Monday, September 24, 2012

TIMING IS EVERYTHING


 

It’s your wedding day! You’re excited to take that walk down the aisle and dance towards your party, hand-in-hand as Mr. and Mrs. To make sure that everything goes smoothly and that potential crises are averted, it is important to allot enough time to get ready with a little bit of wiggle room for emergencies and to avoid rushing. No matter how much planning you do, something will occur that you hadn’t accounted for. By scheduling out your day with time to spare, you allow for this to happen without it ruining the order for the day. By hiring a day-of coordinator like Celebrations by Amy Bacon, you can rest at ease knowing that event planning professionals are by your side with their expertly formulated timeline to keep your special day running as closely to plan as humanly possible. Scheduling hair and makeup to take as long as it would on a normal day, everyone getting ready at the same time, forgetting about mingle time, and not allowing yourself the luxury of a cushion are all timing issues that should be avoided so that your stress doesn’t grow on your wedding day with each tick of the clock.


1) Schedule pampering time for your hair and makeup appointments: Most ladies wear makeup and do their hair fairly frequently but normally not quite as elegant and particular as on their wedding day. As a bride, your hair and makeup need to look better than anyone else’s; after all it’s YOUR day. You should be one of the first in the chair so that you stylist can take her time at perfecting your look and altering along the way as is fit. You need to allow an ample amount of time to have your hair and makeup done because let’s face it, the way you look on your wedding day is the best you’ll want to look for the rest of your life. You’ll see pictures of yourself as a bride on nearly a daily basis. Do you really want to see a picture and think, “I wish I’d had more time to get ready”? By designating extra time to be pampered, you will be better able to enjoy the day and to feel relaxed. Your heart rate will be racing at what seems like a thousand miles an hour; you’d don’t need the added stress of running behind to add to it at all.

2) Staggering dressing times: Getting ready together is half of the fun of wearing gowns (and tuxes) on the Big Day! Seeing as everyone’s outfits come together can build up the anticipation for the day and make it even more memorable. However, having all of the wedding party get dressed at the same time can cause stress and, to be frank, some crummy pictures. You should be the last one (out of bridesmaids and close family members) to get completely dressed. The photographers will be snapping away as your dress is zipped, laced or buttoned, and different angles will be used to get just the right shot. You don’t exactly want your MoH to be helping you into your Cinderella shoes while she’s in pajama pants, or your dad to be in his college sweatshirt while he kisses your flawlessly blushed cheek. By scheduling for everyone else to be ready before or finishing up as you start to add the final touches, you allow the spotlight to be on you and to make the moment picture perfect.

The guys’ prep time matters, too! The groom and his attendants won’t need nearly as much time to prepare and for good reason. They simply have to suit up and fix their dos to be ready to rock down the aisle. Because of this, they should not start getting ready until after the ladies have. This will help to avoid having the guys be dressed and prepared to get the show on the road…while the girls are still in their monogrammed robes and slippers, mimosas in hand. Most guys are left waiting for their girls to get ready for a weekly date; they shouldn’t have to do the same for the most important date of their relationship. Nerves will be high; tensions due to scheduling should not.

3) Allow enough time to mingle with and greet your guests: You’ve just been introduced as husband and wife, and it’s time to start the party. Drinks will flow, food will be served, and conversations will flutter. If you don’t make time to enjoy all that your reception has to offer, you’ll miss out on visiting with the people who made an effort to celebrate such a special day with you. Before kicking off the reception’s “activities,” make sure you talk to each guest and thank them for joining you at your wedding. Not only that, but many guests will grab your arm as you float about the room to congratulate you. If you assign time to visit each table, you won’t find yourself thinking, “I could have sworn that I saw him/her here but I didn’t get to talk to them all night.” It will also help to ward off the longing feeling you get staring at the dance floor as your great aunt compliments you on how delicious the food was for the fifth time. Either organizing a receiving line, attending the cocktail hour, or circling the room as guests eat are all perfect ways to schedule out time to greet guests while simultaneously enjoying your own reception.

4) Give yourself a “clock cushion”: Cushion room can help alleviate stress, even if all other fore mentioned suggestions are ignored. Just as anyone who has planned a party knows, at some point the party will fall behind or jump ahead of schedule without any warning. By putting cushion time into your wedding timeline, you allow this to happen without throwing off the whole day. Whether the limo arrives at the venue a little early or the priest’s homily runs a little long, you won’t have to worry about being “off of schedule” because you technically won’t be. This will aid in the on-going struggle of avoiding anxiety and distracting from what really matters: YOU’RE MARRIED!


One of the most important effects to scheduling some cushion room? Extra time alone for the bride and groom. If you have every minute of the planned to a T, you won’t have any time to sneak away as a couple. You just took the biggest step in your relationship that you have ever taken and have promised to love each other for all time. That’s a lot to process! You’re officially husband and wife and you don’t want to spend the first 10 hours of your marriage surrounded by other people. Plan in cushion time so that you and your honey can have time as Mr. and Mrs. in peace.


It may seem silly but timing can often make or break a wedding. Unfortunately, accidents happen, emergencies come out of nowhere, and unplanned issues arise that can’t be put off until later to deal with. Timelines help keep everyone on track and remind people what to do next. If you hire a wedding coordinator (like Celebrations for Amy Bacon), they will likely prepare a detailed and expertly spaced-out timeline for you. Planning every detail to couples’ special days is what they do for a living; trust their expert timing skills and enjoy every minute of your day. Don’t let the little things get to you or the next thing you know you’ll be pulling away in your limo and you won’t be able to remember half of your reception. Arrange your wedding so instead of musing ‘Where did the time go?’ you’ll think ‘That was the time of my life!’


                                                                     Blog written by Patrice Klaum

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Reviews from Wedding & Candy Buffet for Celebrations by Amy Bacon from WeddingWire.com | 5.12.12

We love receiving reviews from our Brides.  Every now and then a groom will even log onto Wedding Wire and share a few kind words.  We were overjoyed when not only did the bride praise about her Wedding and Candy Buffet on 5.12.12.  In addition the MOB and the FOB took the time to share their experience too.

Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

This wedding was filled with love and details.  The bride and groom were busy with school and finals and MOB and FOB were out of state.  Planning meant endless emails and phone calls for months.  It led to a fabulous friendship that will be treasured for years to come.  These parents were such a pleasure to work with and you could just feel the love they had for the daughter.  It's an honor to call them friends!

Erin with her father Ron
Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

Review from Father of the Bride - Ron
5 out of 5 STARS
I would rate a 6.o on Value if I could. Amy is a clear future star in this field. She is totally committed to her clients and the other vendors involved in the wedding took the time to pull me aside and say that she was the single best coordinator that they have ever worked with. High praise indeed. She can meet the clients needs and also make the vendors that she coordinates feel special too. It created an environment of all family at the wedding, not family and vendors. Her candy bar was elegant and tasty and was well liked by the guests. I have several Daughters and it seems that we have our coordinator all set.

The stunning Mrs. Zink
Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com


Review from the Bride - Erin
5 out of 5 STARS
Think of Celebrations by Amy Bacon as wedding insurance.

No matter what goes wrong, she will correct the problem. In fact, she and her team are so efficient that you probably will never know that the problem happened until after the event is done and you are thrilled with her work. If you are willing to spend so much money on a wedding, how can you NOT have insurance?!

We hired Celebrations by Amy Bacon for our wedding on May 12th, 2012. We hired Amy Bacon for her day-of services as well as for her beautiful candy bar, and ended up getting SO much more than we paid for. She always emails back within 24 hours and is both sweet and professional. One of her personality traits that I most appreciated is her ability to immediately assess the needs and wants of the bride (and bridal party) and respond to them. She always made sure my voice was heard, and she'll never know how much that meant to me. She was an intermediary in conflict when needed, she was a jack of all trades that preformed every necessary role you can imagine. She has an easy-going demeanor and an ability to calm tensions and solve problems.

On top of bringing THREE assistants to help out in our wedding, her touches throughout the wedding were felt. When I forgot my something borrowed and something blue, she was prepared to lend me a blue anklet. She came prepared to the wedding with a "wedding emergency kit" that my bridal party and I used many times throughout the day. She brought "bride" and "groom" signs for our sweetheart table. She surprised my husband and I with an amazingly decorated bridal sweet for the wedding night. I could go on and on.

Don't look any further. Hire Celebrations by Amy Bacon and you will be thrilled beyond any expectations you may have had!


MOB Lynn with her daughter right before the ceremony.
Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com
Review from the Mother of the Bride - Lynn
5 of 5 STARS
I am the third person to be writing a review concerning Amy on the same wedding! My daughter (the bride) and husband have already weighed in, but I wanted to write as well.

Neither my daughter nor I lives in the Phoenix area currently, and we became overwhelmed at the thought of handling all the wedding details ourselves. We loved the idea of a "Day Of" coordinator and started researching options.
My daughter and I spoke to Amy on a joint telephone call. We started the phone call thinking that we were just gathering options, and ended the phone call absolutely knowing that we wanted Amy to handle my daughter's wedding day. Why? Well, Amy was personable and professional, and she rapidly started asking such intelligent and insightful questions that it became obvious how gifted she was at her job. By the end of our conversation, we didn't even have to discuss our mutual decision to hire her on the spot; our only concern at that point was whether Amy would be able to work us into her deservedly busy schedule!

As the mother of the bride, I worked quite a bit with Amy due to my daughter's various time commitments as a student. Amy became our partner in planning and executing the wedding. She was a tireless advocate for us in countless ways: recommending vendors, offering suggestions, and calming anxieties. When we ran into a sticky etiquette situation, Amy not only clarified what the appropriate etiquette was in such a case, but she offered to call up the involved parties and diplomatically solve the problem.

Although Amy has a full schedule, she has the gift of making her clients feel special and important. She genuinely loves weddings and is excited about helping to plan and execute them. Her enthusiasm was much appreciated, as I'm sure vendors in this industry become a little jaded about wedding and brides. We ran into at least one vendor like that, and it put a bit of a damper on our excitement to have her act almost bored at our plans. It might have been that vendor's five hundredth wedding, but it was my daughter's first . . . and Amy always remembered that and acted accordingly.

Amy was truly invaluable in producing a detailed and thoughtful wedding day timeline for the entire wedding party as well as the vendors. The timeline alone was a work of art, and no doubt represented many hours of work. It coordinated all the countless details of a wedding into a logical and useful format - and provided, for example, contact information so that the vendors, the family members, and the wedding party could all reach one another if needed.

I loved the way that Amy interacted with our vendors. She was always polite and professional, and genuinely wanted to make them comfortable. For instance, she contacted our vendors ahead of time to firm up logistical details and timing. That is to be expected. But Amy went the extra mile and inquired about any allergies or food intolerances that our vendors might have, so that we could be sure they were fed appropriately on the wedding day. It is that kind of thoughtfulness and attention to detail that makes Amy an absolute genius at what she does. It is no accident that two different vendors took us aside at the end of the day and told us that Amy was probably the single best wedding consultant they had ever had the pleasure to work with!

Amy conducted a thorough and professional rehearsal the day before the wedding that resulted in a more relaxed and polished wedding ceremony. By the end of the rehearsal, everybody knew exactly what they would be doing during the ceremony. This is an important service, and one that is often being skipped by today's officiants. I've been in two weddings in the past 18 months, and am absolutely convinced that both of them went so much more smoothly because of a good rehearsal the day before!

Amy and her team seemed to be everywhere on the day of the wedding, taking care of the numerous details that the rest of us were too busy to do. (Thank you, Angel and Patrice!!) They were the ones: who ran to Starbucks for the wedding party; who offered to get medicine for a sick flower girl; who bought heel inserts so that a bridesmaid's new shoes would fit; who ran to Men's Wearhouse to pick up shoes that had been left out of an order; who arranged the escort cards at the reception site; who placed the wedding programs on each guest's seat; who pinned on the corsages and boutonnieres; who provided ice water to our vendors on a hot day; who offered us breath mints; who made sure the bride and groom had something to eat; who prevented my daughter's wedding cake from getting accidentally contaminated with an allergen. In fact, I am positive that I don't even know everything they did on our daughter's wedding day, but I know that they worked tirelessly to make sure things went as smoothly as humanly possible.

In summary, Amy is a talented, experienced, hard-working wedding consultant who is excellent at what she does. She is also a kind and generous human being who will genuinely care about you, your family, and your wedding. We consider ourselves very blessed to have found her, and wish her the enormous professional success that she so richly deserves.


Here are a few more of our favorite images from the day ....

Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com
Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com


Amy Bacon with Mr. and Mrs. Zink
Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

Amy Bacon with Mr. and Mrs. Gagliano
Photos by Classic Digital Photography®. www.classicdigitalphotography.com

Friday, September 14, 2012

A Celebrations By Amy Bacon theme Candy Buffet

Of course we love Pink, Turquoises and Purple so we were thrilled to do a Candy Buffet for a Wedding Open House in our company colors. 



We hope you enjoy the images as much as we enjoyed designing it.

 
Candy Buffets are perfect for Weddings, Receptions, Birthday's, Graduations, Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, etc.
Our Coordinating clients receive a discount on this service.
 
For more information contact Amy Bacon 602.762.1174

Cookies made by Cookies and Bloom
  

 You can find us at www.celebrationsbyamybacon.com for more inspiration on our Candy Buffets. 

 

 Call us for a free consultations to discuss how we can customize a Candy Buffet for your next event, Birthday, Anniversary, Holiday Party or Wedding.


Direct #602.762.1174 or 

email info@celebrationsbyamybacon.com






Monday, September 10, 2012

Allison and Thomas Swafford 4.14.12

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com




Thomas Swafford and Allison Miller became Mr. & Mrs. Swafford on Saturday, April 14th at Encanto Park Clubhouse. After dating for more than a year without telling any of their coworkers at CBS, the two deserved a wedding where their love for each other wasn’t a secret but the feature story. Both were smiling from ear-to-ear the entire day as they relaxed and got ready for a night to remember, while Celebrations by Amy Bacon made sure it was an event they’d never forget. It was impossible for any of the vendors or guests to not feel how much love and energy was exuding from this happy couple! 

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com

Allison and her family did a beautiful job with all of their DIY touches, from the Texas Trash favors to the drops of crystal in the centerpieces. As any bride who’s done a DIY wedding knows, pulling all of the niceties together on the Big Day while still trying to enjoy every minute can become a headache and a nightmare in no time. Lucky for Allison, she and her family didn’t have to worry about this because the Celebrations by Amy Bacon team was there all day long to coordinate every last detail to make everything go smoothly. Having brought Celebrations into the planning mix more than a year before her ‘I Do’s, Allison was dubbed “too calm to be a bride-to-be” by everyone she met and this was possible because she knew she (and her wedding) was in good hands. The only thing that our couples like Allison and Thomas have to worry about is relaxing and preparing for an event to brag about!

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography 
www.lelandg.com
Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography 
www.lelandg.com

As guests arrived, so did large storm clouds, but this only brought everyone closer together. Surrounded by groomsmen and bridesmaids who are family (or simply feel like family), the couple knew they were supported by those closest to them to take this next step into life together. The ceremony was a beautiful exchange of love and promises for support and happy memories to be made in the future against a backdrop of billowing clouds and the lake being highlighted by the setting sun. Guests enjoyed the entertaining Snapbooth props during cocktail hour while Mr. & Mrs. Swafford enjoyed their first moments as husband and wife with their wedding party and parents. 

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com


Pictures of the happy couple around the space and items reflective of their personalities and youthful relationship made the venue feel more like their home than a neighborhood event space. Pops of color and lace connected all of the party areas and made each section flow into one another with a natural ease. The vintage touches hinted at this couple’s timeless love everywhere you looked. Due to the impending storm clouds, the party was brought indoors but instead of making the environment feel enclosed, the party atmosphere was captured and encouraged guests to continue partying into the night, fueled by Allison and Thomas’ love for one another and their guests.

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com
 
The Swafford wedding was lively and fun for all involved, even all of the great vendors! It felt like the party would never end and everyone could tell that no one wanted it to. Knowing that all things must come to an end, Allison and Thomas made sure that they went out with a bang and encouraged guests to “let love SPARKLE!” Guests held two-foot sparklers and led the way for Allison and Thomas to dance their way to their getaway car to leave for their honeymoon. Guests mingled and enjoyed the last minutes of the night with smiles and laughs as Celebrations handled packaging up all of the Millers’ items and thanked all of the wonderful vendors for helping to make April 14th a day that Allison, Thomas, and all of their loved ones will remember for many years to come.

Images by Leland Gebhardt Photography  www.lelandg.com
                                                                    Blog written by Patrice Klaum


Photography by Leland Gebhardt of Leland Gebhardt Photography 602.430.6106 www.lelandg.com

Planning and Day of Coordination - Celebrations by Amy Bacon 602.762.1174 www.celebrationsbyamybacon.com

DJ | Entertainment - Sean Wallace Rattle and Roll 602.568.7275  www.rattleandroll.com

PhotoBooth - Snapbooth Entertainment 480.540.6238 www.snapbooth.com

Linens - WOW Linens 623.242.3715  www.wowlinens.com

Venue - Encanto Park Clubhouse