Bella Vita Weddings and Events

Amy and Phil

The mother of the Bride, Kathy, carried this arrangement of roses, orchids, crystal accents and curly willow as an alternative to a corsage.

[View with PicLens]

Mandy and Scott

Jade roses, green hypericum and crystals

[View with PicLens]

This was the wedding of my much loved niece!  I had the privilege of planning, coordinating, and creating all the florals!

Are you wondering if you really need a Professional Bridal Consultant when your wedding/reception site has an on-site coordinator?

Are you wondering if you really need a Professional Bridal Consultant when your wedding/reception site has an on-site coordinator and staff to assist you? To help you make an informed decision, here is a breakdown of the most common duties that you can expect each to fulfill.

Your hotel or wedding site sales manager/coordinator will usually:
1. Act as your primary Hotel Contact, available to answer questions and provide suggestions along the way.
2. Act as menu consultant for all food and beverage selections.
3. Detail your Banquet Event Order outlining the event specifics.
4. Create an Estimate of Charges for the hotel outlining your financial commitments and deposit schedule.
5. Establish contact with a room sales manager for your guestroom block (if applicable), who will monitor the status of reservations.
6. Personally oversee the details of the bride and groom’s room reservation.
7. Oversee the setup of the ceremony and receptions room (s), food preparation and other hotel operations.
8. Ensure a seamless transition to the hotel’s Banquet Manager on the day of your event.
9. Review your banquet checks for accuracy prior to the completion of your final bill.
10. Recommend outside Special Event Professionals to provide music, floral, photography, ceremony officiating, invitations and professional wedding coordination.

Your Professional Wedding Coordinator will usually:
1. Assist with etiquette and protocol for invitations, family matters, ceremony and toasts.
2. Create a time line for your entire wedding day, including the ceremony and reception.
3. Work with you to organize and coordinate your ceremony rehearsal. Remind your bridal party of all pertinent instructions on your wedding day.
4. Confirm details with your contracted vendors several days prior to your wedding day.
5. Be the liaison with your family, bridal party, band/DJ, florist, photographer and other vendors.
6. Assist the bride and bridal party with dressing.
7. Ensure the ladies have their corsages and bouquets, assist the gentlemen with pinning on the boutonnieres, (necessary if your florist does not provide a full-service delivery, more about that in another blog post.)
8. Deliver and arrange ceremony programs, place cards, favors and any personal items.
9. Coordinate the grand entrance, first dance, toasts, cake cutting and other operations of your reception.
10. Coordinate with your contracted vendors and Banquet Manager to ensure the timeliness of your event.

11. Collect and/or store any personal items you may have brought at the conclusion of the reception.
12. Collect all wedding gifts and ensure they are in the appropriate location at the conclusion of the event.
13. Assist you with full service coordination from your engagement to your honeymoon.

Most full service coordinators will assist you with budget planning, accompany you to vendor appointments and attend your final dress fitting. In addition, instead of just giving you a recommended vendor list, your personal Bridal Consultant will recommend vendors after getting to know your style, personality and budget.

Many wedding/reception sites have an on-site coordinator available for the day of your wedding; however, his or her duties are generally concerned with matters dealing with the site only. Your personal Professional Bridal Consultant will work together with the on-site coordinator, caring for all the details of the entire event. I have found on-site coordinators to be very cooperative; we share the mutual goal of creating the best experience for our bridal couples. The list of services offered may vary from one Bridal Consultant to another; make sure your contract lists the duties that you expect your Professional Bridal Consultant to fulfill. Now, relax and enjoy your fabulous wedding day!

Pauline and Justin

Pauline’s bouquet consisted of white peonies, white Akito roses, white freesia, white ranunculas and white waxflower hand-tied with white satin and pearl pins.

[View with PicLens]

Alma and Kevin

Alma’s bridal bouquet consisted of 1 dozen each ivory Vendela and super green roses accented with white feathers and hand-tied with ivory satin and pearl head pins

[View with PicLens]

Wedding Floral Delivery Options

One thing to be sure and discuss with your florist is the type of delivery you will get on your wedding day. Some florists drop off everything and leave. This is a partial delivery and means that you will need to assign someone the duty of getting the right flowers to the right bridal party members. Each piece, from the bridal bouquet to the boutonnieres should be labeled so that there is no confusion about who gets what, but someone will need to locate each person and match their flowers to them. This is sometimes a challenge, with the men waiting in one area and the women in another, people being summoned for photographs and the excitement that exists before the ceremony.

Who will pin on the corsages and boutonnieres? Make sure that whoever cares for this job knows which side of a mans lapel or ladies dress the flower goes on, (the left) and how to pin it so that the flower is straight and the pin is not sticking out, ready to poke the wearer (or the many people he or she will be hugging all day!)

Are there ceremony or reception floral arrangements that need to be placed? Ask if your florist handles that or if someone on site will be doing it.

A full-service floral delivery means that the florist will stay and distribute the flowers, offering a professional pin service. This can make a huge difference in your photos! Your florist will ensure that each flower is facing front, showing it’s beautiful face, and is straight. If a boutonniere breaks or a problem develops with a corsage or bouquet the florist will have a kit of basic tools to make a quick repair. (You might be surprised how often this happens.) You are assured that the florist who created your beautiful wedding floral pieces will only leave after checking that everything is perfect!

Brides—one reminder; hold your bouquet at your navel for the best look in your photos!!
Now, take a deep breath, smile, and enjoy your wedding day!

A Wedding Under the Stars

Imagine taking your walk down the aisle with the brilliant sun setting against a backdrop of Arizona Mountains. As you reach the spot where your groom happily awaits, the stars come out and overhead is a beautiful night sky. All eyes are on the bridal party, spotlighted with soft pink light. When the ceremony ends, the sun begins to rise and you recess up the aisle with the beautiful colors of an Arizona sunrise surrounding you and you are not outdoors! All this is possible in the Planetarium at the Arizona Science Center.

Today I had the pleasure of picking up Ashley, the very creative bride, and her wonderful mother Kayley for a details meeting with Jennifer Colla at Arizona Science Center. Ashley and her fiancé, Vinnie are getting married in the spring of 2010 at Arizona Science Center, and the ceremony will be in the Planetarium! They are only the second couple to hold their ceremony there. The Planetarium is such a cool place. The technicians that run the planetarium can project just about anything you want onto the dome and there is a fantastic sound system. Ashley and Vinnie are going to treat their guests to a slideshow of family photos appearing on the dome as guests are awaiting the start of the ceremony. The excellent staff in the planetarium will customize the lighting and play the music that the bride and groom choose, allowing Ashley and Vinnie to have a wedding that exactly reflects their tastes.

The guests are in for a very entertaining reception, the exhibits are interactive and everyone will be able to wander and enjoy! I am very excited to be working on this wedding; it is going to be so unique and fun. Thank you Ashley and Vinnie for allowing me to share this experience with you.