Holiday Creations!

There is SO MUCH fun to be had during the holiday season!  Some of the more fun projects I worked on were for eating - others for gifting! Here's a photo sampling. The first few are of some chocolate covered pretzels we made at a Christmas party for my church. We then delivered them, along with homemade ornaments to a local nursing home.  Then my sister had some great ideas from Pinterest to make for our friends for Christmas gifts. Homemade body scrub, and two different homemade lip balms. These were made even cuter by the custom labels we made and of course, the cute canisters we put them all into!

 

 White chocolate covered pretzels.

 Chocolate covered pretzels!

 Super simple but tasty project: soften hershey's kisses on pretzels, then top with a holiday M&M for a yummy treat! Great kid project too.

 Of the treats for eating - these were probably my favorite: soften rolos on pretzels and top with nuts for a turtle-like snack that I can't stop eating!

 Cocoa Java Body Scrub for the ladies we know who like to be pampered!

 Homemade peppermint lip balm.

 Homemade Kool-Aid Tropical Punch Lip balm.

 Brownies in a jar, also with custom labels. Almost too pretty to use!

What's goin' on??

Winter is a time when lots of things slow down. Not me! Right now I am hard at work collaborating with a web designer preparing to launch www.younameitchicago.com very soon. Also enjoying the news that YOU NAME IT was selected as one of theknot.com's 2012 Best Of Weddings winners!!  The official announcements will come through on theknot.com in January 2012 and in the meantime, I am hard at work on plans to share this news with as many potential clients as possible after "engagement season" wraps up. 

In order to be selected as one of the Best Of Weddings, vendors listed on theknot.com rely on favorable reviews from their satisfied clients. I am hugely grateful for the wonderful clients I worked with in 2011 who helped make this possible.  Not only did I have a wonderful "Year 1" with YOU NAME IT clients, but I am certain I was able to make and invest in lifelong friendships with some amazing people. I still can't believe it was one short year ago that I decided to jump of the proverbial cliff into self-employment.  God is good and I'm still here!  I am so grateful for that and so excited to see what the new year brings!

Huge debt of gratitude to my 2011 "Best of" Clients whose reviews helped make this honor possible:

Alex & Ashley Zermeno

Heather & Jeff Racine

Tom Michaelis & Stacey Sutherland

Vicki Slomka & Steve & Lexi Smedinghoff

Meredith & Julio Ramirez

Kristy, Tim & Cecilia Wynveen  

To read their reviews, check out: http://local.weddingchannel.com/Wedding-Vendors/You-Name-It-Events-Wedding-Reviews?ProfileId=406116

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. - JFK, Jr.

Cecilia Turns One! Her Rockstar Birthday Party Ruled!

Baby Cecilia turned one on October 12th, so to celebrate, her family threw her a rockstar party fit for a princess! Hot pink and black were the colors of the day and lots of handmade decorations and other special touches set this party apart from the crowd. Check out the photos below:

 Hand painted birthday cake plate. 

 Rockstar smash cake.

 Balloon decorations in the dining room.

 Balloon garland.

 Welcome to the party!

 Decorated entry way.

 Welcome sign designed like a marquee, with lights around the edge!

 Ribbon chandelier.

 #1 photo collage with pictures of the birthday girl from her first ultrasound to present day!

 Rockstar props for the guests to enjoy!

 Strawberry vanilla pop rocks cupcakes!

 A little bit of festivity for the bathroom.

 Favors and prizes!

 Custom trophies for the costume contest winners!

 Decorated by Maggie! Chair for the birthday girl!

 Custom birthday girl rockstar onesie, hot pink tutu and headband.

 Dessert table filled with cupcakes, cookies, brownies, oreo bars, cake batter truffles and more!

 Birthday slide show with photos of the birthday girl throughout her first year.

Our Marquee sign all lit up!

 Me and the birthday girl at the end of her weekend celebration!

Guide to Selecting a Wedding Planner

Newly engaged couples usually have a truckload of information coming at them. From family and friends to the multitude of websites out there - the amount of information can be simply overwhelming. In an effort to save our clients time and stress, YNI has created a guide to selecting your wedding planner! Check out the checklist below for hints on what to ask your potential planner and what your potential planner should be asking you!

What you should ask them

About the Planner/Coordinator

• Why do you do this type of work? How long have you been doing it?
• How many weddings have you done? Can we read reviews and/or speak with references for your services?
• Can you share some examples of times you solved problems for your clients?
• Do you have photos of your recent weddings that we can review?

About their services/packages

• Do you offer planning services? Day of or week of coordination? Which do you recommend for us and why?
• Do you help with event design or just logistics?
• Do you have package options? Can we customize a package that will work for us?
• Can we have a detailed list of what items you take care of and which ones are our responsibility?

About their availability/commitment to you

• How may clients do you work with annually? How many others will you be working with the month of our wedding?
• Is this your full-time job? What is your typical availability like?
• Will you personally be on site at our rehearsal, ceremony & reception? Do you have assistants who will also be present?
• How many meetings and phone calls are included in your services? How long does it typically take you to respond to client e-mails, phone calls?

About the process of working together

• Where will we typically meet for our sessions?
• How do you handle your payment & contract process?
• What is your refund or cancellation policy?
• What happens if you are ill or otherwise unavailable on my wedding day?

What they should ask you

About yourselves

• How did you two meet?
• How did you get engaged? How long have you been engaged?
• What do you each do for a living?
• How much time are you planning to take off before & after your wedding?
• What are your families like?

About your feelings

• What are your main concerns about your wedding day? What are you most looking forward to?
• What are you looking for in a wedding planner?
• How much help & support are you looking for? In what areas of your wedding planning do you feel most in need of support?

About your wedding

• When is your wedding?
• What is the style/theme of your wedding? Your wedding colors?
• How formal or casual do you want your wedding to be?
• What is your event budget? Who is primarily paying for your wedding?
• Do you have your ceremony venue selected? Your reception venue? Are either of these venues outdoors?
• How many guests are attending? Will there be many out of town wedding guests?
• Will children be included in your ceremony? Invited to your reception?
• How many people do you plan on having in your bridal party?
• Which vendors are you already working with? Are you looking for any additional vendor referrals?
• Are there any special circumstances related to your wedding that are important to consider?

About the logistics

• Can photos from your wedding become a part of my company’s portfolio?
• When are you looking to hire a wedding planner/coordinator?

If your interview process includes these questions, you will be off to a great start in finding the wedding professional who is right for you!

Photos from Meredith & Julio's beautiful day!

 All of the beautiful bridesmaids and the gorgeous bride are ready to go! Time for a toast!

 The ceremony programs and our special YAY flags for the bride & groom's send off!

 Breathtakingly beautiful garden setting for a beautiful couple!

 The ladies make a pretty picture for sure.

 The bride & groom shared their vows in two languages: English and Spanish. Que linda!

 The kiss!

 The dining room and candle-lit tablescapes.

 The bride & groom's special sweetheart table.

 Custom event menus sat atop the buffet tables.

 Welcoming the guests with the event schedule and a stunning floral tree by Cataleya.

 Photo booth fun for after dinner!

 The caramel apple favor tree :)

 The favors had personalized cards thanking guests for their attendance and were displayed on a platform with the couple's wedding day monogram.

Meredith & Julio are YNI's newest newlyweds! Their ceremony was held in a simple and beautiful outdoor garden ceremony at Zhou B's Life Garden. Beneath a beautiful chuppah, they shared their vows in English & Spanish before an emotional group of family and friends. After some light refreshments and a brief family photo session, the guests sent the bride and groom off to their reception. At the Zhou B Gallery, staff were hard at work making sure every detail was perfect for the guests - from the dining area, to the dessert table and photo booth - lots of opportunities to create memories were available. The bride and groom celebrated with guests who clearly love them both and were so happy to be sharing in their joy. A wonderful day for a wonderful couple! Photos coming soon!

Fall Wedding Excitement!

Meredith and Julio get married this Saturday. I am looking forward to helping make their day special! They have been planning for this day for 2 years now - and I am sure they are even more excited than I am! More to come after their special day!

Also, check out the updates on the Reviews page - "What People are Saying about YOU NAME IT!" 

YNI is Now Listed on theknot.com!

YOU NAME IT is now listed on theknot.com! Check it out: theknot.com --> Local Vendors --> Illinois --> Chicago --> Wedding Planners!  

If you are looking for a way to get connected:

1. Refer a friend, a family member or a neighbor to YOU NAME IT for their next event!

2. If you have personal experience with our stellar service and can share a review, please do!

3. Pass along our info to your social network circle via facebook! facebook.com/younameitevents

:)

A Family Affair for Tom & Stacey : Kleinburg, ON, Canada

For their family-oriented, backyard wedding in Kleinburg, Ontario, Tom & Stacey wanted guests to really see the importance of their children to both of them, as well as share the joy they were feeling as they united two families into one. Their style is soft, romantic and serene, with lots of special touches to make the day feel like one they will never forget. 
It was my absolute pleasure to work with people who are so special to me. During the planning process, I was able to get to know Stacey so much better and see how the couple is really quite perfect for one another as they balance out each other so well! What a beautiful way to spend their lives together by starting it off with such a great day. 

Spectacular photos from the day were taken by Michelle Yee Photography and are available to view here:

http://agirlandhercamera.com/stacey_and_tom/index.htm

Sharing in Jeff & Heather's Big Day!

Jeff & Heather's wedding was held at the same venue as Alex & Ashley's, but their different tastes and styles made for two special days that guest enjoyed very much. Check out the photos below!