Summer Outdoor Wedding

BLUEman: The Male Perspective

In Arizona, most summer weddings occur indoors. It can just be too hot to have a wedding outdoors. But, some people do still choose to have that outdoor wedding to take advantage of the different surroundings Arizona has to offer.

The good news is June is not as hot as it can be in July and August, plus there are ways to make the weather not as big a role in your wedding.

How are you going to ensure the comfort of your guests?

One of the best ways to do this is to rent a couple evaporative coolers. By simply adding ice, or keeping a constant flow of cold water to the cooler, the fans will generate a nice breeze of cool air to keep your guests feeling comfortable.

Another idea is to find a ceremony setting with plenty of shade. It can often feel 15 degrees cooler in the shade than in the sun.

Some people may even opt to have an early morning wedding, like 9 a.m., followed by a brunch at their reception. The advantage to an early morning, outdoor wedding, is the heat of the day is several hours away.

But if you want your wedding during the evening, you could hold your wedding at 5:30 or 6 p.m. The sunlight is still just right to have that 30 minute ceremony, and then, you and your bride can take advantage of great photo opportunities with the sun setting in the background.

If your wedding is outdoors in the summer, just be sure to take care of your guests with plenty of cold water. At a recent wedding we coordinated, the bride and groom also provided fans for each one of their guests as well. Cold water and fans helped to keep their guest comfortable, and it could work for you as well.

Pre-Wedding Golf

BLUEman: The Male Perspective

Have you thought about what you’d like to do the morning of your wedding day?

If you like to play golf, that might be the thing for you.

Grab the guys from your bridal party, and a few other buds, and head to the local golf course.

Before making your plans to play golf, make sure you call ahead and reserve a couple sets of tee times. You don’t want to leave anyone out.

As much as I enjoy playing golf, I’ve had my share of post golf illness. Twice, I’ve come back with either too much sun or a case of heat exhaustion.

That brings me to my list of things to remember prior to going golfing, especially on the day of your wedding:

1. Bring and USE sun block (use being the key word)
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate (and no, beer is not a form of hydration)
3. Give yourself plenty of time (don’t start a tee time that’s only five or six hours prior to your ceremony. You’ll need time to relax and get ready as well)
4. Make tee times well in advance
5. Don’t forget your dad and father-in-law to be to play as well (the more people you get, you might qualify for a special rate)

Most importantly remember the main event of this day is your wedding, saying I Do, and partying the night away. So, by all means enjoy your last golf outing as a single man, but be extra careful as you want to make sure you’re 100% for when you and your bride see each other at last.

Getting to Know the Planner

Wedding and event planning has always been a passion of Valerie’s. She first got into event planning in the corporate setting five years ago. Since then, Valerie has expanded into her own wedding and event planning business, Blueprint Affairs.

“I wanted to become a wedding planner to help people enjoy their wedding day as much as possible,” Valerie said. “I loved every minute of my wedding, and I work hard to ensure that everyone’s wedding day is just as exciting, relaxing and fun as the experience I had.”

Relationships are the key to anything you do in life. Valerie prides herself on building long-lasting relationships with others, and loves to keep up with her brides even after their wedding day. It is the main reason she loves planning weddings.

“I love to be involved in every detail of their wedding,” Valerie stated. “It’s why I make myself available to talk and/or meet when they need to.”

In order to make their wedding a success, the packages Blueprint Affairs offers really have the bride and groom in mind. Valerie wants to ensure that come their wedding day, they are not scrambling around stressing about every little detail. That’s her job.

Valerie’s strengths in creativity, attention to detail, and follow through allow her to plan the wedding you’ve always imagined, without the stressful wedding day.

A lot of people have the perception that a wedding planner or day of wedding coordinator is only for the wealthy. That’s just not the case.

Blueprint Affairs’ packages start at $875 for day of wedding coordination and $1575 for full wedding planning. More information on the two packages can be found on the Blueprint Affairs website under Package Pricing.

“Everyone deserves to enjoy their wedding day with little to no stress involved,” Valerie remarked. “That is why our packages were priced with every bride and groom in mind.”

In addition, Valerie does not charge for the initial consultation. It’s just as much an opportunity for her to learn more about you as it is for you to learn more about her.

“I love planning weddings,” Valerie said, “I look forward to planning yours as well.”