Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Jeff and Leanne


This wedding took place back in August, but I am just now getting around to blogging about it. I was only in charge of the reception which was at the Brazos Center. If you've ever been to the Brazos Center, you know that none of the rooms are very attractive when you first walk in. The rooms basically look like cafeterias. So, I had quite a job to do to get this room ready so that it would look like a wedding reception and not your neighborhood elementary school.
Leanne's grandmother brought all the decorations, and we got started setting up tables and chairs, putting on tablecloths, and putting everything where it belonged. Then, we had different types of candles, vases and mirrored tiles to use for centerpieces on each of the tables. The florist and cake lady came and the flowers and cake added to what we had already done. We had long stem roses in tall, thin glass vases, rose pedals on the tableclothes, and floating candles in some of the shorter vases. If you have to decorate a place that looks like a cafeteria and you can dim the lights, candles are the way to go. Softening the lighting with candles and dimmer lights makes the tiled floor and ceilings disappear, and brings a romantic and beautiful tone to the room. Candlelight really transforms an ordinary room into a beautiful reception hall. And the wonderful thing about candles is, they don't cost a lot of money, especially when you find them half-price at Hobby Lobby/Michaels or even the dollar store! So, after we lit all the candles and dimmed the lights, we had an absolutely beautiful room.
Another aspect of the reception that added some fun (as well as a delightful scent) was the chocolate fountain. If you've never tasted chocolate from a chocolate fountain, you are really missing out, especially if you are a chocolate lover. The chocolate covered fruit, pretzels and marshmallows are very delicious. Having the fountain at the reception also gives the guests something to eat while they are waiting for you. It also just smells so good! The man that owns the fountain is a delightful fellow from Germany named Klaus Elfeldt. I really enjoyed meeting him and smelling his delicious treats!
Livewire Productions provided the entertainment, and once again did an outstanding job. The bride and groom were always pretty reserved, quiet and shy when we met to talk about the wedding. However, Chance, the DJ, somehow managed to get them on the floor and dancing toward each other for the bouquet and garter tosses (Jeff had sunglasses on and Leanne had a rose between her teeth). They were really funny and it was such a joy watching them have so much fun. Chance has a way of bringing out a different side to everyone.
All in all, the reception turned out great, and I had a marvelous time. It is always a pleasure working with Tim Harris, the photographer, and this time I got to meet his wife, Kelli. They make a great team. The guests seemed to enjoy themselves as well. At least half of the guests stayed to the very end and some of them helped us clean up afterwards! Quite a blessing. This was a nice way to end my summer wedding season.