I'm back!

So I know I took a very LONG leave (2 kids under 2 will do it to ya)
and not only you, but myself thought maybe I wouldn't come back. But, the other night while I was lying there restless I couldn't shake the feeling that I need to keep going with my passion of wedding planning... so I'm back! :)

I will be focusing most of my planning in Utah all over Davis, Salt Lake, Utah county even in to St. George and surrounding areas since I now live in Utah. Along with destination weddings for my special brides.

Jaiden & Riley Andus

My cute cousin Jaiden and her good-lookin' now husband were married June 15th in the Provo City Center Temple June 15th, 2018.

Jaiden didn't want to have "wedding colors" so opted for the bridesmaids to be in black and have a lot of greenery and use the colors from the bouquet and decorations and it turned out to be very pretty. She had a more urban theme and the Bright Room was perfect for her vision. 

I helped Jaiden to find her florist and she bounced ideas off of me for food, decorations and set-up.

My favorite part of the reception was the fact that she used food trucks for her food to make it more of a party. If you know Jaiden, you know how fun, chill and go with the flow she is. She wanted her guests to have fun and feel like they were at a party. She had food trucks from Sweet Chimneys and Tacos Don Rafa. I loved that she had live music for the couples first dance which added a sweet little touch and set that apart. Her exit was AMAZING! She had confetti and yes it was awful cleaning up but made for some pretty cool pictures! Congrats Jaiden and Riley!

Here are some pictures from her special day.

Photography: Carly Jane Photo

Katie & Hunter Stutz

My cute sister-in-law Katie was married August 25th, 2017 in the Portland, Oregon temple. It was a beautiful summer day in Portland. I was able to assist Katie and Layne (my mother-in-law) from day one with all the wedding planning. I even went wedding dress shopping and was her helper for her Bridals that she had done here in Utah.

Katie's colors were blush and coral accented with navy and gold-her decorations and flowers were beautiful. She wanted a classic garden theme so we searched for tons of different venues all over Puyallup, Washington where her and her Hunter (her husband) are from. She decided to go with the Pioneer pavilion downtown Puyallup and it turned out great. Lots of natural light made the gold really accents stand out and it was great for a summer wedding so guests could go in and out as they pleased.

She had Honeybaked Ham cater different meats, cheeses, breads, crackers, fruit, salads etc. for food. Her cake was from Thriftway and of course it was delicious (that's where I got my wedding cake and she even had the same flavor).

Her decor consisted of: candles, flowers/greenery, Bridal pictures, chalkboards and signs etc. Her exit was Bubbles that the guests got to blow which was very kid-friendly which was nice for my one year old at the time. She was even one of my few brides who had a line which I think it always nice. She stood in front of that beautiful greenery backdrop and you can ask Katie yourself- she still had time for all the traditional wedding festivities like: speeches, dancing, cutting the cake, bouquet toss, garter toss, etc. and even got to sit down and eat! So brides, consider having a line so you can properly greet your guests.

Here are the pictures...

Photography: Kylee Ann Photography

Kaitlyn & Brandon Nichols

My beautiful sister was married December 17, 2016 in the Payson, Utah temple. Her reception was at Castle Park and it was gorgeous.

Her colors were gold, mauve and burgundy. She was going for a romantic, fun atmosphere and as you can see she definitely accomplished that. I assisted and was able to help her plan her dream wedding on a flexible budget. Luckily the groom is also from Utah and his family was able to help since they had one big reception and a more intimate family and close friends dinner.

She didn't want her wedding to be Christmas themed and the flowers and decor were perfect for the what was in season. My cousin Jenna Kendell did all of her signs and they turned out so cute! I loved the variety of the hot chocolate, donut and popcorn bar super cute and trendy!

I helped Kaitlyn find her bridesmaids dresses, order the donuts, help with the layout and flow of the reception, decorations, and was on sight (even though I was the Matron of Honor) for help etc. It was a great day!

Photography: Heather Kay Photography

Chelsea & Jacob Kendell

I was very fortunate to be able to attend my close friend and cousin Jake's wedding. I was fortunate because it was all the way in Orlando, FL and it's not a quick, inexpensive flight. It was on April 9, 2014 in the Orlando temple. I flew down a few days before to enjoy Florida with the fam and be apart of the rehearsal dinner and Bachelorette party. My cousin sure did get lucky with Chelsea because she is amazing. I have come to know her really well and am so stoked she is part of the family.

If you know Florida you know that it is extremely humid especially in August. It was definitely a climate shock. Luckily the temple wasn't too crazy on that Saturday.

I helped my aunt (Jake's mom) with the wedding luncheon after the temple. I called and scheduled a caterer, helped order the food, find a venue, decorations etc.

I also helped Chelsea find bridesmaids dresses along with a photographer in the Orlando area and find pots for the succulents (wedding favors).

Chelsea and Jake's colors were gold and white and it would be considered trendy and formal. It was at the Winter Park Racquet Club in Winter Park, Florida. There was a buffet-style dinner along with many wedding festivities including the groom singing and playing a song for the bride! It was very special.

After the reception the guests headed outside for an extravagant sparkler send off. Then the bride and groom got a special ride on the back of a boat for their grand exit.

Photography: Lens & Light Photography

Baily & Austin Brasher

On December 22, 2014 my beautiful cousin Baily was married and sealed for time and all eternity in the Draper temple to the love of her life Austin Brasher. Even though it was freezing and one of the busiest days ever at the temple it was definitely memorable.

They had their reception later that evening at Stones Gates Center For The Arts in Pleasant Grove, UT. I had a blast planning her wedding as I was able to be apart of it all from start to finish. We had a lot email exchanges, texts, Baily isn't much of a phone talker but we made it work. We even met a few months before in Washington for an in-person planning session/check-in with my aunt Jane. 

Baily and Jane were a little worried with how everything was going to turn it out but it was truly amazing. Austin's uncle catered the food. The cake was beautiful and delicious along with all the other treats. My favorite was the hot chocolate bar. Her colors were a deep red and gold. Perfect for a seasonal/winter wedding. Her photographer was a friend of a family's and she did a great job as you can see. 

Photographer: Chaos and Bliss Photography

4 Tips On How To Make Your Guests Happy

Last August I attended one of my friend's weddings at a beautiful golf course in Portland. The ceremony and reception was gorgeous and I was very happy to be there. If I remember right the ceremony started at 5pm and the invite said to arrive 30 minutes prior. We got there in plenty of time and so did the other guests. We were all just standing around unsure what to do. It was 93 degrees outside and we all were sweating. It soon was 5pm, and there was still no sign of the bride and groom. Finally 5:15 rolled around and the groom came out. Tip 1: Start your ceremony on time. Guests don't want to wait around for you especially in the middle of August. After the ceremony we found our place cards and sat at our designated table. There was again a lot of waiting around for the bride and groom to enter so they could be seated and we could begin the dinner. If you are going to be serving dinner you should consider giving two options for dinner. I really liked that my friend did this so they aren't stuck with something they don't like. So Tip 2: Give your guests an option if you are serving dinner at your reception. They also gave out two drink cards per guest to redeem for alcoholic beverages or whatever you wanted besides water. Most weddings I've been to also only have coffee, water or lemonade. It is nice to be able to get a soda or alcohol and not have to pay extra for it. After dinner, we were all unsure what was going on. I had never been to a reception where there was so much waiting around time. Tip 3: The less waiting around time between dinner, speeches, dances, cake etc. the better. After sitting at the table for about 45 minutes, we were being greeted by the bride and groom and thanking us for coming. They took the time and went to every table-every guest to say thank you and greeted them. I have been to many weddings where the bride and groom don't even talk to most of their guests. Tip 4: If you are not going to have a line where guests can greet you, you need to go around to each table and thank your guests so they know you care and appreciate them coming.

Hopefully you can take away from this some valuable tips on how to make your guests happy.