A Destination Wedding

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be a GUEST at a destination wedding.  I don't remember the last time I was a "just a guest".  It was a blast.  The wedding took place in Carmel, California at the Highlands hotel.  I took one look a the place and said, "Why wouldn't you get married here?". 

It is set on the hillside amongs cypress trees overlooking the Pacific Ocean crashing into the cliffs.  The hotel was deocrated for the holidays with garland and poinsettias everywhere.  Oh yeah - and a GIANT tree in the lobby. 

The couple mimicked this look on the gazebo where they got married.  Intertwined in the gazebo structure was pine garland with white roses.  Also, hanging from the sides of the gazebo were cylinders with floating peonies.  It was a beautiful frame for the ocean backdrop for the ceremony. The rest of the flowers for the ceremony were stunning.  Take a close look at the bouquet bottom right.  Each of the daughters in the wedding had a cute bouquet of flowers, but cleverly tucked in was a Christmas Sucker.  Fantastic!

After the ceremony we headed indoors for a cocktail hour followed by an amazing meal in the wine room.  Yep, I said wine room.  Two walls are glass cabinets filled with wine [can you say heaven?].  The couple opted out of the traditional wedding cake for a fabulous dessert.  Peanut Butter + Chocolate.....yummmmmm!

Congrats to my cousin and his new wife!

How much does a wedding cost?

I love my job, and I really love it when I find information that makes my job easier!  I get the question all the time of what does a wedding cost.  Where I can see in my head and know what each item costs, it is nice to have backup and resources.

Today I was on a website that I heard about on and online forum.  It is www.costofwedding.com.  Because I live in Woodbury, MN I typed in our zip code and here is the result.

"On average, couples that live in Woodbury, MN 55125 spend between $31,821 and $53,035 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring."

So, where does that money go? Keep reading....

Wedding Planners

Even though there are many levels of service provided by veiled events, a good rule of thumb is to plan for 5% - 15% of your budget to go toward your wedding planners. Our packages run begin at  $500 {day-of coordinator} to $3,000 and up for full service.

Fashion

5% - 10% of your budget.  O yes, the lovely and important wedding dress.  But what about the groom?  If renting a tux is part of your wedding, the groom usually receives his rental complimentary if the rest of the wedding party rents their tux from the same company.

{Krzystyna Harber Photography}

 

Food & Venue

50% of your budget.  This varies depends on the complexity of your menu and the location you pick.  Remember, time of year can impact the price of venue rental and having your event on a Friday or Sunday and save you significant money on your venue.

{Harriet Island Pavilion}

Flowers

10% - 15% of your budget. This amount depends on both the total budget and what the bride wants. Some brides want a TON of flowers, others really don’t care for them, or if you don't really need decor flowers becuase your wedding/reception are in a garden location. Keep in mind that this accounts for all the bouquets, corsages, and centerpieces.

{Krzystyna Harber Photography}

Photos

15%-20% of your budget.  This is an area that is near and dear to our hearts.  You can't redo your photos and you can't recreate events so your photographer can "get a second chance".  Professional photography is priceless! You can hire a  cheapter photographer,  but what you may end up getting, grainy images, out of focus, no album. Photography, good, professional photography, should start about $3000-$3500 (and could go up to more than $5500). And you will have amazing images and priceless moments caputered for you to cherish for forever.

 {sara-jayne photography}

Fun

2% - 5%  This would be the entertainment. The band or DJ would come out of this percentage. A DJ, on average, is about $100+ per hour per person attending the job, so if you have 2 DJ’s then the price would typically be $175-$200 per hour.

And really, the rest is cake, and some miscellaneous items, invitations, really an extra 20%-25% of miscellaneous stuff.

 

Now you math people out there, I realize these aren't hard numbers, and don't totally equal 100%, but with all the variables, this is a really good guideline for your wedding.

 

Happy Planning!!!

Sati Coffee

I know, not your normal wedding planner blog, BUT we feel like we need to give a little shout-out to our favorite coffee shop.  Once a week Emily and I meet at Sati to discuss veiled events business.  We try to get our favorite spot in front of the fireplace and drink our delicious drinks.  I am a creature of habit and I always order my iced tea.  Emily, however, changes it up a bit.  She does love her vanilla latte, however.

In addition to delicious drinks, Sati also offers baked good AND CREPES!  Yep, fresh crepes.  They are amazing!  You can smell them when you walk through the door. 

The next time you are in Woodbury, please pay a visit to our friends at Sati. 

572 Commons Drive
Woodbury, MN 55125

Ok, next blog will be soley on event planning....promise!

Lori

{all photos - http://www.satiusa.com/}

Winter Weddings

Yep, winter is on its way.  Now, if you are like me {Lori} then you aren't a big fan of the cold.  I am a freeze baby.  But enough about me...ok one more thought.  I do think winter is BEAUTIFUL after a new snow fall or when icicles form and gleam in the sunshine. 

With all that natural bling happening, winter is a perfect inspiration for one of our Brand Plans {that is what we like to call our inspiration boards, because they are so much more than just inspiration}.  Imagine your logo, or monogram, glittering like fresh flakes in a crisp sunny morning atop your silver cake... Getting married in the winter can be a bit chilly, but with glittering elements and warm love all around, winter is a fantastic time to get hitched! {maybe in a horse drawn sleigh}

Gorgeous Black + White Wedding

We had another fabulous wedding this weekend. The wedding was held at St. Ambrose Church in Woodbury, MN and the reception was held at Harriet Island Pavilion in St. Paul, MN. It was a fantastic event. The sun sets early this time of year here in Minnesota, but with the wedding at 5 pm the photographers were able to take all of the pre-wedding photos outside! {ok, it was a bit cold but the payoff will be amazing!} Check back soon for photos of the wedding. We can't wait to see what the photographers captured through their lenses.

We were able to transform Harriet Island

 from a simple brick building to a

soft and warm room with lots of fabric and candlelight.

The head table was draped with black tablecloths.

This table's runner was comprised of chair sashes and ribbon.

Take a close look at the pics - you won't be able to tell they were chair sashes.

Each guest table was draped with a black tablecloth and a Dandy Damask table runner.

All tables were illuminated by lots of candles, and the guest tables had tall cylinders containing submerged hydrangeas and a floating candle.

Keeping those flowers from floating to the top was tricky...but well worth the effort!

The Candy Buffet was a huge hit! 

Plain and peanut M&M's, Mike & Ikes, Skittles,

Gummy Bears, Licorice, Hershey Kisses and an assortment of Wonka candies

made up the yummy candy buffet menu.

Many refills throughout the night kept it a poplular spot for young and the not so young!

Congratulations Matt and Erin on a beautiful event and your new life as Husband & Wife!

Oohs and Ahhs! ~ Event Lighting

When planning your event, consider lighting as part of your décor scheme.

Décor lighting is a wonderful way to create a truly original event. You and your event planner can work with a lighting designer to create a package that fits your venue and budget. When it comes to lighting the options are endless.

{Top Left} {Top Center} {Top Right}

{Left Middle} {Middle} {Bottom Middle} {Bottom Right}

You can use specialty lighting for outdoor and indoor events. Wedding, receptions, dinners, fundraisers. Whatever your event lighting can be customized just for you. For a wedding reception, image your couple logo {part of your Brand Plan} illuminating your dance floor or behind the head table. And for any event, you can customize your lighting for the perfect ambiance.

Wedding in Newport

To Tent or Not To Tent

Outdoor weddings are always a little tricky. The wedding in Newport was no exception. Hurricane Bill decided to show up this weekend just off the Rhode Island Shores. The surf, humidity, heat and chance of rain were up. The couple decided to tent the ceremony site with hopes they could quickly remove the cover if the weather held. On the day of the wedding, at about noon, the bride (who had been envisioning the outdoor wedding - NOT under a tent) decided to keep the tent up. "Whew!" Even though it didn't rain, the shade was welcome. Through the overcast sky the sun was doing its best to heat things up and the tent cover helped keep the intensity to a minimum. The sides of the tent we kept off so the sense of the ceremony was still the beautiful outdoors with all the gorgeous blooming plants and tall grasses still visible and present.

The whole event was beautiful and the rain held until the end of the night when everyone was under the reception tent breakin' it down on the dance floor.

{photos by Krzystyna Harber - Providence, RI}

Congratulations Julia & Chad!

Yep, we are blogging!

Welcome! to our veiled events blog!

Check back often for updates on recent events , tips for your event, featured vendors and any other ideas and tips that cross our plates that we can pass on.

Check us out on Facebook! Don't forget to become a fan. We can't wait to see you there.

Tip for the day: When creating a budget for your wedding, don't forget to include tips for your venues and vendors.