A Look Back | Garden Party Wedding | Dairyland, Snohomish, WA.

Wedding Planner: Elegant Affairs  //  Photographer: Wyat L. Taylor  //  Videographer: Marcella Laine  //  Wedding Dress: Lainee Meg  //  Dessert: Better Than a Boyfriend Bakery  //  Beauty: Posh Styling  //  DJ: Otto Matic  //  Caterer: Veraci Pizza   //  Venue: Dairyland

In honor of Lauren + Jake’s 3rd Wedding Anniversary today, we are looking back at their stunning garden party wedding at Dairyland!

The best part of our job is working with couples planning the wedding of their dreams and throughout the process learning about them but in the case of Lauren + Jake we already knew them even before we started working with them.

I was honored enough to be Lauren's sorority advisor when she was at Washington State University and we were lucky enough to get the call when the love of her life, Jake finally proposed.

This couple has known each other since junior high and finally decided to say I Do at Dairyland.

For their wedding they wanted to be that fun garden party and with the backdrop of this beautiful Snohomish venue we accomplished that. 

We loved how this day played out and even more excited to see what these two can accomplish as husband and wife.

What if wedding guests don't RSVP?

One of my biggest pet peeves of being a former bride and now as a wedding planner is when guests do not RSVP for weddings. As a bride you have done everything to make it simple for your guests by including a mailable card that is already addressed and stamped and all they have to do is check that they are attending or not and then put it in the envelope and stick it in the mailbox. Sounds simple enough, right?

What I tell my brides before they mail out their invitations is to make sure they have a spreadsheet (Excel is my personal hero) that lists who you invited, addresses, phone numbers and if by chance an e-mail address.

Be prepared for the flood of response cards, you can expect cards to be returned as soon as a few days after you mail out your wedding invitations. I love this time, this is the one time in your life where you will have so much mail with your name on it that you are actually excited to receive. The key is to record every response as they come in and don't let them accumulate around your house because chances are these little cards can be easily misplaced or accidentally thrown away.

When it comes closer to your actual RSVP date, check your spreadsheet and assess who has or hasn't responded by mailing in their card. DO NOT rely on your friends and family saying to you at a party or in passing that they are coming. Encourage your guests to send in their response cards.

The key thing to remember is to never assume that a guest will or will not be attending your wedding, having that response card is the golden ticket.

My biggest piece of advice is about a week or two to your RSVP date, contact those guests whose response cards you haven't received either by a nice phone call or e-mail. This is a task that SHOULD NOT be done by the bride a groom. This is a great job for your wedding planner or a pre-assigned family member or member of your bridal party.

Here are some reasons why guests haven't sent in their response card:

• "I totally forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me."

• "I never received my invitation."

• "I'm not able to make it so I didn't think I needed to send it in." (Most common)

When talking with these guests, be polite and ask about their response cards. If they have lost their response card, this is the only time where it is acceptable to take a verbal commitment to you wedding.

A Look Back | Spring Seattle Wedding | The Foundry

Wedding Planner + Calligraphy: Elegant Affairs | Venue: The Foundry | Catering: Herban Feast | Photography: Shane Macomber Photography | Videographer: Gray Media Productions | Florist: Love Blooms DJ:   Brandon Ghorley | Officiant: Judge Lisa Worswick | Desert: Better Than a Boyfriend Bakery | Hair: Seattle Bridal Hair | Make-up: Taylor Loen | Wedding Dress:  Charlotte's Weddings & More | Accommodations: W Hotel | Paper Products: Wedding Paper Divas

When it came time for Mike + Krista's April Wedding at The Foundry, it was the culmination of a year of planning. We had a lot of fun with this couple, starting with venue and vendor selections to color choices to overall wedding vision.

Knowing Krista since 2009 we were privileged that she chose us to help execute her and Mike's wedding vision. From working with us as an intern in 2011, Krista knew exactly what she was getting by having EA by her side.

After selecting their venue, Herban Feast's newest location, The Foundry, located in the SODO district, we immediately fell in love with this unique, industrial space that had so much to offer including a white room. To soften the concrete and dark wood at the venue, this couple chose a color palette of burgundy, blush, cream with a gold accent using the cherry blossom as an inspiration. 

Then in January, Krista got the call she wasn't expecting and that was she had won a free wedding dress from Portland's Charlotte's Weddings & More. I mean who doesn't love winning something let alone a wedding dress. To compliment her dress, she and her bridesmaids (Krista's aunt and three sisters) selected  a stunning blush Adrianna Papell Beaded Chiffon gowns. We would later discover this was the bridesmaid dress of 2016.

When it came down to the details, that's was when we got to be creative.  Using the idea of the watercolor theme, we created the place cards and tables names (the couple named their tables about places they had visited as a couple) with a burgundy/blush ombre effect that Herban Feast continued with their signage. Next, Rachel created beautiful chalkboard bar signs that hung over the bars.

For decor, Krista and Mike, wanted a lot of candles to illuminate the ceremony room which would be transformed to the dining room. We loved the wine barrel wall that served as the gorgeous backdrop of the ceremony with a floral garland by Love Blooms and more candles. We lined the aisle with candles that would later move to wine barrel wall and cherry blossoms on the chairs down the aisle. Being in April, it was the end of the season for cherry blossom but the florist wouldn't take no for an answer and was able to find probably the last flowery branches.

My favorite design aspect of their reception was their head table. Using their wood tables, we accented the table with a beautiful rose gold sequin runner and lined it with the bridal bouquets, bud vases with flowers and candles. Photographer Shane Macomber was really able to capture the true beauty of the table. For the guest tables, the couple chose an ivory linen with a burgundy napkin and two design concepts for centerpieces.

For dessert, guests were treated by an incredible spread of bite-sized treats from Heaven by Better Than a Boyfriend Bakery, complete with pie pops, coconut macaroons, mini chocolate cupcakes, fudge bites and cheesecake shooters.

When all was said in done, Krista + Mike were married, happy and surrounded with a lot of love by their family and friends and had the best start to their married life. We were so lucky to have played a part in their big day and can't wait to see what these two do.