Bride Support Wedding Planning Blog

Gretchen & Jimmy – 5/18/2013

The mother of the Bride came to Bride Support during her daughter’s engagement in hopes of finding someone to help manage the details of the day so that she – as well as her husband and the Bride & Groom – could actually enjoy the day and take care of their guests on the wedding day. Gretchen and her mother were both very organized and on top of things – so they were great to work with. It was a pleasure to help put everything together, coordinate vendors for them and ensure that they could truly be present on the big day while we worried about the rest.

Their day began at the Bride’s beautiful home church in Wayzata where a touching and personal ceremony finally made them man and wife. The sermon about a park bench is one that will even stick with me – as well as many guests, I’m sure…and of course, the couple. Beautiful music by guitarist, Brendan, added a classy touch to an already gorgeous locale. Guests then ventured to downtown Minneapolis to The Woman’s Club for cocktail hour & the reception. What a unique and beautiful setting The Woman’s Club offered. Gretchen & Jimmy opted for a more relaxed reception – with stations of food instead of a formal sit-down dinner – which encouraged guests to mingle and enjoy themselves as if at the couple’s home. It was quite lovely – the food was great, the soft furniture was comfortable and then the dance added in a bit of a party atmosphere. The couple made their entrance down a grand staircase and after some sweet toasts and dances – the couple opened up the ice cream bar for dessert.

What a lovely day for a classy couple. Congrats, Gretchen & Jimmy!

Gretchen & Jimmy wrote the following review…

“I don’t care if you are the most organized person in the world, when your big day has finally arrived, you need someone like Meredith to be coordinating all of the details. The day would not have been as enjoyable if we did not have her with us to take care of all the little things that pop up and to keep us on track. She was organized, calm, and easygoing, which I think is a rarity when it comes to wedding planners. She let us have our moments without rushing us through anything, but kept us on time so we could make the most of the day. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a day of coordinator!“

The mother of the Bride, Anita, wrote the following review…

“Meredith managed all of the details perfectly. Although she managed the day of coordination she did so much more, meeting when we needed to to verify and confirm details.

My first conversation with her was that, my daughter lives out of state, we have friends and family coming from across the country and I wanted our guests to come and enjoy the celebration, not have to help with miscellaneous things, and that I would be able to enjoy the day as well.

Meredith did all of this and more, we had no worries, she coordinated with our vendors, made certain that the timeline we all agreed to was followed and inserted flexibility when necessary. Our day was absolutely perfect and I give a tremendous amount of that credit to Meredith. Thank you.“

The Line-Up:

Ceremony - Wayzata Community Church
Reception Venue - The Woman’s Club
Flowers - La Petite Fleur
Photography - Anna Jones Art of Photography
Ceremony Music - Brendan Lake (guitar)
Hair Design – The Art of Hair
Makeup – Blush
DJ – Instant Request
Wedding Party Transportation – Discount Party Bus MN

All Photos by Anna Jones Art of Photography

2013: 05/23
CATEGORY: Wedding Planning
Weddings
TAGS: minnesota day of coordination
Minnesota Wedding
real weddings
Woman's Club
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Liz & Paul – 2/2/13

Liz & Paul were such a pleasure to work with on their beautiful winter wedding. They had a great vision – but wanted someone there to help answer their questions, get opinions and recommendations and of course – make sure everything went perfectly on the day of the wedding.

With a fresh dusting of snow – Liz & Paul invited their guests to Liz’s home church in Plymouth where the two became one in a meaningful and sweet ceremony. Then, guests made their way to the McNamara Alumni center on the U’s campus where they hosted a beautiful and fun party in celebration of the couple. Guests placed their wishes to couple on a wishing tree (in lieu of a guestbook) and enjoyed cocktail hour before the reveal of the reception area. The space at McNamara was decked out in beautiful linens and lighting and a winter wonderland of white flowers and flocked twigs – just gorgeous! After a tasty dinner by D’Amico and toasts from the couple’s fathers and best friends – they took the floor for their special dances. And THEN the party began once Pop Rocks took the stage and entertained the guests all night long with their unforgettable show.

What a fun group and an adorable couple…congrats Liz & Paul!

The Line-Up:

Ceremony Venue – Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church
Reception Venue - McNamara Alumni Center
Photography - LaVie Photography
Videography - Virtuoso Video
Ceremony Soloist – Phil Mennicke
Flowers – Sadie’s Couture Floral
Caterer – D’Amico Catering
Linens & Rentals - Midway Party Rentals
Chair Covers & Runners - The Covered Chair
Band – Time Music Agency – PopRocks
Transportation – MLK Transportation
Lighting – AV For You

(We LOVE first looks!)

(A wish tree in lieu of a guestbook.)

All Photos by LaVie Photography

2013: 02/07
CATEGORY: Wedding Planning
Weddings
TAGS: day of coordinator
mcnamara wedding
minnesota day of coordination
winter wedding
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Popular Pinterest Pinnings

Bride Support’s most popular recent pins – check ‘em out!

A handy app to get your guests’ wedding pics…

Super cute save-the-date pic for your photo shoot!

Heart shaped balloons for a group photo – too cute!

Good photo idea – with the marriage certificate.

Are you following us on Pinterest? Go, now!

2013: 02/04
CATEGORY: Wedding Planning
Weddings
TAGS: Popular Pinterest Pinnings
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From the Officiant’s Point of View…

Thanks to Rev. Tomkin Coleman - a Minnesota wedding officiant - for his guest post about why day-of coordination for your wedding is a “must”! There are many reasons why you need a coordinator – but here’s some great examples from someone who often sees it all go down when there isn’t a coordinator in sight…

Why hire a wedding planner/wedding coordinator? Well, from my point of view, as an officiant who has performed hundreds of wedding ceremonies in the Minneapolis and St Paul metro area, it can make a huge difference. Asking friends or relatives to help out doesn’t work that well – it’s really too much responsibility to ask of a loved one, and once the big day comes, they would much rather be spending the time with you socially and spend the time with everyone else, as well.

Let’s say the cake doesn’t show up (yeesh!) It’s so nice to have a professional who, first of all, noticed that it was missing, and then had the contacts to either get the baker to fix the situation, or get another cake there somehow, some way. That’s not the kind of thing just anyone can handle – you want someone who is really experienced, knows what they’re doing, and isn’t distracted by family dynamics or by old friends they’d really like to see.

When a couple doesn’t have a wedding coordinator, it’s all too easy for guests or attendants to ask the bride what she wants, which can be an appropriate question in the days leading up to the wedding, but on her wedding day, she just wants to enjoy the day, not deal with responsibility.

Here’s one story, from my experience as a Minnesota Wedding Officiant – a couple had their wedding reception at a hall that doesn’t usually host weddings, and everything was going fine, until the cake was served and the guests realized they didn’t have any forks. The forks that were used for dinner were already gone when the caterer left, and so suddenly there wasn’t anything to eat the cake with. Without a wedding coordinator, the mother of the bride had to rush around and get forks, right in the middle of her daughter’s wedding reception, but if they had a coordinator, she would have not only been able to get emergency forks (as it were), but would have seen the situation come up ahead of time and no one would have ever known about the mix-up.

Every wedding is unique, and so unique situations show up at every reception that couldn’t be anticipated weeks ahead of time – and it’s these things that can’t be anticipated that is what a coordinator is especially good at.

2013: 01/31
CATEGORY: Wedding Planning
Weddings
TAGS: day of coordinator
minnesota day of coordination
Rev Tomkin Coleman
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Sharda & Dan – Video

SO fun to watch the day unfold and remember each moment.
Check out Sharda & Dan’s highlight reel by Joe Pollock Films. Enjoy!

2012: 12/15
CATEGORY: Weddings
TAGS: minnesota day of coordination
Minnesota Wedding
real weddings
wedding videography
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Emily & Jeremy – 12/1/2012

Emily & Jeremy were such a sweet and fun couple to work with on their special wedding day!

After finding me at a wedding show, Emily was quick to take some of the weight off of her shoulders and be able to trust Bride Support with the details of her big day – so that she could actually enjoy it!

Emily & Jeremy started their wedding day off with a super sweet ceremony that included a ukulele, family vows, accordion, sing-a-long of “Lean On Me” and a ring-warming ceremony (so cute!)! After greeting their guests and taking some pictures in Rice Park, they met up with everyone at the reception at the Wabasha Street Caves. The caves are such a fun venue and guests truly love being in such a unique, historical place. After dinner, guests were entertained with a photo booth, cupcake buffet and the awesome musical stylings of the Riverside Swing Band (including swing dance lessons!). The party went on all night, including some late-night DJing by the band’s front man. What an incredibly fun day for an incredibly awesome couple. Congrats Emily & Jeremy!

The Line-Up:

Church – Unity Church-Unitarian
Ceremony Musicians - Marcia Thoen (accordion), church pianist and Danielle Anderson (ukelele)
Photography - Amy Wurdock Photography
Reception Venue – Wabasha Street Caves
Catering – Kane’s Catering
Photo booth – The Traveling Photo Booth
Cupcakes/Cake – Queen of Cakes
Reception Band – Riverside Swing Band
Flowers – Flowerama
Transportation – Richfield Bus Company

The couple designed their own paper suite!

The groomsmen singing along.

The ceremony included a “ring-warming” where guests passed the couple’s rings along a ribbon in order to pass along their sentiments.

Married!!

All Photos by Amy Wurdock Photography

2012: 12/06
CATEGORY: Wedding Planning
Weddings
TAGS: day of coordinator
minnesota day of coordination
Minnesota Wedding
real weddings
wabasha caves wedding
winter wedding
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Sharda & Dan – 11/9/12

Sharda & Dan’s's wedding at the Profile Event Center was such a fun and adorable day! Sharda came to use a year before her wedding needing someone to keep her on track, help her with all the details and make sure everything was handled well. Lucky for her – that’s exactly what we do!

Sharda & Dan’s day began with a champagne toast upon arrival and a heartfelt ceremony at the Profile Event Center that included lots of laughter and tears of joy. What a passionate couple these two are! After sealing the deal with a kiss, the couple treated their guests to a hearty cocktail hour and dinner before getting the party started. Sharda included lots of personal touches into the day – signature cocktails, pink straws in memory of Dan’s mother, lots of engagement pictures displayed, a personalized gourmet candy buffet and a wish balloon launch, to name a few! Guests were catered to with every decision on this wedding day – and they sure appreciated it. It was a fun day that was full of joy. Congrats, you two!

The Line-Up:

Venue - Profile Event Center
Photography - Ashleigh Rachel Photography
Flowers - KMB Floral
Videography - Joe Pollock Films
Stationery - Belletristics
Officiant – Friendor
DJ - Bellagala
Photo Booth – Mobile Photo Booth
Candy Buffet – The Candy Dish

Sharda & Dan wrote the following review…

“I started working with Meredith Nov. 2011 and got married 11/9/12. Meredith was a godsend. I decided to hire a wedding planner because my mother in law, who was helping me with the majority of my planning passed away and i felt so lost without her help. I came to Meredith with just a few ideas I had already worked on and she took me by the hand and helped me plan my perfect wedding.

Meredith gave me ideas and never stepped on any of my crazy wedding day dreams, she made sure i was up to date with my DIY projects and always kept track of the ideas that i had even forgotten about. She worked tirelessly with wedding vendors making sure contracts were fair and answered any questions the vendors had. I never knew how important it was to hire a wedding planner until i was at a wedding show and signed a bogus contract without Meredith being there for chair covers and bows. I thought i was getting them at a steal but it turns out that there was a fine print in the set/take down charges that would have cost me double what the chairs & bows were. when i tried cancelling the contract, i found out that the money i already gave to them was non-refundable and any overages paid to them (b/c my guest count was less than i paid for) was non-refundable. I wish i would have consulted with Meredith because she read every vendor contract and would have fully explained the consequences before i signed, so i didn’t loose money.

If you hire her for day-of coordinating then that’s a great choice but I would recommend every bride to hire for your entire wedding experience. Meredith is professional, loyal and she was truly looking out for my best interest. I trusted her to make my day perfect and she truly did not disappoint me. I didn’t have to worry about a thing & any mistakes or problems that happened on wedding day I did not even notice. Guest at my wedding said it was the best wedding they ever attended and I know its because of how Meredith made my wedding day go by so smoothly.”