Karla DeLong Weddings and Events

Astoria, Oregon

2012-01-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

Goodbye Alaska! I love you! Hello Oregon!

I have recently moved to Astoria, Oregon with my husband whose job relocated us here. Astoria is a beautiful place filled with unbelievable history, breathtaking scenery, and wonderful people. I have been thoroughly enjoying getting to know the area.

One "con" to the move is that I've had to end my business in Alaska. :( Hopefully, whenever life calls us back up to Alaska I can again start helping wonderful couples plan their dream weddings. Until then, thank you to all my past clients, friends, and family who helped make my dream job a success!

Vegas 2011- Event Solutions Idea Factory Expo

2011-03-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas for the Event Solutions- Idea Factory Expo this year. It was a conference held at the brand new Cosmopolitan Hotel (beautiful!). This conference allowed event planners and designers from around the globe to come together to share ideas and learn some new things while being inspired at every turn. I was able to meet my most favorite event designer of all time, Preston Bailey!! I shook his hand, talked with him, hugged him, maybe even cried a little...Just kidding!!! Check out his website to get a taste of his amazing talents, http://www.prestonbailey.com/ .

I also got to meet Marcy Blum who is a wedding planner to the stars. She's planned events for Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, Regis Philbin, Billy Joel, and many others. You can get a taste of her work at http://www.marcyblum.com/ .

Below is a look at some of my favorite booths on the trade show floor at the Vegas convention center.

The hottest trends on the floor?

The use of lampshades of all sizes, styles, and colors.
Rosettes! Everywhere rosettes!
The use of vintage/antique items.
Using wood veneer instead of paper.
Patterned linens vs. a solid color.
Chandeliers- the more gaudy they are the better.
Wireless LED lighting options from spotlights, to moving "starlit" backdrops.

Overall it was a fantastic trip!

I even got to bring my #1 assistant and obsessed fan, my main man, Chris.

Kristopher and Heather

2010-10-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't plan this wedding.... :-(

My brother and his new bride decided to get married at the courthouse without any of the normal hubbub, much to my dissatisfaction. But they weren't as sneaky as they thought they were being and yours truly found out about it and made sure they at least had flowers! Ha!

Marie took these wonderful pictures and Heather herself did the creative editing. Beautiful!

See, don't the pictures look better with flowers?

As a bit of revenge I made my brother's bout. extremely large and gawdy. I think he notices..

Here they are, cutting the cake. :)

And here they are walking off into the sunset. Pretty romantic... I guess I'll forgive them. :)

Congratulations you two, love you!!

Jana and Cody Oct. 2nd

2010-10-13T17:28:00.000-07:00

Jana and Cody are a great couple. When Jana and I met the first time I instantly liked her and her ideas for their wedding. When a bride loves flowers as much as I do I get excited about the decorations.

Jana and Cody's decor at the reception was awesome! We had such rich colors and beautiful textures.

Andrew from Special Events Alaska brought in beautiful chocolate pintuck linens that set the stage for the amazing flowers that Jessica from Blushing blooms put together.

We made menu cards that matched the programs and invitations and tucked them inside the napkins at each place setting.

We didn't want to have just white draping in the entryway so we added some interest by hanging strands of green dendrobium orchids and tiger eye beads. It matched what we had going on on the tables perfectly!

The gold charger plates from Special Events Alaska added just the right touch to the table setting.

Mike from M&M productions did an amazing job with the music. Everyone was dancing from the first song until the last note on the last song.

Brian and Olivia

2010-10-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Finally getting a chance to update the blog with Olivia and Brian's wedding at The Inn at Tern Lake.

We had a great day, with no rain! It was a small intimate group from Georgia. For many of them it was their first time in Alaska. This was a beautiful setting to showcase the beautiful scenery and fun activities that our state has to offer.

Rose at the Inn did a fantastic job, as usual, with the dinner. Yummy Halibut Macadmia with Mango Chutney! The photo's were taken by Carrie Lambing. Thanks for a great job Carrie!

Jennifer and Kyle

2010-09-09T10:42:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and Kyle were married on July 17, 2010 on one of the very few sunny Saturdays we had this summer in Alaska! It turned out to be a beautiful outdoor ceremony and indoor reception at Alpenglow lodge.

David Jensen took these great shots of the wedding. Thanks David!http://www.alaskaportraits.com/

busy workers!! love you guys!

Despite the late start in the lodge we were able to get everything in place just in time!

Thank you Kyle and Jennifer for letting us be a part

of your wedding day!!

Brittany and Steven

2010-08-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Missoula Montana! What an amazing place! I had the opportunity to plan a wedding outside of Alaska this summer and I enjoyed every minute of it. :) It was a fun experience planning a wedding in a different, new part of the country for me. Missoula had everything from beautiful locations, wonderful weather, BIG sky...gorgeous!
The bride's mom came across a website for the Ranch Club golf course while we were searching for THE spot to have her wedding. I was instantly in love with it because of the Event Barn they had on location there. I loved the rustic elements of the wood, rock, and grasses and how they contrasted with the white elegant draping we did. The deep red roses the bride chose for her flowers just popped here too.
Marie VanWingerden and Carrie Lambing took these wonderful pictures. :)
Thanks so much to the McClain's and the Jensen's for having me be a part of the whole wedding planning process!!

Natalie and Xavier

2010-07-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

It was a bit rainy at Natalie and Xavier's wedding but that didn't stop the newlyweds from thoroughly enjoying themselves. Natalie's wedding had a real country feel to it in a shabby chic kind of way. We filled mason jars with wildflowers and set them on birch slabs. We wrapped her bouquet in paper birch bark which really complimented the pink peonies (love peonies!!) We used burlap and some cute gingham fabric as table coverings and spread some pink, lt.blue, and wooden buttons on top. The programs doubled as decoration in that after the ceremony was over, guests hung their programs with clothespins to the tent. One side was the program but the other side were pictures of the bride and groom. Very cute!

Kara Wilson made the cake for Natalie and Xavier. Loved it!

The wedding took place on the bluff overlooking the hayflats. This has to be one of the most amazing views in the valley. I could sit here for hours just looking at it...even in the rain. :)

Carrie Lambing took the photo's. Great job once again Carrie!

Thank you Natalie and Xavier for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful wedding day!

Ruth and Jonathan - June 5, 2010

2010-06-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ruth and Jonathan were married at O'malley's on the Green. It turned out to be a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding. Ruth and Jonathan were married before Jonathan left for Afghanistan. They decided to wait until he returned for the "big" wedding ceremony/reception. It was great to get to meet all the guys that were in Jonathan's unit. Especially Craig "Gaga". :) My favorite part was when Craig tore off his vest on the dancefloor to reveal a Lady Gaga shirt and then proceeded to dance for us all. Thank you so much for your service to our country you guys!! Congratulations Ruth and Jonathan! Pictures provide by Carrie Lambing. Thanks Carrie!

AK Spine Institute

2010-06-17T11:42:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to help AK Spine Institute plan their company picnic this summer. I got to handle the kids activities which was so fun! We had mascots, face painters, a scavenger hunt, bubble machine, inflatables, prizes, popcorn, cotton candy...so much fun! And it didn't rain on us! It was a bit chilly with the wind and all but the great music from APE and fun activities from various places including Valley Rental Center just made for a great party. Lots of smiling faces!!
Thanks AK Spine Institute!

New ad design!!

2010-06-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

I had a new ad designed for me and I love it! Can't wait to start seeing it in print. :)

Megan and Vance

2010-06-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

What a great couple! What a great family! What a great bunch of guests! This wedding was so fun for me to help with. Everyone was so amazing. Not only were the people terrific but the weather was perfect for the entire day. Megan and Vance both recently came back from Afghanistan and Megan spent many days over there planning her wedding. She said it helped keep her sane. :) I loved all the idea's she had and was so happy that we could incorporate many of them.
The site is Girdwood, Alaska and the photographer is Joe Connolly from Chugach Peaks.
Can't have a military wedding without the saber arch!

Cupcakes with army guys and American flags as toppers.

My favorite idea of her's was the photo wall. This was a hit and so many guests had fun playing with it. Megan even brought a box of props that guests could add if they wished. :) Chris (my hubby/assistant) and I had to try it out too!

The Memorial Day weekend was the perfect weekend for their wedding. Thank you both so much for your service to our country and thank you Megan, Vance, and Patty for being the best clients ever!!

Rentals

2010-05-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

I don't normally single out companies but I have to let you know about this one. It would be a be a sin to keep this valuable info to myself. :)
Normally one of the first discussions I have with a client involves the decor and overall feel/look they would like to have at their event. And almost every time rentals are needed to achieve that look. There is only a handful of rental companies in South central Alaska which can make for very limited possibilities. Which is why I want to tell you about a company that I feel goes above and beyond in the rental area. Valley Rental Center, Special events is a jewel in the rental world. Not only do they have tents, tables, linens, and chairs but they have several other fun things to rent as well. Things like crystal beaded curtains, vases, charger plates, submersible lights, up lighting, pipe and drape, etc. And not just one style but several styles. And the main reason why I love Valley Rental Center is if they don't have what your looking for chances are they can get it for you.
I would highly recommend all brides to get into that store and talk to the friendly staff about your event. Check out the endless options available to you!

White, Black, and a touch of Pink

2010-05-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

I set up a mock table for a client this weekend so she could get a better idea of her table layout. Her colors are mainly white with accents of black and pink. I love the simple yet very elegant feel of this table. :)

Britt and Steven invites

2010-05-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows how much I love to help plan weddings that are a little different which is why I am excited about my cousin's wedding in Missoula, Montana. The wedding will be taking place in a barn!! Love it! These are the invitations we did for her and they are beautiful. My favorite part is the hand drawn map card. Although I didn't realize how difficult it would be to draw a map of a place I had never been before.

Envelopments are the way to go if you have inserts that you want to include with the invite. I love how all of the inserts fit into a pocket on the inside and keeps everything neat and tidy. :)

Vellum invitations

2010-04-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

These turned out really elegant. The invitation is printed on vellum and the cardstock is a white pearlescent color which add a beautiful shimmer. The envelopes are also the pearlescent cardstock. Tie it up with a ribbon and your good to go!

Deb and Travis

2010-04-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Deb and Travis' wedding was a couple of summers ago but just yesterday Chugach Peaks mailed me the digital images so I could update my website. Thanks Joe! I plan to update the website soon but until then I'll give you a peek into their wedding here.

Another super great wedding at Alyeska! We set up the tents for the ceremony out in the pond courtyard. The cocktail reception took place on the outside deck right outside the columbia ballroom. (you can see the guests in the bottom left of the picture above on the deck.)

Deb had 5 flowergirls! They were soooo cute! Valley rental center came and set up the tents and chivari chairs for us. Bagoys did the beautiful flower bouquets and ceremony arrangements and my team did the centerpieces to match at the reception. Each place setting had a charger plate with a menu card that fit right inside. If the guest was having fish a white ribbon was tied on the menu card. If they were having beef then we tied on a brown ribbon. If you were having the kid's meal we tied on a flashy gold ribbon. :) It made it super easy for the waitstaff to get the correct meals to the guests at this plated dinner reception. As guest favors Deb and Travis gave chocolate salmon made by Theobroma Chocolate company out of Sitka. Yum!

Chalkboard

2010-04-05T21:50:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add this picture to Claire and Brian's wedding. I love the look of chalkboards and Christine at Maxine's made great use of her artistic talent on one when advertising the spirits list for the wedding.

Congratulations Brian and Claire!

2010-04-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Brian and Claire were married in Girdwood on March 27th. It was a snowy day and the snowflakes were as big as your hand at times. Beautiful! Joe Connolly from Chugach Peaks was the photographer for this wedding. Love the mudboots shot, Joe!

The ceremony was at Our Lady Of the Snows chapel.

The reception was at Maxine's in Girdwood, the first time I've done a recepton there. Really is a fun, unique spot for a reception. Definately capitalizes on the whole Girdwood, "ski town getaway" feel. The food was scrumptious, and the atmosphere was intimate, casual, fun, and definately memorable.

Thank you Claire and Brian for letting me be a part of your day!

Nikole and Justin March 20th

2010-03-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Nikole and Justin were married at Alyeska. These pictures are from the engagement shoot they did with Molly DeKruif from Blink Photographic. Can't wait to see her wedding pictures!
The following pictures were taken by my sister, thanks for taking some detail shots for me!!

This wedding had so many great elements to it. Nikole loved the natural look of moss and wood and Our Lady of the Snows chapel in Girdwood was the perfect location to showcase that look. We kept it pretty simple with moss wreaths on the aisle and up at the altar we set up birch tubes filled with some fun flowers and greens. We "tied" the unity candle in to the decor by using twine to wrap some bark around it. On the front doors we carved out their initials from styrofoam and covered them with moss. That was it for decorations at the ceremony and it was perfect!

Nikole's colors were yellow and green. For her bouquet we used yellow orchids, ranunculas, freesia, and tulips. The bridesmaids were just the same but a bit smaller. All of the stems had bark tied with twine. The bout.'s were pretty simple using a yellow calla lilly and tied with bark also. I loved this bark and yellow combo. So spring-y!!
At the reception we made these awesome Manzanita branch centerpieces. I have been wanting to do this for so long! We hotglued some orchids on the branches and hung some votives as well. I covered the base in moss, to keep with the theme from the ceremony and also attached some beautiful ranunculas to the base.

The cupcake stand was one of my favorites!! Check it out! I know I am going to have some brides that want to use this for their wedding too. Nikole had cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake and we wanted to make something that was a bit unique. At first we were going to make a cupcake stand out of some old lp's (the couple collects records). But when I came across a picture on the web of a tree-like cupcake stand I knew we had to have that for this wedding. Read the following post for more details on that.

Metal branch cupcake stand

2010-03-23T15:31:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture of a metal branch cupcake stand online and knew it would be perfect for a wedding we were getting ready for. Trouble was I couldn't find anyone to rent/buy it from here in AK. Luckily I happen to have a great friend who is an iron worker who was able to make one for me! This is what he made after looking at the pictures and getting some details from me..

Awesome, isn't it?!! We used this cupcake stand in a wedding this last weekend so I'll post some pictures later of it with the moss base and cupcakes.

Thanks Jeremy, my dear iron worker/metal artist friend!! I love it!

fiftyflowers.com

2010-03-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

Many times I get the opportunity to do the flowers for my clients. My last client loved ranunculus (I do too!). Unfortunately the wholesaler I normally order from was unable to get them for me so I tried out www.fiftyflowers.com . They not only looked great when they were delivered to my door but the company called me within an hour of the delivery to make sure they were in good condition. The prices were pretty good too. Check them out if you are doing your own flowers!

Save the date magnets

2010-03-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Save the date magnets are very popular right now. One thing a bride should remember when ordering them is that the small business card size magnets cannot be mailed without putting them into a larger envelope. The smallest envelope that can be mailed through the post office is a 3.5x5 envelope.
I like to have my save the dates fit nicely within the envelope rather than sliding around loosely in there so I make cards that I can stick the magnet on. This particular client had some extra information she wanted to send with her save the dates so it worked out great.

envelopments

2010-03-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Wow, its been awhile...

I have been crazy busy with invitations this year which is different but nice. I have noticed that many of my clients like the envelopements that I do so I thought it would be fun to post about the way I make them. :) I took pictures during the process while making my last bunch and here they are:

First I design the invitation itself keeping in mind the clients style, theme, and colors.Then I add the colorful backing to the stationery

Mount it into the envelopment

..add any inserts that the client would like to include..and then finish it off with a pretty label. This whole card fits inside an outer envelope and then it is ready for mailing!

Red, Black, and White

2010-01-27T11:03:00.001-08:00

Red, black, and white are colors that have been coming up as brides choices for as long as I have been planning weddings. They are classic! I have a bride who had a hard time deciding if she wanted to go red on the linens or go with the pewter pintuck so we set up a couple tables at Valley rental center just so we could get a better idea of how the two would mesh. Not only were we able to check out the linens but we were able to see how the set up would look complete with the centerpieces, place settings, flatware, glasses, chairs, and even the pipe and drape.

I think they mesh quite well! :) Thanks VRC for letting me overtake one corner of your store for the day.

Christmas party's for 2009

2010-01-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

Another Holiday season has come and gone. Even though I love Christmas parties it is nice to know that the constant activity is over for another year. :) This year I especially liked working on KLEBS' Christmas party. They decided to invite the kids this year and have a more family oriented party. We had snacks, activities, music, and Santa and his elf even came and visit! It was really alot of fun.

We transformed the shop side of the building to look more like Santa's workshop. We covered the shelves that were full of nuts, bolts, and other tools with red fabric and decorated with ornaments and garlands. We had 5 activity tables set up that kept the kids (and parents) happily engaged and enabled them to bring home some fun crafts that they had made themselves.

Carrie Lambing photographed the evenings events. Joe D'entrone and his wife Lona provided the festive live music, and Alaska Dream Catering provided the yummy snacks.

She said "Yes"!

2009-12-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

Normally when I get a call about weddings it is after the proposal is made. I was so excited and honored to be asked by the mother of the groom (before he was a groom) about places where he could ask the big question. The groom was coming up for Thanksgiving and bringing his girlfriend with him. I was trying to think of a spot that wasn't closed for the winter, wasn't too cold, and would be completely memorable. Not easy this time of year, let me tell you! Luckily the Christmas tree lighting in Anchorage's town square was happening the day after Thanksgiving. He decided to ask the beautiful bride when the tree was lit. This will be one Christmas tree lighting event that two people in particular will never forget!

Tena and Terry

2009-11-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

I received a call from Alaska Bride and Groom asking if I knew of any cute, little chapels in Alaska complete with stained glass windows, steeple, and pews. I instantly thought of this little church in Fairbanks. It is in Pioneer Land, the First Presbyterian Church.
That call reminded me of a couple that was married a couple of years ago but I had never posted the images because they were not digital files. So today I decided to go ahead and scan to jpeg. Tena and Terry are from Texas and had always wanted to come to Alaska. So they decided to start their Alaskan Adventure with a wedding. It was just the two of them, their mom's and the officiant. Short, sweet, and completely charming! Focus Unbound took these great pictures.
The colors Tena chose for her flowers were beautiful, deep reds, and oranges. They contrasted nicely with her white bouquet. We brought the flowers up from Anchorage the day before and spent the night in our hotel room making the arrangements. The boxwood wreaths on the door were just the right touch to add to the charm of the little church.

Northwest Trade Show

2009-11-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

I recently had the opportunity to go to the Northwest Trade Show in Seattle. It was fun to go and see what kind of things are available to us Alaskans from out of state. Yes, the shipping can be expensive to rent even the linens from companies in the lower 48 but sometimes it is worth it. It was nice to meet some of the vendors face to face as well. Some of them seemed very eager to do business up here. Here are some of the booths that were at the show.
This one was my favorite. Aria Style made up the booth. Aria started out as a floral designer and then grew to include all elements of event decor. Everything tied together, even the pipe and drape that was behind the table set up. One thing I loved were the acrylic chairs. They really added a lot to the overall look of the decor. www.ariastyle.com is their website. This booth was fun too. The cork place holders caught my eye. What a fun addition to a Mediterranean themed event.

I have been wanting to use wheat grass in a wedding as a decorative element for awhile now. It was fun to see someone use it in their exhibit. I think a bed of grass to hold table seating cards would be fun for an outdoor wedding. This designer went with a golf theme. The center of the table is covered by a golf umbrella with beaded crystals hanging from the rim. They used golf tee's as holders for the seating cards. Fun!

This exhibit had super tall pipe and drape. The white drapey fabric hung alongside crystal garlands that were lit with spotlights that made them shimmer brightly. I love the funky chair. :)

wedding stationery

2009-11-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when bride's are thinking about their save the dates and invitations for their guests. I really like to design stationery that reflects the style of the couple and I LOVE when a bride is actively involved in making sure it is just right. Here are some projects that I have been working on these last few weeks.I love this "tree" save the date. It has the initials of the bride and groom carved into the trunk. The bird on the top of the card is cute too. I think if I were to have my wedding all over again my save the dates would look something like this one. :)
These save the dates are actually magnets. We designed the picture and wording and sent it in to rigidmagnets.com who made the magnets exactly like the graphic design we emailed to them. It worked out great. I made up a simple card with "invitation to follow" and adhered the magnet to it so that it would fit into an envelope nicely.This set was fun to make. I love the scrolling on it. The bride brought a pamphlet from her work that had scrolling that she really liked. I took a picture with my phone and then worked on designing scrolling that matched the pamphlet (which she had to bring back to work the next day). I love the dots too. Just a fun little added touch.

Kathy and Mike

2009-10-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

Kathy was one of those brides that planners love to have as a client. She shared her ideas of what she wanted for her wedding day and basically handed over the reins. Love it!

She had so many fun "Alaskan" elements to her wedding day. First the wedding was held at the Native Heritage Center which is packed full of everything and anything Alaskan. This made for easy decorating, we kept it simple so as not to take away from what was already showcased. She and Mike reserved the whole facility for the night and had it open for all of her guests to explore. During the cocktail hour we had the Kicaput Native Dancers perform, my favorite part was when they had the bride, groom, and any other willing guests join them in a dance. I gotta tell you, Mike was a natural!! For favors Kathy found a lady in Valdez who provided the cutest little booty and glove ornaments.

Here are some photo's from the wedding- thank you Marie!

Fox Island

2009-09-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

I was recently invited to go and do a site inspection at Fox Island Wilderness Lodge with Kenai Fjord Tours. They are looking to host some weddings on this remote island and wanted me to take a look.

What a fantastic place for a wedding!!! This island is so beautiful and you would have it all to yourself. There is a main lodge where the tour boats drop off their passengers for a salmon bake lunch. The lodge is plenty big for 100+ guests and the catering staff was amazing. We were dropped off at the same time and after lunch we were invited to stay the night in one of their private cabins while the other passengers loaded back up on the boat for a sightseeing tour.

Our cabin was a short walk down the beach. The beach is a rock skipping maniac's dream! And the view was absolutely breathtaking. We even went when it was raining, I can't imagine how awesome it would be if it were sunny.

If I remember right there were about 5 private cabins and a "common area" cabin. This smaller common area is where we had our dinner and breakfast the following day. Chef Chris prepared our meals and they were very good. The dishes were packed with fresh produce and seafood. For example my breakfast was a fritatta with a king crab sauce. wow! This smaller common area would be an ideal spot for the rehearsal dinner. It is very intimate, comfortable, and not lacking in Alaskan charm.

The private cabins are plenty big for a bride to get ready in. The staff is very accommodating and ready to help. I can't wait to plan my first wedding here!!

Pinja and Justin

2009-08-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

August 8th was Pinja and Justin's wedding. I loved helping Pinja plan her wedding. She is from Finland and many members of her family were able to fly over and share her special day with her. The site was in the backwoods of hillside in Anchorage. This pad that we set up our tents and everything on was made about a week before the wedding when we all realized that the original site was just too muddy to work with. Justin luckily owns a company that has the equipment needed to slap a gravel pad fit for tents and a dancefloor together in a couple of days. Here is a picture of Valley Rental Center setting up their tents for the wedding. Pinja wanted a very outdoorsy, natural, and elegant feel to her wedding. The arbor was made by my Dad, Doug VanWingerden. He made it exactly how the bride wanted it to look. Just naturally beautiful. Awesome job Dad!

Pinja wanted some lights in the trees that we could light later in the evening when the main activities were over and things were shifting into "dance/party" mode. I found these cool little metal cages at Pier 1 for $1/ea on sale. I took out the little funky plant that was in it and replaced it with a candle. It worked great! They looked especially cool when the candle started to melt and drip through the cage underneath.

Our tables were long buffet tables set, two deep, so they were extra wide and long. We used standard white linens and then ran a wide runner of burlap over the white to give it a rustic feel. We set slabs of birch along the length of the table and topped those with fresh bread from L'aroma and set a bottle of red and white wine on either side. Then we filled in with the flowers and votive candles.

The cake was set on slabs of birch as well and surrounded by mini chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.
My favorite part of the decoration were the mahogany chivari chairs. They just look so cool!

My favorite part of the wedding was how the bride came...on a bulldozer!

Big thanks to Carrie and Marie for the detail shots. :)

Emily and Mitchel

2009-08-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

Emily and Mitchel were married on August 1st. After days of rain we were a little nervous about the weather, but it turned out to be a beautiful, sunny, warm day. Yay! I am sure Emily and Mitchel were thrilled because their get away vehicle was a sailboat. Loved it!

RaeAnn and Rodney

2009-07-27T14:46:00.001-07:00

I have been blessed with some really awesome clients this last summer and RaeAnn, Rodney, and RaeAnn's mom Betty are definitely some of them! I loved the colors. Hot pink and a dark silvery gray. RaeAnn chose the Bayshore as her venue which worked out perfectly for the decorating that we wanted to do. We draped velon (a white plastic material that looks just like fabric when it is hung) to brighten it up in the room. We also hung paper lanterns in two different shades of pink. The rose balls that were hung in each window were sooooo gorgeous. They looked like they were not real, they were so perfect. Thank you Tandy for helping with the flowers! The dancefloor had silver and pink firework type beaded balls above it which looked great when the lights were on the dancefloor later that night. In the windows we hung more pink beads that matched the colors. I found the beaded curtains on http://www.shopwildthings.com/ (fun, cool stuff on that site).

Another great find was the table coverings. They are a pewter silver pintuck linen. Floor length. They looked fantastic with the white chivari chairs and square glass charger plates from valley rental center. To finish off the look we folded the white napkins underneath the charger plates so that they hung off the side of the table. As a centerpiece we did glass square vases with pink peonies and roses in different heights.

For the ceremony we set up a tent and covered the poles with white linen and attached an arrangement of roses, peonies, and seeded eucalyptus. Down the aisle we set up hooks where we hung flowerballs made of pink carnations. My favorite part of the ceremony decor was the way we put the petals on the aisle. I loved the swirly line of pink and it made the white petals that the flower girls tossed stand out even more. The bouquets and corsages were made by Blushing Blooms and added just the right touch to the wedding party.

I was so happy with the way the decor turned out and how well everything went together even the balloons that we had Valley rental center bring matched perfectly! I couldn't have pulled this set up off without the help of my incredible staff- Tandy, May, and my sweet hubby Chris.

Kaleb Baker from Chefstop made the amazing appetizers and dinner. The service and taste was fantastic. My personal fav were the crab stuffed mushrooms, Yummy!!

These detail shots were taken by my twin sister Marie VanWingerden who is a pretty sought after second shooter. She was actually at another wedding that day and took the time to come and take some detail shots for me and my blog. I love you Marie!

By the way, it was raining and blowing so hard on this day. Amazingly the rain and wind completely stopped just before the ceremony began and as the wedding party ended the recessional, it started to sprinkle again. Perfect timing!!!

John from ONDAGO mobile entertainment provided the cool gobo light (along with the great music) with Rodney and RaeAnn's names. Super way to dress up a dancefloor...besides the bride! :)
Thanks so much RaeAnn and Rodney for letting me be a part of your very special day!

Sketching

2009-07-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

One thing I like to do when brainstorming decor ideas is make sketches. I go off of the notes I take when meeting with my clients, paying particular attention to the descriptive words used. Hot pink ,steely gray, fun, party, fireworks, lots of dancing...a few of the words RaeAnn used when describing the wedding she wanted. Above is the sketch that I drew of the ideas swimming around in my head and below is the end result.

funky bout.'s

2009-07-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite things to make for RaeAnn's wedding were the boutonniere's. She wanted the groomsmen to wear something fun and "metal-ish". This is what I came up with and how I made it: I started with some heavier guage craft wire. One that was thin enough to thread a bead but thick enough to hold it's shape.I used some metal beads in different three different diameter sizes and threaded the wire from smallest beads to largest beads.I made two stems and wired them together.I then taped up the wire with floral tape.After I taped up the wire I added one flower head (here I used a scrap daisy) with more floral tape. Then I wrapped the whole stem with some decorative wire in silver and pink and ended with one more bead.

More details from Mayerly and Luke's wedding

2009-07-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you Carrie Lambing for the great detail shots from Mayerly and Luke's wedding! I loved using wooden signs to guide guests to the ceremony and reception. It went great with the farm/field theme we had going on.

The bride was born and raised in Columbia. She and her family wanted to bring some of Columbia into the wedding decoration and these favors are a result of that. Columbian coffee and candy, yum!

When we were first scoping out the property for the wedding and discussing what should go where we noticed this great big tree right between where guests would park and where the ceremony would take place. The perfect location for a floral wreath! This was the first time I've done one of these and it won't be the last. I love the simple beauty of it.

Luke and Mayerly

2009-07-16T14:03:00.000-07:00

I should be getting some images of more detail shots from this wedding soon but in the meantime here are some other ones I snagged from the photographers blog. ;) Thanks Carrie! Check more of her work at www.carrielambing.com

What a great couple! Mayerly is super sweet (my kid's adore her) and Luke has a fantastic sense of humor. I loved helping them plan their wedding. It was an outdoor event at Linda Menard's place in Wasilla. Yes, we had rain but it was still a really beautiful and fun day!

Anita and Ben

2009-07-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Anita and Ben's wedding took place at Wasilla Bible Church. We had a major operation running from Thursday until Saturday. We hung Velon and paper lanterns from the ceiling, set up pipe and drape all around the perimeter of the sanctuary, and constructed a stage for the ceremony, along with the table, linen, centerpieces, flowers, etc. The Eller family was awesome with the level of help that they provided. We even had an engineer in our midst who constructed a pulley system to take out the slack in the velon as it relaxed. The decor turned out pretty amazing.

Thank you Marie VanWingerden and Katie Anaya for the lovely pictures of Anita's wedding.

Kendra and Justin

2009-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Kendra and Justin's wedding ceremony was held at McHugh creek state park. They stood underneath an arbor of birch trees made by the bride's father. With the ocean and mountains in the background the view was just breathtaking.

Their wedding reception was so fun. Kendra wanted to include games at the reception that both kids and adults would enjoy. There was a pinata, a three legged race, a musical chairs sort of game..and prizes for the winners! I didn't win anything.

Kendra and her friends got together and made a bunch of the paper poms that we hung from the trees. I also added strings of clear beads from the trees with them and when the sun caught the strings that were throughout the outdoor reception area it just glimmered. It felt like we were in a fairyland. We also hung garlands of dendrobium orchid blooms from the tent that covered the cake table and the food tables. Pure loveliness.

In case you are wondering who took these beautiful pictures- They were taken by Carrie Lambing and Marie VanWingerden. You can see more of their picture taking talents at http://www.carrielambing.com

Alpenglow

2009-06-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

So I was looking into some sites lately for a summer 2010 bride and revisited Alpenglow lodge. This site is worth a look for you couples that are looking for an outdoor wedding and an indoor reception. The view is amazing, the parking is ample, and the lodge is very roomy and open with many windows. Lynne Lloyd, the site manager there, says that they are planning on getting the place repainted by next summer. Once that is done, this place will be awesome! Here are some pictures of the site before decoration (you'll have to check back later to see what we have done with the place!)

Playing with tables

2009-04-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Silver and Gold

I am nearing the end of invitation making for this upcoming season and on to designing the tables, flowers, and other decoration details. I love it! I usually start with sketching my ideas down on paper with pencil and it is always nice to see how those ideas swimming around in my head are going to play out once put together. So here we have two basic tables where I mainly wanted to see how the colors were going to play off of eachother. Then we'll be adding the paper lanterns, the white fabric that is draped from the ceilings, added window treatments....fun stuff!!The great people at Valley Rental Center are awesome in that they let me take over their showroom to do this. It makes it nice because then I have access to all kinds of linens, dishes, vases, and other fun stuff without having to buy it myself.

Here are a few more invitation samples I finally put on my computer.

Busy, busy, busy!!!

2009-02-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

I am smack dab in the middle of invitation season for my summer weddings! Typically wedding invitations are sent out two months prior to the wedding date. If there are many guests that will be invited from far away, in so that flight reservations and accommodations will need to be reserved, then save the dates will likely be sent to those guests as well. Save the dates are typically sent out 4-6 months prior to the wedding date.

I love designing custom stationery for my clients. Sure, they can go to a company and pick out some invitations that they like from a catalog, but I enjoy making custom stationery that will show much of their personality. The stationery is designed around their decor, type of wedding, colors, everything!

When I design stationery for my clients I love being able to bring in elements that show the couples personality and style. One couple planned to take their out of town guests on a fishing charter while they were here, so for their save the dates I embellished it with a hand tied fly. The guests could use the actual fly when they got up here.

Another client of mine wanted to showcase their love for the outdoors as well. Their stationery used camping symbols that you would find in the many state parks we have here. Here is the graphic file I designed for them. If a couple wanted to go "green" with their invitations you could use recycled paper to print on and mount the card to.

I had another bride who wanted some glitz and glamour in her wedding. So I used swarovski crystals in her invite. The cardstock that the white card was mounted to also had a shimmer to it. We used the same papers and design in the programs, place cards, and menu cards.

It is fun for me to be able to find ways to personalize different aspects of the wedding. And the wedding stationery is a great opportunity to do that.

Tandy's wedding

2009-01-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

Tandy is married! Tandy is a great friend of mine and my trusty assistant at many events. It was finally her turn on Jan. 8th. The event was very fun and laidback and she was surrounded by good friends. They chose to have their wedding and reception at the Settlers Bay Restaurant on the bottom floor. The ceremony took place on the dancefloor in the middle of the room while all of her guests sat at their tables. One thing she did that worked out so well is that once they were married, rather than walking back down the aisle, she and David went straight into their first dance. Then once that was over they left the room, followed by their bridal party for some last pictures.
When I am able to get copies of pictures from the photographer I'll post the decorations, etc. on here. Her colors were red, white, and black. We accented with curly willow stems and balls. It looked great.

Invitations

2008-12-15T00:17:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again to be designing and creating wedding stationery. I love the fact that every bride is so different and I love being able to design something that really shows the couple's personality.

I got to make my first ever spanish invites too! Mayerly and Luke are getting married this upcoming June. Her colors are chartreuse and blue and she likes polkadots. I was thrilled with her excitement over the stationery I came up with. Mayerly translated the text to spanish for her relatives who will be getting invites in Columbia. So cool!

Christmas parties!!

2008-12-14T23:44:00.000-08:00

This is the third year I was able to help out Kleb's Mechanical with their Christmas Party planning. We decided to go with a "Christmas Classic Movie" theme. I had 3 large screens set up in the room the middle one had a slideshow of images of the employees through out the year along with screens of Christmas movie trivia. The two side screens had black and white movies playing "It's a wonderful life" and then "Miracle on 34th street". Just the picture, no sound. Kind of like a moving backdrop. It looked great! The tables were decorated more traditional Christmas than anything. A Christmas wreath with a pillar candle in the center. We also had noisemakers set up at each place setting that the guests were supposed to use whenever the word "star" was said during the program.

We also set up a red carpet entrance to the room. I set up some old movie posters that the guests passed on their way into the party. All the employees received a gift from underneath the two Christmas trees that we set up and decorated as well.

Susan and Ted

2008-09-09T00:21:00.001-07:00

Susan and Ted's wedding was such a great ending to a busy summer of weddings. Many details went into this wedding to make it really special for all who attended. We put together welcome totes for all of their out of town guests that were filled with goodies from local businesses along with maps and information for getting around town. Their centerpieces were a lot of fun to make. We used fall colors that complimented eachother. I love the clean lines of this arrangement. Each place setting also had a chocolate halibut or salmon made from a local chocolate company, Theobroma.
Susan and Ted love to ski and so we wanted to incorporate that into the wedding decor, somehow. Susan had several ski resorts send some of their advertising media which we then used to make our table "numbers". Each table was a different ski resort and the escort cards were lift tickets. It was a big hit with all of her guests!

Veronica and James

2008-09-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Veronica and James were married up at Hilltop ski Chalet. The weather was so perfect. We had sunshine for the cermony and outdoor cocktail hour and then when everyone was inside for dinner and dancing we got to see a short thunderstorm take place outside.The flower of choice was the calla lilly and the colors were green, white, and gold. We used a lot of grasses and leaves in the floral arrangements and decor. We "tied" in the grass on the tables by using a blade as a napkin ring.

We also did the stationery for this wedding as well. We went with a simple but very elegant design the also went with that grassy feel.

Meghan and Mike

2008-09-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

Meghan and Mike were married at the Bayshore Clubhouse. My staff set up the room for a ceremony, then directly after the ceremony had all the guests go out onto the deck for a cocktail hour in which time we transformed the room for a reception. Whew! I am glad that the decorations were relatively simple so it made the transformation go smoothly.

We made the floral arrangements for this couple and their wedding party, along with the reception flowers. I loved the colors, a dark orange, red, and brown. She went with a bouquet of solid dark orange calla lillies which was stunning.

We also did all the stationery for this wedding. Invitations, programs, menu cards, etc. They wanted them to be very "Alaskan".

Katie and Shannon

2008-09-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

This wedding had to be a groom's dream wedding. The welcome baskets were in Ammo cans, the groom came to the altar on his 4-wheeler, the groomsmen were wearing camo, etc. So many elements of this wedding screamed "sportsman" it was hard to miss! We were still able to add that elegant side, for the bride, so everyone was happy.

I particularly loved the centerpieces that we created for this wedding. We attached oasis to some uniquely shaped stones and built up the arrangements on top for a very natural look.

Abigale and Blake

2008-09-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Abigale and Blake were so fun to work with during the wedding planning process. Their colors were a sky blue, steely gray, and sparkle. Sparkle isn't really a color, but if you could see the way we used it in everything then you would understand. For example, on the wedding stationery we mounted white card stock on a sky blue background and accented with crystals.

We made a structure for the wedding ceremony that we draped with white fabric and tied the corners with floral arrangements and beaded crystals.

The centerpieces at the reception were draped in crystal beads as well and we did alternating strands of crystals and orchid blossoms in the windows. The sun cooperated and made everything in the room just shimmer. It was so gorgeous!

Bianca's graduation

2008-09-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

This was a different event for me, graduation vs. a wedding, and different is always fun! The graduation was in Pedro Bay, Alaska (God's country, for real). We had to fly in all the decorations, flowers, etc. We were able to have kids from the school help decorate. The food was made by Bianca's mom and it was so fantastic. The kids loved the decorations so much we decided to keep them up into the night and the village had an impromptu dance.

The flowers were a fun project. We used

curly willow and attached dendrobium orchids to them. The end product looked like flowering branches. Very beautiful!

Kleb's Christmas Party

2008-09-08T10:41:00.000-07:00

I have been helping Kleb's Mechanical plan their Christmas Party for the last few years and it is always fun to come up with a new Christmas theme. This last Christmas party we went with a "generations" type theme. The songs played were popular songs from the last several decades. The table decorations were toys. Each table was a different year and the toys showcased on those tables were the big sellers for those years. Very fun! My staff was there at 10am to start setting up, we were done by 4pm. Along with the decorating we ran the coat check and the employee gift table downstairs. We came up with a great time saving solution for giving employee gifts at the Christmas party. In the past it had always taken a long time to announce a name, wait for the employee to make his way to the front and claim his prize. This year we gave each employee a gift box that held a number, that number coincided with a gift on a table downstairs that my staff was tending to. The employee could turn in his/her number and take his gift. Quick, simple, and still fun!

We enjoyed playing with the toys to make them reflect who the party was for. Leggos, silly putty, alphabet blocks, g.i. joes, etc.