Ah, weddings…those momentous occasions that we dream about and think about and fantasize about and, well, worry about. So to ease your mind, we reached out to ten service providers who offer up their services for everything from wedding coordination, to what to say and how to say it on your invitations, to how to best use all the leftovers once the last guest has gone and you are basking in the glow of your wonderfully successful day. Read on for a list of stellar experts that are ready to be at your service once the big day rolls around.
Beautiful Blooms
Let floral experts add personal touches to your bridal bouquet.
Your bridal bouquet, just like every other detail of your nuptial day, should be a direct reflection of who you are and what you love. Marsha Hunt and Bridget Connell, owners of Haute Floral Boutique, who, in addition to dreaming up sublime wedding décor, are experts at fashioning truly unique, personalized bouquets and taking care of every little detail.
“Bridal bouquets nowadays are filled with meaning and sentimentality,” says Connell. “Kate Middleton used Sweet William and myrtle branches from a plant that had been a part of every royal bouquet since Queen Victoria.”
According to Connel, brides want their bouquets to mean something, and Haute Floral boutique specializes in making bouquets a reflection of who the bride is. “Brides are using their favorite flowers and incorporating buttons, bows, ribbons, feathers, or jeweled accents; basically, whatever it is they love, whatever represents their personality.”
Haute Floral Boutique, 6516 Interlachen Boulevard (By Appointment Only); 612.730.1143
Wedding Day Decorum
Bring in a wedding etiquette expert to set the stage.
Besides creating stunning, one-of-a-kind wedding invitations that speak to the latest trends brides are looking for (glitz, metal looks, edge painting, thick paper, and digitally printing on cotton letterpress stock), Antoinette Ramos, owner of Paperista, is an expert in wedding etiquette.
This “Emily Post of Edina” holds classes in her quaint shop where she touches on myriad wedding-etiquette-related subjects, including table manners when all eyes are on you, how to greet guests, how to word your invitations, address the envelopes, send the perfect thank-you notes and how to handle those oft-stressful situations that invariably come with being a bride.
“I help prepare them on the proper way to host what will be one of the most important days of their lives,” says Ramos.
Paperista; 5023 France Avenue; 612.886.3470
Bridal Beauty
Have a personal beauty team for your big day.
Whether it be an elegant up-do with sophisticated makeup, or a hair-down style complete with soft makeup, it’s all about your style and what makes you look and feel beautiful on your big day.
“We send out questionnaires ahead of time so we can really get to what the bride is looking for,” says Rob Burley, owner of Burley’s Hair Salon. “And have two different hair and makeup packages to fit their needs.”
Rob encourages brides to get their hair color freshened up two weeks before the wedding, and to bring inspiration photos, veil or any hair accoutrements with them to their practice session.
Burley's Hair Salon, 4400 Valley View Road; 952.926.5285
Unparalleled Unmentionables
Consult a personalized lingerie outfitter.
“We have the specific pieces our brides are looking for, like bustiers, corsettes and garters in beautiful ivories, whites and champagnes,” says Jessica Strong, co-owner of Room No. 3, a luxury lingerie boutique. “We love to help them find just the right pieces for the wedding day, the wedding night and the honeymoon, whether they are going to a warm weather destination or skiing in Colorado.”
Room No. 3 offers a range of price points and designers that include Stella McCartney and Mary Green. Interested in a champagne toast the day of the wedding or before your bachelorette party? Room No. 3 is available for bridal parties on any evening.
Room No. 3; 4848 France Ave. S.; 952.746.3003
Gown Keeper
Have a cleaner preserve your gown for future generations.
One day your daughter, your niece, your granddaughter, could slip on your beloved bridal gown and walk down the aisle. So, taking proper care of your gown is of the utmost importance.
“We have a wedding gown specialist who knows exactly how to clean and preserve gowns so they can last a lifetime” says Ashley Ammermann, director of marketing at Mulberry’s Cleaners. “Gowns are hand-washed in non-toxic solutions, and preserved in an acid-free box with acid-free tissue paper that will keep the dress rounded and ensure the color is maintained.”
Mulberry’s, 5127 Gus Young Lane; 612.886.2348
The Gown Godmother
Let a dressmaker create a one-of-a-kind gown just for you.
“Having a custom dress, one that is made just for you, is very special,” says Kristen Olsen, owner of The Dressmaker and creator of one-of-a-kind, handcrafted gowns since 1980. “Brides should see their dress in the mirror, have a big smile on their face, and can’t wait to wear it for the whole day.”
With a perfectly honed process, Olsen uses photos, sketches and conversations to help bring the bride’s vision to fruition. “I tell them to plan on a minimum of six months from initial meeting to wedding day,” says Olsen, who adds that strapless gowns, body-skimming silhouettes, longer trains, fuller skirts, and textures, including tiers of lace and ruffles, reign supreme when it comes to current bridal gown trends.
The Dressmaker, 3902 West 50th Street
; 952.929.9475
Wedding Coordination
Hire a wedding planner to sweat the small stuff.
“I believe every event, every wedding, must have a beginning, a middle and an end,” says event aficionado, Amy Zaroff of Amy Zaroff Events + Design.
Zaroff has recently launched A2Z Do It Directed, an event-coordinating option that allows couples to still have a hand in the planning of their wedding, but can then hand over the reigns approximately two weeks before the big day.
“We handle all the final coordination and communication with the vendors, we make sure all the final payments are made, and handle the rehearsal and execution the day of the event,” says Zaroff. “We believe that every bride and groom deserve to be a guest at their own wedding.”
Amy Zaroff Events + Design, 7179 Washington Ave. S.; 952.941.3371
Just Desserts
Bring in a pastry chef to create a dessert table that fits your taste.
A wonderful dessert is the piece de resistance of an extraordinary wedding, a sweet punctuation mark at the end of your wedding story. And the one large cake thing, well, everybody does that. So, Patrick’s Bakery & Café does one better: they make your dessert table memorable by offering up a smorgasbord of sweet and delectable French treats.
“We’ve had couples use medium-sized mousse cakes as centerpieces on each table, or fill dessert tables with our wonderful French pastries displayed on cake stands,” says Judy Justin, catering manager, who reveals éclairs, chocolate and strawberry Napoleans, classic opera cakes, are some of the pastry favorites, and chocolate, fruit and lemon meringue are the most requested tart flavors.
Patrick’s Bakery & Café, 2928 west 66th Street; 612.861.7570
Socially Responsible
Hire a company to donate your wedding day leftovers.
Invariably, there will be items leftover from your wedding soiree, so why not put it to good use? Special E is a for-profit business that rescues food, beverages, floral arrangements, napkins—basically, any extra items you don’t have a need for—and redirects them to food banks, churches, missions, soup kitchens, hospital, cancer centers and the like.
“We developed this program to meet the needs of companies and people who want to be more socially responsible, and for those in the community who might need a little additional help,” says founder and president, Robert Kalt.
The Special E; 888.448.1930
In Tip Top Shape
Set up your personal bridal boot camp
Certified personal trainer, Katie Rose, has a solution for your excuse that it’s just too hard to get to the gym: she’ll bring the gym to you. After an initial consultation that includes an assessment of your fitness level, your challenges, your goals, Katie will create a plan to make sure you’re in perfect shape for your big day.
“I will come out to the bride’s house 2 to 3 times a week and we will work on cardio and weight training,” says Katie. “We will also go over what she eats because 80% of getting in shape has to do with the food she eats.”
Have a groom who wants to improve his golf game or setup a round of golf before the walk down the aisle? Katie’s husband, Ernie, is the director of instruction at Windsong Farm Golf Club in Independence, MN, and could teach him a thing or two.
Katie Rose Fitness, 612.840.8005
