the notables:
the process: vanessa and danny were engaged just a couple of days before christmas 2010. in the following week, she asked friends for references to a wedding planner and we were referred to her from a handful of people. we met on new year’s eve and were hired just a few days later! vanessa and i were instant partners in crime and it was such a fun time weaving inspiration and traditions from both families into one big wonderful day!
the priorities vanessa had a wonderful vision of design and style and we wanted to incorporate that throughout every element of the wedding. from her trip to chateau versailles to my personal love for the hall of mirrors. yellow with a tone of gold became our main color scheme for the reception, while fuchsia and coral were the pops of color for the ceremony.
the challenges: we had just under 8 months to pull together the wedding of the year! there were many details included throughout the day that had TLC so we worked VERY hard in that time period! we also worked with a handful of vendors who were professionals in their field but only work a few weddings a year. coordination was key!

the moments:
vanessa and danny’s invitations, thanks to paper trails to you, turned out beyond GORGEOUS. the selection definitely is in my top 3 favorite of clients invites ever.

the rehearsal
vanessa had the MOST gorgeous rehearsal dinner dress ever. it was a HOT evening, so with only 3 bridal party members, the rehearsal itself didn’t have to be very long.

the ceremony
i think it may have been the hottest saturday of the summer. rain was looming, but we were determined to have a gorgeous outdoor ceremony at vanessa’s parents home. guests loved the refreshment station with pink lemonade and bottled fiji and perrier.

i was so thrilled with how the ceremony program turned out. i designed it and had it produced on vinyl, which we adhered to a blank canvas for vanessa and danny to always have. stephen tokar and staff designed the perfect floral arch for the ceremony. it was flowy and elegant and you would have thought the roses grew that way!

guests kept streaming in – far more than we thought we’d have on a hot day at 11:00 am in july! we started the processional with a surprise for the groom – sonata strings played “sweet child o’ mine” a favorite of danny’s.

the clouds literally parted and a ray of sun came through just as we opened the doors for the bride! the processional was a little unique for the bride as she entered from behind the altar area, along the pool and looped around in front of the ceremony seats. guests didn’t have to turn around at all.

i’m not lying, it was a perfect day.

after the gorgeous nuptials, the couple greeted guests on their way back out to valet. then it was post-ceremony formal photography time until they got a little overheated and took a break.

the details:
at the union club, the first thing you see in the main lobby was this gorgeous arrangement and a framed engagement photo of vanessa and danny.

every year, i have a project that is my major feat of the year. this seating chart would be it for 2011! it was a massive mirror with vinyl decal of names and table numbers that i applied the week of the wedding for the seating chart! here’s a before and after.

cocktail hour was bursting with excitement for the evening, and tunes filled the air from charming pianist cliff habian. hdz also designed the bar mirror with gold writing on vellum over a mirror.

a few more details: we had a french-patterned hat box for a card box and heidzillas put together engagement photos for v&d’s guest book.

this is probably the element i was MOST excited to see – an amazing, custom designed wedding cake by the wendy kromer. i was also so happy to get to see the master put her finishing touches on it and grab a photo before she was on her way!

the EPIC cake. it was absolutely stunning.

annnnnd the entire ballroom!

stephen tokar design created three kinds of centerpieces – a visually stunning version of gladiolas for the two kings table and two other versions for the rounds – one tall arrangement on candelabras and a fantastic water-filled oversize bowl filled with a dozen floating candles placed on a mirror pedestal.

heidzillas also utilized mirrors for the table numbers. we loved kings table detail! and the dishes were even named “vanessa” – meant to be!

the reception
the gorgeous bride and groom ready to enjoy the evening!

the reception started with family and bridal party introductions, a surprise slideshow from the maids of honor and of course, dinner!

we waited until after dinner to cut the amaaaazing cake.

after cake cutting, vanessa and danny had their first dance and an upbeat, fun father daughter dance.

during dinner and after the father-daughter dance, the serbian duo played serbian traditional music for danny’s side, including dancing the kolo, a serbian wedding tradition!

meanwhile, this was set up for a guests’ surprise! when they were in the lobby area before dinner, it was a blank mirror and empty hallway. they came back out to the bar to this:

vanessa and i had a blast creating this favor cookie and candy bar. it included over 1,000 cookies, brownies and macarons, gold and pearl gumballs, jordan almonds, and several tortes. at the end of the night, only some gumballs remained – no kidding!

the band, who were friends of the father of the bride, were absolutely fantastic! we had a great time coordinating the night together. and bonded some more late night during clean up. love vanessa’s fist pump on the dance floor.

this was such a fun group of gals for vanessa’s bouquet toss.

the celebration and dancing continued through the wee hours! it was a truly amazing day.

leigh and i had such a pleasure seeing the day throughout. it was one of our favorite weddings of the year!

the congratulations: vanessa and danny, we had such a hilarious amazing wonderful time planning! it went so fast and i am still beaming with how fantastic it all turned out for you and danny! congratulations!!! much love to you and your future!!! wink wink times TWO!

the reviews: we are humbled beyond belief by the words vanessa left us on our review sites. thank you v!

Heidi,
Words cant describe what you have done to making my wedding so special and amazing. You are so talented with what you do. You can tell that you have a true passion for making everyone happy when it comes to planning a wedding. Heidi was my wedding planner and I couldn’t have been happier with the overall result. She is such a professional, extremely organized and such a lovely person to be around. She was on top of her game at all times with my wedding. My wedding day was a fairy tale come true. I did not have to worry about a single thing that day. Her team was amazing when it came to getting everything done the day of. I would highly recommend Heidzillas. Planning a wedding can be very stressful but hiring Heidi I never felt stressed out at all. Especially when it comes to making tough decisions with your family she is the one to make sense into the decision. I tell all my clients the one investment and the most important is hiring a wedding planner. Thank you Heidi for all your hard work! You have no idea how much I appreciate everything you did.
Vanessa

the notables: one of our two july 23, 2011 brides, jen, asked us for assistance for planning the decor for her rehearsal dinner. we had a lot of fun helping her sister and mom with the melting pot wedding shower, and were happy to help with another fun theme: an ice cream social!

 the details:

we kept the centerpieces simple but cute, and coordinated some pale pink linens with md’s.

there was a set of three ice cream cone dishes filled with flowers, candles that looked like ice cream scoops, or a table number. the dishes were filled with sprinkles and the entire table was drizzled with more sprinkles!

that friday also happened to be the matron of honor’s birthday, so there were presents and flowers for her, as well as presents for all of the bridal party that were colorfully wrapped to go along with the whole light-hearted evening. the bride even brought along a ice cream cone pinata.

there were even marshmallow ice cream cone favors!

seats were assigned for every guest with ice cream place cards that heidzillas cut out and placed into actual edible cones.

finally, what’s a social without an ice cream sundae bar and super fun ice cream cone cupcakes!

as we hope you can tell, it was fun, whimsy rehearsal dinner decor to plan! and tasty too.

the notables:
the process: catie’s cousin slash partner-in-crime slash wedding assistant, erin, had heard of me from the knot circa 2008. she decided to save her money and not hire a coordinator and regretted it and insisted catie have one. thanks erin! : )
the priorities we had to serve as the main point person for every facet of this wedding as there was a visiting priest at the church, a venue with grounds that had recently gone under construction, two florists, and a big ol’ bridal party.
the challenges: we had quite the bridal party – 25 total for both sides. so it was a lot of people to manage to get down the aisle and back again. and they had to make two lines on the altar to fit!

the moments:
the rehearsal
everyone congregated in the parking lot to say their hellos and get the celebration started!

i said, for the blog!

the line up…

practice walk

the ceremony

the willing gents!

a few anecdotes
when discussing the timeline, catie told me the bridal party planned to go to a house in lakewood to take some photos because they lived there for a while when first dating. we figured out it was literally across the street from a house i lived in at the EXACT SAME TIME in 2005. we never met at the time!

© scott shaw

after the house, they stopped by the riverwood cafe for a drink. loved it.

© scott shaw

the details:

we loved the lantern card box and lentil-filled boxes for the escort cards

kim coryea rocked it OUT with this cake. loved it! one of my favorites… ever!

catie and family hunted for mis-matched wine glasses for the most darling cocktail and guest table decor

lentils were such a fun pop of color for filler with pillar candles.

the monster tent for about 250 guests!

the looooong kings table for the bridal party!

the reception
time to get the guests seated and the bridal party lined up.

© scott shaw

introductions line up!

and our mr. and mrs.!

so happy :)

the super sweet father of the bride speech.

the djs!

first dance

one darn fun father-daughter dance

and mother son!

and then they rocked the house. literally.

meanwhile, the photobooth was open. loved loved loved this guest!

and then i lost my camera. and then i found it. and then the tent looked so lovely as the sun set. rumor has it bay arts no longer permits tents on the property.

the congratulations:

© scott shaw

catie and mike: we loved working with you!! we especially appreciated your love for our blog… my sincerest apologies it took this long to get to your big day but here you are! you were great. it was such a fun crowd all day long… we loved the happy most of all! congrats!!!!

the links:
photos by scott shaw
engagement shoot by scott shaw

hdz 2012 calendar wallpapers

1024 x 768 • 1280 x 800 • 1280 x 1024 • 1366 x 768
1400 x 900 • 1920 x 1080 • 2560 x 1440

not the size you’re looking for, or want to print? here’s the calendar on its own:

2012 calendar

have a great year and happy planning!

sunday, january 29, 2012
12:00 – 5:00 pm
dredgers union
2043 e 4th st, cleveland (map)

for more information, see the website and be sure to like the bbb facebook page!

tickets tickets tickets!

tickets in advance $5. tickets at the door $10.

want to win two free tickets? like heidzillas on facebook and comment (not just “like”) on THIS STATUS POST (only) by friday, january 27, 11:59 pm.
randomly chosen winner will be announced on saturday and tickets will be at the show!

the first award is the 2012 knot best of weddings:

the second is wedding wire’s bride’s choice award 2012:

we’re looking forward to an amazing and successful 2012 season! we have lots of fun new stuff going on this year! be sure to stay up to date with us on our facebook and twitter pages throughout the year!

previous posts:
heidzillas earns best of the knot – 2011
heidzillas earns 2011 bride’s choice award
the knot ohio – spring/summer 2010: part 3 of 3
heidzillas earns 2010 bride’s choice award

the notables:
the process: sai had the venue and colors picked out – especially for all of the custom-made in nyc attire – so utilized her lehenga most for inspiration.
the priorities:  decor was a major focus for this event – from lighting, to major rental selection and a small mandap-like area for the ceremony. we had a blast working with arne from blooms to perfect four separate centerpiece looks. we definitely prioritized what was most important about decor, along with the overall flow of the night.
the challenges: the logistics of the bharat and bengali wedding were tricky. we had to move guests from cocktail hour outside for the bharat, then through the hallway, to their seats for the ceremony.

the preparation: post fountain-dip, saira and her maids retreated back to the shaker heights country club ladies’ locker room to shower and start all over again with getting ready.

making the moment provided some insight on saira’s transformation from american-ceremony-white to the amazing bollywood-bangladeshi-bride!

how AMAZING is this image from making the moment!?!?

the bharat:
an elephant just wasn’t in the cards for kevin, but he had sassy the horse and a fantastic dholi.

photos by making the moment:

photos by hdz:

photos by making the moment:

the groom entered and headed towards the ceremonial couch

then came the bride’s entrance, complete with a lone violinist playing. after negotiation between the bride’s family and the groom (cold hard cash is paid for the bride!), the ladies finished their entrance.

the ceremony was narrated by the bride’s aunt

this is such a stunning image of kevin saying what he saw in the mirror – from making the moment.

the details:
now for some details! first up – the fabulous card box from party decor

s&k’s entire wedding had elephants, including this darling floral one from blooms

you can’t be indian until you love hot sauce… and guest favors were “saira and kevin’s spicy love hot sauce” complete with monogram from paper trails.

the monogram also appeared as a gobo from rock the house.

red uplighting looked amazing throughout shaker heights country club.

and now for the incredible details photos lent to us by making the moment:

and a few more details from us, including the bride and groom’s sweet heart table

the cake topper by karly west of bitter sweetz was EXACTLY what we were hoping for! kudos karly! thanks to making the moment for the shots.

the reception:
the bride and groom took some time to do creative formals while guests enjoyed dinner. my associate brittany kept saying, “saira! STOP IT with those eyes!” just wow sai!

the results from making the moment. gasp.

back inside, the bride and groom cut their cake formally and did the traditional american feeding. then, the parents each fed the bride and groom. it was a nice addition to this tradition.

they also did two more american wedding traditions – the first dance…

and the bouquet toss.

then it was dancing time! :::twists a lightbulb::: i will forever associate the song “take over control” by afrojack with this wedding.

i have no more words for how amazing it was to work with saira on her wedding. hopefully the photos will tell thousands of words for the incredible… well, journey!… it was. saira: thanks for taking a chance on an american planner. i learned so much, made some great new friends had a blast all the while.

the review: in saira’s own words:

I met Heidi after interviewing several planners in the area… She is literally the best money I spent on my wedding. I not only had my head on straight through the planning process as she literally blew me away with her organization, honest opinions, and really just her hard work. She made my wedding perfect and you could tell that her blood, sweat, and tears were all over my events. I had a 2 day, 3 event (4 if you include my bengali wedding, 5 if you include the baraat, and the Mehendhi and Holud were combined in one so technically 6) weekend. Heidi worked the whole weekend in ADDITION to planning out all of the details. She bent over backwards for me and made sure everything looked phenomenal. We literally had members of the Country Club where our big finale reception was held stop and take pictures because they said it had never looked so fantastic. Unlike so many Indian weddings I have been to that are disorganized and messy— ours went without a hitch. I was hesitant, as was my father, to permit an American planner into our realm. However, my father, who happens to be the biggest critic in our family, actually started introducing family members to her as he was in disbelief at how incredible everything was and how hard she worked. Heidi, I can’t thank you enough…

the links:
making the moment: two weddings one couple
the sari-clad bride: a colorful bengladeshi bride in all her glory

past posts:
saira & kevin | gaye holud
saira & kevin | traditional ceremony + fountain dip

the notables:
the process: the ceremony was fun to work on with saira because we got to be more of a guide and show her how things were done traditionally with american weddings, for kevin’s side. we helped put together the ceremony program (which she gave heidzillas a shout out in – so sweet!) and even had a little hand in the actual marriage of s+k!
the priorities:  i have just a few things to say: vera. phalaenopsis. louboutins.
the challenges: because the gaye holud was the day before, we didn’t get to do a rehearsal, but of course wanted EVERYTHING to go off without a hitch. the bridal party was great with letting me give them detailed instructions, and it went off better than most weddings that DO have a rehearsal!

the ceremony:
vince from making the moment started the morning with the ladies at the shaker heights country club locker room getting ready, and was kind enough to share these images:

brittany and i headed straight to harkness to coordinate the flowers, musicians and set up the italian cookie table and refreshment stand that kevin’s mom put together.

and here comes the bride! the bride and groom hadn’t seen each other yet, so we kept them in separate rooms and gave the maids and men instructions on how the ceremony would process and recess.

the BEST part of the ceremony is that saira came down the aisle to “the dog days are over” by florence and the machine… except played by the harp and violin. JUST when she appeared the doorway, the harpist hit this amazing trill. i will never forget that moment.

thanks again making the moment for this great image of the rather short ceremony!

this is the part where i helped once everyone was gone. : )

then it was creative photo time! quick one with us first!

saira and kevin met while students at case western so it was apropos that’s where they got married and took their formal photos.

the group headed over to the art museum…

…and then saira decided to head to the fountain. (this photo i caught of sai running made me think we were shooting a perfume ad! SWOON!)

she went for it while the maids literally were running after her screaming “NO! VERA!!! VERA!!! NO!!!”  while she was still teasing them… should i or shouldn’t i???

and then this happened. and it was epic. and yes, “epic” is an overused word, but it’s so appropriate!

making the moment’s amazing results:

you MUST see the full blog post including more getting ready and more fountain shots here: making the moment: two weddings one couple

the links:
the sari clad bride blog: saira & kevin’s white & teal ohio wedding
the sari clad bride blog: a bangladeshi bride sparkles in white

past post:
saira & kevin | gaye holud

coming up next:
cleveland muslim indian ceremony & reception

the notables:
the process: saira was referred to us by making the moment in november 2010. after having to take a break from planning, we unexpectedly heard from her again in january. and well, somewhere over twitter and hundred of emails, we fell in love. i mean… we planned her wedding! (we apologize for the over-tweeting to each other.)
the priorities:  saira, who is a bengali muslim indian and kevin, who is an italian american, were blending two cultures together for an epic two day wedding weekend. we wanted to make sure we hit as many of the important wedding traditions for their families as we could. we also HAD to do it in style. (if you know saira, style is tablestakes.) you’ll see this more in future posts!
the challenges: saira entrusted us with her planning with only the experience of two indian weddings that we day of coordinated in may. actually, she loved that we were open to learning everything and anything about the traditions! i think she learned a little bit too… shout out and thank you to her sister, mahrin for some guidance.

the gaye holud: a gaye (pronounced GUY) holud is also known as a sangeet in other indian cultures, or as what americans know as a rehearsal dinner. except it’s a super fabulous rehearsal dinner. the three things we had to have were: 1. lots and lots of color 2. lots and lots of celebratory dancing and 3. mehndi (also known as henna.)

we started saturday by getting ready with saira and her maids. it was so fun to see her hair wrapped with the flowers from blooms!

saira the sweetHEART made sure we were in traditional sari’s for the occasion. brittany and i had a BLAST wearing them. i *might* have made up a “sari dance”.

sai’s mehndi from the day before was darkening up and looked amazing with her rings, flowers and sari.

thanks to making the moment for sharing some of their professional details shots!

for the gaye holud, the bride and groom chose a swing for their tumeric and sweet station.

guest tables were covered in gorgeous sari-like overlays from the fantastic alina at party decor and finished with colorful moroccan lanterns

first things first – after guests had arrived, the bride, groom, maid of honor and best man made their formal entrances.

then, the customary gaye holud (translates to: tumeric placed on body) ceremony began as guests lined up to smear them with the orange paste and then feed them sweets.

a few more making the moment professional details shots!

from that line, guests joined the meal line – traditional indian catering was served.

many ladies then headed over to the mendhi station for kristina the artist to put a design or two on hands and feet.

saira and kevin barely got a chance to eat as so many guests lined up to take photos

this photo from making the moment after dinner might be my favorite from the entire weekend!

when the sun went down, the fantastic red and orange lights came up…

… and then it was dancing time! again a photo thanks to making the moment!

saturday was an amazing celebration. we LOVED being a part of it… from sari’s to mehndi and getting to meet all of saira and kevin’s awesome family. (her mom said brittany and i were quite the sari wearers! yes!!!)

coming up next:
the white dress traditional american ceremony

the links:
the sari clad bride blog: saira and kevin’s fantastic fushion gayer holud
making the moment: two weddings one couple

the notables:
the process: i met karin and rebecca of something white bridal when they first opened their store in june 2010. we were instant wedding-besties! rebecca mentioned to me months later that it wouldn’t be long for karin and chad to get engaged. at first, i was booked for their date and so disappointed i couldn’t help. then my couple moved their date to 2012 and i let karin know we could help if she needed it after all. we got signed on for reception coordination.
the priorities karin was an amazing diy bride so there were many hand-crafted details we had to be sure were set up perfectly.
the challenges: printers. sigh… i just couldn’t get the printer to work!
the moments:
the formals i had to share the formal photos that andrew jordan photography did of karin and chad at the something white bridal store. so perfect! instant classics!

© andrew jordan photography

© andrew jordan photography

© andrew jordan photography

© andrew jordan photography

© andrew jordan photography

also, this photo cracks me up beyond belief!!! the look on karin’s face… what a lovely bride and her glowing pregnant maids!

the details:
chad is very much a brooks brothers kind of guy and they found that style exactly at the union club!

seating chart

guest book

the card box

the darling tower cake with the BEST vintage topper ever!

the bar

super cute straws

door signage

the diy photo booth

her chair (and dancing shoes!)

his chair

head table

bridal party table

guest tables

the favors

the reception
cocktail hour

receiving line

jazz from above

karin’s store partner rebecca and her husband

alllll ready for introductions

a touching speech by the fob along with the mob and mog

the moh speech. i laughed… and totally cried.

could these two be any sweeter?

dad’s vip’s shot!

after dinner coffee station

bouquet toss

photobooth fun

dancing!

jen and heidi with the bride!

the congratulations:
thinking back to your wedding day, what strikes me the most was your love and natural charisma together. it was totally evident to everyone in the room that you two are meant to be – from your love story to every element of your wedding day. it was amazing to be a part of the day that made your love official and i was sincerely honored to be able to take responsibility of all of your hard work!

the links:
something new entertainment blog recap & pictorial
wedding day photos from andrew jordan photography on facebook

karin chronicled some of her planning on the something white blog! read back about her diy to mrs!:
engagement story • engagement brunch • engagement pictures • venue • save the dates • marriage 101 • the registry • THE DRESS! • wedding shoes • wedding bands • cake tasting • food tasting • bridesmaids dresses • invitations • diy card box • ring pillow • choice of entree • flip flops • ribbon wands • diy photo booth • tux rental alternative • coffee favors

the review: karin in her own words:

Heidi and team did such a great job on my day-of event coordinating. I literally didn’t have to worry about a thing! I trusted her to make executive decisions and keep everything running smoothly (which it did). When we ran into a few minor hitches she let me know and already had a backup plan in motion. My groom and I and our family and bridal party were able to just sit back and have fun! I also loved that she took a bunch of photos of the behinds the scenes things that I would have otherwise missed seeing. Highly recommend!