I first would like to say that our networking event last night was fan-flippin’-tastic! The Clock Tower was an amazing venue, and there were a lot of awesome wedding professionals there! But more on that later, with photos. Coming soon, I promise!

Today we would love to share a recent accomplishment of one of our members, Mrs. Sarah Roshan, of Sarah Roshan Photography. (Formerly TruLife Photography)

Sarah specializes in mountain weddings, and has recently been published on WeddingWire’s blog! Colorado has some pretty amazing venues, particularly in the mountains. Winter Park may be a drive up a super windy road, but when you arrive the scenery is breathtaking!

Congratulations Sarah, on being published with WeddingWire! View the full blog post on WeddingWire here.

The Wedding Connectors: http://theweddingconnectors.com/
The Wedding Connectors Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theweddingconnectors
Sarah Roshan of TruLife Photography: http://www.trulifephotography.com
Sarah Roshan Photography Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahroshanweddingphotographer

We had our first On Tour for 2012 on February 13, and it turned out to be an amazing event! For anyone unfamiliar with the On Tours, here’s how it works. Each month, The Wedding Connectors coordinates an event with a wedding venue in the Denver metro area, sometimes surrounding areas as well. Basically, you get to come to beautiful venues, eat awesome food, and meet quality wedding professionals for $10. The cost is $0 if you’re a member! Member or not, these events are a fantastic way to meet new people and get an up close and personal tour of some of the hottest wedding venues in Colorado.

This month our On Tour was hosted at a true Denver landmark – the D&F Clock Tower in downtown Denver. Ms. Holly from Clock Tower Events was our beautiful hostess, and we all got to see several FLOORS of this unique venue! I was fortunate enough to be appointed the photographer for the evening, so I arrived a little early, just in time to catch a beautiful sky behind the tower!

I made my way up to the 17th floor, and had no idea that I would have several FLOORS to photograph. The clock faces were on all four sides of the building – which seems like a no-brainer, but when you’re inside it makes for an amazing backdrop to the various event rooms!

Each floor was unique, and some of them had little nooks and crannies of decoration and sitting areas. The top floor had a winding staircase up to the bell tower, decorated with chandeliers!

Frills Cupcakes provided us with some VERY yummy cupcakes for the evening. Not only were they fantastic, but they were beautiful too!

Venice Ristorante catered the hors d’oeuvres for the evening, and they were incredible! I watched the catering staff go up and down those stairs all night to keep the table well stocked, I kept telling Lisa, the event designer and coordinator that she wasn’t going to need her workout the next day.

The view from the top of the clock tower is just amazing, especially with a beautiful Colorado sunset.

And of course, some networking with amazing wedding professionals.

The entertainment and lighting for the evening was provided by the ever-awesome DJ West and his gorgeous wife Chris!

Introductions were made, and we learned a little more about the clock tower as an event venue, as well as the fabulous food that we were munching on!

The Wedding Connectors’ founder, Babette Canacari, welcome everyone and gave a quick explanation of TWC’s background and purpose.

And after some more music and fun, it was time to go. I was able to get one more shot of the clock tower on my way out, all lit up from the outside!

It truly was an awesome evening! This is just a small sampling of the photos that were taken that evening, please visit our Facebook page to see more, and tag yourself!

Here are some of the wedding professionals that donated their time, products and services to making this evening awesome.

Mark Paquette, Events Unwrapped – Event Planner/Coordinator
Events Unwrapped on Facebook

Clock Tower Events – The Beautiful Wedding & Event Venue
Clock Tower Events on Facebook

Brooke Summer Photography – Wedding & Event Photographer
Brooke Summer Photography on Facebook

DJ West Shirley – Entertainment and Indoor Lighting
DJ West on Facebook

Frills Cake Shop – Wedding & Event Bakery
Frills Cake Shop on Facebook

Venice Ristorante – Wedding & Event Caterer

We also had door prizes donated by Reverend Kim Tavendale, and Julie Kemerling of A Fine Photographer.

Next month’s On Tour will be at Maggiano’s Denver – one of my favorite restaurants! You won’t want to miss it, keep in touch for more information! Like us on Facebook, or sign up for email updates to make sure that you get all of the details!

A reminder about this series: Glowing Reviews was created for various members of The Wedding Connectors is to share information from REAL brides. These reviews are all from brides that have hired our members, and the reviews are also posted in various places online. To get a real feel for how someone will respond on your wedding day, we feel that it’s important to share this information. Anyone can tell you how great they are on their own website, but what do their clients say? How do their clients feel after the fact, when the last drink has been poured, and the professional impression is imprinted and done? The Wedding Connectors is committed to high standards of service, and these reviews are representative of the service that you can expect when you decide to trust one of our professionals with your day.

So! That being said, without further adieu, I would love to share with you a glowing review for DJ West Shirley and his entertainment company.

It’s kind of funny how we met. At the end of 2010, after getting engaged that summer, I went to a bridal show with my cousin. This wasn’t one of the huge bridal expos, it was a small, intimate setting at Maggiano’s. It was my first one and we were just kind of browsing. At the time I wasn’t shooting weddings so I didn’t have a lot of information about vendors and what to choose, so we were checking things out. We talked with vendors, had some awesome cookies and met West. No, not the direction, I’m not confused – that is his name – West Shirley. He was the DJ for the event, and when we met him I was instantly hooked. He has a type of energy about him that is addicting. West is such a positive person with an amazing vibe, he’s the kind of person that you just want to be around! I told him that my fiance is a musician and we would be very picky about the music, and he was totally fine with that (whew!). He told us that his wife came to all of the weddings with him to help out, which sounded pretty cool as well. So voila, we had a DJ. Seems to good to be true, right? We liked what he had to offer, the price was within our budget, and he just seemed to be a pretty awesome person in general.

There are a few places where brides try to save money, and DJ is one of them. After all, you can just hook up your iPod and press play, right? Wrong. A DJ keeps the night moving. They are the ones that can help if someone has had too much to drink. They can decide that maybe we need a slow song because things are getting out of control. They can handle the song requests that are completely inappropriate, and do so with professionalism and a sense of humor. In our case, they had to work with a script that was a little goofy too.

Before I continue, there’s something to understand about wedding vendors. Things happen on wedding days, things go crazy, people can act a little looney, and sometimes things just don’t work the way we plan for them to. It’s life, it’s just the way it is. I’ve found that vendors can fit into one of two categories – 1. They go with the flow and help wherever necessary, or 2. They say that it’s not their job and try to avoid the situation. Umm… you can imagine which one is more enjoyable to work with, and better for the bride and groom!

Fast forward to June 2011, I had the opportunity to actually WORK with West at Lorynne and Chuck’s wedding. West is most definitely a type 1 wedding vendor. He and I communicated throughout the day to make sure that the wedding was awesome. Not only that, but I got the chance to meet his wife, Chris. WOW what an unbelievable help she is! How is it possible that two such amazing people fell into my lap because of a bridal show at Maggiano’s? Example of awesomeness: at this wedding, I wasn’t the bride. I wasn’t the mother of the bride, or anyone that was to be impressed that evening. Let’s face it, at weddings, the bride is pampered and catered to, provided she hired the right vendors. I was just the photographer. And when I was on the golf course (not even CLOSE to the reception site) and miserable because of my allergies, Chris brought me allergy medicine and water. Oh I was shooting, grinning and bearing it, and I kept saying I was okay – we’ve all been there right? I had a mission (awesome photos of the bride and groom) and nothing was going to get in the way. But she looked at my swollen eyes and knew that I needed help. She made sure that not only were the bride and groom taken care of, but I was too. AH-MAZING.

When our wedding day rolled around in September, I had not only worked with West at a wedding beforehand, but had gotten to know both he and Chris a little better. We went to dinner to discuss details, and just ended up having a good time over some Sangria and pizza! (Can’t go wrong with that, right?) We finalized the song details, and talked about our introductions – which were definitely different! We asked West and Chris to do things that were a little different and fun, that were a little beyond just playing music. Instead of complaining or saying “that’s not my job” they embraced it and were excited to do it!

For any of you that have seen sneak peeks of our wedding photos on Facebook, remember the fun uplighting behind us? West provided all of the lighting for our reception. Lighting can make or break a party, I promise. As a photographer, I’m even MORE aware of this. West and Chris attended our walk-through (not a usual DJ effort) to make sure that they knew the layout so that he could set up the lighting to look wonderful! They were both with us every step of the way – going out of their way to make sure that we were taken care of. When I forgot to take the flash drive of music to the right location, Chris was there to pick it up from me so I didn’t have to worry about it. When we arrived at the ceremony and reception location, setup was already in progress, and they handled the sound for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. After all, we were in a garden and wanted to make sure that our guests could hear everything! Chris made sure that she knew each vendor, and they all worked together wonderfully. While we were taking family photos, Chris helped to round people up, while West was finishing the setup for both locations. And just to understand here… the locations weren’t close. We had pedicabs for guests that were unable to walk that distance. West was hauling stuff back and forth, to make sure that the sound setup was perfect. Every time Chris walked by me, she stopped me and asked if I needed anything. EVERY time. West was taking care of the music, Chris was taking care of us and our guests.

Another LOVE for Mr. West – he has a bit of a different style when it comes to being a wedding DJ. One factor in our decision was that we didn’t want the obnoxious DJ that is singing along to the music, vying for attention. We’ve all seen that horrendous video where the DJ is using some poor chick’s bosom for drums, right? That’s exactly what we DIDN’T want. We wanted someone more laid back, someone that would play what we wanted but was able to look at our playlist and know what we wanted, even if we didn’t add it. Someone that would be a master of ceremonies and control the flow of the evening, without completely taking over everything and being THAT guy.

West and Chris are an amazing team. He keeps everything going, moves the party through the night, and oversees everything, while Chris engages with the guests and makes sure that everyone is taken care of and having a great time. And not just the bride and groom. She talks to everyone, and makes sure that everything is going smoothly! I swear, by the end of the night, I think she danced with everyone at our wedding! She’s the gorgeous chick that’s asking everyone to dance, and the guys just can’t turn her down. And what mother of the bride will turn down a dance when the father of the bride is busy with another duty?

Between Chris and Julie (our day-of coordinator), my every need was taken care of. And West made the reception look and sound amazing. A wedding really takes a big team of people to make it happen and make it awesome, and I’m so, SO glad that DJ West and Chris were a part of that team. They are so much more than just a DJ, and I HIGHLY recommend talking with West if you’re planning your wedding. You can find his website here – contact him, they are definitely two people you want on your day! They do other events as well, so if you have a party coming up and need some help, check them out.

West and Chris – wow. I am humbled by your attitude of service, and sincerity. Thank you so much for the countless things that you did for us on our big day. We had so much fun getting to know you, and instead of just another vendor, we feel like we have become friends.

-Brooke
Wedding at Hudson Gardens in Littleton, CO

I can’t say enough about DJ West and his wife, Chris. I have worked with them professionally, and I was a bride that hired them. They are simply amazing! If you would like more information about The Wedding Connectors or DJ West and Chris, please click on one of the links below!

The Wedding Connectors: http://theweddingconnectors.com/
The Wedding Connectors Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theweddingconnectors
DJ West – http://djwestdenver.com/
DJ West Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-WEST/187654861331163

Just a quick reminder that The Wedding Connectors’ next on tour evening will be this upcoming Monday. Yep, Valentine’s eve! So if you’re in the wedding industry and still haven’t done anything for your special someone, come meet some awesome people that might be able to help you with ideas! We are involved in the biggest “LOVE” moment of someone’s lives, we might have a few thoughts.

Not only will you be able to meet some awesome wedding professionals, but the venue is a Denver iconic landmark – the D&F Clock Tower on 16th Street! I’m sure you’ve all seen the amazing fireworks displays and beautiful lights for different events – now come see the INSIDE of that clock tower and take a tour, so that you can be an expert for those events!

Tickets are just $10, but if you don’t purchase your ticket beforehand, they will be $15 at the door. So get it NOW and spend that extra $5 on your Valentine.

Buy Tickets Here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2340127384

Date/Time: February 13, 2012 from 6:00-8:00pm

Clock Tower Events: http://www.clocktowerevents.com/

The Wedding Connectors Website: http://theweddingconnectors.com/

The Wedding Connectors on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theweddingconnectors

We are starting a new series on the blog, called Glowing Reviews! We have an amazing group of wedding professionals in our group, but instead of me telling you this, I figured you might want to hear it from past brides. After all, don’t we all want some REAL information? I know that I check Amazon for reviews ALL the time before spending money on something!

So for the first installment of Glowing Reviews, we’re going to highlight an awesome review for Mrs. Nicole, of Nicole Nichols Photography! Nicole is a wedding photographer based in the Denver area, and travels all over the world to photograph weddings! She has been a member of The Wedding Connectors for awhile, and has been an asset to the group, working with other wedding professionals together on several weddings.

Instead of MY review of how awesome Nicole is, here is an actual review, written by a past bride with regards to Nicole’s photography on her wedding day.

The moment my husband and I met Nicole, we knew we will not need to search for a photographer any further. We liked her style, attitude and wedding packages, so we knew we are making the right choice. Nicole is really fun to work with, really helpful and understanding. She is also very well organized, I knew I did not need to worry about a thing. My husband & I were amazed at how great and interesting the engagement pictures were and of Nicole’s fun and unique way of designing the album itself. We thought we were so lucky to have found Nicole and we knew that our wedding pictures would be even better! Our wedding day was one of the most wonderful experiences in our lives and I am sure we owe a big part to Nicole for it. She helped us relax and have fun with the wedding shots and she captured those really special joyful and intimate moments. I could tell that Nicole is an experienced professional from the fact that I didn’t even feel her presence during our reception, but then looking at the pictures I realize she was there for every important moment and also for all of those unexpected and candid shots. We were very, very pleased with the way our pictures turned out and our album is excellent. I think it is one of the best and most quality albums I have ever seen and whoever I show it to confirms my thoughts. I am really thankful for having Nicole photograph our wedding because she does it with all her heart and talent and tells your story through the pictures in your wedding album! I would definitely recommend Nicole Nichols to friends and people that need a great photographer!!

-Zori
Wedding at Pines of Gennessee in Golden, CO

Mrs. Zori was truly beautiful on her wedding day, what a gorgeous bride!

The Wedding Connectors is an amazing group of wedding professionals that specialize in HIGH QUALITY products and services! We focus on relationships, so not only can we give you amazing service, but we can also give you amazing referrals. If you have any questions or would like to know more, please visit one of the links below!

The Wedding Connectors: http://theweddingconnectors.com/
The Wedding Connectors Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theweddingconnectors
Nicole Nichols Photography: http://www.nicolenicholsphoto.com/
Nicole Nichols Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicole-Nichols-Photography-LLC/63723732272

• Taste incredible food from seven of Colorado’s top caterers & bakers
• Talk one-on-one with experts: photographers, DJs, bridal salons, planners
• Obtain ideas by viewing work samples from linen companies, invitation designers, florists, and hair & make-up artists
• Observe live models boasting the latest wedding fashions
• Take with you an incredible canvas re-usable goodie bag which includes a keepsake 40-page wedding planning guide and lots of goodies!
• Listen to live pianist and take notes for your own wedding music!
• Register to win door prizes, including a $200 gift certificate towards any 2012 participating Q.H. Bridal Show vendor!

Visit TWC Elite and Board Member Red Door Photo Booth on Facebook and Like their page to stay up-to-date as they post images from their stylish photobooth from the party!

Visit A Fine Photographer’s Blog for more photos!

Here are just a few of all the great glamour clothes and attendees as they entered The Wedding Connectors Hollywood Glam Holiday party on December 12th at The Cable Center in Denver, Colorado. Proceeds from the event went to the B.R.I. Foundation to help with teen suicide prevention. What a spectacular night it was. Thanks to T’Da Design for the transformation and beautiful party atmosphere, complete with peacock feathers and huge HOLLYWOOD lettering, and lounge furniture. The Red Door Photo Booth provided entertain for guests and The Food Guyprovided delicious food, desserts and hot drinks. There were too many sponsors to mention them all here but thanks to everyone including The Perfect Wedding Guide and Linda Murri Photography was the official event photographer. Also, special thanks to Hair & Makeup in Motion for providing special looks for The Wedding Connectors. The photos below are from some of my “paparazzi” photographers that I brought in to help as attendees entered the event via the red carpet. It was such fun.

TWC Holiday Party from Stalls Video Productions on Vimeo.

A special thanks to a few of our TWC members that really went the extra mile to help throw this event: Moving Moments Photography, Red Door Photo Booth, Events Unwrapped, Progressive Sound Entertainment, Nicole Nichols Photography, The Papery Willow, Linda Murri Photography, Ambassador’s Rolls, and A Fine Photographer.

And to our Sponsors that made it possible:

Extra special thanks to everyone that donated items to our auction.  We raised over $2,000 for The BRI Foundation!!!

This can be one of the most amazing times of your life, but it can also be filled with a lot of stressful decisions and anxiety.  Weddings are involved, costly and filled with choices!  Which is why hiring a wedding coordinator or planner might be the best decision you make on your journey to happily ever after!  If you think you cannot afford a wedding planner or if you think it isn’t for you, consider hiring someone who specializes in day of coordination or partial planning.  You will be amazing at how affordable it can be and how much less stressful they will make everything!

A great professional wedding planner is part unbiased gal pal, part style expert, part psychologist, part local expert and part shopping guru.  She is detail oriented, organized, creative and extremely good at time management!  While I think everyone deserves a professional wedding planner for their wedding, there are couples that should especially consider hiring one.

• Your wedding is being held out-of-town.
• You are on a tight budget.
• You are just too busy with your career, school, your friends, your family, etc.
• You or your spouse get easily stressed.
• Organization isn’t your strong suit.
• You don’t want your family and friend to have to “work” on your wedding day.
• Your just not that into it.  It’s okay!  Planning a wedding is not for everyone.

Here are five reasons that you should hire a wedding planner, brought to you by from Bliss Elevated Wedding Coordination.

1.  Wedding Planners have access to a variety of vendors and know what type of discounts and perks are available.  Great wedding planners have relationships with vendors so they can match you up with the best vendors for your wedding, budget and personality.  Also, a vendor is likely to perform at an even higher level for you if you are working with a respected wedding planner.   Think of it this way.  You are a one time customer and wedding planners are repeat customers.  Vendors want planners to refer them to more brides and they want to be featured on your Wedding Planners blog.  Because of this you can get nice perks and the vendors work harder for you.  Typically, wedding planners work with a variety of vendors and can narrow down the overwhelming options so you don’t waste your time considering vendors that aren’t a good fit or who are out of your price range.

 2.  A Wedding Planner will orchestrate your entire wedding and manage the flow on your wedding day.  Let’s face it, creating timelines, floorplans and seating charts isn’t fun for most people.  Wedding planners live for this stuff!  They know how long things take, what your guests will be comfortable with and how much time your vendors need to do their best work.  They know much space you need for the various parts or your wedding and what makes sense where.  On the day of your wedding, they will make it all happen for you.  They will be prepared with a backup plan for anything that might come up and they will have an emergency kit on hand with anything you might need.  All you have to do is have fun and enjoy your special day!

3.  A Wedding Planner will ultimately save you time and money. They will help you set your priorities, goals and budget.  They have creative ways to help you create your dream wedding within your budget.  They have the answers, they know the best magazines and blogs to find inspiration and they can provide these to you when you have questions.  With a wedding planner, you don’t have to waste HOURS browsing endless blogs or worrying about any questions you have.  All you have to do is ask!  All of this, in addition to having access to vendor perks and discounts, equals a significant amount of time and money saved.

4.  Wedding Planners and Coordinators are different from the event manager at your venue.  They provide you with advice, support and knowledge throughout your planning.  They are the point of contact for all of your vendors and they are looking at the overall experience for you and your guests on your wedding day.  The staff at your venue may be working with 100+ couples at a time.  Your planner is probably working with 10-25 couples and will be able to take the time to get to know you and understand your vision and needs.

5.  A blissful bride is a beautiful bride.  Knowing you have a professional on your side, looking out for your best interest while keeping your overall budget and vision top of mind, will help you sleep at night and have a lot more fun along the way.  A planner can help you relax and enjoy planning your wedding, your rehearsal and your wedding day.  Let’s face it, we all look better on the outside when we are less stressed on the inside.  Your wedding photos are going to be around for a long time.  A wedding planner can help you be your best self on your wedding day!

 About Bliss Elevated

Bliss Elevated specializes in making weddings a truly magical experience by focusing on wedding coordination and flawless event execution.  With their meticulous planning and impeccable attention-to–detail, they can help create a one-of-a-kind event that’s memorable for everyone – especially the bride and groom.   Since 2006, Julie McKenney and her team have been helping couples relax and truly enjoy their weddings with an organized, professional and fun style.