Tips to Plan the Perfect Wedding

It’s all about creating the perfect, most memorable wedding for your special bride and groom. This last article will provide a one stop shop for the tips and direction found in this series with an important goal…to see you through to the start of something new — a new life together kicked off by special memories. I decided to start this series to help others, since as a bookworm, I was thrown into a difficult situation when the books didn’t work for me.

During the course of planning a wedding, you’ll probably have to deal with one uninvited guest on a regular basis — stress. This article provides tips on alleviating it for a healthier you.

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Victoria with her Dad, Uncle George, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Theresa – Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography

When planning the perfect wedding, the date will make all the difference in the world with availability and cost. Check out what to look for… .

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Gary Liebowitz with Sound Junction

Finding just the right D.J. is key to a great wedding. This may not be an easy task, at least it wasn’t for me, but thankfully I found a phenomenal one! If you’re in the front range area, you can’t go wrong with Gary Liebowitz at Sound Junction. He is phenomenal as he kept the wedding party dancing and moving. If you’re not, this article has tips on finding one.

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
Laura Grace Petersen
Laura Grace Photography

The word “wedding” added to anything tends to increase the cost at least by double if not more, but there are reasonable vendors available available. If you’re in the front range area and are interested in making beautiful memories, I highly recommend:

Laura Grace Photography

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

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Sandy, Karen, & Carlene

The wedding decorations could be a daunting task. You can pay an expert if it’s in your budget, or rely on your very talented friends, as I did.

The perfect wedding cake doesn’t have to cost any where near $1000. Find out how to keep the cost less than a quarter of the cost.

Jacqueline & Elizabeth — Beautiful Bridesmaids — Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography

You’ll want your beautiful bridesmaids dressed to perfection in a dress they can afford and could perhaps use again.

Despite your best efforts, more than likely at least one aspect won’t go as planned, but no one needs to know. In my case, a miscount snowballed… .

Delicious and safe food is a key ingredient for a great wedding. This article gives you key pointers to look for.

 

Beautiful Bridesmaids Dressed to Perfection
The Wedding Party at the Head Table — Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography

The Music — A Requirement for Every Wedding Ceremony, but it’s not as easy as you’d think.

The Wedding Celebrant — Who Do You Want to Marry You? Do you have someone in particular in mind? We did, Father Mbala, and there are no words to describe what he added and the inspiration he instilled in all of us.

The Rehearsal & Dinner Kicks Off the Wedding Events.

 

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
J.C. & Jane

Historic hotels can provide an exciting venue in more ways than one. Check out why.

If your ceremony and/or reception will take place at an historic hotel, there are important factors to take into consideration. Check them out at: The Wedding Hotel Accommodations — Historic vs. Contemporary.

Choose the right hotel for a comfortable and affordable stay for those celebrating with you. The Right Hotel for Your Wedding Guests provides guidelines and a checklist to help you find just the right hotel.

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
The Dance Train – Courtesy of Laura Grace Photography

Most of all, have fun and dance the night away, even if things didn’t turn out exactly as planned. Most likely, you’ll be the only one to know. This will most likely be the last article on the Wedding Planner Series; the bride graduates medical school Sunday and will shortly start her residency in Neurosurgery. Congratulations to my beautiful daughter!

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Medical Student

(C) 2018 Karen Van Den Heuvel Fischer

Choosing An Historic Hotel for Your Wedding Venue

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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!

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Ghost Tour
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?

(c) 2018, Karen Van Den Heuvel