Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings, Inc.

I seriously loved interviewing Kara Underwood from Magnificent Milestones!!  Kara owns an amazing custom invitation shop and I am like a kid in a candy store there … Ok, I will admit it … I have a little crush on paper. Feeling really nice paper gives me a bit of a rush.  Now I know that might be a little strange for some of you but it isn’t for Kara and that is one of many reason we get along so well!!

One lucky reader will get an amazing gift provided by Kara … You will have to read through the interview to find out what and how you can win.  Yeah, I am sneaky like that!

You own a beautiful invitation company that operates out of Smitten Boutique, how did you end up sharing this space?

Kirstin Martin, the owner of Smitten Boutique, and I separately had dreams to open a wedding boutique in the West Loop. It was perfect… close to many wedding vendors and there was absolutely nothing like it in the area. The only problem was, we both had the idea at the same time.

We opened within 6 months of one another and did our best to find our niche and support one another’s businesses. Kirstin focused on day of details, such as jewelry, cake toppers and more, while I focused on custom invitations and all things paper. We were constantly sending people to one another and meeting for coffee to chat. After a year, Kirstin and I met to discuss a physical merger. We would share the amazing space at Smitten Boutique and each maintain separate businesses. Naturally, I jumped at the chance!

Seriously folks, if you live in the Chicagoland area and have not been to Smitten Boutique then run don’t walk. The store is simply amazing!!

What do you love most about the invitation business?

When the bride sees her invitations for the first time! It is very surreal to see your name next to your fiancés… very official!

You just created your own Invitation Line.  Tell me about “The Third Coast Collection”!

I started the Third Coast Collection out of my love for Chicago and a void in the marketplace. Brides & Grooms are always searching for fun and kitschy notes for thank you cards and welcome bags. They don’t always have the budget for customized notecards and these have a way of being personal to the couple and their personalities. Stay posted for a line of Chicago-centrice save the dates and invitations coming this fall!

You used to be a wedding planner, what made you decide to forego that and focus on invitations?

I love weddings (obviously), so it’s no surprise that I had my hand in several things at once. Planning was so much fun, but I truly think everyone should have a specialty. After the business started to grow, I realized that I was spreading myself to thin and needed to decide on just one focus. My love for paper prevailed!

I must admit this makes me very happy!!  Not only because Kara was some stiff competition for me but because she has truly outdone herself with the custom invitations.  I seriously love taking my brides to see her.  Not only do they love being in the shop and what she has to offer but she is just plain fun to spend an hour with … Oh and it does not hurt that if you make an appointment to look at invitations with her she gives you the most adorable “expert thank you cards” (yes, that is all you have to do … Make an appointment instead of just stopping in!).

What do you miss most about planning?

Good question! I miss the day of, hands down. It is so exciting… Seeing the bride for the first time, watching the groom when she walks down the aisle, bringing them in to see the room, everything.

What did you find the most stressful about being a wedding planner?

There were times that I felt more like a psychiatrist than a planner! There is a lot of mediating, whether it is between a client and his/her parents or the bride and groom themselves, and it is challenging.

You just got married yourself (at the Ivy Room no less).  What did you learn from “the bride’s perspective” that you did not know from the planner perspective?

All the fun details and stresses you don’t deal with as a planner…. Such as the amazing dress, the dreaded guest list.

What was your favorite part of your wedding?

Oh gosh, that is hard! I have a few… getting ready with my bridesmaids and my mom was a blast. I needed my girl time, so everyone came over in the morning for hair and makeup. After a lot of laughs (and some champagne), it was time to start the day. The ceremony was also one of my favorites. Our officiant did a great job personalizing it. Last but not least, one of my favorites was the dance party that took place that night.

What is your favorite restaurant in Chicago?

My favorite food is Mexican and I love the *new* Mercadito.

Favorite color?

Yellow

Favorite movie?

Steel Magnolias

Favorite song?

This changes all the time! Once I love something, I listen to it on repeat, literally, so it doesn’t last as a favorite for long. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit is on repeat right now.

Which living person do you most admire?

My mom, for a lot of reasons. She is one of eleven (yes, eleven!) children which made her mom-like figure to my aunts and uncles at a very young age. She had to sacrifice a lot to help out and never got to go to college. But I have never heard a complaint. She worked hard before starting her own family and still became extremely successful. In more recent years, I have thrown her several curve balls, moving to Chicago (with no job, no plan), starting my own business, opening a store and more. Everything I throw her way, I get nothing but support. I am always told that if “someone can do it, it’s me” and I truly think that is why I get to do what I love today.

What do you like best about working with Greatest Expectations?

Personally: You two are just fun! I can seriously chat with you for hours. Oh wait, we have!

Professionally: I love working with planners like you that go above and beyond for their clients. They are so lucky to have you! I know when I email them at 9:00 p.m. at night, I will get a response

Thank you Kara!!  It is so nice to get that kind of compliment from someone in the industry.

Now on to the good stuff … If you love paper the way Kara and I do then you will really enjoy these beautiful (and totally fun)  engraved note cards from Kara’s Third Coast Collection. In order to win simply post a comment here telling us about your personal secret (or not so secret) obsession (mine is clearly expensive paper). Anyone is welcome to enter!

Don’t miss the Monique Lhuillier Event at Ultimate Bride featuring the Spring 2011 Bridal Collection and enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres from Limelight Caterers.

Thursday, April 29th      5 PM – 8 PM

106 E. Oak Street, 2nd Floor

Space is limited so please RSVP | 312.337.6300

Here at Greatest Expectations we put a lot of focus on the eco-friendly aspects of event planning.  We work hard to incorporate as many “green” things into our events, offices and daily lives as possible.

Many of you may think that having an eco-friendly wedding is cost prohibitive but honestly that does not have to be the case! There are many, many things you can do to make the carbon footprint of your event smaller with out spending tons of money!

On a very basic level consider making use of the internet!  A great way to save trees is to send an e-save-the-date. This does not have to be a plain old email – you can still have someone design a beautiful “card” and then email it to everyone on your list (remember that if you send someone a save-the-date you must send them a wedding invitation).

We also suggest getting a free wedding website.  We really like the ones offered on wedding wire and OneWed.  These offer excellent planning tools all around.  They can help you manage your guest list, budget, vendors and even help you do seating arrangements!! Consider having your guests send in their responses online (through the website) instead of using a traditional response card (thus saving the printing of the card, envelope and cost of postage!). I realize having guests RSVP online is extremely non-traditional but if you are planing a green wedding it is truly the way to go!  We have done it several times and it works out great.

When it comes to the actual wedding invitation consider having them printed on 100% recycled paper, using earth friendly printing methods with an eco equipped studio, and carbon free shipping!  We really love the ones offered by Earthly Affairs.  They have a very clean and elegant look with tons of design choices.  Their price point is great also!  For 100 invitations with printed return address on the envelope you will spend about $314!!  They do take a little extra time to produce (about three weeks) so be sure to allow plenty of time when placing your order.

We love the idea of “reusing” items … Whether this is something you already own or purchasing something previously used, this is an excellent way to go green in your wedding planning! The Recycled Bride is an excellent website that allows you to find just about anything you can imagine for your event from clothing to rings, table and ceremony decor to jewelry and accessories.  You would be surprised by all of the items you never even think of that cost tons of money but you only use once … Like jars for your candy bar, LED candles (for those historical venues that don’t allow live flame), even fun and unique vessels for your centerpieces. You can also sell items, that can still have life in them, after your wedding is over … The Recycled Bride really takes reduce, reuse and recycle to a whole new bridal level!

You can also consider finding a wedding dress resale shop in your area.  Here in Chicago I love to send people to White Chicago where you can purchase designer seconds (at a significantly reduced price) or a gently used dress. You can also consign your wedding dress here.

If you have your heart set on having a new wedding dress then how about one made of eco-friendly materials! We are completely in love with Threadhead Creations Eco Wedding dresses found on etsy (another amazing resource all around).  These beautiful gowns are custom made (although they do offer a small selection of ready to ship dresses) with the fabric of your choice. Another fantastic company is Natural Bridal.  They make amazing gowns that can be purchased through their etsy site here. They also offer wraps, garters and other eco-friendly accessories in addition to their wedding dresses. To make them even more wonderful, 5% of your purchase goes towards environmental non profit groups!!

Your bridal party can have dresses made as well! We love ECONICA for something custom or consider purchasing them from sites like Wore it Once or Recycled Bride.  This option is excellent if you have a very small bridal party.  If you have a slightly larger bridal party why not put them in black and allowing them to wear any dress they want … Then they know it will fit their body type and they can wear it again!

When it comes to Bridal Jewelry everyone loves BLIG! What bride does not want to dazzle and sparkle on her big day?  But who can afford to spend tons of money on diamonds!!  That is where a really cool site like Adorn comes in.  Greatest Expectations has a special relationship with the people at Adorn.  If you rent items from them and enter our unique code (CHBC2018) you will get a 20% discount on all items!!  That’s a little Earth Week treat from us!  They carry so many beautiful pieces but we especially love the items with Saphires … Something Blue anyone?

When it comes to items for your guests I always suggest using reusable bags (instead of paper or plastic) for welcome bags.  You can even have them personalized at Factory Direct Promotions where everything is eco-friendly!! They are even better if you have reusable water bottles inside!  If you order  them in advance and get enough, you can get great deals on both items!  When filling them consider using small local companies that use sustainable products. If you are in Chicago how think about Rare Bird Preserves or Rich Chocolate & Candies … YUMMY!!!

If you plan on doing favors (and we firmly believe you can skip this part with out any complaints) we suggest something edible, plantable or better yet making a donation in your guests honor to a charity that is special to you! We had clients a few months ago that simply could not decide what charity to donate to so they selected three and allowed their guests to pick their favorite charity!

When it comes to food and beverage ask your catering company to not use bottled water (as long as you live in a city with good tap water, like Chicago), recycle as much as possible after the event and use sustainable, locally grown items! Something you wish you could do but cannot is donate left over food to a shelter.  They have some pretty strict rules (Health Code related) and cannot accept items that have been opened or partly consumed by others. I did have a friend that once went to lower wacker and gave food away to the homeless – now that is something you can do!

And don’t forget about implementing as many green items into your everyday life as possible … Always use your own water bottle. I really like the Intake from Thermos, if you brew coffee at home get a coffee maker with a reusable filter, carry your own coffee cozy like one from Green Pockets on Etsy. Consider using an efax instead of a traditional fax.  They are actually really helpful, your faxes come in as PDF’s (saving paper and ink) and can be saved directly into the right file.  You can also send faxes without printing them out! And don’t forget to shop and eat Local!!!  This helps keep your neighbor’s in business, your community vitalized, and your overall carbon footprint smaller

Happy Earth Week!!  We hope this post (and many others like it) will inspire you to make green decisions, even the small ones count!!  And please remember to be green all year around, not just one week a year!!

Stop in Fleur on Saturday April 24th for a trunk show featuring the work of Moira K Lime! Her lines include Botanical, Blumen, Plant, Fiber and Barnacle, so you can only imagine why we are so in love with them!

You will also enjoy a 15% discount on any of Moira’s pieces! From 11am-2pm you can meet Moira and speak with her about her art, sip a glass of red and relax among the blooms.

To sweeten the deal even more, pick up something for Mom handmade by a local artist. If you purchase one of Moira’s pieces and pre- order your flowers for Mother’s Day, you’ll receive 15% off the blooms too!

Applications are still being accepted for Chicago’s Premier Wedding Giveaway … Don’t miss your opportunity to win the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway!!  Be sure to check out all the details about how to enter and enter your submission by May 1st at 11:59 p.m.

As with most of you, I wake up each morning and read through my blog roll.  I am always excited to see what everyone has to say and hoping that will interest and inspire me.  This morning I came across an excellent post about working with your wedding vendors from Lauren at Every Last Detail (a really fantastic wedding planning blog).  I wanted to share her thoughts with you …

Part of the objective of {ELD} is to educate brides throughout the wedding planning process. So, I thought that sharing some tips about working with wedding vendors would be beneficial to both brides and vendors. No, these aren’t bad things or industry secrets. These tidbits are just things to consider when working with your wedding vendors.

- Go to your meetings prepared. Bring photos, swatches, contracts- whatever you desire really. Have a couple of questions. If you don’t have any clue about what to expect for the meeting, it doesn’t hurt to ask beforehand. If you’re going to an initial consultation, have an idea in your head of what you want your wedding to be like. If you’re at a complete loss, try the {ELD} Style Dictionary for some help. If that’s the case, tell the vendor outright that you haven’t decided on what kind of wedding you want.

- Going along with the previous statement, TALK to your vendors. They can’t read your mind and know what you want. If you don’t have anything specific that you want, tell them so they can give you ideas and suggestions.

-Don’t be afraid to ask your vendors for other referrals. Good vendors working with each other results in a good experience for ALL!

- Your wedding vendors work weekends, of course, as most weddings are on weekends. However, just because they are “working” does not mean that they are sitting at their desks all weekend. They’re out, on location, at weddings, working. Please don’t be worried or mad if an email you send on the weekend or at the end of the week isn’t returned immediately. I know they’re all super awesome at returning emails during the week, but come Thursday or Friday, things can turn into a madhouse preparing for weddings. Please have patience with your vendors if you send emails during “peak days”, and give them time to get back to the office and respond.

- Running late for a meeting or did life just get in the way? Call the vendor and let them know! Wedding vendors don’t have the most normal schedules, and although most of the time they’re very accommodating, more times than not they also have lots of other things on their plate.

- Something else to remember: your wedding vendors’ respective profession is their career and job. They don’t do it “on the side” or as a “hobby”. Meaning it’s their livelihood and how they put food in their family’s mouth, just like your job. Yes, they love what they do and it’s a fun, rewarding job, but they also have to make money. Their prices are what they are because it’s what they live off of.

- Some vendors you have that may be working with family members on the day of your wedding (coordinator, planner, photographer, videographer, DJ) won’t know what their names are unless you specifically tell them. Give them specific names for your bridal party and any family involved. For photos, have a family member act as the “round up person” to get needed family members efficiently.

- And of course- sorry to sound like a broken record- everything is better and easier when you have a wedding planner/coordinator. It’s pretty much unanimously agreed upon by all wedding vendors. 

Thanks for the excellent advice Lauren!  As always, I will check in with you tomorrow!

Don’t miss the april Reem Acra and Amsale trunk shows at

Belle Vie Bridal Couture !!  Experience luxurious bridal gown shopping in one of Chicago’s most upscale bridal salons!  Trunk shows are an excellent way to get a couture wedding dress at an amazing price!

The first trunk show is …

Reem Acra

Fall 2010 Trunk Show

April 16th & 17th

Then don’t miss out on …

Amsale

Fall 2010 Trunk Show

April 23rd & 24th

Meet the designers, make custom changes and more!

Discount vouchers available during trunk show only.

By Appointment Only ~ 312.751.2222

Belle Vie Bridal Couture
34 East Oak Street

If you are a reader of this blog then you know we simply love the people at Fleur!  They are just so darn talented and we love to work with them.  We Fleur is celebrating it’s 8th birthday and would love for you to join them April 8th 10am-7pm for a little birthday celebration!  Think Cupcakes and Cake from Tipsy Cake. Champagne and Saint Germaine, wine, cheese and jam, and other deliciousness. You might even want to take advantage of the storewide 15% off sale and find something pretty to take home and display on your table!  I wouldn’t miss it if I were you!