The Fairgate Inn

In an effort to fill up the remaining dates for 2010 we are offering a 25% Discount* on any available date June – December 2010.

Every Bride and Groom is unique! Whether you’re looking to have a summer soiree or intimate fall or winter celebration, The Fairgate Inn is the perfect location for your entire special day – ceremony and reception.

Step through the door to your dreams and enjoy an experience of a lifetime that awaits you and your guests. The Fairgate Inn takes pride in traditional elegance, first class service, and exceptional cuisine. Seeing is believing! Call now to schedule your tour and take advantage of our 2010 Wedding Special.

* Discount applies to site rental only
* Must be new booking only

Visit The Fairgate Inn for more information or Call today to schedule your tour – 360.834.0861

The Bridal Loft is pleased to announce two new additions to their fabulous team!

Welcome Alesia Zorn, Calligrapher and Paul Rich Studios!

Visit them and all of The Lofties at the The Bridal Loft Open House

March 16, 2010

4-8pm

2808 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Ste 3

Special Offers ~  choose the one that works for you!

Any available Friday or Sunday in 2010  -  $1,000 off listed price.

Any available Monday – Thursday in 2010 – 50% Off Site fees any package

and the amazing deal of the year ~ 

All Inclusive Wedding for $7,995 for venue (7 hours, Iris Package), catering, photographer and DJ for any day except a Saturday for up to 100 guests.   Call 503-656-1894 or email events@AinsworthHouse.net for more details.

Dianna’s Formal Affair & Boutique is giving 24 local couples, who want to get married but can’t afford to, a chance to have their “big day” come true for only $100.  The Scappoose-based bridal shop has teamed up with KOHI Radio to hold an astounding “24 Weddings in 24 Hours” on Valentines Day – Sunday, February 14, 2010.  The weddings will take place at the Best Western in St. Helens, OR.  Proceeds from the event benefit Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation^™, a Portland-based non profit organization dedicated to granting wishes to stage VI breast cancer patients. 

Each couple will recieve:

• An officiant
• A room for an hour capable of holding 25 guests
• A brides bouquet and grooms boutonniere
• An 8 x 10 photo
• A cake and a champagne toast
• First dance
• There will be many raffles and giveaways

For more information contact Diannas Formal Affair 503.543.0291

“I never thought of that!”  Five words we often hear from brides.  Your dream wedding takes planning…TYING THE KNOT 1-2-3,  Brides’ questions answered by wedding professionals who have seen hundreds of weddings, all sizes and budgets, brought to you by Rev. Maureen Haley and team of experts www.123oregonweddingofficiants.com   

When:  Sunday, October 11, 2009, 1:30 – 4:30pm  Where:  Crowne Plaza Hotel, Lake Oswego.

Investment: $50 for bride INCLUDES top quality 3-ring Bravo Wedding Planner, by Mary Lou Burton, a $29.95 value; or $60 for bride and groom (one Planner per couple) or $70 for bride and guest (one Planner for bride)

Talk with the wedding officiants, get your questions answered and be inspired with new ideas, including brochures for local vendors, venues and resources.

Registration: Sandy Shipley, 503-579-8125 or 503-550-1744  or CLICK HERE

Brought to you by Rev Maureen Haley and a team of experts

Sunday, October 11, 2009

1:30-4:30pm

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Lake Oswego 
1-5 and Hwy 217

LIMITED ATTENDANCE TO BEST SERVE YOU. REGISTER NOW TO GUARANTEE YOUR PLACE FOR THIS ONE-STOP INFORMATION GATHERING EVENT. TALK WITH WEDDING OFFICIANTS, GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND BE INSPIRED WITH NEW IDEAS INCLUDING BROCHURES FOR LOCAL VENDORS 

After MONTHS of planning… many countless hours of adding, revising, looking at pictures, writing the newest trends and tips – we’ve come up with the “new and improved” BravoWedding.com!!

Check us out for amazing ideas to plan your wedding and/or reception in the Pacific Northwest!  There are client virtual tours (videos),  calendar of upcoming wedding events, “Bravo Bride” specials and so much more!

Let us know what you think!

from Modern Bride – here are the best flower arrangements for creating the party mood you’re after for your wedding.

• Richly Romantic – roses or alstroemerias in burgundy or red (colors that represent passion) or pink or peach (which inspire love and kindness). A round-shaped vase suggests never-ending love.
• Hip & High Energy – roses, calla lilies, Asiatic lilies, snapdragons or hypericum in red (promoting motivation or power) or orange or fushia (both of which suggest enthusiasm or exuberance). Mirrors boost positive energies, so choose tall, mirrored or shiny metal vessels. An upshooting spray of flowers encourages guests to “reach for the stars” and live life to the fullest.
• Intimate & Low Key – hydrangeas, delphiniums or lisianthus in shades of blue, violet or lavender, which evoke nature and serenity. Violet and lavender also represent spirituality and can be helpful in removing stress, so choose glass vases in these hues containing loosely arranged blooms to ensure an easy going celebration.

check out our picks for florists by clicking here. Picture from Bravo Wedding Affair.

If you’re starting to think about bands and deejays for your reception – remember that music sets the tone for any event, and especially for weddings.  Do you remember “the Chicken Dance” or “Who Let The Dogs Out” at the last wedding you attended… and the empty dancefloor?  Set yourself apart from the crowd by planning your music with a couple of things in mind:

• First your budget.  A ten-piece dance band will obviously cost WAY more than a two piece instrumental group.  Deejays charge a lot less and a top-notch one may be a better choice than a “so-so” band, but there’s something about hearing live renditions of favorite tunes that can be hard to pass up.
• If you’d rather your reception music was unique, consider budgeting for musicians – or make your budget go farther by hiring a band for the dining hour and a deejay for dancing, or play recorded music during the meal, then kick off the dancing with a live band.
• Ask around and get samples of music first.  Utilize a consultant, such as Sterling Talent or  Northwest Artist Management, that represent everything from string quartets to International Music groups to deejays.  They can assist you in providing complete and complimentary promotional materials, demo CD’s, references and sometimes, if possible, live performance observation possibilities.
• Whichever you choose, read the fine print;  including hidden charges, such additional costs for staging, number and length of scheduled breaks and what will be playing when they’re on those breaks.
• What happens if the party is still rocking after the end of the scheduled time?  Is there an allowance to extend beyond the timeframe?  Overtime pricing?
• Do they assist as “master of ceremonies” announcing when the cake will be cut, toasts, first dance and buffet is open?
• Can they work with the photographer to showcase pictures from the day on a large screen behind the head table?

Last, but not least, don’t be afraid to ask about tailoring the playlist to the evening, but remember that while coming up with a range of music is one thing, scheduling every minute of the band’s performance is something else.  Bottom line?  Provide the band with as much information as possible to increase the likelihood that they’ll give you what you want.  Click here to see our list of preferred musicians.

Favors:

• Double Duty – Use photo frames as place cards or potted plants as centerpieces, and let your guests take them home at the end of the night. See the freshest ideas from the “Art of the Table” Tablescapes from the 6th Annual Wedding Affair by Clicking Here! Thanks to Dave Bigler for putting it together for us!
  

• Something Useful – Give your guests something they can enjoy for years to come. A small bag of seeds to plant will remind them of your big day every time they smell the flowers or a really cool idea is a handcrafted flower from Paper Posy! They make handcrafted flowers that can complement your wedding palette with gorgeous papers and ribbons.

• Something Edible -As if a five-course meal wasn’t enough, send your guests home at the end of the night with an extra treat of your favorite candies or special hometown delicacies.

Stationery Ideas:

• Ethnicity – If your heritage is important for you to represent on your big day, do some research and find a stationer who offers multi-cultural invitations and announcements.

• Creative Touch - For more intimate, casual gatherings, request the honor of yo ur guests’ presence in an innovative and entertaining way. Here’s an idea – have your invite printed on a balloon so guests have to blow them up to receive the message.

• Programs - Do something a little different with your wedding programs by including personal photos or by printing them on something that serves a dual purpose – like a fan.

• Storybook - Get the most bang for your program buck by including stories of how the two of you met, who introduced you, and your relationship to everyone in the bridal party. Think of all the time you’ll save by not havin g to explain all of this to your husband’s childhood neighbor during the reception!

• Donations – With a high emphasis on karma these days, give something back and make a donation to your favorite cause in lieu of knickknacks. Your guests will appreciate the altruistic gesture (check last week’s blog for more ideas on this)
  

  

photo courtesy of Holland Studios

More “Entertain the Kids” Ideas:

• Arrange A Talent Act – Bring in an entertainer appropriate for the age group, such as a magician, clown, balloon artist , henna or face painter, such as Magic George, A Touch of Magic, Alexander – “Master of Marvels” or Magic Zone. Click here for info!

• Children’s Lounge – Set up a kids’ area with beanbags, toys and popular children’s movie in a separate room. Hire Creative Childcare Services to oversee the function (and keep the parents happy dancing at your reception longer).

• Playful Surprise – when the little ones sit down to eat, have a babysitter pass out aprons embroidered with their names with colored pencils and decorative flash cards tucked into the pockets. Not only will this encourage activity (use wide rolls of paper to cover tables or small notepads)and interaction, the aprons will double as smocks protecting their fancy clothes!

From the words of our exhibitors, like Cherie Ronning from Uncommon Invites (she worked with Linda from Barclay Events on those fabulous Tablescapes on Mezzanine) – “Thank you all for another fabulous Bravo Wedding Affair – it has to have been the biggest turn out ever! Great Brides, great set-ups, lots of new Vendors!” AND our brides, like Julia Thomas “This was by far the best show I have been to! You guys did a really good job putting it all together ” – the 6th Annual Bravo Wedding Affair at the Embassy Suites rocked!

There are tons of beautiful pictures coming in daily – so I’ll start with Emee from EJP Events – click here to see her pics from the Colonel Lindbergh Ballroom where their theme “Bling’s the Thing” looked absolutely beautiful.

Eric from Holland Studios sent us these beautiful pics from the Queen Marie Ballroom’s “Dusk Before Sunset” themed room – coordinated by Molli from Soiree Special Event Planning.

Also – check out Paparazzi Tonight’s photo booth pics by clicking here – very fun!  They took the pic above of our child models, Dominic, Ty, Jackson & Camryn.