Wedding Coordinators - Are they necessary?

It's a sunny day here in beautiful Englewood, Colorado! I've been reading quite a few articles on whether or not it's worth the money to hire a wedding coordinator, so thought I'd put in my 2 cents!

Let me explain the difference between a hotel, resort, venue wedding coordinator and me.
In a nut shell, they are there for the venue and I'm there for you, the bride, the groom and your families. Many venue planners will tell you they can handle everything, but what you need to ask them is will they help with a stuck zipper? Will they sew on a button? Will they help do last minute hemming? What if the bridesmaids dresses don't make it to the ceremony? What will they do? What if Aunt Jane wears a dress that a pin-on corsage won't work, can they make it into a wrist corsage? If divorced parents aren't getting along, how do they handle the seating situation? IF the strap on a shoe breaks, will they fix it?

These are just a few of the things you need to ask them. Chances are, they don't. I'm also reading that some DJ's and photographers consider themselves coordinators. Yes, they may be able to get you down the aisle, but will they also take care of the above mentioned problems? You have hired them, and probably paying pretty good money, to have them do their job, not to act as your coordinator. How can they be fixing a button, and taking pictures or setting up for the ceremony music at the same time?

I'm not trying to pick on anyone, but just want you, the bride, to think through what you need. I've been handling and solving problems for over 20 years, which includes, sewing hems, fixing zippers, finding black socks, coming up with bridesmaids dresses when they didn't show, and even handling a ceremony when the officiant didn't show. These are just a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to hire a wedding coordinator. I take care of you so your other vendors can take care of their business.

Whether you hire a wedding coordinator to do full planning, partial planning or for day of, there's someone out there who can meet your needs. Ask yourself the question, can I really afford NOT to hire a good wedding coordinator?

To see more of what I can do to make sure your day runs smoothly, go to http://www.weddingsbytanya.com/ or email me at tanya@weddingsbytanya.com

Spring time in the Rockies

Can you believe it's April already? There's nothing like Spring time in the Rockies! Flowers are starting to poke their heads through what's left of the snow, and the grass is turning green.

The end of March, I planned a party for myself, which my children hosted. Thought I'd share a couple of pictures because they show what these fabulous vendors can do, not only for private parties, but for weddings.

Encore Style (Kirsten Rodriguez) did the flowers and centerpieces

Haute Touch (Chef Greg Boynton) did the catering - along with his very capable staff

Elegant Bakery (Chef Janusz) designed and made the fantastic cake

The Wright Group (Brittany) did all the linens and rentals

The Perfect Blend (Ruth Most, Sally Robertson, and Mary Witt) a fantastic trio, gave a fabulous 30 minute concert that everyone enjoyed.

(Unfortunately, the picture of the room is fuzzy, but you can get the idea.)

I chose to use white with turquoise colors, which worked beautifully with the Victorian floral arrangements.

Spring was welcomed in style! If you are planning a private party or wedding, I can help! There's a lot of information on http://www.weddingsbytanya.com/ that will help you in your planning, or you can contact me at tanya@weddingsbytanya.com.

Here's wishing you all a Happy Spring!

A Love Story- one of hope, inspiration and motivation

I have the distinct honor, of working on the wedding for two incredible people. Their wedding will take place on a beautiful ranch, overlooking the city of Denver.

Involved in a horrendous motorcycle accident in 2002, Kate Dendrinos-Ricket was left close to death. Doctors were convince that if she did live, she wouldn't ever talk or walk again. In just the next three months, Kate proved all the doctors wrong.

From the beginning Shawn stayed at Kate's side through her stunning recovery to the stupendous decline which lasted for the next six years. With Shawn's never ending faith, hope, love and devotion, he helped Kate return once again from the brink of death to a full recovery.

Today this beautiful couple give back. They facilitate an equine therapy program for those with disabilities at the Big View Ranch in Golden, Colorado.

If you have a family member or friend or yourself need inspiration, motivation and hope, then you need to read their book "I Am Not Supposed To Be Here". This is a book that once you start reading, you won't want to put it down. It's great for anyone who have experienced head injuries sustained in accidents or in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. It gives hope!

For more information visit http://www.Iamnotsupposedtobehere.com/.

Weddings, Etc. LLC in the news!

Want to learn more about Weddings, Etc. LLC? Go to www.weddingsandpartynetwork.com/blog/spotlights/weddings-etc-consultant.

I'm in the spotlight!

It's been a great week as the phones are ringing off the hook! It's nice to be recognized and wanted! I've booked with three great couples this week. I still have a few dates available as I have to limit the number of weddings I do since I do each and every wedding/event myself.

I'm also booking elopements, which I enjoy doing as well.

It's hard to realize that February is almost over! A donation will be made to the Heart Association, this month, in the names of the new clients I've signed.

The charity to receive donations for March will be The Boys and Girls Club.

Winter Park, Colorado wedding

Hi everyone! It's a snowy day in Colorado. I did a wedding in Winter Park, Colorado, at the Devil's Thumb Ranch. With the snow on the mountains, and coming down, it was a wonderland, if you didn't have to drive in it!

I'd like to tell you about this wedding. It was the perfect wedding! The bride arrived in a horse-drawn sleigh (with wheels) to the church. The snow was softly falling, which made for a beautiful picture. (The sleigh was provided by Aspen Carriage and Sleigh (Sandra Dieterich). There were two of the most beautiful Percherons I've seen pulling the sleigh.

The photography was done by two very talented photographers from Salida, CO, Wild Iris Studio (Kristy Watts). I understand they do portraits as well.

The ceremony was at Our Lady of the Snow, Catholic church, in Granby, CO. The priest, Father Bogdan Siewiera, and the pianist DiAnn Bourget both came from their home church in Salida.
The bride's beautiful bouquet, of deep red roses and the reception decor was provided by Pick Me Floral in Winter Park. Rami Carter did a fabulous job. 970-531-2479.

After the ceremony, the reception was at Devil's Thumb Ranch in The Barn, which is a historical barn, worked into the Ranch and a beautiful place for a reception. The cake, beautifully done, by Paula Thomas of Tea Cup Bakery. The bride, her family and attendants stayed at the beautiful Snowy Mountain Ranch (also a YMCA).

What made this a perfect wedding? Let me back up to the day before the wedding. I met with the bride and groom to finalize any last minute changes, which is the norm. It was then I found out that the seamstress, hired in July of last year to custom make the wedding and bridesmaids dresses, hadn't accomplished the project! The bride had the foresight to purchase a backup dress, but had expected the bridesmaids dresses to arrive, along with the seamstress, the day before the wedding. They didn't get done! There were NO bridesmaids dresses.

We immediately went into action to find a solution. Being aware of what most of the bridal shops in the area (meaning Denver 100 miles away) carried in sizes in their samples, I immediately called Lisa at Celestial Bride (8262 S. University Blvd, Centennial, CO 80122 720-529-2000. Lisa agreed to reopen her bridal salon to my clients late that night. She did go to the shop, but received a call from the bridesmaids telling her the weather was just to bad they weren't going to make it b y 10:30 pm! Lisa did agree and did open the salon Saturday morning (the day of the wedding) and met the bridesmaids there around 7:30 am. (Talk about going over and above!!!!) When the bridesmaids arrived back at the ranch, each had a dress to wear.

While the overall picture wasn't her vision, and she could have been upset all day about it, she wasn't. (One of the things I cover with clients is that you are dealing with humans and anything can happen!) She was truly a princess in all meanings of the word. She was gracious, smiling, and above all, enjoyed her day.

We stayed at the Olympia Lodge in Winter Park. This lodge is owned by Albert and Carol Gasienica, who I might mention were great hosts! The rooms were very large, extremely clean and very comfortable. They include a continental breakfast along with the room. http://www.olympialodge.com/. 970-726-8843. This Olympia is within walking distance of restaurants, and just a short drive from the slopes. I highly recommend this lodge if you are staying in the area.

The point to my writing this is that while things can go wrong, the bottom line is "YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED"! As long and the officiant, bride and groom (and hopefully me :-) are there, nothing else matters...it's all icing on the cake.

In closing, (1) if you are working with a coordinator, let them know at the first sign that something may not be going right. We are there to help solve problems. Trust us to do so.
(2) If something goes wrong, let it go. You probably can't do much about it. It will certainly make your day memorable! (3) Enjoy your day, even if it's not quite the dream you had, few weddings are!

For help planning your wedding, call me! I not only travel in Colorado, but I do destination weddings anywhere in the world and US you want to go! http://www.weddingsbytanya.com/ or Tanya@weddingsbytanya.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Destination Colorado

Ever wonder why people want to come to Colorado to get married? Rather you are wanting a full wedding or eloping, these are some reasons to consider Colorado.

Whether you want to get married by a lake, casino, on a steam engine, or downtown Denver, I can arrange it.

Check out my website at http://www.weddingsbytanya.com/ for more Real Weddings.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Mature and repeat brides deserve to be princesses!

Just because you've been married before, doesn't mean that you can't have a beautiful wedding! Many couples want to get married in a house of worship with their friends in attendance and then have a lovely, elegant reception. In days past this was frowned upon, but not today!

If you want to wear white, go ahead! (However, do fore go the veil if you are a repeat bride.) This is still a special and beautiful day, whether you are 25 or 85! Dream! What do you want your day to look like? Allow yourself to be giddy. Be the princess you are entitled to be!

I love working with older and second (or third) time brides! They have been through this once and still have the same questions that a first time bride has. They also know what to expect and thus realize more than most the value of a wedding coordinator.

This is all the more reason to hire a wedding coordinator. I am available to take your dream and make it a reality. You've had the pressure before, let me take that burden to allow you to be a guest at your own wedding!

If you don't want a big wedding, let me help you plan a romantic elopement to a beautiful, luxurous Colorado mountain Spa and Lodge, or an all inclusive week or week-end in the Mexican Riveria, or the Philippine Islands.

I enjoy working with mature brides! Contact me at Tanya@weddingsbytanya.com or www.weddingsbytanya.com