Lasting Impressions Weddings

Erica and Steve- September 10th

2012-01-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to Windbeam Farm ? If you have not .. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to plan your wedding there or get invited to a wedding there! Not only is it REALLY beautiful, but the owners, Trudi and Paul are also AMAZING!! Helpful, courteous, excited and always fast at answering my millions of questions!!

I had the pleasure of working with Erica and Steve for their September 10th wedding about a year in advance. My fondest memory will always be trudging through the snow with Erica at a few outdoor venues to try and “visualize” a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception!! Congratulations again Erica and Steve!!!

Vendors::

Wedding Planning: Lasting Impressions Weddings

Ceremony and Reception Venue and Floral: Windbeam Farm

Photography: Kirk Lamb Photography

Caterer: Chowgirls Catering

DJ: Adagio

Band: Modd Squad

Transportation: MN Coaches

John and Michelle

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year! I get to meet all kinds of new clients and reflect back on all of the fantastic weddings from the past summer.. Michelle and John’s wedding was one of them! I loved Michelle and John! Michelle had an impeccable eye for details and knew exactly what she wanted! John was present at every meeting that we had and took an interest in flowers and decor (which I always appreciate!!!) They were engaged in December and married in July and that made for a quick and fun planning process! Weddings planned under 6-9 months are always my favorite! I love the adrenaline rush and the quick decisions that need to be made! Thank you to the great team of vendors that made this July day so beautiful!!

Vendors::

Wedding Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings

Ceremony Venue::St. Bartholomew's

Reception Venue:: Windows on MN

Rentals:: Apres Party and Tent Rental
Flowers:: Violets Flowers
DJ:: Instant Request
Videography:: Capture Studios
Photography:: Bryan Newfield Photography

Transportation: Renees Royal Valet

Stationary: A Milestone Paper Company

Jazz Group: A Jazz Trio

Cake: Buttercream

To Check Out Michelle and Johns Wedding Video Click Here : http://vimeo.com/28971567

Esther and Nik

2011-12-11T18:31:00.000-08:00

Ester and Nik were two of the most laid back and organized couples I had met. They came to me wanting a celebration with lots of unique twists. I could not have been happier with how the day turned out and how Esther and Nik’s “theme” and reception turned out. I love when a great group of vendors matched with a great, trusting couple can create an unforgettable day!!

Vendors::

Wedding Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings

Reception Venue: Solera

Ceremony Venue: Hennepin Ave Methodist Church

Photography: Kelly Brown Weddings

Videography: Princess Bride Videography

Cake: Queen of Cakes

DJ: Bellagala

Makeup and Hair: MN Bridal Hair and Makeup

Rental Items: Apres Party

Transportation: Renees Royal Valet

Florist: La Petite Fleur

Stationary: Wedding Paper Divas

Tina and Dan.. In Video!!

2011-12-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

Check out Tina and Dan’s Wedding Video prepared by Virtuoso Video!!

Ramirez Wedding // Trailer from Adam Haviland on Vimeo.

Tina and Dan- September 4th

2011-11-29T07:24:00.000-08:00

onsI have started to write this blog post at least 5 times and then decided I would “come back to it”.. Mainly because I do not think any words that I say can can capture how much I love Tina and Dan and how amazing their wedding was.. so I will just have to sum it up as best as I can!! Tina and Dan’s wedding was not just simply one day, but it was a full weekend of amazing events… We started off at the Hilton in Bloomington with the Mehendi Party that welcomed all of their guests in from out of town, complete with food stations, Mehndi Artists and wonderful traditional Indian music. The wedding took place at the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis and we had a great line up of amazing vendors that transformed the amber-lit ceremony space into an amazing peacock inspired reception.

When I first met Tina over a year before her wedding she explained all of the elements that she was going to need help on and I got very excited and told her that I was up to the challenge!!! Like most weddings, there were challenges.. but the lessons I learned, the people I met and the love that I felt was SO much more than I could have ever imagined! A BIG thank you to our fantastic group of vendors that pulled off a flawless wedding for Tina, Dan and their 420 guests!! Tina and Dan (and adorable Aiden).. I miss you!!

I have tried to limit the number of photos on this post (Trust me.. It was so hard to narrow down my favorites!!!) So please check out more of Red Ribbon Studio’s Amazing Photos on our Facebook page!

Vendors::

Wedding Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings

Ceremony and Reception Site: Hilton

Mehendi Party Site: Hilton

Photography: Red Ribbon Studio

Videography: Virtuoso Video Productions

Caterer: India Palace

Cake: Buttercream

DJ and Lighting: Instant Request

Florist: Richfield Floral and Events

Rental Items: Apres Party and Tent Rental

Officiant: Perfect Day Wedding Ceremonies

Hair and Makeup: MN Bridal and Makeup Artistry

Mehndi Artist: Ancient Traditions Mehndi

Stationary: A Milestone Paper

Paige and Nolan's Wedding Video

2011-10-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

We had the GREAT pleasure of working with Paige and Nolan on their September 17th wedding! Not only was the wedding amazingly beautiful, held at one of our favorite venues - Graves Hotel, but it was also special because it was the second time we were able to work with the Giblin Family! We helped coordinate Paige’s sister’s wedding in 2008. So needless to say I was over joyed when I got the call from the Mother of the Bride letting me know that her other daughter was getting married!!!! I LOVE pink… and I love that this wedding was blinded out with crystals, feathers, lots of pink roses and a classic wedding touch!!!

Below are some amazing pictures from the always wonderful Jessica from JM Photo.. When I get the rest from her I will make sure and feature them in their own blog post (this wedding is too pretty for just one blog post!!). I LOVE how John Hoel from Vibrant Film really captures not only the day, but the love that Paige and Nolan have for each other!

Emily and Brian

2011-10-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

This is a really fun post for me to write!! I LOVE Emily and Brian (I love all of my couples!!) and I love their family! I truly feel like I was welcomed into the family with open arms, and that is one of my favorite parts of my job! I remember the first time that I met Emily, Brian and Emily’s family - It was in the middle of winter and we were standing in their living room pointing out in the backyard to where the tent would go (and having to use a lot of imagination) and starting our vision!!

Emily’s parents have a wonderful home in Deephaven, and that was the backdrop for their nautical themed wedding day! There were so many fun elements that were brought into the design…. Lots of rope, sailboats as place cards, lanterns, a program chalkboard… and I could go on and on…

After the ceremony the wedding party all got onto a boat for a perfect send off!

Thank you for allowing me to be apart of your planning process, your wedding day and most of all.. Your Family!!!!

Vendors:

Wedding Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Private Residence

Caterer: Damico Catering

Photographer: Ruth from Happily Ever After

Tent and Rental Items: Apres Party and Tent Rental

Floral: Sadie’s Floral

Cake: Cocoa and Fig

Videography: United Video

Transportation: MN Coaches

Ceremony and Reception Music: Instant Request

Two New Great Videos… by Capture Studios

2011-09-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share with you TWO new videos for Capture Studios!! We always love working with these VERY talented guys and it is amazing to sit back and watch all of the details through their eyes!!!

Jaclyn and Mark’s video is first up and you can see their wedding photo blog here!

Mark + Jaclyn // My Love from capture studios on Vimeo.

Michelle and John were married on July 9th and I still need to post their amazing photos from their wedding!! But for now here is their video. I think that the Best Man’s speech says it all.. “Its like you have always been together and knowing you always will be together”!

John + Michelle // Always Have and Always Will from capture studios on Vimeo.

Jessica and Will - June 4th

2011-09-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Will’s Wedding Day was best described as CLASSIC! From the moment I met Jessica I knew that she was the Classic, Traditional Bride - Which was so wonderful! I love doing weddings that are unique and different, but just as much I love creating a beautiful classic wedding! The day was beautiful, the wedding party and family were so much fun to work with and the vendors pulled off a perfect day! Thank you Andrew Vick for these great photos!!!!!!

Vendors:
Ceremony Venue: Normandale Lutheran Church
Reception Venue: Calhoun Beach Club
Catering: Damico Catering
Wedding Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Photography: Andrew Vick Photography
Band: Synergy
Trolley: Twin Cities Trolley’s
Linens: Apres Party and Tent Rental
Florist: Sadie’s Floral

Jamie and Garrett - June 26, 2011

2011-09-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun designing and planning Jamie and Garrett’s wedding! Jamie and Garrett called me about 9 months before their wedding to “jump in” and help in the planning process! They already had a great venue (one of my favorites!!) at Calhoun Beach Club and I really had fun finding a theme for them and really personalizing the look and feel of their wedding day! As you can tell by the photos… we incorporated purples, natural elements and LOVE BIRDS to the whole design!

Vendors::
Wedding Coordination and Design: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Ceremony Location: Sculpture Garden
Reception Location: Calhoun Beach Club
Catering: Damico Catering
Ceremony Musicians: The Baraque Trio
Photography: JM Photo
Floral: Sadie’s Couture Floral
Invitations: A Milestone Paper
Hair and Makeup: Smart and Chic Bride
DJ: Instant Request
Transportation: Renees Royal Valet
Photobooth: The Traveling Photobooth

Thank you Jamie and Garrett for the great review online:
In my quest to find the right person with the right budget I found Sarah. I interviewed several planners and found Sarah to be the perfect fit. We worked with Sarah throughout our planning process and at that point had only found the venue and caterer, which happened to come together. Even though we technically purchased the partial service plan, Sarah was there to help with anything we needed from the moment we started working together. Her recommendations for other vendors was spot on and we ended up picking her highest recommended every time, even though I exhausted my research with other vendors.

By the time the big day came I felt that she was part of the family. She not only became someone we did business with, but had become a friend I feel as well. My concerns were her concerns even if I didn't tell her what they were. She is a true professional with her work as her passion and will not let you down.

Jahaira and Adam's Wedding Video

2011-08-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Northern Lights Video does it again with a GREAT sneek Peak and Adam and Jahaira's Big Day!!

Jahaira and Adam Decor Photos

2011-08-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to post photos from Jahaira and Adam’s July 31st wedding! It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun tying in cultural elements into fabulous decor. I LOVE this couple… And I feel so honored to be apart of their big day and through their year and a half planning process!!!!
I am still waiting for the lovely professional photos from the big day.. But I am happy to share with you photos from 2 great photographers that we had onsite to take decor pictures!

The first photos are from the Five Event Center Photographer

The Following Images are provided by Austin Images: http://austinimagesphotography.com/

Jaclyn and Mark - April 30th

2011-07-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of my job is working with the families of my couples. I feel like it is such an honor to be asked to be a part of one of the most important days of someones life. The only thing better than “becoming part of the couples families” is getting to work with the family AGAIN!! I had the pleasure of working with Jaclyn’s family for the 2nd time this past April. A few years ago I was involved in her lovely sister Melinda’s wedding, so when I got the call from Rita, Jaclyn’s mother, letting me know their would be another Hallstrom wedding I was elated. Rita is a very organized and very loving mother and it was such a pleasure to get to help her and her daughters with both of their weddings! The Depot provided a beautiful backdrop to this amazing spring wedding!

Vendors::
Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Depot
Wedding Coordination:: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Chair Covers:: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Photography: Studio Blue Photography
Videography: Nate Larson
Harpist:: Laurie Leigh
Flowers: La Petite Fleur
DJ:: Flow DJ
Cake:: Taste of Scandanvia
Rental Items and Pipe and Drape: Apres Party
Stationary:: A Milestone Paper

Colleen and Seth

2011-07-08T06:42:00.000-07:00

Colleen and Seth were married on Sunny June 11th. It was a wonderful wedding day and their team of great vendors did a fabulous job! Thank you to all of the vendors for doing an amazing job, especially to Donna at Graves 601 and Kelly Brown for her wonderful Images!!!

Vendors::
Wedding Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Ceremony Venue:: St. Bonifus Church
Reception Venue:: Graves 601
Photographer::Kelly Brown Weddings
DJ and Lighting::Instant Request
Flowers :: Sadies Floral Design
Cake:: Jessicas Cakes
Hair and Makeup: Emily J
Transportation:: City View Limo and Twin Cities Trolleys
Linens and Lounge Furniture:: Apres Party
Stationary:: A Milestone Paper

Claire and Matt - May 29th

2011-06-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

As you can tell.. I have not been blogging very often as we have been busy creating and coordinating wonderful weddings every weekend since April... But I am getting very anxious to share these wonderful weddings with you. Matt and Claire started their planning about a year ago when they called me from New York and told me all about their wonderful ideas and I explained how I could help turn their long distance planning into an easy process!! To see this vision become reality is my favorite part of my job and I am still in awe of how some ideas can really transform a space! Enjoy the photos by the wonderful Gina from A Truth Be Shown... Not only does she do an amazing job, she is very quick getting me photos!

Vendors::
Wedding Planning and Coordination: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Ceremony Site: Temple of Israel
Reception Site: Windows on MN
Photography:A Truth be Shown
Cake: Queen of Cakes
Band:Synergy
Flowers: Sadie’s Floral Design
Chair Covers: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Rental Items: Apres
Ceremony Musician:Suzanna Altman
Transportation: Renees Royal Valet

Andrea and Tou's Wedding Video

2011-06-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of helping Andrea and Tou with their wedding on May 28th at the Crowne Plaza in St. Paul. I wanted to share with you the video that Northern Lights Videography filmed of the wedding day!

Tou + Andrea - Wedding Preview

from Northern Lights Video Plus
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  Tou + Andrea - Wedding Preview from Northern Lights Video on Vimeo.

Happy Memorial Day..

2011-05-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

I hope that you have a great Memorial Day Weekend.. whether you are headed to a wedding or headed to the lake... I always feel like Memorial Day is the kick off to summer and my favorite season of the year!

Handpicked by the Wedding Chicks...

2011-05-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

Handpicked by the Wedding Chicks...What a great way to kick off the 2011 Wedding Season!!
A few days ago I received an email from the fabulous Wedding Chicks asking me if I would be part of their website based on the “Quality of your work and uniqueness of your style”. These are always wonderful words to hear and I am honored to represent Minnesota on their website!!!

It's Royal Wedding Day...

2011-04-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if it is because I am a girl, because I am a wedding planner or because I love a celebration.. but I have been very engrossed in the Royal Wedding and enjoyed watching it unfold today on TV. This is a history-making day and I know someday I will tell my daughter all about this day just how my mother told me about Princess Diana’s wedding.

Watching the wedding was a true fairytale and I am lucky enough to see fairytales unfold each weekend when my couples get married and when I hear from them that they expecting babies and living happily ever after... That is the real fairytale!!

Sneak Peak...

2011-04-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Now that the wedding season has officially begun I find myself getting very excited and anxious to see the wonderful photos! I had to post these 2 great photos that photographer Sarah Pollio posted on her blog!! Kristina and Brad were married this past weekend at Calhoun Beach Club.. and they look amazing!!

Thanks Sarah for these great photos!!!!

Leah and Brett

2011-04-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure to work with Leah and Brett on their Winter Wedding this past February 12th. We were lucky that the weather was quite pleasant (alot better than it had been most weekends this winter). I was happy to pull together the day of details. You can tell Leah’s amazing taste when you see the photos of the bridesmaids dresses and accesorries. I LOVE this first photo of the leg warmers. How cute is that!! The whole wedding was filled with love, attention to detail and little touches of Leah and Brett. The late night snack was Red Savoy Pizza.. a favorite of Leah and Brett!!

Vendors::
Wedding Coordination:: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Ceremony Venue:: St Paul Reformation Church
Reception Venue:: The Landmark Center
Caterer:: Prima
Cake:: Cakes by Gail
Rental Items:: Apres Rentals
DJ:: Bellagala
Band:: Seven Corners Band
Florist:: Simply Stated Elegance
Photobooth:: The Traveling Photobooth
Photographer:: Geneoh photography
Videographer:: Thin on Top
Transportation:: Total Luxury Limo

Why to Hire Us

2011-04-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is a repost that I blogged in 2009... I was recently asked this question again last week and I feel like this post sums everything up and points out some reasons why hiring a planner can save you money.. not cost you money!

Hiring a wedding planner can save you a lot of money and stress! By hiring us we hope that you gain a friend, a shoulder to lean on, an expert and a money saver through out one of the most important days of your life! Here are some reasons why I believe couples should hire us!

Your Sanity!
We will do all of the hard work, so you can sit back and make all of the fun decisions. You still plan your wedding, we just want to be able to do all of the research so you don’t have to stress!

To Save you Money!
Hiring us will usually save you more money than our package costs! We try and save you money in a lot of areas, here are just a few!
-Vendors Discounts- Because of the amount of work we do with our preferred vendors we get special pricing and some thrown in perks that we always give to you (We do not personally take kickbacks, everything is handed down to you.
-Whenever possible we will run all over town to pick up flowers, cakes, supplies, rentals, just to save you money. There is no reason to pay for extra delivery costs if we can pick up and return the items. There is rarely a Saturday when we do not have a full jeep! So anything we can fit into the car, we will!
-Décor- I personally own tons of vases, votives, linens, candles, and décor items. I bought these items just so my brides could use them for free or for a great discount. This usually saves hundreds of dollars on décor.
-We do this every weekend, so we really know where to look for great deals, where most people overspend and how to cut costs.
-Our packages are priced out to be very affordable. We want to work with couples in every price range and we want to be able to customize something to fit your needs and your budget.

We are a team!
We always have more than one consultant at your event. I feel this makes us more efficient and more prepared to conquer the day. And if for some reason someone ever got sick.. you would always have a back up.

Unlimited Time
All of our packages have unlimited time on your wedding day (For no extra costs). Every wedding is different, and I want to make sure you have a planner from the start to the end of your day. So we work with you to make sure that all of your needs will be taken care of. I recently heard from a vendor that some bridal consultants do not go to appointments with their clients….we go to all appointments with you.. from the florist to the caterer, to picking out your wedding dress (and anything else you need!)

Experience
This is really something you can not put a price on! I am a certified bridal consultant and have graduated from the ABC program. We are members of the Twin City Bridal Association and have 7 years of planning experience. This is my full time job, I like most planners, did have another job when I first started out. In an effort to focus 100% of my full time love of wedding planning I cut back to focus on my business. As most of my brides can verify, it is not odd to get emails from me at 6am or 2am, Some may say I am a little bit of a workaholic (my husband would say that J) But I love my job and I feel like nothing should wait to get answered!

Design
If you take a look at our gallery it is clear that no two weddings that area like. We have worked in most of the venues in the area and love a great challenge. Designing is truly my favorite part and We want to be able to tie in your personalities, vision and desires into your design and décor!

Vendor Relationships
Like I mentioned above, we get a lot of great vendor discounts, deals and favors. This has devolped over time and with great relationships...we are lucky enough to be on a lot of recommended vendor lists. I am always so honored when we are referred by vendors and past couples, It is the best compliment.

Tools
It is goal of mine everyday to provide you will all of the tools that you need to feel at ease and make the planning easier. Between the couples questionnaire, average cost sheets, budget sheets, payment sheets, timelines, photo website, day of timelines, etc. We hope to give you everything that you need to make the whole process very easy for you!

I feel so honored to be in an area with so many wonderful event planners and wedding vendors. I tell most people, find a wedding planner that you want to be around, find a qualified vendor that can be a great friend and the rest of the process will be very worry-free and enjoyable!

Raedean and Doug

2011-03-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Doug and Raedean not only have a very deep love for each other but they have a wonderful sense of humor!! The first time I met them they had me rolling with Laughter! That kind of laughter will take them through many years of marital bliss!! I was lucky enough to help them on their November wedding. I will never forget their wedding.. not only because they were very special people and it was a beautiful day.. but because it was the day of the crazy ice storm that kept many of their guests and vendors “iced” into the Golden Valley Country Club! The pictures below show was a wonderful day it was and how Doug and Raedean’s little touches were brought into the wedding. My favorite detail and photo of the wedding is the last photo.. Instead of doing a dollar dance they decided to do a “dance off” and this picture only begins to show how fun that was!

Vendors::
Wedding Coordination:: Lasting Impressions Weddings
Reception Site:: Golden Valley Country Club
Ceremony Site:: Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church
Photographer:: Studio Blue Photography
Videographer:: Capture Studios
Cake:: Queen of Cakes
DJ:: Your Dream Reception
Flowers:: Richfield Flowers and Events
Bus:: Profile Limousine

Etiquette Class..

2011-03-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

For all of the brides out there that have numerous questions on etiquette, Paperista is holding a class to show you the proper way to send thank you notes, keep your cool under stress and much more! Event Information is listed below!!

Happy St. Patricks Day...

2011-03-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

Hope you have a great St. Patricks Day and have some Luck of the Irish! If you are planning a wedding in 2011... We hope that you are Lucky in love and here is a very unique bouquet: The leaves of a four-leaf clover are said to stand for hope, faith, love, and luck -- a fitting sentiment for a wedding.

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings