Tag:

wedding venue

Bridechilla BlogBridechilla Podcast

399- Bring Your Wedding Venue to Life with Kevin Dennis

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

After you’ve made the important decision of where your wedding will be held, then it is time to decide how you can bring your wedding venue to life. What are some ways you can transform your wedding venue? Start by listening to this episode of the Bridechilla podcast with guest Kevin Dennis, owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services in Livermore, California. Kevin has been in the wedding industry for 25 years and has a wealth of experience using sound, video, lighting, and decor to turn boring venues into beautiful and memorable spaces. 

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The more you know up front, the easier the planning process is going to be

Know the rules of your venue

Every venue is unique. Some venues are new and neutral. They provide a blank canvass that you can decorate to create the space of your dreams. Other venues are storied, historic places that don’t need or allow any additions. Every venue has their own set of rules and regulations for how the space can and cannot be used. It is important to know the limitations of the venue before you make decorating and lighting plans. Kevin Dennis shares some of his experiences and gives insight on how to plan for different types of venues.

The other thing that people forget to ask is, how much time do we have for set up?

Photo by Sweet Ice Cream Photography

Transformation takes time

With the amount of information and images available online, couples could make huge plans for the way they want to decorate their venue. The options are endless with hanging draperies, chandeliers, and other venue-transforming decor. In order to bring your wedding venue to life in the way that you’ve dreamed, it takes time. Knowing how much time you will have to work in the venue prior to the wedding will help keep the choices and plans realistic. Kevin explains that time is one of the greatest limitations for accomplishing the vision. 

People should be mindful of asking the venue this questions before you sign contracts if you have expectations that you want to make changes or hang things up or do anything that might require extra work.

Spruce up your space without spoiling your budget 

Bringing your wedding venue to life doesn’t always require a huge budget. While it can be tempting to go overboard with tons of decorations, there are some cheap, easy, and effective options. One way to spruce up your space on a shoestring budget is through the use of lighting. Kevin explains that many times couples will see an image of a wedding that they like that can be accomplished simply with colored lights. He also discusses the trend of using Edison bulbs in venues. Hear more about how you can use lighting at your wedding venue during this podcast.

Photo by Festoon Lighting Brisbane

How to find the right vendors to bring your wedding venue to life

Having been in the wedding industry for so long, Kevin Dennis offers his unique advice and experience of not only transforming venues, but also dealing with other vendors. A typical wedding has several vendors, including sound and lighting, florists, food service, and a wedding coordinator as well as a host of others. How can you ensure that vendors are working well with each other to accomplish your vision? And how can you coordinate with each vendor to establish a timeline? Kevin discusses the importance of working with quality vendors and relying on recommendations to hire the right vendors. If you want to bring your wedding venue to life, then be sure to listen to this episode of the Bridechilla podcast. 

If your venue is doing any kind of open house, showcase, vendor fair, any of that kind of stuff that happens in the evening, go. Because you want to see what your venue looks like in the evening, with nothing

Photo by Oleg Ivanov 

Listen to the episode

Show Highlights

  • [0:29] Aleisha introduces this episode’s guest, Kevin Dennis, owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services in Livermore, California

  • [3:53] Kevin talks about how he started his business and some of the fun things he sees when doing an event

  • [6:00] How to start thinking about using lighting and decorations to transform your venue

  • [10:07] The importance of knowing how long you have for set up in the venue where your wedding will be held

  • [13:25] Some venues have limitations on what you can or cannot do. Couples should find out those rules beforehand

  • [19:53] How Kevin works with wedding coordinators and couples to establish the wedding timeline

  • [23:12] Lighting can be a great, inexpensive way to change the look of your venue

  • [25:50] Edison bulbs are a trendy lighting solution that offer a varied, antique look in a wedding venue

  • [29:11] The difference having a quality sound system at your event can make

  • [35:14] If you are using a band, be sure to get the rider so you know their requirements

  • [36:37] Testimonial and recommendations are a great way to connect with quality vendors

  • [38:17] Some venues have requirements for vendors that should be considered when booking a venue

Kevin Dennis- Fantasy Sound Event Services

Kevin Dennis is the editor of WeddingIQ and the owner of Fantasy Sound Event Services, a full-service event company based in Livermore, California. Dennis is the past president for Silicon Valley NACE, and current international president for WIPA.

Connect with Fantasy Sound:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fantasysound
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fsesevents
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fantasysound

With thanks to our Bridechilla Partners

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302- Winning Wedding Catering

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Food and what catering to choose can be big decisions when it comes to planning your wedding.
Sometimes these decisions are attached to your chosen venue, but there are also many other situations where couples are given free reign over deciding what type of food to serve at their wedding celebrations and went to serve it.
Today’s guest is Sarah Hall, The President of Joel Catering; they go to cater in New Orleans for fine dining catering. They host upwards of 600 events per year and countless weddings, and on the show today she will share her insights into navigating your culinary tastes balanced with special diets picky eaters kids and all the intricacies of planning a meal for your nearest and dearest.

Listen to episode 302 of Bridechilla

Want Your Catering To Go Off Script?

Here’s what to expect and what not to ask

In a recent interview, Sarah Hall, president of Joel Catering and Special Events in New Orleans shared her advice for working with your caterer for maximum ease and minimum headache.

We’re here to help…

TALK TO US!

We’ve all been to a lot of weddings. When it comes to your own, it’s personal and you want your guests to feel that. First rule of wedding food: talk to your caterer early and often. As a catering company, when someone approaches us early with creative ideas, we love it! It is a collaboration though, so start the conversation with all your crazy ideas and let us work on ways to make that a reality. We had a couple that wanted to make cocktails a fun, interactive experience, so instead of just developing a list of signature cocktails, we created three separate cocktail bars, each with a theme. Guests could roam from one to the other and try different drinks or stick with their favorite spirit and still experience variety. And the bonus of three bars is it avoids lines for drinks, keeping the booze flowing and the guests dancing.

Photo by Annie Spratt

DIETS, ALLERGIES AND AVERSIONS, OH MY!

Struggling with how to feed your gaggle of pregnant friends, your groom’s Paleo-only Crossfit buddies, non-drinkers or your one vegan bridesmaid? It’s all doable, but make it a part of the plan from the beginning. Instead of trying to please everyone, your catering team can incorporate dishes that are labeled for special diets and in the case of one or two very specific diet needs (like vegan or kosher), we can just have something special on hand for those guests. Conversely, if you’re the one with the special diet, let your caterer brainstorm on ways to abide by your dietary regime while not jarring guests with food they aren’t used to eating. An Indian dish is a perfect way to sneak vegan into a dinner and kosher-style can be as easy as offering brussels sprouts with bacon on the side for those who want it. And for non-drinkers, there’s no reason they can’t indulge in the fun of cocktail culture too. We can create shrubs from local fruit, zingy syrups to pep up a sparkling water or a full list of NA drinks.

GREAT GUEST EXPECTATIONS

It can be a burden to try to merge wedding traditions and one place where people often have opinions is the old seated versus cocktail style debate. In New Orleans, many would balk at the idea of a seated wedding meal and relatives from the Northeast would be appalled at not having a chair and table to call their own. Our advice? Find a middle ground. If you choose a cocktail style with stations, just make sure there are enough tables and chairs for the majority of guests to sit and eat their meal. For seated affairs, choosing family style or limiting the meal to two courses with a dessert station alleviates too much time at the table. And there are many other solutions in between.

But we aren’t magicians.

Photo by Nick Karvounis 

SCIENCE IS SCIENCE.

As much as we want to be creative and find a way to make your dream wedding a reality, we cannot change science. Your buttercream wedding cake WILL melt in a summer outdoor wedding. Period.

GUESTS WILL IGNORE YOUR WISHES

You can try to control where your guests convene, but if there is an outside, they will be outside, and if there is an inside, they will go inside. Just put the tables and chairs in both. Please.

WE CAN’T CONTROL TIME

Just like you, we’re on a schedule. With food preparation, staffing and set up, it leaves us very little wiggle room. If you’re 45 minutes early to your reception, it will look like a chaotic mess of empty tables and people running everywhere. Similarly, if you’re 45 minutes late, the salad may be wilting and we often can’t extend the night to make up for the delay.

WE CANNOT HONOR LAST MINUTE REQUESTS

 If your dad only drinks Maker’s Mark, let us know early. We order ahead so running out for a special item is usually not possible during the event. If you ask us for something like this during the event, we’ll all feel bad about it. Help us help you!

Seeing a couple enjoy one of the happiest days of their life together never gets old. It's why we love what we do! Bottom line: we’re here to help and with great communication, the day can be as magical as you imagine it to be.

Check out www.joels.com and their event venue www.ilmercatoevents.com

Photo by rawpixel.com​

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273- Choosing an Alternative Wedding Venue

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Choosing where you are getting married, your wedding venue is a big step in the wedding planning process and one that pretty much guides all of your other decisions along the way. In this episode of the Bridechilla Podcast, with guest Yael from Splacer.co, and and this post, we explore everything you need to think about when it comes to choosing your venue, from the logistics (like the importance of insurance and contracts) to thinking about all of the wonderful venue options that you may never have even considered.

Listen to the Episode

Finding a venue that suits you

Consider the possibilities! Did you always dream of a backyard wedding but never had the backyard to make it happen? Looking to create something on a budget at home in your apartment? Would your guests be up for a bit of glamping? There are so many options these days when it comes to alternative venues that one of the biggest hurdles is navigating what’s right for you and your guests. Like any venue search, starting with time of year will help narrow down availability and set the tone for the rest of the decision making.

wedding venue

Manhattan townhouse (formerly a synagogue)

Create a vision that’s truly yours

One of the best things about choosing a nontraditional venue is that you can make your own choices every step of the way. The result is an experience that you as a couple can truly identify with. If you’re an artist, you can get married in a gallery, a chef in a culinary space, a historian in a landmark building. With an alternative space also comes the option to direct the flow of the event in alternative way – why not eat, dance and do the ceremony later?!

wedding venue

Exposed Brick Industrial Chic Loft

Preparing the logistics

Ask lots of questions! Some common details you may want to inquire about: capacity, sound system (limits on volume), dance floor, lighting, time limitations, and insurance. It is very easy to add event insurance and there are many solutions in the market today that are particularly suitable for weddings. At Splacer, our marketplace is geared towards events so all venues, whether residential or commercial, are aware of the activities going on in their space and are able to help you with many of these logistics.

wedding venue

Renovated barn

Working with outside vendors

You’ll want to make sure you have a designated area for vendors to load in, set up, and store what’s not being used. If you’re working with an open space, there are ways to make unsightly equipment blend into decor. Try setting up dividers and covering them in a fabric to match your tablecloths. Because it may be the first time various vendors are working together, take the time at the start of the event to set up a quick “who’s who” meeting so that vendors can feel like one big team working towards the same goal – creating a magical event for YOU!

wedding venue

Glamping grounds

Enjoying the experience

Remember that you chose to go the nontraditional route for a reason. Try to abandon stereotypes and notions of what you think your wedding “should” be like. Guests will love seeing all of the thought you put into creating an experience that is so personal to you – from the decor and the music, to the cocktails and catering choices. Even though you may have had a larger role in the organization and planning than you would typically have at a more traditional venue, your only job on wedding day is to enjoy and let your friends and family enjoy along with you!

wedding venue

Geodesic dome in the wild

Historic hillside estate

About Splacer:
Splacer is on online marketplace that allows people to list, discover and book unique spaces for events of any type, shape or size – from dinners, parties, engagement and wedding celebrations, corporate events, fashion shows, photo shoots, art exhibits, film productions and more.

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How to get away with being a rogue Bridechilla

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Greetings, Bridechillas!
My name is Carolyn and I am a bride-to-be from Canada. My fiancé Mike and I are getting hitched in about 9 months and we are PUMPED! We live in Toronto, Ontario but our wedding is going to be in Hubbards, Nova Scotia, close to where Mike grew up.

Planning from afar has come with its own set of challenges, but we are trying to take it all in stride and enjoy the process.

Let me tell you the story of how we went rogue with our wedding planning before we even got engaged. How, you might ask?

Bridechilla Carolyn dancing to the song, “Kung Fu Fighting” at her friend's wedding!

Several months before we got engaged.
I’ll pause to let that all sink in.

A bit of background: Neither one of us is really the rule-breaking type. I suppose we both have a mildly stubborn streak that doesn’t take kindly to being told to do something just because it’s been done that way in the past, but we are also cautious, indecisive, and risk-averse by nature. At the time of our fateful venue selection, we had been living together for close to a year and had long since set our sights on a future together. At the same time, we were enjoying life in our little bubble and didn’t particularly want to start investing our time in planning a wedding.

About 6 months before we got engaged, we were in the midst of making breakfast on a lazy Sunday when the topic of our eventual wedding location came up. Being from different provinces, we both knew that one (or both) sides of the family would have to travel a significant distance to join us for the wedding. I had my heart set on a barn venue and decided to poke around online to see what was available. Lo and behold, the perfect venue appeared before our eyes.
All of the other options evaporated in an instant: this was our venue!

Before long, our excitement turned to dread. What if they ran out of dates for the following summer before we were ready to book? I decided that there wouldn’t be any harm in e-mailing the venue, just to confirm that they had a multitude of dates left to choose from.
Bad idea.
We soon learned that there were only a few dates left that fit with what we wanted. Within days, we had committed to a wedding date and venue without actually visiting the venue in person. We swore ourselves to secrecy and put all other thoughts of wedding planning aside until the eventual engagement.

Not long after we got engaged, we had a chance to go and see the location in person and it was even better than what the pictures showed online! Emboldened by our success, we had soon booked our photographer, day-of-coordinator, and caterer without stepping outside the comfort of our home.

Even if you are getting hitched in the same city that you live in, I think there’s something to be said about allowing yourself to make some choices, big and small, without torturing yourself. I’ve seen wedding checklists that suggest meeting with at least three photographers before making a final decision. By all means, if that is a step you need to take to know that you are making the right choice, go for it! We all have our own process. However, don’t let a checklist dictate how you should be making your choices. There is no one right way to plan a wedding. If you are thinking of skirting a rule or two, it is important that you don’t go in blindly. For that reason, I have compiled some tips for all of you rogue Bridechillas out there who are thinking of bending or breaking some wedding planning rules.

How to Get Away With Being a Rogue Bridechilla

The consequences of making rash or uninformed decisions in the wedding planning process can be emotionally and financially catastrophic. As unconventional as our decision may have been, we did our homework before jumping in. This also wasn’t my first rodeo – as someone who has been a bridesmaid/MOH many times over, I went in with a solid understanding of what questions to ask and what to be cautious of. We spent a very tedious day fleshing out a potential budget and researching typical cost breakdowns to make sure that this exciting step forward wasn’t the first step towards the edge of a plank. We read the contract as if we were signing our lives away. Be bold, not cavalier.

Yes, choosing a venue without seeing it in person (or choosing any vendor from afar) can be risky. We mitigated our risks seeking out photos from other weddings that took place at our venue. I scoured Pinterest and local photographers’ websites to find wedding albums and ended up with about a dozen to draw from - by the time we booked, I knew every nook and cranny. A few of the albums I found had been featured in wedding blogs, complete with cost breakdowns that gave us extra confidence that the venue would fit within our budget.

Early on in our planning process, we considered using a food truck to cater our wedding. We spoke with a local food truck owner who gave us an impassioned speech about how he’d be able to feed our entire group for a fraction of the cost and how the other caterers were just trying to rip us off. He turned out to be as flaky as the delicious pastries he said he could make for our wedding. We rightfully got spooked and jumped ship before making any sort of financial commitment. We are thrilled with the caterer we eventually chose (Certainly Cinnamon) and are happy to spend the extra cash for the peace of mind of knowing that we can rely on them. We also learned our lesson. In the time since, we’ve made sure to set clear expectations early on and move on as soon as we get bad vibes.

For the love of god, please do not suggest booking a wedding venue before you get engaged unless you are 100% sure that your partner will be on board with the idea. We spent almost a year in advance of choosing our venue talking about how excited we were to eventually get married. He had asked for my ring preferences and we had jointly decided on having our wedding in the summer of 2017. Heck, we were practically engaged already, minus the down-on-one-knee part. One of Mike’s work colleagues told him later that I must’ve wanted to speed along the engagement, hence my suggestion to book the venue before the engagement. While this wasn’t true in our case, I can see that taking a step like this could be more trouble than it’s worth for some couples. Proceed with caution. The same goes for all non-traditional decisions. Make sure you can both live with the worst-case scenario.

One unexpected benefit of having a venue chosen already was that we had an answer to the first question everyone asks when you first get engaged! It sure helped us to stay relaxed and in the moment as we told everyone about our engagement.

Good luck all of you rule-breakers!
Carolyn

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Bridechilla Blog

The Venue Detective- Secrets to scoring your ideal venue!

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

By Bridechilla Emily

Guys, venue searching is a tricky pickle.
You get engaged (WOO!), and about two seconds later, questions— and congratulations! —from uber-excited friends, family and coworkers start pouring in. Don’t get me wrong, sharing the excitement of our engagement was, and continues to be, one of the best feelings in the world.

But those questions can unhinge a would-be Bridechilla before she even gets the chance to get her mandatory post-engagement manicure! [sidebar: “Peak Show” by Essie is a solid polish choice for said manicure]

I’m anything but a shrinking violet and can’t say I minded the eager inquiries, but I had to laugh when I was asked if we set a date mere days after we got engaged. I mean, isn’t it normal to whip out your day planner when your soon-to-be fiancé is down on one knee, ask him (or her) to press pause, and confirm a date for some time late summer/early fall of next year?
I laughed off that question, told the curious individuals I’d keep them posted, and continued on my merry newly-engaged way… until another question popped up.

The unavoidable, where are you getting married?

“Oh, that’s easy. Chicago!”

I confidently replied. Mark and I are both from the Chicagoland area, and even though we currently live in Manhattan, we always knew we’d tie the knot in the Windy City.

But it was the follow-up question that got my heart thumping and anxiety pumping… “No, where – like, have you picked a venue yet?”
Insert blank stare from Emily.
Mark and I have lived on the East Coast for close to six years now. Choosing a wedding venue from halfway across the country was about as easy as trying to parallel park on Fifth Avenue. We also didn’t want a typical wedding venue. We wanted one that was truly unique and felt “like us.”
And, let’s be honest, securing your venue is a huge deal.
It can be an enormous financial commitment, it’s typically the first big decision in the wedding planning journey, oh, and lots of people secure their venue over a year out. No pressure. I sat down at my computer, opened up Google, typed “Chicago wedding venues” and hit Enter.

Six hours and too many online “Contact Us” forms later, I emerged with burning eyes and almost no interesting leads. It didn’t matter how many different combos of words I entered – “unique Chicago wedding venues” – “historic Chicago wedding venues” – “Chicago area suburban unique weddings” – “Chicago weddings what the f*** am I doing with my life???
S.O.S!!!!! Wine delivery services in NYC!!!”
Search after search after search, the same 20 venues graced my screen. And that wasn’t just with Google. I tried TheKnot.com, Pinterest and a handful of similar search engines. The go-to tools just weren’t yielding any interesting results.
This is when I had my breakthrough.
You see, we were simultaneously looking to hire a photographer in NYC to take our engagement photos (this is an entirely different blog topic, but Thumbtack.com is where it’s AT. Thank you to the lovely lady who called in and left this tip on the podcast).
As I perused a number of online photo galleries featuring couples snuggling and smooching against various backdrops, I noticed that I had seen about 50 different locations — or potential wedding venues? — in these galleries.
The light bulb went on.
I took to Google, but in a different way this time.
“TOP Chicago wedding photographers.”
ENTER.
As I clicked through the photographers’ blogs and galleries my heart started fluttering with excitement.

There they were – a whole slew of new, unique venues (and some of those original 20, but whatever)!!!
I felt like I hit the jackpot. And guess what? That day we found our venue.
In summary, if you’re hitting a wall with venue searching, find wedding photographers who shoot in your target city/region and dig into their archives to unearth new ideas. I’ll bet you your application fee that you’re going to find some fresh and interesting options. Not only that, but there are some other perks to this method.

1. You can see how the venue photographs.

For example: Is there a cool spot for bridal party shots? An intimate area for couple’s pictures? How’s the lighting? Where might you want to spruce the space up with decorations/flowers/lights/etc.? What’s the vibe like? Does it meet your overall vision?

2. Borrow inspiration from past brides and grooms.

Liked how they added string lights on the terrace? Dug how their color scheme worked with the space? Was the table layout/floor plan on fleek? Cool! Since you don’t know any of the same people, borrow that shit.

3. Collect clues on vendors, hotels and other details from their photos.

If you’re like me and are planning long distance, you might be baffled as to what local hotel to book, or what florist or hair salon and makeup artist to approach. Peeking at the getting ready/ pre-ceremony photos may give you insights into a few vendors to put on your list.

4. Maybe you’ll find your photographer!

Because who doesn’t love killing two birds with one stone? Or catching two birds with one net? Why isn’t there a better analogy available?
Try it and let me know if it helps! I hope it does.
Over and out.
Bridechilla Emilyinsta: @little_red_emily
P.S. Mark and I are waiting for our deposit to clear on the venue! Updates coming soon.

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108 Wedding Q&A – Healing Family Rifts

by Aleisha
written by Aleisha

Listen to episode 108 of The Bridechilla Podcast Episode

An episode 108, a Wedding Q&A beauty, listener Britta left me a heartfelt message that I believe anyone from a ‘broken home’ can relate to. She said it’s not decorations or music or aesthetic details that she is concerned about; it’s her newly divorced parents that are worrying her.
Breakups are tough on everyone; especially the kids and I think parents getting divorced when you are an adult can be particularly tough. By the sound of her message, Britta is a strong and determined #Bridechilla who is connected with what is truly important on her wedding day, a celebration of love (with family harmony a priority).

By no means can we be expected to heal family rifts but hopefully we can help them understand the importance of sharing a day like a wedding celebration together, without bringing up their shit and spoiling it!
In this episode, I also touch on ways to zazz up your guest book and reveal another fabulous response to the 100th episode survey, weighing up the pro and cons of getting married on a private property vs a venue.
All that and a lot, lot more on the Bridechilla Wedding Podcast, the #1 wedding planning podcast!

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