All portraits featured credited to ALLYOGRAPHY. A Beautiful Homestead Wedding DayOn June 6, 2020, Kenndedy Samson and Hunter Frasier said I Do before their families and close friends during a beautiful ceremony at the Frasier homestead. Despite hosting a wedding during a pandemic, there was no shortage of all-out beauty and celebration for Kennedy and Hunter on their wedding day. From the stunning greenery draped altar to the perfect patio reception, these two had a day to remember as they began their official happily ever after together. The sun shined bright at the Frasier homestead creating the ultimate Kentucky, summer, wedding day setting. From the early morning hours, the house bustled with bridal bliss as Kennedy and her bride tribe shared special time together with mimosas and glamming, and family members worked to perfect every little detail for the events to come. This special day called for not one, but two Coordinators, so I had Associate Coordinator, Natalie by my side to help make sure everything went off without a hitch. Things really started to kick into high gear when all the girls in their monogrammed PJ's stepped outside for some sweet portraits and fun champagne popping before getting dressed, and Kennedy officially becoming a Bride. When I say that this Bride and Groom were incredibly thoughtful, I mean it, and in fact, it would even be an understatement. When it came time for portraits with family members, every parent had a gift from the bride and a gift from the groom, and the teary-eyed responses were indicative of just how meaningful each gift was. I provide this detail because there was no denying the close-knit family that this couple had, and while Kennedy and Hunter were the stars of the show, everyone involved in their big day was celebrated, and so special. Natalie and I hustled throughout the day to get boutonnieres pinned, corsages on, and bouquets dispensed ensuring that everyone was where they needed to be for their close-up without the Bride and Groom crossing paths. A special moment the happy couple did get to share though, was their first touch. While their eyes never met, Hunter and Kennedy took a moment to hold hands, calm their nerves, and give themselves those perfect little wedding-day butterflies to fuel their excitement to say "I Do." There was a beautiful treeline that formed the perfect aisle for which the family would be escorted down, the wedding party would show off their classy style, and finally the Bride and her father would take their sweetest walk. While I cued each of the family and wedding party entrances, Natalie was on bride-duty, and Kennedy was hidden away until just the right moment when all eyes turned her way. A few happy tears were shed, sweet words were shared, and a prayer of blessing commenced during the beautiful ceremony, and just like that, Kennedy and Hunter were pronounced husband and wife. With tablescapes set and delicious food steaming nearby, family portraits ensued as guests began making their way to the reception. Once formal portraits concluded, it was time for the Bride and Groom to have their first dance. Let me just say, having a wedding amid a pandemic is hard, but you can choose to see the positive in it, and as Kennedy and Hunter danced with only their closest family and friends surrounding them, you could feel the abundance of love that was there -- not just between the newlyweds, but for the newlyweds as well, and for that reason and so many others, this small, intimate wedding was so special and one to remember. The evening turned to night as the couple danced with their parents, cut their cake, and heard speeches from their wedding party members. Before anyone even knew the time had come to wish them well, sparklers were lit for the new Mr. and Mrs. Frasier as they walked hand-in-hand towards a lifetime of happiness together. Wedding Vendor TeamCoordinators: Morgan Gossett and Natalie Hubbard of MG Wedding Coordination
Venue: The Frasier Family Homestead Photography: ALLYOGRAPHY Weddings and Portraiture Videography: Frasier Films DJ: Aces Entertainment Florist: All in Bloom Catering: Fine Arts Bistro Cake: Lou Ann Alexander Hair: Dickie Houchens Makeup: Maggie Bellamy Dress: Regiss Bridal of Glasgow Menswear: Giorgio's Menswear Veil: Regiss Bridal of Glasgow Rings: Kay Jewelers
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All photographs featured are credited to Morgan Marie Photography. An Initmate Backyard UnionGabby Short and Zane Martin vowed to love one another forever during an intimate backyard wedding ceremony at a family home in Glasgow, KY. Gabby had the first MG Wedding Coordination Wedding of 2020 amid a global pandemic, and handled every change and alteration along the way with such grace. From my first interaction with the couple and their families at the rehearsal, I knew that though the event itself may be small in size, there would be no shortness of love nor happiness with these two at the center of the celebration. It was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day in Barren County, just perfect for Gabby and Zane to get married. When I arrived at Gabby's family home, the house was bustling with cheers and laughter while all the girls worked on getting glammed by hair and makeup professionals. This wedding was a special one due to the many changes that the novel Corona Virus required. From a large guest count at a wedding venue to a ceremony at a personal homestead where only the Bride, Groom, their immediate families, and a few wedding party members would be present -- Gabby's wedding looked a bit different than what she initially planned for, but the final product was truly stunning, and I could not have imagined a more beautiful day! One of my favorite parts of Gabby's big day is how special every moment was. From a Bridal Party scrapbook gift for the bride. to the bride's first look with her brother in front of his well-loved chicken coop, every event throughout the day was personalized in the sweetest ways. Not to mention, despite the wedding relocation, the family homestead was perfectly setup for wedding day management! While the girls had full-access to the upstairs level, the boys stayed downstairs, and then the beautiful widespread open land was perfect for each and every special photo op. Talk about coordination ease! From the beginning, I could tell Gabby, Zane, and their entourage all had a great sense of humor, so it was only fitting that they have a few funny moments built into their big day. When it came time for the bride and groom to have their first look, Gabby decided to hang back for a few minutes, while her brother-in-law, dressed in a borrowed wedding gown, went to meet Zane at the alter. After laughs were shared and nerves were settled, the bride and groom officially shared their first look together as well as words of love for one another. Before anyone even knew it, it was time to make things official and start the ceremony. The field had been cut to display a perfect aisle for the bride to walk down to meet her soon-to-be husband. On this special occassion, I not only cued ceremony entrances, but also played the music to accent those special moments. As the family members were seated and the wedding party joined their friends at the alter, sweet words of wisdom were shared and a couple of I Do's were said. Gabby and Zane were pronounced husband and wife. Only steps away from the ceremony location were tables set with beautiful place settings and sweet-smelling floral arrangments. With pizza on the menu, the wedding attendees enjoyed a time of fellowship together in pure bliss at the union of two special people. Following the meal, the couple cut their cookie cake, shared donuts with guests, and toasted to happily ever after before doing a few special dances. As the event carried on, guests lit sparklers in honor of the love witnessed that day, and the bride and groom walked among the sparkling glow with excitement towards forever. Wedding Vendor TeamCoordinator: Morgan Gossett of MG Wedding Coordination
Venue: Short Family Home Photography: Morgan Marie Photography Videography: DMG Wedding Videography Rentals: A Family Affair Event Rentals Florist: Keely Barltey Cake: Cookie Lyns Hair: Kelby Payne Makeup: Lauren Booth Dress: The White Room Lebanon Menswear: Giorgio's Menswear This submission was first shared via Brides from the Bluegrass. Check it out here. What is a Wedding Coordinator?Florists, Photographers, Caterers, Videographers, Stylists, Coordinators, and Planners, oh my! The wedding industry is made up of so many different categories of services, and it can be a little overwhelming to determine who all you need to hire.
While most vendor services are self-explanatory, there are two fields that Brides often get confused: Wedding Planners and Wedding Coordinators. Today’s post is all about explaining what a Wedding Coordinator is, how they are different from Wedding Planners, and why having one is important. What is a Wedding Coordinator? A Wedding Coordinator, also known as a Day-Of Coordinator, is someone who takes your wedding plans and makes them a reality. All the logistics of your wedding day can be passed off to your Wedding Coordinator with full trust that all things will fall into place as they should, while you take in all the special wedding day moments. When does the Wedding Coordinator step in? Most times, a Wedding Coordinator’s duties will start 4-6 weeks out from your wedding, once you have had plenty of time pin down all your vendors and you have a good vision of what you want your big day to look like. Once the Wedding Coordinator steps in, most will make your wedding day itinerary, detail all responsibilities of your vendors, and make a schedule of duties they’ll be performing on your big day. What does a wedding coordinator do that day? Day-of duties typically include things like greeting vendors for setup, assisting with locating the wedding party and family members for pictures, finalizing décor, delivering vendor payments, cuing ceremony entrances, and just making sure every big moment is perfectly timed and initiated. Ultimately, a Wedding Coordinator is the orchestrator of the perfect production that is your wedding day. SO, what is the difference between a Wedding Planner and a Wedding Coordinator?Knowing now what a Wedding Coordinator is, the question may remain as to how this person would differ from a Wedding Planner. The main differences between a Wedding Coordinator and a Wedding Planner are working time-frame and level of influence. Whereas a Wedding Coordinator’s duties wouldn’t start until 4-6 weeks out from your wedding day, a Wedding Planner’s duties would start from the moment of engagement. A Wedding Planner is going to assist with venue selection, recommend vendors and negotiate contracts, create your wedding style, and develop your wedding vision. Whereas a Wedding Coordinator takes your plans and makes them reality, a Wedding Planner develops the plans they will bring to life. While most times both a Coordinator and a Planner have a similar presence the day-of your wedding, you would have spent far more time with a Planner than with a Coordinator in the days, weeks, and months leading up to that day. Do I need a Wedding Coordinator? Your big day is a celebration, and one that you, and everyone you love, should get to enjoy. There are a lot of moving parts that must come together to perfectly implement your big day — from making sure the bridesmaids all have their bouquets before photography begins to helping the ring bearer down the aisle, from making sure you have something in your glass to toast during speeches to having your dad ready in the ballroom when it’s time for your special dance. Leave the orchestrating, organizing, and initiating of those very important details to a Coordinator so you, and your closest loved ones, can enjoy your day. While family friends may volunteer to help in any way they can, encourage them to help with tasks leading up to the day-of and to just enjoy your wedding day. Keep in mind, Coordinators are familiar with putting out hypothetical fires and handling day-of emergencies with grace. One of the biggest benefits to having a professional in your corner is their experience in making a day with so many moving parts flow smoothly for you. In short, yes, you need a Wedding Coordinator. Your wedding day should be a day of pure happiness for you, your family, and all your friends. Make sure every plan you make comes to fruition and your fairytale day comes true with a little help from a Wedding Coordinator alongside your dream vendor team. Developing a COVID-19 Emergency PlanWhat should be some of the happiest of times for you have very likely turned pretty stressful as a Bride planning for a wedding in the middle of this unpredctable pandemic we call, Corona Virus. While the stress you are feeling is aboslutely merited, I am here today to help you navigate through that stress a little easier and create a plan.
Now, let's get down to business. If you are currently planning a wedding for April-July of 2020, these next steps are for you! I know that four months is quite the span of time to consider, but know that this emergency plan is a backup and while I pray that none of you have to resort to a backup plan, this will simply make things less stressful if you do. Nonetheless, I have compiled a 3 step process for building a COVID-19 Emergency Wedding Plan. Step 1: Determine Your Plan BWhile it can be really hard to see past the plans you already have in place, considering the circumstances, it is important that you start thinking about your Plan B. Remember that you have options. 1.) Would you want to postpone everything to a later date? -If so, reach out to your Venue and ask if they are willing to change the date for you, what dates they have available, and if they would put a temporary hold on your Plan B date until a designated time. It is important that if your Plan B is postponement that you go ahead and select an official date for your backup. 2.) Would you want to have a small and intimate ceremony with a bigger reception once the pandemic passes? -If so, determine what vendors you would want at each event and make a list. Also determine where you would like your reception to be hosted and what venue options may be available. Go ahead and select a reception date so that you will be able to talk to vendors about their availability when the time comes. 3.) Would you want to cancel? -If so, review your wedding vendor contracts. Understand that due to the circumstances not all vendors will be in a position that they are able to provide refunds, whereas they may be able to work with you on rescheduling. Before you give up on your dream day, really weigh out all your options. *Insider tip: Don't be afraid of a non-traditional day of the week. Friday and Sunday weddings have been becoming more popular even before Corona Virus, and they will most definitely be viable choices for Plan B options. Step 2: Set a DeadlineLiving in limbo can be an incredibly frustrating and disheartnening thing. That's why I recommend that in building your COVID-19 Emergency Wedding Plan that you don't give yourself the option to be in limbo -- you're either moving forward with Plan A or your moving forward with Plan B. Let me explain... In step 1, I told you you should determine what your Plan B would be. All the while, you should still be treating Plan B as exactly that. You should work under the assumption that Plan A is a go until "D-Day" which for our purposes stands for Deadline Day. Create a deadline for the last possible day that you would feel comfortable switching from Plan A to Plan B and make that your deadline. For some that may be 3 weeks out, while for others that might be 6. You continue working under the as assumption that Plan A is a go (knowing that you have a Plan B in place) until D-Day and at that time you make the decision on if the Pandemic climate requires you change from Plan A to Plan B officially. I know you are going to have family and friends eager to be your wedding guests reaching out to you wanting to know if the wedding is still on. Having a deadline means you can say "Yes! We are still planning to have our wedidng as previously planned for, and we won't make any decisions on changing that officially until *insert deadline here*." Not only is this going to keep you from feeling like you are in limbo, but it also suggests to your guests that you have a plan, and you're less likely to get bombarded with other people's input and opinions when you present an organized front. After all, no matter the day, it will still be YOUR day and we want you to be the architect. Step 3: Talk to Your VendorsOnce you have determined your Plan B and you have a deadline in place, reach out to your vendors. It is super important that you communicate with those you have signed contracts with and keep them up-to-date. I am confident that your vendors want to do everything they can to make this time as stress-free as possible, but they can only do that if you keep them in the loop. Even so, I recommend waiting to reach out to your vendors after Steps 1 and 2 are complete so that you aren't creating an avenue for questions you aren't able to answer. After you've completed the first two steps here's the message I would send: "Due to the current circumstances surrounding the Pandemic COVID-19, I am proactively working to have a plan in place should we have to postpone or reschedule. At this time, I will be continuing to plan for the wedding to happen on *your wedding date* as planned, but have set a backup date of *insert date here*. We of course hope that we will not have to resort to our backup, but if we do, are you still able to provide your services on that date? If so, would you be willing to put a temporary hold on that date for me? I have set a deadline of *insert deadline here* to assess the current pandemic climate and determine if we will shift to our Plan B. I appreciate your flexibility and understanding during this time. I will keep you updated if anything changes." Of course, that message would need to be altered slightly depending on what your Plan B is, but this will spark the conversations you need to be having to solidfy your Plan B. For example, if your Makeup Artist comes back and says they are unavailable on your Plan B date perhaps your consider another date or you look into your options of hiring another Makeup Artist. With this in mind, I would reach out ot your vendors in order of importance to you. If you are 100% dead set on the Photographer you have hired, reach out to them first, so that if they need you to change dates in order for them to be available you can do so before sending out date change emails to your whole vendor team. Nonetheless, as you communicate with each of your vendors you further develop your Plan B and flush out the design of your secondary choice. Covid-19 Emergency Wedding PlanYall, my heart is with all the Brides out there right now. I know it's a tough time to be wedding planning, but if there is any way I can be of assistance to you DO NOT hesitate to reach out. Ever since becoming exposed to the wedding industry when I was a Bride myself, I was comforted by the way every wedding vendor comes together to make fairy tales happen. We're still here, and we're still doing that, even now. Xoxo,
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AuthorHi, my name is Morgan Gossett and I am the owner and Head Coordinator of MG Wedding Coordination. As cliche as it may sound, I love love, and that's exactly why I found my way into the wedding industry. Keep in touch as I reflect on the wonderful big days I get to be a part of and all the wedding day tips and tricks I come up with. Archives
June 2020
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