wedding planning

introducing jaime!

September 15, 2015

Windy and I feel super lucky to do what we love everyday. We feel even more lucky when we find fantastic team members who are willing to work hard with a smile on their face! Our Fall intern is just this and we are thrilled to introduce Jaime to you!

LOVES: I have a major sweet tooth! I love to bake and my passion for baking began at a young age. We didn’t normally have tons of sweets around my house and my mom didn’t bake, so I developed this passion on my own. I’ve made homemade croissants, chocolate souffle, and not to mention I make some of the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever! Aside from the sweets, I also really love to cook. Anytime I’m home visiting my family my dad and I make homemade pasta and pizzas. My mom likes to call us all wannabe Italians because we love Italian food so much! I also really love to travel and experience new cultures. Currently, I’m dying to go to Greece and Prague!

PASSIONS: I consider myself very creative. I am always making things. Everything from recipes, to jewelry, to tie-dying pillow cases, to short movies! I idolize Martha Stewart! I also really love volunteering. I have volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters for five years. The student organization I’m involved with develops and coordinates service projects for the Richmond community.

DISLIKES: Bad manners. Eggs. Mashed Potatoes. [Most people can’t seem to get over this last one.]

FUN FACT: On Pinterest, Walt Disney World follows me! They have 132k followers and are only following 167, I think it’s the coolest thing ever! I REALLY love Disney and it’s my dream to work for the company one day.

Jaime dove right in with a killer wedding in Williamsburg with Windy. She’ll be frolicking around Richmond with us, so be sure to give her give her a great big hug!

[All of these incredible photos are by Mary Otanez Photography!]

We can’t wait for her to get her hands dirty and find a passion for this business! Welcome to the team, Jaime! We are thrilled!

kelly and alex, an elegant richmond wedding

August 6, 2015

I had the absolute pleasure of helping Kelly and Alex plan and wrap up the final details of their big day back in September. Talk about the wedding of your dreams. Not to mention this couple is truly one of a kind–such a sweet, sweet pair! I’ll never forget walking into their home, the day of the wedding, and immediately being embraced by Kelly’s mom.

From the nod to Alex’s baseball past with the home plate guestbook or having Kelly’s aunts make hundreds of traditional Italian cookies for their dessert display, the whole evening was filled with personal details. This classic and elegant, white wedding is one for the books. Enjoy the incredible photos by the incomparable Laura Gordon!

Kelly and Alex’s wedding was also featured in PRINT! Engaged! magazine featured them in their Spring 2015 issue, so make sure you don’t miss all seven glorious pages!

(photo by Mary Otanez Photography)

surviving the rain

July 17, 2015

When I first received the call that I was accepted as the Summer LK intern, I was so excited. Then when Lindsay asked if I would be able to help out at a wedding that same weekend I was even more excited! I was ready to jump right in and get my feet wet, unaware that meant literally.

What I realized, however, is that rain on your wedding day doesn’t have to be a reason to fret–especially when you have a prepared planner. Stuart & Joey’s April wedding was the ultimate example of how to handle a rainy affair! Windy knew exactly how to prepare when the forecast was looking gloomy in the days prior and then directed the back up plan when storms hit throughout the day. I’ve decided to put together some rainy wedding day tips so that you can stay calm and enjoy your day–rain or shine!

1 – This one’s obvious, but always have a backup plan! Whether a tent or an indoor option, have a plan and be okay with it. Even if your ceremony and reception are indoors, have some great back up options for photos as well!

2 – Make the call early enough for your vendors to be prepared. Take a look at the weather early in the week and prepare yourself mentally. Then glance at it about 2-3 days out from your wedding and speak with your planner about moving on to plan B. That morning, take action! It’s better to be safe than sorry if the rain decides to pour during your ceremony.

3 – Repurpose your flowers. Having your ceremony in your reception tent may not be ideal but there are ways to make it looks amazing! Create your alter space and reuse flowers around it to make pictures look stunning. And make sure to have your VIP’s seated near you just like the original plan!

4- Embrace the rain! Talk to your photographer about taking some beautiful pictures of you two holding umbrellas. A well prepared planner will have cute umbrellas in his or her emergency kit’s!

5 – Be open to change. This may not be your ideal situation but hey, isn’t rain on your wedding day good luck? [Eye roll, we know!] Try to be flexible when the time comes to switch things up. After all, you’re still going to marry the love of your life, so rain or shine just keep enjoying your day and dance the night away!

We hope you’ve found this tips helpful! What is your back up plan? How will you be prepared for gloomy weather?

Katie

introducing hasslehoff!

July 8, 2015

A few weeks ago, we introduced our intern Katie. Today, I’d like for you to meet another integral part of our team–Hasslehoff! Now I know what you’re thinking: “You mean THE David Hasslehoff? The star of the 1980’s hit soap opera featuring scantily clad lifeguard’s and slow motion running?” Well yes, sort of.

We officially named our life-saving, wedding emergency kit, Hasslehoff. It saves lives.

In this industry you must be organized and prepared for anything that may happen. Whether it’s a lipstick stain on a white wedding dress, mother nature, or a guest that needs her shoe repaired, a well-stocked emergency kit is a staple for us event pro’s! Our kit is literally filled with everything you can think of–toothbrushes, floss, stain sticks, baby wipes, sewing kit, floral clippers, floral tape, pins, bridal garters, monofilament, bobby pins–you name it and it’s probably inside. After all, Hasslehoff saves lives. He’s certainly saved our lives a time or two. Here is just a glimpse of what we keep stocked:

Some are more obvious than others, but let me give you a run down: black socks for the unlucky groomsmen who forgot them, diapers pins for a wedding bustle as regular ones just won’t do, baby powder to mask stains on wedding dresses, s-hooks for hanging signage in or around tent poles, and floral tape, cutters and pins for the broken boutonnieres.

While this is only a small portion of what we bring in preparation for a wedding day, we hope this gives you some insight and tips into packing your own wedding day emergency kit! What are some things you include?

richmond wedding expo: behind the scenes

January 20, 2015

For those of you not intimately involved in the wedding industry, wedding and bridal shows are events that happen usually twice a year and are a strong marketing component of a lot of vendors in the wedding world.

Hundreds of brides, grooms, mothers of the bride and maids of honor gather together to get just a sampling (literally) of the vendors in the RVA area and a glimpse into the hot trends in the wedding industry – all under one roof.

LK was lucky enough to snag a booth this year at the Richmond Wedding Expo at the Richmond Marriott Downtown this past Sunday, the 11th. Hours of planning, prepping and actual labor went into our time at the show, and it’s all worth it at the end of the day. Thank goodness for supportive husbands! They were up and out of bed, helping us unload downtown by 7:30am on a Sunday. Good men, these two! [We absolutely loved the extra height and brightness from our white pipe and drape from Rent- E-quip!]

Even my daugher, Edie, was up and in to help!Voila! The finished product! [Fabulous sparkle linen from Classic Party Rentals of Virginia and couch from Ampa Events. The photos featured in our booth came from these incredible photographers: Laura Gordon, Kristin Moore, Joyeuse, Carly Arwine.]
And our favorite addition was the Instagram Photobooth Prop! This was a hit with attendees and vendors alike, and in someone’s hands the entire show. So much fun!

It was incredibly important to us that our booth spoke to who we are as a business and was an open and comfortable area for couples to come and chat with us. We had a great time designing the booth and then meeting so many fantastic couples.

A successful day for sure! Thanks to Richmond Weddings for a great show, the vendors who helped us with our booth, and the lovely folks who came by to chat! We met a ton of prospective clients and are super pumped to bring you all on as official members of the LK family!

All the best,

so long, 2014!

December 31, 2014

We’re throwing confetti, doing back flips and fist pumping after an incredible 2014! So many monumental things have happened for us this year, so why not recap in a few short words: we launched, we celebrated, we met a famous tv star, we were featured, and we worked, hard.

While we’re missing a few here, we want to thank all of our amazing clients of 2014. We love what we do because of you. You make us look good–oh, you photographers definitely do too!

[Photography credit, in no particular order because that would be crazy: Seth Roberts, Laura Gordon, PhotoLadyLove, Audra Wrisley, Kristin Partin, Annamarie Akins, Allison Kuhn Creative, Worthington, Enigma, Blue Shutter, PW, Whitebox, James Linkowitz, Katie Wilson, Carly Arnwine]

Our 2015 is shaping up to be better than ever. We are so blessed and lucky to continue to have beautiful clients, rockstar vendors and incredible family that support LK. We are going to ring in the New Year with glitter, boxing gloves and champagne. Lots of champagne.

THANK YOU.

Windy + Lindsay

sofia + aboudi: mint, gold and the globe

October 10, 2014

Happy Friday ya’ll! We’ve got a pretty one for you today. Nothing better on a Friday afternoon then scrolling through pretty wedding images right?

I started emailing with Sofia in January of this year. She was living and working in NYC and trying to plan her RVA September 2014 wedding remotely. A tough job to try to do solo right?

That, in and of itself, is quite the task. Add to it, her groom lives in Dubai! Half way around the world people!

Sofia & Aboudi met in Dubai while Sofia was visiting the city on a trip she received as a graduation gift. Several other fate-filled moments brought them together again and they fell in love.

Fast forward though their relationship to this lovely engagement and wedding planning time…

The venue was set thanks to her Dad and brother who scouted the wedding location scene in Richmond for Sofia. Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Blomendaal House. A beautiful backdrop for an outdoor ceremony in the gardens and then a reception under the tents in front of the house.

But the list of “everything else” was left up to me and Sofia, so we got to work. Without meeting face to face until April, we did a lot over the phone and email. Thank goodness for Pinterest boards!

Mint green and gold was the color scheme Sofia oogled over from the time we began chatting. She toyed with deep purple and gold as well, but for the garden, I thought the mint and gold, with just a touch of peachy blush, would be just gorgeous. The gold was vital as it played a huge role in connecting Sofia & Aboudi’s Lebanese culture. So we made sure we had plenty of sparkle to go around. Glittery table numbers from BHLDN, ornate gold overlays from Connie Duglin specialty linens on the cocktail tables, gold chiavari chairs from Classic Party Rentals of VA and feather tips dipped in rose gold glitter all acted as little “tips of the hat” to their Lebanese roots.

Mary Henry of M Henry Designs worked with us on floral to make sure we were staying honest to the garden we were in, but yet decorating the very blank canvas of a white tent. She hit a home run once again pulling in the whites, greens and touches of blush to pull the look together.

Sofia worked in the film industry in NYC, so a videographer was a no-brainer and she obviously had a list of what type of film she wanted of her big day. I immediately sent her Humanstory Films. Bill Gaff and I have worked together for almost 10 years now and he was the only filmmaker I would recommend for this job! Check out their wedding film here.

[I’m a sucker for a sweet Father/Daughter moment.]
It pays to have talented friends in the wedding industry. Luckily for Sofia & Aboudi they were in good hands with their photographer friend Carly Arnwine who captured the day so beautifully. And Aly Randolph of Randy Cakes who made the custom cake pops and the wedding cake – she was a busy lady! Both friends did an amazing job on every detail they touched.

Eric Cunningham from Choice Entertainment kept the party rockin’ all night and mixed up some fun Arabic and dance music for the crowd. A surprise belly dancer got the dancing started and the floor was packed all night!

Sofia and Aboudi – you were such a sweet and loving couple. I’m so excited for you and your life together in Dubai. Please keep in touch! Sohotkon! (Cheers!)

Warm Regards,

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Blomendaal House | Catering: Meriwether Godsey| DJ: Eric Cunningham with Choice Entertainment | Photography: Carly Arnwine Photography | Videography: Humanstory Films | Linens & Chaivari Chairs: Classic Party Rentals of VA and Connie Duglin Specialty Linens | Cake: Randy Cakes | Flowers: M. Henry Designs | Ceremony Music: Silverleaf String Duo | Guest & Wedding Party Transportation: Winn Transportation | Planning & Design: LK Events & Design

the “B” word

September 15, 2014

We are tackling a bear today, y’all. Yes, the dreaded subject of the wedding budget (Get it? “B” word?). Regardless of how much money you have to spend, this topic is usually met with a heavy sigh, or just complete avoidance. [Budget? What budget?] We are talking about a few simple tips and tricks to get your started. We’re not diving too deep into this today, but just a few small conversations and evaluations can take a huge load off of this bear.

We’d like to put a different spin on the “moo-lah” conversation. Let’s not talk about percentages of how much should be slated to venue vs. food vs. rentals. You can Google, Bing or Yahoo Search “wedding budget” and literally 8.5 million topics appear. Just trust us. Talk about overwhelming, no? Let’s talk big picture. Let’s start at the beginning and we’ll coach you on how to do this crazy financial thing.

Put First Things First – Who is going to contribute to the overall budget and how much will each party fund? In the 21st century, long standing traditions of the bride’s family footing the entire bill are rare. Add to that, partners, grandparents, relatives and the bride and groom’s contributions and you could potentially have a crowd large enough to be considered a Kickstarter campaign for your wedding! Lucky you! On the other hand, it it’s just the two of you who are hosting this event, have a “sit down” (to use a Soprano’s term) and have a budget discussion. Nope, it’s not fun, but you’ll have 10,000 more of these in the course of your marriage. May as well start with this one!

Prioritize – Sit down and talk about your wedding. What are the items that are most important to the two of you?

Are you foodies, and you absolutely must have that custom farm-to-table, localvore menu?

Plan on wowing your guests from the moment they walk in? They venue will be a priority then. You’ll need something large and opulent enough to hold all those people.

Maybe you’ve envisioned an outdoor wedding with tents and lighting set at a plantation, then the rentals must be a priority for you.

Once you set those priorities, you’ll use this as the central, driving force for all things wedding. From venues, to caterers and rental invoices, if you maintain your priorities throughout the planning process, you will end up with the wedding you wanted from the very beginning.

Spend Smart – Seems obvious doesn’t it? Of course you want to spend smart! But with weddings, emotions are also at play and that can cause some of us to spend with our heard over our brain. [Insert: “We’re only getting married once… we can splurge on just this one thing right?]

What we mean by this is get as much for your money as possible. Love a venue because it’s pretty? That’s great, but that doesn’t help you in your quest to seat 155 of your closest friends and family. If there’s another venue that is comparable in cost, but you get tables and chairs and maybe even linens, that’s a better spend. This potentially frees up funds to be allocated to other items in your budget. Very important.

Don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole – The message here is: work with what you book. If your reception is in an old historic building, work with that. Don’t fight it and try to make it a W Hotel ballroom. You’ll spend too much money trying to change something that can be fantastic. Trust us, we’ve seen it.

Babysit that Budget – Finally, watch the budget like a puppy loose in your shoe closet. The moment you ignore it, it can go off the radar. Before you know it, you’re over budget in several areas. Manage it. Keep track of it. You can “move the beans” around from bucket to bucket as you spend and save (and honestly, that’s kind of fun!) but keep your eyes on it. Because we know what a puppy can do when left unattended!

Hope you found this helpful!

Until next time…

lauren + casey, a very richmond wedding

August 15, 2014

Hi y’all! I’m bouncing off the walls excited to share Lauren and Casey’s absolutely incredible wedding with you! It is packed full of bright flowers, a touch of gold sparkle, and very Richmond details, of course.

Lauren and I began planning this luxurious affair almost exactly one year prior to her wedding date, April 12, 2014. She came to our first meeting equipped with one wedding she had seen in a magazine. It was her only inspiration and truly what we centered our initial design palette on. About half way through the process, things started evolving with our design. I got to know the couple better and better and was able to develop a design that was just them, no one else–romantic, hospitable, colorful and, of course, very Richmond.

Lauren and Casey met while both attending the University of Richmond. Their first date was the Ring Dance at The Jefferson Hotel. So naturally, our two venues were picked! Two venues that are quintessential Richmond. Most of their guests were coming from out of town, so what a perfect opportunity to showcase the city they love. We started off by designing the Save The Dates with a city skyline outline. We welcomed guests to the hotels with goodie bags stuffed with local Hardywood Beer, Route 11 chips, Virginia peanuts and more! Food was at the top of the priority list, so their four course meal surely impressed. For cocktail hour and dinner, we pulled in Cuban influences as well as perfectly Southern dishes. Lauren and Casey both love Greek food, so you can bet that was on the menu as well. In addition to two flavors of cake served to each guest, we had an absolutely incredible dessert bar crafted by SweetFix.

Lauren loved gold and she loved bright color. No traditional, spring wedding here! We played up the opulence and elegance of The Jefferson Hotel with her overall design–a mix of different, colorful centerpieces, custom sparkle walls, a stage facade and gorgeous linens and china. It was truly breathtaking! This wedding was perfectly captured by White Box Photo! And we aren’t the only ones who thought this. Lauren and Casey’s wedding was featured on Southern Weddings Blog recently and we are thrilled! Go check out their feature!

I also encourage you to watch the lovely Ginger Topham’s film from their wedding day.

I truly enjoyed working so closely with Lauren and Casey for the last year. They are wonderful people and the cutest couple! Not only were they just darling, I feel like I got to work with a “dream team” of vendors. If I can offer anyone a piece of advice for weddings–hire the good people. Hire the people you trust and connect with. They make your life and my job easier.

Cheers and thanks for letting me be a part of your planning experience and wedding day!

jessica + nate, a spring, southern wedding

August 4, 2014

Hello! It’s Windy and this is my first official blog post with LK, so hooray!

After planning and directing weddings for almost 10 years, you learn a lot about, well, people. It’s one of my favorite aspects of the job. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sparkly linen, delicious stationery and clever favors, but the couple, the families and the friends of these great couples are why I love being a wedding planner.

My first wedding with LK–my first wedding “back” in the wedding world–was Jessica and Nathan, an adorable North Carolina couple who’s April wedding was packed full of southern charm. They could not have been a more gracious and sweet pair. Jessica’s “thank you’s” were served warm with a sweet tang of her Southern accent and she was just so excited to work with LK!

During our final walk through of the venue, Jessica mentioned having friends and family in town during the wedding weekend ready to help at the drop of a hat. This is a pretty typical conversation with couples, so I thought nothing of these helpers–boy was I wrong! I’m a firm believer that weddings bring out the best and worst in people. In Jessica and Nate’s case she had the good stuff. Good people. Good feelings. Great support.

Upon arrival at her venue, I was met with a caravan of vehicles. The Calvary had arrived, as we joked that day. I have never seen so much welcomed support for a particular couple. Boxes upon boxes were unloaded in just minutes. Not only did they unload their cars, but they jumped into mine as well. I was met with endless “What can we help you with next?” That is sweet, Southern charm right there. You can get a good sense of the couple when you get to experience the people they surround themselves with and call friends. These people were good people.

As always, the wedding ran so smoothly, the food was perfectly delicious and Southern, of course, and the dance floor was packed all night. You can see the details below in all the lovely eye candy from Kristin Partin Photography.