Colorado Springs wedding coordinator | IPhone | wedding websites

As you begin to plan your wedding you know that wedding websites are wonderful tools to keep friends and family up to date on important wedding related information. Sharing that information just got more exciting! There is a new a chic app for your IPhone (Android app coming soon!) that helps you create an easy accessible and fun mobile wedding app! http://www.appycouple.com/ has everything you want in a wedding site, from registry information and RSVP confirmations, to your special story and a countdown to the big day! The best part is you have it with you wherever you go!

With its easy to use online set up you can have a glamorous app designed by you in no time! 

 Pick your colors, theme and style to match your wedding and get your friends and family connected! They will have so much fun reading your story, looking through pictures and knowing they are in the loop as your wedding day grows closer and closer!

Go online today and get your http://www.appycouple.com/ mobile wedding app started and begin sharing all the excitement of your special day with those you love! 

Colorado Springs Wedding Planner | Bridal Party Duties and Helpful Hints

The Wedding Party!

As you plan your wedding it is a comfort to know you have your family and friends around to bounce ideas off of, to help seal envelopes, support your decisions and be there on the big day to stand up with you. Did you know that there is more to being in the wedding party then wearing a pretty dress or handsome tux and showing up? Yes indeed! Each member of the wedding party has their own special role to play to help you and your husband to be, prepare for your glorious celebration.

Maid of Honor: Your maid of honor is your go to lady throughout the planning process, ceremony and reception. Her duties include:

Attends pre-wedding parties and events, including rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.

Hosts bridal shower and bachelorette party

Organizes the bridesmaids, keeps them informed on wheres and whens.

Serves as witness to the signing of your marriage license (must be 18)

Helps you dress and prepare on your wedding day

Your personal attendant during the ceremony, this means dress duty!!! Keep the dress and veil looking classy

Carries your groom’s wedding ring during the ceremony

Holds your bouquet during the ceremony

Helps you dress and prepare for your departure

Makes final farewells to your guests with the best man.

Amanda Lamb Photography

Best Man: Your groom will need his most reliable buddy by his side as he prepares to unite with his bride! His responsibilities include:

Attends pre-wedding parties and events, including rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

Hosts the bachelor party

Helps the groom select, pick up and return formal wear

Serves as witness to the signing of your marriage license (must be 18)

Helps your groom dress and get ready on the wedding day

Your groom’s personal attendant during the ceremony

Holds your wedding ring (unless you have a ring bearer)

Proposes the first toast to you and your new husband at the reception

Makes final farewells to your guests with maid of honor

Jade Creek Photography

The bridesmaids: These ladies, besides looking fabulous at your side, are at your beckon call if you need a extra pair of hand to tie a bow or fluff your veil. 

Arrange and pay for their gowns and accessories

Assist in preparations when asked

Attends pre-wedding parties and events (can co-host with maid of honor)

Help decorate the ceremony and reception sites (if necessary)

Escort groomsmen                         

Serve as hostesses at reception

Audrey Hannah Photo

The groomsmen: These strapping lads are your grooms support! 

Arrange and pay for their formal wear

Attend pre-wedding parties and events

Seat guests for the ceremony (if you don’t have ushers)

Escort bridesmaids

Serve as greeters at reception

Prepare vehicle for your departure from the reception

Jenna Walker Photography

Flower girl and Ring bearer: These precious individuals complete your party with the Ohhs and Awes that only children can bring! Their duties are simple:

Ring bearer: Escort flower girl and carry pillow with rings

Flower girl: carries flowers and drops petals

Be adorable!

Gaston Photography

Colorado Springs Wedding Planner | Steps to Planning Your Wedding

Two of the biggest days for engagements have now passed and you are one lucky girl with a ring. So now you have the ring…what next? The excitement to start planning your dream wedding is upon you but you are a little overwhelmed as what to do next?  Well first, enjoy your engagement day to the fullest. Never forget this day and how he proposed to you. I personally love hearing the stories, and romantic and unique ways men propose to their women.

Next, follow the guidelines below to assist you in the first planning stages of your wedding. Enjoy the planning process, it can actually be FUN!

1.       Start planning and become organized: Being organized is the first step to successful planning. Go out get a binder or planning book to organize your thoughts, pictures, and details of your day. Notate all items pertaining to your wedding and clip pictures and insert them into your planning book to refer back to your inspiration.

To purchase a personalized “Wedding Planner” by Sarah Viera Event Planning & Design, enter your information here. In the subject field note: Wedding Planner.

2.       Plan engagement party: Let the first of many parties and celebrations begin! Your engagement party should happen as close to your engagement date as possible, but if you plan to have a long engagement you can extend the engagement party out. Just remember to plan the party closer to your engagement date rather than your wedding date.

3.       Take engagement pictures:  Like your engagement party your engagement pictures should be scheduled around the time of your engagement date. You need to decide the location and time you want your photos taken and find a photographer that fits your style. Photos are captured moments that you will treasure forever so finding the right place and person to make those moments last a lifetime is an important decision.

Audrey Hannah Photo



Audrey Hannah Photo

Audrey Hannah Photo

4.       Pick a date: This task is harder than most think unless you already have a special date representing the two of you. If not, consider Holiday weekends. They provide an extra day to celebrate and can even bring down your venue budget if you book on a Sunday! One thing to consider is if families have holiday traditions they celebrate and travel expenses may be higher.

5.       Choose a reception venue: Reserving a venue in the beginning stages of planning is ideal. Venue’s book faster than you can imagine especially if you have chosen a Saturday during prime wedding season. Double check with your venue’s availability if you are planning on getting married in the months from May-September.

Spruce Mountain Ranch Sarah Roshan Photography

6.       Set a budget: Determine a starting point and go from there. Make a list of all the things you want especially those most important for your special day and determine where your budget will be used most.

7.       Design your wedding website: Keeping friends and family informed on the upcoming wedding is made simple and fun using a wedding website. This is a wonderful place where you can share stories, have guests RSVP, post wedding registry information, give directions, post photos and many more wonderful bit on information all in one easy location. (Wedding websites: http://www.wedsite.com, http://www.ewedding.com, http://wedding-websites.weddingpaperdivas.com)

8.       Consider a consultant: Having a wedding planner/consultant can be a huge help during such an exciting but stressful time. A planner is there to help you make your dream day come true in any way possible. Nowadays there are so many DIY ways to do wedding but it is easy to get bogged down with the details of who needs to be where and when this has to happen, that is where a planner comes in. You and your sweetie should enjoy the celebration of the beginning of your new life together and let your planner worry about everything else.

9.       Start a guest list:  Figure out the size of your wedding and reception venues to help you determine the number of guests to invite. Outdoor venues typically have no limitations but indoor venues do which ought to be considered if you are planning for a lot of people. At the beginning of your planning feel free to put anyone and everyone on your list, you can always cut it down later. There are very helpful online tools to get you started on your list.

10.   Pick your wedding party: Decide how many people you both want standing up with you on your wedding day. From there the most important decision is to pick your maid of honor. Someone who is going to be there at your worst and best moments throughout this process. Having a group of ladies who are supportive and willing to help is such a benefit during this time.

Amanda Lamb Photography

As you begin this journey make sure you have support around you, whether that is your mom, your maid of honor, a sibling, a grandparent, or your planner. Having a support system to stand by you as you plan your magical day is very important and you will soon realize a huge benefit. If you are like most girls you have probably been looking forward to this day for a long time and already have many ideas. Now is the time to take a deep breath and start making those dreams come true!

Call Sarah Viera Event Planning & Design for assistance with the planning process, the day of, or beyond.

Colorado Springs Wedding Planner | Meets Denver Photographer | Keri Doolittle

I think I have mentioned this before, but I LOVE photography! Its just a little passion of mine that I would have liked to pursue more. Not to be a professional photographer by any means, but to be able to take a nice picture and be proud them. When Keri from Keri Doolittle Photography emailed me to meet, I was beyond excited! Her work is amazing. So clean-cut and crisp, which is something I love. She brings laughter and passion when working and is a pleasure to be around. We met at the beautiful Spruce Mountain Ranch and braved the cold for a few fun shots. Courtney, my new intern, came along and got some glam time behind the camera as well. 

 
Thanks Keri for the fun times and great pictures!

For more information on Keri please visit http://www.keridoolittlephotography.com/

2nd Annual Wine & Nosh | Bridal Show Colorado Springs

Have you ever been to a bridal show and left thinking…OMG what did I just experience. You tasted so many great foods, desserts and met so many vendors, but don’t remember any of them exclusively. Why? Probably because there were 12 caterers, 15 photographers and 10 bakers. By the time you reached the last vendor you probably couldn’t remember one thing about the first vendor you met.

Being a former bride I had experienced this exact same thing. Now as a wedding/event coordinator, I didn’t want brides to experience this overwhelming feeling and sense of confusion as they went to their first bridal show. So Wine & Nosh was created.
Wine & Nosh is a unique approach to a bridal show. Brides are able to relax, sip on wine, casually talk amongst other brides and vendors and feel at ease while planning their wedding. We encourage brides to bring those favorite men in their life so they can relax, be a part of the planning process and enjoy a cigar even!

When entering Wine & Nosh you will not see tables set up around the room with the vendors showcasing every last item they have for their company. Instead it is a more intimate setting where vendors and brides can sit down one on one, speak to each other and discuss details. I believe in building relationships with those who you want to work with and what better way to speak with a bride then over some wine and relaxing music. 

A limited group of vendors are chosen to participate in Wine & Nosh. Each vendor has been chosen to represent the Wine & Nosh atmosphere with each of them being some of the most esteemed vendors in the industry. 

While the atmosphere is relaxing prizes were given away every 30 minutes amping up the energy in the room to see who won what.  Wedding Treasures provided an AH-MA-ZING fashion show where brides were able to get ideas from over 30 dresses, both bridal and for their wedding party. Makeup was provided by Magnifica Bella, showcasing her work on these beautiful brides and music was provided by FUNction Pro DJ.

The fashion show wasn't the only main attraction; Jun from The SushiMan rolled fresh sushi for guests to taste his amazing creations. The portable sushi bar is an awesome idea for bachelor parties, rehearsal dinners or even as a station at your wedding. Desserts were provided by Wild Flour Confections and Sugarplum Cake Shoppe where brides were able to see both cupcake and cake designs.

All of our vendors provided a delightful experience for anyone attending Wine & Nosh. Floral, Photography, Videography and a Photobooth all made lasting impressions on our brides. 



Thank you to Sundance Mountain Lodge for hosting the 2nd annual Wine & Nosh Bridal Show and to all the vendors who made the show a success.

Photography provided by Amanda Lamb Photography.

Participating Vendors:

Attire: Wedding Treasures

Bakery: Sugarplum Cake Shoppe

               Wild Flours Confections

Catering: The SushiMan

Entertainment: FUNction Pro DJ

Event Planner & Design: Sarah Viera Event Planning & Design

Florist: Rhonda Nichols Floral Design

              Secret Window Floral Studio

Makeup: Magnifica Bella

Photobooth: Shutter Booth Denver

Photography: Amanda Lamb Photography
                          Dancing Cloud Photography 

Rentals: Event Rents Denver

Transportation: DDG Classic Limousine

Venue: Sundance Mountain Lodge
Videography: Kozi Visuals
Venue: Sundance Mountain Lodge


The 3rd Annual Wine & Nosh Bridal Show will be held on January 26, 2013 at Spruce Mountain Ranch. Please see Sarah Viera Event Planning & Design for further details.

Colorado Springs Wedding Planner | Vow Renewal

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Chicki and Adrian along with their three kids.  Chicki and I met over coffee and spent hours discussing their 10 year vow renewal. They were living out of State and would be transferring to Colorado Springs soon. Chicki wanted the mountains of Colorado to be the backdrop of her ceremony. With the date set for end of November we risked cold weather, but the sun was shinning down on these two and their family for their 10 year celebration!



Chicki wanted her day to be about family and the love they share. Friends and family flew in from out of town and made the entire week about family and love.

mother-daughter moment...so precious





Thank you Chicki and Adrian for allowing me to be a part of your special day. You have the sweetest family and the love you share will last another 10 years and longer.

Thank you to the follwing vendors for making their day so special:

Baker: Sugarplum Cake Shoppe

Caterer: The Sunbird

Ceremony: Hillside Gardens

Entertainment: FUNction Pro DJ

Event Planner: Sarah Viera Event Planning & Design

Florist: Spring Willow N' Weeds

Officiant: A Bridal Blessing

Photographer: Photos with Sarah

Reception: The Sunbird



Do you like COUTURE?...How about COUTUREcolorado? | Colorado Springs wedding planner

Many of us set yearly goals with hopes that when December 31st rolls around, we have completed these goals and are ready to set new ones for the following year. When starting my business I had high hopes that I would make it huge; be the next David Tutera or have my own Storibook Weddings show! But that quickly came to a halt when my very literal husband explained that it takes any good business five years to successfully grow and make it. "Hello! Did you not remember who you married?" I did not want to wait five years! I wanted the success now!!! But its been a dream world doing what I love and I can't wait 'til that success hits!

As I go through the years I try different avenues for marketing. This year I am happy to announce that I am a proud LIST member for COUTUREcolorado, a one-of-a-kind online magazine and exclusive resource guide. After speaking with the founder, Laura Dombrowski, I fell in love with her concept and idea. She said one word that made me believe in her and what she was creating..."community". She wanted to create a small community. While Laura put it simply, that word had a heartfelt impact on me. It made this huge industry seem as if there is a softer side. A side where you can be huge, yet small at the same time. I liked that!

If you haven't visited COUTUREcolorado, you have to! The site is amazing! Not only can you choose some of the States most amazing vendors, but you can get ideas, inspiration and style. 

I feel so proud to be amongst so many talented vendors in all of Colorado. Check out the amazing Event Planners I am amongst, as well as all the other LIST members!

And within the first week of January, I can already mark one goal off my list...finding a community where I belong....Thank you Laura!