The question has been popped, the family and friends have been told, and now it’s time to get down to business, time to get planning that one remarkable day that will unite you both together. We know there is much to do before that big day in the warmer months ahead, and now is the time to do it. So, with that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of folks, Maple Grovians, in fact, who will help to make your wedding, in a word, grand.
Planning Support
Bride Support
Meredith Meyer – Owner
612.466.0411
No bride wants to be, as Meredith Meyer puts it, a “clipboard bride.” You know, one of those harried gals, who on the day of her wedding is concerned with making sure the vendors get paid, the flowers aren’t wilting, or there are enough plates at the reception.
Nor should they be.
So Meyer, taking lessons learned from her own wedding and putting her many years in PR and marketing to use, has created the perfect antidote to that clipboard mania: Bride Support.
To meet every bride’s needs, she has three different offerings. The first is online and ala carte, whereby brides can purchase individual services (from $25 to $100 each) ranging from timeline or budget assistance to reception set-up to research on where to find the best honeymoon package.
Her $1195 full-service wedding coordination package is “all encompassing and includes everything from determining the theme, colors, look and feel, to the last detail at the reception,” says Meredith.
And, her most popular service, the day-of coordination for $550.
“I’m hired by a bride within six months of the wedding and we go through timelines, vendor coordination, wedding rehearsal, venue walk-thru, set-up,” Meyer explains. “I make sure all vendors are paid, and manage every part of the actual wedding day. I’m the glue that holds it all together so the couple can have the day to enjoy just as they had imagined.”
Riley and Cameron Parsons utilized Meyer’s complete wedding planning services for their September 2011 nuptials, which included unique elements like a ceremony in the middle of a city street and a Hollywood-like step-and-repeat.
“I had so many out-of-the-ordinary ideas, and she made them happen,” says Riley. “The best thing was that on my wedding day, I felt like she actually cared that the day was perfect.”
Décor
Falula’s Maple Grove Floral
Linda Schilling – Wedding Consultant
763.420.7673
Whether it’s elegant roses, graceful calla lilies, whimsical daisies or any of the limitless varieties of fabulous flora, they all help to tell the story of the bride and groom. Linda Schilling, who has spent close to 20 years in the floral business and recently became the primary wedding consultant at Falula’s Maple Grove Floral, makes it her mission to make sure that essence is captured.
“There are three key questions I ask each couple when we meet for the first time,” says Schilling. “‘What are your colors? What is your style? And what type of atmosphere do you want your wedding to have?’ I can tell a lot about who they are from those answers.”
Because the floral business is tied into fashion and trends, Schilling is noticing an uptick in vintage-inspired arrangements and monochromatic color palettes, and is sure the influence of the Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding with its “black tie, simple elegance,” will hit the Midwest in the near future.
Meredith Kazor, one of the brides Schilling has designed for, was married in an outdoor ceremony this past August. With Schilling’s expert guidance, Kazor used a soft pink palette with roses and dahlias that translated into a look that was “summery, fun, and not too fancy,” says Meredith. “It was perfect.”
What is the average floral budget for Minnesota weddings? About $1,200 to $1,500, says Schilling, who has created floral designs on budgets from $500 to $15,000.
Revived Tableware
Vicki Higgins - Owner
763.226.8180
Undoubtedly, the food you serve at your wedding will be beautiful. So why not have a beautiful plate to serve it on?
“I’ve never met a dish pattern I didn’t love,” says Vicki Higgins, owner of Revived Tableware, a fledgling company that hires out vintage tableware for events and weddings. “It really has grown out of my love for beautiful things; and the fact that I have a lot of my grandmother’s china, my own china, and I love to shop for china.”
Vicki has amassed a plethora of antique china from the early 1900s to the 1940s, and in patterns that will suit weddings from the elegant to the more simple and cottage-y. She has enough to serve 250 people for a dinner, and each item is individually priced: dinner plates $1.50; cups, saucers, dessert plates $4 for mismatched pieces; serving dishes $4, to name a few.
Booking
The Maple Grove Town Green
Lynne Lundquist – Rental Coordinator
763.494.6527
llundquist@ci.maple-grove.mn.us
The Town Green, Maple Grove’s newest crown jewel and urban park, opened in June of 2010 and is the perfect outdoor spot to say your ‘I do’s.’ Just steps away from West Arbor Lake, couples can choose from the Bandshell with its 105-foot-wide wing-like canopy and terraced seating wall for weddings with up to 300 people, or the Point with its breathtaking wooden pergola for smaller, more intimate ceremonies. If you’re worried about rain, the Maple Grove Community Center offers the Community Room, complete with a magnificent garden, patio, and room for 275 guests.
For Maple Grove residents, prices range from $250 for The Point to $700 minimum for the Community Room; the Bandshell rents for $650. Town Green works exclusively with four approved caterers, and alcohol can be served, but an additional charge will be added for a mandatory security guard.
“The word is getting out about Town Green,” says Lynne Lundquist, rental coordinator, who has seen the demand skyrocket since the site opened a little over a year ago. “We encourage couples to book their date at least a year in advance.”
All About Honeymoon
Deb Bixby - Owner
612.834.8020
Maybe you’re skipping the large to-do and considering a romantic, seaside ceremony with a few close friends and family. Deb Bixby, owner of All About Honeymoons and Destination Wedding Services, is a master at planning destination weddings.
“They are becoming more and more popular,” says Deb, who adds that Minnesota couples are opting for exotic locales such as Mexico, Jamaica, Punta Cana, and the Dominican Republic to exchange their vows.
Deb’s services are free and include everything from booking all travel and accommodations, working with wedding coordinators at locations, tracking guest arrangements, a complimentary wedding website, and more.
Anna and Mike Burns had their July 2010 wedding in Jamaica with 50 people in attendance. “Deb was key in making sure everything ran smoothly and we had the wedding we always wanted,” says Anna. “She even worked out a lower price for the rooms and our guests wound up getting money back.”
Looking for a memorable honeymoon? Deb specializes in those, too.
