The Victorian House in Reno

Hello lovely couples! Today I made two new friends from Take the Cake Events and they shared a new concept with me called the Victorian House. So, OF COURSE I wanted to share it with you all right away. Most Northstar Weddings are destination weddings. At the Victorian House they make it easy for you to interview an entire collection of wedding vendors all at once...in their Victorian house. Get it? And you don't have to choose all of them for your big day. If you decide to just go with Tiers of Joy (which is one of Northstar's preferred bakeries) for example, for your cake and not the DJ or photographer, that's cool. I think this is a very efficient use of a busy bride's time, especially if you haven't chosen any or many of your vendors yet. Happy planning! Bxo

Marriages that LAST begin at Northstar!

Love is in the air at Northstar Resort this Valentine's Day and apparently it sticks! This real Northstar Wedding was celebrated on August 19, 1989 courtesy of our very own on-site wedding coordinator: Sharon Fontes, AKA Praetzel. Not only does she still work here, but she is still married to this dashing young man! Here are some of the fun details:

Officiant: Dan Holzer (he is on our recommended list still)

Northstar Coordinator: Connie Blair (she is a Director here now)

Gown: Jessica McClintock (Sharon just found it again and wants to do something fun with it, anybody have ideas?)

Flower Girl waving to her Mommy: Sharon's niece who just had her first baby. Congratulations Andrea!

The groom also worked at Northstar at one time as a groomer in the winter...small world.

Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing you two- your photos are super sweet and loving! Happy 22nd Valentine's Day as husband and wife!

Wedding planning help for you!

I hope that most of you have had the chance to meet with your Northstar event planner by now! Therefore, I though now might be a good time to review their role in your Wedding. They are considered Venue / Site Coordinators. They handle the details of the ceremony and reception as it pertains to Northstar. They will also be at the wedding and usually stay to ensure the dinner goes off smoothly before leaving the remainder of the event in the capable hands of our Banquet Manager. They can give you their opinions of vendors they have worked with, but do not, for example, help you with table assignments, budgets or invitation selections. Get the gist?

Many of our brides require a little more assistance and there are different levels of wedding planners for them to choose from. Our coordinators can work together with outside wedding planners to make sure everything at your wedding is just right! The different types are:

•Event producer or full planner: For couples who want a wedding planner that will help them through the entire process. You should look for an event planning service or wedding consultant that can produce the entire wedding until the wedding is complete.

•Partial planner: For couples that has already completed some of their planning. If you are finding yourself bogged down with only two months until the wedding, consider a partial planner who can take over and finish up last minute details.

•Week of or day of planner: For couples who may want extra help coordinating the events on the big day. While your Northstar planner is doing some of this, they are mainly overseeing Northstar's responsibility to the execution of the event, not pinning boutonnieres on all the groomsmen. You should look for a planner that is willing to meet with you a couple times before the wedding so he/she understands your vision and needs for the day.

Local examples of full, partial, or week of /day of planners are Scott Corridan, Stephanie Anderson, Shannon Morse and Shawna Lee West, who specializes in day of wedding planning.

Meet the Wedding team!

So most of you know me, but who are these other lovely ladies? Well, you will soon know them as your Northstar Wedding Planners! For all of you 2010 brides and grooms, your Wedding Planner assignment happens in November. But in the meantime, please allow me to introduce you to the Wedding Dream Team: (from the left) Sharon, Nancie, Brett, and Amber. Now you can put a face with the name of your new BFF! Happy Wedding Planning...