It was an exciting time for us to be able to branch out and show what we are capable of to our colleagues as well as great to see and hear how empassioned others in this industry are about these topics as well (and even more so than us in most cases).