mini sneak peak of Dana & Shane’s wedding with Get Hitched Weddings! Congrats!!! more photos to come soon!
Posts Tagged ‘SH Weddings’
Dana & ShaneJuly 19th, 2011mini sneak peak of Dana & Shane’s wedding with Get Hitched Weddings! Congrats!!! more photos to come soon! |
Tags / Categories / Comments
oh Martha!April 20th, 2011How we adore you! Review on the Martha Stewart Wedding Issue by Sam Hamilton {a hanle Contributor} |
How we adore you! Review on the Martha Stewart Wedding Issue
by Sam Hamilton {a hanle Contributor}
Tags / Categories / Comments
Choosing RedFebruary 11th, 2011How to choose a Red Lipstick….by Samantha Hamilton a Hanle Blog Contributor |
How to choose a Red Lipstick….by Samantha Hamilton a Hanle Blog Contributor
Tags / Categories / Comments
Wedding Planning 101: Choosing Your PrioritiesJanuary 13th, 2011by Samantha Hamilton from SH Weddings, a Hanle Productions Blog Contributor You’ve just said yes, you’ve shared the news with your friends and family, you may have been the subject of a few happy toasts and you have a beautiful new ring on your finger. But like, now what? If you’re new wedding planning, believe [...] |
by Samantha Hamilton from SH Weddings, a Hanle Productions Blog Contributor
You’ve just said yes, you’ve shared the news with your friends and family, you may have been the subject of a few happy toasts and you have a beautiful new ring on your finger. But like, now what?
If you’re new wedding planning, believe me, I feel you. When I got engaged, I really didn’t know what to do because my wedding was the first in my family in probably 20 years or so. It was an unchartered territory for me, but along the way, I learned a few things, and yeah, even made a business out of it.
The absolute best thing I’ve learned, and the best piece of advice I can give when it comes to the beginning planning steps is picking priorities. One of the first things I hear from most clients is, “We’re on a budget” and one of the first things I ask them is, “What is the most important thing to you when it comes to your wedding?”
Pick three things for your wedding you absolutely want, and then cut back on the rest. If photography is really important to you, don’t hesitate to hire a really high quality one – and then maybe curt your floral budget by DIYing your centerpieces with lots of candles and bud vases. Does the idea of a photo booth at your reception tickle you pink? Do it, but maybe consider an iPod wedding instead of hiring a DJ or band. Is fashion really important to you? Then get that designer gown, but maybe nix the cocktail hour string quartet.
By picking three things that you really, really love and getting creative with the rest, you’re guaranteed to be so happy with your purchases that you won’t miss the lobster entrée you could have gotten instead of the salmon, or that your linens are missing that pretty gold overlay that you thought sounded perfect.
It’s so easy in this industry to feel like you need it all on your wedding day because it truly does only happen once and there are so many websites dedicated to makes brides feel like they need tons of accessories to make your wedding legitimate. But by picking priorities, you’ll soon see that you really don’t need it all if you have a few things you splurged on that you’re absolutely in love with. You’ll look back and say, “That venue was SO worth the cost” and you won’t even give a second thought to all the other things you thought you needed.
I also find this approach to planning to really help couples focus on making their wedding their own. When you’re inundated with all kinds of wedding favors, trinkets, special guest book pens, lavish centerpieces and $300 bridesmaids dresses, it’s easy to stray from what will really reflect you on your wedding day. By picking priorities, it keeps you focused on what’s really important to you, and that will make the biggest impression on your guests, and what they’ll take away from your big day.
Happy planning!
~ Sam
Tags / Categories / Comments
The Winner is??!!October 19th, 2010It’s time we announce the winner of our giveaway with Hanle Productions and SH Weddings! Are you ready for this? And the lucky couple is … Dana and Shane! Dana’s best friend of 12 years nominated this adorable couple for the giveaway, and we couldn’t resist their story. Dana’s father passed away in 2001, and [...] |
It’s time we announce the winner of our giveaway with Hanle Productions and SH Weddings! Are you ready for this? And the lucky couple is …
Dana and Shane!
Dana’s best friend of 12 years nominated this adorable couple for the giveaway, and we couldn’t resist their story. Dana’s father passed away in 2001, and he grew up in Hungary until he escaped communism and came to the U.S. Shane knew how important Dana’s heritage was to her, and he proposed on Margaret Island in Budapest, Hungary. They snuck away one morning and went to the market to get food for a picnic. Shane said he wanted to take Dana on “a date” to the island. Right after they unwrapped their food, Shane told Dana that he had something for her that she should have before she got her fingers greasy. So cute! The trip extra special because Shane also got to meet her dad’s side of the family, since they all still live in Hungary.
Dana and Shane are full-time students and also work full-time jobs. I simply don’t know how they do it. Dana’s best friend told us that professional photography just wasn’t in their budget, and that broke our hearts! They’re planning a great barn wedding with a vintage picnic feel, and we couldn’t be happier to offer our services to such a great couple.
Congratulations Dana and Shane!
Tags / Categories / Comments
Rustic Wedding: Oak Hill FarmOctober 19th, 2010We did a editorial shoot at Oak Hill Farm with Sam & Josh of SH Weddings!!! What a beautiful location for a wedding!! It is just breathtaking! We enjoyed our time at Oak Hill Farm so much!!! A special thank-you to the wonderful Oak Hill family for opening up your farm to us for a [...] |
We did a editorial shoot at Oak Hill Farm with Sam & Josh of SH Weddings!!! What a beautiful location for a wedding!! It is just breathtaking! We enjoyed our time at Oak Hill Farm so much!!! A special thank-you to the wonderful Oak Hill family for opening up your farm to us for a Sunday shoot! We truly appreciate all your help! I hope you enjoy the pics from our Rustic vintage inspired wedding Shoot! If you are looking for a wonderful rustic location for your Illinois wedding check out Oak Hill!
Production & details (styled by…Florals, cake, cupcakes, cider stand, table and dessert buffet designs by Samantha): SH Weddings
Hair/Make-up: Amy Brooks
Hair Accessory & veil: Jaxie
Gown: Steven Birnbaum from Miss Ruby Boutique
Groom Attire: Banana Republic
Location: Oak Hill Farm
The Details
Table linen and flatware from World Market
Water and wine glasses from Anthropologie
Yellow cake stand from Crate and Barrel (Spring 2010)
Small cupcake stands from Homegoods
Flower vases and mason jars collected from local antique stores
Place settings from Crate and Barrel
Bistro chairs provided by Oak Hill
Tags / Categories / Comments
SH Weddings & Hanle Productions Wedding Give-away!September 2nd, 2010To enter, a friend or family member must nominate the bride- and groom-to-be by e-mailing the following information to both sam@shweddings.com and brittany@hanle-productions.com: 1. The bride’s name, groom’s name and wedding date. 2. Engagement story (under 500 words, please). 3. Feel/style of the wedding (include planned personal touches and details, if available) 4. A description [...] |
To enter, a friend or family member must nominate the bride- and groom-to-be by e-mailing the following information to both sam@shweddings.com and brittany@hanle-productions.com:
1. The bride’s name, groom’s name and wedding date.
2. Engagement story (under 500 words, please).
3. Feel/style of the wedding (include planned personal touches and details, if available)
4. A description of why you think the couple deserves to win, including any struggles or hardships they’ve faced recently (under 500 words, please).
5. 1-3 photos of the bride and groom.
The winning contestant will receive:
Photography Package by Hanle Productions:
Eight hours of continuous coverage
Online gallery of photos
All hi-res photos on CD for printing
Engagement session*
Upgrades such as a photobooth and albums can be purchased for an additional charge. *No substitutions allowed; engagement session must take place prior to the wedding.
Wedding Coordination Package by SH Weddings:
One lead coordinator, and one assistant for the entire day of the wedding
All-day wedding coordination, including set-up and tear-down of decor
Customized timelines
One venue walkthrough prior to the wedding
Unlimited e-mail/phone communication
Rules for entering:
a) Your wedding date must be in 2011.
b) Both Hanle Productions and SH Weddings must be available on your date.
c) The wedding must take place in the Chicagoland area.
d) You must not yet have booked your photographer or wedding planner/coordinator.
e) Any entries without the listed information will not be considered.
f) This must be the first time the couple/couple’s family and friends are inquiring about services from SH Weddings and Hanle Productions. This is not valid for current clients.
g) Contest winners must sign contracts with both vendors. In other words, contestant winners cannot accept one vendor, and not the other.
Tags / Categories / Comments
Wedding Day-of Coordinator…part 1August 5th, 2010Some wise words for the Bride-in-planning-mode or Bride-to-be from Sam at SH Weddings…. “Okay, so you can’t afford a full wedding planner. That’s okay. With so many tools and templates out there to assist you with DIY projects, craft-savvy brides don’t need one. But what about a day-of coordinator? Lots of brides will say they [...] |
Some wise words for the Bride-in-planning-mode or Bride-to-be from Sam at SH Weddings….
“Okay, so you can’t afford a full wedding planner. That’s okay. With so many tools and templates out there to assist you with DIY projects, craft-savvy brides don’t need one. But what about a day-of coordinator?
Lots of brides will say they can’t afford one or it’s not in their budget. Here’s another way to look at it: include it in your original budget, and you’ll be able to have one.
As a wedding coordinator, it’s easy for me to defend hiring help for your wedding day, specifically someone who caters exclusively to the bride and groom. Sometimes, and more often than not, it can be seen as an extravagant cost, something that only brides with large budgets or an endless cash flow can afford. I’m here to tell you, this isn’t the case.
When creating an initial wedding budget, brides and grooms will prioritize so they can figure out what they want to cut back on, and what they’ll pay a few extra bucks for. Mr. Owl and I did this. Photography was at the top of our list. So was our venue (as we’d known our venue years before even getting engaged). Third? Actually enjoying our wedding day. We couldn’t possibly see how that couldn’t be a priority. So, we included it in our initial budget, and presto, we could afford one. And we didn’t have a large budget, either.
On our wedding day, I don’t remember doing any worrying (except for that whole “Ohmygod-everyone’s-going-to-be-starring-at-me” thing). I didn’t worry if our ceremony chairs were set-up properly, or if our candy buffet was arranged correctly or if our toasts would start on time. I didn’t even have to worry that we didn’t hire a DJ because our DOC took care of our iTunes playlist like a pro. And at the end of the reception, when me and my new husband were exhausted and ready to call it a night, we didn’t have to arrange any clean-up crew, or bribe any family members to do it, because our DOC packed up all our supplies and stored them away for us. She was multiple vendors in one, and in the end, actually saved us money.”
So, to summarize, you don’t want to be doing this on the morning of your wedding:
Sam, setting up a tent wedding for a client, Sam’s personal photo.
View full post from Sam’s blog here…