Category Archives: Behind the Scenes

Event // Magazine Launch Party

Twice a year we get to gather to celebrate a brand new magazine, and thank all of our wonderful local vendors. Their talents and passion astounds us, we are so honored to be able to showcase the amazing things they do for brides. No matter how much we talk throughout the year, we always learn something new at these gatherings. For example, did you know Mangelsen’s prides itself on having some of the best silk flowers in the area? And we knew Memrical had unique rentals, but instead of having a little something for every style of wedding, they have almost endless options for every style wedding. We can’t wait to see their new 2013 items. Oh, and the owner of Lane Weddings is related to the event coordinator at the SAC Museum? Small world!

The whole Wedding Essentials team had a blast at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse last night, we had great food, great atmosphere. A huge THANK YOU to the Omaha wedding community for all your support and inspiration over the 10 years we’ve been in business.

We love you Omaha!

The new magazine will be available first to the brides who attend Bridal University this weekend, so make sure you snag tickets online to get the $2 discount.

Our New Look

Hey Ladies, what do you think of our new look? We want the blog to be light and airy and FUN! We are still ironing out the kinks, but we just couldn’t wait to launch.

What else would you like to see on the blog? More photos? More advice? More tutorials? You tell us!

What makes Wedding Essentials different …

We LOVE weddings! WE LOVE WEDDINGS! The drama, the fantasy, the artistry and, of course, the romance … we put all of that into our magazine and into our bridal shows. And we’re not gonna lie, we put on a pretty great show. We want you to walk into the room and feel like you are experiencing options for your wedding, not just hearing about them. We have dramatic lighting, live music, and runway shows all day with the latest dresses to hit Omaha. Instead of just looking at pamphlets, you get to see area vendors in action, doing what they do best … get your hair or makeup done, make goofy faces in a photo booth and HAVE FUN! We want our show to be an experience you treasure with your girlfriends, your mom, or your fiance.

You don’t want to miss our next show, Bridal University, on January 27 at the Mid-America Center. Buy tickets here to get $2 off. TIP: Do research on our vendors ahead of time so you are prepared to snag a deal at the show. Links to all the vendors are here.

Happy New Year!

2012 was a great year for Wedding Essentials. We added a new bridal show last January, Bridal University, in addition to our annual October Idea Show. We launched the W.E. Love Weddings blog to give brides even more help planning their big day (plus, tons more beautiful photos!) We shot a few videos, a surprise wedding at the ballpark, one fun day with a real bride and her bridesmaids, and one behind-the-scenes video of a photo shoot. We had a ton of fun with our vendors at our magazine launch party.

Cheers to having even more fun and inspiring more brides in 2013! We’ll see you at the January 27 Bridal University (Snag your tickets here!).

Bride Blogger // Daddy Daughter

From Miss June:

Nothing makes me more emotional at weddings the the daddy-daughter moments. The moment when he gives her away and the daddy-daughter dance. Janine did an excellent job capturing those moments between my father and I. He’s the best man in the whole entire world and I am so blessed to be his daughter. His speech at our wedding was so touching and I had people coming up to me all night saying they wished they could be friends with my dad, or they wished they will be a dad like that someday, or even that they wish he was their dad! I love him very much and I’ll never forget bawling my eyes out during the daddy-daughter dance as he told me how Brad was the perfect man for me, and that “perfect” was the only way he could think of to describe what he thought of me. I love my dad.

Real Wedding // Very Special Story PART 1

W.E. event planner Jennifer Tyler whacked branches from her brother’s curly willow tree for the centerpieces.

Amy Kopanic, a staffer at the Ronald McDonald House, relayed questions from Complete’s DJ, as Ava Vaughn, a volunteer at the house, helped LaToya get dressed for the wedding. An hour earlier, LaToya had been on the phone with a nurse at UNMC, where her son had been readmitted for precautionary reasons. “I love my hair. I love my makeup. I love my dress. The icing on the cake would be to have my baby discharged today so that we could be a family,” she told us. “But if he would be more comfortable at the hospital, then that’s great.”

Part of the team that contributed to the day: Loess Hills Floral, Doubletree Hilton, Wedding Essentials, and the Ronald MacDonald House.

Lindsey Rai Ehler’s husband, Chris, was summoned into service as chauffeur to the bride after her car broke down in the hair salon parking lot!

Omaha’s bridal community has a big heart. Two weeks ago, more than two dozen bridal pros pitched in to give a Texas couple with a sick child an extra-special wedding day. The gesture was so spontaneous and generous, we still tear up talking about it.

LaToya Sharp and La’Roderick Bullock had arranged to have only a few of the customary frills for their Nov. 3 ceremony and reception in Omaha.

Things changed when Lindsey Rai Ehlers learned about the bare-bones plan and asked a few friends to help her shower the couple with a few extras. And, boy, did they!

Lindsey Rai is development director for the Ronald McDonald House, where the bride and bridegroom have been living since October 2011. They came here from the Houston area to seek special medical treatment for their son, now 16 months.

Lindsey Rai didn’t know a wedding was even in the works until LaToya’s gown showed up at the Ronald McDonald House five days before the I Do’s. Quizzing revealed a Pinterest board in LaToya’s colors of turquoise and sable brown.

Inspiration in hand, W.E. blogger and event coordinator Jennifer Tyler sent an email to more than 100 Wedding Essentials advertisers asking for “any help you might be able to provide.” Offers for donated goods and services popped into her inbox within seconds.

The day of the wedding (while the bride was having her hair and makeup done), a dozen volunteers showed up at the Ronald McDonald House to build center pieces, drape tables with cloths and set out china and glassware. Within an hour, the community room had been completely transformed. One staffer even remembered the bridal couple’s son by affixing a photo of him to favors in heart-shaped tins. When LaToya returned to the Ronald McDonald House, volunteers made the bride close her eyes while they led her through the community room to the bride’s room to get dressed. They repeated the drill to get LaToya on her way to the church.

LaToya was thrilled beyond words when the bridal party arrived back at the house for the reception.

For a few precious hours, LaToya got to be a carefree bride with a smile as wide as the distance between Omaha and Houston.

Photos by Chris Christen

Reception DJ – Complete

Photographer – Chellsey Lynn Photography

Videography – Tin Box Weddings

Bundtinis for reception – Nothing Bundt Cakes

Garter and Guestbook – Village Stationery

Toasting Glasses – Celebrity China & Cookware

Tuxedos for groom and his brother/best man – Mens Wearhouse

Dishes, silverware, glasses – Sullivan’s Steakhouse

Linens for tables, cloth napkins, etc – United Rent-All

Chocolate Chip Cookies for guests (favors) and complimentary room for bride’s family – DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Omaha

Non-alchoholic champagne – Scoular Ballroom

Complimentary Night Stay in a Suite – Hilton Garden Inn at Horseshoe Casino

Flowers for reception – Loess Hills Floral Studio

Brides Bouquet and boutonnière – gifted by Norita Matt, board member of City Sprouts

Décor for reception – Millard Plaza Ballroom

Preservation of Brides bouquet and groom’s boutonnière – Memories Bi-Design

Bridal Gown Preservation – Omaha Lace Cleaners

Decorations for reception, corsages and boutonnieres for couples families, additional food for reception – HyVee

Live music for ceremony – Omaha Musicians Live

Make up for bride – Blush Makeup Artistry

Happy Friday // Follow us on Instagram

We are passionate about weddings, as you know if you’ve seen our magazines, been to our shows or follow us on Facebook. There is a LOT that goes in to pulling all this off, so we wanted to have a place where you could peek behind the scenes. That’s why we started posting photos to Instagram during photo shoots, planning sessions and fun events. If you follow weddingessentialsmag on Instagram, you’ll see what our editors are up to and get an exclusive first look in to what is in the works for our magazines and events.

What is Instagram, you ask? It’s a simple photo-sharing smart-phone app you can get free from Apple’s App Store. You can “like” or comment on the photos, and see what’s new. It’s easy to follow your friends, post photos of your own, and most importantly, keep up with Wedding Essentials Magazine.

If you don’t have a smart phone, no worries! We added a tab on our Facebook page that displays our Instagram photos or you can just visit http://instagram.com/weddingessentialsmag

Fashion // Bridal Fashion Week

The second best thing to covering Bridal Fashion Week from a front row seat is following the happenings via Instagram. Here are a few of our favorite elements for 2013 from the runways, courtesy our comrades in the bridal magazine business:

Not a glove, not a bracelet … but a gorgeous accessory from Katarina Bocci (via The Knot)

Put your logo on a cookie, why not? (via Brides Magazine at Judd Waddell)

Handwritten notes (via Brides Magazine at Jenny Packham)

Illusion cape from Badgley Mischka (via Brides Magazine)

Anything Austin Scarlett (of Project Runway fame) does is gorgeous (via The Knot)

Are stripes the new dots? Who cares? We love the detail in this Ian Stewart! (via The Knot)

Paper curtains at the Carolina Herrera show (via Brides Magazine)

Happy Friday // Big Big Weekend

You, our dear readers, know better than most of the population how much time and effort it takes to throw a huge event. So you feel me when I tell you I am sorry we have been slacking on the posts this week leading up to the Idea Show. Trust me when I say, we have been working our kiesters off to bring you an amazing show!

If you can’t make it to the show this Sunday, watch Facebook and Pinterest to see what we are doing and how we are doing it. All our displays are designed to inspire and, more importantly, point you to how you can get it yourself and get it checked off your to-do list!

Since we were already in CB setting up the show, we were able to sneak over to the ribbon cutting of Bella Terre. It was a rainy, miserable night and still the property was out-of-this-world GORGEOUS. Here is our quick review of the venue:

Pros

-Dramatic views of the Loess Hills, especially from the ceremony site where the valley provides the backdrop for your I Dos. So pretty.
-Great entrance experience, your guests will drive through the vineyard overlooking the rolling bluffs and enter through the ornate double doors
-Great for having both wedding and reception
-Wine fridge in the dressing rooms. Giant mirror for the ladies, big flatscreen for the gents.
-Great patio, and did we mention the views?
-Every inch of the interior has been thoughtfully decorated. (Even a closet has a chandelier!)
Cons-The interior has a bit of a cheese factor, but it’s a wedding, so do you really care?
-No easy shuttle route if guests enjoy too much of the house vino.

Note: This is an updated post

Bride Blogger // Wedding Retreats

From Miss June:

We were married in the Catholic Church and went through the required pre-marital counseling sessions and retreat. We were actually really excited to go through the process and learned a lot about each other through it. The sessions and retreat were not as “intense” as we thought they would be…. at all. They were more geared towards making us think about the way we interact with each other, building our communication and understanding of each other.

I do have to take a moment to brag about the house we built (with limited resources.) I cannot at all recall what the lesson was here, but at our retreat we were given a bag of random materials and told to build a stable house on it. Luckily, Lincoln Logs were a total hit during our childhood so built the best out in the place! That is… as long as it doesn’t rain.

With the sessions and retreats, part of the experience you’ll get is from whomever is leading it. We got a lot out of ours, but we also came in with a positive attitude, eager to learn as much as we could about building a great foundation for our life together. If I could offer any advice, it would be to have fun, and enjoy the time you are forced to take apart from your normal every-day routine to get to know each other! The closer it gets to the wedding, the less and less of that you’ll have!