Monthly Archives: September 2011

Ceremonies, How-To Tips

Finding an Outstanding Wedding Reception Venue

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Choosing the right Sandy reception center for your post nuptial celebration can seem like an uphill battle with the amount of venues located in Sandy, Utah. Though many of these reception locations fall short on a variety of levels and you may come across many that might not meet your expectations or budget. There are many considerations to mull over before when deciding on your ideal Utah wedding venue, such as availability, cost, services, and space. All of these factors should be completed prior to beginning your reception venue search, that way you will be prepared to make an informed and well thought out decision when the time comes.

Price Evaluation

Planning out your reception center budget prior to booking your Sandy, Utah wedding venue is the primary key. Without itemizing your wedding expenses first, your budget can run amuck and you will end up paying more out of pocket than you expected. After figuring out your wedding funds, you will find that you will have more wiggle room if you have a price range with a high and low figure rather than a firm fixed price for your reception allotment. If you find a Utah reception center that you adore but it is slightly out of your budget, don’t fret try negotiating with the reception manager to see if they can work something out and offer you a discount.

Services Offered

If you are going about your wedding sans wedding planner, it may be in your best interest to consider booking a Sandy, UT wedding reception location that can assist you with their various local vendor contacts. Reception centers often have ongoing relationships with caterers, florists, and entertainment providers; it is these beneficial working relationships that can help you obtain great deals on these essential services for your reception party. Additionally, some reception centers even present tables, chairs, linens, and invitations either included in the rental cost or for an added reasonable fee.

Type of Reception Center

Before beginning to set up appointments to check out local reception centers you should think about what type of venue sets your heart a flutter and decide if you would like an outdoor or indoor reception. The Sandy reception center that you choose would both appeal to your aesthetic senses and be a tasteful blank palette for which you can embellish upon with your personalization.

After contemplating these entire reception venue matters, you should take a moment to consider what the Atrium at Western Gardens has to offer. The Atrium currently has an existing setup that is geared specifically for events like weddings and receptions. Their Utah wedding venue is reasonably priced; presents a broad spectrum of services, and an ambiance that is soothing and stylish. The Atrium maintains the assistance of a wedding organizer who is there to help couples attain the goal of a blissful ceremony and reception with minimal hassle or stress.

How-To Tips

Picking the Invitations and Thank You Cards

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Now that you have booked your Utah wedding venue and picked out the date that your ceremony and reception will take place, the next important step is making sure your intended guests know that they are invited. Selecting the right invitation for your Sandy, Utah wedding reception and ceremony will let your friends and family know that this is an event that they will not soon forget and have them RSPVing in droves.

When picking out invitations take care not to forget to decide on the equally essential Thank You cards. Choosing the right Thank You card to send to your guests will garner you a spot in their heart for quite some time to come. Thank You cards are not a dying breed and they can be just as stylish and personalized as your invitations.

Color Schemes

Settled on the main color palette for your Sandy, Utah wedding venue? Tying these same colors into your wedding invitations and Thank You cards will give a solid flow of accord in your total wedding design. You can use the colors boldly as the main paper color or as a pleasant touch in the ink used to print the design and font of the invites and cards.

Picture or No Picture

If you happened to have an engagement photo taken for your engagement announcement consider implementing this into your invitations. Including this portrait will give your invites a personal flair that will undeniably set your invitation apart from all others your guests may receive. If you would prefer to not have your picture printed directly onto your invites consider inserting a small individual copy into each guests’ invitation as a keepsake for them.

Font

Is your wedding day going to be one of absolute elegance or an event that is both calm and casual? In picking the font on your invitation you can imply the type of occasion your nuptials are going to be. For a timeless wedding a decorate script font would match wonderfully, but for a beach wedding using a more modern font that is fresh and informal would be splendid.

Wording

You can choose to keep the wording traditional and simple by including the typical day, time and location of your Utah wedding venue. But take into account that you can say more than just this basic information in your wedding invitation. Go an extra step and add a creative and inspirational passage or give additional details about your wedding day that might be beneficial for guests to know. With your Thank You cards it is always important to maintain room to hand write a personal message of appreciation, though having them printed with one of your favorite moving quotes will give your card an extra sense of specialness.

Paper and Envelope Type

Sending out your invitations and Thank You cards in bland envelopes and printed on flimsy, unappealing paper can send the wrong message to your guests. Picking a well crafted paper and envelope will ensure that your invites and cards hold up well in the delivery process and immediately grab the attention of your friends and family when they see these sitting in their mailbox. The use of visually appealing paper and envelopes will tell your guests that this is an important event.

If you are carrying out your Sandy, UT wedding reception at the Atrium they can not only aid you in making a decision on invitations and Thank You cards but also order them for you as well. All of the invitations that they offer are completely customizable to make your invite as unique as you.

How-To Tips

Turning Your Wedding Reception Venue into an Elegant Space

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While hiring a professional wedding planner or event decorator can remove a lot of pressure off you when it comes to designing and beautifying your Utah wedding reception space, this assistance sometimes in not within budget. But if you have a natural flair for design and have friends and family that can kindly help you pull it all together you can easily make you Sandy reception center reflect your intrinsic style. When planning out the décor scheme and managing your design budget there are basic fundamentals that you should bear in mind.

Wanting to keep the look of your reception simple yet timeless? Then a good idea would be to take your wedding color palette and incorporate that into the majority of your reception décor. This creates a very cohesive vibe between your ceremony and reception. Though if you are the move creative type and have a specific theme in mind, such as a winter wonderland reception for your Sandy, Utah wedding venue, then go for it! Going with a themed reception will make a clear distinction between the lovely ceremony and lively after celebration. Once you’ve made your decision on the big picture of styling your reception hall you will need to get to work on arranging the more intricate details of the reception.

You now have an idea of approximately how many guests will be attending your upcoming nuptials, use this number to determine the amount and size of tables that you will need as well as chairs and centerpieces. These items will be the foundation for which you design your reception décor around. Once you have decided on these basic essentials, you can move on to picking out your decorative linens and slipcovers and/or ribbons for the chairs. Your Sandy, UT wedding reception is well on its way to being a stylish event.

When choosing your centerpieces to be placed on each table make sure that they are not too distracting and that they mesh well with the overall aesthetic that you are going for. Traditionally fresh cut flowers beautifully arranged in a chic vase are usually used as the centerpieces, while this idea is very gorgeous and charming keep in mind that this is not your only table decoration option. Feel free to think outside the box, especially if doing a themed reception, and utilize other aesthetically pleasing accoutrements that are complimentary to your tastes.

The tableware is equally as important as the centerpieces as they will tie the reception venue together in a unified manner. Tableware would include dinner plates, glassware, and silverware. Choosing a contrasting color for your dinner plates will make them brilliantly pop against the linen background.

Also take into consideration the surrounding perimeter of your Utah wedding reception venue. Sprucing up the outskirts of the reception area can make the space feel more intimate and warm. Draping soft fabric against the walls and strategically placing flora and fauna can make a great improvement to any event space.

If you have chosen the Atrium at Western Gardens as you reception locale, they have a full-time wedding consultant to aid you in bringing your reception vision to fruition. In addition to the convenience of a built in wedding consultant the Atrium also can provide you with exceptional and cost-effective catering, floral, and cake options; making the organization and setup of your wedding reception a breeze.

Ceremonies, How-To Tips

Deciding on Catering Choices for Your Wedding Reception

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Your Utah wedding venue has been decided on, now you need to busy yourself with the details of the reception; the biggest of which is deciding on a caterer and what to serve to your multitude of guests. Caterers today often offer alternatives to the traditional sit and service meal, in these modern days and economic times more and more couples are deciding to opt for the less expensive cocktail or dessert receptions, which includes hors d’oeuvres or pastries, drinks, and wedding cake.

But if you can afford the cost of a full meal in the form of a buffet or multi-course sit down service this would likely be preferable to your guests attending your Sandy, UT wedding reception. A caterer will be able to help you determine which type of service to offer based on your budget and food preferences. A banquet buffet will give your wedding guests the most options for variety and quantity, though it will require them to stand in line to receive their food. A sit down waiter service gives your guests the opportunity to comfortably relax and converse while waiting for their food, but this limits their portions and types of food that they may sample.

What kinds of food should be served at a reception and what should not?

Coming to an agreement on the menu as a couple is vital to having a satisfying catered event. The majority of caterers have cohesive menus that can be selected as is or customized to fit your preferences. To get an idea of what you would like to serve you should ask your caterer if you can sample some of their food. By doing this you will be able to pick out what exactly you want and get an idea of the caterers cooking abilities.

Typical main dish fares at a Utah wedding reception include beef, pork, chicken, and salmon. Incorporating a vegetarian option along with the meats as a main course is an excellent inclusive decision. Offering a variety is your best bet for pleasing everyone, and a safe one at that since it is impossible to know the dietary habits of all of your guests.

While it is important to cater to your guests at your Sandy, UT wedding reception, you should also make sure that you serve the types of food that you and future spouse find enjoyable. While you may decide to offer up a meal that is atypical, such as an exotic foreign dish, make sure you have more standard options available to those guests who are less adventurous. This way you satisfy both yourselves and your guests will leave your wedding event with a full and satisfying feeling of contentment.

The Atrium at Western Gardens has great contacts with an exceptional caterer that works regularly with this Sandy, Utah wedding venue. The Atrium’s unique relationship with their catering vendor allows them to pass savings on to you since they receive an economical rate for being a repeat and steady client. On top of all this they offer varied menus that can be customized to meet your wedding reception needs.

Ceremonies, How-To Tips

Wedding Planning Made Easier

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Your man has presented you with the loveliest of engagement rings and got down on his knees to ask you to be his wife. And of course, you happily said, “Yes!”. And now the wedding preparations begin. You realize that preparing your dream wedding is like being caught in a whirlwind – there is a continuous swirl of things to do, wedding providers to select, choices with regards to styles, colors, themes and so on.

To give you an idea, here are the basic things you need to do for your wedding:

–          Set the date and ensure that your choice of church and wedding reception venue is booked for this date.

–          Set the wedding budget

–          Choose your wedding gown, as well as the gowns for your female entourage

–          Choose the ring

–          Build the guest list

–          Prepare “save the date” announcements and/or announce the engagement(possibly via an engagement party)

–          Get your marriage license and prepare all the necessary documents

–          Send out wedding invitations and record RSVPs

–          Decide on the bridal gift registry items

–          Choose the caterer and the menu for the wedding and arrange for food tasting

–          Choose the cake design and the baker

–          Hiring the florist and deciding on floral arrangements

–          Book musicians or DJ and agreeing on the music to be played

–          Talk with the officiant and discussing the details of the wedding ceremony

–          Prepare other printed items (place cards, wedding ceremony programs, thank you cards, inserts, etc.)

–          Hire a videographer and photographer

–          Book a makeup artist, having a makeup and hair test to check which kind you want

–          Arrange for the transporation of guests or even hotel bookings and lodging (for out of town guests)

–          Arrange the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

–          Write your vows

–          Schedule and arrange the honeymoon

Aside from these, you will need to continuously follow up with wedding vendors to ensure that everything is ready for the big day.

Whew! All the hustle and bustle involved with the wedding preparations can make you wish that there was some easier way. And really, there is! You can either hire a wedding coordinator to ease away the hassle or you can also avail of the wedding packages provided by some Utah wedding locations.

For instance, The Atrium, a Sandy, Utah wedding venue offers not just a place for you to hold your wedding ceremony and/or reception; it also offers wedding packages that saves you a lot of trouble in terms on planning and selecting providers. With this Utah wedding reception center, you can also make use of their other services such as catering, linens, cakes and floral arrangements.

The Atrium is also equipped with all the necessary amenities to ensure that your wedding runs smoothly and that the overall ambiance is just the way you want it. The Atrium’s attention to detail and sense of style have made it one of the best wedding venues in Utah. What’s more, The Atrium will also provide a host during the day of the wedding to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Now, that’s wedding planning made easier!

Ceremonies, How-To Tips

The Best Wedding Cakes in Utah

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It is possible to have a match made in heaven.  The best wedding cakes that can be found anywhere in Salt Lake City are made at The Atrium at Western Garden Centers, known to be one of the best wedding reception venues in Utah.

The Atrium is set in an environment of lush greenery both inside and outside, with beautiful waterfalls that impart an incredible peace and tranquility to the surroundings, bringing a quiet contentment to any occasion that is hosted there.  Couples who are planning their wedding or anniversary receptions or corporate events gravitate towards this wedding reception location in Sandy because of all that it has to offer.

Why a match made in heaven?  To find professional cake designers with a wealth of international expertise and experience in the art of baking and decorating large cake orders based at a perfectly romantic wedding reception location, is as miraculous as finding gold in California in the gold rush days!

Wedding cakes date back to the days of the Roman Empire and the one thing that has not changed in the last thousand years is a quietly ingrained understanding that the cutting of the cake is symbolic of the bride and groom working hand in hand, to complete their first task as a couple!  Having a wedding cake is considered to be one of the items that must be included in the wedding preparations of equal importance to the wedding rings!

Whether it is a five-tiered cake for a large guest list or the popular three-tiered wedding cake for an average guest list of about one hundred and twenty people,  the wedding cake features prominently as an item which is guaranteed to be included in the wedding budget.  To cater to a large guest list requires that the diameters of the tiers be increased and/or additional tiers be added.

In more recent times, couples have opted for variations in the cake recipes used for each tier.  Gone are the days when one flavor cake was used throughout every tier and topped with only white buttercream icing.  This means that every guest can now get a flavor of cake that they can possibly enjoy.  Wedding cake decorations are now wonderfully creative, color-coordinating the wedding theme colors and whatever colors appeal to the bride and groom.

The wedding cake designers at the Atrium, have been creatively matching the wedding cake requests of thousands of couples over the last twenty-five years no matter how unique the requests.  They have consistently exceeded the expectations of each of the couples, matching cake design, flavor and fillings and coming up with wedding cakes that look as good as they taste and can satisfy the guests’ individual flavor selections.

It is wise to visit the cake designers at the Atrium early in the wedding planning process and work out exactly what your dream wedding cake is going to look like.  Many couples are choosing unique wedding themes and the cake designers at this Utah wedding reception center work with the recipes from any of the more than fifty basic cake design templates, eighteen different fillings and more than eighteen different flavors, jazzing up the wedding cake until it far surpasses the creative masterpiece which the couple envisioned and then requested.

So, if you are still a bit skeptical about how this will all work out?  The best approach is to request a sampling session at the Sandy wedding reception venue, where the cake designers can provide small bite size samples of the cakes which are on your shortlist of favorite cake flavors and fillings.  From here you can make some solid choices for your wedding day cake.  The sizes, shapes, colors, design and flavor cakes that complement the decorating of your wedding cake, can only be limited by your imagination and the professional handiwork of the wedding cake designers.