rochelle & chris | the big big wedding

the wedding of: rochelle and chris | the date: september 4, 2011
the hdz services: partial wedding planning and day of coordination | coordinator: heidi, with brittany
the ceremony: university circle united methodist church
the venue: michaud’s grand ballroom
the photographer: monique studios
the videographer: brett vance
the transportation a1 mr. limo
the music: arabic band, friends of groom
the bakery: wild flour bakery
the florist and rentals: roses for weddings
the lighting: rock the house
the photobooth: shutterbooth
the color palette:

the notables:
the process:
rochelle was referred to us by a past bride. she had hired nearly all of her vendors but needed help tying together the decor – linens, flowers, lighting, cake design and the stationery and favors. rochelle works major retail hours so was imperative to keep on a great planning schedule to get everything done – and done right!
the priorities decor was an important part of the overall day for rochelle. however, we had to plan for a 400+ person wedding with dozens of tables without breaking the bank. lighting came in the play the most for the most impact for the neutral room.
the challenges: coordination of a large guest list is always tricky, especially with last minute rsvp’s translating into seating arrangements and last minute escort cards. we also had a big bridal party who we base portions of the overall timeline around. finally, the color of the bride’s bouquet wasn’t syncing up to her dress color as we’d hoped so i made a mad dash to get new flowers and a new bouquet put together literally minutes before she walked down the aisle. it all worked out!

the moments:
the rehearsal
brittany coordinated r+c’s rehearsal as we had another wedding that saturday. the key was lining up their 16 person bridal party (+ three kids.)

the ceremony
a memory candle in honor of r&c’s lost loved ones was important to the couple, especially in honor of rochelle’s mom.

rochelle’s dress couldn’t have been more perfect for her! she was a simply stunning bride.

the ceremony was classic. you MUST see the first kiss on the altar photo by monique studios.

the couple was sent out with a flurry of bubbles – brett vance captured the moment on video (below) – the wind was perfect!

the details:

we love before and after photos! here’s a few… what a difference lighting and some pipe and drape can make!

michaud’s grand ballroom before:

and after!:

head table before and after:

band stand before and after:

and back to the details… loved the long long long traditional head table for 16 with a sweetheart in the middle.

a gobo floated above the bride and groom, complemented with lots of candlelight.

i’m pretty sure this wedding had more guest tables than any hdz wedding before: 45 plus the headtable!

it was a lot of chair cover ties!

each had one of three orchid centerpieces:

hdz enjoyed making r&c’s table numbers with photos throughout the years. rochelle picked specific photos per table based on who was sitting there. we saw guests peeking around all of the tables to see all 45 pics!

the balcony that was hidden behind the back drop was perfect for a bird’s eye view of the room.

monique studios designed the engagement photos into a signing book. hdz created the pride and joy card box. and to dress up some classic place cards, we covered the table in rose petals. now when i work with roses for weddings i say “i need rochelle petals” and ety knows exactly what i mean!

the memory candle from the ceremony was paired with several family photos of lost loved ones.

rochelle chose some black on white scroll designs as a nod to chris’s arabic background. hdz provided the bling cake topper.

 

the reception

we had several excited couples to introduce into the room!

when the bride and groom came in, everyone joined them on the dance floor for a traditional arabic group dance.

following the dance were a few toasts, including an arabic chant. after dinner, the bride and groom even made cutting the cake romantic!

the arabic band had several musicians subbing in and out depending on the music.

somewhere amongst the dancing, the bride and groom were hoisted in chairs hora style!

i loved rochelle’s form for the bouquet toss: two hands! and those ladies HIT THE FLOOR to get that sucker!

the garter toss was equally amusing with the winner making a dance floor dive. (see the video!)

we love to see our past clients at weddings! rochelle’s bridesmaid amber and her husband zach were one of our 2009 couples and referred rochelle to us. oh and i had to sneak in the photo of brittany and the napkin she saved from burning a table down. oops!

despite the groom being pulled away for adult beverages, we got him over to the dance floor for a memorable first dance, folowed by the parents dances and everyone joining again for some fun.

it’s not hard to fill the dance floor with as many guests as r&c had!

i snuck a few shots of rochelle and her maids in the photobooth towards the end of the night. guests did it up in the booth that night!

the congratulations:
congratulations rochelle and chris! we know what an in love couple you two are, and it was our pleasure to help with your larger than life wedding day! rochelle you were gorgeous!

the video:

Chris + Rochelle | Wedding from Brett Vance on Vimeo.

the links:
monique studios set on facebook
shutterbooth set

the review: thanks rochelle for your personal recap!

I had Heidi and Brittany on my wedding day and I must say they were absolutely amazing! Heidi kept me calm (as calm as possible lol) the months before my wedding and VERY organized! I had a crazy work schedule because I work retail and Heidi always made things work into my schedule. Whenever I needed to talk to her she was very prompt at replying. The week before my wedding she double checked with all of the vendors and made sure the wedding day itself stayed on schedule. Because of them I didn’t have to worry about anything. They both went above and beyond for me all day…Brittany steamed my dress and tied my corset and Heidi secretly ran to a floral shop about an hour before the ceremony was to start. I really can’t say enough great things about them…The day after my wedding my whole family was talking about how amazing they were as well! Thank you so much to the both of you…honestly out of all my vendors they were the best decision I made…I wouldn’t recommend any of the vendors I used except my reception hall and Heidzillas! Thanks again.