Blog | Dallas and Seattle Wedding Planners

Favorite Local Seattle Destination Venues

November 17, 2017

For whatever reason 2017 was the year for local destination weddings for our Seattle office! If you’re wondering what a local destination is, we consider it a venue where we can drive to, but have to stay the night as it’s too long of a drive to drive back after the rehearsal and wedding.

If you’re considering a local destination wedding for your big day, here’s a few of our favorites from this year:

Cave B Estate Winery and Resort
Cave B is located across the mountains right along the gorge. The view of the gorge is breathtaking, the wine is delicious and there’s something for everybody at this winery – even yurts to stay in if that’s your thing!

Seabrook
Seabrook, Washington is right on the coast of Washington. It’s this adorable coastal town that looks like it’s been taken straight out of Stepford. The town is filled with rental homes decorated in the latest beach trends. It’s a quick walk to the beach!

Rosario Resort
Rosario Resort has it’s challenges as far as getting there (mostly the ferry system) but once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave! This resort is located on Orcas Island and it gives you the perfect island feel, just outside of the hustle and bustle of Seattle.

There’s one destination that our team is DYING to work at next year – Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Hopefully this little gem will be on our 2018 list! Any couples getting married there – let’s talk! 😉

Signing off,
Emily Shannon, Seattle Office

Lauren’s Bridal Luncheon: Dallas, Texas

November 10, 2017

Where to begin?? Since the first meeting with Lauren and Ethan I knew that I would have the best time planning their wedding. And I was exactly right! Lauren, her mom, and myself all cried that Sunday after their big day and immediately wanted to do it all again! Lauren and Ethan wanted their weekend to not only be about their commitment to one another but to celebrate and honor everyone that was there to witness it. Lauren’s mom (momma Kim) threw the sweetest bridal luncheon for Lauren the day before the wedding! It was stunning with beautiful floral, china, and the most amazing chair swags you’ve ever seen! The girls sipped on mimosas, and enjoyed their lunch before heading down to the spa to get their nails and toes ready for the big day!

Vendors:

Venue: Four Seasons Dallas // Florist and Decor: Bella Flora // Invites and Paper Goods: Stamped Paper Co. // Photographer: Caroline Jurgensen Photography // Planning: Sweet Pea Events

Nicole and Danny Wedding: Bonney Lake, Washington

November 3, 2017

Nicole and Danny married at a unique venue in Bonney Lake, Seattle. They chose Seven Summits Lodge as the backdrop to the big day. What made this an unique venue is that the reception room was actually a pool room. Most days the community around Seven Summits Lodge can stop by and go swimming in this room. For weddings, they empty the water and raise the pool floor to make it the floor for the reception. This is one of the only pools in the country that does this! And walking into Danny and Nicole’s wedding reception, you’d never guess that it was pool the day before!

With Nicole’s sparkling personality, she knew that she wanted to have lots of rose gold and sparkles throughout the wedding. Nicole has a keen eye for details and included some of the cutest little details throughout the day including adorable individual reserved signs, cute signage and perfect colors throughout! There were so many little personal details that all tied together perfectly!

Nicole and Danny knew they wanted a small, intimate wedding of 70 guests. They truly wanted the it to be fun, intimate affair with a rocking dance party!

All day the air was smoky due to a fire coming from Crystal Mountain. Fortunately, right before the couple walked down the aisle, the smoke cleared up slightly, and you could even see some blue skies! Nicole and Danny’s adorable 3-year old son was the ring bearer. He was so nervous to walk down, but eventually made his way down the aisle.

The evening ended with a sparkler send off. Nicole and Danny left in a Rolls Royce and headed straight to the airport to catch a plan to Jamaica! We were honored to be Nicole and Danny’s wedding planner for the Lake Bonney Wedding.

Vendor Team:

Venue: Seven Summits Lodge // Planner: Sweet Pea Events // Photographer: Erin Perkins // Florist: Studio 3 Floral // Officiant: Marv Smith-LeBleu with Unity // DJ and Photo booth: DeeJay DW // Rentals: Trendy Event Rentals and Sweet Buffet Lady // Bakery: Maleah Joelle // Transportation: British Motor Coach // Hair and Makeup: Friend of the Bride, Kristy Himmerman

Elegant Halloween Party Tips

October 27, 2017

Do you love Halloween and want to throw a fun party without all the ghosts, goblins and pumpkins? Here’s our tips for throwing an elegant Halloween party (yes, it’s possible!)

Dark Color Palettes
You can absolutely use colors past orange and black! We love using dark reds, dark greens, purples and dark blues – pretty much a moodier version of your jewel tones.

LBDs
Halloween is a perfect time to pull out those Little Black Dresses. You can even make the dress code required! Make your LBDs even more festive by adding gloves and birdcage fascinators.

Food
Be creative with your food! Serve caramel apples and other fall festive treats on a nice serving tray. (No bobbing for apples required.)

Décor
Keep your color palette in mind, but feel free to use lots of candles and moody flowers. If you adore pumpkins, grab some white pumpkins and decorate them in lace or use some spray paint. Think about your china, flatware and dishes – there are great rental companies you can choose from to create your elegant (yet spooky) look without spending a fortune buying everything yourself!

Candy Favors
It is Halloween after all – throw in some trick-or-treat favors!

Photo: Bethany Erin Photography

If you throw a fun Halloween party, we’d love to see your photos below! If you need help with your next party please contact us here.

Lauren and Ethan Rehearsal Dinner: Dallas, Texas

October 20, 2017

We love when couples have us plan their whole wedding weekend – Rehearsal Dinner, Bridesmaids Luncheon, Morning After Brunch and of course the wedding itself! It let’s us really connect and get to know our fabulous couples. This was the case with Lauren and Ethan!

Ethan is one of 4 boys! So rehearsal dinners are nothing new to Rick and Kathy! Fun fact about Lauren, her favorite movie is the Little Mermaid and even sent Ariel an invite to her wedding! I won’t totally call Ethan out, but he too has a favorite underwater Disney movie. So, naturally Rick and Kathy needed to have some sort of water element incorporated into the rehearsal dinner, so the Dallas World Aquarium was a no brainer!! Their friends and family wandered through the rain forest portion of the aquarium for cocktail hour and ended down in the gallery where everyone shared lots of stories and laughs of the bride and groom!

Vendors:
Photographer: Caroline Jurgensen Photography // Planner: Sweet Pea Events // Venue: Dallas World Aquarium // Florist: R Love Floral // Invites and Paper Goods: Scribbled Peaches // Transportation: MUV Transportation

Stacy and Matias Wedding: Seattle, Washington

October 13, 2017

Stacy and Matias had said their nuptials earlier in the year in New York, where they both live. Stacy is from Seattle though and wanted to celebrate their big day and big moment with all of her family and friends in the Pacific Northwest and decided to have a reception locally as well.

Since Stacy lives 3,000 miles away and was in the middle of planning her New York wedding, her mom Diane took charge of the Seattle reception. (And Diane was just the SWEETEST mother of the bride ever!) Diane wanted to have bright, summer colors and an amazing view! This was accomplished with the help of Juniper Flowers, BBJ Linen and Olympic Rooftop Pavilion.

If you’re a local to Seattle, you know that the food at Stoneburner will be phenomenal! The guests were served family-style with chicken, lamb AND steak to suite everybody’s needs!

Stacy and Matias wanted a lighter event with a focus on catching up with their friends and family and a killer dance party. They danced the night away in front a chilly summer night with a blazing fireplace!

Vendors:
Venue: Olympic Rooftop Pavilion // Caterer: Stoneburner // Florist: Juniper Flowers // Photography: Crozier Photography // DJ: Integral DJs // Bakery: Snohomish Pie Company // Linens and Chargers: BBJ Linen // Paper Goods: Paper Fling // Hair: Salon Maison

Josh and Courtney: Colorado Springs, CO

October 6, 2017

Josh and Courtney live in Texas, but Colorado Springs has a special meaning to Courtney as that is where she spent most of her childhood! With a July wedding date, the cooler Colorado air was a perfect place for an outdoor wedding! Their guests flew from all over the country to join them on this special day as they became husband and wife. The original plan was to have an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour with an indoor reception. But right before sunset we couldn’t help but move the party back outside. With some swift moves and great vendors, we were able to pull it off so that their guests could dance all night with the stunning view of the Garden of the Gods in the background!

Vendors:
Venue: Garden of the Gods Club and Resort // Planner: Sweet Pea Events // Photographer: Melissa Yocum Photography // DJ: LeForce Entertainment // Linens: Colorado Party Rentals // Cake: Chef Sugar // Floral: We + You

Addison and Zach: Seattle, Washington

September 29, 2017

Oh, how do I even to begin describe Addison and Zach. Think of the raddest and coolest couple you know and times that by ten, and then you might be up to the level of Addison and Zach!

Addison and Zach are high school sweethearts, following in both of their parents and grandparents footsteps. They served long-distance thru college and then even studied abroad in Ireland!

Addison and Zach married on a sunny February day in Seattle. (Seriously, it was sunny…in February….in Seattle!!!) Addison had dreamed of a candlelit wedding, and that she got. Candles framed Addison and Zach, candles on the window ledges, strung lights throughout the venue, candles on bookshelves and much more!

Congratulations Zach and Andy! We’re so glad that we were able to be a part of your day!

Vendors:
Venue: Axis Pioneer Square // Photo: Heather Bode // Coordination: Sweet Pea Events //DJ: Jeff Onorato // Lighting: Crimson Haze // Catering: Shooby Doo

KLP Pampered Bride Party

September 23, 2017

When Kelly Lemon asked if I wanted to help spoil her brides at her annual KLP Pampered Bride Party, I immediately said yes! Kelly had this idea of getting some of her past and present brides in one room for them not only to bond, but just for a fun night! The champagne was flowing along with several light appetizers.

The focus of the party was a floral workshop with Studio 3 Floral. The brides learned a lot of the basics about flowers (like who knew you shouldn’t buy flowers that are sold next to fruit?) and then made their own arrangements. These girls rocked it and created some beautiful pieces! After the floral workshop, we had a small break for desserts and to reset. I then gave a quick tutorial on setting a table and a lot of the etiquette that goes behind it.

Quick Tip for the rest of our readers who couldn’t attend: Sometimes when you sit down at a formal table, the plates are close together. If you’re confused about which bread plate is yours, make a “b” or an “ok” with your hands. The hand that makes the “b” is your bread plate! i.e. it’s on the left.

The brides were so sweet and it was such an amazing thing to watch these past and former brides bond. Many of them exchanged numbers, which is so sweet!

As far as the design for the party went, we wanted to incorporate Kelly Lemon’s brand which happened to be charcoal gray, light gray, white, gold and green accents. We designed everything with this in mind. We left the greens in the floral but included gray table cloths, gold flatware and gold rimmed glassware, beautiful white and silver plates, with geo, gold and white accent throughout.

It was a fun affair and we can’t wait to help host another dinner party!

Vendors:

Photographer and Host: Kelly Lemon Photography // Florist: Studio 3 Floral // Planning and Design: Sweet Pea Events // Calligraphy: Bespokes Strokes // Desserts: Blue Box Bakery, Eat More Cake by Candice, Jenny Cookies // Rentals: Cort Party Rental // Geometric shapes: Hemleva // Videographer: Green Attic Films

Kristen and Eric: Quincy, Washington

September 4, 2017

The very first time I drove across the state of Washington, I just fell in love with the gorge across I-90! I’m not normally that person who stops on road trips to take in the scenery, but I couldn’t help myself as the views were unbelievably breathtaking. I’ve tried to have gone back to this beautiful area every chance I got.

So when Kristen and Eric told me that they had booked Cave B Resort for their wedding venue, right on the gorge, I did a little happy dance! Not only were the views beautiful, but they had selected a lovely winery venue with so many wonderful accommodations. (The couple even ran into singer Jack Johnson the day before their wedding!) Kristen and Eric had originally met at a winery, so it made perfect sense for everything to come full circle and for them to start off their marriage at a winery as well.

Kristen and Eric are two of just the sweetest people ever. Kristen always has this bubbly personality that lights up a room. And Eric has a reserved kindness that everybody wants to be around. The two of them together are magnetic! There’s a good height difference between these two, but Kristen slapped on some heels and bore a smile all day as she strutted through the rocky terrain for photos!

Kristen and Eric said their vows on a very hot and sunny day, but thankfully right before the two walked down the aisle, the sun went behind some clouds and a lovely breeze started. Kristen walked down the aisle in a stunning dress by Luly Yang. The couple performed a wine box unity ceremony, where they locked up a bottle of wine, and will open it at their 5^th anniversary. This was such a fun way to incorporate their venue and where their love all started.

After the couple said “I Do”, the guests proceeded to the other side of Cave B for drinking, dinner and dancing. The reception was held in what I’ve termed “the ring of trees”. If possible, the view was even more incredible and breathtaking to watch as the sun set. Kristen is a bride after my own heart and loves bling. Though she knew she wanted to incorporate this in very subtle ways, and that she did!

Kristen and Eric wanted everyone to have fun, and once that sun set, guests partied the night away with glow sticks! One of my favorite parts of destination weddings is the fact that the majority of your guests will stay until the very end of the reception. Nobody needs to hurry home and it’s a truly wonderful celebration!

I know Kristen and Eric will be celebrating for years to come!

Cheers you two!