We have some big news!

Wish Special Events is excited to announce its new name: Blue Canary Events.  Over the past year we have expanded our team to include wedding planners not only in the Washington DC metro area, but also in Baltimore, New York City, Los Angeles and the San Francisco bay area.  While our website and blog will be moving, the people that make up our company aren’t going anywhere.

Our planners are now in the following spots:

• Washington, DC
• Arlington, VA
• Fairfax, VA
• Alexandria, VA
• Leesburg, VA
• Baltimore, MD
• Brooklyn, NY
• West Los Angeles, CA
• Mountain View, CA

If you’re already a client of Wish or Blue Canary, then you know that our contract and your planner are staying the same.  For any engaged folks who are considering hiring Wish, please check us out on the new Blue Canary Events website.  You’ll find that our packages and pricing are all the same.  Be sure you read our awesome reviews on WeddingWire.com.

For wedding professionals in DC, Baltimore, NYC, LA, and San Francisco, we have a wonderful team of planners who are looking forward to meeting and working with you.  Please email us some information about your business.

So – what are you waiting for? Check out our new website!  We even have a new blog post up on the blog today.

We all know that Wish Special Events gets some pretty freakin’ awesome reviews on WeddingWire.com.  Did you know that our colleagues, other wedding vendors, review us too?  Here are some endorsements we’ve received on WeddingWire:

“Rebecca, and I know Ryan as well, go that extra bit to make what needs to happen happen, and more importantly they do it smoothly, no histrionics, no drama, just smooth and efficient, it makes what I do a dream”
– Photographer Daniel McGarrity

“Laura and her staff are an absolute pleasure to work with and have a perfect “bedside manner” when helping stressed-out brides. She’s ALWAYS on top of the schedule for the evening and does a great job of keeping everyone informed and focused.”
–Evan at MyDeejay.com

“All of the team is very hospitable along with soothing, they bring peace of mind to any event or affair. We have had the opportunity to meet with each one of the Wish Special Event Coordinators and they all are simply delightful and well worth the investment of not having to stress about anything but saying your vows on the wedding day!”
– Amy at Regeti’s Photography

“She was one of the most relaxed and stress-free brides I’ve ever worked with, and I know it was because she had the peace of mind knowing that everything was taken care of.”
– Suzanne at Faces by SAM

Wish events are always beautiful, always memorable, and designed in amazingly thoughtful and charming detail. In addition to designing and coordinating amazing events, the Wish team are just plain old wonderful people, and we look forward to the next time we’ll work with them. Highly, highly, recommend!
–Tom & Ashlee at Documentary Associates Photography

It’s really wonderful that we have such happy clients.  In reality, though, these wedding vendors are the ones who see other wedding professionals every weekend.  They have the distinct opportunity to compare us to the rest of the coordinators in the area.  We’re so delighted that they rank us pretty high in their books too.

This post was written last year but it bears repeating!

So often we’re asked, “so what do you guys do, anyway?”  I figured it would be fun to share a list of unusual tasks that a wedding day brings.  As a real-life example, I’ll use Melissa & TJ’s wedding from Memorial Day weekend.  Here’s a list of things we did in a span of about nine hours:

Ceremony preparation:

• Pinned corsages on the mothers, godmothers, special aunts, and readers
• Pinned boutonnieres on the fathers, groomsmen, and groom
• Distributed bouquets to the bridesmaids, flower girl, and bride
• Tied reserved signs to chairs for the ceremony
• Poured sand in vases in preparation for the sand ceremony
• Determined the color of the table linen for the ceremony (a last-minute addition)
• Found an out-of-the-way place for the string quartet to leave their instrument cases
• Discussed cues and the ceremony with the quartet
• Gave the reader her copy of the reading

Ceremony:

• Cued the ceremony musicians
• Lined up the parents and bridal party before the ceremony
• Passed the marriage license to the officiant so he could fill in the form
• Held the wedding rings before the ceremony began
• Helped the flower girl down the steps to the ceremony so she didn’t trip over her long dress
• ‘Floofed’ the bride’s dress and fixed her veil before she headed down the aisle

Reception preparation:

• Asked the caterer to get linens off the truck so the cake baker and DJ could begin setting up
• Made sure all the family members were in place for the formal photographs
• Worked with the florist when there was one table arrangement missing
• Asked the venue contact about where the DJ’s power supply was located
• Held up the bride’s train while the bridesmaids bustled underneath (often we’ll do the bustle on our own)

Reception:

• Politely invited guests to their seats so we could begin
• Lined up the bridal party before the introductions were made
• Worked with the DJ and caterer to ensure the timeline was upheld
• Brought the bride and groom drinks from the bar to their sweetheart table
• Updated the bride and groom before each major event of the reception
• Found the site manager when the one and only light bulb in the restroom was burned out
• Ensured the photographers and DJ ate their vendor meals when they wouldn’t miss a moment of the action
• Quickly showed the bride and groom how to cut their wedding cake
• Had a chair ready for the bride to sit on during the garter toss
• Boxed up two slices of cake for the flower girl and her father who had to leave early
• Boxed up two slices of cake for the bride and groom to eat in the limousine
• Passed out sparklers to the bridal party for the send-off
• Lit the sparklers once everyone was in place
• Had the driver move the limousine to the correct position in front of the house to allow guests to make a pathway from the front door for the send-off
• Made sure the caterer swept/mopped the floor at the end of the night (a venue requirement)
• Carried wedding gifts & leftover liquor to the family’s cars

Keeping things moving:

• Directed guests to the right location for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception
• Offset the timeline so the photographer could get all the portraits done
• Showed the photographer the venue and several location options for formal photographs
• Did a final sweep of the building to ensure nobody left personal belongings
• Served as an incognito test lighting subject for the photographer
• Distributed vendor tips on behalf of the bride and groom

If you’re not planning on hiring a wedding day coordinator, think of who will do all these tasks when they arise on the wedding day.  Also consider if that person will stick around through the end of the reception or if they’ll take advantage of the open bar and be worthless by midnight.  Most of these things don’t fall under the caterer’s or venue’s responsibilities so don’t assume they’ll be handled by the professionals you’ve hired.

Here are some photos from other weddings of me in action!

Organizing & directing Kinley’s wedding rehearsal:

Directing Alison & her dad at another rehearsal:

Troubleshooting with a pew that’s not designed to hold bows:

Telling Lynette & her bridesmaids when it’s time to line up for the ceremony:

Showing Ashley & her bridesmaids where to go:

Pinning Ashley’s dad’s boutonniere:

Showing Jamie & John how to cut their cake so their photos look nice (then getting out of the way before they do it!)

Confirming with Evan (MyDeejay.com) about the timeline and adjusting events as necessary (yes, this is the worst photo of us):

Our wedding month coordination service is a reasonable $1,925!  Compared to the cost of your entire wedding, I’ll bet this is not a big amount.  Why not invest a little bit to ensure you’re able to enjoy every minute of your wedding day instead of worrying about all these little details?

I know you’ve been to Style Me Pretty.  And I know you love it.  Don’t worry — your “doing wedding stuff at work” secret is safe!

We’re delighted to join Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book as a preferred vendor.  We were hand-selected by their team and I was thrilled when we received the invitation.  Click here to check out our page!

A big Happy Birthday to Wish, who is celebrating five years today.  We started out as Soiree Special Events in 2005 and have never looked back!  Over the years we’ve served over 200 couples in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland.  We’re so thrilled to have such wonderful supporters who have kept us in business through this economic craziness.  Thank you to all our past and future clients — we love you all!

xoxo,

WAHOO!  For the third year in a row, Wish Special Events has been included in Washingtonian Magazine’s best wedding vendor list.  This is no small deal, folks.  Washingtonian Magazine has been publishing this list for quite a few years and has really become the gold standard in the DC area.  We’re thrilled to be included yet again!

Here’s what they had to say about our team:

Sounds like us, right?  They hit the nail on the head.  I’m really fortunate to have such a wonderful group of planners on my team.

A special round of applause goes to all our (friendly) competitors who also made the list.  We’re honored to be included amongst: Aimee @ A. Dominick Events, Alexandra Kovach, Atrendy Wedding & Event Co, Sara @ Bella Notte, Bonnie Schwartz & Co, Alex @ Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events, Creative Parties, Distinctive Events by Susan B. Katz, Katie @ Elegance & Simplicity, Laura @ Engaging Affairs, Events by Andre Wells, Events by Ayran Kanter, For All Occasions, Jodi @ Jodi Moraru & Associates, Michele Hodges Events, Party Portfolio, A Perfect Wedding, Pineapple Productions, Rave Reviews, Maria @ Ritzy Bee Events, Sandi Hoffman Special Events, Jamie @ Simply Chic Events, Sara @ Social Scene Events, Soco Events, and Terri Bergman Events.  Congratulations everyone!  We did it!

I have a few extra copies of the magazine and would be happy to mail one to you.  The first five commenters below will get a copy!

We’re so excited to announce that Hallie & Matt have been published!  Their July wedding at Glen Echo made it into the sparkling new Eco-Beautiful Weddings magazine which was just released this week.  The e-zine focuses on environmentally friendly wedding ideas without compromising style, design, or quality.  There are some gorgeous things in this baby!

Best of all?  The magazine is ONLINE which means you don’t need to drive to a store to pick up a copy.  Just click here to flip through the pages in your browser!  What could be easier?

While you’re there, be sure to check out Hallie & Matt’s wedding on pages 102-104.  Here’s a sneak preview:

Our congratulations goes to Rebecca Dick, a WishPlanner who coordinated this event.  This is Rebecca’s first published wedding and we’re so proud of her!

Another huge round of applause goes to our friend Katie Martin who poured out her heart and soul for this magazine.  A ‘green’ wedding planner since before it was trendy, Katie really knows her stuff and is passionate about sharing her eco-friendly advice with the wedding industry.  We glad we could be a part of it, Katie!

PS – for more eco-beautiful ideas, check out the blog!

I just beam when I see lovely letters come in from our brides about our team.  Of course I know we do a great job for our clients but it’s nice to be reminded now and again.  Here’s a fabulous letter from one of our October brides that I couldn’t help but share:

Hi Cristin!

We’re just back from Grand Cayman (I actually kissed a stingray!!) and I wanted to write a quick note to say a HUGE thank you for everything you did to make our day so awesome!!!  We truly couldn’t have done it without you!!  I know people always say that, but this time it is really, really ture!!  You made everything run so smoothly and we all felt so comfortable with you organizing the day!  From your quick, helpful responses to emails when we were far out, to communicating with vendors the week of, to lighting a million candles, tipping folks at just the right time, fixing my mistakes on guests’ names (oops!), and keeping us on schedule throughout the night, you were fabulous with ALison, our flower girl, and that wand was perfect and taking her to get her sundae first!  Her parents were so impressed with you and your skills.  You’re AWESOME and I “wish” I knew someone getting married soon so I could recommend you to them right now!!!  I’ll be singing your praises for a long, long time!  You made our wedding a success!!

All the best & much love,

Holly

Thanks for your note, Holly!

Toot toot!  We don’t often blow our own horn but I just had to share some exciting news.  We’re featured in the most recent Engaged! Magazine’s “Who’s Who of Wedding Planners” list!

Engaged! is a wonderful publication which focuses on local DC-area weddings and vendors.  Although it’s only been around for a few years, it’s grown by leaps and bounds and is quickly becoming a top authority on the DC wedding scene.  Being featured on their list of recommended wedding planners is quite the honor!

Here’s the beautiful cover, so you’ll recognize it on the stands:

Here’s the little blurb about Wish:

I feel like such a proud momma when I read nice things about my team.  It’s always such a heartwarming feeling when our efforts are recognized and celebrated.  I hope you take a minute to check out this gorgeous magazine and see it for yourself!

Nearly two years ago, I got an intriguing email from a guy named Ken York.

I’d never heard of him but promptly checked out his Father of the Bride Wedding Guidance blog.  Could it be that there was actually a dad out there who cared about the wedding further than the typical ‘how much will this cost me?’  Yes!  Ken is that kind of superdad and even went as far as sharing his trials and tribulations on a blog from the perspective of a bride’s father.

So back to the email.  Ken was planning to turn his blog into a wonderful asset for fathers of the bride — a book just for the guys!  Even better?  He wanted to use me as a resource and see if I’d write a small portion of the book.  WHAT?!?!  Me?  An author?  Well, I’d never thought about it before but was really fascinated by the prospect.

It took me quite a few weeks and I must have gone through dozens of edits.  Ken was a rockstar and helped me put the finishing touches on my submission.  I loved where it was going and was thrilled to see what portions would make the editor’s cut.

Well, days turned into weeks and I hadn’t heard from Ken.  Things got busy with weddings and weeks turned into months.  I thought about it from time to time and never really got around to checking in.  I was sure he was working on it and that he’d let me know if he had any news.

Flash forward to a couple weeks ago, when I got another out-of-the-blue email from Ken.  He wanted my address.  Oh and by the way, he was sending a few copies of the book my way.

I must have torn the package open in less than a second.  Here’s the beauty I found inside:

I stood outside by my mailbox for at least a few minutes and just stared.  Was that really my name on the cover of a book?  Granted my chapter didn’t cover more than five pages but Ken credited me on the cover.  What a cool thing to see!  I was shocked and thrilled and excited all at the same time.

Since I obviously can’t scan the whole book, I thought I’d at least give you a teaser of my chapter:

What do you think?!  Pretty awesome, eh?  I’m still pretty smitten if you can’t tell.

If you’re interested in buying a copy, check out the Amazon link to the right.  Or you can click here.  What better way to get dad involved than to help him understand the wedding world?  Obviously I’m a little partial but I think this would be a great gift for any dad whose daughter (or son!) is planning a wedding.