Create Your Own Bridal Bouquet
One of our friends, Janice Hopkins with Artisan Florals, recently partnered with Michael’s in McKinney to start offering fresh and silk floral design. One of her first classes will be a “DIY Bridal Bouquet” class, where Janice will show you how to create the bouquet you envision using fresh floral. The class will be held on February 11th from 10am to 1pm. The fee for the class is $125 per person, and it includes all the supplies for the class. If you bring a friend, you can get $25 off when you register.
Seeing how a bouquet is made and the effort that goes into it is a great look “behind the scenes” of what a florist does for you. So while we don’t normally encourage you to try and make your own bouquet on your wedding day, we know you’ll learn a lot and have fun doing it! Thanks to Janice for letting us know about her classes! To register, call Janice at 469-443-2279 or email her at freshfromheaven333@hotmail.com.
photo by Sherry Peters Photography
McKinney Bridal Show
It’s that time again! Come visit us at the McKinney Bridal Show this Saturday, January 21st, from 10am-3pm. This is a great opportunity to get to know McKinney vendors, and of course spend some time on the fabulous square!
Getting Started Planning Your Wedding
So you just got engaged and now it’s time start planning your wedding. We bet you have questions!
Who do we call first?
What does a wedding cost?
When do we start?
Where do we begin?
How do we get started planning our wedding?
These are a lot of the questions we hear from engaged couples, whether they are calling us, sending us messages on Facebook or they see us at a wedding show. Planning a wedding can be completely overwhelming and it’s hard to even know where to begin! While we would love for each one of these couples to work with us as our clients, we know that some will never hire a planner and some will choose a date we are booked for. So, we’ve added a new info session topic to our line up:
The Keys of Wedding Planning
Like all our other sessions, this one will be free. This two hour info session will provide you all the information you need to get started, from how to create a budget, what to look for in a wedding venue to how to find the right vendors for your wedding. We’ll also cover some basics on how to navigate the guest list, mistakes commonly made by engaged couples and much more! Followed by a half hour q&a session with our certified planners, you will leave with all your questions answered!
For 2012, we’ve decided to offer our info sessions in Dallas and McKinney! Bonus! Choose the location best for you and reserve your seat today. With all the newly engaged couples from the holidays, we expect these to book up fast.
McKinney: Sponsored by the Grand Hotel, this session is on Saturday, February 18th, from 2 to 4:30pm. Visit wedplankeysmckinney.eventbrite.com to register. – This session has been CANCELLED.
Dallas: Sponsored by Edison’s, this session is on Sunday, February 19th, 2 to 4:30pm. Visit wedplankeysdallas.eventbrite.com to register.
We hope to see you there!
image by F8 Studio's Carter Rose
The Original Runner Company Sale!
The Original Runner Company, used by many from average budget to celebrities, is running a sale for up to 25% off! We thought we’d post this so you can take advantage. Hurry! It’s only good until December 15th.
Randy to the Rescue!
TLC is kicking off filming of a new tv series called “Randy to the Rescue”, featuring Randy Fenoli from the already popular TV Series “Say Yes! to the Dress”. I can only imagine how popular this new show will be considering Randy’s personality and character. I just love watching him, don’t you? Would you like to get to meet him? Well, here’s your chance! The new show will be filming in Dallas and they are already selling tickets! Randy will be at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on December 11th from 11am – 7pm. He’ll be meeting with brides to help them find the perfect dress from a selection of dresses he’s bringing to town that are sure to be the dresses of dreams for many girls out there.
For more information on attending the event, what to expect and how to possibly meet with Randy yourself (and be on the airwaves of course), click here! For $5 off your ticket price, use the promo code WeddingWire. Good luck and tell Randy we said hi!
Common Practices: Engagement Session Images
We recently sat down with Cindy from Cindy & Saylor Photography and were chit-chatting about the things vendors discuss when we asked Cindy something we get asked quite frequently. We loved her answer as it really explains the photographers decision, so we wanted to share it with you. More and more, we are seeing photographer’s turn over the digital files of engagement sessions to couples after their wedding day, asking couples to order all prints to be displayed at the wedding through the photographer only. Our couples ask us why this is, as they would like to get the files early and have prints made at less expensive labs, such as Wal-Mart and CVS. Here’s what Cindy told us:
1.We want you to look your best–Generally speaking, the images provided on a CD are a proof. This means they have received some basic edits such as color correction, cropping, and a bit of a boost in brightness and contrast. It is still a great image and perfectly suitable to make a print to send to Grandma, but the image hasn’t yet reached the final vision that the photographer had in mind. Any print ordered through our studio undergoes what we call a ‘fine art edit’. Some steps included in a fine art edit are retouching, blemish removal, color and contrast boost, dodging and burning, removal of distracting elements, selective tonal color adjustments and other artistic touches. In short, every measure available to make you look your absolute best will be taken. (See her samples below)
2. We want to look our best too–Think back over all the planning and detail that went into your engagement session. You discussed with your photographer locations, wardrobe and maybe even had your makeup professionally done. All that attention to detail resulted in the perfect image to display at your wedding. You and your photographer shared a vision for how the image would turn out and together you NAILED it! Now, you take this fabulous, practically perfect in every way, image to Walgreens, CVS or (shudder) Wal-Mart to be printed. Really? Do you have the confidence that the pimply-faced high school student behind the counter is going to print your perfect image in the manner that is deserves to be printed? Not sure? We aren’t either. Photographers want you to look your best and WE want to look our best too. A photographer doesn’t want to show up at the reception and see the image we worked so hard with our client to create displayed at less than it’s best. We include a print credit in all of our packages for just for this reason. Let us do the printing, one less thing to add to your to-do list.
3. Quality, Quality, Quality–What it comes down to is quality. We, as professional photographers, use professional equipment to capture your photo, we have professional software to develop and edit the image and our computers are calibrated with our professional photo printing labs. All of this to ensure that your image will be of the highest quality available. The paper and inks used by our professional lab are archival and designed to last for decades. Higher quality ink plus higher quality photo paper equals a higher quality image every single time. After everything is said and done this image is not just to display at your wedding reception, it will become decor in your new home. A lasting visual memory of the two of you as a couple at the time of your marriage. Don’t you want an enduring piece of art that will last a lifetime? We thought so. 
Venue Love: The Grand Hotel
It’s time for another favorite venue! Located only a block away from our office, the Grand Hotel Ballroom is an elegant space that we absolutely adore. This ballroom was actually the original Opera House of McKinney from 1885 until 1923, when it was shuttered and closed off until Don Day took over. They’ve restored it to it’s 19th-century charm, including pressed tin ceilings, crystal chandeliers and an entrance through French doors. With space for approximately 150 guests (including a dance floor), it’s the perfect space for a charming and intimate ceremony and reception.
photo by Peyronet Photography
The Grand Hotel is part of the same building as Rick’s Chophouse, connected through the fabulous lounge in the back of Rick’s. This allows you access to Rick’s 110, another fab event space, as well as the semi-private rooms in the restaurant proper, the Library and Wine Room. Many couples use Rick’s 110 as a cocktail space if they choose to have their ceremony at Rick’s, so the ballroom may be reset while their guests enjoy drinks and hors d’ oeuvres. Some use Rick’s 110 for their rehearsal dinner, or the smaller rooms, depending on guest count. If you’ve ever eaten at Rick’s, you know the food is scrumptious, so you will never be disappointed with your menu selections!
Rick’s 110, photo by Mary Phillips Photography
Of course, when you talk about the Grand Hotel and Rick’s Chophouse, you also have to talk about Sauce on the Square and Grotto Live as all of these fab venues falls under the Rick Well’s Hospitality umbrella. Sauce on the Square caters to the family style dinner, with pasta and wood-fired pizzas to die for! They do not have a separate space here for events, but you can certainly reserve a few tables for any celebration. Grotto Live shares it’s kitchen with Sauce, but it’s an entirely different vibe. This rock and roll bar is the perfect place to relax with friends and grab a drink. Whether in their intimate dining space or the super-cool Mezz level, you’ll love it here.
Grotto Mezz, photo by Mary Phillips Photography
Grotto Dining, photo by Mary Phillips Photography
So who do you call to find out more details about these unique spaces? Why, Rick’s Angel’s of course! Debi Morelli-Matzke and Melanie Kosarek are the two sales managers for all of these spaces, and they can give you all the scoop. With Melanie’s degree in Hospitality Management, she knows exactly how to make your guests feel special and make sure your event goes off without a hitch. Debi has been with Rick’s since 2007 and knows all the ins and outs, so she’s got it all completely covered. Shawna Darden is the Special Events and Catering Manager who will be with you from the moment your guests arrive to the end of the event, making sure you and your guests experience the genuine hospitality of the entire staff. She’s the firecracker who executes all the plans, down to the last detail!
We love working with Rick’s Angels and hope you’ll give them a call to consider one of their spaces for your wedding plans!
Wedding Flowers – What Happens After the Party?
In a previous post, we discussed a little bit about what happens to all those lovely flowers you paid to have at your wedding ceremony and reception. We want to expand on this just a bit to give you some ideas on what to do with those flowers at the end of your event.
Typically, when you order your decor through a professional florist, they are quoting all vases, containers and other equipment as rentals. This means that while you own the floral at the end of the night, the vases, urns and other other items (like candelabras), go home with the florist. This means you and your guests must hand carry any flowers they would like to keep, as there are no containers available for transport. If you would like to keep the vases, or perhaps hand out centerpieces to your guests to take home, you’ll need to ask your florist about including this cost in your proposal, or at least contact them before the night of the event to make payment arrangements for this. We’ve had some clients decide on keeping only some of these vases, turning in a final number to the florist a couple weeks out from the florist so they can pay the fees for these vases with their final payment.
What else can you do? Well, here are a couple ideas we received from florists:
- Donate the floral to a nursing home or hospital – Amanda from Nest Floral Studio typically delivers floral left over from her weddings to local nursing homes either in the form of one large arrangement for their entryway, or loose stems that they can use for little vases they have at dining tables or residents rooms. She’s also “flowered the block” by turning leftover floral into arrangements for the businesses around her studio.
- Gift the floral to your guests – When you don’t want to just hand out centerpieces, but maybe offer something a little more personal, ask your florist if they can bring a roll of kraft paper at the end of the night and use what floral is left to create bundles for guests to carry home. You can get creative with this by creating custom stickers used to seal it off as the florist is wrapping the stems up.
Of course there are lots of ideas for preserving just your wedding bouquet. Here are a couple options and companies we recommend who offer these services:
- Freeze dry your bouquet and create a beautiful memento – Heller and Reid offers many, many options on how to display your bouquet, from a shadow box to lantern centerpieces, you can have your bouquet preserved for many years to come.
- Create personal note cards from your bouquet – Floral Notes takes your bouquet and uses it in the creation of paper note cards that you can then use as thank you notes to your guests.
Remember that if you are planning on having your bouquet preserved, you’ll need to make sure it gets plenty of water on the wedding day and you’ll need to make arrangements for shipping/transportation the day after your wedding so the bouquet is as fresh as can be when it reaches these companies.
photos by Sherry Peters Photography
Venue Love: TPC Craig Ranch
Choosing the venue(s) for your wedding ceremony and wedding reception is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make during the wedding planning process. For one reason, the venue along with your food and beverage costs usually takes up 50-60% of your budget. (If these costs are taking up more of your budget, you should probably re-evaluate your spending!) For another reason, it sets the tone of your events. The decor, formality and accessibility of your venue will greatly affect how you plan the rest of your elements, from linens to lighting. To help out with your search, we’ve decided to start featuring our favorite venues on the blog and give you the reasons why you should love them too! We’re kicking it off with TPC Craig Ranch, since they were the spot for our Peaches on Par table scape photo shoot.
TPC Craig Ranch is located at the southwest tip of McKinney, near the corner of Highway 121 and Custer Road. (TPC stands for Tournament Players Club.) It’s a hidden treasure of McKinney, with most McKinney residents not even knowing that this exclusive club offers it’s amenities to non-members. The club is known to those who have attended events there as having the white-glove service without the white glove. With a five-star chef, the food is amazing and of course, the golf club is a beautiful back drop for photos.
The club has two ballrooms, separated by robust wooden sliding doors. The ballrooms’ walls of windows show off how they are surrounded by a wrap-around, covered, stone terrace that features gas lanterns and ceiling fans. With a breathtaking view of their lush fairways and precision greens, it is an amazing outdoor space. The Portabello Ballroom features a beautiful stone hearth fireplace and a built-in marble counter top bar, backed by wine shelves. You could easily describe the space as romantic and intimate! Some things to know about TPC:
- The ballrooms can accommodate up to 200 seated guests, including a dance floor. For a cocktail reception, they can accommodate up to 250 guests.
- They regularly provide customized floor plans and menus.
- The club only books one wedding per day so they can pay sharp attention to details.
- The club is available from 12pm-12am for set up, decorating and event time.
- The ladies locker room is available for the bride and bridesmaids to prepare, including a sitting area and makeup area.
- The Board Room is available for the groom and groomsmen to prepare.
- Gentleman and ladies can enjoy golf privileges to the TPC PGA golf course, which is ranked #10 in the state of Texas!
- Engaged couples receive time for one photo session (engagements or bridals) on the golf course or inside the club.
- TPC offers their smaller ballroom, the Weiskopf room, free of charge to their clients for smaller events, such as bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, etc.
photo by Don Mamone Photography
So what sets TPC apart? Without a doubt, their customer service. Their Special Events and Catering Manager, Christina Degelia, is why we recommend them over and over to brides. Christina is dedicated to her clients, working meetings to their schedule, advising them on the best vendors, working with them on their color schemes, developing the perfect floor plan and even helping to create a custom menu! She has fifteen years in this industry and has a high standard that not only does she hold her team at TPC to, but the vendors she recommends as well. She was recently named McKinney’s Hospitality Hero 2011 in a contest held by the McKinney Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Diann Bayes, MCVB Director, said “Christina was the clear winner with about three dozen emails commending her poise, class, professionalism and hospitable nature.” We have worked with Christina many times and couldn’t agree more. For more information on Christina, visit her bio here. (photo by Katie Cassidy Photography)
If you are looking for a private space, with excellent food and elegant but rustic decor, please consider taking a tour of TPC Craig Ranch. We know you won’t regret it! For more information on TPC Craig Ranch, visit their website, www.tpccraigranch.com or give Christina a call at 972-359-2110.
Dillard’s Wedding Registry Bridal Brunch
On Sunday, September 18th, Dillard’s at the Shops of Willow Bend is hosting their first ever “Bridal Brunch”. The ladies at Dillard’s wanted to create an event for couples to not only tour their Home department and create their registry, but for couples to meet with area wedding vendors and see some of the latest trends. They reached out to us a little bit ago to help create their Bridal Brunch vision, and we are so excited to be a part of it! Here are the details:
When: Sunday, September 18th, 11am
Where: Dillard’s at the Shops of Willow Bend, 2501 Dallas Parkway, Plano
Cost: Free!
Vendors:
- Each & Every Detail
- Dillard’s
- Coffee ‘N Cream
- Big D Party Rental
- Jules Event Decor
- Bridal Blooms & Creations
- Circle Park Bridal
- Art Couture Invitations
- Katie Cassidy Photography
- Red Sole Events
- Premiere Photo Booth
- Cloud 9 Vintage Coach
- TPC Craig Ranch
More vendors are being added daily! Make sure you don’t miss this unique opportunity for brunch, registering and mingling with some of the top wedding vendors in DFW!