A Tribute to the 107 Girls I've LOVED!

It recently dawned on me that in the six years I've been a wedding planner I have helped coordinate 107 weddings to date. It took some time to calculate and the number may be off by one or two weddings in either direction but it's close.

In preparing for my upcoming move to San Francisco I've been reflecting on the weddings I've been a part of in Bloomington and it makes me smile. I wish that I had kept better notes or even a journal so that I could read the pages and go back to each day. Instead I am reminded at current weddings how many weddings I've been a part of and how important my role has been at each when I run into a former bride who is now pregnant with her second child, or an usher who says very simply: "you are so calm."

My wedding this weekend was my favorite kind of wedding in Bloomington; it was (literally) the marriage of two local families. When this happens in a small town the whole town is there! The room was a fashion show, guests happily cocktailed way past the cocktail hour, and I got many, many hugs from girls I've helped in the past. It was a hard room to leave when my job was done.

My next adventure in wedding planning will take me to San Francisco where, once I land on my feet, I will be exploring the exciting possibility of opening a social butterfly studio there. Poised and ready to join me are my baby twin sisters who live in the heart of the city and who are over the moon about me moving closer to them; we will be a team of three. I'm leaving behind a brand-new owner, Hannah Trowbridge who will be taking social butterfly in her own direction. She is currently busy, busy, busy booking Bloomington weddings for 2009 and beyond and looking forward to putting her stamp on the Bloomington Wedding Scene.

I'm proud of what I've accomplished and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to "fall in love" 107 times with brides who have personally asked me to help them on their special day. Each one has left a mark and I will forever be grateful for the chance I've had to share a most special time in their lives with them.

Stay in touch!

Pat

The SECRET...is out!

One of the very first decisions you'll have to make will be WHERE to get married and WHERE to have your reception...location, location, location!

I get asked often for new and different venues especially from local brides who want to do something completely different than all of their friends...different is hard in a small town with only so many options when it comes to venues but how about SECRET?

There is something really fab about that word isn't there? I don't even have to tell you more, you'll take it, right? Well, the best is yet to come! The SECRET Garden at the IMU is the most romantic, perfect, secret place to get married in Bloomington...well, at least one of the most romantic, perfect, secret places to get married (ask me for a list of other places that are way too secret to name here now...).

On a beautiful, sunny (this is the tricky part with this venue) Summer day there is really no better place to be than in the courtyard right outside of the IMU. What's better? Bari Kuhlman helps you with a gracious staff, equipment, and even Peach Bellinis if you want it which were absolutely perfect after Josh and Vanessa's courtyard nuptials my very first wedding season. Guests were greeted with tasty tapas and Peach Bellinis right after the recessional.

This shot was taken from an IMU hotel room, be sure to put this on your MUST HAVE SHOTS List for your photographer if you choose this location. Have Bari coordinate with the photographer to get into an open room for this amazing perspective on your special day!

"The Devil's In the Details"

Just finished up a long meeting with a bride. It still amazes me how long wedding talk can go! My "one-hour consultations" which I used to market like crazy are never one hour, more like two or three...and they can very easily turn into an overnight conference if we let it.






Lets face it, there is a lot to talk about! And, when brides get into my studio they are surrounded by samples and inspiration so the creative juices start flowing and one thing leads to another, leads to another and another and so on...(sorry to the number of Grooms who I've seen glazed-over looks from and who have had to excuse themselves to walk down to get a coffee from the Bakehouse because they just couldn't hang with the big dogs).

Just what is it that we're talking about? The details of course! And, there are LOTS of them! I thought I'd use this blog post to tell you about some of my favorite little details and how they can come together for an entire event.




The "theme" (and there doesn't always have to be one) is PINK. Katie loves pink and she has a Groom who is okay with it too. So, everything is PINK, PINK, PINK! The Thai silk tied around each handmade program is pink. It came from the Groom's mother. Pink napkins and chair ties coordinate with the pink shredded paper in each clear favor box holding a wedding cake candle wrapped in pink ribbon with a matching pink/black tag (of course!). The guests' place cards are pink adorned with a diamond jewel atop each one. Pink flowers are on top of each table cake (that's right, each table had their own cake). Welcome boxes delivered to hotels the day before the wedding for out-of-town guests were wrapped in pink ribbon with a matching tag.

You get the picture, everything was PINK! Whether it's a color, a fabric, a design, a motif, a favorite memory, your wedding monogram, or even your favorite book, movie or play...anything can inspire us to chat for hours about the details of your wedding day...anything!






Yes, this is a wedding I helped design...the one you see in the Bloomington Country Club ads! So, SO pretty in PINK!