Authentic Affairs Event Design

Chelsea and Rafael

croninanna — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:02:38 +0000

Congratulations Chelsea and Rafael!

Chelsea and Rafael were married in her sister’s backyard

Backyard Fiesta

croninanna — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:04:07 +0000

Congratulations Chelsea and Rafael!

Chelsea and Rafael were married in her sister’s backyard

*Photos courtesy of Kristen Truax with Blush Photo

Summer Beauty

croninanna — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:58:03 +0000

Congratulations Merideth and Travis!

Merideth and Travis were married at the Brockey Center in West Seattle

Click to view slideshow.

*Photos courtesy of Kristen Truax with Blush Photo

Plan a Green Wedding – Without Giving up the Glamour

croninanna — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:44:18 +0000

1. Serve local and organic catering at your reception. Leaving a “light footprint” on the Planet is a great way to start off your life together. Ask your caterer to serve organic and local ingredients as much as possible. Stop by your local farmer’s market for ideas about what is in season in your area.

2. Print your invitations on recycled paper. Using recycled paper for your invitations, programs and place cards is a great way cut back on waste without surrendering style. Designers like Earthly Affair, www.earthlyaffair.com, offer a plethora of beautiful designs and options. If you are making your own invitations there are also great resources for recycled and natural paper products – www.invitesite.com and www.greenfieldpaper.com are our favorite.

3. Go green with your gown. Your wedding dress is often one of the main cornerstones of the Big Day. What better way to show your commitment to a green wedding than by selecting a “second use” wedding gown? Browse online sites like PreownedWeddingDresses.com, or peruse your favorite vintage shop for a one of a kind wedding dress from the 1940’s. If you already have your heart set on a gown from a local boutique think about donating your dress to MakingMemories.com when the wedding is over.

4. Create an Eco-Friendly Centerpiece. A great way to reduce your imprint without sacrificing style is creating a beautiful centerpiece around a potted flower or plant. Cut flowers get thrown away or shrivel up shortly after the reception, but a potted plant can live on for years after you say I Do. Plant the flowers in your garden after your honeymoon or give them away to guests as parting gifts.

5. Consider donations to charity in lieu of wedding gifts. Traditional wedding gifts of china sets and candle sticks are being pushed aside for donations to a local or favorite charity in the couple’s name. The gift of charity can have a lasting effect on an issue meaningful to you and won’t clutter up your home with a bunch of stuff you may not need.

6. Avoid a plastic covered wedding. Replace disposable plastic cups and utensils with reusable products. Bamboo plates and utensils are a stylish, durable and reusable alternative to disposable plastic or paper plates. Another way to avoid plastic is to place your favors and/or attendant gifts in cute reusable canvas bags.

7. Arrange a carpool for guests. If your wedding location is out of the city connect your friends and family members and have them carpool. With the rising price of gas they will thank you for providing this thoughtful option.

8. Schedule an eco-friendly honeymoon. Begin your married life with an Eco-Friendly Honeymoon. Choose a green hotel, off-set your carbon emissions, and/or select an earth-friendly travel company like Elevate Destinations, www.elevatedestinations.com.

Your Commitment Ceremony

croninanna — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:45:57 +0000

Top Tips for Planning a Successful Commitment Ceremony

1. Introduce key family members before the big day. You are making a public declaration of your love for each other and committing to become family. Your family members who will be sharing this special day with you should get to know each other beforehand. Arrange a dinner or an evening of bowling to introduce your families a few weeks before the big day.

2. Select a gay friendly officiant. Many officiants in the Seattle area are pleased to preside over a commitment ceremony, including I Do Marriage & Commitment Ceremonies, http://ido4u.homestead.com/home.html. If you are looking for something a bit more personal, feel free to ask a close friend or family member, but make sure he/she is comfortable in front of a crowd. You don’t want them to have stage fright on the big day!

3. Serve local and organic catering at your reception. Imprinting a “light footprint” is a great way to start off your life together. Ask your caterer to serve organic and local ingredients as much as possible. Stop by your local farmer’s market for ideas about what is in season in your area.

4. Personalize your ceremony with details that mean the most to you. When you decide to take this exciting step, sit down with your partner and discuss exactly what your commitment ceremony means to you. Focus on what is important to you as a couple – family, art, culture, gay rights – and create your ceremony around the ideas you discover during this talk.

5. Scope out the parking situation ahead of time. Many venues have worked out deals with parking lots and garages in close proximity. Make sure your guests know which ones to use so you aren’t dealing with parking tickets on your big day.

6. Protect your rights as a couple and register as a Domestic Partnership. Washington State recognizes same sex relationships as Domestic Partnerships. Once registered, same sex couples may apply for health insurance coverage under one partner’s plan. In addition, the registered couple may acquire property and inheritance rights. http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/domesticpartnerships/

7. Pre-schedule a final walk-through and meeting with your caterer and venue director. Many caterers and venue directors will require a meeting to finalize details, but some will not. If your vendors have not contacted you for this very important meeting, make sure you take the initiative to set one up.

8. Keep your budget on track and your stress to a minimum. Planning an event as important as your commitment ceremony is a daunting and time consuming job. A professional coordinator has the experience and connections to get you the best rates and to make sure that everything goes exactly as planned. Spend your day enjoying your partner, friends and family, not worrying about whether or not the flowers are being delivered on time!