Yesterday Roxy and Ben celebrated their one year Anniversary and today we look back at their intimate micro wedding at Chateau Lill. We started working with Roxy and Ben planning a large 4th of July wedding weekend but as the Pandemic spread they shifted gears and moved their wedding to August 8, 2020 so immediate family members could travel to celebrate their day as well as moving their date to their actual anniversary.
As family and a few close friends gathered at Chateau Lill early that day, the misty morning rain lifted.
With chairs set in groupings per couple/household, guests sat around the sofreh which had been set with family heirlooms from Roxy’s family.
In the Iranian tradition, the Sofreh Aghd, meaning wedding spread, holds food and object traditionally symbolizing truth, happiness, prosperity, hope and beauty. Each aspect of the Sofreh is rich in tradition.
Rubbing cones of sugar together represents the raining of sweet joy upon the union. The mirror incarnates light and represents the light of truth, honesty, reality, purity. Candles represent the symbolic weight of light as well as fire in the sense of a purifying agent.
Flowers highlight the beauty of a life together. Honey and sweets tell a future of sweetness and happiness. Esfand (wild Rue) is used to guard against and neutralize negative energy and negative thinking.
Bread represents prosperity. Eggs and walnuts bring fertility. Fruit speaks of a joyous future. Rosewater is to perfume the air. Coins represent prosperity. Needles and thread are displayed to intertwine the lives of the couple and their families together.
No two sofrehs will be the same. This choice of Sofreh was made to include the most meaningful items for prosperity in Roxy and Ben’s marriage.
Following the ceremony loved ones came together for a group photo before enjoying espresso from Espresso Elegance and gourmet dogs from Dante’s Inferno Dogs; both originally contracted for their late night snacks but repurposed to be used for a post wedding treat!
And with restrictions requiring masks on unless eating or drinking, they followed!
Even though their wedding day was not the date nor the size of the original wedding that they had thought about and prepared for Roxy and Ben embraced their wedding day and knew in the end they were truly lucky to have each other and get the opportunity to celebrate their love that day. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day!
Congratulations Roxy & Ben!
Thanks so much for your help on Saturday. I really don’t know how we could have done it without you. With Roxy’s finishing residency, the pandemic, planning and replanning a wedding from another state, moving across the country, but you kept us on task and pulled everything together. We would have been truly lost without your expertise and guidance. Obviously the day wasn’t what we originally planned, but we loved it regardless and it turned out perfect and beautiful and we’re so happy. ~ Ben
Spring 2021, the floodgates have opened. The wedding and social event industry in the Greater Seattle area has gone from a small trickling of celebrations in 2020 (thanks, but not thanks COVID-19) to a million miles an hour. Events are happening and inquiries are coming in stronger and faster than pre-pandemic levels as people are eager to celebrate both this year and in the year ahead in 2022! While our industry is thrilled for weddings and events to return as we’ve been waiting to get to this point since March 2020, the post Pandemic event world has changed and the wedding and events industry is doing it’s best to come back to life as smoothly as possible.
Couples who had postponed their wedding in 2020 are finally able to move forward with their wedding plans and are locking in final details for celebrations throughout this year. Families are eager to lock in celebrations that were put on hold and simply celebrate life with friends and family whether it being Birthday Parties, Post Pandemic Family BBQs or getting a chance to Celebrate a Life lost during this time. In addition, newly engaged couples are worried that dates will soon be filled and are frantically locking in dates, venues and vendors in both 2021 and 2022.
While most people outside of the wedding and event industry see the front of the house I thought it might be helpful to give you a glimpse of behind the scenes and what is currently happening.
As a wedding and event planner we are used to working with a large volume of events and juggling a constantly full inbox plus meetings throughout town however this time it is different as the pause in the industry caused everyone to kick off planning at the same time. Pre pandemic, bookings for weddings and events would come in throughout the year, always heavier post Holidays, but making for a balance of the planning schedules for each event. However this time inquiries and the interest in planning has all happened at once – hello spring 2021. Clients we’ve been working with since 2019 and 2020 that chose to reschedule dates to 2021 and beyond having been excited to resume planning that was put on hold for 10+ months. We have been working together since the New Year revisiting plans and revising for the celebrations to come in the year ahead. At the same time weddings and events for both 2021 and 2022 are booking and planning at speeds we’ve never seen. Typically we are planning events that fall within a year to a year and a half away but this time we are planning events that should have taken place in 2020 as well as new events for 2021 and 2022 that are all at the same starting point. While we can’t complain it’s definitely a full and rushed start!
As planners we get an inside look at every aspect of our industry and have firsthand knowledge of what we are experiencing working with venues and other vendors but not everyone gets this viewpoint. Here are just a few examples of what we are hearing as told by some of our most trusted industry pros.
Floral
Things to consider as you work with your florist as told by Flora Nova Design
~ We are seeing shortages and therefore pricing increases throughout the floral supply chain. It affects basic staples like white hydrangea, specific blush garden roses varieties, and favorite vases we love to use – just to name a few.
~ Just a few weeks ago we were not able to get a single stem of white hydrangeas: an item usually available abundantly and stocked generously at our local wholesale markets. We needed to sub with white roses and white stock – not the same look but it worked.
~ We are used to ordering specific rose varieties from our suppliers and keep a list of preferred colors, growers, and variety names. Repeatedly we are told that these varieties are not available which keeps us scrambling for possible replacements.
~ One of our favorite glass centerpiece vases, which is our go-to for low designs, is out of stock until August.
~ The list of shortages is long. It’s been a frustrating experience. Because of the shortages we see a 20% (and even up to 50%!) price increase on supplies. Customers need to be aware that pricing of wedding flower orders placed in 2020 or even in 2019 will need to be increased.
~ The reasons for the shortages are manifold: I read that some farms have gone out of business. However, the majority of farms were simply not able to maintain their staff to plant the necessary crops in 2020 (because of the shut downs), therefor affecting supply this year. South-American farmers even switched to the much more lucrative farming of cannabis – a crop in high demand throughout the pandemic.
We hope that this situation will normalize by 2022, but for now we need to roll with what we have.
~ For drivers in the rental industry it’s more than just driving a truck and dropping off some equipment. Most times it also includes setting up and breaking down tents, flooring, and more. It’s more of an installer job. The need for delivery drivers has increased during the pandemic with more and more people having items delivered to their homes through companies like Amazon, UPS, FedEx, GrubHub, and UberEats.
~ As the season is ramping up and mandates are reducing, more and more people are ready to plan events which means an influx of rental requests – from both regular account customers and consumers. Adding sales associates to help with the demand will impact our success but with everyone else in the industry trying to ramp back up, the talent pool is either getting hired elsewhere or those previously in the events industry have moved into different industries like technology, real estate, and insurance, to name a few.
Everyone Wants a Tent!
~ From the beginning of the pandemic we knew that tented weddings and events would be the first type to come back. An outdoor environment is the least restricted option in terms of the regulations for COVID and many guests are more comfortable being fully outside.
~ Because of this demand, the availability for tents is getting reserved much sooner than previous years. We anticipate seeing the surge of outdoor weddings and events last for a least a few more years, so reserving tenting well in advance of the event date is going to be important for all customers.
~ The important part to remember about tenting is that the installation requires a specific skill set of labor that has the proper training. Which in turn means that across all rental companies, there are only so many tents that can be setup in a day with this skilled labor force.
Supply Chain Shortages
~ We are seeing delays in product arrival across the board, but primarily in the tenting and lumber industry. Tent manufacturers have been running in overdrive this year to support the demand for outdoor space. Requests that would have been fulfilled in 3 weeks in 2019, are taking up to 18 weeks in 2021. In addition, lumber has been in high demand and the price has surged this year, which impacts the larger projects where the buildout includes a lumber subfloor.
SO many things are different this year than last year! Besides being overbooked for everything due to postponements from 2020 and new clients/income for 2021, there are definitely some stationer-specific differences: PAPER SHORTAGES.
Almost every colored paper out there is backordered until the end of June or beyond, especially the popular colors of 2020/2021 like muted greens, dusty rose, dusty blue, et cetera. Cotton paper (a favorite for letterpress) is in very high demand and is also backordered through a lot of print vendors. Paper mills are facing unprecedented shortages of supply and employees. Our production partners for wax seals, ribbon, and more are struggling to keep up with demand. I’ve had to source 5 or 10 sheets/envelopes from multiple vendors and colleagues just to get enough in hand to make a project work!
Wedding Cakes & Custom Desserts
Honey Crumb Cake Studio owner Carla shares how the event world has changed for her team post Pandemic
~ Our calendar for summer 2021 is DOUBLE booked. 2021 includes new orders, plus last year’s postponed weddings.
~ Lots of shuffling around on the staffing front — we are now actively trying to recruit new talent for the summer workload, but the pool of qualified people has definitely shrunk as people found other jobs after being laid off during the Pandemic!
~ There will be no in-person tastings at Honey Crumb for the foreseeable future. Given the possibility of viral variants, we’re playing it as safely as possible. Tastings will still be “pickup only”, and we offer a complimentary Google Meet consultation ONLY for those clients who are looking for a custom-designed Fine Art cake.
~ In 2020 we added a whole new catalog of Micro-Wedding Cakes to our range last year, and those designs have been selling. We’ll keep that range available in the long-term, so that even as weddings open up, couples can still choose to have a beautiful cake to display and cut (and we can add a separate kitchen cake to the order for larger guest counts).
Beauty
Salon Maison, a look before Hair & Makeup is applied
~ Finding people to come back to work is nearly impossible. We are paying the most we have ever paid consultants plus doing sign on bonuses and bonuses for our existing consultants to keep them working extra days or longer days.
~ People are still getting covid and have to quarantine or not work while they get testing. This makes it very hard for scheduling. For example, we may have 3 consultants scheduled and 1 is exposed to covid in her personal life and has to not work until tested which takes them off the event schedule.
~ Keeping up with all the emails and calls has become almost impossible. Postponed brides from 2020 who were already contracted for a new date this summer but are now wanting to move up their dates so we have to start the booking process all over again and find them a pre date. We are having 4 times the work and not passing any new costs on to our brides. Plus all the new inquires for new bookings because we are dealing with our existing brides. It’s a lot but if people have patience we will get to you!
~ Not to mention supplies aren’t as easily accessible. Everything is sold out for weeks.
~ This year I have triple the number of weddings that I would have in a normal year, and inquiries are coming in so fast I can hardly keep up with them. To handle this wedding boom, I went from a one-woman show to hiring 5 people and purchasing loads of new gear!
~ I brought on three additional photographers to serve couples on weddings dates that I’m personally already booked for. I hired a studio manager to help manage the behind-the-scenes processes and keep everything organized. I’m also now bringing a day-of assistant with me on wedding days to help haul gear so my body stays physically ready to handle those double and triple wedding weekends.
~ New gear to handle the extra workload: During the height of the pandemic I purchased a new telephoto lens that allowed me to physically distance more easily while photographing. I also bought two new smaller cameras to lighten my load since the extra weddings take a toll on my body. A new computer for my studio assistant. And tons of extra hard drives and memory cards.
~ COVID is still here, and yet my team and I are now attending several large gatherings per week – week after week. Which is honestly still pretty scary for us. My business is only accepting weddings that are carefully following all guidelines (whether that’s being a fully vaccinated event or distancing/masking). I am SO appreciative of my clients who are considerate of the health and safety of not only their guests, but also the vendors working at their wedding.
So thankful for the grace my clients have given me this year as my email response times are slower than normal!
2021 (+ 2022) will be one incredible year of celebrations!
Just remember to have a little patience and grace for your vendors as they deal with things out of their control and do their best to make the planning experience a smooth one. We are an industry that has always been able to say YES but these past 16 months have forced us to say NO more than we’d like andwe cannot wait to be back in the world of YES!
Seattle Wedding Planners Pink Blossom Events, Clutch Events, and New Creations Wedding Design & Coordination have teamed up to share what you need to know as you finalize wedding planning for the summer ahead. Pandemic or not, your wedding is going to be a celebration of a lifetime and we’re here to help!
With vaccinations rolling we are feeling cautiously optimistic that the end of the pandemic is near. As much as we’d like to ignore the never-ending restrictions and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our Washington State Governor there is a good chance they will play a part of your wedding day. As of today most counties in Washington State are in Phase 3 and can expect the following guidelines:
Masks
Masks (aka face coverings) are required at all times unless when eating or drinking. Make it fun and outfit your wedding party and crowd! *Mask exceptions are listed below
Maximum capacity of 400 or 50% capacity (not including vendors), whichever is less, so long as six feet of physical distancing is maintained between groups. Table size maximum of 10. If food or drinks are served, eating and drinking requirements apply.
Outdoors
Maximum capacity of 400 (not including vendors), so long as six feet of physical distancing is maintained between groups (groups of 15 maximum). If food or drinks are served, eating and drinking requirements apply.
Ceremony
We recommend sitting groups of 15 on either side of the aisle. Think a traditional wedding setting (ie. 3 rows of 5 people) with a 6’ space between the next grouping of 15 (ie. 3 rows of 5 people).
While mingling is not officially allowed just yet cocktail hour can happen, and ideas are everywhere! Assigning guests their groups (up to 10) at the beginning of cocktail hour will allow them to enjoy cocktail hour safely and transition to dinner that same group of people. Think comfy seating and a mix of tables to allow guests to sit for eating and drink and participate in allowable entertainment activities such as lawn games!
Dancing is allowed! A maximum of 10 per person per dance floor and consists of your same table group and all must wear masks. Who says you can’t have multiple dance floors?
In addition, the following dances are expressly allowed: the couple’s first dance and the parent dances. For these specifically allowed dances, only one pair may dance at a time, both must be wearing masks (unless they are part of the same household).
Exemption on Face Coverings – Yay!
~Wedding couples are exempted from the face covering and six feet physical distancing requirement from each other during the ceremony so long as they maintain six feet of physical distance from all other persons.
~The officiant is also exempted provided six feet social distance can be maintained.
~The officiant, family members, and wedding party are also exempted for posed photographs provided that the face covering is removed only briefly at the direction of the photographer to take the photo.
~Face covering must be reapplied immediately after the photo is taken.
Follow this link for the most up to date guidelines outlining Phases 1-3 published 3.23.21.
Note: We are not certified CDC health experts. Our ideas are suggestions based on current guidelines and our years of experience. We know these may adjust down the road as guidelines change however, we, your wedding planner and vendor team, are here to support you and make it the best day ever!
Between evolving regulations, updated county phases and guests traveling from all over the country with their own local rules, it is important to make sure everyone is on the same page and aware of the safety guidelines at your wedding!
Here are some tips to ensure you properly communicate the safety guidelines and regulations for your county!
~Double check the current regulations so you communicate the most update to date rules. A great reference is the WSWEA regulations page! We also recommend confirming these rules with your venue and vendor team, so everyone working your wedding is on the same page!
~When sending out your wedding invitations, make sure to note on your details card that your wedding website will include up to date COVID-19 restrictions and make sure to list the URL. We suggest having a dedicated tab on your website where you can outline the rules that guests will need to follow.
~Incorporate the major rules into your welcome signage for your wedding so that guests can see them as they enter the venue for the first time. Your vendor team will be happy to remind guests of the rules if they aren’t following them correctly, but everyone will be appreciative if you alert them in advance!
~Write a quick addition for your officiant to read during the ceremony! It is the perfect quiet moment to have the rules listed out so that it takes away the pressure from you during the reception.
Here is a quick example:
“On behalf of the couple, their families and the team of vendors here today, I would like to quickly talk through the safety measures to ensure we all have a great time while we celebrate together. Please keep your masks on unless you are eating and drinking. If you get up from your dinner table to use the restroom or go through the chefs’ stations, please remember to wear your mask. Please keep in your group of ten while enjoying cocktail hour, the photobooth and on the dancefloor. I will be releasing you by rows so that we can avoid a crowd while moving to cocktail hour where there will be tray passed drinks and appetizers brought to your tables. The staff will do their best to refill your drinks, but if you go to the bar and there is someone in front of you, please remember to keep six feet of space between you.
We have hand sanitizer throughout the venue, so please sanitize often. We realize this may not be the traditional wedding we planned for, but we are so excited that we are able to still celebrate together. We really appreciate you keeping everyone’s comfort level and safety in mind!
We hope these communication tips allow you to be more present in the moment of your wedding day to thoroughly enjoy yourselves!!”
We as a collective wedding vendor and venue community are forever grateful to our couples for hanging in there as we’ve rode this pandemic rollercoaster right alongside you. We are excited for the opportunity to safely celebrate with you and your families on your wedding day.
We all had some amazing intimate weddings in 2020 and are thrilled that weddings are extremely close to ‘normal’ given the current climate. We know what you might be thinking, “After reading these dang rules, should I just cancel my plans and host the wedding in my back yard so I don’t have to follow the rules?
We get it. It’s a lot to navigate. However, this is what wedding vendors do best- we “pivot” and navigate on a daily basis. If any group of people were built to handle the ever-changing regulations, it’s us.
Having your wedding at home might sound easier, but not only will it be a huge logistical undertaking turning a home into a wedding venue. It will also have huge financial repercussions for you, and it does not get you off the hook for following regulations. As the host of the wedding, you are the responsible party to keep your guests safe as it states in the Wedding & Event regulations linked above. Regardless of where your wedding is being held, the same rules are to be followed.
If they are not followed at a private home/property,
1. This puts your vendors in an incredibly tough position from needing to keep their income and truly wanting to do your wedding day however knowing regulations will not be followed, to
2. The possibility of having your vendors tell you no and remove themselves from their contracts as you are putting them in a potentially dangerous/hazardous environment. Most contracts have a portion of them that state that a vendor can and will leave an unsafe environment with no money due back to the client.
After a year of risks with the virus, don’t risk the health of your guests and the livelihood of your vendor team by having an unsafe wedding.
Venues and vendors truly have your best interest at heart through this. We WANT a successful wedding day for you and your guests to celebrate and enjoy. We know these current rules feel tiresome, believe me, we get it; but we are here to help you through them and find ways to creatively still have a fabulous wedding day.
We’ve come this far together, and we’ve been a part of some amazing wedding days in 2020. We are so ready to fully get back to work and be a part of your fabulous 2021 wedding day.
With hints of spring surrounding us, the excitement of Phase 3 next week and the opening of the new Edmonds Waterfront Center, we’d say March treated us well!
Earlier this month we had the opportunity to style the new Edmonds Waterfront Center with a talented team of vendors as the building celebrated its new beginnings. Images by Into Dust Photography.
Located on the waterfront in downtown Edmonds and steps away from the ferry terminal the outdoor area at Edmonds Waterfront Center makes for the perfect location for photos, an outdoor ceremony and lawn games!
Working with Fena Flowers we designed a low ground floral arch to compliment the natural flow of the lawn and avoid blocking any of the backdrop. Arrangements were filled with bright pink and yellow floral along with greenery found in the PNW. The yellow forsythia branches are always a favorite!
Whether in the community lounge or in the ballroom, your cocktail hour will be surrounded by large open windows highlighting the waterfront views and giving you an opportunity to fill with appetizers!
Right now we’re crazing the Crab Cakes and Fried Chicken Sliders by Shooby Doo Catering!
The awakening of Spring in the PNW gives the opportunity to spot bright yellow daffodils popping up throughout the area and what better way to highlight that beauty than in your event florals?
Tables adorned in cobalt blue linens were topped with vibrant pink and yellow centerpieces and circled with fruitwood chivari chairs. Place settings featuring waterfall mustard napkins and white chargers topped with watercolor-inspired dinner menus to match the table numbers and place cards.
The sweetheart table stood out amongst the sea of blue linens with its mustard yellow linen and lush floral spray. Daffodil blooms topped the place settings to add that special touch.
Buffet or plated, what’s your vote? Luckily for you this menu dreamed up by Shooby Doo Catering can be served plated or in a buffet!
Artisan apple salad, flat iron steak, grilled salmon, sautéed green beans, and rainbow marble potatoes are the perfect menu for a PNW wedding or event!
Desserts while not only delicious can be another vehicle to add that wow factor to your event. We chose to be daring with a mustard yellow buttercream three-tiered wedding cake as the focal piece to the dessert bar that featured petite desserts including fruit tartlets and lemon bars. Yum!
Don’t forget the kiddos! With families eager to get out of the house, be sure to keep the little ones in mind as they too will be attending your event.
From tables filled with easy to grab snacks and games galore, parents will thank you for keeping their kids busy and happy! A babysitter to watch the children is a must.
Meetings never looked so good! Being on the waterfront has its perks and the meeting rooms at Edmonds Waterfront Center definitely capture it well!
For this shoot, we set the room for a corporate meeting using the venue’s tables and chairs along with some fun surprises to keep attendees eager to take note and stay alert with mini cupcakes and a caffeine of choice!
Inspired by the city of Edmonds and the surrounding PNW Evergreen Custom Gifting created gifts featuring products that would delight both the corporate and wedding world!
While the Pandemic continues to bring ‘gifts’ of altered plans this Holiday Season, it has made our desire to gather safely with those we treasure the most that much more special. To kick-off the holiday season Pink Blossom Events, Sublime Stems, Seatown Sweets and A Platinum Event gathered outside for a Holiday Tailgate on the grounds of JM Cellars. Vehicles circled around a firepit were decked out in festive holiday floral and decor and had a gift to share. From a SUV offering wine and charcuterie to a pickup truck filled with holiday presents to another tempting the sweet tooth with hot cocoa and sugar cookies, it was a tailgate party full of Holiday spirit! A big thank you to Stephanie Cristalli Photography for capturing all the details!
With the tailgate up, and a trunk filled with comfy blankets and velvet hunter green pillows, this SUV held a wine and charcuterie station featuring JM Cellars wine and the most delicious charcuterie board from A Platinum Event! Details of golds, creams and greens and floral details filled with cotton, ferns, evergreen branches and magnolia leaves gave this black SUV an elegant, yet natural look.
The silver pickup truck, brought by Pink Blossom Events, was decorated in all it’s Merry with a Christmas Tree strung with cranberry garland, large wood lanterns, poinsettias, an evergreen swag and a set of black adirondack chairs adorned with red snowflake pillows. The perfect setting for gifts that would soon come!
The decor for Seatown Sweets red SUV was inspired by a red and black buffalo plaid runner that covered the wood table which displayed the most festive sugar cookies and a hot cocoa station filled with snowflake marshmallows and peppermint hot chocolate to stay warm! It was hard to choose a favorite sugar cookie as the options included red poinsettia cookies, snowflake cookies, evergreen tree cookies and a vintage red truck sugar cookie on a stick displayed in a jar of cranberries. Our favorite unexpected detail was the gnome hidden in the holiday floral arrangement from Sublime Stems.
With the Holiday Tailgate set, we gathered around the firepit with wine and sparkling cider in hand to toast to the Holiday Season and friendships around. And because an outdoor tailgate isn’t complete without a pup in hand, Maverick joined the tailgate and wore a floral and greenery swag on his collar.
Once in our vehicles, a safe distance away, we could enjoy the celebration without our Holiday masks on however once we got up to grab a sweet or savory bite or partake in cookie decorating or roasting a marshmallow around the firepit our masks went right back on.
With bellies full the gift exchange began! Evergreen Custom Gifting filled the pickup truck with gifts curated from local PNW makers and artisans that would be shared amongst the group.
Presents included gifts centered around a Holiday paint-by-number; a Santa and Theo Chocolate hot cocoa themed gift and note to miss a Woodinville Wine Country inspired gift to enjoy this Holiday Season.
As the sun began to set it was time to wrap up our tailgate. One more bite of cheese, one final sip of wine, one more roasted marshmallow and a chance to squeeze in one more laugh around the fire with friends. What began as an idea on the hiking trail this fall turned into the perfect way to gather safely this Holiday Season!
Wishing you a Holiday Season filled with Safe Gatherings!
As you are preparing for your wedding, there are many products and ideas that you are likely to come across that are geared toward the sole purpose of making your guests comfortable. We at Pink Blossom Events understand the importance of ensuring your guests are taken care of and comfortable on the day of your wedding. While we have a million suggestions for all the small details that can put the comfort of your friends and family first and help create an unforgettable experience for your guests, including our custom welcome gifts, one of the product lines we suggest to our event clients is Solemates. This female-founded, US-based company offers up all the solutions you can think of to keep you moving throughout the wedding day!
A must have for any bride, bridesmaid, vendor or wedding guest wearing heels on the day of the wedding is their heel protectors which have been a lifesaver for events. We’ve all been there, you’re at a wedding or party outside and your heel sinks straight into the ground. Or what’s worse, your expensive shoes end up damaged from the grass, mud, bricks, gravel, or wooden decks. The heel protector is the ultimate insurance policy for your heels!
For anyone who has been in a wedding party, or danced the night away on heels, you know that foot comfort is a major consideration for a long event! For the aches, pains, and problems created by being on your feet all day or dancing the night away, Solemates offers everything from heel protectors to blister blocker, to anti-skid pads, to all the little soft pads to keep you moving and pain-free all day and night. They even have solutions to keep your shoes smelling fresh and clean after a long day!
After being introduced by mutual friends, Michele and Mark knew it was a perfect fit! Each with three kids of their own, a wedding during winter break was a must to ensure everyone was home together. And so on December 28, 2019, at The Woodmark Hotel & Spa, Michele and Mark were married with their children by their sides. Classic winter white and greenery made for one elegant evening on the shores of Lake Washington.
As friends and family arrived that winter day, Mark’s son Noah played the guitar. Their pastor and good friend, Chris Griggs, officiated the wedding that blended two families into one.
After the ceremony Mark and Michele joined loved ones in the library for cocktail hour before entering the tent that had been transformed from the ceremony to a romantic winter reception. Lush greenery, winter floral arrangements and plenty of candlelight set the mood.
After toasts filled with laughter and tears, Mark and Michele invited their guests into the ballroom for dancing and dessert! Mark and the groomsmen even surprised Michele with a surprise serenade.
As the dance floor came to an end and the last dance was had, Michele and Mark retreated to their room at The Woodmark while friends and family took home a sweet treat made by a good friend. In addition the next morning the leftover floral would be donated to Madison House and local hospice care.
As Caroline and Ted married on the shores of Lake Washington last summer, they couldn’t help but get antsy about the celebration ahead as they just wanted to dance, dance, dance! A palette of classic white with touches of light blue and greenery set the tone for one unforgettable wedding day!
With Caroline and her bridesmaids getting ready at the Alexis Hotel, Ted and his groomsmen got ready at a VRBO before all meeting at the Arboretum for their first look. Caroline dress featured a lace top and a fit and air crepe skirt as she carrying a bouquet classic white floral with touches of light blue and greenery. Ted wore a blue tux finished off with a bow tie.
During the ceremony, officiated by Caroline & Ted’s good friend, loved ones offered 7 blessings, paying nod to Ted’s Jewish background.
Love: May you have love. May your admiration, appreciation and understanding of each other foster a love that is passionate, tranquil and real. May this love between you be strong and enduring, and bring peace into your lives.
A loving home: May you have a loving home filled with warmth, humor and compassion. May you create a family together that honors traditions old and new. May you teach your children to have equal respect for themselves and others, and instill in them the value of learning and making the world a better place.
Humor and play: May you be best friends and work together to build a relationship of substance and quality. May your sense of humor and playful spirit continue to enliven your relationship. May you respect each other’s individual personality and perspective, and give each other room to grow in fulfilling your dreams.
Wisdom: May you have wisdom. May you continually learn from one another and from the world. Together, may you grow, deepening your knowledge and understanding of each other and of your journey through life.
Health: May you have health. May life bring you wholeness of mind, body and spirit. May you keep each other well-balanced and grounded, and live long that you may share many happy years together.
Art, beauty, creativity: May your life have the art and beauty of this world. May your creative aspirations and experiences find expression, inspire you and bring you joy and fulfilment. May you find happiness together in adventures big and small, and something to celebrate each day of your lives.
Community: May you have community. May you always have the awareness that you are an essential part of a circle of family and friends. May there always be within this group love, trust, support and laughter, and may there be many future occasions for rejoicing in their company.
Mazel Tov! With the breaking of the glass, cocktail hour began! Street Tacos and hand rolled sushi were a hit as the string quartet continued to play.
With salads pre-plated and the Michael Benson Band beginning, loved ones made their way up into the ballroom for the reception. Lush blue draping adorned the entryway to Seattle Tennis Club and once inside the ballroom had been filled with long family style tables covered in candlelight and greenery runners mixed in with light blue and white blooms. Overhead the chandeliers had been transformed by removing the light shades and covering in lush greenery.
Post dinner toasts rolled into first dances and then the Michael Benson Band played back to back dance hits as guests filled the dance floor! Made to order ice cream cookie sandwiches made for the perfect treat to cool down in between dancing and a lively Hora!
BreeAnn is amazing! She remains unphased no matter what happens during wedding planning/day of and has a solution-oriented mindset. During the planning process she helped shape our scattered ideas into a concept that we loved and introduced us to vendors that would help fulfill that vision. While she is great during planning, the day of is where she really shines. No matter what went wrong, she found solutions and didn’t let either of us (the bride and groom) know that there was an issue. It really helped us focus on enjoying the day and soaking in all the love without worrying about details. She had a direct impact on how happy we are with our wedding day and we are so thankful for all her hard work and dedication to making our day so special!
While the pandemic altered original wedding plans for a large ceremony and reception; Gina and Charles were married in an intimate ceremony at their Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church – Issaquah. Eight close family members were onsite, masks on, as others watched via live streaming. June 26th was a special one as both Gina’s parents and grandparents had married on that very date.
Following the ceremony, each household was sent home with a box of desserts from Blue Box Bakery, a sweet ending to the day! Gina & Charles had a small cake to enjoy as well.
“We loved working with BreeAnn! Our planning was particularly tricky in that we had to change almost everything really late in the game due to COVID-19 restrictions, and BreeAnn was with us every step with remarkable agility! She was really understanding that this was all a stressful time for us, and she made it easy to reimagine what was possible. While we’re sad we were unable to have the beautiful wedding BreeAnn initially planned, we also loved the far more intimate event she created for us.
BreeAnn has an amazing list of vendors, and she has a great sense for which ones would be a good fit for our personalities and the event we were planning. We connected well with everyone she helped us select, and she was a great advocate for us all along the way.
She had fantastic ideas to make our wedding a really special day. We loved so many of her suggestions that we never would have thought of on our own.
BreeAnn is creative, organized, great at finding compromises, and willing to go above and beyond to make your wedding the day you’ve always imagined it could be. More than all that, though, she is a really kind and thoughtful person, who we hope to keep in touch with for a long time to come.” – Gina & Charles
Brigitte & Scott’s Columbia Tower Club wedding last September was full of elegance and tradition all ending with one epic dance party! Classic white with pops of pale pink, gray and navy set the color palette.
Truly, thank you so much for everything – the wedding was perfect and memorable, and we were so grateful for everything you did to make it such a special day that ran so well. We are so grateful for your organization, creativity and planning, and how smoothly you made the wedding run. I know we probably weren’t the easiest group to work with, and we were so appreciative of how patient and calm you were. Thanks so much for everything! ~ Brigitte
Pink Blossom Events is your destination for Wedding and Event Planning in the Northwest. We believe in turning the expected into something unique. Your guests arrive expecting a cookie cutter event, but we want to surprise them by making your occasion truly unique. We specialize in weddings, auctions, corporate events, and milestone birthdays.
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