A dusting of snow made the perfect start to the winter wedding for the Welborn family. When the bride, Morgan, reached out to us we were ecstatic to help her day come to life. Morgan is a talented woman, who is very creative and excels with details. We knew her wedding would include creative details that represented the couple, and their new family. We were thrilled when she reached out and asked us to help coordinate her day.
Hudson Farm Ceremony Space
Rehearsal
Friday night we traveled to the ceremony space at Hudson Farm outside Urbana, IL.
Part of our services allow us to run the rehearsal. This allows the entire bridal party to be clear on how the ceremony will go. Having a rehearsal allows for all bridal party members and parents to know what to expect on the day of there ceremony. Having us run the rehearsal allows us to help troubleshoot any concerns or questions that may arise. It also allows for us to know exactly what the couple wants so we can be sure those events happen on the big day.
On Friday night we were able to help the bride put details in place to make sure her and the grooms exit from the ceremony space would be exactly what she wanted. During this time, we also make connections with any of the younger members of the bridal party to help facilitate wherever they may need to be the day of. It may sound small, but it makes a difference on the day of!
Wedding Day
Each wedding day is different, and each event has its own needs. We meet with each bride to help go over what her needs are so they get the most out of our services on the day of the ceremony.
8:00 am Taylor and Jenny left Gibson City to travel to Champaign/Urbana. We were scheduled to pick up the cake at Hopscotch Bakery in Urbana at 9am. We arrived a little early, so we got to enjoy our morning coffee and some sweet treats at the cute bakery and coffee shop.
9:30 am We arrived at the reception space to drop off the cake, check out the reception set up, check-in with the bride, mothers, and bridesmaids, and pick up the flowers. While checking in with the ladies they realized they needed to get a gift from the guys, and wanted to change a small detail or two. By having us throughout the day we handled all the communications with all the vendors and the venue. This took a large load off of the family and friends.
11:00 am Taylor and Jenny went back into Urbana to pick up sandwich platters. After picking up sandwich platters we went to the gentlemen's suite to deliver sandwiches, flowers, and to pick up the groom's gift for the bride. This helped to be sure the groomsmen were on time, along with being reminded of what time they needed to be at the next location. After helping the guys with their flowers, we headed back to the ladies at the venue. The reception flowers were created by the bride and her mother, while the bouquets came from Pollen and Pastry.
12:00 pm We went back to the venue to meet one of the vendors for the ceremony. We assisted them in setting up and started handling the details to prep for the ceremony. We began the hot chocolate and we delivered the groom's gift. Because there are two of us, one of us is able to assist the female bridal party in getting into their dresses, while the other moves between the ceremony venue and reception venue to manage details as needed.
1:00 pm Pictures began for the bridal party in separate locations, again having two of us allows us both to be part of this and help with whatever is needed. Many would be surprised by the little things that need to be done during these photos. Help put a flower back on a guy's suit coat, manage any imperfections with a dress, fix a hair issue, hold flowers or other accessories.
1:30 pm First Look This may be one of our favorite moments of the day. We get to experience the moment the bride and groom have waited for their entire lives. Helping the bride look absolutely perfect is our job at that moment. The makeup is done, the hair is done, the dress is on and perfect, the flowers are here, but we get to help make sure the bride is in the absolutely perfect position for her groom to see her in.
The Welborn wedding had not just one, but TWO father daughter looks, along with the bride and groom.
The bride had her first look with her father, the bride and groom had their first look, and then we got to help the groom and her daughter do a first look together.
3:00 pm Jenny was with the bridal party relaxing pre-ceremony. Taylor was helping make sure the guests were seated, programs were being handed out, and the officiant and DJ were ready to roll.
Jenny reminded everyone of the line up, put everyone in order, and assisted with any touch ups needed after photos.
3:30 pm Ceremony: Many would think that our day may be winding down, but the real work is just beginning. With all eyes on the bridal party at the altar, we are behind the scenes making sure all the details are perfect following the ceremony. As you can see in the photo, Jenny is assisting the bridal assistant to her Mom, while carrying the bride's wrap and the flower girl's coat. Taylor has made sure all the details of the reception space are ready for guests to enter as soon as the ceremony is over. Candles are lit, lanterns are lit, snacks are out, and all the lights are exactly the way the bride wanted. Taylor is just outside the door in this photo waiting to be the first person the bride and groom see as soon as they exit the ceremony space.
4:00 pm Ceremony is over, Jenny has bridal party and guests lined up outside waiting for the bride and groom to make their first official appearance as Mr.and Mrs. Welborn.
Following the ceremony, Jenny helps to finish up the few family photos that need to be taken. Taylor immediately went to the reception space to help greet guests and the bridal assistant pass out kids' boxes to each child at the reception.
Reception
Guests entered the reception space to see all the details of the reception venue at Hudson Farm. They enjoyed music, snacks, and drinks after finding their table. The bridal party enjoyed themselves because all photos were done and they were just waiting for their entrance. This is when having a coordinator is extremely important. We were able to talk to each other and make the bride's families wishes happen. They wanted to enjoy the time with the guests, so we were able to move up the bridal party entrances by working with the DJ, the venue, the guests, the photographer, and the bridal party. This allowed them to have a longer time frame than they thought they would with their guests. Jenny helped the bride with the golden hour photos for the couple, while Taylor coordinated with the DJ and photographer for their introductions at the reception.
After the bridal party entered, Jenny and Taylor really get to work making sure everything runs smoothly. They've already made sure the cake is ready to be cut. They made sure the photographer knew the order of events and the DJ is in the loop so there is no awkward pauses during the transition. Because of the early entrances, we made a plan that would fit best for the couple to mingle with friends and family before dinner started, which allowed the caterer more time to set up.
We assisted in setting out cookies and cobblers, dismissed tables for dinner, and helped the bride get her food so she didn't have to mange her dress and food at the same time.
Dancing
After dinner is served, we helped to get the special dances started. We made sure the father of the bride, the mother of the groom, and the children of the bride and groom knew they would be dancing soon. This helped make sure everyone was where he or she needed to be to keep things moving through the night. After assisting in making the dash for cash happen, we then finished up our last tasks for the night. We put the cards and gifts in a safe place so no one had to transport those later. We put the cake away so it could be saved for later. We refilled the cookies, and made sure the hot chocolate bar was refilled and ready for the rest of the night.
We are so thankful for the Welborn family for trusting us to handle every detail of their day!
Vendors:
Venue- Hudson Farms, Urbana, IL
Photography- Vivid Studios Inc.
Catering- Yoders Kitchen
Flowers- Pollen and Pastry
Cake- Hopschotch Bakery
Custom Photo Blocks- The Wandering Willow
DJ- JT Hammit
Hair- Leslie Weston
Make up-Ashley Vance
Transportation- First Student
Rentals- Lotties Linens
Bridal Alterations- Kelli Zbinden
Comments