Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings, Inc.

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!

If you are like many of the couples we work with you already have all of the stuff you need for your home. That said, you still want (and deserve) a bridal shower! So here are a few fun and creative ideas for “non-traditional” bridal showers … Here’s your chance to do something different and get things you really want!! Be sure to send this link to your bridal party, mom(s), and anyone else who might be throwing you a shower.

Entertainment Shower

Truly for the bride and groom that have everything. Your guests will enjoy thinking outside of the box while getting creative and the happy couple will enjoy utilizing all of these fun gifts! Each guest brings a gift that entertains, such as CD’s, DVD’s, magazine subscription, theater tickets, board/card games, movie passes, books, passes/memberships to museums, video games, tickets to sporting events … Or anything you can think of that the couple is interested in and will entertain them! Consider suggesting guests pool their resources and purchase a larger item like a subscription or even airline/hotel gift certificates.

Linen Shower

We are keeping it clean with this one! Here is your chance to finally get those bed linens like DreamSacks bamboo sheets (trust me you will never want to sleep on anything else again), beautiful new towels, or those place mats and table cloths you have not been willing to buy for yourself … This is a fun and easy shower that even your grandmother can enjoy!

Four Seasons Shower

No, we are not talking about hosting a shower at Chicago’s five-star hotel … This is a shower where each guest is asked to bring a gift for a certain season. For example if the guest had winter, a slow cooker, a warm blanket, mugs with spiced apple cider or hot chocolate; for spring, a picnic basket with supplies, an umbrella stand or a variety of cleaning supplies (hit spring cleaning head on!); for summer, beach towels and flip flops, a lemonade pitcher and glasses or grill tools; for fall, dishes for a holiday meal, an apple peeler/corer, pie pan and rolling pin.

You can either indicate the “season” on each invitation (I suggest having them printed with all four and then circling or highlighting – perhaps with glitter – the season for that specific guest) or tell them their season when they RSVP.

Lingerie Shower

Get the girls together! This one is not for the groom to attend, save those surprises for the honeymoon! A lingerie shower can be romantic and a little risqué, but no doubt a lot of fun! Each guest is asked to bring some type of lingerie and they can be as creative (think wedding night) or traditional (warm cotton pj’s) as they want.

This type of shower is normally hosted at someone’s home but if you are looking for a fun alternative consider a local lingerie shop that rents their space for private parties like G Boutique in Chicago (where they also feature a sex ed class) or Baubo’s Garden in Forest Park (where you can explore their “tool shed” during the event).

I think this is a fun shower to pair with a “question and answer game.” This requires a little effort upfront but the pay off is fantastic! Simply “interview” the groom on camera and ask him loads of funny (and perhaps tricky) questions. Then at the shower you ask the bride the same questions and see how many of their responses match. If you are pairing this with a lingerie shower I say go for it and make the questions a little racy!

Holiday Shower

Everyone loves to have special things to pull out at the holidays. This is a great opportunity to help your friends stock up on their holiday ware! Simply assign a holiday to each guest and have them bring a gift appropriate to the season. Be creative when thinking of the holidays and don’t leave any out … The guests will have fun picking out something for their specific holiday. Example: Fourth of July – A picnic basket decorated in red, white and blue, and, inside the basket red, white and blue plates, cups and napkins.

Gift Card Shower

This is a great shower for people who live out of state (or the country) and are not able to travel with a bunch of gifts. I suggest guests purchase gift certificates from the local shops in the Bride and Groom’s hometown so they can be utilized throughout their first year of marriage (i.e. grocery store, department stores, specialty shops, restaurants).

A fun spin on this is the “#10 Envelope” shower. A #10 envelope is a standard mailing envelope (the long one). The rule is that every gift has to fit in the envelope. Hopefully the guests will get really creative in fitting larger gifts in the envelope.

Basket shower

The concept here is pretty simple … guests are asked to bring their gift in a “usable” container. While it is called a “Basket Shower” encourage the guests to think outside of the basket so to speak (think luggage, hat boxes etc…)

Some examples are “Kitchen Basket” – which is filled with things for the kitchen, “Bath Basket,” “Bedroom Basket,” “Entertainment Basket,” “Movie Night Basket,” “Romantic Basket.” Use your imagination and come up with all sorts of “Baskets!”

Around the Clock Shower

Yes, this is exactly how it sounds but there is a lot of opportunity to have fun and get some seriously unique items here. Each guest brings something for a certain time of day. Example: for 8 a.m., a coffee maker with mugs that match their dishes; for 7 p.m., cookware and a jar of spices; for 9 p.m., a popcorn maker and some movies … Don’t forget about late night, those are the gifts that are really fun to watch the bride open!

Around the House Shower

Not unlike the Around the Clock Shower, each guest brings a gift for a certain room of the house. You might bring towels for the bathroom, a vase or picture frame for the living room, a teapot for the kitchen, or lingerie for the bedroom. The Bride and Groom need help with every room in the house, so don’t leave anything out (including the backyard)! Obviously you will have more than one guest with each room (unless they have a really large house!) but that works out perfectly … Who needs only one set of dishes?

Wine and Cheese Tasting Shower

This is a great couples shower. Arrange for an elegant afternoon or early evening of wine tasting (wine, cheese and finger foods, what more could a guest ask for?). Ask the guests to bring a gift that is fit for entertaining (wine glasses, cheese markers, cocktail plates). Have some fun with this and consider these wine line reviews, they will keep your guests entertained all night. If you are really ambitious consider having a wine tasting contest!

Stock The Bar Shower

Invite the guys because they’ll want to be included! Have guests bring a bottle of wine to share, and a gift to help stock the couple’s bar. Encourage them to bring bottles of the couple’s favorite liquor, bar mixes, glassware … Anything you would use when cocktailing!

Alphabet Shower

I love this idea! On the invitation spell out the Bride and Groom’s names and assign each guest a “letter” from their names, the gift must start with the coordinating letter! At the shower, serve cookies with letters on them (this is a great guest favor). For a game idea, ask the guests to write down an attribute of marriage that begins with the same letter – something they would like to share with the bride.

Kitchen / Cooking Shower

Clearly the gifts are easy to figure out here but I love the idea of asking guests to email you recipes, then create a cookbook for bride (you could even make copies as favors for all the guests). If you simply do not have the time to coordinate an actual cookbook, enclose a blank recipe card with every invitation and ask that each guest write down a favorite recipe on the card to bring to the shower. Then present the bride a recipe box which filled with “tried and true” recipes. Suggest that the guests write a personal note on their recipe card for the bride to enjoy through out the years. For the bride this is much more practical than receiving a cookbook of recipes which no one has tried before and, at the same time, it adds a very personal touch! If you really want to take this one over the top hire a personal chef to come to the shower and give a cooking lesson!

The Pampered Wife Shower

Sometimes you have a bride who truly does have everything they need. If you’re sure the bride doesn’t need (or want) more housewares, then shower her with items to really pamper herself with like spa gift certificates, candles, bubble bath, and wine. I am sure she will thank you for it for a long time to come!

Another fun and eco-friendly thing to consider is a “display” shower … Ask your guests not to wrap their gifts. When the guests arrive set the gifts out for all to see and enjoy. It is also a great way to avoid the awkwardness of gift opening!

Here at Greatest Expectations we consider ourselves experts in “the details.”  We believe that little things go a long way, don’t have to cost a fortune, and make all the difference.

One thing we love to do is a Signature Cocktail.  Most catering companies will help you customize a specialty drink from the items already included in your bar package, so this little detail often does not end up costing you anything extra at all!

We suggest picking a “cocktail” that best represents you and the type of event you want to have.  We have seen things from the super traditional “Blushing Bride” (peach schnapps, champagne and grenadine syrup garnished with a raspberry) to the “Bomb Shell” named after one of our most fun brides, Shelley (vodka, cranberry, orange juice, splash of pineapple and 7-up garnished with a pineapple wedge). One couple who got engaged at a Mexican Restaurant served Sangria as their Signature Cocktail (you can have your caterer prepare this fresh which may cost a little extra but is totally worth it or purchase a pre-made mix and just add in the fruit).

If your event has a strong color theme you may want to consider a drink that matches your decor like this Blood Orange Martini (vodka, triple sec or flavored orange liqueur and blood orange juice. For this wedding we used a red star fruit as garnish) from our Red Hot Wedding.

And if your last name inspires a food or drink you should roll with it!  When our clients Kristin and Ben Apple got married they featured these beautiful Apple Martini’s (vodka, sour apple pucker and apple juice garnished with an apple slice).

Not all specialty drinks need to be served in martini glasses!  Thinking outside the “glass” is a fun way to spice things up.  We served this cucumber lemonade (a Berghoff Catering Group secret recipe) in white wine glasses.

I love the shapes of these glasses … There are so many choices out there!

I love the idea of adding a little “flare” to your signature cocktail with personalize garnish labels, swizzle sticks or umbrellas!

** photos curtsey of Warner Foto, Amanda Hein Photography, Rosalind Weddings, SnoStudios and theknot.com.

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!!

I was recently contacted my Marta Segal Block, a writer for OneWed.  This is a really great wedding planning website that offers tons of tips and advice.  She has been doing a series of “top tips” articles and has interviewed several wedding vendors (including bands, officiants, travel agents and photographers) .  Marta asked me to be her Wedding Planning Expert for her piece “Top ten things to know about wedding planners”.  I was so honored to be picked for this piece and think Marta did a great job.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

I have seen a lot of different “count down” items for weddings, child birth, parties etc.  Most of them are electronic or on your computer and while helpful and fun to look at they are not really all that creative.

That’s why when I discovered Big Day Chains I just fell in love with them!  This is a fun (and super easy) way to count down the last thirty days before your wedding (or other special events).  They are very well priced at $14.95 each, made with Soy ink on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper  and made right here in the USA. They even come with glue dots to transform the paper into “links”.  There is just something about physically taking a link down as you get closer that helps build anticipation.

No worries about how “crafty” you are (or are not) because they are unbelievably easy to assemble and come with extremely detailed instructions for those still doubting themselves.   And if 30 day’s is not enough for you they are more than willing to sell you additional “links”. No need to don’t limit yourselves!

One of the coolest things about the company is that five percent of all profits go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  I love the idea of combining something fun, creative and echo friendly with a cause.  I just get a warm fuzzy all over when I think about it.

I also think this would be a super fun gift for any children you plan to have in your wedding.  They are undoubtedly excited and perhaps a bit nervous.  This would be a great activity for them to work on and a really fun way for them to get prepared for the big day!

So go ahead, order one today and let the countdown begin!!

One of the things I tell all new clients is that at Greatest Expectations we have only one rule and that is “There are no rules!”  You do not have to do anything just because someone else says you should.  But I realized I should amend my statement a little bit … There are no rules, except one.  You must send a thank you note for your gifts.

There is simply no getting away from this fact.  Thank you notes are extremely important.  They not only let your guests know you received their gift but that you appreciated it (and them). Even in this tech and eco friendly world, nothing replaces the hand written thank you note!

Thank you notes should be sent for bridal shower gifts as well as wedding gifts.  If it is a “ladies only” shower then the thank you note should be from the bride to be only.  If it was a couples shower you should both sign it.  This stationery does not have to be fancy or expensive but should be a good representative of your personal style.  Have fun with them, get creative and if you are on a tighter budget, make your own!  

A little insider tip for the people hosting the bridal shower is to purchase the thank you notes for the Bride to Be.  Address and stamp the envelopes with the names of everyone on the invite list, wrap them in a pretty ribbon and present them to the guest of honor at the end of the event.  Then all they need to do is write the actual thank you note and drop them in the mail.  This is one of my all time favorite things to do when hosting a special party. I use it for any type of event where gifts will be received.  It really shows your attention to detail and thoughtfulness! I have also been on the receiving end of this fantastic idea and I can say from personal experience, it really is wonderful.

While your guests have up to a year to send you a wedding gift, you do not have that long to send out a thank you note.  Many people like to send wedding gifts as soon as an invitation is received.  We think this is a wonderful thing to do, in fact, all gifts should be mailed and not ever brought directly to the wedding (trust us on this, it is simply good etiquette).  One thing to note is that it is not ok to send out a thank you note with your married name (or initials) until after the actual marriage has occurred!!

What we suggest is one of two things. Send a thank you note on non-personalized stationery as soon as the gift is received or wait until just after the wedding and use those beautiful new monogrammed note cards (it really is ok to wait!).  If you decide to wait until after the wedding (which is my personal preference) one tip for making it easy instead of overwhelming is to write, address and stamp the thank you notes as soon as the gifts are received.  Keep them all together and mail them out the day after your wedding.  If you are working with Greatest Expectations we are happy to mail them for you so you can focus on your honeymoon! Your guests will be pleasantly surprised and duly impressed to get their thank you note while you are away on your honeymoon!

No, you do not have to stay up the night of your wedding and write thank you notes! You have one month after your wedding to mail them for gifts received on the big day and two weeks for anything received afterwards.

When it comes to actually writing the thank you note you do not have to get long winded. Simply thank them for the gift (be specific about it i.e. “We loved the waffle maker and cannot wait for our first free Sunday to test it out”).  If it was a cash gift you should not only thank them for the gift but let them know how you plan on using it (i.e. “Thank you so much for the generous gift. We plan to get the last of our crystal with the money and will think of you every time we use it!”).  They should be signed by both the bride and groom.

What you spend on your thank you notes is completely up to you.  Check out your local stationery shop or shop online.  Both of these can be done well before the wedding takes place so you are completely prepared.  Greatest Expectations has a wonderful line of personalized stationary so you can always go through us to get something that is just perfect (and affordable)!

You can go super traditional and get something monogrammed like this embossed fold over note card from Crane and Co.

Or a more contemporary look on a flat card, like this one from Wedding Paper Diva’s.

I love this non personalized note card from delphine. They are embossed on 30% post consumer paper and have a soy based ink – totally eco friendly!

Oh and don’t forget the return address! On most wedding invitations you will have the return address printed directly on the envelope.  Unless you are having custom stationery made, you will need to come up with another solution for the return address.  I suggest getting a self-inking stamp.  They really make the job easier and can be customized in just about any way you can imagine, including different colors. Oh, and they can be used for a very long time – easy and eco friendly!

I love these round stamps from Custom Art Stamps.  There are so many design options you can really have fun picking out the perfect one for you!

Or you can stick with the traditional and get something like this from Emily Friday’s Calligraphy. (this shop has some really great items, you should totally check it out!).

No matter what your “note card style” is … pick something representative of you, your tastes and your wedding.  Have fun, buy extras (you can always use them for years to come) and thank away!!

This has been a great week “online” for Greatest Expectations.  Heather Lynne Vickery, our Owner and Event Director was featured in two prominent wedding blogs in the past week and we wanted to share them with you.

The first is OneWed, an excellent wedding planning resource and a really fun online destination for brides looking for new, exciting tips and also a little celebrity wedding planning gossip.  Heather was featured in the “savvy scoop” section of the OneWed Bridal Blog where her “Rule of Three” is discussed.   

The second is Northern Nuptials, a fantastic site for those of you looking to plan a destination wedding in Northern Michigan. The website is the most extensive listing of wedding sites, vendors and honeymoon locations in Northern Michigan.  It was really an honor for Heather to be asked to do their first guest editorial “how to make your guests feel at home during your destination wedding.”  The article and website have tons of details and information valid for lots of couples planning destination weddings, not just those in Michigan.

Be sure to check them out and don’t forget to let us know what you think!!

Its Earth Day!  Of course you already know about it because there are special events taking place all over the country.  I hope you were able to take a moment out of your day to do something nice for your Mother Earth!

We thought the best thing to do was offer some free planning advice (free … Not a word I throw around often) on how to host a “Green” event.  Seriously, there are lots of things you can do to make your event a little more environment friendly ranging from the extreme (and often expensive) to the simple (sometimes free).

There are people out there that would tell you the number one way to cut back on your event’s eco footprint is to cut back on your guest count.  Yes, I agree that is a fact.  Actually, that is the number one way to cut back on your budget as well (my current and past brides are shaking their heads right now thinking “how many times have I heard that line before”).  But let’s assume that you have cut your list as much as possible and cannot bare the thought of removing anyone from your list.  Here are my suggestions to help your event stay as eco friendly as possible, there are plenty of low cost items, because no matter how much you love your Mother, you also love paying your mortgage!

1.) Ask your catering company to  not use any bottled water.  This will cut down on your bar costs as well as the amount of plastic and waste at your event.  In most places (especially Chicago) you probably have excellent tap water, so enjoy it!

2.) insure that your catering company recycles as much as they possibly can.  It only takes them a little extra time to recycle everything but it makes a serious impact on the environment.  You cannot imagine the amount of waste there is at a wedding.

3.) Provide transportation for your guests.  If they can “car pool” or take shuttles you provide, then there are far fewer cars out on the road.  Every driver counts!

4.)  Send Eco-Invites!  There are tons of companies out there producing recycled and eco friendly invitations.  Also consider sending evites for your rehearsal dinner and morning after brunch (sorry guys, I cannot get on board with sending electronic wedding invitations – call me old fashion).

Here are a few places to get recycled invitations but don’t forget to check locally as well! Shindig Invites and Invite Site.  There are a ton more but I like these two.  We even sell a selection of green invitations so just ask for them!

5.) Shop Local.  This can make a big difference!  The closer to home you shop the less fuel and energy go into getting items to you and your event.  Look for local jewelry and dress designers, work with local designers and printers.  Ask your caterer if they can find a local source for your food.  All of this can make a giant impact while keeping money in your community, now who does not need that?

6.) Have guests take home left over sweets or food.  Most catering companies are not allowed to let you donate left over food for health code reasons. In fact, most shelters and soup kitchens cannot take the food for the same reason, but that does not mean it should be thrown out or wasted!  Send it home with friends and family that are not traveling a long distance … Good sweets never go bad (at least not at my house, they don’t last that long!).

7.) Consider a green dress or a “designer Second”.  Here in Chicago I like to send people to Here Comes The Bride in Addison, or Wedding Belle’s in Barrington.  Not only are you making a good “green” decision but it is going to save some green in your pocket as well!  

You can also consider having your dress made with eco friendly fabrics, check out Olivia Luca,  Conscious Clothing (where they have tons of different things made out of hemp) and  Rawganique.

7.) Look for a LEED certified venues and hotels, they are hard to come by but they do exist.  In chicago you might want to check out  Hotel Felix, Hotel Arista, Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo (they have beautiful new wedding pavilions) or even any of the Chicago Park District locations!

Hotel Monaco Chicago, Hotel Burnham, Hotel Allegro Chicago, InterContinental Chicago, and the Talbott Hotel all recently received Green Seal certification, an environmental lodging standard with requirements in waste minimization, energyefficiency, water conservation, waste-water management, and green procurement.  Not bad choices either!

8.) Give some thought to your guest favors.  Our favorite is not giving one at all!  Instead consider making a donation to your favorite charity in honor of your guests.  They will love it and not have to drag anything home at the end of the night! 

If you simply must give an actual gift consider native seedlings, bamboo, or a plantable paper flower.

9.) Last but not least, simply consider the when and where!  If you are willing to have your event on a non traditional day (think Friday or Sunday) or at a non traditional time (breakfast, brunch or lunch) you will save tons of money and that is green all by itself!  One of my all time favorite events was a morning ceremony and brunch in W Chicago Lakeshore’s Altitude.

Just for fun here are some cool pictures from that event.

For two days only, Mira Couture is offering 80% off all store samples at her spring Couture Sample Sale. Mira Couture is known for her exquisite collection of gorgeous custom wedding gowns, veils, headpieces and accessories. This sale also includes cocktail dresses and suits, evening and mother of the bride gowns.

April 17 & April 18

Mira Couture | 1 East Delaware Place

Featuring the designs of Paloma Blanca, Alfred Sung, Stephen Yearick, YSA Makino, Vatit Itth

No Appointment Necessary

Mira Couture | 312.255.1699