Portland Wedding Coordinator

Summer weddings and bugs!

A version of this article ran on Portland Wedding Coordinator in August 2011.

 Can you believe, it's the end of May and the outdoor summer weddings in Portland and Lake Oswego are here. If you are getting married at one of the outdoor gardens, waterfront or riverfront parks or venues you are probably wondering what to do about the possibility of bugs.

Bug-off spray is a must at outdoor weddings, but here are a few  tips to make you the perfect wedding host:

- Avoid DEET-based sprays that can irritate skin. Lemongrass and geranium oil-based repellents are available and they smell much nicer.

- Transfer the insect repellent spray into nicer glass bottles before setting them out at your event. Empty glass spray bottles can usually be found in the bulk beauty aisle (lotions and soaps) of natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Wrap the bottle in a ribbon to match your scheme, and then it will be guest-book-table worthy.

(Vintage atomizers could be fun too!)

image from Polyvore

- Burning lemongrass torches or candles can keep bugs down in the immediate vicinity. Having gently-blowing oscillating fans can also help.

- If the area seems to be uncontrollably buggy, consider applying non-toxic lawn or yard insect treatments (some examples here and here) several hours or days prior to the wedding (get the permission of the venue owner first).

 

Poll: How do you like to make and keep contact with your wedding vendors and service providers?

I am always curious about what my clients prefer. Today I'd love to know how you like to initially contact the folks you are hoping will work for you on your wedding day.  Please take this one-second poll and let me know!

 

{Sunday Roundup} 5 Sites to Help You With Your Wedding Color Scheme

Image: The Perfect Palette Blog.

You're engaged, you've got the venue and the date, and are so excited to get going on planning! Yet, you're stuck on what the wedding will actually look like. Envisioning the final event means you need to pick invitations, table linens, flowers, lighting, and all the assorted goodies that go with your big party. And of course you've got to start with a color or two (or a few!) that hopefully go together.

"But I like everything!" you say. Or maybe, "Our site has this weird carpet and I'm not sure what goes with it." Or possibly, "I don't want my wedding to look too matchy-matchy." How do you decide on a color scheme that, while not as lasting as a bedroom paint job, is still super-important and something you'll remember for years to come? Here are five tools and websites I like to use when I help clients formulate their color ideas.

1. The Perfect Palette This blog updates several times a week with wedding color palette ideas and an explanation of each. You can search the whole site by color family to find exactly what you want.

2. ColourLOVERS A bit broader in scope, ColourLOVERS covers not just weddings, but other design solutions such as graphic, print, and web; interior design; and fine art. Users are encouraged to get social by creating accounts, uploading patterns, and sharing with the community. (A side note: ColourLOVERS also has the great widget Themeleon, for creating Twitter screen backgrounds. It's where I got mine - look here.)

3. Kuler - Adobe Inc.'s Kuler tool makes it possible for you to take a photo of your site (or any photo, for that matter) and extrapolate a color scheme from it. Click on "Create" > "From an Image" and upload your photo and wow! You can also select different moods for the same picture. A great tool if you are feeling a bit stumped. You do need to create an account if you want to save your palettes.

4. Design Seeds Similar to The Perfect Palette, but not exclusively about weddings. This blogger takes hundreds of artful photos and applies her own aesthetic to draw out each custom color palette. A wonderful inspiration site.

5. You knew I would mention Pinterest. If you're following my boards already, you know how addicted I am and how you can be sure to see a 2am pin from me on your dashboard now and then. If you haven't had the pleasure of using this site, it is a sort of visual Twitter where you can "pin" just about any image on the Web to a virtual bulletin board, keeping all of your ideas in one place. You can create as many boards as you like and name them anything, from "Color Inspiration" to "Cute Pictures of Pugs". All boards are public, so you can search the site for your desired color scheme or idea and re-pin other folks' images to your boards. All of the above tools can be used in some way along with Pinterest.

Similar to Gmail and Spotify in the past, getting a Pinterest account might involve a bit of a wait for an invite. For you wonderful readers of The Portland Wedding Coordinator Blog, I'm offering up my next 4 Pinterest invites. Just share this post, then comment and let me know where you shared it (Facebook, Twitter, G+, Tumblr or whereever!) and I'll send you a Pinterest invite. Please make sure to include your email (which won't be publicly shown) in the comment field where asked.

Are there any other great color tools you're using to design your wedding? Please share with me in the comments as well.

Are you killing off your wedding vision before it even happens?

Image: Bufferchuck on Flickr.

"We really want an open bar, but we probably can't afford it."

"I love the idea of live music, but it probably won't work in our venue."

"We really pictured guests walking with us from ceremony to reception, but it seems like logistically it would be too hard."

The above statements are just a few I've heard this week from my couples just starting their planning. Notice anything? They are self-editing before they've even begun planning. They are killing off their wedding vision even before it has had a chance to stretch out and take its first breath.

It's sad to me when I see couples assuming that they can't have what they want, that it will be too hard, that they should just settle for the venue or setup that will be easy, so they can stop worrying. Later they'll look back and wish they had just held out for those few things they really wanted that would make the day special and worthwhile to them. In addition, those special touches (which might seem a lot of work at the time) will be their first statement as a married couple.

So, don't self-edit. Don't give up. If you have an amazing idea, get it down on paper. Pin it on Pinterest. Talk to a wedding professional who may have seen something just like it before and can help you get there. Do something -- just don't let it die before you give it a chance to be part of your wedding day.

{ Working with Caterers } The Service Gap, or, "If I Didn't Bring It, I Won't Touch It"

Image by Jihan Abdalla Photography via WeddingChicks.com

Food carts, onsite pizza ovens, Texas barbecue, "the guy who brings a giant paella pan to your house" -- the trend in wedding catering is to use interesting, untraditional caterers for your wedding or rehearsal dinner. It's wonderful to have so many choices, but what about you and your guests' expectations about what a caterer does? Here's a list of a few questions you must ask your caterer, especially if they don't bill themselves as a full-service caterer or one that specializes in weddings.

- Do you set up and take down ceremony chairs? What about the tables and chairs that guests will sit at to eat?

- Will you lay down the linens/tablecloths and/or set the table with silverware, napkins, and the glassware that we rent?

- Do your waiters bus the tables? (You'd be surprised how many caterers do not include picking up dirty dishes, taking them to a busing station, scraping and putting away -- as one of their duties. Especially if they did not rent or bring the dishes.)

- Do you remove the trash and recycling from the site? Do you recycle bottles and cans? What about liquid waste such as ice and unfinished drinks? (Venues don't appreciate these items being tossed in the bushes or on the lawn.)

- If you provide a bartender, is that person licensed and legal to serve at our wedding venue? Will that person be prepared to serve all of the drinks that we bring? (Now is a good time to let your bartender know if you were planning on having an appletini, mojito, or other specialized drink. I have had so-called bartenders show up who did not even know how to open champagne!)

The divide between what your caterer does and what you expect to have happen is called the service gap, and the time to figure out what resources you need to fill that gap is well before your wedding. Find out about wedding coordinators; waiter, bartender, and janitorial services EARLY, and what they can do to make sure that everything happens the way you envision.

Debugging your wedding (Keeping insects away from the ceremony and reception)

This cool Portland summer has been lovely, but in some places, the dampness has led to an excess of bugs. Bug-off spray is a must at outdoor weddings, but here are a few  tips to make you the perfect wedding host:

- Avoid DEET-based sprays that can irritate skin. Lemongrass and geranium oil-based repellents are available and they smell much nicer.

- Transfer the insect repellent spray into nicer glass bottles before setting them out at your event. Empty glass spray bottles can usually be found in the bulk beauty aisle (lotions and soaps) of natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Wrap the bottle in a ribbon to match your scheme, and then it will be guest-book-table worthy.

(Vintage atomizers could be fun too!)

image from Polyvore

- Burning lemongrass torches or candles can keep bugs down in the immediate vicinity. Having gently-blowing oscillating fans can also help.

- If the area seems to be uncontrollably buggy, consider applying non-toxic lawn or yard insect treatments (some examples here and here) several hours or days prior to the wedding (get the permission of the venue owner first).

{ Sanity Saver } Don't have the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding.

It's Friday night, and we are preparing for Becca and Ryan's wedding day tomorrow! They, on the other hand, are relaxing leisurely at their hotel the night before the wedding. How are they so un-stressed? One reason: they held their rehearsal dinner last night, rather than tonight.

The major advantage to this: giving yourself a free day the day before the wedding, rather than piling one big event after another. The major con? Not all of your wedding party may be able to take off work and make it into town a day early.

However, if your wedding party and family are flexible, you may love the idea of having your rehearsal dinner two days before, and making your "wedding-day-eve" a lot less hectic.

{Budget saver idea} A giant head table centerpiece, simple centerpieces for other tables

We're always being asked about cool ways to make decor and floral "pop", but not spend a huge amount. A common request for wedding centerpiece floral and decor is, "Can we keep the centerpieces under $1,000?"

Because of the cost of sourcing and transporting fresh flowers, and the skill and labor of your florist, wedding floral centerpieces often top $50 - 75, hitting in the $200's and up for large, lavish, or elevated centerpieces. Wow! If you have 12 tables plus service tables and buffet, that $1,000 can get eaten up pretty fast if you put a centerpiece on every table.

What if you think out of the box and maybe don't put a fresh floral centerpiece on every single table? What if you had a big square or round table for the wedding party, in the center of the room, with an amazing, show-stopping, gigantic lavish centerpiece that drew all eyes to the center of the room and the happy couple? (In the photo below, there are florals on the guest tables, but imagine the following ideas: crystal bowls with fruit or candles, arrangements of vintage glass bottles and feathers, instead.)

Image from Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Galleries

It's a different way to spend that $1,000.00. Have you ever seen this done, and what were your thoughts? Do you think the average wedding guest missed out having a fresh floral centerpiece on his or her table? Do you have any other ideas about how to do wedding centerpieces differently, or to get more bang out of the wedding buck? We welcome all your relevant comments below.

BarStocker - the iPhone app that calculates liquor needs for your party or wedding

Many of our clients are in turnkey venues where they can provide their own caterer and bar. But figuring out how much liquor, beer, and wine to order is always a challenge. Order too much and it's a bit of a waste. Order too little and you risk running out during the event, and having to send a wedding party member to the nearest 7-11.

EJP Events is pleased to unveil our own iPhone app to tackle this continuing problem. Based on an algorithm developed over our 13 years in the event planning, catering, hotel, and wedding planning businesses, BarStocker will save you time and prevent a waste of money or alcohol by helping you figure the perfect amount to order.

 

 

Customize your order based on length of party in hours, time of year, types of alcohol being served, and how much your guests like to party :-)  It's available right now on the iTunes store. Please let me know what you think!

Color story: Chartreuse, lime green, and apple green

 

One of our favorite color palettes is inspired by the brilliant 'Chartreuse, lime green, apple green' ...or whatever you want to call it! This color has been on our radar for the past few summers with some of our most memorable weddings featuring chartreuse as either their main or accent color. Chartreuse was the focus of our client's vision and brought the wedding design to vibrant life, so we'd like to help you do the same!

chartreuse color board by ejpevents

Chartreuse is a bold color and by using this vibrant shade you're sure to leave an impression on your guests. Chartreuse can be used in a variety of ways, including bridesmaid dresses, table decor, floral arrangements or on top of your cake! Elements for those who enjoy small color splashes may include one of our favorites, colored shoes. Colored shoes are a fun way for a bride to add personality to her traditional white dress. 

Your color palette can be a combination of shades ranging from neutral to pastel. First, we recommend getting really familiar with the focal points of your wedding space, since the existing colors of your venue can greatly influence your them. Additionally, your wedding colors  create the emotional tone of your wedding. Chartreuse created a romantic, high-energy mood for our bride's weddings, all of which were memorable affairs. We hope that choosing your wedding colors is a fun experience and that chartreuse may come as an inspiration!