DESIGN BLOG
IRA + LUCY FEATURES
Hiring a Wedding Coordinator and What That Means For Your Wedding Day
"Getting Ready"
BLOG SERIES | PART 1
I'm going to bounce around a bit in the next few blogs about why hiring a wedding coordinator or planner is a benefit for you. It'd make sense to start with discussing planning, vendor negotiations, logistics etc, but we're going to jump in first with chatting about your wedding day, in particular, the getting ready part.
As your Wedding Coordinator and Designer I want nothing more than to know that my Bride and Groom are free of stress, relaxed, being pampered and know that everything is handled so that they can enjoy their time with their closest friends and family as they prepare to walk down the isle. I adore this image of our Bride, Megan, as she and her bridesmaids look out the estate windows overlooking the property and watch as our team hustles around the property setting up. We are submitting Megan and Kaleo's wedding for publication, but I realized that some of these behind the scenes pics don't make publication galleries, but they are also such a HUGE part of what we do. These images are awesome in telling the benefits of having a coordinator. Here is our bride with her best friends relaxed and enjoying seeing it'll all come to life.
When I sit down with couples, and often those consultations include the Mother of the Bride, when we start talking about what are their hopes, how they envision their day I always hear about what the bride and mother want for what happens BEFORE the ceremony. I want you to think about that as well. For my own wedding, I didn't budget for a wedding coordinator and that is with major regret... instead my sisters, mom, aunts and even grandmother were not with me in my hotel room helping me prepare for the happiest day of my life. They were out in hot summer temps running around trying to set up our wedding. They were dealing with stress and vendor frustrations and trying to figure out how to set up the wedding decor to fit my dream I had worked hard planning... They then had to rush into the bridal suite moments before the wedding to day they loved me and to quick change into their dresses for their part of walking down the isle... REGRETS.... When we first started many of my couples didn't hire a coordinator, instead they just hired us to set up the wedding and leave. Ohhhh.... how many times did I see the repeat mistakes that I had made... frustrated, exhausted, irritated, hurt moms, friends and family members who, yes, had volunteered to set up and were happy to volunteer... but, they had no idea what amount of work and stress they had signed up for AND what they would miss out on come the wedding. It is VERY rare for it to go otherwise.
A MOMENT THAT LASTS A LIFETIME
Instead, what I had wished happen and what all of my clients share they desire is a different experience. Instead, you, the bride, are surrounded by your closest girlfriends and women in your life that are there with you in a peaceful and joyous state. Refreshments and small bites are available to keep each of you comfortable and relaxed. It's a quite time to give gifts to your bridesmaids if you wish. You can share quiet time reflecting on your vows and relationship and what this day means to you and your family. Your best friend and mom can help you into your gown. If you have a summer or winter wedding, you can all be indoors in a temperature controlled environment. You're not just feeling your best as you have your hair and makeup done, but so are these incredible women you cherish. Megan gave each of her bridesmaids a special clutch. They laughed, they enjoyed watching the set up, they helped one another dress. It was peaceful and perfect. Megan's mom then helped her into her gown. A moment that we talked at the very beginning about being a priority.
Creating time for the bride and groom allows flexibility. Here, we were able to have the officiant take some one on one time with Megan and Kaleo beforehand to review any ceremony details. This also alleviates any last minute stress about the ceremony flow and specifics. This reassurance can calm nerves and allow the bride and groom to enter into a headspace that is more relaxed and able to take in the moment better.
And we're not JUST talking about the girls. The guys too, should be hang'n out, relaxed and enjoying some guy time and not stressed about anything else. Kaleo and his best friends played air hockey, ping pong, watched some football, enjoyed snacks and refreshments. This also allowed our photographers to have time to shoot getting ready pics for both the gals and guys without issues.
Think about how you want to feel on your wedding day, especially in the moments leading up to the ceremony. Who do you want with you? What kind of environment do you imagine? A Wedding Coordinator makes this happen. We work hundreds of hours leading up to this moment to bring that vision to reality and maybe even better! Stay tuned for more of this blog series!
FROM THE BRIDE...
"I want to start off by saying that I was always the girl who NEVER needed a wedding coordinator. I knew “exactly” what I wanted my wedding to look like, and I’ve always been a natural planner, so why would I need someone’s help? Once upon a time I even dreamed of being a wedding planner myself, so I felt like planning my own wedding would be a piece of cake. A few weeks in to the planning stage and my head was spinning while trying to find 300 of the perfect chairs, a task that I thought would be so simple. Turns out, planning your own wedding isn’t easy. Pinning gorgeous photos to your “Fairytale” pinterest board may be a dreamy no-brainer, but it doesn’t work that way in real life. It’s a lot harder than one might think to pull together a luxurious seating lounge or take 50 of your carefully thrifted bowls and vases and turn them into collaborative centerpieces. And lets not even get started on the not so obvious details- linens for breadbaskets, reserved seating signs, extension cords??? There is more that goes into planning a wedding than I ever could have imagined.
I first contacted Heidi because my mom wanted to hire someone who could take the stress off of the wedding day set-up and tear-down. But after hearing about what she could offer in the coordination department and after seeing the beautiful work on her site, I could not help myself but get lost in the idea of having someone rescue me from my never ending planningchallenges. Right from the moment that I met Heidi and her assistant Molly, I felt like 300 pounds were lifted from my shoulders. They knew exactly what needed to be done to make my dream day come true and they were just as excited about it as I was. They gave me a strict to-do list and a firm deadline to make decisions while they got busy calling vendors and pulling together the seriously impossible. They put together a vision board that was absolutely perfect for me and finally I was able to start enjoying the whole process. It wasn’t long after that when I told my mom the best thing I had spent my money on so far was my wedding planners. They worked like crazy making sure that I could have everything that I envisioned for my day. Not only did they make the planning process so much easier- they made it so that I could spend my wedding day focusing on all of the important parts. The night before my wedding I was able to go home and relax and get my rest. The morning of my wedding I was able to spend the day with my bridesmaids and my mom at the salon getting our hair, makeup, and nails done. I didn’t have to worry about a thing but just showing up and looking pretty. I knew without a doubt that their team would have everything under control and that everything would get done just how I wanted it and in plenty of time for my walk down the aisle. I didn’t stress. My family didn’t stress. Everyone was able to enjoy the day just as they should have.
I look back at my dream of becoming a wedding planner and I can’t imagine ever thinking that it was something that I could do. It takes a special kind of person to not only be able to work that hard, but to want it so much for someone else. Heidi is that person. That is what her team stands for and I couldn’t be more grateful that I chose them to help me with my wedding." - Megan
Corporate Christmas Party - Mad Men Style
Mad Men Theme Christmas Party
owyhee plaza, boise id
We had a pretty fun time planning one of our corporate client's annual Christmas party again this year, but this time with a retro mid-century "Mad Men" style. I was up to my ears in mustard yellow and awful greens and it was oh so fabulous! Thank you Radion Photography for taking some pics of the event while we finished setting up.
Design Board
Whenever we have our hands on the design elements of an event we provide custom design concept boards for our clients. This is a visual representation we present focused on vignettes and special details ranging from floral, linen, and key furniture elements. This offers a great way to bounce ideas around with the client and fine tune the final comprehensive design plan.
Retro theme can easily get out of hand and turn into an overwhelming eye sore, so we focused on a specific color palette while keeping in mind we still needed to achieve a Christmas party vibe. We had classic black and white Christmas movies playing on the flat screen tvs around the space. White Christmas (1954 film) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946) are great options!
Mid-Century Retro Lounge
We don't typically carry retro mid-century modern furniture in our rental inventory, however we have made some awesome local connections with speciality mid-century stores that carry unique pieces that will give us access to rent for our clientele! These mustard yellow office chairs were a great option in the color palette.
Just So. Event Floral focused the floral on unique geometric shaped vases and scored on finding some retro magazines that we placed in the lounge area. What's pretty awesome is that the doctors started browsing through them and found some medical articles that they were so excited about that they took the magazine back to the office to share with their colleagues.
We custom designed the invitations and matching signage for the cocktails and menu.
At each Christmas party we try to feature a unique form of entertainment. Last year the client loved the photo booth experience. This year, they opted for the cocktail lounge vibe and we featured a phenomenal local pianist! He was a great fit and had the guests enjoying music well into the late hours of the night. Thank you Danny Beal for doing such a great job! P.S. The champagne gold tinsel trees were a huge hit and we kept getting asked where they came from - we found these on sale at Hobby Lobby!
Linen
I really had my fingers crossed for doing high end linen options from my favorite La Tavola Fine Linen rentals, but we had to opt for more budget friendly options, which still worked great! However, do note that linen can completely transform a space and take your event from cool to really a wow factor! Even if you just focus on splurging on the cocktail tables!
Sneak Peek!
Fine Art Bridal Boudoir
"As if you were on fire from within.
The moon lives in the lining of your skin."
Pablo Neruda
Veronica Sheaffer Design Studio
Are you ready for some gorgeous sneak peeks from the fine art inspired boudoir session we recently created with Jennifer Munoz? This is my personal favorite form of boudoir - enhancing the soft tones, romantic curves, textures and lighting. It's about evoking emotions and telling a story. I'm smitten over the gorgeous delicate lingerie line from Veronica Sheaffer, Chicago's premier design studio! How dreamy! The lingerie paired incredibly well with the handcrafted crown and hair adornments by Naturae Design.
Introducing Naturae Design
How in love are we with Naturae Design, specializing in hairpiece and design created with antique and precious materials. Each piece is handcrafted by maker and designer Daniella van den Huijssen. "Fascinated by the history of precious heirloom and her love for nature she came across an antique Myrtle crown and Naturae Design was born. Every piece is inspired by natural elements made by a combination of the best in antique and modern craftmanship. Gold and silver plated pieces and precious stones are wired and soldered by hand so that each piece holds its fairness through long periods of time. The designs are perfect for a bride to be as well as being able to wear in daily life." source
Fine Art Boudoir
So, how does a bride like yourself or newlywed experience a Fine Art Boudoir session? First, contact Jennifer Munoz to start the process! She has Boudoir packages available and will walk you through your personalized options. Jennifer and I can then work close together on creating the atmosphere you desire, utilizing the vast array of items in our carefully curated collection of furniture and accessories. This is a beautiful option as a private and personal gift for your groom.
Thank You Creative Team!
Jennifer Munoz Photography
Ira + Lucy, Creative Designer & Vintage Furniture + Accessories
Still Water Hollow
Naturae Design Crowns & Headpieces
Veronica Sheaffer Bridal, Lingerie
Blush by Jamie Rose, Makeup
Shawna Hines, Hair
Sugared Memories, Tarts
Sarah Pearl Studio, Calligraphy
Alex Foster, Model
Blooms Flower Studio, Florals
LaNeige Bridal, Veil
Molly Loughran, Assisting, Ira + Lucy
Ira + Lucy Event Design, Seattle Spring Gala
Boise is a city, but it certainly has a small town feel and we know the industry is wondering.... Is Ira + Lucy moving out of Boise? Nope! We are still based out of Boise and working hard as ever on our home base turf for our incredible clients with a very awesome team of creatives! I can't wait to introduce you to them all! We'll have brand new team profiles coming soon! So, stay tuned! So, what about this announcement on Instagram about Seattle and Portland? We are glad you are wondering and asking. Jonnathan and I are from WA and also lived in Portland for some time and do miss our more greener homes and are excited to have the opportunity to expand our service to meet the PNW markets. We'll be focusing on Event Design in those areas, while utilizing existing coordinators and rental companies already in place. So, yes, we are stationed in Boise, but we are serving clients in Portland and Seattle as well. We will continue to take a limited amount of events to ensure that our clients get our full attention and care. So, hope that clears any questions up for you. Have no fear Boise! We aren't leaving.
Seattle Spring Gala
The Children's Garden School "A Garden Life" Spring Gala
Now, let's chat about our recent event in Seattle! We were pleased to design "A Garden Life" Spring Gala for The Children's Garden School, in Issaquah at Blakely Hall Community Center. We focused on a classic green and white palette with organic touches. Details included custom throw pillows for the VIP Lounge, milk glass and vintage mason jar centerpieces, hand lettered signage, a French Garden photo booth station, and a beautiful food station featuring incredible catering from Zimmer and Co. Jonathan Zimmer is a renown chef in Seattle and was such a joy to work with him and his team. We adore having the chance to style catering stations to allow the catering to focus on what they do best and let us handle the styling, for a cohesive experience for the event.
Obviously, I'm going to be biased, but I thought our "photo booth" was so perfect! The guests LOVED the set up and were taking pics all night! I'm beginning to be very partial to a green and white palette. I just love it! "Fantine" settee from France worked her charm on the guests, perfectly accented with our vintage crates, lanterns, mason jars and planters. Now if only I'd put that much effort into our home patio! I need more plants!
Our attempt at organic styled floral design! In keeping with a tight "fundraising" budget, the Chair of the auction requested that we and some lovely volunteers pull together the floral centerpieces. I might say, it was pretty fun, but I would much rather have the professional florists handle the flowers!
P.S. you NEED to try Armstrong Family Wine! The Chardonnay was out of this world! I might add that the Gala raised about 35% over their goal!!!! Wahooo! I'd say we were successful! Inkling Calligraphy rocked the signage for us! She's a Texas sweetheart who's moved to Boise and we are so happy she's here!
Zimmer and Co.
Lissa, from Weddings with Lissa, did a great job handling the coordination for the auction logistics! We love working with other fabulous planners.
Spring & Summer 2015 Wedding Inspiration - "Vanilla Butter" Geometry Meets Old World Elegance
Alright my 2015 Spring and Summer couples! I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU to consider swapping peach and coral for this stunning pale butter yellow. Yellow is a color that creates quite the wow factor. Whether a mustard yellow for a more boho vibe, or this pale version that is muted down, rustic and features an old world charm you can't go wrong! I am particularly fond of this weather'd yellow as seen in our inspiration board; it pairs so well with vintage furniture and decor! I know how many of you adore burlap, lace and rustic elements. Consider changing it up a bit! You can still add the vintage elements (old crates, lounge seating and accent chairs, antique'd furniture for cake displays and so many more options!), but you also don't have to be "all vintage". Add in some modern elements with the hot geometric trend - it can still all work together quite beautifully! Let's take your burlap, chalkboard, vintage love and mix it up a bit! We'd love to hear your thoughts! I was inspired by the stunning Carolina Herrara Gown in lemon yellow!
Meet Arielle - New Team Member
Meet our newest Ira & Lucy Team Member, Arielle! We are so excited to have Arielle on board! Building the right team for Ira & Lucy is so important to us, as we take great care to ensure that we perform with integrity, thrive on creative "awesome'ness", know how to work our tail ends off, have a sense of humor to handle high stress situations, and have a slightly OCD/Type A blend. Yes, it takes the right person to do what we do. I am impressed with Arielle's attention to detail and her eagerness to create! She is innovative, very personable and I love how she digs her heels in on both little and big projects! Also a newlywed! We just adore her hubby, John! You might see him helping us with all that heavy lifting we have to do. Clearly these two are adventurous and can handle heights much better than me! So, you can see who'll be doing chandelier and ceiling installations.
[pullquote width="600" float="left"]My name is Arielle Belveal and I’ll be the first admit I have the best job ever! I am a 32 year old woman with a hobby of creating and collecting beautiful images. If you’re anything like me, brilliant photos inspire you and beautiful, new ideas instill in you a craving to create. What wows me? Color palettes I covet, attractive ways to employ a theme, awe-inspiring innovation, dreamy décor, DIY projects that range from darling to daring, perfectly toasted toast and brand new bars of soap. My love for weddings started with the planning of my own happy event the summer of 2013. And now I am hooked! On any given Saturday, you might find me on my sofa, hovering over my laptop creating inspiration boards and color palettes, constantly getting sidetracked by all of the beautiful sites I’ve found along the way. And I’ve crashed my hard-drive enough times to know that this isn’t just a passing fancy. At Ira and Lucy we are truly. madly. deeply. head over heels in love with love. Whether you’re dreaming of an intimate wedding on a farm, a vintage garden escape or a handmade wedding in a loft, we love them all! And to get to be a part of creating the happiest day of a couple’s life is only one reason I enjoy working with Ira and Lucy. We believe that there is no “right” way to throw a wedding and show clients that it’s ok to break traditions to make the day their own. With custom wedding design, painstaking, hand-made details, a huge amount of gorgeous rental inventory, Ira and Lucy has a no holds barred approach to helping couples make the happiest day of their life the most beautiful and memorable as well. Yes, I have a pretty killer job. So here it is; a world of inspiration and all the answers you’ll need to make your wedding the ultimate celebration of who you are. [/pullquote]
Enjoy Arielle's Valentine's Inspired Board!
Styling Your Wedding or Special Event with Wine Barrels
Here at Ira & Lucy Event Design & Vintage Rentals we can't get enough of our wine barrels! We love them and added two more to our collection this month! With 5 of these beauties coming right from our backyard Idaho wineries we are proud to offer them to our clients. These beauties (and my word are they heavy) are a collection of 5 right now with optional glass table tops! They make for gorgeous cake tables! Did you see ours at Greg Marsh's Designer Cake's booth at the Wedding Show earlier this month?! I personally love them for cocktail tables! Contact us soon to reserve for your special occasion!
Check out our [button url="http://www.pinterest.com/iraandlucy/styling-with-wine-barrels/"]"Styling with Wine Barrels"[/button] Pinterest Board!
Images Via Pinterest
Kentucky Derby Wedding & Event Inspiration
Think outside the box when it comes to your special event design! Color palettes and mood boards come from all types of inspiration! I've always loved the refinement and character of the Kentucky Derby. So versatile, "Derby" style can be used to celebrate Birthdays, Anniversaries, Engagements and more! This color palette could easily be for Fall or Spring, even Summer! Don't forget your mint juleps. There are many different takes on the mint julep and even non-alcoholic versions! Don't want to drink? Use the julep cups for floral vessels! Play up the equestrian details in your design, but don't go over the top. You'll go from an understated theme to cliche and tacky... It's a fine line. Need help? We help with all types of events and occasions.
services
WEDDING DESIGN
WEDDING COORDINATION
DESTINATION WEDDINGS
CORPORATE EVENTS
DECOR RENTALS
FARM HOUSE TABLES
FINE LINEN
SPECIAL EVENT PLANNING
BUSINESS COACHING
