Tag Archives: Utah wedding reception

reception centers in utah, smartphones and smart brides

Get organized before looking at reception centers in utahBefore you begin searching all the reception centers in Utah and other wedding vendors, be the smart bride who gets organized and then begins the wedding planning.  Wedding celebrations can become very complicated.  With your smartphone in hand, planning Utah wedding receptions can be such a breeze.  Save yourself headache and frustration from not knowing what you’ve done or need yet to do as the big day draws closer.  Stress is the last thing a bride needs on the day before her wedding or even on her wedding day!

The Wedding TO DO lists – There are many organizational apps to help with the seemingly never ending wedding tasks.  I used to just keep all my notes in “notes” but that became ridiculously long and difficult to find a particular list in mind.  My daughter introduced me to the app WunderList.  It is indeed wonderful!  It lets you prioritize, reorganize, share with others, email, and even print the list for an older person who just can’t break away from the pencil and paper.  Check out your app store.  The key is to find something that works for you.  There are many other apps just for wedding planning as well.  Find one that will work for you.  I like WunderList because you can still be organized with your other-than-wedding life plus you’ll continue to use it even after the wedding!

Organization apps for helping plan your wedding
WunderList is one of many apps that can help you be organized and efficient. Find the best one for YOU.
planning your wedding smart phone app
Manipulate your To-Do lists to fit your needs.
wedding planning for utah wedding venues
You can have sub-tasks, set due dates & reminders, share, prioritize, move, print and email your information.

Separate Wedding Email Address – Another great suggestion is to create a separate email address for use only for your wedding vendors and other wedding communications.  All your many reception centers in Utah, florists, cake designers, etc. can communicate directly with that designated email address.  Add that address to your smart phone with folders and sections to hold their contact information so you don’t have to look up their information again and again as you zero in on who you choose to hire.  Over several months, you’ll be gathering all kinds of information that you won’t want to misplace and the smart phone is a perfect little file cabinet for a bride.  Remember to take photos of your favorite cake designs, the flowers you like, even the style of boutonniere you want to see on your husband. Your wedding ceremony and reception ideas will be blended to create the Utah wedding that is uniquely and perfectly you.

Photos, Photos, Photos – I find myself taking photos of products with their sizes & prices, schedules, menus, plates of foods, little girl dresses, photos in magazines, people on the street, mannequins in a window, and the list goes on. Everything is at my fingertips when I have a moment to plan and work with my budget. I can look items up and make educated decisions as to what will work for my style and my budget.

Wedding cake topper that doubles as our treasured china piece.
A few years ago, a friend of mine took a photo of my wedding cake topper that has been on our hutch for 28 years now! I still love it. I still love him!
Party favor at wedding venues in utah
My daughter liked her cousin’s idea of sharing the history of the pretzel love knot with her guests. This was a cute simple bag she made and filled with chocolate covered pretzels as wedding favors for her wedding guests.
Saying thank you at all reception venues in utah is a respectable thing to do
Take a photo of photo ideas you want to do at your own celebration!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you will find yourself without your phone and an idea presents itself. I still jot it down on a receipt, scrap of paper, etc. But my advice is to quickly get the note into your phone as soon as possible, even if you simply take a photo of the note when you get your phone in hand again.

Give The Photo – Finally when your decisions are made of items you want created for your special day, you can print a 4×6 copy of particular products and leave the photo with the vendor so they know exactly what you have in mind.  Or they may appreciate a digital version instead. Remember the adage “A photo is worth a thousand words”?  Actually it was originally stated as “a photo is worth ten-thousand words” in 1927 by a Fred Bernard. The point being that your photo will help your vendor more successfully help you achieve your dream.  The smartphone now helps brides accomplish that task much easier.

Photos will help you get your wedding reception centers in utah looking just the way you want.
A photo from a magazine with the colors and feel wanted for the Florist to create! This picture is worth 10,000 words!

Your wedding ceremony and reception will be so much more enjoyable for you and your guests if you’ll take some time now to get organized and stay organized.  Also, look for those wedding reception centers in Utah like Ivy House Weddings that provide wedding planners that will help you make sure you remember all the little details for your celebration at their wedding venue.

Special Guests at Wedding Venues in Utah

Wedding places in Utah with Elvis showing upIt’s not every day that wedding venues in Utah can enjoy the appearance of a very special guest who comes to honor a beautiful bride and groom.  We have photos to prove the visit of Elvis to Lara and Korey on May 10, 2014.  He attended their romantic Utah wedding reception celebration at Ivy House Weddings and played a significant role in their farewell from the event.

Elvis visits wedding venues salt lake city in May

This couple chose to have a simple ceremony with about 25 guests followed by a small reception for the closest of family and friends.  Lara chose the stylish black and white Damask linen table toppers and runners over a hot pink base linen.  These were included in her venue rental price.  These colors set off the green boxwood wreath topped with hot pink rose petals with the classical tall silver candlestick centerpiece.  With real candlelight and the fireplace, the ambiance was romantic and intimate.  She used the Ivy House table ware package and self-catered with sandwiches and salads made by dear family and friends.  Utah weddings can be affordable when the wedding venue allows the bride to make choices like these for her celebration.

Beautiful cake by Granite Bakery at Salt Lake wedding receptions

Lara and Korey’s beautiful three-tiered cake was created by Granite bakery.  The middle tier was lined with fully opened roses.  The base tier was lined with seemingly perfect rose petals each delicately cascading over the one below it.  Again the cake was in shades of pinks and whites set upon the black and white table linens.

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Skyline Flowers created the bride’s bouquets, the boutonnieres, corsages, and simple rose petals for the tables.  With close friends taking all the photos to document this momentous occasion, the wedding party of about 150 enjoyed simple socializing and the traditional bouquet and garter toss along with the bride and groom cutting the cake.

Happy father and son at reception centers in salt lakewedding-places-in-utah-ivy-house-05-10-2014 19

After a dazzling sparkler send-off, Elvis was their chauffeur driving the newlyweds away in his vintage pink cruiser!  What an enjoyable and one of the most memorable departures from Utah reception centers!

Real Events at Wedding Reception Venues in Utah – February 15, 2014

utah reception centersThe mother of this bride deserves to be awarded this year’s most dedicated mother of the bride award at all wedding reception venues in utah.  Not only did support her daughter in all the stress and details of planning her daughter’s wedding, but she also dealt with the stress and time to make the wedding cake.  That in and of itself is enough to make any mother have her nerves completely frazzled and ready for a day at the spa.

Beautiful couple at utah wedding reception
wedding cake at wedding venues in salt lake city

The cake is a solid four tiers of exquisite unique decoration styles on each level.  It appears to have a fifth tier made up of gorgeous coral & white roses and blue chrysanthemums.  She created a beautiful masterpiece that was the envy of any of any Utah wedding venues.

utah weddings at Ivy house weddings

wedding locations in utah Guests at wedding venues in Utah

The couple enjoyed a beautiful sit down dinner for about 100 guests of family and friends that was hosted by Utah Celebrations.  Their photographer was the wonderful local professional Margaret Evans.

Comments from Kate, the Maid of Honor, included “Everything was wonderful and everyone was very helpful.  The facilities are absolutely beautiful too.”   We invite you to check out wedding places in Utah like Ivy House Weddings for a stress free beautiful wedding celebration!

wedding reception mantel decorations

Real Events at Wedding Venues in Utah 02-22-2014

Today Simple elegant wedding venues in UtahI’d like to share about this wedding celebration that took place in the cold of winter, but you’d never guess it.  Liz and Matt added their touch of style and personality to the classic lines of Ivy House, one of our wedding venues in Utah; thus creating a Utah wedding reception with simple elegance that reflected the love they share together.

Pastel winter colors in reception venues in Utah

Liz chose beautiful pastel peaches and pinks and accented with golds, silvers, and ivory including a touch of lace.  It was elegant, warm, and inviting.  Not only was this Utah wedding reception a beautiful site, but even the sounds were elegant.  Liz and Matt invited a friend to come play the harp as background music before the dancing began with their iPod music.  The string instrument definitely added some class to the event that matched the classic charm of the style of this wedding venue.

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The tables were covered with ivory base linens and topped with gold pin tucked toppers.  Atop this was the centerpiece option of our tall Silver candlestick centerpiece to which Liz accents with color coordinated ribbons, a touch of mirrors, votive candles, and photos of her and Matt within beautiful silver frames.  Again, it was absolute simple elegance as you will see in the photos.

Table Centerpiece at wedding reception places in Utah

We are one of the Utah reception centers that allow for self-catering and that is what Liz and Matt opted to do.  They brought in a variety of scrumptious desserts and platters of fresh fruit.  Loving neighbors kept the serving tables full for the guests.

self catering at salt lake wedding venues

Simple elegance can include a lot of fun too.  They created their own photo booth with streamers in their wedding colors hanging from a garden harbor as the background and a few fun props.  These photos were glued into the guest book and signed by all their fun family and friends.

group photo at wedding reception
Utah wedding places with photo booth

Liz hired Natalie Gray of The Cake Market to create her exquisite cake.  It was a unique two tiered ruffly and pearled masterpiece with a beautiful rose bouquet on top.  The flowers were done by First Blossom, and her videographer was Dan Kettle with Elements in Motion.

Wedding Reception two-tier cake

Cutting the wedding cakeSlice of wedding cake is goneUtah wedding venues are fortunate to have photographers like Lori Romney Photography and we were pleased to have her photograph Liz and Matt at Ivy House.  As you can tell, her work is beautiful and we hope she returns with another bride and groom to our reception
centers in Salt Lake City.

Sparkler send off at wedding venues in Utah

Liz’s mother wrote:   “Wonderful venue!  It was beautiful.  All the staff was so helpful.  So glad we had it here!”

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Tuesday’s Tip – Utah Weddings Wise to Heed Mother Nature

Utah Weddings Listen to Mother Nature

Utah is known for its fickle spring and fall weather phenomenons that can change hour by hour.  Utah also can have very hot summers.  Knowing this, brides planning Utah weddings would be wise to listen to Mother Nature if they want to optimize their success and pleasantness for all attending their special celebration.  Heeding weather warnings and planning ahead will help avoid potential annoyances.

Weddings in Utah weather plannerMany guests have been known to leave early from hot tent gatherings or wedding venues in Utah that don’t have good air conditioning.  Bugs at certain times of the year can also pose a problem if not attended to by the hosting venue.  Spring cloud bursts always seem to catch the unprepared wedding party at Utah weddings, especially those that think they can simply use their backyard garden.  Consider wedding venues that will give you a garden feel but you don’t have to worry about getting those emergency tents or canopies from neighbors and friends, or purchase lots of umbrellas and hire lots of neighbor boys to walk your guests from their cars to your home with umbrellas.  Wedding reception centers have done it all before and can alleviate your worries and actually can be more cost effective.

Reception centers in Utah with air conditioning for guests
In the well air conditioned Ivy House, the Groom and all the guests won’t be over heated as the party rages on during the heat of the summer!

A great tip is to check out the local news weather forecast history for your area.  Utah’s local KSL has a great service where you simply submit the date for which you are planning your event and up pops the information of the chance of precipitation for your given day, the average temperatures for that day, even average hourly temperatures.  You can also check out the sunrise and sunset so you can time saying your wedding vows at that perfect photo shot moment with a sunset behind the bride and groom.  It is KSL’s “Wasatch Front Outdoor Weather Planner” found on their website.

KSL Weather Planner

So remember when planning Utah wedding receptions, listen to Mother Nature and heed her weather tendencies by planning accordingly.  Utah weddings are so much more pleasant for everyone involved when this tip is followed!

Utah wedding venues for cool as cucumber couples
The climate is just right inside Ivy House while it can be storming a spring thunder burst outside! Peace and calm inside!

Utah Wedding Venues Can Help Save Your Wedding Budget

HEADER Wedding Budgets for wedding reception venues in UtahThe wedding budget is a common facet that nearly all couples have to consider when planning their celebrations and looking at Utah wedding venues.  Budgets are inconveniently real and can be intimidating and stressful.  If you let it, your budget can ruin the entire spirit of your beautiful day.  Don’t let it!  You can have a perfect wedding at one of Western Garden’s wedding reception centers.

SONY DSCPrioritize Your Utah Wedding Venue Needs – It is important to prioritize what items are the most important to you.  You may be able to cut costs on less important things so you can spend more of your budget on those things that are must haves.  Here are some tips to consider as you plan and work within your available funds.

wedding-reception-centers-in-Utah like Ivy House Weddings1. One way to look at your budget is to see it as a challenge before you.  It’s there to stay.  Make it a quest to work within your limits.

x Bridal bouquet toss at Utah-wedding-venue Ivy House Weddings2. Remain flexible about many of the choices you have to make.  Give and take along the way.  A lot of headache and stress comes when you insist and demand everything little thing.  After all, the most important part of your day will be when you look into the eyes of your man and say “I do!”  

dance floor included in some Utah wedding venues 3. Seek advice from a wedding event planner at the wedding venue you choose.  She has witnessed a lot of weddings and a lot of brides, some with big budgets, some with smaller.  She has lots of ideas to share.

SONY DSC4. The reception venue is the first major cost to incur.  Seek a venue that offers as much as possible in their base venue rental.  Ivy House and Atrium Weddings include just about everything you would need for the venue – linens, tables, chairs, centerpieces, cake cutting tools, beverage servers, parking, etc.  When you book with them, a lot of little details are already included.

sparkler sendoff can be included at wedding venues in salt lake city5. Once you have scoped out all the wedding reception centers and have booked, now it is time to look at your guest list.  You can quickly cut your costs if you invite only people that are your closest relatives and friends on both sides of the family.  If you can cut it down, you will be cutting costs for invitations, food, flowers for the tables, guest favors, and even the size of your cake.

SONY DSC6. Remember there are a lot of details that you can handle personally.  This will save a lot of funds for other things you may not be able to provide, possibly your wedding cake, wedding gown, or special gifts for your bridesmaids, etc.  

Romance 101 at Utah-weddings at Ivy House Weddings7. Don’t forget who this party is for.  You!  It’s to celebrate your union. Keeping this in mind will make it easier to reduce or remove some of the items that can greatly increase your costs. 

Utah-venues include Ivy House Weddings Mr and Mrs welcome8.  Most wedding venues in Utah can accommodate having your ceremony and your reception or dinner at the same wedding location.  This will dramatically cut your costs of paying the minimum for two venues.  This will also prevent the stress of transporting everything from one venue to the next.  Also, if you reserve wedding venues during off peak season or weekday rather than weekend, you can possibly save additional money.  Many brides have booked a daytime ceremony with nice luncheon.  

SONY DSC9. Another great idea is to order a smaller two tier wedding cake and then use a sheet cake to serve guests.  A gorgeous smaller wedding cake gets cut just as much as a larger one.  This is one simple area you can save your wedding budget.

SONY DSC10.  You can save a considerable amount of money when planning your dinner or refreshments.  Instead of a main course, try finger foods, appetizers and beverages.  See if you can self-cater and then have a good friend take charge.  (Your immediate family members will be occupied tending to you and guests, so don’t let an immediate family member take on this task.) A full bar can also take a lot from your budget, so consider offering wine and beer instead.

SONY DSC11. Your wedding favors, menu cards, table signs and escort cards can be handmade.  With today’s technology, these items can be created and printed very easily and look very professional.  Ask a bridesmaid to help you design your stationary needs.    

arranging flowers at reception venues in Utah 5-7-1412. Last but not least, making your own flower arrangements can save you money.  Simple flowers can have a stunning effect on your guests.  Using greenery and flowers that are in season, can also cut costs.  So there are a lot of the little details that you can do yourself or have family help you.  Remember that Western Gardens reception centers include a variety of candlelit table centerpieces as part of your venue rental.  You will not have to spend money on your table decorations.  Many brides add a touch of rose petals or a simple ribbon, or even simply place frames of photos of the couple around the centerpiece.

Sticking to the budget makes bride and groom smileEven when you are planning a wedding on a budget, you can cut costs and not completely destroy your style and flair.  Prioritize what you want your money to go towards, then fill in the rest with help from family and friends.  Choosing a venue that includes a lot in their base price will help save your budget for other items you want to have.  Let the wedding planners of Ivy House Weddings help you plan a memorable wedding.  This is a first step to making Utah wedding reception affordable and just what you have dreamed about.