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!

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