Hidden Bloodlines Archives

When Life Happens and There’s No Time to Write

Maybe you’ve attended conferences, read books, listened to the best and you’ve got an organized system to manage your time. Perhaps time management is still an issue for you. Regardless, there are times when life happens and there’s no “thyme” to write.

Thyme for Writers

The idea for Thyme for Writers happened a year ago. I wanted a place where writers and book lovers could go for a bit of inspiration, direction, encouragement, fun, and excitement, but I didn’t have a name for it. I brought my idea to my incredible writers group, and within minutes, Candee Fick came up with the name, Thyme for Writers, tying into my theme, adding spice to your life.

wedding, wedding planner, books, Hidden Bloodlines, wedding budget, Stanley Hotel, Christmas, Christmas wedding, budget, checklist, timeline, organization, organization tips, library — Loveland Public Library
Author Showcase

Candee Fick

writers, authors, resources, toolbox, encouragement, fun, romantic suspense, journey, writer’s journey, adventure, tips, direction, research, joy, funny, inspiration, thyme, time, Focus on Love — Author Candee Fick

As a techno-idiot, the idea of me ever being able to manage and create a website was a pipe dream … until Candee. She is an incredible resource, writer, and friend. If you’re at that place where you need either writing, computer, or web help, check out her invaluable resource, The Author Toolbox. I have steadily improved and decreased the time I spend uploading and formatting all my posts, whether written by me or my amazing guests, but it still takes time.

Kathryn Ross

clove, lemon oil, cinnamon, garden, harvestwriters, spice, fall recipes, editors, healing, manuscript — The Write Spice: Writing Tips for Flavorful Words
By Kathryn Ross

Kathryn Ross has added invaluable insight to writers by tying in the benefits of certain spices and oils to a writer’s life and the writing process. She is a monthly guest on Thyme for Writers with her series, The Write Spice. Kathryn is a new grandma, and for the month of May, she has no “thyme” to write. Congratulations Miss Kathy! We’ll miss you this month, but catch up with you next!

Thyme for Writers has grown with a readership I never could have imagined and I am looking forward to its continued growth! With the exception of last Thursday, I have posted every Thursday since its start August 31, 2017. Since I don’t want to disappoint my readers, I wanted to give you a heads up that I may only have 2 posts for the month of May. Alas, I have 3 graduations:

wedding, time, medical student, white coat — White Coat Ceremony

My daughter is graduating medical school and will start her residency in neurosurgery;
My son is graduating graduate school in radiation physics; and
My son’s very special significant other is graduating with a bachelor’s in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.

Yes, I’m a very proud Mama, and for the month of May, chances are … I’ll have less “thyme” to write. Since time management is critical in every aspect of life, especially for writers, there will be future posts on the topic. Stay tuned… .

Choosing An Historic Hotel for Your Wedding Venue

Hidden Bloodlines, romantic suspense, Colorado Rockies, Karen Van Den Heuvel — Hidden Bloodlines

There are many reasons to choose an historic hotel for your wedding venue — the history, excitement, ambience, stories… . As a novelist, I love stories and when my daughter chose the Stanley Hotel for her venue, it made my day. After all, the Stanley Hotel inspired the setting for my first novel, Hidden Bloodlines. However, there are certain key factors to take into consideration if you’re leaning toward an historic venue.

Tours

Historic hotels are likely to have regular tours, especially if there is a unique feature about their history or if it’s “haunted.” This could be problematic if not dealt with up front. If you’re not a professional wedding planner (like me), you may not think to explore the circumstances surrounding tours. Hopefully, my experiences will put things in perspective and assist you in your decision making process. I knew the Stanley had tours, I went on one myself and thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Reception

When I asked our wedding planner from the Stanley if I could set up for the reception the night before, there was a long pause. She told me that usually tours were scheduled 1 1/2 hours apart, but there was so much interest that they were scheduled every half hour and each one was packed. Since one of their stops was the Music Room, she was afraid our decorations could be taken or damaged. Had I known it was possible to cram in more tours, I would have head that off in the contract or chosen a different venue. As it was, we had issues with an exceptionally rude tour guide and tourists crowding around our reception area.

Check List

If there are regular tours in the historic venue of your choice, the following checklist may prove helpful:

__ Is your reception room part of the tour?
If it is:
__ How often are tours given?
__ If the number of tours are acceptable to you, is the hotel willing to guarantee in writing that they will not be increased during your reception?
__ Get a written guarantee that the place settings (dishes, glasses, utensils, and napkins) will not be open to the public during the tours.
__ Get a written guarantee that you will have access to the reception room the day before the reception, even if it is just to show it to your bridal party in anticipation of the celebration.

wedding, wedding planner, Hidden Bloodlines, wedding budget, Stanley Hotel, Christmas, Christmas wedding, budget, checklist, timeline, organization, organization tips, library, military discount, veterans, savings, cost savings, Our Lady of the Mountains, Estes Park, Colorado, preferred vendor lists, vendors, D.J., Disc Jockey, Sound Junction, Gary Liebowitz — Dancing to the Music – Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography

An historic hotel can provide a very unique and exciting venue as long as you understand how they operate and head off potential issues “at the gate.” We had a phenomenal wedding reception and everyone enjoyed themselves. Had I known what I know now, it would have been even better.

What were your experiences with historic hotels?

The Perfect Wedding Decor that Doesn’t Break the Bank

wedding, wedding planner, books, Hidden Bloodlines, wedding budget — When the Book Worm Is the Wedding Planner

The perfect wedding decor doesn’t have to break the bank and it shouldn’t. In our case, the date made a difference. With a Christmas time wedding, most places are decorated for Christmas, a perfect theme for that time of year. Since it was Advent, the Church required no decorations.

Although I avoid Black Friday shopping like the plague, I made an exception for the wedding, but I confess to procrastinating on THE day.

Black Friday

Originally my goal was to hit JOANN’s when they opened early since they had great sales and I had a 20% coupon off the total purchase. BUT, I had to fight the crowds, so I procrastinated. In this particular case, it was the best thing that could have happened.

As I entered the store, I took a deep breath and grabbed a cart, determined to get done a.s.a.p. But I was drawn to these 2 ladies talking animatedly, grabbing floral garland off the wall and filling their baskets. I couldn’t help but ask what they were doing with all of that garland. It turned out that it was a mother/daughter team and the mother was a wedding decorator. Was this a God appointment or what?

I explained that I was trying to figure out how to decorate a mantle, head table, and guest tables for my daughter’s wedding, but was clueless. They put their shopping on hold to help me. By the time they were done with me, I had a video of the daughter on how to make large beautiful bows, the materials I needed to make it all, and their phone numbers just in case. My basket was piled so high I had to pull it from the front because I couldn’t see over the “mountain.”

The Book Club

With the release of my debut novel, Hidden Bloodlines, one of the local book clubs chose my book and asked me to visit while they discussed it. It was such a great group of ladies, I joined them as a member. That’s where I met 2 of my life savors with their offer of help — Carlene and Sandy.

I was so taken with their offer, that I mentioned it during a call to Kay, a longtime friend of mine from college. She told me in no uncertain terms, “You have to take them up on it.”

Lunch and Crafts

As the wedding approached I felt so overwhelmed, I knew Kay was right and I invited them and another close friend to my home for lunch and crafts. Although I had the “mountain” I purchased from JOANN’s, Carlene, an amazing porcelain artist asked what I had to put it all together. Ahhhh, I make jewelry and have all the jewelry tools, but nothing else. Carlene came with the rest, including tea lights, glue guns, plus … .

We started early, and by the time I served lunch, these amazing ladies created the center pieces, bouquets and decorations for the head table, as well as an emergency supply bag just in case.…

“No man is an island…” and when help and support is available, don’t go it alone or even try. I almost tried. THANK YOU Carlene, Sandy, and Joni for the gift of your talents and creativity! Thank you Kay for reminding me I needed them!

When have you found yourself in a similar situation?

Memorializing That Whirlwind of a Wedding

Memorializing that whirlwind of a wedding is critical, especially when you’re the bookworm acting as wedding planner. Since relying on iPhone photos and videos from attendees was not an option, I had to find just the right photographer and videographer; a task much harder than I ever imagined.

First Stop

My first stop in my wedding planning process was securing the church and meeting its wedding planner. Since her grandson had just gotten married a few months earlier in Estes Park, I asked her about the photographer they used. She pressed her lips together and shook her head “no.” She could not recommend someone who wasn’t any good (nor did I want such a person). Videographer? No.

Preferred Vendors List

Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO, wedding, wedding planner, books, Hidden Bloodlines, wedding budget, Stanley Hotel, Christmas, Christmas wedding, budget, checklist, timeline, organization, organization tips, library, military discount, veterans, savings, cost savings, Our Lady of the Mountains, Estes Park, Colorado, University of Colorado, photographer, videographer, Laura Grace Petersen, Jackson Dorfman — The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

I then turned to my trusty (?) Preferred Vendors List. There were quite a few photographers and videographers on that list, some companies handled both. After I emailed them all and requested a quote, I had to blink twice as I read the quotes coming in (none of them included printing). Amazingly, with the exception of one, they were all $2,000. My first thought was a wedding monopoly. By the way, the one different quote was $6,000. Yup, that’s not a typo, $6,000. With my science background and logical legal mind :0) I performed an experiment. My original quotes went out under my married name, however, I write under my maiden name, Karen Van Den Heuvel. A new and revised request for quotes went out under my writer’s name — a quote for a 4 hour family reunion involving 50 people in Estes Park. Alas, the quotes were half the price.

A Monopoly

My son had gone to school with someone who was now a professional photographer so he asked her for a quote — $2,000. He asked if she could give him a discount due to their long friendship. She could not, because of a contract she entered into with a third party — all her bookings go through them at their required pricing, as all of these photographers did. Aha! Sounds like a monopoly to me!

The Perfect Professionals

My goal was to find an excellent photographer and videographer not bound by a third party contract for pricing. That’s where Jane came in. Jane is my son’s beautiful girlfriend who went to school with a photographer using her talents and running her business while she worked on her degree. I checked out her website and FaceBook, and was thoroughly impressed with Laura Grace Photography. Her photographs were beautiful (as you can see through my posts) and I’d put her up against any of the other “professionals” I encountered to date. Her rates were very reasonable and I met her for lunch to discuss the process, wedding, expectations, etc. She was an absolute delight and she found me a videographer — a university student working on his degree in videography — Jackson Dorfman. Once I checked out his work and found it exceptional — as good if not better than most of the other videographers, I asked for a quote. His rates were also very reasonable and I was set.

These two professionals arrived early, blended in, and captured beautiful memories. I can’t recommend them highly enough! If you are looking for an excellent professional photographer and videographer, here is their contact information:

Laura Grace Photography: lauragracephoto.com, 970-227-0025, lauragrace.151@gmail.com

Jackson Dorfman: Jackson.dorfman@colorado.edu 970-306-2775

Jack provided not only the full video, but a second with highlights as well. You had a glimpse of the head table decor in Jack’s short trailer, but you won’t believe the story behind it! Stay tuned next week… .

The Wedding Planner — The D.J. Is Key to a Great Wedding

The D.J. is key to a great wedding — no doubt! But how do you find that great D.J.? After I unsuccessfully contacted the D.J.’s on the Preferred Vendors List, I did what most people do; I asked my friends and family for recommendations. However, with the wedding date, that was fruitless, especially for the D.J. — they were either out of business or unavailable at that time.

The Search

One unavailable D.J. suggested that I check Thumbtack . Although I had never heard of it, I wasted no time, after all, the wedding was fast approaching and I knew an iPhone playing music would not be very helpful. According to their profile, “Thumbtack is an online service that matches customers with local professionals.” With my date and required professional entered, I received messages from a number of local D.J.’s with a wide range of pricing and experience.

I like to listen to my “gut,” and out of the list, only one stood out to me above the rest — he was experienced and I liked his work. He was from Monument and the wedding was in Estes Park, more than 2 hours away. I sent him a message and asked if Estes Park was too far and received an immediate response — definitely not, he handled the entire Front Range and did not charge for travel.

The Right D.J.

My “gut” does not disappoint and neither did Gary Liebowitz from Sound Junction, LLC. He was absolutely phenomenal! Although I had the opportunity to provide him with a selection of songs, I was so frazzled and clueless that I only gave him 3 songs for 3 dances: the bride and groom’s, father/daughter, and mother/son. With an age range of attendees from 20 to 85, I asked that he handle everything and he did. I can’t recommend him highly enough!

Gary:

Called prior to the wedding to offer help and assurances,
Arrived early,
Called when he arrived and started set up,
Handled my request to take care of all the music with a smile,
Acted professionally,
Dressed professionally,
Had a positive and upbeat attitude,
Was an outstanding MC,
Kept the party moving and lively,
Had reasonable rates and offered a military discount (he is retired Air Force), and
Went the extra mile above and beyond.

Contact

If you are interested in an exceptional, professional D.J. who is more than willing to go the extra mile with reasonable rates, I recommend Gary Liebowitz with Sound Junction:

Phone: 719-351-8301
Email: gary@soundjunctiondj.com
Website: www.soundjunctiondj.com

Two months after the wedding, a number of people shared their nightmare experiences with the wrong D.J. Needless to say, I am very thankful my story is not one of them. I had the best!

What are your experiences?

Wedding Planners & Vendor Lists – OH MY!

Wedding planners and vendors lists create a fertile ground for weeds and more weeds… . What about that garden of beautiful flowers? The last article looked at whether the date made a difference, and the answer was a resounding YES. I felt good about securing the church and the Music Room at the Stanley, and thought the rest would be smooth sailing — NOT. Because of the date, the church and reception locations were available, but because of the date, the rest would not be as smooth.

Wedding Planners & Vendor Lists

Unbeknownst to me, most places have their own wedding planners and vendor lists that work with the bride or her wedding planner (in this case, moi). Easy peasy, right? Ahhhh, not necessarily so. Being a wedding planner for a church or popular reception location is not an easy job (I’m sure some of you either have personal experience with a bridezilla or seen popular bridezilla movies). As such, the wedding planner you start with may not be the wedding planner you end up with and lots can happen in the interim.

For the Church

In our case, the wedding planner for the church left half way through the planning. Fortunately, what we agreed to I had memorialized in writing, but there were a number of things she needed approval for and thought she could get because of her experience, and then she was gone… . I was left with a delightful person who knew absolutely nothing about weddings and all those other items that the experienced planner was sure she could get (like lighting up the white lights on the Christmas tree in the church), was not available.

For the Reception

For the Stanley, I was quite happy with the wedding planner assigned to me, but then a few months before the wedding she contacted me to let me know that she was taking a new job in Hawaii as an event planner. My thoughts … here I go again. Fortunately, they assigned me another great wedding planner, but there were still gaps that needed to be filled since she not only jumped in toward the end with me, but she was assigned at least half of the former planner’s weddings.

Then There’s that Preferred Vendor List:

Photographers
Videographers
D.J.’s
Bakers
Florists
Salons
Piano Players
Etc.

Go through it carefully, as I did, since it may or may not be updated. On the list I received, most were in business, but some were not. What I realized was that if you use the word “wedding” in any request for quotes for a wedding, you received a quote that was significantly higher than what you would otherwise receive. More on that in the next article … .

What have you found with Preferred Vendor Lists?

The Wedding Planner – The Date

For the wedding planner, does the date really make a difference? The answer is a resounding YES! It makes a difference as to availability (especially if you are not starting one year in advance), cost, and accessibility among other things. In my case, because of my daughter’s schedule, she could not be flexible on the date, hence a Christmas time wedding.

Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO — The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

In an earlier article, I mentioned that the setting for my novel, Hidden Bloodlines, was inspired by the historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Not only did my husband and I enjoy the hotel, but my daughter celebrated her 18th birthday there. She loved Estes Park and the Stanley and asked that her wedding take place at a beautiful mountain church with the reception at the Stanley.

Availability

A wedding the Saturday before Christmas has quite a few drawbacks, but it also has its advantages. With respect to availability, there are two sides — the availability of the choice locations and the availability of the attendees.

A wedding Christmas weekend is not common, therefore, the church and Music Room at the Stanley were available. On the other hand, since it was Christmas time, not everyone invited could come. For some, that could be considered an advantage (one less person to cover), however, we missed those unable to attend.

Cost

Estes Park, Colorado is a summer resort. If it were a ski resort, it would be a winter wonderland, but it’s not — there is no skiing permitted despite the magnificent mountains. Therefore, a Christmas wedding is off-season, with off-season rates – a definite advantage. Moreover, it was Advent and we were not permitted to decorate the church. That was a large unanticipated savings. The church was so beautiful in its own right, no one even noticed it was not decorated for a wedding and I saved quite a bit of money on flowers.

The icing on the cake was that the Music Room was already decorated for Christmas, therefore, my only concern were the table tops and head table decorations (more on that later).

Accessibility

You never know what the weather brings at Christmas time in Colorado, especially in the mountains. It could be 70 degrees or subzero, and you can’t rely on the weather professionals (it’s the only career where you can be wrong on a regular basis and still keep your job). Fortunately the church and hotel for the reception were a mere half mile apart on the main road into Estes Park. In the event of bad weather, at least that route would be open. And, we definitely had very bad weather even though the snow was beautiful.

The church and the Stanley were available Christmas weekend. We had the opportunity to pay off-season rates, and despite the snow, everything was accessible. It was a beautiful wedding with a phenomenal family reunion. Because of the distance traveled, the good times moved from the Stanley to my home. A truly traditional family wedding of fun, laughter, and good times.

Cost Saving Tip: If the bride, groom, or parent putting on the wedding is military or a veteran, always ask if there’s a military discount. You’d be surprised at the potential cost savings.

Do you have any cost saving tips to share?

The Wedding Planner — When Books Don’t Work for the Book Worm

In the first article of this series, When the Book Worm Is the Wedding Planner, we established that I am first and foremost a book worm, whether it be reading or writing books. It’s reasonable for the book worm to go to her local library, peruse the wide assortment of books, and select two of the most comprehensive books as a guide toward a successful wedding. Right? That’s just what I did, but as I was reminded, never assume anything. A noted law school professor wrote the word “ASSUME” on the board the first day of class and then added hyphens after the second “s” and the “u” and said, “That’s what assuming does.” And, that’s just what it did. Hence the title, “The Wedding Planner — When Books Don’t Work for the Book Worm.”

Why Didn’t the Books Work?

If I suffered from panic attacks (which thankfully I do not), I would have had a big one. Yes, these books were thick, detailed, and quite comprehensive, but that was just part of the problem. The other part was that according to the books, I was too late…

Too late to book

the church
the ideal setting for the reception
the DJ
the photographer
the videographer

And, too late to

have formal wedding invitations printed.

Whew. What a downer that was. Next, I returned the books, but not before I made my checklist.

A Critical Tool

The books did prove helpful to give me an idea of what I was up against. As a business lawyer, checklists are my strength. Checklists are critical to make sure deadlines are met and nothing falls through the cracks. Since I already missed the boat for their timeline, I had to create my own and pray it would all come together.

Additionally, most of these books assumed (there’s that word again) an unlimited or large wedding budget. Since our focus was always education, I got creative in finding ways to get the best out of our limited wedding budget.

What’s your preferred organizational tool?

When the Book Worm Is the Wedding Planner

I confess to being a book worm, not a wedding planner. When my daughter announced her engagement and followed it with, “You’ll have to handle everything Mom, I trust you…,” my voice crackled and I had difficulty breathing. “Are you sure you want ME to handle it?”

As a fourth year medical student on rotations that kept her in the hospital most of each day, she had no time. My sister inherited those event planning skills from our mother, not me. The problem was that the wedding would be in Colorado, and my husband and I with our son were the only ones here. My daughter had no choice, and neither did I.

wedding, wedding planner, books, Hidden Bloodlines, wedding budget, Stanley Hotel, Christmas, Christmas wedding — Wedding Planners
My Sister and My Mom

A Little Background

So that you can better understand my dilemma, I’ll share a brief story of a time when my daughter was just 4 years old and I was the Senior Attorney for a national organization located in 33 states.

I typically wore a suit, however, on this particular day I wore a knit sweater/skirt set. Although my daughter and mother had spent the day together, my daughter was dropped off prior to us leaving for a family dinner at an upscale restaurant. When my mother left, my 4 year old turned to me and said, “Mommy, you’re not planning on wearing that tonight are you?” When I answered in the affirmative, she responded, “No, mommy. That won’t work. Follow me.” She led me to my closet where she picked out a suit for me and I changed. “That’s better… .”

When we entered the restaurant, the first thing out of my mother’s mouth was, “Thank God you changed that awful outfit.”

The Start of Planning a Wedding

This is the daughter that trusted ME with planning every detail of her formal wedding. “God help me!” I prayed… . The first thing I did was go to the library and check out 2 of their best books on planning a wedding — what else would a book worm do, right?

With the most popular month for weddings just 6 months away, I thought this was the ideal time to share those do’s and don’ts of planning the perfect wedding, even if things don’t go exactly as planned. And just as important, is planning that elegant wedding within a smaller than desired budget. Stay tuned for those essential tips, tricks, and money saving ideas…

What do you think is the best month for a wedding?

Thyme for Writers

Candee Fick

Kathryn Ross

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Tours

The Reception

Check List

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Black Friday

The Book Club

Lunch and Crafts

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First Stop

Preferred Vendors List

A Monopoly

The Perfect Professionals

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The Search

The Right D.J.

Contact

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Wedding Planners & Vendor Lists

For the Church

For the Reception

Then There’s that Preferred Vendor List:

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Availability

Cost

Accessibility

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Why Didn’t the Books Work?

Too late to book

A Critical Tool

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A Little Background

The Start of Planning a Wedding

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