Q & A with a Twin Cities Wedding Coordinator
As a local Twin Cities catering company, we get to work with so many wonderful wedding coordinators. Over the course of an event and working closely together, they are not just a fellow vendor, they become a friend that shares the same passions and goals that we do!
We’ve put together a few questions to help you to get to know some of the top coordinators in the cities, give some helpful and friendly guidance, and also express our passion and love for what we do as an industry working together!
Enjoy!
Maddie Hughes – Ask for the moon events
Q: What is the best part of your job as a wedding coordinator?
A: I love celebrations—simple as that! The energy and life that feeds into the weddings is outstanding. I get to work with loving couples and families who have so much excitement for this memorable day. Wedding coordinating gives me to opportunity to meld my creative side with my crazy organizational skills all while planning a party!
Q: Give us a piece of wise advice you'd like to share with newly engaged couples?
A: Deep breath! Enjoy the planning process. Let it be fun and not stressful. I know that it can seem extremely overwhelming, but this is a wonderful problem to have. Don’t forget the real reason for the day---to marry the one you love. The rest is just icing on the cake.
Q: As a Twin Cities based coordinator, what is your favorite spot in the cities? (wedding related)
A: There are so many amazing spots in the Twin Cities. We are lucky to have ample venue diversity. From an elegant manor to a rustic barn, we have a lot of variety. I am partial to the Lowertown Event Center. The vintage flair with a sprinkling of rustic style is gorgeous! I also cannot get enough of the University Club in St. Paul---I’m a pushover for historic buildings.
Q: What is your favorite wedding menu you've seen?
A: I always enjoy the weddings that have food stations at their receptions. It encourages mingling and the guests have the opportunity to try many different types of food. My favorite was an Around the World theme. Every food station profiled a different country. The Italian station was a Chef Action station to build-your own pasta. Mexico had several different types of Tamales. The Chinese station was a collection of pot stickers with a variety sauces. And, of course, France had all pastries, mini desserts, and the wedding cake.
Q: What is the most memorable wedding or event experience you have?
A: Being a wedding coordinator is never dull and every wedding each has their own unique moments. Once a father of the bride was insistent on giving his toast before the entrees were served. His speech went on for 40 minutes and included props, hats, and slideshows! I’ve never seen guests so anxious to eat. Or the time a couple wanted to start their wedding ceremony at 3:43pm exactly, because it was their favorite bible verse. Very cute idea and we did start precisely on time! And I’ll never forget the 90 person conga line. Every single guest at that reception that could walk was a part of this group dance. I couldn’t believe my eyes!
For all blog readers, what is your most memorable wedding experience? I’d love to know!
Wynne Reece – La Vie Charme Events
Q: What is the best part of your job as a wedding coordinator?
A: In such a romanticized industry, there are many aspects of wedding coordination that are fabulous and exciting, but the best part is most certainly giving a client's vision, life! It is inspiring, listening to clients tell their story, articulate their dreams and watching the evolution of that dream as the planning progresses. We strive to create anything that a client dreams up and when it all comes together, that is the money moment - there aren't words to describe how wonderful it is to see the look in our clients eyes when they truly step into their dream.
Q: Give us a piece of wise advice you'd like to share with newly engaged couples?
A: There is no way around it, planning a wedding is full-time job that requires guidance, support and structure! Whether you enlist a wedding planner or your best friend(s), do so before you've booked anything, because once you start, you can't stop. Your team can help you sort through the myriad of ideas you are inundated with and develop a coherent vision. While they are helping you shape that vision and find vendors that are the right fit for you, they will also act as your confident and sounding board, which takes a heck of a lot of stress off your shoulders! Share, collaborate, dream together, and the planning will be truly enjoyable.
Q: As a Twin Cities based coordinator, what is your favorite spot in the cities? (wedding related)
A: Goodness, this is a tough question as we are a community that is just bursting with talented vendors, cozy shops and venues of all personality. Try as I might, I don't have just one favorite, so rather than divulge everywhere I adore, I will hone in on venues - as the venue is ultimately where all points meet and visions transform into reality.
I must say that I have a special passion for venues that are a "blank slate" and of all the amazing spaces our community is host to, I truly love Café and Bar Lurcat. It is the perfect combination of cozy and grand, romantic and modern - it is utterly majestic.
Q: What is your favorite wedding menu you've seen?
A: Well, I am admittedly bias as I was very recently spoiled rotten with my own wedding menu!
We actually designed our dinner buffet, inspired and styled after a European market. There were platters and bowls overflowing with cheeses, charcuterie, salads, grilled meats, artisan breads and the most amazing oils an vinegar from Stillwater Olive Oil Company. It was a little bit of everything that we love...and then came the desserts.
We gave our dessert caterers creative license and they proved to be extraordinary. Patisserie 46 partnered with Victory 44 to create flavors I never even knew existed, incorporating anything from vanilla bean to truffle to buttered popcorn! Cocoa and Fig, true to form, just did wonders with their macarons and shooters. The Copper Hen created a naked red velvet cake and the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted.
As the cherry on top, we built a "kids buffet" themed after Disney and Pixar, complete with Angel-food Bakery donuts, spelling out "Disney <3 Pixar".
What made this wedding menu so perfect? It was not only a reflection of our favorite foods, but a sampling of the caterers best work. Have fun with your menu, it is not only OK but utterly encouraged!
Q: What is the most memorable wedding or event experience you have?
A: Each wedding - every couple, they are all memorable, unique and special. Even so, there is one moment that took place at a Rehearsal Dinner (kicking off an entire wedding weekend) that tops the charts. And this moment?! It was all in a look. You see, the groom - although outgoing, charismatic and gregarious - was not a man to show his whole hand, but that night was different. He stood up in from of the 75 friends and family gathered in a candlelit restaurant and gave a "toast" if you will, but it was so much more than just any toast. He shared with everyone, everything - thought by thought - that went through his mind the first time he laid eyes on his bride - and while he was speaking, I was watching her. If there ever was a look of unwavering, spell-binding love, that was it.
Jessica Wonders - Jessica Wonders, LLC
Q: What is the best part of your job as a wedding coordinator?
A: Getting to see so many happy couples enjoy their wedding day!
Q: Give us a piece of wise advice you'd like to share with newly engaged couples?
A: Do not waste money on favors if you could be spending that money on something better. At the end of the night the majority of favors get forgotten by guest's.
Q: As a Twin Cities based coordinator, what is your favorite spot in the cities? (wedding related)
A: My favorite spot for wedding ceremonies is Trellis Outdoor Weddings, it is a beautiful outdoor garden space, with more then one ceremony location spot to fit different sized guest counts.
Q: What is your favorite wedding menu you've seen?
A: I am really loving any menu that involves the food being served family style right now. It seems to be a trend on the rise, more and more couples are choosing this. I think it forces the guest's to engage with each other more.
Q: What is the most memorable wedding or event experience you have?
A: I have many memorable moments, too many to just pick one. If I had to choose the funniest one though, it would have been at the end of the night, a groomsmen decided to jump in the lake (fully dressed in his tux still) and make his rounds to "hug" each one of my staff, myself included. It was a hot August night, so we needed the cool down I guess!
Questions for our coordinators? Comment below! :)
