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Madison, Milwaukee Wedding Planner

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ceremony

Johanna + Mike: Madison Children’s Museum – Madison, WI

September 1, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Johanna + Mike were one of the sweetest couples who were married and one of the sweetest venues, Madison Children’s Museum of course! We enjoyed everything about these two, from how relaxed they were in planning to how much fun they were excited to have at this playful venue. 

Weddings are known for pomp and circumstance. This couple embraced that their union was a cause for a no-holds-bar celebration! Glamming up classic fun food, the space, and even utilizing the Lego Wall for their guests. 

If I had to choose one phrase that embodies this wedding, it would be:
A family that plays together stays together! 

Congrats Johanna + Mike!

The Dream Team:

Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Venue: Madison Children’s Museum
Catering: Eldorado Grill
Desserts: Bloom Bake Shop
Bar: The Roman Candle
Photography: K. Rosales Photography 
Floral: HyVee
DJ: Saturn’s 8 DJ
Hair + Makeup: Arch

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.

Filed Under: Practical Planning, Real Events By HUE, Vendors We Love Tagged With: ceremony, dessert, events, floral, madison, Reception, vendor, vendors, venue, wedding, wedding ceremony, wedding planning, weddings, wisconsin, wisconsin wedding, wisconsin weddings

Alexandria + Nathan: Caribou Bay Retreat – Coloma, WI

April 28, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

A blog 3.5 years in the making, Alexandria and Nathan, I am SO excited to finally share the details of your beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods wedding!!

Alexandria and I first met back in 2017 at a different wedding where I was the coordinator and she was the photographer. At that wedding, when all the vendors were hanging out and eating dinner together she asked for my card, so she could reach out when she started to make her own wedding plans. And then low and behold, she actually did! I was ecstatic! 

Although the weather was touch and go — it was literally about to rain the entire day — everything was able to go on as planned! And oh there were several fabulous things planned for their big day. Their dog, Kida, was a stunning ring bearer with a gorgeous floral collar and Nathan’s mom expertly sewed Alexandria’s dress herself.

After the ceremony, celebrations commenced and the party truly started. No one went hungry between great Wisconsin fare from Moose Inn Supper Club and pie for dessert, provided Nathan’s Grandma Carol.

By the way, these two are trained ballroom dancers, so for their first dance they pulled out all the stops — wardrobe change, dance moves, and all. It was crazy fun to watch!

Congrats Alexandria and Nathan!

The Dream Team:
Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Photography: Brooke Alania
Videography: Bella Hill
Venue: Caribou Bay Retreat
Catering: Moose Inn Supper Club
DJ: You Had Me at I Do
Beauty: Kasha Rodig
Rentals: Wautoma Rentals

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.

Filed Under: Practical Planning, Real Events By HUE, Vendors We Love Tagged With: ceremony, event planning, events, guests, madison, madison wedding, madison weddings, milwaukee, outdoor wedding, planning, small business, small business owner, vendor, wedding, wedding decor, wedding design, wedding planning, weddings, wisconsin, wisconsin wedding, wisconsin weddings

Bianca + Jeffrey: The Lageret – Stoughton, WI

January 20, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Looking back now and knowing that destiny was only going to let me coordinate one wedding in all of 2020, I AM so lucky I had the chance for it to be Bianca and Jeffrey’s!

Scheduled for a Leap Day wedding, this adorable couple had their own set of wedding planning challenges they had to work through, even before Covid rocked our world. They were victims of the closure of Noah’s Event Venue in early 2020 and were left without a venue just three weeks before their wedding. Never fear though, as our event community is fierce when it comes to supporting our couples, and with a big thanks to Dana from Wedding Planner + Guide, they were able to secure The Lageret as a beautiful backup location. With the location change, I was honored to step in to make sure no other surprises ensued, so these two could finally relax, enjoy, and celebrate.

If there aren’t photos and videos to prove it – did it really happen? Good thing East Elm Photography as well as Sotography Productions were there capturing the memories created during my favorite wedding this past year.

The happy couple’s reception was professionally prepared and displayed by Upstairs Downstairs. Decadent desserts including a three-tiered wedding cake and assorted cupcakes were baked and designed by Mia Stav Cakes.

Rich, warm hues were an ode to this former tobacco warehouse with event decor provided by Event Essentials, highlighting the historical Stoughton venue. 

Saving the best for last, since what truly makes weddings magical is the community involved to create lasting memories. Bianca and Jeffrey’s family and friends came together to provide their ceremony coordination, grazing table, floral arrangements, and table decor.

Congrats Bianca and Jeffrey!

The Dream Team:

Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Photography: East Elm Photography
Videography: Sotography Productions
Venue: The Lageret
Catering: Upstairs Downstairs
Desserts: Mia Stav Cakes
Rentals: Event Essentials
Ceremony Coordination, Grazing Table, + Floral/Table Decor: Bianca & Jeffrey’s Community
Special Shout Out: Dana from Wedding Planner + Guide

Filed Under: Real Events By HUE Tagged With: ceremony, dinner, event planning, events, flowers, madison wedding, madison weddings, planning, Reception, rentals, vendor, wedding, wedding decor, wedding design, wedding planning, weddings, wisconsin, wisconsin wedding, wisconsin weddings

Guest Phone Use During Your Ceremony (And How to Breathe Through It)

February 7, 2018 By Sarah Davidson

From Loni:

An interesting topic that has come up more than once is a couple asking how to politely ask guests to not use their cellphones during the ceremony in a way that actually makes them not use their cellphones during the ceremony.

You just paid a few thousand (and some upwards of $5,000 or more) on your wedding photographer, while someone else just ruined the shot by sticking their iPad out in the aisle. Or, you also just paid another considerable sum of money on your venue, chairs, and decor, not to mention you’re in the middle of getting married right now, and someone forgot to put their phone on complete silence (or just turn it off). Now their ringtone is blaring loudly causing a distraction during what should be a moment about YOU.

Photo: Joe and Jen Photo

Here are some suggestions for you to kindly ask them to PUT. THE. PHONE. AWAY.

  • Make your expectations clear with those closest to you so they can politely remind others when appropriate.
  • Put a note on your wedding programs asking for guests to kindly refrain from using their phones during the ceremony and to double check they are on silent and turned off.
  • Put a note on your wedding programs asking for guests to kindly refrain from using their phones during the ceremony and to double check they are on silent or turned off.
  • Ask your officiant to make an announcement before the ceremony begins.
  • Ask your DJ or band to make an announcement before important moments.
  • Completely freak on the first person who whips out their phone to set the tone for everyone else (kidding, you probably shouldn’t do that.. but it’s your wedding!)

And importantly, know that you cannot control everything, even when you should be able to, so go into the day with a positive attitude because that’s best you can do! Enjoy every minute of your wedding, even if your well-meaning aunt or cousin does exactly what you asked them to not do 🙂

Featured Photo: DJDahl Photo

Filed Under: Lessons Learned, Practical Planning Tagged With: ceremony, events, guest behavior, planning, unplugged ceremony, weddings

Ceremony & Reception Venues: Split It Up or All In One Place?

August 3, 2016 By Sarah Davidson

Your officiant is up front, the music starts, and all eyes turn as you as you walk down the aisle.. but what surrounds you? Is it a beautifully landscaped garden or field? Or the church in the town where you grew up? Later on in the evening, where have you chosen to set the scene? Is it an elegant downtown ballroom or an enchanted escape out in the countryside? There’s no right answer here, but what I’m really getting at is how to decide if you’ll multi-purposed the same venue for everything or choose a few stops throughout the day. There are pros and cons for each side – so let’s dive in!

With the increasing popularity of unique venues has come the increasing popularity of keeping everything all in one spot. There are many reasons to do this, the most logical thing being that it’s simply the easiest. Many of your guests come from out of town and the less wandering and driving you ask them to do in an unfamiliar area, the better it is for everyone. Plus you don’t need to worry about coming up with ideas for your guests to occupy themselves as they wait a few hours in between ceremony and reception, because the party can get started pretty much straight away. There is so much emotion and joy at the end of a ceremony, and usually it’s fun for everyone to just keep the momentum going and break into the bubbly!

Photo: Thrive Photography & Films

Another factor is that you can typically get a lot more bang for your buck by keeping everything in one place. Many venues charge either no fee or a very small fee to have the ceremony on-site as well, if you are already having the reception in the space. However, if you book a space just for the ceremony, there is likely to be a standard booking fee. If you like your reception venue already, it’s worth considering holding the ceremony there was well just to save you some dough and then have one less vendor to coordinate with.

This is all being said, separate venues is by no means an old tradition or outdated in any way. I typically see people either split it up for sentimental reasons or the setting. For example, my sister held her ceremony at my grandmother’s church, the church where my parents got married as well. That is where she dreamed of her wedding to be for many years and obviously is a very meaningful location to our entire family. Even though it’s a 30 minute drive from the reception hall, and there’s a bit of a gap between the two, no one is making any sort of fuss about it.

The other trend I often see is couples wanting a beautiful outdoor ceremony, but not wanting to have to worry about the weather for the entirety of the evening. Having the ceremony in a garden or park, but moving indoors afterwards gives them the perfect dose of nature, without too many of the repercussions.

Photo: Audre Rae Photography

One of the biggest factors to consider when making this decision is actually your day-of timeline and photography. Is it important to you that you don’t see each other before the ceremony, or are you okay with taking all your photos before everything gets started? Usually formal photos with the couple and wedding party will take 1-2 hours minimum and a lot of people have started making use of the time before their ceremony to do these so you can all enjoy the reception as well, especially if it’s starts immediately after the ceremony. If you don’t want to see each other before the ceremony however, you’ll need to have time for these afterwards, which may mean missing a good chunk of your reception. Plus, sometimes it’s just fun to cruise around with the wedding party to enjoy each other’s company before seeing everyone else!

There’s no right answer here, but hopefully I’ve left you with a few things to chew on as you make this decision. If you’re already married, which way did you go? Feel free to sound off below!

Featured Photo: Anda Marie Photgraphy

Filed Under: Practical Planning Tagged With: ceremony, church, events, outdoor wedding, Reception, wedding ceremony, weddings

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