Portland Wedding Coordinator

A better way to DIY for your wedding { Sponsored by Craftsy }

We are excited to welcome Craftsy.com to The Portland Wedding Coordinator's family of affiliate partners. DIY is a very important way for us to put our personal touches on the wedding, (check out my DIY coffee cozy here); however, I will confess to you that I am a bit DIY-challenged and am sometimes stumped by the directions that come with some of these so-called "easy to make" kits for crafts.

Craftsy has the solution with on-demand online instructional classes that you can watch, pause and rewatch as many times as you like. (I will personally be watching the "casting off" knitting video myself, I mean just look at this mess:)

More about Craftsy, below:

What is Craftsy?
Craftsy is a worldwide craft community offering online classes. It also has a patterns marketplace where independent designers can sell their patterns; a supplies shop with great deals on yarn, fabric, and class kits; and a projects section where members share pictures of their latest craft successes. With over two million members and counting, Craftsy has something for just about everyone, in categories ranging from quilting, sewing, knitting, painting, photography, cooking, and more.

Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Craftsy Class
Before filming even begins, hours and hours are spent determining what content will be covered in each class, and how to best teach specific techniques to the camera. Instructors work with an instructional designer to create an in-depth outline of each lesson, and decide how to best prepare props or “step-outs” that show what your project should like at different steps. Instead of a scripted class, instructors follow their outlines on camera to create an authentic and engaging teaching experience.

Most Craftsy classes are filmed in one of five Craftsy studios in Denver, CO, assuring that every part of the production process goes off without a hitch. They fly in instructors from all over the world to spend several days filming, then spend several weeks turning hours of footage into a two to three hour class experience that has been watched, rewatched, and reviewed by industry experts. The final result is an HD-quality video that takes you in-depth into specific topics in any given craft category- from cooking and fine art to sewing and knitting.

What IS the Craftsy experience?
Craftsy classes are designed to have all the benefits of an in-person class, with none of the drawbacks. Available online and on-demand, you always have world-class instructors at the tip of your fingers. You can retake the class as many times as you want, and the 30-second repeat feature allows you to watch the same section over and over again until you get every technique just right.

Watching a Craftsy class is like having a first-row seat with some of the best instructors in the world. Even better, classes have a 100% money-back guarantee.

 

Try online learning today with a free mini-class from Craftsy! Choose from 23 Free Craftsy Classes ranging from drawing and painting to sewing and quilting, from knitting to cake decorating and more.

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Sweet treats and a cupcake truck - from Hungry Heart Cupcakes

This is being written on Saturday night, and I am at the office doing my 2011 taxes. I just want everyone to share in my misery. Happily, there was one cheerful beam through the gloom of paperwork, and that was the super-nice Jax of Hungry Heart Cupcakes taking the time to stop by with a box of samples. It was really great to finally meet her and to hear about the fun and different service she is offering to wedding clients.

For one thing, Jax has a truck. A cupcake truck named Chomps. Just saying these words gets me pretty giddy. She will drive this truck to your location and be a cupcake fairy goddess of love, handing out cupcake treats to your wedding guests. She can also add on a freezer and ice cream novelties, so your guests can enjoy Bomb Pops, Dreamsicles, and Choco Tacos along with the cupcakey goodness.

Photo via Hungry Heart Cupcakes website.

(DISCLAIMERS: 1) I just ate two of the samples in quick succession, a Saigon Cinnamon cake with Horchata frosting, and the other one was a Dark Chocolate Cacao Nib cake with Dulce de Leche Sea Salt frosting. So maybe blame the giddy on the sugar. 2) She did provide these samples free of charge to me, but otherwise, I have not been compensated in any way for this blog mention. Happy, FTC? All right, let's continue...)

The other neat and different thing about Hungry Heart Cupcakes is their use of offbeat flavorings like cardamom and horchata in the cakes and frostings, as well as their daring flavor combos. A quick glance at the upcoming menu revealed flavors like bourbon apple, apricot brie, and even prosciutto melon. Jax says in a few weeks there will also be gluten-free versions. Can't wait!

Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks because I've been so busy assisting clients find their perfect wedding teams, and sometimes that means tasting a lot of cake, pie and cookies. I'll be sure to report my findings.

{ 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.

Indie venues for your Portland (Portlandian) wedding {Friday Five}

The dream of a 90's wedding is alive in Portland! Oh yes, I'm inspired by Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen's sketch comedy show, Portlandia. Where would a Portlandian be likely to marry? These five sites came to mind:

The Woods

You go there to see your favorite bands, now you can get married in this Sellwood-area music venue that was once a funeral parlor. Can't get much more offbeat than that.

Holocene

Photo source: Cabel Sasser's blog, photo by Robert McNary

When your Double Down date decides to up the ante, don't worry -- you can get hitched in the club where you first met. Awwwww.

Secret Society Ballroom

I can't believe I'm even telling you about this site!

Bossanova Ballroom

If you need lots of space for lots of different amusements during your event, take a look at Bossanova Ballroom, which boasts an 11,000sqft. (750 person capacity) two level facility equipped with full kitchen, multiple bars, large performance stage, dressing rooms, billiard and game room.

Wonder Ballroom

One more music venue, The Wonder Ballroom is in NE Portland and holds 350 at capacity. A music venue bonus: most have ceiling rigging points and focusable lighting to amplify your decor.

From Oregon Bride Magazine - "The cutest wedding favors" - A Loterìa-inspired wedding favor

Did you catch our feature in the most recent Oregon Bride Magazine? We were asked to put together a unique favor with uniquely Northwestern local ingredients and design. Working with Roopal Shah of 1st Comes Love, we had a ton of fun creating this Loteria-inspired wedding favor with a tattoo/rock-n-roll twist.

 

"Put a spin on the usual symbol of love with these chocolates in the shape of a bleeding heart, brushed in 23K gold leaf from Alma Chocolate. The Mexican Loteria design spices up the 100% recyclable package. Produced by Emee Pumarega of EJP Events (503.284.6756; ejpevents.com); graphic design by Roopal Shah of 1st Comes Love. $14 each; $5 with less expensive Alma truffles. (Photo by Jeremy Dunham)"

via www.orbridemag.com

From Willamette Week: Win a Space-Themed Wedding at the Space Room Lounge

 We loved this little blurb in Willamette Week about the Space Room Lounge's contest to give away a free wedding: 

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN: The Space Room, the Hawthorne Boulevard Stumble Zone’s recently remodeled shrine to drunken retro-futurism, is giving away a wedding at the bar, including a licensed officiate, photography, invitations and free appetizers for up to 50 guests, to the couple who write the best 200-word essay on why they want a space-themed wedding. Even at recession wedding prices, this deal’s probably worth $5,000. The deadline to enter is Sunday, Nov. 15. Spaceroomlounge.com/wedding-contest

via wweek.com

We checked out the website, and if you win, you'd have to use the prize and get married by March 2010.  For the right Portland couple, this might be perfect! Are you thinking of entering? Tell us!

Would you do this in real life? {Wedding Planning Philosophies}

As Rebecca Mead says in her book One Perfect Day: "How we marry is who we are." (Did I, a wedding planner, really just quote this book? I read it recently -- review to come soon!)

The biggest wedding planning regrets have to do with when we let how-we-marry get too far away from who-we-are.

If wedding option overwhelm is starting to get to you, I propose another simple test, similar to last week's 25-year-plan:

A wedding day should be made up of: you at your best and most authentic, promises to keep for a lifetime, and the first party you'll host (or co-host with family) as spouses. So ask yourself as you make your wedding planning decisions: "Is this something I would do (or enjoy) in real life?"

If you can't answer yes to this question, there's a problem.

Portland Indie Wine Festival this weekend - May 1-2, 2009

   In Portland we love to shop local, independent, and handcrafted, in everything from our handbags to dresses to food. I find this especially true when clients come to us to plan a wedding; there's no better way to show out-of-town guests a taste of the Northwest than by featuring local crafts and foods.

So when I heard that the 5th Annual Portland Indie Wine Festival was right around the corner, starting tomorrow and going through May 2, I thought, Wow! What better way to offer your guests a taste of the Northwest than by introducing them to wines that they won't be able to get anywhere else.

I had the pleasure of tasting the Three Angels Primitivo a couple of weeks ago at the Hotel Vintage Plaza grand re-opening, and if that one wine is any indication of the quality of the Portland Indie Wine Festival overall, the event will definitely be worth attending.

(Photo from indiewinefestival.com website)