Author Archives: Liz

It’s All About the Details

Posted in Wedding Planning by

Working in PR and planning events for my client means I have to pay extra special attention to the details. Forgetting one tiny thing could mean the difference between a successful event and a disaster, because trust me, a client notices everything- even the small stuff.

If you look at any bridal magazine, blog or website, you’ll see that modern brides as well are going the extra mile to put the finishing – and personalized – touches on their wedding. Everything is monogramed with the couple’s initials, vintage centerpieces adorn the tables and homemade favors like wine and jelly are all the rage.

Obviously, I want my wedding to incorporate little details that make our guests say “wow,” but it can be hard when you have a budget. Getting married in Chicago is already a stretch financially, so there’s no way we’re springing for those expensive “vintage” centerpieces! I could probably stalk around to antique stores looking for less-expensive options, but who has the time (or inclination) to spend their weekends doing that?

I’ve found a solution for thrifty, time-challenged brides like me, just visit Etsy.com! If you don’t know what Etsy is, it’s an online community of hand and homemade items for sale. You can find everything from jewelry, paper goods, decorations to accessories. They have a whole section dedicated to wedding items, most of which are totally making me swoon!

Here are some of my favorites:

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Whimsical. Fun. Festive. These party poms could be a great (and economical) way to decorate for a bridal shower, reception or rehearsal dinner. Five poms are just $25.

birds

How adorable are these love bird cake toppers? You can get them customized in your colors and monogramed for $45.

necklaceI am IN LOVE with this lace-inspired necklace. You can even get the end stone in your color of choice. All for $40!

pinwheel

Talk about making a unique statement- these pinwheel bouquets would be so cute at a casual, outdoor fete. At 5 for $50, this bride must have saved oodles on flowers.

You can check out all the amazing wedding handmade items for sale at http://www.etsy.com/category/weddings. Happy surfing!

I’m on the Hunt! (for floral bridesmaid dresses)

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We’re still dealing with our wedding hotel problem over here. I got a message via Twitter from @MarriottIntl saying they read my blog post and were going to see what they could do. Well, that ended up being a whole lot of nothing.

I just got an email from John, the guy behind their twitter handle, who told me basically the same thing everyone else at Marriott did- thanks for playing, but you lose! He had no solution. So much for the power of Twitter assisting in customer service!

I am soooo sick of thinking and worrying about this, so I’m putting it out of my head. Moving on!

Last night I spent some time looking online for some inspiration for my bridesmaid dresses. My colors are yellow and green and I’m interested in something different from what you’d typically see at a wedding. In fact, I’m really digging the idea of a floral print to capture the essence of spring. Or some type of floral appliqué to jazz up a solid colored dress.

Unfortunately it seems the bridal industry hasn’t quite caught up to the fashion I’m looking for as much of what I’m finding are solid colored, plain dresses that scream BRIDESMAID! And honestly, who looks good in tea-length?? (apologies to any brides who chose that length!)

It looks like I may be going with a dress that is not necessarily meant for bridesmaids. I’m sure my gals will like this idea since then they actually might be able to fulfill the commonly used phrase “you can wear it again!” The only problem is, no one is carrying spring colors right now so there aren’t many options.

 In my short time looking, these were some dresses that I liked.  They themselves won’t work because of color, price or availability, but I’m using them as inspiration to find the right dresses.  

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Yoana Baraschi silk blow-up dress
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BCBG yellow floral floor length dress
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Unknown designer
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Jcrew bridesmaid dress

Have you guys seen any adorable bridesmaid dresses out there? If so, leave me a link. Thanks!

Wedding Hotel-Block Debacle

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So far the majority of our wedding planning has gone smoothly. The vendors we’ve wanted have been available, I found a dress I’m in love with and our families have been supportive of our decision to get married in Chicago. Unfortunately, we ran into our first snafu this week with our hotel block.

From the beginning booking a block of rooms at a hotel near our reception has been a nightmare. It turns out there is a huge kitchen and bath conference in town the same weekend as our wedding and hotels across the city are holding rooms for the attendees at very high rates.

Being an avid traveler and frequent hotel stay-er, Luke graciously agreed to take on working with a hotel to book a block of rooms. We were thrilled to find a Marriott three blocks from the reception that would give us a rate of $149/night. The only glitch was that we could only book 15 rooms at a time.

After verbally confirming with several of their sales people that we would keep the $149 rate for any additional rooms beyond the first 15, we locked in the block and immediately emailed all our out-of-town guests to ask them to resreve rooms quickly. We filled those first 15 rooms within a week and called to have an additional 15 opened.

That’s when it all went downhill. The Marriott sales person we were working with informed us that the rate was jumping to $200/night!! Umm, excuse me? Didn’t we go over this several times before booking?? I immediately called the head of sales for the region to figure out why the rate we were promised was now off the table.

We were told that it was a system mistake that we were given the original rate of $149 because with the conference in town, the hotel wasn’t supposed to go below $200. Annoyingly enough, they even tried to flip the scenario by telling me that we were “lucky” that we got the lower rate for our first 15 rooms. Let’s just say they didn’t get too far with that positioning.

After arguing with the sales person on the phone, it became clear that we were screwed out of luck and there was no way the remainder of our guest could book at the $149 rate. I couldn’t believe Marriott offered NO solution to the mistake THEY made! No points, no budging on the new rate, no comp meals- nothing.

Being the problem-solver that he is, Luke contacted Hilton sales and we were able to book a block of rooms at an Embassy Suites close to the reception for $179/night. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best rate we can find. Plus Luke says Hilton has been a dream to work with. We wish we had gone with them in the first place since now our guests will be split in two hotels.

I was really upset when this all went down- because I felt really taken advantage of by Marriott and even moreso, I felt guilty about the increased rate our guest will have to pay.

We chose to get married in Chicago because it’s where I feel the most connected to my church (I sing in the choir), it’s where Luke and I fell in love and as the youngest, my siblings have already done the big wedding back home. However, I know that asking my guests to make the trip to Chicago for our nuptuals is a big undertaking both financially and time wise. I really wanted to make it as easy as possible on everyone.

Anyway…..I’ve decided to let it go and go back to focusing on the fun and exciting parts of wedding planning. If some people can’t make our wedding because of the cost, I’ll completely understand. For those who do come, we’ll just have to make sure it’s a really fun weekend for them!

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest! :)

Sunday Supper Series – Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Posted in Liz's Life by

Here in Chicago, we’ve skipped over the season of Fall and jumped right into Winter. It’s been unseasonably chilly, windy, rainy and grey, so when deciding what to cook this Sunday, a comforting, warm, no-fuss pot roast sounded perfect.

My dad used to make pot roast in the crock pot and there really is nothing better than coming home after a long day to the smell of slow-cooked meat and vegetables. Plus since Luke and I had a busy day on Sunday registering for our wedding, making supper in the crock pot was really conveient.

Prior to taking off for a day of scanning items at Bed Bath & Beyond, I picked up some fresh veggies, a 2 lb pot roast, a can of cream of mushroom soup and a 1 ounce packet of onion or leek soup mix.

Once home, I seasoned the meat with salt and pepper and then seared it on all sides for 1-2 minutes. Searing the meat helps keep all the juices inside while it slow cooks so the meat is really moist and flavorful.

After setting the meat aside to rest, I spent about 15 minutes chopping the vegetables. You can choose whatever vegetables you want. I chose, carrots, celery, garlic, onions and canned peas. Since I’m getting fitted for my wedding dress this week and want to eat as healthy as possible before then, I avoided potatoes- but they are also a good addition to this recipe.

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Once you have the meat and vegetables ready to go, you just throw everything in the crock pot along with a can of cream of mushroom soup, one can-full of water and a 1 ounce packet of onion or leek soup powder.

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There are a couple cooking options- set the crock pot to low and cook for 8-9 hours or set it to high and cook for 3-4. When it’s done the meat should be incredibly tender and easily cuttable with a fork. The final product isn’t the most visually appealing meal, but the smell and taste are unbelieveable.

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Yum! This pot roast hit the spot after our day of walking around in the cold. The meat was so tender and juicy and the vegetables were soft and flavorful. I definitely recommend you try this recipe out next time you’re looking for a comforting, delicious meal that doesn’t require a lot of preparation or supervised cooking.