Maple Valley, WA

January 22, 2017 Cassie Isackson

I have known Katie since we were in middle school. We grew up on the same club gymnastics team. Over the years our moms grew close as friends as well. So when Katie and her mom started planning Katie and Tim's wedding, it just made sense they would ask me to coordinate the wedding.

Katie, Lori and I met at the venue on an open house day in March to walk the property and talk about Katie and Lori's ideas and wants for the wedding day. This gave me a good feel for the overall vision of the wedding. We proceeded over the next few months to plan and check items of the to do list. We met again at the venue about a week and a half before the wedding to finalize plans and make sure we had everything in order.

Katie and Tim wanted a somewhat traditional wedding, but also a memorable party for their family and friends. Katie's family goes to church at The Olson Mansion so the venue easily fit the bill of what they were looking for in a venue. It is an old barn that has been completely and beautifully re-done inside with an attached courtyard. As long as the weather stayed nice the ceremony was to be held outside in the courtyard with the reception in the barn.

Myself and a team of family members showed up at 2:00 pm for set-up. Set-up included everything from tables and chairs to decor. It took about 15 of us to set-up the venue from top to bottom in 2.5 hours. There were a lot of details, but the final look was perfect. The ceremony space was decorated with wine barrels and flowers. It is already a pretty outdoor space and doesn't need much in the way of decor. The reception tables were set with a navy tablecloth, a coral runner, a tin box with flowers, three mercury votive candle holders and table numbers. Each place setting was set with a silver charger, white plate, coral napkin folded with a pocket to have the silverware placed into and a cookie favor. The navy, coral and silver colors complimented each other nicely. Each white wedding chair was also tied with a coral chair tie. For the guestbook, there was a photo to sign and wooden hearts for each guest to write a message to the couple and put in a keep sake box. There was also a sweet memorial of pictures for Tim's father who passed away a few years prior.

While set-up was happening photos were taking place around the venue. the Olson Mansion sits on a golf course and provides some stunning back drops. By 4:30pm, the bride and bridesmaids were in hiding as guests were starting to arrive. The groom, groomsmen and family mingled until the ceremony was ready to start.

The ceremony started at 5:00 pm. It was a beautiful evening for an outdoor ceremony. The ceremony was short, but sentimental. Following the ceremony the guest were asked to head into the reception barn for a cocktail hour. 45 minutes later the bridal party and the bride and groom were introduced into the reception and started off the buffet. While Katie and Tim's guests were finishing dinner, the bride and groom left the venue to take some beautiful sunset photos.

Once guests were finished eating and the sunset photos were wrapped, the toasts started. The matron of honor, who we both also did gymnastics with, started them off, followed by the best man, the bride's father and the mother of the groom. Tim and Katie then said a few heartfelt words to thank their guest for sharing their special day with them. Once toasts concluded, Katie and Tim cut the cutting cake which signaled the opening of the dessert bar. The guests had an array of desserts to choose from. The cake cutting led into the first dance, the father-daughter dance and the mother-son dance. I think the formal dances might be one of my favorite parts of a wedding. You can just see the love between the couple and each of their parents shine through. The last of the traditional items was the bouquet and garter toss and then the dance floor was opened and the guest had a great time dancing the evening away. Katie and Tim's wedding came to a close by 10:00pm and they weren't sent off into the night by glow sticks to their awaiting town car.

Katie and Tim - thank you for making me such a big part of your wedding day. Katie - it always means so much to work with someone I grew up with. Congratulations on your marriage and I look forward to watching it grow.

VENUE// THE OLSON MANSION, MAPLE VALLEY, WA
DAY OF COORDINATION// CASSIE RENAE EVENTS, LLC
PHOTOGRAPHY// SELECT PHOTOGRAPHY
CATERING AND BARTENDING// B DAZZLED CATERING
DESSERTS// THE SWEETSIDE
FLOWERS// MARIBETH ST. PIERRE, FAMILY FRIEND
DJ// SG MOBILE DJ
OFFICIANT// KERRY KNIGHT, FAMILY FRIEND
RENTALS// PALISADE
HAIR AND MAKE-UP// PERSONAL FRIEND
MAKE-UP// FLAWLESS BEAUTY BAR
RENTALS// AMERICAN PARTY PLACE

Sarah + Keenan // September 3, 2016 // Willows Lodge // Woodinville, WA

January 21, 2017 Cassie Isackson

Sarah and Keenan reached out to me through Wedding Wire well over a year in advance from their wedding date. They were booked at Bell Harbor International Center and using a nautical theme to bring the whole day together. They booked my day of coordination package with clean-up. Sarah and Keenan live in California, so it was important for them to have a coordinator that would help keep them on schedule with planning and have good communication with their vendors. They noticed in 3 months (December-February) of planning, the venue was not very responsive to them when they were trying to coordinate their rentals. Come the end of March, Sarah and Keenan received a phone call from the venue that no couple ever wants to receive, let alone 5 months before your wedding date. The venue they had selected, within the center, would no longer be available for their wedding date as the Port of Seattle and the cruise commissioner were moving up the remodel date. After trying to work with the venue on spicing up the new location, Sarah and Keenan decided to cut ties and find another venue.

Willows Lodge happened to have a cancellation a week prior on the date Keenan and Sarah needed, so plans were set to move their wedding to Woodinville. In the end, this venue ended up working out to be perfect venue and really fit Sarah and Kennan better. Sarah and Keenan are such sweet and vibrant people and compliment each other so well. Such jokesters they are! I met with Keenan at the venue when he was up for a visit in June to finalize the catering menu, but I didn't get a chance to meet Sarah until two days before the wedding. Most of our planning had been via email.

Switching your venue 5 months prior to your wedding can be very stressful, but with a great event manager at the venue, Jenn, re-planning went great. Since Sarah and Keenan had their other vendors in place, we had the time to concentrate on redesigning their theme and decor and planning out the venue set-up and food. Sarah and Keenan switched from a nautical theme to lavender and herbs with the lavender color being most prominent and enhanced with ivory, sage and gold.

Willows lodge does 2 events in a day. Sarah and Keenan had the afternoon slot which means our set-up didn't start until 3:00 pm with a 5:00 pm ceremony. Right at 3:00 pm the lodge started the room flip and my assistant and I worked right along side them with our set-up of flowers and decor. Set-up went on as scheduled. While setting up, pictures were taking place around the grounds. Willows Lodge is not only a beautiful place for a wedding, but a gorgeous place for photos. The guest table were set with an ivory tablecloth, gold charger, a lavender cookie at each place setting for a favor and a vase with lavender surrounded with votive candle holders and a table number. Out in the courtyard sat the guest book table, gift table and escort card table. The escort cards were handmade folded cards adorned with a sprig of lavender clipped on.

Sarah, Keenan and the bridal party were in hiding by 4:40 pm. During this down time, they signed the marriage license and Ketubah. The Ketubah was then taken out to be displayed during the ceremony. Sarah is Jewish and Kennan is Polynesian so it was very important that both of their religions/cultures be a part of their ceremony. The ceremony started at 5:00 pm and was a beautiful blend of both Sarah and Keenan. Following the ceremony, Sarah and Keenan went for some more photos while the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour and were encouraged to find their escort card to direct them to their table for the evening.

Once each guest had found their seat for the evening, Sarah and Keenan were introduced into the reception and went straight into their first dance as husband and wife. Following their first dance was the HaMotzi prayer and bread cutting, which lead into a buffet dinner. The HaMotzi bread was served to each guest to enjoy with their dinner.

Once each guest had made their way through the buffet a short slideshow was played which led into toasts. Toasts were given by four people, The matron of honor, best man, mother of the groom and father of the bride with a surprise toast from one of the groom's brothers. These toasts had the guests laughing and aahhhing over sentiment. Toasts turned into the cake cutting and the cake cutting turned into the father-daughter dance and a choreographed mother-son dance. Since incorporating each of their religions was a big focus of the night, Sarah and Keenan finished the traditional events of with a Hora and asked that all guests please join them on the dance floor, which I believe almost every person did! Once the Hora came to a close the dance floor opened and everyone had a great time dancing to great music. Around 9:30 pm; late night snacks of breakfast sandwiches and hash browns were brought out (on request of the groom). Come 11:00 pm, the guesst filtered out and the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Morrison came to a close.

Thank you Sarah and Keenan for letting me be a part of your special day! I really enjoyed getting to know both of you!

VENUE// WILLOWS LODGE, WOODINVILLE, WA
DAY OF COORDINATION// CASSIE RENAE EVENTS, LLC
PHOTOGRAPHY// MARISSA RICK PHOTOGRAPHY
CATERING AND BARTENDING// WILLOWS LODGE
CAKE// BORCHINNIS BAKERY
FLOWERS// WHOLESALE FLOWERS ASSEMBLED BY BRIDE AND BRIDAL PARTY
DJ// HEADSMILE PRODUCTIONS
OFFICIANT// JESSICA GREEN, PERSONAL FRIEND
RENTALS// PALISADE
HAIR AND MAKE-UP// SORRIDA SALON
MAKE-UP// FLAWLESS BEAUTY BAR
RENTALS// WILLOWS LODGE

Anna + Michael // September 13, 2013 // Salish Lodge and Spa//Snoqualmie, WA

January 20, 2017 Cassie Isackson

Anna contacted me in July 2013 through a site called Thumbtack that I had JUST signed up for. Her and Michael were having a small intimate wedding at the Salish Lodge in two months and were in need of a day of coordinator. I was very interested in coordinating their wedding for a couple reasons. 1 – It’s a wedding and I love weddings! 2- Right in my back yard. 3- I had been really wanting to coordinate an intimate wedding, as well as one at the Salish Lodge. I sent off a quote and Anna, along with her parents, set-up a meeting with me at the Lodge and I was hired! Once I met Anna and her family, I was hoping they would hire me. Anna was so very sweet right from the beginning and I knew we would have a great time finishing the the planning and coordinating her and Michael’s wedding.

All of the little details were finished and coordinated over the next two months and before we knew it, wedding day was upon us. The Salish Lodge and Down To Earth Floral handled a lot of the set-up, so I was on-site mid afternoon to finish the details of set-up: setting out placecards and favors, guest book and the bird cage for cards, the water ceremony and finessing anything that needed finessing to make sure both the Hidden Terrace and the Atrium were as the bride had envisioned. Throughout the morning and early afternoon the ladies and gentlemen spent their time getting ready and taking gorgeous photos around the Salish Lodge property.

Ceremony was set to start at 4:30 pm. It was a warm fall September afternoon and the sun was shining brightly over the falls, which happen to sit right below the Hidden Terrace where the ceremony was taking place. The ceremony was short and sweet. After the ceremony guests were escorted to the Atrium for the reception.

The Atrium was set with four guest tables. It was a small intimate affair. Centerpieces were tall woodland arragements with sticks decorated with blue orchaids and moss. Each place setting was adorned with a jar of honey (from the Salish Lodge honey bees) which acted as a name tag and a small bag of candies.

While guests mingled and found their seat for the evening, Anna, Michael, the officiant and their maid of honor and best man signed the marriage license in the Library.

Guests enjoyed a sit down plated meal (which looked and smelled delicious). While guests were finishing up dinner, Anna and Michael snuck out of the reception to take some stunning photos around the Salish Lodge property, as the sun was setting.

Once Anna and Michael returned to the reception, toasts, cake cutting and dances took place. With an intimate wedding, these moments seem to make everyone in the room tear up!

Once the traditional items of the evening were done, my night came to a close. I said my goodbyes and left. From what the rest of the pictures show…it looks like they had a little fun!

Thank you Anna and Michael for letting me be a part of your special day! It was so fun getting to know you both – you both are very special and sweet people who make a wonderful couple. I can’t wait to watch your marriage grow!

VENUE// THE SALISH LODGE AND SPA, SNOQUALMIE, WA
DAY OF COORDINATION// CASSIE RENAE EVENTS, LLC
PHOTOGRAPHY// SELECT PHOTOGRAPHY
CATERING AND BARTENDING// THE SALISH LODGE AND SPA
CAKE// THE SALISH LODGE AND SPA
FLOWERS// DOWN TO EARTH
OFFICIANT// JEREMY JAHN – FAMILY FRIEND