Blacklick Woods Golf Course, Reynoldsburg, OhioWhen you grow up in a small town and then move back to it later in life, it’s inevitable that you will see some of your high school classmates, or even middle school classmates, but how rare is it that one of them is someone you’ve known since pre-school? Mike Farrenkopf and I have known each other since pre-school and I’ve known his fiancé, Alicia since high school - so when Alicia and her mother reached out to me to help out on the day-of, I was thrilled to be a part of another chapter in their lives. Alicia and Mike are the quintessential cute couple. They didn’t need anything fancy, they just wanted to be married and have a great evening with their friends and family. What was important to them was making sure they didn’t have to worry about managing the event on the evening of – that’s where Lu and Birch came in! The Blacklick Woods Golf Course and Banquet Room provided the perfect backdrop for their fall wedding and the prices couldn’t be more reasonable. Being a part of the metro park system means that it does take some extra effort to get detailed answers out of the staff. There aren’t any event professionals there, so it’s definitely a good idea to hire a wedding coordinator (you’re already reading this, so I must be your gal). The greatest thing I think about the venue is the ability to take photos on some of the surrounding grounds. I mean just look at these photos! Tips for a Laid-Back Wedding:The term “laid back” gets me every time in the event world, because the planning is not typically laid back at all. In order to create that feeling for your guests you need to make sure that you (or your coordinator) think of all the bumps in the road before they happen. Alicia and her mom knew that it was going to take some extra work and between the 3 of us we got a plan together.
For instance, a self-service bar station sounds great and easy to set-up, but what happens when the cups run out? Guests chugging out of wine bottles? Sounds good to me….but might not be what you want on your wedding night. When Alicia and her mom brought up the idea of a self service station we sat down and went through every detail – How many cups do we need? How much ice do we need? Who will re-stock the beer? Who will monitor the alcohol consumption? Even if you want a self-serve station, most places will require you to have a serve-safe certified bartender there to monitor the alcohol service. I recommend this solution as well. All in all – the very detailed, non-laid-back planning helps when planning a laid back event. It also helps to hire a day-of event coordinator and let her do all of the work (nudge nudge). Below are some informational links to DIY bars and laid-back wedding ideas: A Practical Wedding Perfect Party Planning Boho Weddings
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Hello from Lu and Birch!
I wanted to introduce myself before I dive right into the wonderful world of weddings. You can read a little about me on my About page, however I wanted to kick off the blog with some more of my background. These blogs are most likely littered with grammatical errors that would make my mom get out her red pen, but I'm choosing the free-flow method of writing:-) My name is Laura, or Lolo to my family and my dad used to knock on the door with his knuckles to wake me up saying "Lolo-Lu, it's time to get up!" (I have to figure out how to do sound clips because the tune is the best part). Because I was a self-proclaimed professional sleeper (I could sleep for days), that noise always used to make me cringe, roll over and yell "I'm up! I'm up!" -- but these days I look back on those mornings of having a loving alarm clock and smile. Hence the reason why the first part of my name is "lu." The "birch" is a story for another time....you might be able to get it out of me if you buy me a Butterbeer. I started in the Hospitality Industry by accident really - being a college student at Ohio State, I was looking for a flexible job that could work around my class schedule. I was also looking for a family business, being as my family owned a greenhouse growing up and I felt more comfortable working for small businesses rather than large corporations. SIDE- TRACK: If you're in the market for any bedding plants, nursery stock or veggies, go visit Fishers Gardens in Reynoldsburg! I started as a Guest Services Manager for The German Village Guest House (which is an amazing B&B in German Village that is just steps away from Barcelona and is one of my top recommendations for out of town guests). We did some small weddings and other great parties in the quaint garden behind the guest house. It was mainly a 3 person operation, which made me learn quickly about the behind-the-scenes work of party planning. It quickly became more and more enjoyable and I realized that I had found a hidden passion of mine! Following graduation, I spread my wings and moved to Denver, CO. After trying my hand at being an Innkeeper, elopement coordinator and baker extraordinaire I decided that it was something I should pursue further. I moved back to Columbus OH and got a job with Cameron Mitchell Premier Events. That job was by far the hardest and most rewarding job I have ever had. Catering still to this day blows my mind. Making that amount of food in short periods of time and then making it taste excellent had me boggled (probably also because my idea of cooking is spiral Mac N' Cheese). The chefs at Cameron Mitchell are creative geniuses who work only under pressure and can whip up a kids meal out of nothing in 2 minutes. I know I'm biased but even after leaving the company I recommend them to many of my couples looking for excellent service and food. Since then I have also dabbled in floral decor, venue management and finally Day-of Event Coordination. Which is where I'm going to end this lovely blog. Stay tuned to see the weddings I have coordinated and learn some tips and tricks on all things wedding related. I will also be featuring some of my favorite vendors, wedding items and worthwhile Pinterest crafts. |
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