Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings, Inc.

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!!

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!

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!

Our good friends at Doug McGoldrick Wedding Photography is offering a fantastic deal between now and the end of May!

Simply book any wedding package with Doug and receive one free hour of photography and a free engagement portrait session! This is a $625.00 savings!! Oh I can imagine all of the beautiful pictures as I type … Now go all Doug, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

“My philosophy for photographing a wedding is pretty simple – Stay out of the way.  My method is to let the day unfold naturally and then capture the moment as it happens” ~ Doug McGoldrick

If you have not already checked out Inspired By This I think you should get right to it!  I simply adore this blog and make sure to check it several times a day  We added them to our blog roll a few weeks ago, so I sure hope some of our loyal readers have checked it out!

I was “inspired” by their post this morning about custom chocolates!  Leila from Inspired By This is passionate about chocolate and let’s be honest … I have had quite a love affair with chocolate myself.

When it comes to favors I normally suggest making a donation instead.  There are so many amazing charitable organizations out there and it is easy to select one that is special to you and your fiance. But if you really want to give something then I say it simply must be edible (or drinkable).

Leila’s post today was the perfect combination of both the edible and charitable ideas. Introducing Chocri: Mein Schokolade! A site and service dedicated solely to make delicious and custom chocolate bars. Founded in Germany and just recently brought to the US in January, Chocri offers the most options out there to customize your bar; there are more than 100 toppings!

What really puts me over the edge in love with this custom chocolate bar company is that all of the chocolate is organic, fair trade chocolate from Belgium. As if that were not exciting enough, Chocri is also dedicated to giving back! They donate a percentage of their revenues to DIV Kinder which is an organization that supports children at the Ivory Coast.  You can even make an extra donation at check out if you so desire. These facts basically make the custom bars a perfect wedding favor! A delicious treat and charitable giving … A Perfect Pair!

Be sure to check in out Inspired By This … I promise you will not be disappointed!

Every once in a while, when I have some time to kill (ok … So about twice a year, but that is not the point!) I will Google Greatest Expectations.  I was prompted to do so the other day.  We were lucky enough to be listed in a national magazine (yeah!) the only problem is the magazine used my name only and not the company name.  Oh, and they spelled my name wrong.

That had me thinking … What happens if I typed my misspelled name in and did a search.  Well, it turns out that about five hits down you do find the real Heather Lynne Vickery and Greatest Expectations thank goodness!

I also discovered that we had been blogged!!  I love that.  I’d like to thank  Tickled Pink Brides in Orlando Florida and Rusty Worden Photography in North Carolina for the blog love they sent our way.

And to remind you about some blog love from the past you can always visit OneWed and Northern Nuptials.  We thank them for allowing us to be part of their beautiful sites and hope to do so again!

Now go forth and plan!!

The holidays are over and just like everyone else you want to shed a few sugar cookie pounds.  If you are a bride then it seems even more important because you have to fit in that perfect dress!!

Let me suggest you join The Ivy Room for their Wedding Dress Work Out.  This is an 8 week pilates inspired work shop sure to get you looking and feeling your best for the big day! Classes will be held on Sunday mornings, the perfect way to kick start your week.

Sunday 10 AM

January 24th – March 14th

$140 for 8 weeks or $20 per class

Everyone is welcome (that mean’s fiance’s and friends to help keep you inspired) and if you are an Ivy Room Bride you will get 15% off (now that is incentive). Hurry to reserve your spot as space is limited!

To enroll email info@ivyroomchicago.com or call 312.645.7760

We spend a lot of time talking about sending thank you notes. But what happens when it comes time to thank the experts that help make your wedding day perfect? That’s not as easy as it sounds!

That’s why we fell head over heels in love with CARDiology’s beautiful letter press “Wedding Expert Appreciation Kits.”  They have two different sets of note cards complete with super creative ways to thank your Baker, Caterer, Tailor, Florist, Hair Dresser, Band or DJ and every other vendor you can think of! Not to mention they are letter pressed on to beautiful, luxurious paper (as an official paper addict I can say this is something really special!).

Two of my favorites are the Florist: “From the Bride and Groom thanks for making our day bloom” and Photographer: “A little gratitude for capturing our attitude.”

These super fun cards can be purchased at Smitten Boutique (an adorable little shop in the West Loop area).  Smitten is also the home of Magnificent Milestones Custom Invitations Studio.  They even carry the Bride-to-Be, Wedding Party Appreciation, Bachelor, Baby, New Mother and Essential Thank You Collection Cards from CARDiology (all incredibly cute!!).

So you ask me … What could be better than rushing out right now to purchase these adorable cards (and everything else you fall in love with at this fantastic shop)?  I have just the answer!!  Kara, the owner of Magnificent Milestones, is giving a set of the Wedding Expert Appreciation Cards as a gift to any bride that sets an appointment to look at custom invitations. You read that right, a free gift … Oh and the deal gets even sweeter … There is no purchase required. That’s right!  Make an appointment with Kara to look at invitations and you walk away with these adorable cards no strings attached!  It’s that easy!

We are confident you will love the invitations at Magnificent Milestones and everything at Smitten Boutique … Shop, enjoy, write thank you notes.

Professional choreographer and wedding shoe designer, Angela Nuran,

will guide couples through simple rules and basic steps to turn

the agony of “de-feet” into the thrill of dance victory.

Monday, October 5th

White Chicago | 222 W. Huron Street

6:30 PM Champagne Welcome
Followed by 90 a minute dance class

Early registration is $50 per couple until September 25th.  Thereafter, $65 per couple.

Space is limited
Register by calling 773.929.7422 or email theleftbank@sbcglobal.net