Lake Lanier PineIsle Pointe Wedding

Ivy and Chao contacted me to plan their wedding from scratch with less than 4 weeks' notice. It was certainly challenging but we worked together and made it happen together with a great team of vendors!

We visited several venues and settled on Lake Lanier's PineIsle Pointe because of its gorgeous lake site view:

There is really not another venue close to Atlanta with such a lake view that made for stunning photos:

Here is a portrait of the beautiful bride:

Ivy had picked her something blue to be on her feet:

The Bridal Bouquet had a tiny card pendant because the couple had met on a Texas hold'em card game:

The couple also chose a card table design for the Groom's Cake:

For a playful fun decoration, the florist surprised the couple with a pair of dice on the Head Table:

Although this was a weekday wedding, more than 60 of Ivy and Chao's close friends and family made it to the 6pm ceremony on time and partied until the end of the reception!

Congratulations to Ivy and Chao! I enjoyed working with you two love birds to put together the gorgeous affair in 26 days!

Vendor Team:

Baker: Artisan Cakes and Wedding Design by Julie
DJ: AAA DJ Services
Florist: Laurens Floral Arts
Makeup & Hair: Mimi Kuang
Officiant: Rev. John Keenan
Photography: CQuences Studio
Videography:  Peerless Weddings

June 24, 2016 Georgian Club Wedding

Earlier last month I got a phone call requesting a wedding to be planned and coordinated in three weeks.

The couple Rongxiang and Margie had chosen the wedding date because it was the only time both sets of parents were available to fly half way around the world from China to Atlanta so they wanted to wed in front of their parents.

To be honest, I felt like Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt's character in the Mission Impossible movie series when I first heard the request. However, I gladly accepted the mission and began a 21 day wedding planning journey (a record even for me!) with this sweet couple!

Before the mission began, I did told Rongxiang and Margie that in order for us to pull it off, I would need them to be decisive and they definitely were one of the most decisive couples I had ever worked with! I was particularly impressed that it only took Margie one weekend afternoon to get her gorgeous gown (after I gave her some pointers on where to shop for off the rack wedding dress in Atlanta.)!

The summer wedding with 30 of their closest friends and both set of parents was held at the Georgian Club.

Here are more portraits of the beautiful couple:

The first look was taken at the garden area next to the Georgian Club:

The ceremony was held in the ceremony room up on the 17th floor venue:

Reception room was immediately adjacent to the ceremony room:

The centerpieces and bouquet:

The cake:

A big thank you to all the vendors who made this mission impossible became mission possible:

Photographer: Atlanta Artistic Weddings Photography
Baker: Artisan Cakes by Julie
Florist: May Kuo
Officiant: Rev. John Keenan
Venue: Georgian Club
Pianist: Bob Cardon
Makeup/Hair Stylist: Nana 

Finally, I want to wish the couple a happy marriage! I truly enjoyed working with you two during the 21 day wedding planning journey!

Wedding Venue Open House

I have always encouraged couples to visit venues in person instead of relying on photos online before making booking decisions unless there is absolutely no way for the couples to visit the venue prior to booking (e.g long distance brides).

Venue site visits require an advance appointment as there is generally no walk in at Special Events venues. Alternatively, there is annual, quarterly, or even monthly Open House conducted by venues that you can register to attend if you are looking for the perfect wedding venue.

Open House is a great time to check out the venue because you can experience how the venue feels like when it is set up for an event. There will be lots of people around which gives you an idea of how your wedding venue feels like when your wedding guests arrive. You can see how they set up the tables, chairs, and linens. Frequently there will be florists who will provide the centerpieces so you can tell the centerpiece size and height that works best at your venue.

Obviously this is also a good time to try the food and you will actually know how the food tastes for a wedding because the caterer will have to prepare in mass quantity vs. a private tasting when the food maybe cooked just for you.

Frequently, you will also meet the venue's favorite vendors such as baker, DJ, photographer etc. who will give you insider tips on hosting the wedding at the particular venue. If you do not like a certain way things are set up at the Open House, you can always make note of it and ask the venue if modifications/changes are possible.

Even if you have already booked your dream venue, attending its Open House helps you plan for your wedding day better because you get a good idea of how the venue looks when it is all decked up for an event and you get to talk to vendors who are familiar with working at the venue for their expert advice on hosting an event there.







 

Atlanta and Marietta Venue Spotlight - Marlow House

I had a chance to visit the Marlow House yesterday and chatted with Ms. Rebecca who is in charge.

If you had not been to Marlow House since its most recent renovation, it's time to take a look.

While the outside of the house is still painted blue and maintains the Victorian look, the inside of the house has been transformed into a contemporary venue.

In my opinion, this venue is perfect if your guest list is 100 or below. It is intimate and the neutral palette allows you to do whatever color combination you want for your wedding.

If your guest list is above 100, be prepared to have guests seated in the garden and front porch area.

Bay window that overlooks the garden

Ceremony is either indoor near the bay window or outdoor in the garden area. For those who prefer a chapel wedding, Rebecca told me there are 2 nearby chapels who rent the space for weddings.

Compared to a lot of other venues, Marlow House is considerably flexible with the use of your vendors. The only requirement is to use the in-house caterer, Carriage House Catering. They even include some floral budget for the guest tables, buffet table and cake table.

I was also excited to see a grand piano in the house. The area can easily be used as a lounge area and you can have your own pianist play some music during the cocktail hour while guests hang out.

I would love to bring a wedding here. If you are looking for an intimate venue, this is a good choice to consider.

Do you really save any money?

Every couple I talked to wants to know how they can save money in planning their wedding. Weddings do cost money and I do encourage couples to spend sensibly with their budget. However, today I want to address some of the not so good ways to save money during wedding planning.

(1) Hire only the cheapest vendor 

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. When you are hiring the cheapest vendor you can find, you have to ask why is his/her rate so low compared to other vendors? There are vendors who are good with reasonable rates but if you have one that is priced significantly lower than other vendors in the market, that is normally not a good sign. Proceed with caution is all I can say on this.

(2) Cut all entertainment

I have heard many times the couple said we are not going to hire a DJ because we need to save money. Now, not every wedding I planned has a DJ. Sometimes the couples told me they did not want to dance, in which case I tried to suggest other alternatives and together we planned some other activities that will still be fun for the guests.

Just to cut out the DJ is not going to save you money because you still need to think about how you are going to get a sound system so that the speeches can be heard and if you are renting a sound system, who will be your Master of Ceremony for the evening? Sure you may save a few hundred dollars but at the end of the day, what will your guests remember (if they cannot even hear a word)?

Once I attended a wedding with no DJ, no Master of Ceremony, and really no program at all. However, the bride told me that she still spent a lot more money than what she originally planned. Honestly as a guest I was not sure why she did not spend some of those money to at least get someone to give us instructions on what is to happen next during the reception. Most people left early that day because we were not sure what else is to come during that reception.

(3) Trying to DIY everything

If you are talented in crafts, DIY your wedding decoration/invitation/other paper products may save you money. If you are not good with them, the DIY projects may end up looking like a first grader's creation and even that may take you a long time to do. Is your hourly rate worth the time spent on each wedding DIY project or is it better to pay for someone else to do the work for you? Afterall, your time is valuable too!

Besides, some of the things are actually not easy to DIY. For example, wedding flowers will have to be arranged at the very last minute due to the perishable nature of the products. The day before the wedding is when I would rather see the bride get a pedicure and manicure instead of busy arranging floral centerpieces. You may also waste a lot of flowers because you do not know how much flowers need to be ordered.

My planning philosophy as a planner is to help couples look at the overall picture and allocate the funds available accordingly to that they can have a great "balanced" wedding. It is not the cheapest way to go but I aim for it to be an easy way and for it to be a less stressful planning experience for my couples!

November 7, 2015 Central Presbyterian Church and Georgia Freight Depot Wedding in Downtown Atlanta

I got to know Grace and Ben about 2 months before their November 7 wedding in Downtown Atlanta. They were in the final stretch of their wedding planning and I was hired as their wedding coordinator.

They told me they wanted someone who is bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English and that happens to be my cultural background. We met once so that I could understand the details and draft the wedding day timeline for the bridal party and vendors. I also went to the final site visit with them to meet with the venue manager and the caterer. In between the meetings, we had many email exchanges and a few phone calls to clarify things. Before we knew it, November 7, 2015 was here!

The ceremony was held at Central Presbyterian Church in Downtown Atlanta. It was a very beautiful historic church.

Grace and Ben had their first look inside the church:

The ceremony was attended by more than 300 friends and family members:

After the ceremony, the guests went straight to Georgia Freight Depot for the reception. I love this photo of the couple coming to Georgia Freight Depot after the ceremony:

The couple did their first dance right after the grand entrance:

Dinner was a 10 course traditional Chinese banquet (lobster dish photographed below):

The tables all had simple centerpieces so that there will be enough space for all the food:

After the first few courses were served, Grace changed into her Qi Pao (traditional Chinese dress):

Here is Grace and her Dad during the Father and Daughter Dance:

And here is Ben with his Mother for the Mother and Son Dance:

After the formal dances, the Matrons of Honor planned a surprise flash mob that involved a lot of the guests, including the Parents of the Bride:

I had to keep the plan of the surprise flash mob from Grace and Ben while coordinating with the Matrons of Honor and the DJ but I think their reaction was worth it:

The couple and their guests had a blast on the dance floor throughout the night:

At the end of the reception, we had a magical sparklers send off in the rain:

Congratulations to Grace and Ben! May God bless you in your new marriage!

Vendor Team:

Caterer: Happy Valley
Ceremony Venue: Central Presbyterian Church
Cinematography:  Cinema Weddings
DJ: AAA DJ Services
Florist: May Tsai
Photo Booth: Robot Booth
Photographer: Anna and Spencer Photography
Reception Venue: Georgia Freight Depot