Venue at the Grove Special Open House Recap by Mindy

Last Wednesday Venue at the Grove held a special Open House, and what a way to kick off the upcoming wedding season! The venue was filled with prospective couples and clients, and we couldn’t have been more excited to meet new people and show our facility off! As guests entered the hall, they were greeted and given a tour of the gorgeous facility. There were two things in particular that seemed to be the hit of the open house. First, guests could not get over how beautiful the grounds looked, even during the warmest part of the year! The venue still has lush green grass, and full pecan trees throughout the property. After the sun went down, guests were awed by the twinkle lights that illuminate all the tress around the ceremony area and patio. The second hit was the bridal suite and the groom’s room, or “man cave.” On your special day, it is so nice to have a private area for you and your family to get ready and relax prior to the event. The bridal suite offers ample area for the bride and wedding party to get ready, with a huge wall mirror, closet, a private restroom, and even a fireplace! Painted a cool grey color, the “man cave” is every groom’s dream. The room has a flat screen TV, poker table, and a mini fridge!

After the tour, guests were then able to meet with some of our phenomenal vendors. Chef Nick from Arizona Inspirations, created a delicious tasting menu for guests to sample. The menu included: greens with champagne vinaigrette, chicken with a roasted red pepper sauce, pork with a delicious sauce, veggies and mashed potatoes. Everything was delicious, and it was so nice to see everyone socializing and enjoying their food. For a sweet treat, Bamboo Bakery was offering samples of several different cakes. In addition, Bamboo Bakery displayed some wonderful examples of their creative cake designs. Six tables were arranged with different samples of linens provided by Veronica with Butterfly Events. To complement the linens, The Garage By Ivy provided exquisite floral pieces. The mock tables really gave guests a visual of the hall’s potential. As guests ate and mingled, you couldn’t help but notice the tunes being played by DJ One Productions. DJ One did a great job keeping the feel of the open house up beat and fun! Brittany Janelle Photography was showing off photos of a recent photo shoot at the venue. Brittany really understands how to capture the emotion of the couples she photographs, as well as the beauty of the grounds at the venue. Last but not least, we had Platinum Entertainment come to show off one of the newest wedding trends. . . a photo booth! The photo booth not only prints photos on the spot for your guests, but the bride and groom also get a CD of all the photos. What a great way to capture the celebration and give guests a parting gift!

If you were able to attend the event, we would love to hear your thoughts about our venue! We enjoy hearing from guests and visitors about their experiences with us. We pride ourselves in making each event personalized and unique, and we hope you consider us for your next event. If you were not able to join us for this Special Open House, please feel free to visit us any Wednesday from 6 – 8 pm. We have several fun events planned in the next couple months, so please check back in for future events. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Welcome Mindy!!

We are super excited to have Mindy Shock join our team! She has a passion for helping people create meaningful memories at their personal event.  Mindy brings a variety of skills as well as experience in making couples’ weddings everything they dreamed of, including: wedding coordination, creating visual boards with color schemes and ideas, providing creative solutions to meet budgets and desired designs and performing day of coordination.  Welcome aboard Mindy and we look forward to working with you!

Maximizing Your Floral Budget Tips by Rheanna

While the average price for weddings in the United States has risen to more than $20,000, brides are finding creative ways to spend their money more wisely and are discovering inexpensive ideas to help them save money. Here are some ways that can help you save on your flowers and still create a beautiful vision without spending a fortune.

 - Use only in season and readily available flowers. Be honest with your florist about your budget and ask them to recommend the most inexpensive flowers.

 - Avoid holding your wedding in February when the flower prices are at an annual high due to Valentine’s Day.

 - Find a venue such as a park or garden that is already lush and beautiful.

- Talk to your venue to see if there are any other brides booked for the same day.  Perhaps you can coordinate flowers and split the cost and both of you will save money.

 - Talk to party rental suppliers about renting large potted plants. They will visually fill a lot of space and will help frame your ceremony site or warm up your reception.  The biggest advantage is renting a potted plant is far less expensive than buying large flower arrangements.

These are just a few tips that might be helpful to you during your wedding planning and be easier on your wallet!

How to Manage the “Pre-Wedding Stress” by Rheanna Evaro

It’s common people become extremely stressed out when planning a wedding. Between juggling your money, time, expectations and just life in general most couples are ready to pull out their hair at some point in time. Here are tips to beat wedding stress, so take a breather and see how you can manage and reduce your stress.

1. Delegate More Tasks.

Learning to manage your stress is figuring out what you can and cannot do. Make a list of all the things you need to get done, figure out the things you can handle and from there call on your family and friends to help take what’s left from your wedding-related tasks.

1. Eat Right.

The right foods can help in lowering stress.  Some of the recommended stress-busting foods include whole grains and any red, green, or orange vegetables.  Stay away from fried foods…not to mention, this strategy will help you stay in shape for the big day.

1. Take a day off from the wedding.

Plan a day where you can go out or stay in with your fiancé and have a “non-wedding day”, mentioning nothing about your wedding details.  Taking a break from the wedding planning can help build up yours and your fiancé’s sanity level.

These are just a few of many ways on how to help manage the “pre-wedding stress.”  Just remember that your family and friends want to help you and you don’t have to try to take the whole thing on yourself.

Wedding Ideas by Rheanna Evaro

A close friend of mine was recently married; I was extremely honored to be apart of her special day.  I found that many of their ideas, from the wedding favors to the bouquets, were very creative and unique.

One thing that I especially liked was how the centerpieces were presented.  They had gathered different wedding pictures of couples from close friends and family and placed a different photo at each table. This detail that was added to the centerpieces made the reception much more intimate and personal.

Another idea that I had not seen before was what they had done for their wedding favors. They had made, what they called “Lollicakes” also known as “Cake Pops”. These were a very fun idea and seemed very simple to make, and were also very delicious. For instructions on how to make these scrumptious bite size cakes, click on the link below.

http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/

Lastly, another idea they had that I was very impressed by was what they had done with the bridesmaid’s bouquets. Instead of the usual flower bouquets you see, they had created pinwheel bouquets. This idea made for a very beautiful and unique alternative to the traditional bridesmaid bouquet. They also incorporated this idea for the groomsmen boutonnieres. For instructions on how to create these pinwheel bouquets, click on the link below.

http://www.bhg.com/crafts/weddings/crafts/paper-pinwheels-project/

Summer Wedding Tips By: Rheanna Evaro

When planning a summer wedding here in Arizona, it is essential that you keep your guests cool. Here are some useful ideas that will help you and your guests remain comfortable throughout the event and may also add some resourceful and creative details to your special day.

One of the first and most major details to keep in mind is the location of your ceremony. If your ceremony is being held outdoors, try to consider the time of day the ceremony will begin. During the summertime it tends to get much cooler around dusk, and it also adds a beautiful and tranquil sunset background to the scenery. You may also want to consider renting a tent to provide shade. Another good idea is to offer your guests with items such as umbrellas, bottled water, fans, chilled towels, or even mini sunscreens as they arrive to the ceremony. You can also even personalize these items to make it more unique.

When it comes to the décor, it is best to use light and brighter colors to keep things cooler. Using brighter colors also allows you to bring a vast amount of color to many of your decorations, especially to your centerpieces if you are using floral arrangements or fresh fruit. Oranges and reds are very popular at this time of the year. This can also be implemented into your bridal party’s attire. Choosing lighter colors of clothing will keep them more comfortable and cooler.  Lighter colors allow our skin to breathe easier, where darker colors absorb and trap heat making it hotter.

Another important detail for you to think about is the food. A good idea for summer weddings is to keep the food light and to choose something that will cool your guests down. Fresh fruits such as berries and watermelon may be included on your menu or passed hors d’oeuvre style during cocktail hour. Be sure to have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks, such as lemonade or water, on hand to keep your guests hydrated.

When it comes to summer weddings, it’s all about the details to keep things casual and to make sure you and your guests are staying cool and comfortable on your big day!

Welcome to the Team Rheanna!

We are very excited to announce Rheanna Evaro is the newest addition to the Venue at the Grove team!  Today was her first day at work.  She brings a strong passion for wedding and event planning and is eager to learn.  We especially loved that her portfolio of work included pictures of the Smoke Monster that she created for an event held for Lost fans : )  Welcome Rheanna and we look forward to working with you!!

Internship Opportunity

Internships are a fantastic way to gain experience in a particular field and determine if the field is a fit for you.  In addition to experience, internships provide a huge opportunity to begin creating a network of contacts.  Venue at the Grove currently has an internship position available.  We offer a variety of business experience around weddings and events. 

If you are interested in an internship opportunity at Venue at the Grove, please contact Abigail via email info@venueatthegrove.com or at 602-456-0803.

Tips for the Bridal Expo

Bridal shows are a fantastic way to meet vendors and see what they are about.  You can get many ideas and see which  styles match yours.  There will be many vendors at the Bridal Fashion Debut this Sunday, June 6th and by attending you’ll receive lots of information.   Here are a couple of tips for the show:

• Create an email address just for planning your wedding, this will help you keep all the information you receive in an organized place. 
•   Print labels for the bridal show with the following information:
  • Bride and Groom’s Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone number and Mailing address
  • Wedding Date

This is helpful because with the many attendess it can be very challenging for vendors to spend quality time with you, therefore many will ask you to fill out information cards so that they can follow up with you.  It also makes it a lot easier for you, you will be able to cover more ground in one day and your hand will thank you at the end of the day! : )

• Most important have fun!!!  There will be fashion shows, prize giveaways, cake tastings, food tastings and fun things to do.  Plus at the end of the day you will leave with a big bag of great info…..Happy Planning!

Rehearsal Dinners

Rehearsal dinners are traditionally held after the ceremony rehearsal.  They are great time for the bride and groom to celebrate their closest family and friends and thank them for all their help in planning the wedding.  Rehearsal dinners also give the bridal party and family a chance to relax and enjoy each other’s company before the wedding. 

These days rehearsal dinners can be as casual or formal as you choose, some couples are doing brunches or are doing  themes such as BBQ, the 50/60’s, romantic or tropical.  Although it was traditional for the groom’s parents to host the dinner, some brides and grooms or both sets of parents are participating in hosting the dinner.  For more information and ideas visit The Knot’s Rehearsals+Dinners.

Join Venue at the Grove on June 16th at our Special Open House to enter our drawing for a complimentary rehearsal dinner up to 15 people on our beautiful pecan grove (no strings attached:).