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

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 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!

the notables:
the process: jess works at an ad agency as an account executive and was previously coworkers with both brett of making the moment and krista of focus on you, both who know heidzillas and suggested jess contact us. i got on board early in the process (end of 2009!) to help jessica with decor planning ideas to hire a florist and plan overall decor. being in the ad world, she had a lot of great reference photos and ideas, but needed someone with experience to help pull together her vision!
the priorities jessica loved the shabby chic look utilizing chalkboards and moss with pops of pink but still lots of black and white. overall, it was a classy meets natural elements, including the brick and moss around the room, as well as the tree trunk cake plateau.
the challenges: we had lots of ideas, including a swanky lounge area, but had to be budget conscious, and also were in a smaller space in the hanna courtyard at manakiki.

the moments:
the rehearsal

jess’s brother in law knew just how the ceremony would go!

love the dip jon gave jess for the practice smooch!

the preparation

thanks to making the moment for these fun shots! above: jess getting her make up done by one of our FAVE ladies kimberly! below: krista from focus on you gets some detail video and then probably one of my all time favorite HDZ at work photos – me showing jess her bouquet in the mirror – awesome capture brett!!!!

the ceremony

it was a PERFECT mid-june day for jess and jon in the manakiki grove – one of our favorite outdoor cleveland wedding locations. the sheer curtains and flowers that blooms by plantscaping installed were rustling in the summer breeze.

thanks again to making the moment for their awesome details shots of the aisle decor. mmm june fuschia peonies! swoon!

then it was time to go! a quick shot of jess and her father that i caught up near the manakiki mansion before getting the cue from leighzillas that we could send the two down into the manakik grove.

the ceremony was just gorgeous! below – bob from focus on your wedding videography gets a shot.

and the kiss!

mr. and mrs.!

we hosted guests into the manakiki tented area while jess, jon and their bridal party took some fun photography with making the moment.

the inspiration:
jess pulled together some fantastic inspiration photos to help us plan along with visionary cleveland florist arne klein of blooms by plantscaping. i loved the mixture of black and white with the rustic elements of birch and lanterns but still with a spring POP of fushcia… and peonies! we always love peonies!

the details:

jess is quite the ar-teest! after seeing many thumbprint trees for sale online, she decide she could draw her own! and it was perfect. she even drew in little birdie details for her and her groom’s prints.

while we hoped to actually chal the guest names, there were far too many. instead an awesome graphic designer made up this design that fooled some guests into thinking it was hand written!

another mix of rustic with summer pop was the square cake by michaelangelo’s bakery. blooms added the delightful flowers and birch and jess had a tree slab made from a source of ours.

we utilized the entire hanna grill area for cocktailing and lounge area including a fun jazz up of many seated and cocktail tables and branches and candles in and around the fireplace.

inside the tent, the head table was one long kings table with rambling moss and candles.

making the moment “lent” us these cheery photos of the head table complete with the maids’ bouquets and the tea favors.

thanks again to cleveland photographers mtm for the details shots of the tables:

there were two designs and linens – galvanized buckets full of flowers on black linens and black lanterns with candles and open blooms on damask linens, all set with white napkins and chivari chairs. 

the bride and a friend made the coordinating but not all the same white frame chalkboard table numbers. they were perfect for the design!

the reception

soon the cocktail hour was over and it was time for some cake cutting paparazzi, toasts, first dance and parents’ dances. 

then scott jones and his assistant eric went to work filling the dance floor! top left is bob and krista videographing everyone getting down!

the vendor team had a BLAST working together for jess and jon – first because many of us had worked together before – either at weddings or other jobs! – and secondly because jess and jon were an amazingly great couple – with super sweet families. jess’s mom takes the cake for sweetest mob ever!

the congratulations:
jess and jon, where do i begin! what a great evening! and what a fun year plus of planning your unique and chic details. you started as clients, but now you’re friends – congrats!!!!
the links:
jess & jon’s awesome cake fight engagement shoot
jess & jon’s wedding day recap by making the moment
a slideshow of photos by making the moment

the review: jess in her own words:

Hiring Heidi was the best decision we made for our wedding! We hired her almost a year and a half before the big day and she was pivotal in the decision making process for all my vendors. She always went above and beyond… answered questions in a matter of seconds, no matter if it was on a Saturday night or during the work week. I can’t even put into words how amazing it was to work with her and how she helped shape our wedding into the dream wedding it was in June! Our day would never have been so put together, elegant, chic, laid back, beautiful if it wasn’t for her expertise and wonderful personality! We love you Heidi! Thanks again for making our day the best day of our lives! xo

the inspiration palatte:

the notables:
the process: danielle already had a great deal of planning – and about a year of their engagement – behind her once she contacted us. she wanted help with the overall decor, including hiring a florist, baker and linen rentals and pulling together all of the little details – especially stationery!
the priorities: danielle and steve met drag racing at norwalk, and had their first date exactly six years before their wedding day. they wanted to tie in the drag racing theme, with keeping it a classy wedding. the venue provided a PERFECT backdrop with antique cars and art work throughout. the rotunda also lent itself to overall lighting and a unique room set up. we tied in danielle’s favorite color orange with two more summer colors of fuchsia and lime green.
the challenges: the crawford auto museum is ever changing! while we planned as much as we could for the space, locations of the historical cars, artwork and the exhibits changed even the week of danielle and steve’s wedding!

the moments:
the rehearsal

it was a hot and humid day for the rehearsal. the bridal party had to wait out another wedding that was finishing up, but as soon as that was done they were all set to practice!

the ceremony

we were concerned with scattered thunderstorms, but it was clear and perfect for d&s’s evening ceremony. they started the day with first look and photos all around downtown cleveland and wade oval with linczaks and then came to crawford and had a quick break before the official nuptials. danielle had an idea for programs with three different puzzle games on the back that hdz designed for her. they were mounted on painted sticks that had pencils ribboned on. danielle also assigned her ceremony seating, so the place cards matched the programs.

having been so close to her step dad growing up, danielle asked both her dad and her stepdad to walk her down the aisle. afterwards, the bridal party was all smiles again for some formal photos in hanna garden.

the cocktail hour

the hour between the ceremony and reception was held in the lower level of the western reserve historical society – the crawford auto museum. we set up high top tables and some low tables with seating throughout the antique car display. hdz also designed the bar menus as well as signage for the restroom doors, which blended in with the rest of the space and needed called out.

the reception

what’s a drag racing theme without some matchbox car place cards? hdz designed ohio license plates for every guests seat and they were wired to the mini cars! guests loved it.

when you have a bigger bridal party, you have a bigger head table. we chose iridescent orange linens. we also designed fun bunting as a backdrop to complement the fuchsia and orange uplighting. it looked fantastic against the burgundy wall!

the ends of the tables had large arrangements from fresh tendrils.

guest tables were numbered as well as named with words from danielle and steve’s favorite hobby – drag racing of course! table names included: “red light”, “perfect light”, “dead on”, “staging”, “drag race” “turbo”, “raceway”, “delay boxes”, “quarter mile”, “time trials”, “pro tree”, “prestaging”, “reaction time”, and “christmas tree”.

fresh tendrils did an awesome job with incorporating the model cars danielle and steve provided for centerpieces. they were entirely charming and every table had a different model car to go along with the venue’s theme!

other tables include large white branch centerpieces with HUGE spikey paper poms that danielle’s mom hand-crafted.

danielle found pink overlays and orange and fuchsia chair sashes from a past bride and l’nique helped us out with the chair covers for the pesky western reserve school chairs, as well as coordinating fuchsia and orange napkins.

d&s chose some puerto rican cuisine that taste of excellence offers to indulge steve’s family. hdz provided meal menus for the stations as well as individual food signage that included a checker flag pattern.

in lieu of a traditional wedding cake, danielle had a vision of an actual drag strip! becky from about the cake rocked out the race way complete with a car that mimiced the one steve actually drives, as well as a grandstand, trees, lights and more! hdz provided the cake signage and the super cute mini bunting!

along with the shutterbooth photobooth, guests were treated with a candy buffet – also decked out in fuchsia, orange and lime green! by 11:00 pm, there was barely a pound of candy left from the awesome display! those orange organza satchels held a lot.

guests enjoyed a same-day edit of photos from linczaks, danced the night away with rock the house’s dj kevin AND they broke the shutterbooth record for the most people in the booth at the same time. heidi was excited she showed up from ashley and mike’s wedding just in time to join in the fun!

the congratulations:

danielle and steve, what a 14 months it’s been! it was a pleasure to help you execute your drag racing, super colorful visions for your wedding day! we were thrilled with the results and can’t wait to see the pro photos! especially the ones of dexter! (d&s’s super cute son.) best wishes always – with your marriage and on the race track!

the hdz team with the bride and groom. from the left: brittany, danielle, heidi, steve and leigh.

the links:
the shutterbooth event gallery

the notables:
the process: ashley was another blog stalker of ours who found quite a few of her vendors after seeing them featured in past wedding blogs, including her venue, massimo’s. we corresponded via email and phone for several months, with her in pittsburgh, and finally met about a month before the big day! i fell in love with her and her family, and started raving to her vendors what a fun wedding it was going to be!
the priorities i think my main goal of the day was to handle as much as possible so ashley and mike, their family, bridal party and guests could have as much fun as possible. i’m going to say it was QUITE the successful day!!!
the challenges: i’m going to say the biggest challenge of this wedding day was to NOT kick of my shoes and rock it out on the dance floor with everyone. even dj rick said it was one of the best weddings he’s ever dj-ed. it was such a FUN group. and not rowdy-obnoxious: party-fun. the BEST kind. loved every minute.

the moments:
the rehearsal

the ceremony

pew dec’s by the mob

thanks thomas for this heidzillas at work shot

© t1 photo

guests arriving

i think she’s ready!

the maids definitely were

ashley’s train is one of my favorites of ALL TIME. it was GORGEOUS!

t1 action shot

had to borrow these two from t1 photo – great moment!

© t1 photo

© t1 photo

then, while i was headed to the reception… this was going on downtown. love these sassypants!

© t1 photo

the details:

guest book

escort cards

this cake was seriously tasty!

guest tables

the bride & groom’s seats

gifts

the reception

ready for introductions

let them eat cake ;)

ashley’s dad gave a fantastic welcome speech – it was kind, sentimental and really funny!

best man toast

then mike surprised us and gave a speech too!

first dance

father-daughter dance

as mike’s mom passed away many years ago, his sister jenny joined him for a siblings dance

then the dance floor was open and that’s just what guest did!

a very happy dj, rick, with his full dance floor all.night.long!

the congratulations:
ashley and mike – you two are the couple wedding vendors all hope to work with every week! thanks for being awesome – not to mention hilarious – to work with. we all appreciated being a party of your amazing celebration! cheers!

the links:
t1 photo’s full photo recap of the big day

the notables:
the process: julie’s maid of honor is best friends with colleen reed, who i’ve known long before i started my business. colleen was hired for the occasion and suggested hdz for coordination. i *think* julie and brian’s wedding was the first or second 2011 wedding we booked! :)
the priorities: julie diy-ed quite a bit of decor and her venue’s catering team doesn’t provide set up other than the catering-related supplies, so we were in charge of making sure the tables were in their place, there were enough seats at every table, and every last detail looked perfect!
the challenges: it was a pretty warm day and the venue doesn’t have a/c. we had plenty of time to get the set up done before guests arrive, and then stalked the radar to see if and when we should close the large sliding glass doors to avoid major water in the pavilion. the radar looked like this for an hour or two!

the moments:

the rehearsal

the hand off

the ceremony

we had a gorgeous day earlier on! julie and brian did a first look and then spent the afternoon doing bridal party photos downtown and around. rumor has it the groom also got “iced” by limo driver deej! (loved it.)

all ready to go!

the details:

st. clarence pavilion all ready for guests!

the head table

guest tables

family wedding photos

a pride and joy card box :)

seating chart

photobooth props put together by the bride and groom

cupcakes

the reception

cocktail hour

lining up for the introductions

the bride and groom!

loved this moment i caught of j&b even if they turned out a bit blurry

during dinner ring-shots

photog colleen and heidi getting concerned over the radar

checking out the radar with the djs

slideshow time

another favorite moment caught of the bride and groom, with the groom’s parents behind them

first dance

then the opening dancing begins!

colleen got way better photos of the dancing crowd – they were a great group who rocked it out all night long!!!

© colleen reed photography

© colleen reed photography

© colleen reed photography

© colleen reed photography

the congratulations:
julie and brian, you were one of the sweetest couples we’ve ever had. after an almost two year engagement and having been together for years, it was special to see a couple so very in love – and with so much of their family and friends’ support! we were so happy to be a part of your big day! congrats!

© colleen reed photography

and a special thanks to my assistant, jen, tko djs, and photogs colleen and tiffany for being fantastic to work with until every last chair was cleaned up!

© red eye photobooth

the links:
colleen reed photo’s blog recap
colleen reed’s photo recap on facebook
the red eye photobooth photos