Blog Posts

Valentine's Day

2/14/2018

I can't believe we are already half way through February... we are going to be in the middle of wedding season before we know it. But, here we are on Valentine's Day. A day that I have a love/hate relationship with! Maybe "hate" is a little strong so let's say a bit of a dislike...

Of course, today should be about love and expressing that to your significant other (or maybe someone new) but I have always felt there is so much pressure on this one day. You can feel you need to buy the best flowers or the best gift or make reservations at the best restaurant (which you could usually go to the night before or the night after and save some money!). And what happens if you are in a relationship but don't get something or if you aren't in a relationship and all you see are the "happy" people in relationships around you and you feel left out. My personal feelings about expressions of love are they are best when they don't feel forced.,, surprise me with something on a random day and I'm loving that more than when it's supposed to be coming.

Now, I'm sure there are arguments for Valentine's day that are totally valid as well. And like I said, I have a love/hate relationship so here's the part I think is great (other than the fact that I met my husband on Valentine's Day... but that's maybe a story for another day!). I like the idea that perhaps it sends a little nudge of confidence to someone to declare feelings for someone else. I like that it can make spending some quality time with your loved ones, whether it be a significant other or your best friends, a priority. With our hectic lives sometimes the personal interaction is lacking and we can always use a reminder to slow down and make those plans rather than just talking about them.

I'll probably wear something with hearts today and enjoy some chocolate but remind myself that the most important person you have to love is yourself. Regardless of your relationship status, 'married', 'single' or 'it's complicated', I hope you have a great day... and don't forget to go buy the same candy at 50% off tomorrow. I love a good deal! :)

Let me know what you think about Valentine's day!

Sara

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Wedding planning... where to start??

1/31/2018

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If you are newly engaged, first of all a huge congratulations... second, when it comes to planning, the very first thing you and your partner need to decide on is a budget that you are both comfortable with. The budget dictates EVERYTHING and if you start with something else it could cause some problems down the line. Say you book your venue before really looking at the budget then you come to realize that you can't afford to feed all the guests you want to invite based on the menus available to you. You might have to skimp where you didn't want to or be forced to cut the guest list more than you wanted to.

So, budget first, then guest list and then venue. Of course your guest count can (and will) change from the first version of it but you also don't want to have a list with 120 guests if you end up booking a venue first that only holds 100. Trust me, you can't squeeze that many more people in... legally, the venue or fire department could shut you down which would really ruin the night, but also, your guests will be miserable if they are shoved in like sardines!

A little more about the budget... while the spreadsheets you can find online are awesome to help figure out approximately how much you should spend on each item please remember that these are generic sheets and not every category will fit your specific needs or wants. I always suggest to clients to choose the top three things that are important to them for their wedding and work from there. Maybe the food, and open bar and the DJ are the big things to you. Work your budget so that you can get what you want in those areas and then fill in the rest. If your dream look or theme is a ton of candles rather than flowers then what it says on the spreadsheet in regards to flowers will probably be too much. You can then move that money to the decor portion to fit in the extra candles you will need. Basically, don't let a spreadsheet dictate your wedding! I always want my clients to stay on budget (it's one of the best ways to stay stress free) but play around with where the money will go until it suits you best.

For more planning advice, send me an email at sara@createweddingsandevents.com to set up your complimentary consultation.

Happy planning, everyone!

Sara

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Christine and Alex's Vancouver wedding

1/15/2018

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Photo by Kaho Photography

Christine and Alex got married on a sunny, October day (those actually exist in Vancouver!). Their ceremony and reception were both held at Shaughnessy Restaurant at VanDusen Gardens. The ceremony space was covered so other than maybe being a bit cold, if it were to rain, everyone would still be dry. However, with access to the gardens we still had our fingers crossed for decent weather for outdoor photos. Christine had a really great outlook though and wasn't hoping for anything in particular. She knew that you can never count on the weather and was just a laid back bride in general... ready to go with the flow. Roy, from KAHO Photography, really took advantage of the sun though and got some stunning sunset shots as evidenced above.

The day arrived, and as I said, it was gorgeous. We had access to the restaurant after their brunch service and we began the setup. Flowers from Southland Farm Market were delivered and they were beautiful! The fall colours stood out against Christine's white dress and the white linens on the tables.

Alex, the groom, had one request when it came to decor. He wanted jelly beans as the table runners and boy were they a HIT! The guests loved them and the bonus was one less thing to clean up at the end of the night! Also, pretty cost efficient.

Christine is a pastry chef and made the cake (also decorated with flowers from Southland) and the guest favours. For these, she made chocolates and WOW!!!! They were amazing. There were two flavours... sour cherry with coconut and caramel with coffee ganache. If you know me, you know how much I love both caramel and coffee so this was a perfect combo for me... I could have eaten multiples!

I've worked in both other reception locations at Van Dusen (the Great Hall inside and the Floral Hall which is a separate building) but this was my first time at Shaughnessy Restaurant. Christine and I went for a site visit earlier on and both the service and food was great that day so I knew we were in good hands. Alex's side of the family is Russian so he and Christine chose a menu of Russian food options, including borscht and Beef Stroganoff. It was a plated menu and being that it was at a restaurant, the bonus was the guests didn't need to pre-order. Servers came around during cocktail hour and started taking orders then. Such an amazing stress reliever for the bride and groom when they don't have to be chasing guests for their food choices in the weeks before the wedding.

After dinner, guests were able to dance the night away with music by Mat the DJ. We have worked together multiple times over the past year and a half and always have a great time together. The weddings we have done have always had very diverse crowds and he never has a problem playing for everyone.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about any of the vendors or what was planned please feel free to contact me.

Happy planning!

Sara

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Hi there! (Meet your wedding planner)

1/3/2018

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Griffin and I in NYC- August 2017

As we enter a new year, I figured it was time to introduce myself. It's been a while and I know there are those who don't know much about me past the wedding planning job and what's in my "About Me" section.

So, hi there! My name is Sara Jones and on top of being a wedding planner and coordinator I'm a wife to Jason and a mommy to Griffin. Jason and I met in 2009 and got married in 2016 (which reminds me that I should do a final blog post about my wedding experience as a planner!). Griffin just turned three on December 27th and really is the light of our lives. He makes us laugh and smile every day and has a personality that is so infectious. He loves everyone and has been fussed over by strangers basically every day of his life, not to mention all of our friends and family!

Running your own business isn't always easy and the year that I was pregnant with him was my busiest yet as a wedding planner. I was also working a full time job and for some reason wasn't using assistants yet (seriously, what the heck was I thinking?!). The first year after he was born, I worked with seven couples and two of my best friends got married. It was more than enough to keep me busy with a newborn but what I had forgotten about was planning forward and working on booking more clients for the following year when I was off of maternity leave. I'm still not quite back at the level I was before Griffin was born in regards to the number of weddings each year but that's not always a bad thing. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from having him is how important time is. Every client meeting, vendor meeting, site visit and wedding day is time away from him and while I want to be successful in my career (and need to be to help pay bills!) I also want to make sure that 1) there is a balance and 2) that the work I am doing is being valued and that the clients and vendors I'm working with are getting the best out of me. I can say that I have been guilty in the past of working for next to nothing and while there are exceptions to every rule, this is the thing that has changed most in my business since becoming a mom.

Other than weddings and my family, there are two other loves in my life that anyone who has met me in person only a few times will probably know... coffee and hockey. Most mornings begin with me making coffee at home in our French press (with Griffin's help of course... he actually learned to count to ten by helping me... no joke!), and it's not unusual for me to take my laptop to Starbucks and work for a few hours while sipping on either a caramel macchiato (January to beginning of November) or eggnog lattes (beginning of November to whenever the sad day comes that they tell me they are out of them for the year). Eggnog lattes are probably currently running through my veins. I love talking weddings over a cup of coffee so call me or email me any time, whether you are planning your own or are a vendor and want to chat. I'm also one of those rare unicorns that can drink coffee any time of the day or night and then fall asleep immediately so it's also not unusual for Griffin to go to bed and then me make a cup and do some more work in the evening.

And then, there's hockey... specifically Vancouver Canucks hockey (but I'm also watching Canada play in the World Junior Championships as I write this... I love this time of year!). I have been a Canucks fan since before I can remember and one of my greatest dreams come true was becoming a season ticket holder. I've had a ticket package since 2003 and worked my way up to full season about eight years ago. Thankfully, Griffin seems to really enjoy the games and he loves coming with me to watch and of course see Fin (their mascot) cause he will be spending many nights at Rogers Arena! It also works out quite well that the majority of wedding season and hockey season are during different times of the year!

When it comes to weddings, I love watching them take on the personalities and traits of each individual couple. I get to take part in so many different styles which is the greatest. I don't want everything to always be the same because that's when it gets boring. One weekend I can be at a golf course and the next I can be on a farm so this is a job that never gets old. I also get to work in an environment that is all about love and celebration with friends and family and who wouldn't want to be surrounded by smiles and laughter (with some happy tears) for their jobs.

I hope this post has taught you a little something about me. If you ever want to get together for coffee just let me know (you know I'll love it!).

Happy planning,
Sara

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Traci and Andrew's Squamish wedding

12/15/2017

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After Kaitlin and Dane's wedding at Cheakamus Centre in June, I was really excited to go back and coordinate Traci and Andrew's wedding. In fact, Traci and Andrew contacted me through a referral from Kaitlin (thanks again for that!). I can't stress how important referrals are to me, not just for business reasons, but also because it means that the clients are really appreciating the job that I am doing for them.

Unlike the first time I was at Cheakamus Centre though, this wedding day ended up having some rain which unfortunately meant that we had to move the ceremony spot to the back up plan. It keeps everything and everyone covered and dry but at least it is outside to still get the west coast feel. I have to say that the sound of the rain on the trees was pretty amazing. Traci and Andrew did a first look earlier in the day and even though they needed to use umbrellas, they were troopers and the professional photos from Melissa Baker of Bake Photography are amazing. Thankfully, after the ceremony the rain stopped (in fact right about dinner time there was blue sky... of course!) and they could do their family photos outside to take advantage of the natural backdrop that the venue provides.

The couple, along with their family, took advantage of being able to rent out the venue on the Friday night and did all of the decor set up that night. On Saturday, the only thing that needed to be put out were the flowers from Billies Flower House and the cutting cake and cupcakes from Sweet Jeanie's Cake Co. As you can see from above, the flowers were gorgeous although that's not surprising from Alanna and her team at Billies. They completely transformed the ceremony arch with their arrangements (which we then used for the head table during the reception) and some blush pink fabric provided by Traci's mom. I was so in love with the look I didn't want to take it down!

The ceremony music was provided by a string quartet from V & G Entertainment and the ceremony was officiated by Michele Davidson from Modern Celebrant. If you are looking for a fun, meaningful ceremony that celebrates who you are as a couple and gets the guests involved please check out a celebrant. It means that you have some (or maybe quite a bit) of work to do beforehand in regards to providing the information the celebrant needs to write the ceremony but to me the end result is always worth it. It is so meaningful and I guarantee that your family and friends will most likely even learn something new about you both. And, isn't the entire wedding about celebrating your story anyway?

One very important thing to remember after choosing your wedding date is to check out if there are any major celebrations or events (other than your wedding :) of course) happening in the area that could affect traffic and your guests or vendors from arriving on time. In this case, the Gran Fondo, a bike race from downtown Vancouver to Whistler was happening on this date and it shuts down all lanes of the Sea to Sky Highway northbound for varying parts of the day. When your venue is along this route it can cause a few problems but Traci and Andrew made sure to inform all of their guests well in advance and the vendors took a lot of precautions as well. Whenever I'm doing a wedding in Squamish I'm lucky enough to get to stay with my parents so I left their house that day as soon as the highway had some partial openings. I knew I would arrive much earlier than needed but I'd much rather be safe than sorry... plus, I got the opportunity to do some Instagram stories and respond to emails. Neither of those things do I typically get to do on a wedding day!

The guests all made it in time for the ceremony and the weather even started cooperating for family photo time. The guests enjoyed cocktail hour with passed hors d'ouevres, more music from V & G and games rented from Bespoke Decor. Guests then moved into the main reception area where Man About Town played the night away.

If you have any questions about the vendors involved or want some more information feel free to contact me!

Happy planning,
Sara

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Linda and Alex's Vancouver wedding

12/1/2017

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I met Linda and Alex in January 2016 after they found me through one of the local wedding Facebook pages. They were looking to get married in the summer of 2017 and we we were going to plan it all together.

The first order of business was finding a venue that fit the guest count and of course the budget. I'll have an upcoming blog post on the importance of this so watch for it! We went for a few site visits and they ended up deciding upon Marine Drive Golf Club. Alex's uncle is a member there so they were able to get a member discount (this is not something available at all venues but it's a great perk... doesn't hurt to ask if any of your friends and family are members anywhere!). This venue also had the option to have the ceremony and reception in one place and an indoor option for the ceremony in case of bad weather. The date was in late July so rain isn't something you want to think about and we ended up having such a beautiful summer in Vancouver.. until we got to July 22nd! After weeks of sunshine, I arrived at the venue at noon and it was raining. The staff quickly pulled the chairs undercover so we could keep things dry and see what happened over the next few hours until we had to make the ultimate decision. Thankfully, the rain went away, the patio quickly dried and the decorator was able to set up.

The first look was a bit of a different story. It was happening at VanDusen Gardens during the time that it was raining. Holy smokes though... make sure to check out Joanna Moss Photography to see the amazing photos they were able to get. It included ducking in and out of cover but the way Linda and Alex were looking at each other you would have no clue that the weather was slightly less than ideal. Rather than the rain, all I heard about when they were back was how much fun they had with Joanna as well as their videographers from Capture Productions.

The decorator, Wanda, is a friend of Linda's and owns Decor Haus Events and provided both decor and flowers. She also arranged for the personalized dance floor vinyl wrap which really finished the room off.

BU Letters provided the five foot LOVE marquee letters which were such a hit throughout the night. They were great ceremony decor but then as it started to get darker they were the perfect backdrop for photos. Inside, Dang Good Booths provided another great backdrop and fun props with their photobooth and prints for guests to take home.

This was such a fun wedding to plan. In the middle of it, Linda and Alex added a new baby girl to their family to go along with her older sister. Who can say no to a meeting with an adorable baby involved?! The day of the wedding was just as great as we imagined (we didn't let that rain get us down... plus check out the clouds in the photo above... they were so cool!) and I got to hang with some really great vendors. We had so much fun during the day and at dinner and I can't tell you how awesome it is to have a job where you get to spend your time laughing and smiling the whole time.

If you have any questions about any of the vendors or want some more information please feel free to contact me.

Happy planning,
Sara

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Jo and Kirsty's Sea to Sky Gondola wedding

11/15/2017

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Jo and Kirsty are actually from England and planned their Sea to Sky Gondola wedding completely online and through email. They arrived a few days before their Wednesday wedding with 28 guests in tow, most from England. I finally got a chance to meet them the day before the wedding when we went up to check out the ceremony and reception areas. We went over the plans for their brunch, ceremony and lunch and how to set up the reception area. With the natural view and coming from England, they didn't have a lot of personal decor but they did make sure that the guest favors were all Canadian. Purdy's chocolates and Canadian tins of mints for everyone. I'm sure Purdy's has some new overseas fans.

The next day was just as beautiful and I headed up the gondola to meet up with their other vendors and get the reception area set up. Reuben from The Phonix came up to coordinate the music for the day and Sweet Jeanie's Cake Co. provided a lovely little cake for them.

The brides arrived via gondola and then it was time to for the ceremony. The suspension bridge offers a pretty original aisle to walk down and Will Pursell Photography and The Parks (videography) were able to get some stunning photos and footage.

After the ceremony, a caricature artist, Sarah Draws a Crowd, came to provide the guests with some entertainment and then they had an axe throwing contest which they had a trophy to give to the winner.

This is such a gorgeous venue and I was so pleased to be part of this wedding. I love seeing these come together when the couples have to plan from far away.

If you have any questions or want to know more please send me an email.

Happy planning!
Sara

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Kaitlin and Dane's Cheakamus Centre wedding

11/1/2017

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Kaitlin and Dane hired me for take down services of their wedding decor at the end of the night and then added on day of coordination services after some more thought. Obviously, I'm a little biased but I think that at least having a coordinator for your wedding day can really put your mind at ease (and not just a venue coordinator... but I'll get into that in another post one day! I've worked both positions so I really see the difference now).

This wedding was up in Squamish at the Cheakamus Centre. I've spent a lot of time in Squamish but this was my first time at this venue. It's so gorgeous. It feels like you are in the middle of nowhere (but with all of the amenities!) but you are only about ten minutes from Squamish. Guests can spend the night in Squamish or they can drive back to the city if they would like so the Sea to Sky is a fantastic option to look for a wedding venue. Anyway, back to this one... this is another venue that has multiple options for the ceremony that once again is such a relief when you don't have to worry about weather and whether you should or shouldn't rent a tent. In this case, a tent was not needed and the ceremony was in the Plan A location. It was a hot, sunny day in the end and the cooler of water bottles I hid in among the trees came in handy once the wedding party went for photos. The surrounding area provides an unreal backdrop for pictures.

The reception was inside the Centre which is built up and seems like a tree house. Kaitlin and Dane provided all of their decor, including the centerpieces, which Kaitlin's dad made. This is a couple who love the outdoors and going on hikes and their decor really brought the outside in. Lots of greenery, moss and ivy. The place cards were rocks that they had handwritten all the guests names on and the seating chart was painted by the bride to indicate all of their favorite hiking routes.

Billies Flower House provided the bouquets, arrangements and other flowers. Their work is always fantastic but they really knocked it out of the park with Kaitlin's bouquet. Dane's family is from South Africa so Kaitlin asked to have a protea (the national flower of South Africa) in her bouquet. It was so stunning and thumbs up to Billies for being able to get it.

The Flour Pot from Pemberton provided the cake. It was so good and devoured by the guests... good thing too because I was the one to cut and plate the entire thing (I'm very all-purpose!). DJ Aimee Hawker kept this crowd dancing all night and boy did they dance. One of my favorite group of guests... they went all in!

John Yoo did the professional photography and I've since seen the final result... wow! I had seen a few from their engagement session so I knew what the result would probably be but he really took some incredible shots. I highly recommend checking them out.

If you have any questions or want some more information please send me an email.

Happy planning,
Sara

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Danica and Duane's Vancouver wedding

10/18/2017

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Danica & Duane hired me for full wedding planning in November as they were looking to get married in the spring of the following year. That can seem like a daunting task but I was up to it and so were they!

In a case like this, the biggest challenge is finding a venue in a short amount of time. The venue itself can obviously be one of the biggest expenses in your wedding budget depending on what it includes. It also can set the tone for the feeling of the wedding. When looking for a venue, keep your decor and/or theme in mind so that you aren't fighting what's already there. If you want light and airy feeling, it might not be best to choose a dark ballroom with no windows (unless you want to drape the entire room in white).

We looked at a few venues that had availability and they ended up booking at Diamond Ballroom in Vancouver. It has an amazing view and includes catering and some very budget friendly amenities packages to allow for an open bar and linens and chair covers that you can choose from Chair Decor. Now, full disclosure, I was working at Diamond Ballroom as well at the time but at our first meeting as Danica and Duane described what they were looking for in a venue, I knew I had to include it on my list of places to check out. It also just happened that we had one Saturday night available in the time frame they were looking at.

They had their ceremony at St. Augustine's, a beautiful Catholic church that is over 100 years old. Another bonus is that it was only a few minutes away from the reception location.

They chose gold, blush and ivory as their colors and were able to get beautiful linen options from Chair Decor. Jane, from Budget Blooms designed their centerpieces, bouquets and other floral arrangements for the church which we were then able to re-purpose at the reception (this is one of my favorite budget hacks... reuse, reuse, reuse!).

Joconde Patisserie made a gorgeous cake which went so well with the other decor. The lace detailing and sugar flowers were just what Danica and Duane were looking for.

Danica's mom was born and raised in Colombia and family, including Danica's aunts and grandmother, were able to make it for the wedding. To celebrate this side of her family, they hired a mariachi band to perform after dinner once dancing started. Los Dorodos were an absolute hit and it was not just the Colombians dancing the night away! After the mariachi band left, Mat the DJ took over and kept everyone going the rest of the night.

Check out Glitter Films who did the official photography and videography.

If you have any questions about any of these vendors or want some more information please feel free to contact me.

Happy planning!

Sara

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Natasha and Joey's Riverway Clubhouse wedding

6/26/2017

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Natasha and Joey got married at Riverway Clubhouse in Burnaby at the end of this past April. It was my first time at this venue but I had heard good things and it didn't disappoint. One of my favourite things about it were the number of options for the ceremony locations. We had Plan A, Plan B and Plan C and anyone that is familiar with Vancouver weather knows how important this is! While the week leading up to the wedding, including the Thursday night rehearsal, had us excited for Plan A, the day of the wedding didn't cooperate as hoped and we had to move to Plan B. The bonus was that the ceremony still got to be outside and everyone was covered from the rain without the added cost of having to rent a tent but thankfully Natasha did pick up some fleece blankets last minute which were all used by the guests for some extra warmth.

One of the best parts about the reception area is that you basically get the entire building to yourselves and there is a lot of room for guests to move around. There are high ceilings with wooden beams and a ton of windows and natural light. A very west coast feel. And, a HUGE bonus... the chairs are actually nice so no need for chair covers (money saving alert!). They even had comfy leather chairs to use at the head table for some added elegance.

I've said it before, and I'll say it many more times... I'm a sucker for the details and Natasha and Joey did NOT disappoint! One of the easiest ways to do this, in my opinion, is to have elements from your invitations incorporated into the stationery at the wedding such as place cards and menus. Not only did they do this with their custom designed stationery from Stationery Bike Designs but they went one step further when they had Dalana from The Cake and the Giraffe include the same monogram on their four tier cake. The gorgeousness was mind blowing not to mention the sugar flowers that were on it as well. It was an absolute piece of art.

Niche Event Stylists did a gorgeous job of both decor and flowers that paired so well with the decor that Natasha and Joey provided themselves, including some homemade table numbers and an amazing distressed wooden door used as a seating chart.

Please check out Hayley Rae Photography for all the professional shots. She was a pleasure to work with, her work is beautiful and she was able to take a less than perfect weather day and make it work.

If you have any questions about these vendors or want some more information on them please let me know!

Happy planning,
Sara

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