Celebrations!!! Barton Baptism 5.15.11

It is a great joy when I work with a couple on their wedding and then stay in touch when they celebrate future milestones. The Bartons married in September 2010 and this May I worked on their son Lane's baptism.

Much like a wedding day, there were both ceremony & reception sites.  The Bartons choose Newark's Holy Family Catholic Church, which was gorgeous.  There were actually multiple children in this one baptism mass and there was so much excitement in the church that day!  Barbie & Mark choose their best friends, Jessica & Rob, to be Lane's godparents and they both did a great job during the baptismal ceremony. Jessica participated in the Italian custom of having the godmother dress the baby for the ceremony which was a very sweet moment.

The reception took place at UAW 1183, also located in Newark, DE.  In our first meeting Barbie had a great vision for the whole day which made my job easier.  I think we were both surprised to see how many options are available for boy baptisms!  The color scheme was blue, white and black and the UAW hall was such a perfect place for this intimate event.  Food & drinks were a family affair, as it was provided by both Barbie & Mark's sides.  Guests were treated to a full spread of fruit salad, vegetables, salad, meatballs and pasta dishes.  As a bonus, one of Barbie's aunts brought a portable sound system for the couple's ipod. Barbie handcut table runners to go on top of the white tablecloths, complete with balloons as the centerpieces and lanterns floating around the room.  She also had toy gifts for all the children in attendance which was not only very nice but helpful to keep the kids occupied!  Last but not least, the cake was provided by All About You Cakes.

We were lucky enough to book the same photographer who did the Barton wedding, Sparkle Photography. Here are the photos of this beautiful day. Enjoy!

The 411: Guest Seating

Pop quiz: what is the difference between an escort card and a place card?  A place card is located at the top of each place setting on the table to indicate the exact seat for each guest while an escort card contains the guest name and his/her table number, allowing each guest to choose his/her own place at the table. 

Couples are getting creative with their escort cards, not limiting themselves to actual cards but preparing table lists in imaginative and beautiful displays. Whatever you decide on for the display, having assigned seating is a MUST for all weddings which goes hand in hand with a seating chart.  As a planner, receiving a completed seating chart is in my contract because it can make or break the dinner hour.  The basic outline is table name/number, guest names and total table count.  I scratched out the names from the latest client seating chart to give you an idea of how easy it is to be organized, Excel is your friend!

Back to escort arrangements, this is such another area of decor in the wedding to express your personality so the sky is the limit.  I've picked some of my favorites to share with you for inspiration- a few from online and a few from my wonderful clients.  Enjoy!

Seating chart- DO IT!

Alphabetical is the simplest way to go.  Source

A sweet treat before dinner, love it! Source

Source

Hitched!!! Holding Wedding 4.8.11

As a wedding planner I absolutely LOVE the opportunity to work with a couple who has a strong vision for their big day.  I met Matt & Jessie in September 2010 and I was immediately excited for their Italian vineyard themed wedding.  They are a great couple who had been dreaming of a honeymoon to Italy ahead of the wedding and used that as the foundation.  We got to work right away seeking out the best vendors to create an Italian vineyard for this Delaware couple getting married at The Wellwood Club in Charlestown, MD. 

Matt & Jessie were both very involved in every step of the wedding planning and I think that was they key in creating a day that honored both of them individually and as a couple.  Amazing details were provided by The Wellwood Club who set the bar extremely high with Angela, the site coordinator who truly cared about Matt & Jessie.  Since TWC is a restaurant by day, I had no doubt that the catering would be phenomenal and the staff was so professional and attentive.  The staff was particularly helpful since there was a lot of moving around to do ahead of the ceremony- we had to move the set up from overlooking the bay to inside the tent that day as the heavens opened in the early morning and didn't stop until close to 11pm!  Always keeping the focus of each other, Matt & Jessie were so flexible and truly excited for their big day regardless of rain. 

The decor was complimented by Belak Flowers of Wilmington, DE who provided all the stunning floral arrangements.  Barb really took the time to understand the vineyard vision and created beautiful centerpieces on top of the wine bottles that Jessie provided.  Delaware favorite Cannon's Cakes provided the gorgeous and delicious cake.  And to keep the party moving, Matt & Jessie asked a good friend to be their DJ and having that personal touch really was extra special.  Kathy of Sparkle Photography is a preferred vendor and needless to say, she never disappoints.  Her talent of capturing the cherished moments is pretty amazing. We did luck out that the rain stopped for about 30 minutes towards the end of the reception so the couple could get some great shots on the property.  This couple was so great to work with from start to finish, I wish nothing but the most love & happiness to the Holdings as they start their life together!  Enjoy these photos and please check Felicity C Weddings' Facebook page for the whole photo album.

FCW Behind The Scenes

I have been wanting to do this post for a long time.  I know there are still people who are not sure what I do on the actual wedding day.  In my opinion, if guests don't really pay attention to me that is the best sign- that means the couple is the center of attention & everything is flowing smoothly. 

In actuality, over the course of the day I really am floating around constantly, trying my best to be in multiple places at once.  Here are a few never before seen photos of me working client weddings.  Whether I am lining up the bridal party, fluffing up the bride's dress for the processional or just keeping track of the timeline, I love what I do and being behind the scenes.  Every time I do spot myself in the background when I look over the professional photos, I can't help but smile since I never look camera ready and mainly since it is my job to stay OUT of the professional photos but sometimes it just happens.  Enjoy!

 Credit: Clair Pruett Photography

 Credit: Lindsay McDonald Hite, Readyluck

Credit: Sparkle Photography

Credit: Procopio Photography

Credit: Procopio Photography

Thank You, 2010

This is the time of year that most people to reflect on the past year of their life.  After the amazing ride that 2010 gave Felicity C Weddings, I couldn't help but reflect on the first full year of my event & wedding planning company. Here are my reflections.

High's: I love, love, love that I was able to be a part of 8 weddings this year!  Eight couples that vowed to love, honor and cherish each other forever and they allowed me to plan one of the biggest days of their life!  I love that I found clients through wedding blogs, Facebook, friends, and advertising.  I love that every wedding I planned (day of coordination, partial planning or full planning) was different and I learned so much each time.  I met and worked with a lot of vendors and gained a deep appreciation for the ones that stood out as amazing vendors.  Among the planning that stands out, I planned a wedding for a couple living in Guam (a 14 hour time difference!) and the bride only visited the states one time in the 16 month planning period.  Also, I planned a September wedding in 8 weeks.  Over the year, I was able to get over my intimidation of blogging and began to post regularly (average 12 times/month) and even more amazing, when I posted the blogs to the Felicity C Weddings Facebook page, people actually read my posts!!  Speaking of the FCW page, as of today it is at 278 'fans' and growing which blows.my.mind. 

Low's: Unfortunately, with all the great high's of the year, there were a few lows.  Starting my own business from scratch has been a great learning process to say the least.  Trying to balance my personal time with my company has been a pendulum swinging in both directions but I think I do have a better hold on balance as 2010 came to a close.  I think the biggest low of 2010 was working with vendors who did not have my clients' best interests in mind.  I really learned this year that what vendors are really offering clients (myself included) is 50% actual service and 50% customer service.  Overall, every little obstacle that I came across taught me something new and I feel very ready to bring on a new year of weddings & events.

My goals for 2011 is to keep researching, blogging, expanding, and of course to continue planning- in short to keep learning.  Once again, thank you so much to all the family, friends, clients, vendors, and 'fans' that support Felicity C Weddings.  You have truly made my dreams come true.  I haven't gotten all the professional photos back yet but here are some of my fantastic 2010 clients.  I am posting ceremony pictures only because that is why I do what I do- love.  Enjoy!      

 

Diamond Wedding 5.22.10

Photo credit: Lindsay MacDonald Weddings

 

Fehnel Wedding 6.26.10

Photo credit: Clair Pruett Photography

Hitched!!! Barton Wedding 9.11.10

With all the hustle & bustle of this fall wedding season, I just realized that I didn't post about this wonderful wedding!  So, here we go!  Barbie & Mark are a great couple that I have had the pleasure of knowing for about 3 1/3 years now.  I worked with Barbie at my last corporate job before starting my own company in April 2009.  We worked together for two years and once I met Mark and hung out with both of them I knew that it was just a matter of time because they are so perfect for each other.  Barbie knew that I planned weddings on the side for friends and we often talked about wedding ideas.  She told me that I would be her planner when she & Mark got engaged.  Well that time came this past July 4th weekend when Mark asked Barbie to be his wife after dinner on their back deck.  Barbie texted me that Monday and said that she was in need of my services.  From there it all unfolded pretty quickly- along with Barbie & Mark, I planned this wedding in 8 weeks!

Barbie was about 3 months pregnant at the time and really wanted to get married in September before she got too far into the pregnancy to enjoy the wedding.  She knew right away that she wanted a "French Country" theme and we completely lucked out in finding a venue with perfect decor that had a September Saturday open up.  On the wedding day, the weather was amazing for the ceremony & reception that took place at The Farmhouse in Wilmington, DE.  Barbie was very hands on with the planning and bought a bunch of cute decor accents while at the Outer Banks in late July.  Sparkle Photography's Kathy Wilson did a fantastic job of capturing all the sweet moments and details small to large throughout the day (personalized unity candle! hand-painted guest seating chalkboard! adorable quote sign for guest book table!).  One of my favorite details was bagpiper David Bailiff, who played as guests arrived to the ceremony and led the couple on their ceremony recessional, whose great talent celebrated the groom's ancestry.

As for the food, The Farmhouse has in-house catering by Country Caterers Inc. which was complemented with a cake by Sweets To You By Ginger, Inc.  During the planning process Barbie & Mark asked for DJ recommendations and my first thought was Jon Anson of Anson Audio, who I worked with in June.  He has the great ability to keep every guest happy and keep the night going while staying on my timeline.  Alfreda McCoy-Cuff was a friend of the bride's who has planning and floral design experience.  Alfreda's knowledge and resources were great and the beautiful floral arrangements really tied in the theme. It was a joy to see this wedding come together so quickly and to help one of my friends with her big day.  Married life certainly looks good on the Bartons and I can't wait to meet baby Lane in February!  Here are the photos of this beautiful day.  Enjoy!