HUE By Sarah Davidson

Madison, Milwaukee Wedding Planner

events

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

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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.

HUE 2021 Summer Round Up

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It brings me so much joy to officially report that this summer of 2021 has been busy, satisfying, and safe. While there continues to be a great deal of uncertainty about what the future brings, these past 18 months have certainly reinforced the need to live in the moment, so we’ve been doing just that.

Speaking of living in the moment, today we’re going to do a summer round up, featuring some personal and professional ventures of the past few months. Thanks in advance for coming along for the ride as we reflect on these recent adventures!

HUE’s first officiant role
When some of Sarah’s best friends needed a last-minute backup after their officiant could no longer make their destination wedding, she was honored to step into the role. Congrats Steph + AJ!

Weddings are BACK!
After over a year of cancellations, postponements, and restrictions that felt like they’d never end, we finally were able to execute our first few HUE weddings past post-Covid, and boy did it feel good. Thank you to Rachel + Logan, Franki + Brock, Abby + Tyler, and Whitney + David for putting your faith in us!

Explore Local
After a year without any major travel, we weren’t in a rush to fill the calendar back up right away. Instead, we opted to keep many of our free weekends low-key and explore locally. This included a day trip to Mt. Horeb, time on the lakes, drinks on the Terrace, and a spa trip to The Edgewater.

NACE Experience
But of course, that didn’t mean we didn’t do ANY travel 🙂 After being postponed in 2020, the NACE Experience Conference was back and better than ever, being held this year in fabulous Las Vegas!

We learned, we connected, and we celebrated THREE big wins for our local NACE Capital Area of Wisconsin Chapter, including Chapter of the Year!! Can’t wait until next year!
Networking and Coming Together with Friends
Finally, we filled the remainder of our time doing what we do best, building and maintaining relationships and friendships. This included attending the launch party of WIN and celebrating major industry milestones and work with The Tinsmith and The Eloise, two Madison-area venues with who we have become very close over the past year. Partnerships like all of these and more are the lifeblood of HUE and have been instrumental in getting us to where we are today.

We are excited about all of this and at the same time, watching and waiting to see what unfolds this fall. We are hopeful for the world to continue moving in a forward direction and at the same time realize another pivot may be required. Either way, we’re ready because “that’s not what you normally do”… is what we do.

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.

Michael + Lucie: Backyard Wedding – Milwaukee, WI

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Whenever a couple tells me that they plan to host their wedding at their own home, I always like to kindly ask them if they are sure about that 🙂 For all the reasons listed in our blog post about backyard weddings, it can be a huge undertaking that may or may not be worth the payoff in the end.

But when it’s done right, it can really be something magical. And let me tell you, Michael + Lucie did it RIGHT.

As the couple dressed for their special day, so too did they dress their home for the occasion. From table settings to food displays to lighting – attention to all the details added up into something perfect.
Introducing structure with different areas to encourage mingling added to the transformation. Thinking outside the box, literally, including outdoor lounges brought about multiple layers of comfort and style.

Congratulations Michael + Lucie!

The Dream Team: 
Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Photography: DJDAHL Photo
Catering: Hidden Kitchen MKE
Dessert: Miss Molly’s Cafe and Pastry Shop
Floral: Avenue Bloom
Vintage Rentals: Relics Rentals
Band: Professor Pinkerton and the Magnificents
Hair/Makeup: Beauty by Michelle Senuor

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.

Nina + Tommy: Fluno Center – Madison, WI

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U Rah Rah, Wisconsin! Today we’re diving back into the details of Nina and Tommy’s early June nuptials, the first wedding that we were lucky enough to be a part of at the Fluno Center, in the heart of UW-Madison’s campus. It was easy to tell how much love was in the room for these two!

Red and white vibrant hues of love and romance as well as UW colors were seen accented in their cake, ceremony, and all table accents on their special day. We find that floral arrangements made this wedding richer and brighter. Contrasting the deep wood of the interior with white linens, fabrics, and cake really made them stand out. Of course, the stars of any wedding are the family, friends and the happy couple!

Congrats Nina & Tommy! 

The Dream Team:
Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Photography: Lewis Photography
Venue: The Fluno Center
Florist: Sweet Pea Waunakee
Cake: Gigi’s Cupcakes
Rentals: Madison Party Rental
DJ: Jukebox Bandstand
String Trio for Ceremony: Lucia String Quartet
Transportation: Gallant Knight Limo

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.

Destination Weddings: Is it for You? (Throwback)

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Hey friends!

May has been INSANE in the land of HUE, as we maneuver through our local area finally reopening post-Covid, engage in tons of cool project-based work, and in general launch into our busy season. Due to all of that, I’m taking the opportunity to again throwback on today’s blog to a topic near and dear to my heart. 

There’s a few reasons I chose this one:

  1. I’m headed down right this moment to my friend’s destination wedding in the Dominican Republic <3
  2. Kevin and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary this week of our own destination wedding <3

Considering nuptials outside the US of A? Read on to learn more about if it’s right for you!

_________________

It was January 2012 and I was on a trip to San Diego. My boyfriend (now husband) and I were strolling along the beach with the iconic Hotel del Coronado background, and I remember that being the first moment that having a destination wedding crossed my mind. I couldn’t help but be entranced by crashing waves, warm temperatures, and walking alongside the guy I was fairly certain I would end up with. I was hooked, and from there knew that one day I would get married on a beach.

It definitely took some convincing and was not a decision we made lightly. Destination weddings can be just as expensive (if not more) than a traditional wedding and no matter how you approach it, you’re immediately putting a lot of pressure on your guests. Traveling is as natural as breathing in both of our families, so luckily both sets of parents were immediately on board. There were many others to consider though – grandparents who could not travel easily, and friends who didn’t have a ton of disposable income to drop on a big trip. In the end, we decided to still do the destination and ended up with about 25 people at the beautiful El Dorado Royale, but also had a full-blown traditional reception at home, so we were able to celebrate with everyone that we loved.

There are hundreds of other “destinations” out there besides the beach. My cousin is getting married this year on a cruise ship through the Bahamas. My colleagues have clients getting married at castles in Ireland. And hey, Vegas is just as classic as it ever was. My point is, if you’re not sure about the traditional wedding setting, you’ve got options!

Some ways to help control the costs for your guests is to research travel deals, offer various activities they can say yes and no to, and make a no gifts policy. And know in the end that you need to be a very understanding host if some guests can’t swing it, but also know the people that matter will be there. You will (hopefully) only have one wedding in your life, and you have the right to do it how you want.

If this something you are considering, I would recommend putting thought into the following areas before booking:

  • Why do you want a destination wedding? Are you just not happy with your available options, or are you truly excited about this one? Do you think it will be cheaper? (Because it’s usually not). For all the reasons listed above and more, you want to make sure you’re choosing this for the right reasons. No matter how you go about it, there are bound to be some hurt feelings from those who either cannot partake or are not invited, so make sure you are prepared to have conversations with them as needed.
  • How do you feel about wedding planning? Destination weddings attract many people at first because they think it will be much easier to plan, but unless it’s just the two of you leaving to elope, that’s probably not the case. There are just as many, if not more, logistics to coordinate and the potential for higher stress levels. I would highly recommend considering hiring a travel agent or wedding planner that works specifically in the destination wedding market, or discussing with your chosen venue their available staffing and options.
  • How meaningful is the actual ceremony to you? Depending on your destination, you might have to jump through a lot of hopes to obtain a legitimate marriage license. Many locations outside of the USA actually recommend that couples even get legally married at a courthouse before traveling, leaving the on-site ceremony to be purely symbolic.

I wouldn’t change anything about our wedding and will always recommend considering destination weddings to those with whom it could be a good fit. At the end of the day, no matter where you get married and no matter who is there, it will be the best day of your life. Make sure it is the best reflection of YOU that it can be!