Lucky Girl Weddings

About a month ago I sent a quick note to friends and family stating that although the wedding business is my passion real life still happens and I was in need of some additional income.  Thanks a lot economy!!!  Low and behold I was contacted by a friend and fellow wedding planner Aletha Vandermaas of Pearls Events. 

Aletha is a first class wedding planner and is very well know in West Michigan and all over the nation.  She is an excellent blogger and marketer which really propelled her business into the powerhouse that it is today.  Not many internet savy brides-to-be in West Michigan haven’t heard of Aletha or Pearls Events.  Need I say more?!

Aletha, being a smart business woman, preferred that I work for her rather than give her business away.  I was thrilled!  How can you say no to an opportunity to work with one of the best!  To make a long story short I have been hired by Pearls Events on a contract basis for the 2010 season. 

Q & A for my current and potential clients:

Q: What is going to happen to Lucky Girl Weddings?

A: Nothing! It’s not going anywhere…I will continue with my business as usual and will still be working with my current brides and looking for additional clients for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Q: How will you keep up the dual presence? Won’t this be hard?

A: It will get a bit interesting if Pearls Events clients learn that I also own a wedding planning business but quite frankly I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it.  I am guessing that not one bride will be upset to find out I am a professional and that I have experience in this field.  I will work for myself and for Pearls Events this season and will re-evaluate what the plan is for the 2011 season when that time comes.

Q: Now that we know you work for Pearls Events too should be just go through that site to book you? 

A:No, if you want me and what Lucky Girl Weddings offers (price, packages, etc.) you would still go through my site.  If you find that you have a larger budget and you prefer the style and packages that Aletha offers then you can go through her and request that I be your coordinator. 

To sum it up this is a phenominal opportunity for me.  I  can’t wait to work for Aletha and work with my clients and see where God leads me!

Have you ever wanted something so badly but you just can’t get around to making it happen? 

Do you know what you want you just keep making excuses as to why you can’t do it?  Do you feel like you are always getting ready to get started?  Have you ever held on to a dream or a thought for years on end thinking, “Yeah, I will do that someday” or “If I could just get past this then I could start that, which would lead to this…”. 

I am almost positive that anyone reading this knows what I am talking about.  We all go through this multiple times in our life whether its; getting the guts to talk to the ‘cool kid’ in class, asking that special someone out, quitting a dead end job, buying a house, moving across the country, starting your own business, or asking someone to marry you!  These are things that we want to do but sometimes just can’t seem to make happen.  The reason we don’t make these things happen is quite simply….FEAR of the unknown!  

I used to be held back by fear of the unknown.  My life was lead by what was comfortable, sure, and easy…. (more…)

Do you ever wondered what the Groom thinks about the engagement and wedding process?  I do!  So, my husband had the wonderful idea of interviewing men that are in three categories; Wanting to propose, engaged, and married.  Because it was his idea and he is so accessible I interviewed him first. 

Here is what he had to say:

Q: If someone were to ask how we met how would your version of the story go?

A:We met in college.  I always knew you wanted me. (Mary: Oh sure!) We were introduced my junior year when my roommates and I lived next to your best friend Miriam.  You were visiting Miriam, that was the first time we met.  Miriam was trying to set us up from the first day we met.  It wasn’t until around July 4th of 2006 that we really “met” and spent time together.  I remember coming to pick you and Miriam up from the dock in my boat and feeling a little nervous.  When I got up to greet you I didn’t even know if I should try and hug you shake hands, or what…I wanted to play hard to get.  I think we ended up high fiving or something awkward like that.  That night I asked you to come over and hang out, but I wasn’t there when you got my house and you ended up hanging out with my parents and sister for a while.  I knew if you could put up with them you were a keeper! 

Q: How long did you know me before we started dating? How long did we date before we were engaged?

A: Like I said before, we had known each other for years but not very well.  We only saw each other for maybe an hour at a time and it was always when we were in big groups.  We started dating in mid July 2006 and were engaged 7 months later.   

Q: So, after dating me for 7 months how did you know I was “the one”?

A:  When I was with a previous girlfriend…bare with me, it gets better…I was struggling to understand if she was the one or not.  I would pray about it and toward the end of our relationship God told me that once I broke up with her I would meet the girl of my dreams.  It wasn’t like I heard it once, I heard it over and over again.  So when I broke up with her, we started dating shortly after and we really clicked.  I asked God, “Is she the one you were talking about?”  After 6 months of dating God said, “Yes she is the one, now what are you going to do about it?”

Q: Once you knew I was “the one”, how did you know when, where, how to propose?

A:  You had always said you wanted a special Valentines Day because you never had one.  I thought that if we got engaged on Valentines Day that would be pretty special.  Also I knew that you wouldn’t be suspicious of all the special treatment because of the Holiday. You had not clue what was going down!

Q: Because we never talked about marriage, rings, the long term “future” of our relationship how did you know I would say yes?

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WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that Lucky Girl Weddings has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means Lucky Girl Weddings is one of the very best Certified Wedding Planners.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.” 

Lucky Girl Weddings would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

The coolest!!!  It even has it’s stamp of approval from Wedding giants like Martha Stewart, Real Simple Weddings magazine and The Knot.com.  Why wouldn’t you want to help your friend or relative have the best honeymoon they could possibly have?!  This is becoming increasingly popular.  Here are 5 reason why… (more…)

As I come to the close of my 2008 wedding season I have to say this year takes the cake so far!  Well, wait, maybe that is because its my first year in business.  I can only pray and hope that next year is even better! I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all the people that have helped make my dream of being a wedding planner become a reality. 

My Savior Jesus Christ: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” -Philippians 4:13 Because I believe in God and follow his teachings I have been blessed with success. This is the sole reason any of us can survive in this world.

My husband: Thank you honey for trusting in me and taking the chance with your hard earned money to finance me and my little ole’ dream!  Its working huh!!  It didn’t always look so hopeful in the beginning but with more patience and trust in God it will flourish even more!

My parents and sister:Mom and Dad, thank you for always telling me I could be successful at anything I wanted to do.  You believe in me no matter what I choose to do and it really helps keep me motivated.  Lindsay, thanks for listening to me and my stories all the time.  I need someone with an unbiased ear to listen to me!

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Bride and Groom/ Jennifer Krzycki and Andre Green

Date/ 10-11-08

LGW Package/ “Charmed”

Ceremony Site/ Kuyper College Vos Chapel

Reception Site/ Grand Rapids Public Museum (“Van Andel”)

Photographers/ Elite Photography & Design (Lisa Ruff) and The Photo Booth Company (Brian Josefowicz)

Florist-Designer/ Shelly’s Designs Wedding & Event Specialist (Shelly Johnson)

Cake/ Sweet Cakes Design (Barb Hoek)

DJ/ Party Down Music (Michael Handlin)

How I met the bride/ I met Jennifer through a referral I believe!  It has been almost a year now since I first spoke with Jennifer.  Forgive me to whomever referred Jen to me but I cannot remember…my guess is it was Aletha!  Thank goodness she is so popular and has to send people to me and other planners!  Jennifer was the first official client booked for Lucky Girl Weddings way back in December.  But, ironically, the last wedding I did for this season.  It was nice to have some weddings under my belt before Jenn’s so I could be sure to give her the service she deserved.  Jennifer and Andre were the most laid back couple.  They were so in love and so ready to be married and let the fun begin.  Thank you both for being a wonderful couple to work with.  I really appreciate your support of my business and your trust in a new planner!

How it went/ Smooth is the word I would use to describe this wedding day!  From the rehearsal the night before to the “Cheeseburger in Paradise” song with actual mini-cheeseburgers at the end of the reception, the whole weekend was a success!  Jenn, Andre, and their families were so happy to be together they had no worries or cares on their minds.  The weather was perfect, all the vendors were on time, the food was great, the DJ knew just what songs to play to keep the dance floor full, it was wonderful!  Jenn was an extremely organized bride and that always helps!  I am so thankful that I could be a part of her big day! 

Interesting facts/ Jenn and Andre live in Florida, so for Jenn to plan a whole wedding from there is awesome!  I can’t stop giving props to Jenn and her family for such a great event. 

Vendor report/ All the vendors involved in Jenn’s wedding were truly amazing.  The museum was a very unique venue and the staff members were right on point all night long.  Thank you Jim and Patsy for all your help.  The flowers and centerpieces were beautiful!  Not to mention the stunning arrangements at the church before hand….Shelly you always amaze me! The DJ was very professional and played great tunes all night long.  The Photo Booth Company was there, thanks Brian for providing great entertainment for all the guests!  The cake, perfect as usual from Sweet Cakes Design.  It was fun to talk to Lisa Ruff and her assistant from Elite Photography & Design throughout the night about our businesses and experiences.  I can’t wait to get some professional shots from this great night.  Thanks Lisa!  Last but not least the friend of the family who made those cookies!!! YUM-O!!  They were so good!  I wish I could have had more than one! I really hope I didn’t forget anyone.  Everything ran smooth as butter…so thank you to all involved! 

Congratulations Jennifer and Andre! May your marriage be blessed by God and may you have many many years of happy anniversaries to come!

Even though the temperature has only changed a few degrees I can still tell Fall is coming.  I can smell it in the air.  Not to mention Football has started…that really means the Fall is on its way.  So, now that the major part of the “wedding season” is coming to a close I am looking for Fall, Winter, and early Spring brides! 

I would like to offer a few specials on my wedding packages!  If you are a bride looking for a date that falls between Saturday, Sept. 27th and Saturday, March 29th of 2009 I will take $75.00 off the “Charmed” package and $100.00 off the “Golden” package.  (I am not offering a special on the ”Happy” or “Irresistible” packages because of the timeline and amount of work involved.) 

Every little bit saved can help when planning a wedding.  Hiring a planner is one of the best moves you can make to help your wedding day dreams become a reality!  Call me or email me ASAP!  I must have at least 3 weeks notice to book either special package.  Using the contact form provided on my website is the most effective way of getting in touch with me!

The client I booked today proves that you do not have to be in Grand Rapids, MI to use with Lucky Girl Weddings as your planning service.  My new clients Janelle and Adam currently live in Chicago, IL and their wedding is next summer in Freeland, MI.  Thank you Janelle and Adam for choosing LGW!  I will not let you down! 

So, if you are a bride that does not live in the greater GR area please still consider LGW.  We can and will make your wedding work from any location.  What’s the catch….well, it’s all pretty clear.  You pay .48cents per mile for travel outside the GR, MI area.  Not much of a catch huh!!! From one side of Lake Michigan to the other Lucky Girl Weddings has you covered!�

Have you ever tried so hard to get all the details for something right, stressed over it, had bad dreams about it….and then when the time comes…you forget that “something” anyway!

For my wedding I made sure every last detail was taken care of.  One of the last things I had to get was champagne flutes.  (more…)