Real Wedding: Crafty Bride’s Green Wedding

08-12-11_sutton_hole-ad_698
Photo Courtesy of Althea Dotzour

Every now and then I have the great honor of working with a couple who have deeply held personal values and want every aspect of their celebration to reflect what’s important to them. Victoria and Jeff were one of those special couples. Their wedding celebration perfectly showcased their family, community and commitment to the environment. They also took on several craft projects to bring an even more personal touch to their festivities.

• Family:

The bride recruited her siblings to help with everything from decorating to catering. The bride and groom’s home was a hive of family activity on their wedding day. And the bride clearly loved every minute of it!

It was also super important to them that Jeff’s nearly-grown son be meaningfully included in their ceremony.

• Community:

08-12-11_sutton_hole_jak_492Vic and Jeff’s wedding didn’t cut corners, but they didn’t hire many professionals either! They asked a friend to run music through his iPod for the reception. Another dear friend officiated their ceremony, and they chose the  professionals they did hire (myself & Althea Dotzour) based at least partially on preexisting friendships!

• The Environment:

One of the details that was very important to Vic and Jeff was minimizing the environmental impact of their wedding. They contacted Madison’s pilot composting program, to arrange for composting of food and other compostable waste. We also hired Paolo Verde Consulting to manage the event waste. Their ceremony was held in the UW Botanical garden,- so beautiful and close to nature. Their reception venue was the Goodman Community Center which is an awesome community resource and proponent of recycling and water conservation.

08-12-11_sutton_hole-ad_1120

• Personal Touches:

Vicky spent the year before the wedding creating gorgeous paper flowers for centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres. They also made their own cupcake stand, and other decorations for their reception. Not only was the whole effect beautiful, but is was completely one-of-a-kind and created a celebration that was better than any money could buy.

You can see more great pictures of Vic & Jeff’s wedding here.

 

08-12-11_sutton_hole-ad_1136

Share

Relaxation Spotlight: Bergamot Massage

One of my primary goals as a wedding planner and celebration specialist is to help my clients feel relaxed and pampered leading up to and through the end of their celebration. That’s why it was such a pleasure to get to sit down with Deanna Wise, one of the Co-owners of Bergamot Massage. Her primary…

Share

10 Frogs! Anniversary Party

“Wow, Planned Spontaneity offers a good service!”  was what I kept saying to my team throughout the party. It’s one thing to know we offer s a great service, it’s a completely different thing to be on the receiving end of my company’s services. This summer, my husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. We…

Share

Repost:How Offbeat Brides are reacting to New York’s same-sex weddings

In case you’re wondering at this point, Planned Spontaneity fully supports marriage equality.  Here are some examples of how the Marriage Equality act in New York is affecting both gay and straight weddings! How Offbeat Brides are reacting to New York’s same-sex weddings

Share

Real Wedding: Red-Hot Games at Olin

Photos Courtesy of Ingrid Laas Photography (Photographs by Ingrid Laas & Andy Mannis) Ann and Geoff’s Memorial Weekend wedding at Olin Park was not only beautiful, but the focus was on friends and fun!  During one of our first meetings, Ann said “I like Red”. What a great starting point for the décor!   A…

Share

Officiant Spotlight: Happily Ever After Wedding Officiants

I’ve had the pleasure of attending NAWP meetings for a while now, and one of the major benefits I’ve been getting from them is getting to know other really high quality wedding professionals. Jim and Connie Engmann of Happily Ever After Wedding Officiants are delightful people with beautifully open hearts. They officiate weddings and commitment…

Share

My Polish Easter

Traditional Polish Easter Basket Let me start by saying that I am neither Polish nor Catholic, but my husband was raised in a Polish Catholic home where the blessing of the Easter Basket was an annual ritual. As adults we’re progressive Quakers, a religion that eschews “ritual”. It’s a bit if a guilty pleasure that…

Share

Repost: Modern Etiquette

The fact that there is an etiquette guide to talking about your wedding on Facebook is definitely a sign of our times…In addition to the eight tips posted on allfacebook.com, I’ll add a few more…8 Facebook Wedding Etiquette Tips9. Don’t post all the pictures from your photographer without their permission. In most cases, this is…

Share

Celebration Advice: A Long Overdue Celebration

Every now and then, I get fun, interesting questions from people who are anticipating their celebrations.  Sometimes, when I answer these questions, I think- “Wow! someone could write an advice column about parties, weddings and creating personal celebrations!” Well, the other day, I realized that perhaps, at least occasionally, I could be that person!  Don’t…

Share

Repost: Hair and Dancing!

Photo Courtesy of Anda Marie Photography I just found this great article about coordinating your hair do with your wedding entertainment! These are the types of details that can really make your celebration “pop”. Check out this article from Gigmasters. Wedding Hair Wedding Planning

Share