Best Chicago Wedding Coordinator: Effortless Events: Recent Blog Posts

Benefits of a First Look

May 17, 2017

One of the hardest decisions our couples have to make is whether or not to do a “first look.” If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, it is the first time the happy couple sees each other on their wedding day. Traditionally, the bride and groom would see each other while walking down the aisle of a church. But as the millennials are getting married traditions are getting thrown out the window left and right, which we’ve come to realize isn’t always a bad thing.

First looks are truly magical to watch. Whether they are in a private nook, or on the Chicago River, the meaning behind the first look is all the same. It shows those two individuals are going to be together for the rest of their lives, starting that day. We wanted to point out a few reasons why a first look is beneficial, in case you’re on the fence.

1. The Nerves Part

There are a lot of nerves flying around the morning of your wedding day, and sometimes the only person who knows how to calm you down is your significant other. There are times where the nerves overcome the body, and the following things could happen:

Fainting at the alter. Unfortunately this does happen, you have to remember to keep your knees bent and tell the Officiant or Priest if you’re starting to feel queasy.
Forgetting the ceremony. Sounds silly right? After a huge “congratulations” following the recessional, we always ask how much the couple enjoyed their ceremony. We began to notice a trend; if the couple did not choose to do a first look, more times than not, they often say “I don’t have a clue what happened up there, I can’t believe it’s over!”

2. Getting your wedding pictures out of the way

The wedding day goes by in a blink of an eye. We think it is very important for the newlyweds to enjoy their cocktail hour with their guests, and get to experience the cocktails and appetizers they chose specifically for that day. If you don’t do a first look, you end up taking all of your family photos and bridal party photos during that hour, which is not an efficient use of time. Your photographer will also love if you do a first look (if they haven’t recommended it already) because they will have considerable more time capturing great pictures of you and your loved ones. This also means the photographer will have time to take pictures of guests at cocktail hour, and get detail shots of the reception room before dinner begins.

3. The “Manhood” Part

One of our grooms said that he wanted to keep his “manhood in-tact”. Now, while I don’t believe crying breaks the appearance of a strong male (in fact, I find it to do quite the opposite!), I do want to appeal to those selected male readers that are thinking this very thing. If you want to be able to privately let out your emotions, when seeing the love of your life look more beautiful than ever, a first look is the way to go.

– The Effortless Events Team

The Unity “Sandwich” Ceremony

May 10, 2017

We spoke with senior planner, Danielle Kuhn, about what creative unity ceremonies she has seen throughout her career. She grew a huge grin, and instantly began to share the unique story of this off-beat couple’s unity ceremony.

“Without hesitation, I remember my favorite unity ceremony (and one of my favorite couples), which happened in the summer of 2015,” said Kuhn.

Anna and Andy had the cutest personalities and were extremely unique, which made it so refreshing and fun to work with them. They called their wedding the “anti-wedding” when mentioning it as a whole. They did not have a bridal party, there was no cake cutting, they had a Beatles Cover Band for their entertainment, and they didn’t go through many of the other formalities that most couples do these days.

“But, as some people may think this is odd or peculiar, I thought it was unbelievably charming,” Kuhn continued.

“Anna and Andy were perfect together and shared many of the same interests. They were able to incorporate so much personality to the wedding day and every guest could tell they put in effort to make it their own.”

They had their wedding reception in Plano, Illinois, and had their ceremony 15 minutes away in a town called Sandwich. Not only did they get married in Sandwich, they got married at the Sandwich Opera House.

Now this is where their creative juices started flowing.

“The ceremony started with the groom walking down the aisle ‘looking’ for his bride. She was no-where to be found,” said Kuhn. “He went up on stage, and ‘miraculously’ pulled her out of the trap door in the middle of the stage! Laughs were shed throughout the room.”

The best part was in the middle of the ceremony, the whole point of telling this story.

It was the unity ceremony, but they called it the “unity sandwich ceremony.” Instead of pouring sand at the same time into a closed vessel, or lighting a candle, they made a sandwich together. But not a random sandwich, it was a BLT –their favorite sandwich. Here is how the couple’s officiant phrased the ceremony:

“The bread is wheat, symbolizing the foundation of the relationship. One goes on honesty and respect.

The lettuce symbolizes healthy communication. Because just as lettuce keeps the bread from getting soggy, strong communication keeps your foundation of honesty from being eroded.

The bacon is the protein, symbolizing energy for the long term. In 10, 20 or 30 years, you must put forth the necessary energy and effort for a happy relationship.

The tomato is the nutritious vegetable, symbolizing their commitment to nurture a healthy relationship by encouraging hobbies and passions.

The mayonnaise is the topping. It symbolizes the zest and the flavor of the relationship. Joie De Vivre, ‘you only live once’. Might as well have a little fun, so don’t skip on the mayo.”

The couple then took a bite of the sandwich in unity.

That is one unity ceremony that Effortless Events won’t forget. We encourage couples to get creative with their weddings so they are memorable and show their personalities (if they are not trying to “follow” all regular traditions)!

-The Effortless Events Team

The best way to sort your wedding guest list

April 26, 2017

We hope you read this blog before you start making your guest list! It is very simple to sort a guest list in an Excel document in the following format if it is set up correctly from the start. We will highlight the key items to have on this document and the reasons these key items are so important. Keep in mind, every one of these items should be in separate columns!

PREFIXES (1 column)

Adding a prefix is important for your invitations. If you are not planning on inviting entire families, meaning it will be an adult only event, you will have to specifically say the names of the guests invited, and using a prefix is a formal addition. If you happen to get your invitations written by a calligrapher, nine times out of ten they will want to have prefixes in front.

NAMES (2 columns)

We recommend putting first and last names in separate columns. If they’re separated, when you want to alphabetize your guest list you have the option to sort by last name. This is important so you can easily alphabetize your place cards a few days before the wedding. If you hire a wedding planner, their team should also have this list in case anyone loses their place cards and they need to quickly tell the guest where they are sitting.

TABLE NUMBERS (1 column)

Table numbers are usually a column that is left blank until a few weeks before the wedding. You will not know who exactly is coming to the wedding until all RSVPs are returned. Once you do your seating, you will most definitely need to have the table number on this document so you know who is sitting where.

ENTRÉE CHOICES (1 column)

Entrée choices are very similar to the table numbers. To make it easier on yourself, immediately when the RSVP cards are returned, add in that entrée choice to the document. It will save you the headache of sitting down for a few hours to type in what everyone ordered. If you’re crunching all the entrée choices last minute as well, there is more room for error.

ALLERGIES/SPECIAL MEALS (1 column)

Allergies/special meals have an increasingly important role in the meal choices. Gluten free is one of the most popular requests, so if you don’t have a specific gluten free meal as an entree option you will need to say which entrée your guest has selected in one column and gluten free in the next column. This is so the chefs know what special meals are required and at which tables those meals were requested, we recommend putting this in another column as well. The other reason we feel it’s important to have allergies/special meals in a separate column, is because it makes it simpler to quickly add up the exact number of entrees (how many beef, how many chicken, how many vegetarian, etc.).

UNDER 21 (1 column)

Under 21 with adult entrée can be a quite confusing category. Many hotels and venues do not ask how many guests are under 21, but are receiving an adult entrée. It is a commonly-known fact that serving alcoholic beverages to minors is illegal. Included into the cost of an adult entrée is the bar service, so it is important to make the distinction between adults who are under 21 but still receiving a adult entrée. The caterer will charge you just for the entree and a juice and soda bar package which is considerably less than the bar package pricing. Every little bit of savings helps when planning a wedding!

SPECIAL CONDITIONS (1 column)

“Special conditions” is a column in which you can make note of any important information that your caterer many need to be aware of, this includes: high chairs or booster seats for children, the relationship of the guest to the couple and much more. The caterer will need to know where the booster seats and high chairs are at so they can properly place those before dinner begins. On many occasions the caterer will want to know where the parents of the couple are sitting so they can give them special attention. The DJ likes to know where the person saying the blessing is sitting, and where the speeches are going to be said, so he knows where to place the microphone. The wedding planner needs to know all of this to make sure everything is executed perfectly.

ADDRESSES (2 columns)

We find many of our clients will put guest names and addresses on a separate document than everything else. We highly recommend when putting your addresses on the excel document, separate the “address” from the “city/state/zip” in two columns. So, if you hand this over to your stationary contact, or directly input these addresses into an online website such as Minted or Wedding Paper Divas, you do not have to reformat.

RSVP NUMBERS (1 column)

Wedding RSVP Number. This is only useful if you read these suggestions prior to sending out your formal invitations. We recommend on the back of your RSVP cards writing a tiny number for each card, starting at one and going up. Then on the master excel document, write that same number. When your RSVP cards come in and the guest forgot to write their name, you will be able to match that card with the correct couple. Time and time again, we hear about people who receive many RSVP cards back but don’t know who they came from. At that point, the couple has to individually call every guest they didn’t “hear” from, and ask their entrée choices.

BRIDAL SHOWER GIFTS AND THANK YOU CARDS (2 columns)

Bridal shower gift and thank-you card column is where you add in the actual gift you received from the guest, and another column to mark if you have written and sent a thank-you card. This keeps you organized and will help you see what you have received prior to the wedding. If you receive a lot of monetary gifts, you can see how much it totals so you can allocate more (or less) towards the wedding budget depending on where the number sits. Separate columns are important because usually you don’t write the thank-you cards until a few days or weeks later so you will fill the columns out at separate times.

WEDDING GIFTS AND THANK YOU CARDS (2 columns)

Wedding gift and thank-you card column is very similar to the bridal shower gifts. This should be separated from the bridal shower gifts though, because you don’t get a bridal shower gift from everyone. Once again, create a separate thank-you card column to mark if you have sent something those you received gift from. It starts to become a blur if you receive hundreds of gifts!

This may seem like a lot of information for one document. But, the advantage of using excel is that you can hide columns for specific people, so not everyone receives all information. For example, when you want to give your stationary contact the final guest count with names and addresses, you can hide which gifts you have received, the table they’re sitting at, entrée choices and so on.

An example of a perfect master guest list (in whole) is shown below!

-Effortless Events Team

Questions you should ask the church you want to get married at

April 19, 2017

For those of you who are planning to tie the knot in a church, we recommend looking at all of the fine print on the documents you receive when reserving your date with your priest. Some churches are more strict than others, and some have rules that may be deal breakers for couples when deciding on which church would fit their needs best. We have listed some of the main questions we’ve needed to ask just so you know what to look for before signing that contract!

What flowers are allowed at the church, and where are they allowed?

Flower girls typically are not allowed to drop real flower petals down the aisle because of possible staining on the floors and the overall difficulty of cleanup. For those who would like them, fake petals are allowed on most occasions. If your church allows floral arrangements to be brought in, be sure check to see where you can place them. We have seen churches that don’t allow flower arrangements in the aisles or pews, hung on the railings, on the altar, or anywhere that obstructs the liturgical movements of the ceremony.

How long do you have at the church?

Many churches give you a two hour time frame for your ceremony. This allows time for floral arrangements to be set up, guests to arrive prior, the ceremony to take place and pictures following. Due to the fact that multiple weddings happen in one day at most churches, there is usually a strict time limit. Typically you are only allowed 20 minutes following mass until you are required to be out of the church in order to provide enough time for the next couple to prepare for their wedding.

Are you allowed a rehearsal?

Check to see if you are given a rehearsal, if you have to pay for a rehearsal and what times the rehearsal can be held. It may be very inconvenient for guests if a rehearsal is at 1:00 p.m., the day prior and they have to wait around until 6:00 p.m., for the rehearsal dinner.

What can guests use to celebrate outside of the church for the grand exit?

You must ask what specifically you can or cannot throw. Examples are rice, confetti, birdseed, rose petals, bubbles, sparklers, bells, paper airplanes and ribbon wands.

How covered up does the bride need to be?

Does the church require a bride’s shoulders to be covered? If so, depending on what dress the bride chose, a shall might be required. Low cleavage is usually frowned upon in church settings. We have also had brides have to cover up tattoos once the priest saw them at the rehearsal. When dress shoppings we recommend keeping the venue of both your ceremony and reception in mind.

What are the expenses associated with a ceremony at your church?

Make sure all the fees are acknowledged from the beginning. Churches in big cities tend to have higher fees than the smaller hometown churches that don’t do many weddings. Fees may include: Chapel fee, stipend, pastor fee, musician or organist fee, sound technicians, premarital counseling, honorarium, rehearsal fee and an optional additional donation.

Does the church allow flash from the photographer’s cameras?

Depending on how sacred the church is, and how old the church is, those in charge will determine if flash is allowed. If flash is not allowed, make sure that the photographer knows this prior so they bring the proper lenses to accommodate a darker room.

Where can a photographer stand during the ceremony?

Areas in the church that a photographer may not be able to stand include: Aisle, altar, above on a second floor or loft and in front of the bridal party. The hardest position for a photographer is when the church only allows them to stand behind the last row of pews. That does not allow for close up shots of the couple’s faces like this one below.

Where can you take pictures following the ceremony?

Most couples want to take pictures standing at the altar, but make sure you ask if that is allowed by your church. Some couples also like to take group pictures on the steps outside of the church, but there are some churches that don’t allow pictures outside.

What does the photographer and/or any other vendors wear at the church?

Make sure the photographer knows how to dress properly, so they do not get kicked on wedding day. Watch out for sneakers, jeans, and t-shirts.

Does the bridal party typically stand or sit?

This may not seem important, but when a bride envisions her wedding with all her ladies standing aside her, it may come as a shock that only her maid of honor will be there. Depending on the layout of the church, and how the priest prefers to run his or her ceremonies, the bridal party may be situated differently than expected (and we don’t like surprises on wedding day!).

Is there a bridal room and/or groom’s room?

It’s most common to have one room that the bride, bridesmaids and closest family members can hang out in before the ceremony. Sometimes, you get lucky and there is another room available for the gentlemen. But, there are also times when there is no room available for the bride or groom. This poses a problem if the bride wants to show up early because she will have nowhere to go. We sometimes see brides holding back in a limo until the ceremony begins, which is not comfortable or convenient.

Can you bring in a visiting priest to perform or assist the parish priest?

We have had a few couples whose relatives are priests, or they are close to their parish priest, and they wanted them to either perform the ceremony or at least assist the current priest. It’s as simple as asking your current priest his permission to bring in someone else; we have found in most cases they allow, depending on the parish.

What does the church provide for your wedding day?

Most churches require you to provide your own four candles (2 regular tapers, 1 large taper, 1 votive) and two taper holders. Reserve signs for the front rows sometimes are provided through the church, but most the time couples print their own to match with the rest of their stationary. Don’t forget the most important thing – your marriage license!

Does the church provide you with programs?

Programs are nice for guests that do not practice the same faith, or are not familiar with the process of a church wedding. Some churches provide a program (with the couple’s names and date) complimentary, and sometimes the couples need to make their own.

Will you receive a church coordinator to help out on wedding day?

It is common that the church will provide you with a church coordinator, but you may not know who your coordinator will be until a few days leading up to the wedding. One problem we have seen arise, is the church will have two coordinators for you, one at the rehearsal and one on the wedding day. With this inconsistency, information may not travel between coordinators and they may want to perform certain aspects in a different way. For example, the coordinators may prefer to have the gentlemen walk from the right side and ladies process down the aisle. The bride and groom may decide to change that to everyone walking down the aisle while at their rehearsal. If the first church coordinator does not pass that long to the wedding day coordinator, it will lead to confusion and potential mistakes on the wedding day.

Do you have to attend wedding counseling/pre-cana?

Having to go to your church multiple times prior to the wedding is sometimes tough for couples with busy schedules or couples from out of state. So, make sure that if your church requires any counseling or pre-cana, that you have enough time to properly complete it.

Are you allowed to bring in outside ceremony musicians?

Most churches will have ceremony musicians that regularly play at the church, that you can “hire” for a few hundred dollars. But, if you have someone in the family who plays, or know of a company you really want to work with, double check with your church first because some don’t allow outside musicians.

Does the church provide a runner? Are runners allowed in general?

The church may provide a runner or the couple may have to bring a runner, or in some situations churches don’t allow a runner at all. If you are purchasing and bringing your own runner, make sure that it is made from high quality fabric. There are many inexpensive runners that look good, but are thin so they wrinkle and trip people walking down. You also do not want it to be torn by a bridesmaid’s stiletto.

Is there parking nearby?

Unless you’re having a wedding in the city, this is not typically a problem. But, if there is not convenient or close parking make sure you tell your guests that on your wedding website, so it gives them extra time to find a place for their car or plan for an alternate form of transportation.

Can alcohol be brought into the church?

This is typically not a huge concern, but we have had bridal parties want to bring alcohol into their church so they could carry it onto the shuttle following the ceremony. Even if no one is drinking the alcohol, some churches have strict rules that it’s not allowed through the front doors.

– The Effortless Events Team

What appetizers should you serve during cocktail hour?

April 12, 2017

Cocktail hour, by definition, is “the interval before the evening meal during which cocktails and other alcoholic beverages are often served.” By reading that, I don’t see any mention of food, which may cause a problem when there are empty stomachs mixing with tasty alcoholic beverages.

When we first start talking about what our clients should offer during cocktail hour, 50 percent of them say that guests shouldn’t be hungry because the evening just began. Well that is the misconception!

We notice that guests come scavenging for food the minute they walk in the room, as if they haven’t eaten in days. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s “free” which makes them drool; but no matter what, the prepared hosts should have multiple appetizer options to accompany their cocktails.

Now, what is the golden number? At what point are the guests happily satisfied with appetizers but still have an appetite for dinner? After 10 years in business, this is what we’ve noticed.

Four to five passed appetizers per person and one to two stationary appetizers.

The four to five passed appetizers should be at full count, and all different appetizers. So, if you have 100 guests, order 100 pieces of four to five different appetizers. If you don’t order at full count, there will be people who wanted to try one of the appetizers but were finished by the other guests. Depending on the season, you should alter how many hot versus cold appetizers; but no matter the time of year, there should be some of both. For summer weddings, three cold appetizers and two hot appetizers would be a nice combination. For winter weddings, three hot appetizers and two cold appetizers are just right.

Besides a mixture of hot and cold appetizers, there should also be a combination of different proteins and vegetarian options. It’s nice to have at least one meat, one seafood, and one vegetarian option. But, you know your guests more than anyone; so some weddings may have more protein-focused options, and some may have more vegetarian options. One wedding we coordinated had almost 200 guests and almost 75 chose a vegetarian meal, so the couple decided to have more vegetarian appetizers and fewer meat appetizers to accommodate their guests’ preferences.

Seafood Option

Meat Option

Vegetarian Option

Stationary Appetizers – why are these important?

The Picky Eaters

Some people tend to be very particular with what they eat and therefore have a lot of restrictions. It’s tough for these people to try a random appetizer, not knowing what it truly consists of. Stationary appetizers typically have a more “simple” food, such as a cheese or fruit. Having deconstructed food allows these picky eaters to pick only the specific items that they want!

The “I Haven’t Eaten in 3 Days” Guests

While guests prepare for a wedding, they know that they are walking into an evening full of free food and drinks. So, many people come hungry to the evening affair. When people also are drinking (as if there is no tomorrow), food is necessary to balance out the two out.

The Food Stalkers

Everyone knows that the appetizers come out of one kitchen, so typically the servers come from the same direction when serving. There are those people, and I’m not saying we’ve never been those people, who plant themselves right around the kitchen door, so they get more than their share of appetizers. When this happens, there are plenty of people on the opposite side of the room who never see the wait staff passing the appetizers. If there is a stationary appetizer (we recommend cutting the display in two and placing on opposite sides of the room), the guests who are far from the passed appetizers now have clear access to more delicious food.

Cheese Display

Tapanade Display

How much should you order?

We do not think a stationary appetizer at full count is necessary. Some guests do not want to stop their conversation to walk over to the display, or they don’t take a full serving. We find the sweet spot is to order your stationary appetizer at 75% of your guest count (75 servings for 100 guests). Or, another option is to do a few stationary appetizers but lessen the percentages even more. For example, provide a fruit display for 75 percent of your guests, a cheese display for 60 percent and a tapenade bar for 60 percent.

The one caveat with stationary appetizers

We do not recommend a shrimp cocktail display, unless you order more servings than the actual guest count. We never see someone take just two shrimp, instead we see a plate full of 4-6 pieces, so the display runs out pretty fast. Another downside is shrimp cocktail tends to be one of the more expensive items on the menu.

Shrimp Display

Follow these recommendations and you will notice many happy and satisfied guests walking into your reception!