Do I Need a Wedding Coordinator?

We get asked this question A LOT! Our business cards used to say "Wedding Coordinator" but after the J.Lo movie came out a few years ago, brides started expecting their "wedding coordinators" to run around with a tool belt and revive drunken fathers prior to the ceremony. If that's what you're looking for, you should definitely hire an actual wedding coordinator.

Below is a list of Hayley and I's responsibilities as your catering manager:

1. Preplanning: our main focus is on the food and beverage requirements for your reception. We can offer suggestions on decor and examples of things we've seen before, but ultimately we consider these things to be your decision. We're happy to give you the names and numbers of local vendors, as well. We will also go over the set-up of the room with you. You will do your own seating chart and let us know how many guests we'll need to seat and where.

2. Ceremony: if you have an on-site ceremony we will be there to cue the bridal party as they start their procession. Prior to the ceremony, we typically coordinate with your officiant and musicians (or DJ) to make sure we all know when to start everything. Once you walk down the aisle, we are off to check on the cocktail hour and dinner set-ups. If you need flowers or anything else moved from the ceremony to the reception room, we will either do that ourselves or arrange for someone to take care of that for you.

**You might also want to see this post on Rehearsal Ceremonies.

3. Favors/Placecards: we will arrange the placement of both these items, as well as other items you might bring in. However, you should always let us know in advance so we're sure to set aside time for any additional set-up needs. Sometimes we have several weddings going on at the same time so it's difficult to do too much extra for each of them. But if we can we are always happy to help!

4. Reception: this is our primary responsibility, to ensure the food and beverage quality is top-notch and the service is 5 star. For this reason, we will do our best to keep you on the predetermined timeline so the food is hot and fresh when delivered to your guests' tables. We will be there with you as you enter the room and leave shortly after your entree is served.

If you would like someone to help you with all the planning prior from the moment you get engaged until you're headed off to your bridal suite, a wedding coordinator would be a good investment. He/she can help you form an overall vision for the day and guide you based on his/her experience.

Here are a few things that could happen on your wedding day that we most likely wouldn't be able to help with. If you're worried about any of these things, you might want to consider hiring a day-of coordinator:

- Your bridesmaid busted a zipper while putting on her dress.

- You left your lipstick in your room and need a touch-up during pictures.

- A groomsman started the party early and is nowhere to be found for the bridal announcements.

- The limo to take you from the church back to The Abbey never shows up.

- You spill a drink on your dress and need help getting it out before your first dance.

- You need someone to help gather up all your gifts/personal items before going back to your room for the night.

There are a LOT of variables on your wedding day and we will do our best to assist you with everything you need, but there are some limitations on our ability mostly due to time constraints. If you lay awake at night worrying about the "what ifs", consider hiring a wedding coordinator. One of my brides who had just hired a day-of coordinator once said to me, "Peace of mind comes at a price so I wrote her a check." Smart girl!

If you are interested in speaking directly with an area wedding coordinator who would be able to help with all the above scenarios, as well as initial contracting and planning, please visit www.somethingbluelakegeneva.com.

Porto

We're getting so many inquiries for small-ish weddings these days. For some it's a second wedding and for some it's just a preference for a more intimate affair. I have a personal affinity for small weddings - I had 60 people at my own wedding - and I think I convey that to all couples who are looking at The Abbey as a possible reception site.


By far my favorite room at The Abbey for small weddings is Porto. Porto is located on the upper level inside our signature A-frame.


Porto used to be a fine dining Italian restaurant but shortly before my arrival at The Abbey in April of 2008 it was closed and designated as banquet space for private events. Porto is ideal for the bride who is willing to work with the existing colors and decor because there is a lot of it that's "built-in." Most banquet rooms are a blank slate, but NOT Porto!

The above wedding took place on New Year's Eve, hence all the Christmas decor.



See the chairs? They are a dark orangey-red color. How beautiful for a fall wedding! Yes, we can (and have) brought in regular banquet chairs (with and without covers) for brides who have a definite color scheme that can't accomodate the chairs. But if you can work with the color, these Porto chairs are REALLY comfortable for guests.

Porto has an existing bar, gas fireplace, its own restroom facilities and can seat up to 64 people on the lower level. It also has a CD player wired to house sound, so most couples use that for their music. We usually set the dance floor on the second level, although we could put additional tables there, as well, to seat another 16 people.

Another great thing about Porto, is it's ideal for small indoor ceremonies. We've used it for a lot of winter weddings that can't use the gazebo. Seating is limited to 65 guests and you would have your cocktail hour downstairs in The Helm while we re-set for dinner.

Here's how a ceremony in Porto looks:

The bride enters from the second level.

The ceremony takes place under the big chandelier. Pretty, huh?

So if you're having a small wedding - no matter the season - please as us to show you Porto when you're visiting The Abbey. (It's also a great place for rehearsal dinners and gift-opening brunches!)

Real Wedding: April 10

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get a few pictures from our first spring wedding of 2010. I promise I'll be more timely in the future!

You might recall from this post that April 10 was a spectacular day in southeast Wisconsin and the bride had briefly considered holding her ceremony outside at our Harbor Gazebo. However, in the end she decided to stick with her original plan of holding the ceremony in the Wisconsin Ballroom. There, she was able to use the chivari chairs she had rented as well as some tall floral arrangements to mark the aisle. Both were re-purposed in the Harbor Ballroom for her reception.

photo courtesy of Mozart Photography

I thought the floral for this wedding was some of the best I've seen. The bride chose dark mahogany chivari chairs and had pewter pintuck linens. The neutral backdrop was so perfect for the colorful floral arrangements, don't you think? And I always love the mix of high and low centerpieces to add interest to each table.


photo courtesy of Mozart Photography

My favorite part of any wedding is the cake and this one was chocolate - it just doesn't get any better than this!photo courtesy of Mozart Photography

Congratulations to Karen and Adam on a beautiful wedding and best wishes!

Bar Options

This, seriously, could be the longest post in the history of blog posts because there are SOOOO many different ways to set up your bar! One of the first questions I ask couples is, "How important is the bar?" For most people, the level of importance wanes a bit when they realize the cost of hosting drinks for 200+ people for four hours, but at least the question gives us a starting point for the discussion. All weddings have a budget and you need to decide how to allocate the funds according to what matters most to you. For some people it's floral or decor, for some it's the food and for some it's the bar.

If you are unsure what you want to do when it comes to your bar, try asking yourself the following questions:

1. If I were hosting a dinner party for 20 people at my home, I would:
a. Make sure the liquor cabinet was stocked with everything anyone might possibly ask for
b. Have a few bottles of wine and a case of beer on hand
c. Purchase a variety of sodas and let them know it's BYOB when it comes to alcohol

2. Most of the weddings I've been to within my circle:
a. Host full premium bar all night
b. Host beer, wine and soda
c. Host soda only - all other beverages are cash

3. To me, the bar is:
a. The most important part of the party
b. Necessary just to get people up and dancing after dinner
c. Something for people to enjoy if they choose to, but we could honestly have a great wedding without a bar

3. At the end of the night I want:
a. Everyone to stumble back to their rooms saying it was the best wedding EVER (even if they dont' remember most of it!)
b. My guests to have enjoyed themselves, but be ok to drive home (if they have to) and/or feel well enough to join us for brunch the next morning
c. Guests to congratulate us on having a beautiful wedding even without a hosted bar


If you answered mostly A's, you will want to host the bar all night. Ask your catering manager for an estimate early on so you make sure to budget for this, as it will be a large chunk of your overall expense.

If you answered mostly B's, you will probably feel comfortable hosting just beer, wine and soda. Draft beer (kegs) will be the more cost-effective way to go with the beer, obviously. You might also consider offering just one "signature" cocktail for those who want it. I had a bride a couple of years ago who hosted Mojitos in honor of her dad, as this was his favorite drink. It was a nice touch! She simply supplied me with tent cards to be placed at each bar to let guests know to ask for this hosted signature drink.

If you answered mostly C's, you will have more money leftover for chair covers, flowers and your honeymoon.

Of course there are variations on all these options, such as hosting the bar for just a few hours vs. the entire evening, or hosting liquor for just the members of the wedding party. Your catering manager will be able to offer suggestions and together you'll decide what works best for everyone.

Decor Options: Chairs

Pouring over wedding magazines and blogs can be a daunting task. When it comes to decor, the number of options can make your head spin! I'll be breaking down some of those options in this post when it comes to chairs, and then tackle linens, centerpieces, etc. later. If I tried to cover everying in one post, it would be so record-breakingly long the hotel's server would probably crash!

Ceremony:





Harbor Gazebo


Covered in the cost of a ceremony here at The Abbey is the set-up of these white folding chairs for your guests. They have a slight padding on the seat and are very basic. I have never had anyone use any chairs other than these for their ceremony, but I guess you could rent chivaris if you liked the look of those better (more on those later). You can see in the above picture this bride opted to have white tulle bows tied on the chairs closest to the aisle.

Reception:

Let's start with the standard option here, which is our banquet chair.


Banquet chairs in the Harbor Ballroom

In case you can't tell in the pictures, the color of our banquet chairs is a muted rosey-brown. One of the advantages of these chairs is that they are the most comfortable option for your guests.


The most economical option if you don't want the standard banquet chairs is to rent the same white folding chairs that were used for your ceremony to be moved into the dinner room. There is a $3.00 charge per chair.





Notice the boat centerpieces in the above picture. We've seen a few nautical themes in the Tent over the years and the white folding chairs enhance the effect.


We mostly see these chairs used in the Tent, but there have been a few brides who utilized them in the Ballrooms over the years, too, incorporating them in their color scheme or in the "feel" they were looking to create.



Pink and white in the Harbor Ballroom

Harbor Ballroom - this bride was going for a "martini lounge" effect, as you can see from the linens and centerpieces.


The next step up is chair covers. There are a million different colors to choose from (only slight exaggeration) and we have books in our office for brides to flip through. I will go into more on the actual linen choices in a later post, but here are some pictures to show you how chair covers transform the look of the room:




Chair covers, West Shore Pavillion

Chair covers, Harbor Ballroom



The cost of a chair cover is typically right around $5. You can get them for less if you forego the bow and the installation and I've seen it done, but am not sure I like it.



I had a bride a couple years ago who brought in white chair covers herself because she had a relative in the rental business so she got them for a great deal or maybe free, I don't know. We had the room set-up the night before so she brought in all the groomsmen and had them throw a cover on each chair with no bow/tie. They were then responsible for taking them away at the end of the night. For her, the covers were there to mask the color of the banquet chairs. I wouldn't say it was the most "polished" look but she accomplished her goal.



For couples who are on a budget and don't think they can afford chair covers for the entire room, I encourage them to think about getting covers for just the head table. If you have a traditional head table either on a riser or on the floor, this will set it apart from the rest of the guests and attract their attention as they enter the room.


And now for everyone's favorite: chivari chairs. These are the most "high-end" option for most weddings. They come in several different colors including silver, gold, white, black, natural wood and mahogany. There are now slip covers for the pads, too, so you can completely coordinate the look. You can see in the pictures below why chivaris are at the top of so many brides' wish lists:


Mahogany chivaris in Harbor Ballroom

Black chivaris in the West Shore PavillionGold chivaris in Harbor Ballroom


Pricing on chivaris runs close to $9.00 per chair once you add in the delivery and set-up charges. Unfortunately, I don't think you could get away with doing these at just the head table. If you want chivaris, you pretty much have to do the whole room. That's why we more often see these at the 50 person weddings and not the 250 person ones.


I was watching a show about JFK not long ago with footage of he and Jackie sitting at an elegant, formal dinner during his presidency and I immediately noticed they had chivari chairs. That's testament to the classic nature of these chairs. Every so often I'll hear someone (usually the father of the bride/keeper of the budget) complain they aren't very comfortable. Well all the more reason to get up and dance, right? Once a bride gets her heart set on these chairs, she almost always seems to find a way to get them.


There are a lot of ways to "enhance" the chivaris, but I will save that for my post about linen options. Come to think of it, that might be two posts. Decisions, decisions.....

Vendor Meals

One of the questions we are repeatedly asked by brides is "What, if anything, should I feed my vendors?" To which I answer, "What do you want to feed them?" (That sounds really helpful, doesn't it?) Hence, this post to clear up some of the confusion...

First, let's identify who might need to eat: any vendor who is there with you the entire evening. Typically this is the photographer, the DJ and/or band and, if you have one, the videographer. I had a sweet bride ask me, "Are you a vendor?" Well, yes, but I am not on the list of people you need to worry about. Hayley and I are typically able to find something to eat along the way, usually just a Rolo and a cup of coffee, but something.

Second, look at the agreements you've signed with your vendor(s). Does it mention providing them with a meal? Does it specify a "hot" meal? Whether the agreement mentions meals or not, it's still a nice idea to feed them since they are putting in a long day with you and are such an important part of making your wedding day what you want it to be. So here are some options:

Option A: You can feed them the same meal as your guests are having. Here at The Abbey most couples are on a wedding package that might include bar service, champagne toast and a couple of courses. Decide what you want to give your vendors. They typically do not partake in the bar and sometimes they really only have time to eat the main course, so have your catering manager adjust the package price accordingly.

Option B: You can request a "boxed" meal for them. This is typically the most cost-effective way to feed them. If they will be seated at a table, we can always present it on a plate.

Which brings us to another question: where will they sit? Again, look for direction from your vendors for this. Some DJ's like to stay behind their equipment in case some technical glitch occurs. Some photographers/videographers also prefer to "eat on the run" so they don't miss anything you might want to have caught on camera (weddings are VERY unpredictable, you know!) Most bands I've seen do prefer to sit down for a meal so you will most likely want to provide a table for them, whether inside the room or in a seperate room that's close to the reception.

If you are feeding vendors inside the reception room, you can let your catering manager know in advance which table this is and he/she will direct the vendors accordingly. Placecards are unnecessary, but you will most likely want to provide the same linens/centerpieces/table numbers as you provide for any other table in the room.

I had a wedding here a couple of years ago and the groom was extremely detailed and attentive during our meetings. At one point he explained to me that his "strategy" to make sure his wedding day would be FLAWLESS was to make sure he treated his vendors (me included!) like GOLD! He had spent a lot of time meeting with prospective vendors and the ones he decided upon, he respected. And he treated them as such. Every one of the vendors who worked on that wedding remember it because it was one we all put our hearts and souls into, making sure everything was PERFECT. I think Marty would agree, it was!

Ceremonies and Rehearsals

We have two beautiful locations here at The Abbey for outdoor ceremonies: the Harbor Gazebo and The Pavillion Gazebo.


Harbor Gazebo on Geneva Lake

Pavillion Gazebo on west side of property


I would guess that about 80% (probably more) of our wedding receptions hold their ceremony on property. It's wonderful to have guests walk right across the lawn to cocktails immediately following. (The pictures sure are pretty, too, huh?)

Prior to all those ceremonies there are rehearsal ceremonies, primarily on Friday nights. I believe that with any wedding ceremony, whether in a church, a gazebo, a field or wherever, there should be a full rehearsal. Speaking from personal experience, I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't had one for my wedding. My nerves were bad enough - if we hadn't walked through it all step-by-step a couple of days prior, I would have been a wreck!

Because Friday night ACTUAL weddings are becoming increasingly popular, we do not book rehearsal ceremonies until 30 days prior to the wedding date. Most couples want the rehearsal ceremony to transition directly into their rehearsal dinner, so early evening slots are in high demand. Timing preference is given in order of when the wedding contract was signed.

For couples getting married in our gazebos, we ask them to give some thought to how they want to walk to the ceremony. Do they want the groomsmen to just line up at the front or do they want them to be part of the processional? Do they want the bridesmaids to walk down alone or with the groomsmen? Another option is to have the groomsmen meet them halfway. All of this needs to be agreed upon BEFORE the rehearsal. Because we frequently have more than one rehearsal on Friday nights, we can only allow 1/2 hour for each wedding party.

You will also want to speak to your officiant about his/her availability for the rehearsal. If your officiant cannot attend, it will be up to YOU to run the show. Are you comfortable with that? Someone needs to let the readers know where to stand and allow them a "practice run." If you have anyone singing, you would need to give them the same direction. If there is a unity candle or sand ceremony, you would need to know how to incorporate that, too. Hayley and I are happy to assist with the processional portion of the rehearsal, but the actual ceremonies are so personalized we simply cannot facilitate those.

When you are interviewing prospective officiants, please ask them if they are able to perform a rehearsal ceremony for you. You'll be glad you did!

The Tent

DJ "Do's"

There are so many details the couples have to keep track of; our job is such a small part of all that goes into a wedding. Knowing that most people reading this are planning their first "grand scale" event, they probably don't have much idea what to watch out for especially with regard to hiring vendors.

We see many vendors here at The Abbey, some good and some not as good. When it comes to DJ's we have someone specific who, to us at least, is "The Gold Standard." His name is Greg and he owns "Medleys in Motion." In the future, I hope to have some of our favorite vendors post on this blog as guests, but for now I will just tell you a few of the things Greg does that we see and think should be required for every DJ.

1. He arrives on time and has professional-looking equipment. We call all incoming vendors the week before a wedding to confirm we have everything they need when they arrive and answer any questions they might have. Greg doesn't need much from us, but we usually just go over timing to make sure our notes are consistent.
2. He starts music BEFORE guests enter the room. A quiet room is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. There's so much thought that goes into the first impression of the room as far as floral, linens, etc and what guests are going to see when they first walk in. What about how they are going to feel? That mood is going to be set by lighting and the music more than just about anything else. We will dim the overhead lights and have the candles lit, but the DJ needs to have his music going when we open those doors or guests will walk into silence and believe me, you DON'T want that!
3. Greg always has a TYPED list of who will be announced into the room and in what order PRIOR to the wedding day. We've seen way too many DJ's who don't have this and are scribbling names on a scrap of paper with a pen they've borrowed from us at the last minute. Greg lists each bridesmaid and groomsman and even has the phoenetic spelling of their last name so he's sure not to mispronounce it when he announces them into the room.
4. For the bridal announcements, Greg gathers the bridal party and lines them up according to his notes. At this point everyone has had a cocktail or two and is wanting to start the party early, but he takes charge and this is what you NEED your DJ to do. Trust me, you do not want to have to worry about this on your wedding day!
5. With the pre-planning he does, Greg is in control of the evening from start to finish. He's always got a detailed list of exactly what happens and when (cake cutting, first dance, etc). There have been DJ's here in the past who ask for this information from US, but our main concern is focused on the food and beverage service, not on when the bride is going to dance with her father so we don't always have the answers he/she is looking for and we end up having to go to the bride and groom and sorting it out while they are eating dinner. TACKY!

We frequently recommend Medleys in Motion because we know Greg and his staff and feel very comfortable that they will do an excellent job. A DJ is one of the most crucial parts of a wedding reception and his/her importance shouldn't be underestimated. I just recently had a wedding whose DJ fell through at the last minute and I suggested they call Greg. He had the date open with just one week notice and afterwards, the bride's father was so thrilled they had gone with my recommendation.

We are open to welcoming any and all DJ's for weddings here at The Abbey. There have been many in the two years we've been here who have been extremely professional; Greg is just an example of one we highly recommend. For future brides and grooms, I hope this post will assist you in knowing what to look for so that not only will your wedding day be perfect in every way, but that the night before your wedding you will rest easy with confidence that all details will be taken care of.

First Possible Outdoor Wedding of the Season

After a couple of rainy, cold days we are getting back to some beautiful spring weather - THANK GOD! I was beginning to wonder if that dumb groundhog has seen his shadow again! We have a wedding tomorrow that has always planned on having their ceremony in the Wisconsin Ballroom, but now might explore the option of moving it outside to the Harbor Gazebo. Who would have thought that possible on April 10th? Good for her!

This is the gazebo she's considering:

It's the more popular of the two gazebos we have on property, even though structurally they are exactly the same. People just love the water and boats in the background of their pictures, although the wooded backdrop of the Pavillion Gazebo is also very pretty.

Speaking of boats, we are so excited to see the first few boats out in the harbor! They can put them in the water on April 1st and have to have them out by November 1st at the latest. That's a looooong six months for us with the docks looking very sad and bare. When the boats start coming back we get so excited because it means another great season is upon us. Lake Geneva and the surrounding area is so much fun in the summer, with all the great festivals and activities.

Lake Geneva Cruise Line is also back up and running now and has their public tours starting. I've only been on their ice cream social cruise but I just LOVED it! It was so interesting to hear the history of some of the lakeside mansions and then they fed me a delicious ice cream sundae - who can beat that??? They also let kids have a turn "driving" the boat, which was a big thrill for my boys. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon in Lake Geneva, honestly. (Well, maybe shopping would be nice, too!)

First Possible Outdoor Wedding of the Season

After a couple of rainy, cold days we are getting back to some beautiful spring weather again - THANK GOD!

Lanterns

Since we started in 2008, we've seen a lot of these paper lanterns at weddings. They add quite a bit of dimension to a room and are a relatively inexpensive way to "dress up" either the cocktail area or the reception room. Most of the brides who have used these have ordered them on the internet and brought them in for our engineering staff to hang them. Some brides have them hung just over the dance floor, but this bride had 200 covering the entire ceiling of the Harbor Ballroom. She had 3 different sizes and the smallest size had LED batteries in them, which we turned on just before we opened the doors.

With all the lights off and just the pink up-lights and small lanterns, the effect was REALLY striking! It was one of the most interesting weddings I've seen in the two years I've been here.

This next wedding was before my time, but I like how they hung the multi-colored lanterns just above the head table. It really added a festive touch to the whole room, don't you think?

You can also have these hung outside, in which case you would want to get the lighted ones. We've mostly seen white ones but they also have them in all colors so you can coordinate with your flowers and other decor.

Hello!

Hi and welcome to The Abbey Resort's wedding blog! We hope you'll find this blog to be useful, or at least entertaining. For brides who are planning their wedding in the Lake Geneva area, we are hoping to provide some insight into area attractions and also assist you in your quest to create your "Dream Day."

We will be posting pictures from past weddings and also commenting on different things we've seen. There are a TON of wedding blogs out there and so many ideas, especially for Do-It-Yourself ers! If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to let us know either on the blog or by emailing us directly and we'll be happy to respond.

Thanks for stopping by!