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Madison, Milwaukee Wedding Planner

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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

Michael + Lucie: Backyard Wedding – Milwaukee, WI

August 4, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

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.

Filed Under: Practical Planning, Real Events By HUE, Vendors We Love Tagged With: backyard party, backyard wedding, events, floral, milwaukee, milwaukee weddings, outdoor wedding, planning, rentals, vendor, vendors, wedding, wedding advice, wedding decor, wedding design, wedding dinner, wedding planning, wedding vendor, weddings, wisconsin, wisconsin wedding, wisconsin weddings

Considerations for your 2021 and 2022 Wedding

July 21, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Weddings are BACK here in Wisconsin and coming in bigger and better than ever. Hosts and guests alike are all overjoyed to be together after a long year apart and things have picked up right where they left off.

Photography: Paul Gero

As people start to plan again though, there are many new timing considerations that need to be made, especially to secure your dream team of vendors that will work to execute your vision. After sitting dormant in 2020, demand for event services is now higher than ever, forcing many couples, as well as vendors, to reevaluate what is most important to them as they are moving forward. Given this, some advice from us:

If your wedding is still in 2021

  • If you still have anything or anyone that you need to book, DO IT NOW. At this point we’re seeing many vendors with closed availability through at least the fall, if not longer, thanks to all the postponements from 2020 into 2021. And we’re not only talking about small businesses like photographers, planners, etc. Even large businesses with great capacity such as rental companies are stretched thin.
  • Given the above, be prepared to be flexible. You may need to bend on either vision or pricing depending on your situation. That being said, there are always creative solutions that exist!
  • Continue to have grace with your guests, and be understanding about any feelings or concerns that may still linger about the safety of gathering in a large group.

If your wedding is in 2022

  • We recommend booking things sooner rather than later. There were quite a few postponements also from 2021 into 2022, as well as people who got engaged in 2020 that waited to start planning until they knew things were safe. In our area of Southern Wisconsin, typically booking vendors a year in advance is enough time to get who you want, but at this point you more likely need to be booking 15-18 months in advance to have that assurance.
  • If you have not yet set a date or booked a venue, consider that you may have more flexibility and feel less pressured by setting a date in 2023 instead, if that is an option.

Moral of the story – the time to plan is now! Additionally, sending out those Save the Dates will be more important than ever, with everyone’s calendars starting to quickly get full again. We always recommend sending those out 6-8 months before your wedding date.

Photography: Katie Ricard

Are you currently planning a wedding and experiencing what we’ve detailed above? Drop your comments below!

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, Sincerely Sarah, Vendors We Love Tagged With: calligraphy, madison, madison wedding, madison weddings, save the dates, vendor, vendors, wedding, wedding 2021, wedding 2022, wedding advice, wedding date, wedding planning, wedding vendor, weddings, wisconsin, wisconsin wedding, wisconsin weddings

Madeline + Ben: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art – Madison, WI

July 7, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Summer is heeeere and we’re feeling good, especially as we reminisce on Madeline + Ben’s contemporary wedding day in the heart of our beautiful city. Pups? Peonies? Prosecco? What more could you want!

Make way for bright and inviting hues at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art! The greenery, light brown wood paired with the white and light pink peonies transformed and softened this contemporary venue both for the rooftop ceremony and reception. The reception included an abundance of natural light through huge windows overlooking Madison. 

Now let’s talk about the food that went with that prosecco, catered by Fresco. Hand-passed hors d-oerves, decadent dessert, and dancing all under the same roof (more like on the roof!).

Congrats Madeline + Ben!

The Dream Team:
Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Venue: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
Catering: Fresco 
Photography: Heather Cook Elliott
Rentals: A La Crate
Floral: Daffodil Parker
Strings: Yahara String Quartet
DJ: C’est La Vie
Hair: Bella Station

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: contemporary, contemporary wedding, flowers, madison, madison wedding, madison weddings, vendor, vendors, wedding, wedding decor, wedding design, wedding planning, wedding vendor, weddings, wisconsin wedding, wisconsin weddings

Hiring Friends and Family as Vendors – When to Take Advantage and When to Say No Way!

May 9, 2018 By Sarah Davidson

So your aunt is a florist, or your cousin plays the violin. Maybe you work at a new restaurant that wants to get into catering, or you have a friend dabbling with wedding photography. If you’re planning a wedding and have a need for any of these items, you might be ready to make that ask. One reason could be that it’s a nice way to include them, but you also can’t help but hope you’ll get a better price than you would hiring a third party.

Before going that route we urge you to please STOP and reconsider, as it may be more trouble than it’s worth.

Photo: Tim Fitch Photography

While you might be very chill and easygoing when it comes to your wedding, anyone that will be providing a service to you will want to make sure they are doing the best they can. For a hired vendor, that relationship is easy. You have already paid them or signed a contract for the requested amount that their service is valued at. If they are a good business, they pride themselves in doing well and are also working for your good review and recommendation upon completion. While you may connect personally, it is still a transaction.

When you want to work with a friend or family member however, things can start to get gray. As stated earlier, it’s highly likely that you’re hoping to get a discount by using their services. Off the bat this can put them in a tough situation. If this something that the do for a living, there is likely a well thought out science behind their pricing, and going much lower than that may make it difficult to pull things off well. Additionally, as a business they may get another inquiry that’s willing to pay full price on the same date as yours, which is not always ideal to turn down.

If they are making less to no money from your business, that may also push you down on the priority list. Depending on where you are at in your planning process, that may not be a big deal. However a slower response time than other vendors may bring out some frustrations and headaches. Especially when a certain expectation has been set by everyone else you’re working with. Or it could go the other way, where they’re driving you crazy with questions on what you want exactly, because they don’t want to let you down. It’s hard to address these frustrations though, because you don’t want to make your personal relationship weird either.

Photo: Alexandria Odekirk Photography

While people who are “dabbling” in the industry do need to start somewhere, please have a full understanding of what you are getting into when bringing them on as your vendors. Does your friend who photographs architecture know how important it is to build and stick to an itinerary for the day? Is the new Jamaican restaurant in town prepared for the 200 plates of dinner to sit an extra 20 minutes because he didn’t stick to the timeline? Does your cousin who’s a club DJ know how to vamp when everyone is starving, waiting for their dinner? Maybe, but do you really want to test this out at your wedding?

Finally, do you really want these people to have to be working at your wedding, or would you rather have them enjoy it as guests??

So when does it make sense to take advantage of a talented person in your life? We’d recommend the following:

  1. When the person makes the offer to you explicitly, without you asking. For example, they say “If you want, I’d love to take care of your bouquets for you if you just buy the flowers”. You know what their limit is, you know what the cost is, they understand the scope of work and no one has to feel uncomfortable.
  2. When it very clearly falls in the no stress/more of a favor zone. Your talented violinist friend is probably fine playing 1-2 songs during your ceremony, but asking him to play the entire thing with music before and after without pay isn’t really fair.
  3. Helping with something ahead of time that doesn’t require an effort by them on the wedding day. Examples of this could be stationery or favors, where you’re flexible to work together on your own schedules and they can very much be a guest at your wedding.

The right answer will be different for everyone, and we know you’ll figure it out too. Happy planning!

Filed Under: Lessons Learned, Practical Planning, Vendors We Love Tagged With: events, planning, vendor, vendors, weddings

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