Artful Affairs
 
Artful Affairs recently orchestrated a success 430 person wedding for a couple we have grown to adore!   The nuptials were a three part celebration, beginning with a traditional Vietnamese engagement where the groom and his family ask for the bride's hand in marriage with her family present.  The affair is complete with delicious foods, colorful cultural garments, and loved ones abound. 

Let the planning begin!  As many couples today, the lovebirds began booking venues and vendors, taste testing, and picking flowers, but  they understood the importance of bringing in a professional.  They had seen, all too often at weddings that lacked a planner, the disorganization and/or stress that could fill the air.  They did not want this for their day.  They wanted a professional to bring the puzzle pieces together to make the statement they had dreamed about and more importantly to relieve each other and their families of the STRESS that can come with such important events.  They came to Artful Affairs with the request of a Partial Service Package.  Three months before their wedding date we were brought on board.  

At the first meeting we discuss what they had already accomplished and what was still needed to make this wedding unique to their love and union.  At the on-site walk through we planned the vendor logistics, negotiated the menu, etc...  At the floral vendor meeting the bride was not happy with the centerpieces she originally selected.  The florist was wonderful, and we were able to give her two alternative options based on her likes and dislikes, one of which she chose; it looked fantastic and ended up saving her a couple of hundreds of dollars! 

With every crystal that was hung on the Manzanita trees that would line the foyer as guests entered the reception, the date grew near and soon the festivities began.

The first weekend there was a Laotian Wedding Ceremony to honor the groom’s heritage; the following weekend, to honor the bride’s heritage, a church ceremony and reception to follow.  

We attended the rehearsal to meet the “VIPs” letting them know if there were questions or problems during the ceremony or reception to go to the Artful Affairs consultants, not the restaurant manager, not the mother-of-the-bride, not the bride, but the professionals.   During rehearsal we assist the family as they took direction from the church coordinator and deacon. Taking note of the wedding processional, speeches, flower girls, etc...on the day-of, we helped to make the event seamless by attending to the details: making sure the parents of the bride and groom stayed hydrated, fixing dresses and boutonnieres,  making sure the children had their flowers, and assisting the photographer with locating family members for the church photos. 

After the church ceremony, the wedding party snuck away to take photos, and the bride and groom’s families went home to host out of town guests and rests until the evening reception.  We headed to the reception site where we transform a restaurant into a luxurious, awe inspiring affair.  Two hours until show-time and there were vendors, vendors, and vendors- arriving and setting-up.  

 
The drapes went up, the lighting sparkled, and the table décor inviting.  430 guests begin arriving as well as the wedding party. The bartender is skilled, and the candy and fruit buffet are a hit!  The bride and groom are elated and express how amazing everything looks.  Soon cheers and applause welcome the newlyweds and the celebration continues with a Vietnamese nine course meal,  traditional table greetings by the wedding party, toasts, cake cutting, singing by the father-of-the-bride, and dancing…at the end of the night, the bride and groom are happy and stress-free, everyone is happy and stress-free,  what more can you ask for on your wedding day as you start your life together? 
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