Photo Courtesy of Althea Dotzour

Every now and then I have the great honor of working with a couple who have deeply held personal values and want every aspect of their celebration to reflect what’s important to them. Victoria and Jeff were one of those special couples. Their wedding celebration perfectly showcased their family, community and commitment to the environment. They also took on several craft projects to bring an even more personal touch to their festivities.

• Family:

The bride recruited her siblings to help with everything from decorating to catering. The bride and groom’s home was a hive of family activity on their wedding day. And the bride clearly loved every minute of it!

It was also super important to them that Jeff’s nearly-grown son be meaningfully included in their ceremony.

• Community:

Vic and Jeff’s wedding didn’t cut corners, but they didn’t hire many professionals either! They asked a friend to run music through his iPod for the reception. Another dear friend officiated their ceremony, and they chose the  professionals they did hire (myself & Althea Dotzour) based at least partially on preexisting friendships!

• The Environment:

One of the details that was very important to Vic and Jeff was minimizing the environmental impact of their wedding. They contacted Madison’s pilot composting program, to arrange for composting of food and other compostable waste. We also hired Paolo Verde Consulting to manage the event waste. Their ceremony was held in the UW Botanical garden,- so beautiful and close to nature. Their reception venue was the Goodman Community Center which is an awesome community resource and proponent of recycling and water conservation.

• Personal Touches:

Vicky spent the year before the wedding creating gorgeous paper flowers for centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres. They also made their own cupcake stand, and other decorations for their reception. Not only was the whole effect beautiful, but is was completely one-of-a-kind and created a celebration that was better than any money could buy.

You can see more great pictures of Vic & Jeff’s wedding here.

I asked Deanna when she would recommend a bride get a pre-wedding massage. She suggests that brides (and grooms!) schedule a series of massages during the planning process- not just the day before. This makes a lot of sense. Getting ready for your wedding can be really stressful (Even if you’re working with an awesome wedding planner!) There is a lot of tension and excitement that comes along with a wedding. Leading up to your celebration, take care of yourself.  Bergamot Massage offers discounts if you buy a package of massages or schedule a massage between 9 a.m. and noon. They’ll even let you share your package with your friends and wedding party!

They offer treatments ranging from straight massage to hot stone treatments, cupping and body polishing massage which conditions the skin prior to applying oil for a traditional massage (sign me up for this one!).

Recently, Denise Pederson joined their team to offer Cosmetic services. She does  facials, waxing, Xtreme Lash Extensions (eyelash extensions) and body wraps. Deanna came to our meeting with really cool eyelash extensions! Though they can be subtle, they are also really fun.

Specs:

Website: http://www.bergamotmassage.com/

e-mail: Deanna@BergamotMassage.com

Phone: 608.831.5885

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bergamot-Massage-Therapy-Bodywork/115259191830553

Pricing: 60 min massage $75, 90 min massage $110, early-bird special is $45 for a  60 min massage between nine and noon. (Look for other services and specials on website- special pricing available for package purchases and memberships)

Professional Organizations Dane Buy Local, Middleton Chamber of Commerce, NAWP(National Association of Wedding Professionals)

The Happy Couple with Frog Pond cake from Sweet Life Cakes and Confections

“Wow, Planned Spontaneity offers a good service!”  was what I kept saying to my team throughout the party. It’s one thing to know we offer s a great service, it’s a completely different thing to be on the receiving end of my company’s services.

This summer, my husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. We wanted our celebration to be a reflection of the gratitude we feel to our community who has supported and loved us over the history of our relationship. To this end, I brought the full force of Planned Spontaneity to bear in throwing an awesome party to honor our fabulous community. Stacey Tate, my banquet manager, and both of my interns, Hattie and Sunita,  staffed the party. Guests were welcomed, drinks were freshened, food platters were filled, and my kitchen was cleaned. During the party, all Dan and I had to do was enjoy our guests! After the party, there was no clean-up left and we got to blissfully enjoy a quiet post party evening with our children and the few remaining friends who stayed for dinner and board games. I didn’t feel exhausted or wrung out from a day of party hosting; I felt relaxed and pampered… It’s a great way to celebrate.

Our party was made special by the guests who attended, but we really enjoyed adding other personal touches. In our living room, where our quaker wedding certificate always resides, we hung pictures from our wedding and got out our wedding album. We also had one of our original wedding invitations and  some of the e-mails and poetry we wrote when we were courting. Early in the party, we invited our guests to join us in a circle and we renewed our vows- Quaker style. We also had  Tammy Schroeder of “Funny Faces Entertainment” for the children! Not only were they completely enchanted, all the parents got to enjoy grown-up conversations while the children were happily engrossed in getting their faces painted and donning balloon costumes.

A big shout out to Stacey Tate for making mouths water with her scrumptious delicacies. A colorful frog-pond cake with layers of cheese cake, sponge cake and various fruit fillings was made by Derrick Aimonetto of “Sweet Life Cakes and Confections” fit perfectly with our frog theme and was delicious. Last but not the least I want to thank Ingrid Laas for capturing all the beautiful moments with her camera.

Froggy Centerpieces using gel beads and our own hydrangea

It was very important to me to celebrate sustainably. We dyed thrift-store linens blue for a cohesive look. The frog-pond centerpieces used gel beads, glassware and stones I already owned, home grown hydrangea and porcelain frogs that I’m using in my home.  We used minimal disposables and composted or recycled  most of the party waste.

You can see a more extensive gallery and some of the details here!

Photo by Asterio Tecson. Used under Creative Commons license.

In case you’re wondering at this point, Planned Spontaneity fully supports marriage equality.  Here are some examples of how the Marriage Equality act in New York is affecting both gay and straight weddings!

How Offbeat Brides are reacting to New York’s same-sex weddings

Photos Courtesy of Ingrid Laas Photography

(Photographs by Ingrid Laas & Andy Mannis)

Ann and Geoff’s Memorial Weekend wedding at Olin Park was not only beautiful, but the focus was on friends and fun!  During one of our first meetings, Ann said “I like Red”. What a great starting point for the décor!

A little while later they said they wanted board games instead of any kind of floral centerpieces. It was really important that their guest have fun. They still wanted it to be really pretty though! I think we did a fine job. We used a lot of décor off the tables, to create a beautiful room. We used paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and candle lanterns hanging in the windows as well as many votives to create a warm, beautiful atmosphere.

Ann was gorgeous in her tea-length vintage polka dot dress and bird cage veil with red satin shoes & sash!

The ketubah was signed, and we enjoyed an indoor ceremony in the Olin Park Pavilion. The ceremony took place under a beautiful chuppah woven by the groom’s mother for the occasion. The table games were available for entertainment between the wedding and reception, while the wedding party was photographed.

After a delicious dinner, dancing started with the hora. Bride and Groom were the first to be hoisted during the dance, but then parents and grand parents were also celebrated!

The Liam Ford Band kept the party dancing the rest of the night. The guests loved the performance.

The evening ended with delicious cake, and guests filled boxes from the cookie table to take home. Both mothers had made thousands of cookies for the occasion, and many friends also contributed to this sweet tradition.

Here’s a list of the professionals that made it possible! It was a fabulous team to work with.

• Taqueria Guadalajara- Authentic Taco Bar

• Be Inspired Salon-Gorgeous Hair (Bride and her attendants)

• Sunborn Gardens-Personal Flowers (Boutonnieres, Coursages, Bouquet) all made with organic, locally-grown flowers.

• Sweet Life Cakes Cookies & Confections- Delicious wedding cake garnished with modeling chocolate roses

• A to Z Event Essentials- Tableware, linens and other rental items

Photo Courtesy of Pierre's Portrait Art

I’ve had the pleasure of attending NAWP meetings for a while now, and one of the major benefits I’ve been getting from them is getting to know other really high quality wedding professionals. Jim and Connie Engmann of Happily Ever After Wedding Officiants are delightful people with beautifully open hearts. They officiate weddings and commitment ceremonies in a way that honors spirituality without the interference of dogma. They often express the sentiment that they wish for couples as much happiness in marriage as they have found in their marriage to one another.

Photo Courtesy of Captured Moments Photography

Both attended Seminary at Pathways of Light Spiritual College where Jim was ordained in 1995.  Jim also completed Chaplain Training at Meriter Hospital where he continues to serve as a chaplain.  Connie’s spiritual path has led her to to also do a spirit quest at Circle Sanctuary with Selina Fox. She connects to the Divine through the natural world and all life on the Mother Earth.

I asked them each what they love best about what they do. For Connie, it’s that she never feels more conected to the Divine and to the Earth than when she’s participating in the ritual of marriage- publicly honoring their bond of love.  For Jim, there’s a thrill in helping couples tell their story in a way that touches their hearts and the hearts of their guests. “ When I see it in their faces that I’ve made the story theirs”  is his favorite moment in every ceremony he performs.

Photo Courtesy of Still Point Photographic Arts

Happily Ever After Wedding Officiants specializes in working with couples who want a spiritual ceremony, but aren’t religious per se. Jim explained to me “We believe the joining of two people in marriage is a sacred ritual, and we’re honored to be able to be a part of it. The couple is spiritually bonded to one another before the ceremony, my role is to tell the story in community.”

Photo Courtesy of Azena Photography

Both Jim and Connie initially meet with most brides and grooms.  They ask a lot of questions and work with clients visualize their ceremony. They create a wedding ceremony that incorporates personal stories and rituals.  Jim and Connie have different but very complimentary ministry styles.

Finally, here are some Specs:

Religion: Inclusive spirituality

Price: $480 with optional add-on packages

Website: http://www.happilyeverafterweddings.info

e-mail: SpiritualLife@charter.net

Phone: 608 831.0993

FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Happily-Ever-After-Weddings/110768815657023?ref=ts

Photo Courtesy Primavera Studios

Good works: Jim and Connie work with the VA and with social workers to help couples who can’t afford a traditional ceremony realize their wedding dreams

Inclusive: Jim and Connie fully support same sex unions. Connie was the organizing officiant at Wisconsin Capitol Pride 2009.

Let me start by saying that I am neither Polish nor Catholic, but my husband was raised in a Polish Catholic home where the blessing of the Easter Basket was an annual ritual. As adults we’re progressive Quakers, a religion that eschews “ritual”. It’s a bit if a guilty pleasure that we take part in the annual blessing of the Easter Basket.

Easter us such a religious holiday-  Celebrating the risen Christ… But don’t think about it too much… What does Jesus have to do with Dying eggs, eating chocolate bunnies, or putting Peeps in the microwave? For me, the spirit of Easter comes in the re-birth of our spirits.  It comes with spring and the awakening of the earth.  When I make Pysanky, I enjoy the meditative centering it brings me.  The scent of the melted bee’s wax, the candles, the warm eggs, the colors.  It’s really a delightfully centering practice…

Part of what draws me being a “Celebration Specialist” is a love of tradition. I love marking the passage of the year with celebration. Next week, I hope to dance around a May Pole.


So here are some pictures of my Polish Easter Basket that we’ll take to St Maria Goretti to be blessed by a generous priest tomorrow.

Photo Courtesy of Anda Marie Photography

I just found this great article about coordinating your hair do with your wedding entertainment! 


These are the types of details that can really make your celebration “pop”.

Wedding Hair Wedding Planning