Great marriage proposal!

Here at Vivid City, we're suckers for a good marriage proposal, since we work with so many brides and grooms every year. This is one of the best one's I've seen! Check it out.

A letter from one of our clients

We coordinated Cherisse & Kelly LeProwse's wedding in Puyallup, Washington last summer. Here's what they had to say about Vivid City Marketing & Events. (Photos by Tiffany Burke Photography)

Our wedding…legendary! Many couples probably say that they’ve enjoyed their wedding, but for us, that day couldn’t have been more perfect. The food, the dancing, the guests, the moment; it all came together to be the best day of our lives. My husband and I are so happy and couldn’t have pulled it off without Vivid City experts, Jamie & Jen.

J&J were by our side throughout the entire process. Whether it was designing our save-the-dates, giving advice, contacting vendors, arranging flowers and venue set-up, organizing wedding day logistics, composing ceremony verbiage, or handling any of the game time requests…J&J were the calm of our wedding planning frenzy. 

We are truly touched by the service and attention provided to make our wedding day so memorable. We couldn’t be more grateful. We look forward to starting a family and working with J&J on many more celebrations to come.

Cheers!
Kelly & Cherisse LeProwse

Weddings: Everyone has a budget

Reading wedding magazines or watching shows like "Say Yes to the Dress" may make you think that you're the only one on a budget, and that every other bride (or groom) in the world can spend, spend, spend on an over-the-top wedding.

In real life, however, everyone has a price point. Every couple we've worked with has a limit, regardless of who is paying for the wedding. It's important to keep a little perspective as you're planning.

Here are our top five wedding budgeting tips that we always tell all of our clients.

1. Spreadsheet, spreadsheet, spreadsheet. The very first thing you should do (after calling all of your family and friends, of course) is talk about your budget. No, it's not glamorous, but you must do it. Knowing how much you are willing to spend from the start will help you navigate all of the options in front of you, and be realistic about what you can afford.

2. Stop comparing yourself to other couples. So what if you went to a wedding last weekend where you drank from a Cristal champagne fountain, the bride wore a custom-made Vera Wang gown, and U2 was the live entertainment. Who cares. Your wedding will be special, because it's yours. The rest is just details.

3. Decide what is most important to you. Maybe you love photography so you want to book the city's most famous wedding photographer. Perhaps you love the look of letterpress and calligraphy invitations. Whatever it is, every couple has one or two must-haves on their list. That's great--fit them into your budget if at all possible, but something's got to give. Decide which wedding details aren't that important to you. Maybe you have a friend who can do the flowers. Perhaps you don't even like wedding cake and can settle for cookies from a local bakery. Sit down and make a list, from most important to least important, and go from there.

4. Always ask for discounts. Anytime you are in conversation with a vendor, ask if they have any specials. Many photographers will throw in a free session of engagement pictures. Your venue may give you a better deal if you get married in low season, or on a Friday or Sunday. Ask your florist if they can substitute in-season flowers for exotic ones that have to be flown in. Worst case, they say no, but at least you've tried!

5. Pay for a day-of wedding coordinator. We're not just saying that because we want your business (which we do). You've spent months planning your big day, counting your pennies, and scrutinizing your guest list. Don't let all of your hard work go to waste. Save enough money in your budget to hire someone to handle all the details on your big day. You want to enjoy the time with your new husband/wife, hang out with your wedding party and family, and really ENJOY! You only get to do this once, after all!  And a bonus: We provide unlimited phone and email contact to all of our day-of clients. We can help you find great vendors, give advice on budgeting, and more.

Email us today for a quote!

More invitation design

Here's another example of Vivid City-designed wedding invitations. Email me today at jen@vividcitymarketing.com for a quote!

Great Wedding Vendor Alert: Michael Benson Band

I just got married in October (with the best wedding coordinator--my business partner Jamie from Vivid City!) and we had some really amazing vendors, some of whom I'll be posting about in the weeks to come.

As my husband and I saw our family and friends over the holidays, many people were raving about our wedding and how fun it was. The one thing they kept mentioning over and over again is how great our wedding band was.

We first saw the Michael Benson Band at a friend's wedding a few summers ago. They were so energetic, emceed the whole night and kept things moving, and played some really amazing music.

At our wedding their five-piece band played everything from "What a Wonderful World" to Lady Gaga's "Pokerface". It was such a sight to see. They were like chameleons who could morph their voices and instruments to sound like whatever song they were playing.

Their can-do attitude and energy make them so easy to work with, and they kept us dancing until late into the night. They even let my dad sing with the band to "Sweet Caroline"!

I've already recommended them to couples I know getting married in 2011, and I hope to work with them again soon. Book them early--they've been voted Best Wedding Band in Western Washington year after year. Thanks, Michael Benson Band!

Need a Vacation?

Itching to take an extended vacation abroad but it just isn’t fitting in the budget or the PTO allotment? No worries – take this 2 minute vaycay through 4,000 photos.

Photographer Mike Matas and his girlfriend traveled through Spain and Morocco for two weeks. During the trip he captured the 4,000 photos and has condensed them down to this incredible video. We first saw this video posted on NPRs blog and loved the photos and the idea of making a video to share his trip. We just had to pass it on. Leaves me refreshed and ready to pack my bags!

Morocco & Spain from Mike Matas on Vimeo.

Wedding Central!

As you've noticed on recent posts, it's "all wedding, all the time," here at Vivid City. If we're not coordinating weddings, designing invitations and programs, or dishing out advice, we're working on our own weddings!

Jen, co-owner of Vivid City, got married on October 9th--event management and stationary photos to come, and Jamie, our other co-owner, is recently engaged, and getting married on September 10th, 2011.

Jamie recently wanted a creative way to ask her wedding party to be part of her big day. She decided we should make custom champagne labels, and she'd give each wedding party member a bottle when she asked them!

Best part? She has bridesmaids, a maid of honor, and a bridesman! It went off without a hitch, and we'll be putting together another great Vivid City-designed wedding on 9/10/11!

Check out the photos below, and email us today for info about how we can help with your big day!