All posts by Wendy Pettit

Send the Right Message with Your Wedding Invitations and Thank You Cards

So you already have your Utah wedding venue picked out and booked for your fast approaching special day, and now you have to let all of your friends and family know about it. The wedding invitation that you decide to send to your guest often sets the tone for what you ceremony and Salt Lake City, Utah wedding reception will be like, therefore it is important to choose one the truly represents what your nuptials will be all about.

The thank you cards are equally as important as you invitations. These cards let your guests know how much you appreciated their supportive attendance on this momentous day of joy. Ideally these will match your invitations in style, though there is no rule against mixing it up and choosing a different design.

Color

If you have chosen colors for your SLC wedding venue incorporating these into your wedding invitations and Thank You cards will tie everything together nicely and give a sense of cohesiveness. The colors can be portrayed by either using dyed paper or colored ink. Adding a touch of color will make your invitations and cards pop.

Picture or No Picture

Did you have an engagement photo taken of you and your future spouse? If so, consider including this in your wedding invitation to add a personal and sentimental touch. You could have your portrait either printed directly on the invitation or insert individual photographs into each invite.

Font

The font of an invitation can be a good indicator of what type of event your wedding will be. If it is going to a more classic gala, the use of a timeless script font would convey the intended elegance of your wedding. Though, if you are planning a more relaxed wedding affair like a beach wedding; you may consider using a more modern font that is airy.

Wording

Of course you invitation should give the typical details of your Salt Lake City wedding venue, but what else would you like it to say? If you are holding a special event that requires guests to dress formally include this in your invites along with any other specific information that is important for guest to be aware of. As for your Thank You cards, decide whether or not you would like to include a special quote printed inside that will convey well with your personalized hand written sentiments of gratitude.

Paper and Envelope Type

Make sure you chose a well constructed paper and envelope that will be both pleasurable to the eye and sturdy. The first thing your guests will notice about your wedding invitations and Thank You cards is the quality of the paper and envelope, selecting those that are an equal combination of aesthetically delightful as well as durable will work out the best.

If you are holding your wedding reception in Salt Lake City, Utah the Ivy House can assist you in making the proper wedding invitation and Thank Card choice for your nuptials. They offer a wide variety of invitations which can be customized to your specifications.

Choosing the Right Venue for Your Reception

Planning a wedding has its own unique set of stressors and considerations, one of which is deciding on the correct Utah wedding venue that fits the majority of your reception qualifications, if not all of them. While reception centers in Salt Lake City abound, there are many that are a mixed bag of questionable quality, limited services, and/or are unreasonably costly. Here is what you should take into consideration before putting down that possibly substantial holding fee on a venue:

Cost

Before starting the move towards purchasing wedding supplies and booking your wedding venue in Salt Lake City, you should have a firm grasp of what your total wedding budget is and itemize it. Once this is done you should have an itemized list that dictates how much you have allotted toward each wedding expense such as a wedding dress, floral arrangements, wedding cake, catering, and venue, to name a few. Once you know the maximum amount you are able to spend on a reception location you will be able to narrow down the right Utah reception venue for your big day.

Services

If you haven’t hired a wedding planner you can take a lot out of the guess work  and stress of arranging a wedding if you book a Salt Lake City, Utah reception center that offers you a variety of services such as catering, floral ordering, linens, invitations, hostesses, and musical setups. Venues that present these extra services often provide them at a reduced rate to you due to their ongoing relationship with certain vendors, thus saving you money and the hassle of organizing these wedding services individually.

Type of Venue

Do you want your wedding and reception to take place at the same venue? Would you prefer an indoor or outdoor reception? Are you looking for a location that expresses your uniqueness? These are some of the questions that you should be asking yourself when figuring out which Salt Lake City wedding reception location would work out best for you. Ideally you should not make a venue something that it is not and pick a location that suits your overall personality and style.

After considering all of this, Western Gardens’ the Ivy House has an existing setup that is geared specifically for events like weddings and receptions. Their Salt Lake City, Utah wedding venues present the perfect combination of affordability, extensive services, and an elegant atmosphere that is sure to please both you and your beloved guests.

The Ivy House has an in-house wedding organizer who can assist you in making your wedding and subsequent reception a memorable experience with little fuss. At this Western Gardens venue you are given the opportunity to customize their offered services or employ your own vendors to supply your wedding with the necessary accoutrements.

Hiring a Catering Service for Your Wedding

As you make plans for your big day, the list of things-to-do will seem to go on and on.  You are looking at dress designs, selecting bridesmaids, and cannot decide between white roses or sunflowers.  You also need to find the most ideal of Utah wedding venues for that special combination of service, style and feeling.  You want everything to be perfect and understandably so.  Of all the items on your to-do-list, the food service at your reception is one that will require a lot of management and preparation.  Hiring a catering service may be a good idea.  Wedding caterers have professional experience and industry know-how, and are essentially skilled at balancing all the tasks that will make your vision become a reality.

Having a catering service for your wedding reception is a hassle-free option that will significantly ease your wedding-planning anxieties.  A catering service comes with an immediate availability of resources, supplies, equipment and labor that you would otherwise have to source and manage yourself.  The quality of the food at your Utah wedding reception is another big consideration.  You want your guests to be amply satisfied.  While your dear Aunt Kate might be an excellent chef, there is a comfort in knowing that a catering service can not only guarantee high-quality food, style and presentation but can also manage labor-intensive food preparation for large groups of people. With a catering service, you know that a very major ingredient of your reception’s success is taken care of.  On the arrival of the big day, as the jitters run up and down your spine, your mind can rest at ease with the assurance that the people in the kitchen, unlike you, have done this a hundred and more times before!

There are a few things to think about as you work with the wedding caterers you have chosen for your Utah wedding reception center. Be able to articulate your desires.  It is a good idea to write your thoughts and wishes down as you explore your options.  How will your reception complement your overall wedding theme?  Are you envisioning luxuriously decorated tables and seated meals served by waiters or a formal buffet with waiting servers?  Maybe a self-serve buffet will be more fitting to the warm, relaxed and sociable atmosphere that you desire.  Or if a short, evening reception is on your schedule, perhaps a passed-tray service will do.  Then there are the meals to think about.  What time of day will the reception be held?  At lunch time or dinner?  Do you want a five course meal?  What type of food?  Are you dreaming up an Italian theme with calzone appetizers and a pasta station, or something more suited to the All-American diet?  Maybe you want a more exotic flair with chicken skewers glazed in mango, coconut and basil or ahi tuna sushi rolls.    Be adventurous and creative in your choices but keep in mind your budget, and the people on your guest list with special needs, like your dear Grandpa Joe’s kosher diet.  It may also be a good idea to include standard meals in your menu choices for those guests who prefer the comfort and taste of familiarity.

For your convenience, Ivy House Weddings, Western Gardens’ new Salt Lake City wedding venue, has its own in-house catering service provided exclusively by Heritage Catering.  With a variety of buffet style options and menu items, you can pick and choose to your fancy.  Choose from Garden Buffets, Celebration Buffets, Bow Tie Buffets, Classic Buffets, White Tie Buffets or Dinner Buffets.  Each buffet option is a unique package, and you may select from the diversity of hot and cold hors d’oeuvrs, salads, sandwiches, desserts, pies, cakes, entrees and beverages available.

Your wedding will require a lot of thought, foresight and planning.  Your tasks may at times feel overwhelming, but as you fine-tune the details of this special day, it should also be an exciting experience.  People are here to help you make the journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible!  Selecting the right catering service will offer you a certain peace of mind while you prepare to be transformed by one of the most life-altering occasions in your life and one of the best wedding receptions in Utah!

Why Go with a Professional Company for Your Wedding

Wedding professionals abound. There are wedding coordinators or wedding planners, wedding photographers and videographers, bakeries that specialize on wedding cakes, wedding caterers, wedding reception locations and many more.  There are even wedding reception centers that provide a comprehensive package on a lot of the key elements in a wedding.

The question is, is it really worth spending on these professonials rather than hiring a friend, a cousin or some distant relative to do the work for you?

The answer to that really depends on how well you want each item in your wedding to go. You may find that “taking a risk” with your friend who also dabbles in photography can pay off in terms of savings and the quality of the work. But there are also a lot of horror stories about how badly such an arrangement turned out. You may need to carefully consider what items in your wedding you can entrust to “amateurs” and which ones to assign to professionals. That is not to say that working with professionals always end up the way you want them to, but with professionals you can actually minimize the risk.

Here are some reasons why going with a professional company is well worth the expense:

You hold a contract. With a contract in hand, you can have a reasonable expectation as to how the job will turn out. You also have a legal recourse in case the provider fails to complete the job according to specifications. Remember, your wedding is not something you can have “do overs” for in case something does not turn out the way you want it to. Why risk getting fuzzy and unimaginative pictures by assigning a cousin and his friend to take the wedding photos with his point-and-shoot camera? Why risk having your caterer bail out at the last minute because it turned out that he can’t actually meet the demands of the catering job?

Professionals have extensive experience. You may think that planning is easy. Well, theoretically, it is. However, there may be instances that you have failed to consider just because you lack the experience of organizing an event like a wedding. Professionals, with their extensive experience on weddings, have a strong idea of how to deal with “what ifs” and on-site emergencies. Professionals also know what things can go wrong and may advice you to stay clear of potential pitfalls to avoid the headaches on your part.

Professionals have the necessary equipment. Professional photographers have the necessary photo and video equipment, as well as the lighting equipment and batteries that may be needed, especially for outdoor shoots. Professional caterers have industrial sized ovens and heaters to ensure that food is served hot and on time. They also have enough in terms of chafing dishes, servers and other catering implements. Wedding venues will have the necessary amenities such as a good sound system, decorations, chairs and tables, ample parking space and so on.

Professionals know the latest in the world of weddings. Wedding professionals do keep abreast about the latest innovations, fashions and designs. For instance, what is currently the most innovative wedding favor and where can you find it? What’s the latest technology to be used for wedding photography or videography? What new concept can a bride and groom present during the reception? You will find that you can get valuable advice and input from your professional wedding providers.

Saves time and money. Professionals have an extensive network of wedding-related providers which can save you time and money. For instance, a good wedding coordinator can actually negotiate a good deal from the caterer by virtue of his or her good relationship with the caterer. Also, Utah wedding reception centers such as The Ivy House offers excellent packages not just for the wedding or reception location but also for your wedding invitations, catering, linen, photography and videography, cakes and floral arrangements.

The Ivy House is a SLC, Utah wedding venue that is one good example of how working with a professional company will make it all the more easier for your and your fiance to plan your dream wedding.

 

 

Celebrate Life and Love at the Ivy House

Planning your wedding? Is your 50th wedding anniversary drawing near? Would you like to celebrate your birthday in a big way? Come to the Ivy House, a reception center in SLC, Utah and we will be with you as you celebrate life’s precious moments. The Ivy House boasts of premiere reception facilities to ensure that your event is something that you will remember and cherish for years to come.

The Ivy House is your choice for Utah wedding receptions, as well as other special occasions. The indoor reception venue boasts of the following amenities: a romantic spiral staircase with balcony both inside and outside, a fully-functioning fireplace, plants to provide a lush atmosphere, classic-style furniture and artwork. You can also have impromptu concerts and have someone play in the reception venue’s baby grand piano.

The reception area is perfect for dancing the night away with its spacious and elegant dance floor, with quality music piped in from the sound system. There are also dressing rooms for both the bride and the groom. The groom’s changing room can also serve as a playroom to keep the children happy and occupied.

The Ivy House provides the perfect ambiance with high ceilings decked with gorgeous chandeliers, as well as candle-lit centerpieces for your tables. Your guests will enjoy your favorite wedding shots or your specially-produced wedding video through a large screen TV and DVD player provided upon request. The Ivy House is located at a central location (at Western Gardens downtown) with ample parking space for extra convenience for your guests.

To ensure that your wedding or event goes smoothly, you can also book a rehearsal session. There will also be an event coordinator that will be helping you through the planning process as well as arrange all the details during the event itself. We can also provide you with a photographer and videographer to record the special highlights of your events.

Our Offerings

Aside from the Utah wedding venue, you can also avail of the following:

Catering. At our Salt Lake City wedding venue, you can choose from a variety of mouth-watering buffet meals at highly affordable prices. The Ivy House will take care of the setting up, serving your guests and clearing after the party. You can also self-cater or hire your own caterer.

Linens. We also provide you with basic linens and more. This is for the guest tables, buffet tables, chairs, cake tables and food prep room.

Floral Arrangements. Make your wedding or event even more picture perfect with gorgeous floral arrangements. Floral arrangement packages can include the bride’s bouquet, flowers for the bride’s maid, maid of honor and flower girls and boutonnieres for other members of your entourage.

Invitations and announcements. When you book your event at The Ivy House, you can avail of a 20% discount on invitations and other printed materials (such as announcements, inserts and other notes).

The Ivy House has what it takes to make it one of the finest wedding locations in Utah. Enjoy your party and let us worry about the details. The Ivy House is where you can enjoy some of the finest moments in your life.

 

Wedding Planning Shortcuts for a More Relaxed Bride

Planning a wedding is no simple matter. The moment you said “Yes” to your man, you will have to face a long to-do list complete with timelines to ensure that everything comes out “just right”. To tell the truth, a wedding is one big production that has a lot of elements that you will have to book, decide upon and check up on. You are actually managing a lot of mini-projects within this one big “project” – your wedding.

Often, you will find in wedding planning websites tables, charts, to-do lists and timelines. Yes, you will find these helpful as you plan your wedding – so that you don’t forget a single important item and you keep track of the progress of each element.

Here are some of the important things you have to remember or do to prepare for your wedding:

–          Get out your calendar and select the date of the wedding

–          Inspect the wedding ceremony and reception center

–          Book the church and wedding venue for the desired wedding date

–          Discuss the wedding budget, who contributes for which item and for what amount

–          Choose and order the wedding rings

–          Select motif or theme of the wedding

–          Select and order gowns – for the bride, mothers of the bride and groom and the rest of the entourage. Arrange for fitting and altering of the gown.

–          Arrange for suits or the wardrobe of the male members of the entourage.

–          Announce the engagement

–          Send out wedding invitations

–          Select menu and caterer

–          Select bridal cake (or also groom’s cake) and baker

–          Discuss floral arrangements with selected florist

–          Book musicians and decide on songs and music

–          Book officiant and discuss the wedding ceremony details

–          Process legal documents required for the wedding

–          Decide on decorative elements of the wedding (centerpieces, linens, gazebo, etc.)

–          Book videographer and photographer

–          Have hair and makeup trial and book makeup artist

–          Schedule honeymoon and arrange travel and hotel details

And mind you, this is just a start of that list. And each element of this list has its own considerations and requirements. You may also need to read and sign contracts for the vendors.

As you can see, a wedding will not just make demands of your finances but also your time and effort. Even with the simplest of weddings, you still need to make arrangements to arrange for everything and ensure that the wedding is just as you wanted it to be.

The good news is, you don’t have to go at it alone. One, you can hire a wedding coordinator to take away much of the stress of the planning and implentation from you. Two, you can also consider a Utah wedding reception center that provides much of what is already in your to-do list so that planning becomes easier on your part.

Most wedding venues in Utah provides a lot of help in that it not only gives you the perfect spot for your wedding ceremony and/or reception, it also offers packages that incorporates a lot of the key elements you need for your wedding.

For instance, The Ivy House is a wedding venue in SLC, Utah which provides value-added services such as linens, catering, floral arrangments, contacts with photographers and videographers as well as an experienced baker for the wedding cake.

With the combination of The Ivy House’s unique ambiance, the presence of a host on the day of the wedding and a lot of amenities at one convenient location, you can enjoy your wedding day to the fullest. You can be a radiant and relaxed bride with the peace of mind that everything you wanted in your wedding is in place.

 

The Challenges of Planning a Backyard Wedding

A wedding at your own backyard has several distinct advantages. First, it saves you a considerable sum of money you would have spent renting a wedding reception location. Secondly, it gives an intimate and personal feel to the wedding, particularly if you’re only inviting a small group of close family members and friends. Also, everything is nearby so you don’t have to rush about to get something you may have forgotten.

Some of the basics in setting your backyard as your wedding location include:

–          Space planning. Even with a spacious backyard, you have to allot spaces to key elements of your wedding. This includes the place where you and the groom will stand during the wedding ceremony, the seating space for guests, and space to set the guest tables and buffet tables. You will also set aside some space in your kitchen (and even your dining room) for the caterer. In addition, you will also need to allot for dressing areas, particularly for the female members of the entourage.

–          Rental of equipment. Please note that there are a lot of items that you will need to create that special ambiance for your wedding. This includes the lighting and sound systems, chairs and tables for the guests, decorations such as potted plants and sparkling lights, and more. If you plan to serve lunch or dinner, you may also need to rent plates and linen.

–          Decorations.Of course you would want to prettify your backyard so that it becomes a great setting as a wedding venue and reception location. You may need to work at adding decorative elements – plants, lighting, decorations for the photo booth and for the overall surroundings. Some of these things you may need to have to build from scratch – for instance, if you’d rather make your own gazebo, then you need to allot time and materials to get this done. You will also need more than an extra pair of hands to set up the seating and floral arrangments on the day itself. Some arrangements should also be made with regards to packing and cleaning up.

–          Alternatives to an outdoor wedding. What happens in case it rains? Will you have enough space indoors to accommodate all the guests? You may have to make provisions for this, otherwise, to have some tents or some kind of shelter built to ensure your guests are happy and comfortable during the ceremony and reception.

–          Kitchen space. Your standard sized kitchen may not provide enough space for your caterer’s requirements so you may have to find an area where they can work more efficiently. They may need to set up a buffet table and also a station to heat and prepare the rest of the food.

–          Parking considerations. Remember that guests may be driving over to your home. Your parking area may not be enough to accommodate all these. You may need to make arrangements with your neighbors for the temporary inconvenient of occupying available parking spaces in your area.

As you can see, having a backyard wedding will take a lot of work for both you and your family and friends. However, if you do get it right, your wedding can be as intimate and personal as you want.

If you want to have less stress and hassle on your wedding, you can also think about having your wedding at the many wedding reception locations in Utah. This can free up a lot of your time with regards to setting up and organizing the items stated above. One such option is The Ivy House, a SLC, Utah wedding venue.

The Ivy House is a Utah wedding location equipped with all you will ever need to have a hassle-free and enjoyable wedding experience. These include dressing areas for the bride and groom, a good sound and lighting system, enough table and chairs for a mid-sized occasion, a romantic staircase with indoor and outdoor balcony, a baby grand piano and more.

How a Wedding Planner can Help Create Your Dream Wedding

A wedding is actually one large project with a lot of mini-projects. You will have to manage these mini-projects to ensure that each one is according to your specifications and requirements. Depending on how involved you want to be for your wedding, a lot of your work and time will be eaten up by the all the wedding preparations.

For instance, you will have to keep track of your gowns (as well as the suits and gowns of your entourage), your wedding favors, your wedding invitations and the guests’ responses, the food and cake, the marriage license and all its legal requirements, the bridal registry, the flowers, booking the wedding reception location, the caterer’s tableware and linen, hair and makeup trials and booking, the musicians or DJ and so much more. Whew! Does the list make you dizzy just by reading it?

A wedding organizer or wedding planner may just be the ticket. A wedding planner can actually be a bride’s best friend as a wedding planner will work to make things easier for you. Your wedding planner can be as involved as you want – if you want to retain decision-making and control, you can still do so, only without having to do the legwork.

Here are some benefits to working with a wedding planner:

A wedding planner saves you money. Wedding planners have great relationships with wedding-related suppliers – such as seamstresses, caterers, wedding venues and so on. They can work out better deals –not just with the monetary cost but also on the quality of service.

A wedding planner saves your sanity. Going at it on your own can be a challenge. If you are inexperienced, you may end up making mistakes that may cost you. The stress and tension of the preparations may also chafe on your emotions and even affect your relationship with your fiance. A lot of fights between couples during this time will have something to do with the wedding preparations. Indeed, wedding preparations can be chaotic. Here is where a wedding planner can come in. Forgot something important at the last minute? The wedding planner will most likely have thought about it and will come up with an alternative. Do you have a stain on your gown? The wedding planner will have the tools to fix these mishaps. With a wedding planner, you can actually reduce your stress level and have peace of mind, knowing that someone is there to take care of the details.

A wedding planner guarantees can help create a flawless wedding. A wedding will need a lot of “backstage preparations and emergencies”, especially on the wedding day itself. With a wedding planner running the show, you have an increased chance of better coordination and implementation of each part of the wedding.

A wedding planner helps save you time. Instead of you taking time out to research suppliers, try out possible vendors, choose the decorations for the wedding reception location and so on, what you need to do is simply to appear and decide. The wedding planner will iron out the small details for you.

Simply put, a wedding planner will help you achieve the kind of wedding you want without you having to exert much effort. All you have to do is to make your choice and the wedding planner will make sure it is ordered, produced and delivered according to specifications.

A wedding planner can give you valuable advice. Since they plan weddings for a business, they are already aware of possible pitfalls to avoid, as well as the latest trends you can choose. How will you set up the wedding reception venue? Just how many extra plates should you add to your current list to allow for breakages? What kind of flowers did Kate Middleton have for her royal wedding? What are the latest innovations and trends in wedding favors – is there something that others have not yet tried? These are the kind of questions that a wedding planner can help you with.

Help with getting a wedding planner

To hire a wedding planner, you can ask for referrals from friends and coworkers who have already married. That way, they can give you feedback on the performance of their wedding planner. You can also book with a Utah reception center that also offers a wedding planner with the package.

The Ivy House is a SLC, Utah reception center that provides not just a wedding planner but also other essential services and providers such as the baker, caterer, floral arranger and photographer and videographer. The Ivy House provides you with these choices for a hassle-free wedding where you can fully enjoy your big day.

 

 

Memory Book Pages from an Ancient World – Fossils

Our Ivy House Reception Center is beautiful from top to bottom!  As you walk and enjoy the beautiful vaulted ceilings of our venue, don’t forget to stop and look down by your feet.  The tiles are pages of a memory book of another special event.  You’ll discover ancient plant fossils in the sandstone floor.  Guests will be amazed as they spot unique ferns and flora in many of the tiles.  The Ivy House is an extraordinary place to create your own wonderful memories for the future as you experience a Memory Book of another beautiful world from the past.