LRE Weddings - Virginia and Tim's East Hampton Wedding

When Virginia and Tim came to me to discuss planning their wedding, they were debating several options including New York City, East Hampton, the beaches of North Carolina and Scotland (where Virginia was born).  Quite a wide range!!!  After a lot of chatting and thinking, Virginia and Tim agreed upon East Hampton creating the perfect balance of beach and countryside, all in close proximity to NYC.  They hosted a full weekend "local destination" affair with a casual and fun welcome party Friday evening, Soul Cycle spin class and a beach hangout on Saturday followed by a post wedding brunch on Sunday.  

Our stunning bride, Virginia!  Photo - David Willems Photography

Some pretty amazing Louboutins.
Photo - David Willems Photography

What a beautiful group of bridesmaids in navy J Crew dresses.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Can't forget about Virginia's golden retriever Sully.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Tim and his groomsmen looking dapper in grey and tartan.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Beautiful aisle florals.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Gorgeous back drop for the ceremony!  It was one of those drizzly days, but the rain held off for the ceremony.
The weather added to Scottish theme of Virginia and Tim's wedding.
Photo - David Willems Photography

JUST AMAZING!
Photo - David Willems Photography

Traditional bag piper led Virginia and Tim out of the ceremony and the guests up to the reception.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Such a natural beauty!
Photo - David Willems Photography

Beautiful bride, beautiful backdrop.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Love this photo and love Tim's unique boutonniere.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Bridesmaid bouquet.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Virginia's first look (of the ballroom that is!)
Photo - David Willems Photography

Rather than table numbers, each table was named after a type of whisky and once seated, the guests at each table were invited to pour themselves a glass of whisky for Virginia's father's toast.
Photo - David Willems Photography

Photo - David Willems Photography

Photo - David Willems Photography

The wood farm tables made quite an impact in the ballroom!
Photo - David Willems Photography

Menu Cards
Photo - David Willems Photography

Photo - David Willems Photography

Photo - David Willems Photography

So nice to see the bride and groom so happy during the reception!
Photo - David Willems Photography

Photo - David Willems Photography

Later in the evening Virginia let her hair down!  She also sang a great rendition of "I Love Rock and Roll", wish I had a video!
Photo - David Willems Photography

Credits:
Photography - David Willems Photography - www.davidwillems.com
Hair and Make-up - Jessie Riley - www.jessieriley.com
Entertainment - Groove Society from Element Music - www.elementmusicnyc.com

Laura Remmert Events Featured on Style Me Pretty

So excited to have our wedding featured on Style Me Pretty last Friday! On the blog you can read all about my vision for the design of our wedding, balancing a formal space with a more whimsical and fresh design including tons of color!

Take a look at the link here:

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2012/10/19/saratoga-springs-wedding-at-the-canfield-casino-from-laura-remmert-events/

BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY VENDORS!

All of the vendors that we chose did such an amazing job making my vision become a reality.  Kris Ann of Fleurtacious Designs went above and beyond with the flowers, the room was even more stunning than I ever expected with the PERFECT balance of bright color and elegance.

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Kris Ann's husband JP and father-in-law Joe (Elario Photography) captured the feeling of the evening perfectly and made all of our family and friends completely comfortable during the photos, I have never had formal shots move along so quickly.  JP has a way of making the photos fun and relaxed, and JP and Joe took some pretty amazing shots, it's impossible for me to pick favorites!

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Katie and Jill of Katie O' Weddings & Events were there with anything that we needed.  Honestly, I am a wedding planner and I had a wedding coordinator, I don't know what people do without one!  I know how many little things that I fix throughout a wedding and I wanted the chance to be the bride not a planner at my own wedding.  Katie and Jill were amazing!  (Special note - I used to work with Katie at both the City of Albany Office of Special Events and Classe Catering, so it was extra special to have her be a part of my wedding day!)

Photo by Elario Photography

When it came to choosing a caterer, I went with Classe Catering.  Before moving to New York City, I worked for Brian and Classe and learned quite a lot about the Full-service catering business!  Classe Catering provided all of the whimsical comfort food including a cocktail station featuring some comfort favorites - meatloaf and mashed potatoes, lobster mac and cheese and much more!  They also created a late night taco station for us including our a version of our favorite late night NYC treat, the Guaco-loco!  If you live in NYC and have never been to San Loco late night, I highly recommend it, one of my favorite treats after a night out ;-)

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Last, but not least - Perrone Bros Entertainment "Naked Soul" knocked it out of the park with the music!  Everyone was up and dancing all night long.  If you have never heard "Naked Soul" you should definitely check them out, one of the best bands I have heard (and I hear a lot of bands at weddings!) and not only are they a great band, but Tony and Tommy are just amazing to work with, they are available to speak with you throughout the planning process and you can tell that they really love being a part of your wedding day.

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Photo by Elario Photography

Floral and Event Design - Kris Ann Elario - www.fleurtaciousdesigns.com
Photography - JP and Joe Elario - www.joeelariophotography.com
Event Coordination - Katie O'Malley - www.katieoevents.com
Catering - Brian Palazollo - www.classecatering.com
Entertainment - Tony Perrone - www.perronebros.com

Wedding Trends - The Local Destination Wedding

The "local-destination wedding" has become a very popular option among brides and grooms over the past few years.  I'm sure just about everyone reading this blog has attended at least one wedding that required some travel and a weekend hotel stay but the wedding didn't quite fit into the destination wedding category at least not in the traditional sense - when most people hear destination wedding they instantly think of a longer flight to a tropical or remote location, an intimate guest list and a long weekend or full week with close friends and family.  I happen to love destination weddings, but they are often more difficult for the invited guests because they require a more significant monetary and time commitment.

As many of us grew up in one area, went to college in a second and then moved to a third (or fourth or fifth) location, it's tough to decide which location is "local" and besides that, no matter where you have your wedding some of your friends and family will need to travel.  Additionally, because many of us no longer live near all of our close friends and family, weddings have become an excuse for reunion weekends to catch up with everyone.  

Enter the "local-destination wedding" - Pick a location that may be a short drive for some guests or a short flight for others and invite guests to stay the whole weekend rather than just one night.  

This type of wedding does require additional activities surrounding the wedding - often a larger rehearsal dinner, a welcome party and a post wedding brunch - but these can all be low key and do not have to be a major expense to the bride and groom and their families.  You do not have to provide activities for the guests for the duration of their stay - you can have a website or welcome packet with ideas of places to visit, favorite restaurants and activities and let guests explore on their own.  

As a wedding planner - I've received many requests for this type of wedding - locations such as East Hampton, NY, Bar Harbor, ME and Watch Hill, RI being recent examples.  

Stayed tuned for my next blog featuring photos from a recent "local destination wedding" in East Hampton.  Here's a sneak peak in the meantime - 

Virginia and Tim's East Hampton Wedding - Photo Credit - David Willems

The Wedding Planning Process - From an Event Planner/Bride's Point of View

Part 2 - Venue Selection - So many pretty spaces to choose from!

Before you can think about a venue, you really need to sit down and figure out approximately how many guests you would like to invite to your wedding.  I know some couples who have picked a venue first and then have had to decrease or even increase their guest coin tot make the venue work.  This is fine if you think you have a flexible guest list and if you're open to "cutting" guests (much easier to add guests usually, assuming you have the budget).  I personally think that it is best to sit down with both families and begin the discussion about the size of the wedding and guest lists for each party before even thinking about the venue.  


In smaller areas (basically most areas outside of NYC) you often need to book your venue a year or so ahead of time.  Saratoga, where I chose to host my wedding, is one of those areas.  After I had decided to host my wedding in Saratoga Springs, it became time to pick the perfect venue and I was in a rush to beat all of the other brides for dates the following Spring!


Luckily, I already had a few venues in mind at the time that Joe proposed (this is what happens when you're a wedding planner and also when you've been with your fiancé for 7 years, you have lots of ideas for your wedding before you even receive your ring, haha).

Venue #1 - Hall of Springs 

Since I had worked for an outside caterer while up in Albany, I had never had the chance to work an event at Hall of Springs, but had viewed many photos on local wedding blogs and found it to be absolutely beautiful and a very clean, classic space.  Joe and I live in a loft in Brooklyn Heights, all white, modern, high ceilings, if this gives you an idea of our style aesthetic ;-) Hall of Springs seemed like the perfect option.  

Venue #2 - Canfield Casino  

When working in Albany before moving to NYC, I had planned several weddings at this venue.  I made an appointment to go take another look, this time as a bride, and brought my fiancé and parents with me.  

From the outside, looks like a Brooklyn brownstone, perfect for two Brooklynites like Joe and I.  Best part about Canfield, this is the outside.... and then this is the inside.... not exactly what you would expect from the outside!

Decision

Prior to my venue visits, I would have told you that I wanted to have my wedding at The Hall of Springs.  Being an event planner/designer, I wanted a clean and classic space so that the focus would be on the decor.  After viewing both venues I was very torn, I kept going back and forth that weekend until I couldn't sleep one night because design schemes were running through my head!  After some thought, I had figured out a way to make Canfield Casino feel "less formal" and more "us" (more on this later in a blog about my wedding decor/design).  

Moral of the story...go in with an open mind!  

You may have a specific type of venue in your head as your perfect venue, but that can change.  Take a look at tons of photos and even bring a designer with you, the venue is the frame for your wedding, but there's a lot you can do with decor to make a venue fit you and your personality.  

The Wedding Planning Process - From an Event Planner/Bride's Point of View

As some of you may know, I recently got married.  Throughout this series of blog entries I will discuss going through the wedding planning process as an event planner/bride. 

After planning weddings for so many couples over the past ten years, it was my turn to plan my own wedding.  Joe and I got engaged January 2011 and the process began almost immediately as I wanted to aim for a Spring 2012 wedding in Upstate New York.  Follow along and hear about the planning process and advice for future, new and current brides and grooms!

Part 1 - Location Location Location


Determining the location for your wedding is probably the most important decision you need to make when planning your wedding (well I guess this is second to who you're going to marry, haha).  


Do you want a destination wedding? a local wedding? a "local destination" wedding?


Is having your wedding in your hometown important to you (or your family)? or do you prefer to have your wedding in the city you met?  or a favorite vacation spot?


So many questions to be answered and so many options available!  My best advice is to discuss the available options with your fiancé and both of your families to determine what type of wedding you would like to have and then begin discussing possible cities, towns, islands, etc.  It's important to think about your guests and who can and will travel and it's also important to begin discussing budget as the price point for each location may vary greatly.


After discussing our options, Joe and I decided that we wanted a "local destination wedding", we wanted the feel of a destination wedding without asking our guests to travel too far.  My parents had expressed during our discussions that the tradition of having the wedding near the bride's hometown was of importance to them so we began looking at areas in Upstate New York and The Berkshires.  Saratoga Springs quickly became the leading location.  


Saratoga is a really pretty town known for it's mineral springs, lake activities and horse racing.  I had spent summers heading up to the lake, the races and concerts in the park.  Since many of our guests live in New York City, we wanted something that felt different from the city and also wanted everything to be within reach for our guests.  The nice thing about a small town wedding is that with everyone staying in hotels on Broadway (the main street in Saratoga) our guests were able to walk around and explore the town during the day, no need for cars which pleased a lot of the New Yorkers!  Although I was in my suite all day getting ready for my wedding, I heard if you walked around town that day you were guaranteed to run into friends and family attending the wedding!

Broadway, Saratoga Springs, New York

http://www.saratoga.com/

ONCE YOU PICK YOUR WEDDING LOCATION - ON TO WEDDING VENUES.....

My Very First Blog Post!
Currently in the process of finalizing the design of my new website!  Super excited to launch it in a few weeks.  In the meantime, I'll be updating this blog with photos of recent events and event planning advice.  Check back in soon!