Mr. & Mrs. St. Andre

SURPRISE, SURPRISE was every guests expression as the bride entered the ball room wearing her wedding gown with her father by her side as they walked onto the dance floor to meet her groom. Guests thought they were attending an engagement party on 12/12/10 where as the bride and groom had other plans for all their guests. The ceremony was defiantly a conversation starter as everyone was so excited to talk about how they had no idea they were having the ceremony that day and how fun of an idea it really was. I heard one of the guests walk by the favors table before the ceremony and he said," are those real and then he was like no I bet there for decoration." And little did he know they were for the guests that attended their big day. The bride and grooms colors were brown and turquoise that looked beautiful with the winter theme. As the terrace lights sparkled blue and the fire place blazed hot the guests were able to enjoy themselves outside as well. The dancing began as well as the food and drinks. The cakes were cut and the groom had a surprise for the bride when he put the cake straight in her face. Laughter filled the room and as the night ended the guests were still in amazement over the ceremony and reception that they had no idea was going to take place.

Mr. & Mrs. Hoedebeck

On Nov 27 2010 was a new chapter that began for this couple. The ceremony took place at their church at 4pm and their reception started here at the Wellington around 7 pm. With all the uniquely done table decor with colors of red and gold and the glowing of candles while white Christmas lights lit up the terrace and the fire blazed hot, this place was ready for their guests to come and enjoy themselves. When I say enjoy that's exactly what I meant! As for all the fans who watched the OU game last night against OSU the couple had TVs put in one of the board rooms and outside on the terrace so their family and friends could enjoy cheering their team on, while dancing, eating, and watching the bride and groom on their special day. The bride wore a white knee high dress with outlines of red with a set of red high heels. While the groom was in his tux and a red tie. During the commercials of the OU game the family and friends enjoyed food stations that set in different places around the ballroom including quesadillas, egg rolls, empanadas, and of course the chips and salsa. The cake was a unique design thought up by the bride and with the amber gold LED light that lit up behind it the cake looked fabulous. The DJ played everything from the 70's all the way up to today's top hits that had all the guests enjoying their type of music. To top the night off all the guests, family, and friends enjoyed margaritas with the bride and groom as OU won the game 47 to 41 let me just say they played the OU theme song along with the release of OU balloons from the terrace to celebrate their victory. Guests left with koozies from the bride and groom that were red to stand for OU that had the bride and grooms name in a heart along with their wedding date. The night was wrapped up by midnight as the bride and groom walked over to the Holiday Inn hotel to enjoy a nice nights sleep.

Mr. & Mrs. Curts

What a Beautiful day to have a ceremony outside, not to cold not to hot just perfect for Mr. & Mrs. Curts to say "I do". One hundred and seventy five of their family and friends joined together to witness the celebration on the couples special day. The Ceremony took place on the terrace facing the fire place that was all decorated. A guitarist played the ceremony music for the bride and wedding party as they walked down the aisle. The reception began shortly after. The decorations were beautiful flowers of all shades of fall and candles that set on top of coffee beans. Pictures of the bride and groom were set up in different areas around the Wellington for family and friends to admire. One table was set in particular with pictures of the brides father who passed away but was still there in spirit with his little girl. The couple enjoyed their dinner along with all of their guests. The Couples first dance was to the song "Only You Can Love Me this Way," by Keith Urban. After a little dancing came time to cut the cakes. The Brides cake was a vanilla three tier cake covered in ivory icing and white roses. The Grooms cake was a two tier chocolate cake with strawberries on top. I will have to say the chocolate cake was gone before they knew it. The bouquet and garter toss came soon after where many of their single friends swarmed together on the dance floor to catch each one. More dancing came to follow with allot of two stepping to the couples favorite songs. As the guests starting leaving the very close friends sat together at two of the tables with the bride and groom talking about old times, fun times, and new times. The laughing and dancing between the bride and groom didn't stop until midnight as they left holding hands and walking over to the Holiday Inn for a nice relaxing evening after their wonderful wedding day. To the bride and groom and their guest from us here at the Wellington, "it was an honor to be apart of your special day."

Fire Place on the Terrace

11+5+2010= Mr. & Mrs. Rowland

Well ladies & gentlemen it appears that we have had another successful event at the Wellington. Last Friday night we had the pleasure of hosting the Burns-Rowland Reception. Our friends at Kathy's Bakery & Paula from Designing Spaces had this place looking exactly how it needed to be for the beautiful bride. The tables were draped with chocolate brown linens with cute little hints of turquoise everywhere to match. The backslashes of aqua lights provided by our specialty LED lighting really made the specialty tables pop. The centerpieces were fabulous displays of spider mums & hydrangeas. Some of them actually lit up & some just had candlelight to go with them; but, let me be the first to say not even in a million years would I have thought of flower arrangements like these. I knew that this wedding was going to be a blast when I first walked in the door & saw that the Groom's cake was a giant calculator paired with two 1040 forms. Then, I saw a couple carrying in what appeared to be a large bench & I just thought, "How clever is this?" The newlyweds, going back to their country roots, did not take the normal route when it came to their guest book. The Groom hand-made a bench & all of their guests were able to write their best wishes on it! I got to sign it, heck, I even got to participate in the conga line! It is going to be quite the conversation starter on the front porch of their new home. The DJ Played everything from George Strait to Lady Gaga. Thanks to the Zac Brown Band we all also got a little "Chicken Fried" before the night was over. The party really got started though after we did a bubble blowing fake leave and dimmed the lights. The bride was a vision in white on the dance floor, wearing white crocs that is. The new Mrs. Rowland wasted no time getting her comfort on with her shoes. Hey, we have all heard that line "Beauty over Comfort," but I am firm believer that whoever made that up never owned a pair of Crocs! The couple showed off their humorous sides & their accounting careers by sending all of their guests off with calculators & pens that read "James & Mindy 11/05/10." We know the couple were able to catch some great sleep at the Holiday Inn Express last night after the party, we just hope they didn't have too much trouble waking up to take off on their trip to Branson this morning. I think the newlyweds make a great equation & on behalf of everyone here at the WBCC we send a sincere " Congrats" & a big "Thank You" for letting us be a part of your special day.

Brides Cake by Kathy's Bakery & Deli

Groom's Cake by Kathy's Bakery & Deli

Roses Are Red!

Mr. & Mrs. Folden

From the sweet happy tears that filled the bride's eyes before the ceremony to the smile on her mother's face before she walked her daughter down the aisle made a wonderful impression on how close the mother and the bride are and the bond they share together. Kimberly Southard, the Wedding Planner and Decorator did a fabulous job designing for the bride's thoughts into a vision of red rose's in vases of all shapes and sizes that came together as elegant as ever. From the black and white table runners, to the white Chinese lanterns that hung over the dance floor the Bride, Groom, family, and friends were excited to celebrate their evening together. Kathy's Bakery & Deli did a fabulous job on designing the cake to match the decor of the room. The Bride and Groom stood at the grand doors to their Reception to give each of their guests a hug and to thank each of them for celebrating their wedding. Once again we had the privilege of having DJ Rick Hatcher kick off the night with the music that had guests dancing away. The wedding planner and I did some dancing ourselves to the Cupid Shuffle to teach some of the guest. The photographer Meegan Weever did a wonderful job catching all the memorable moments throughout the night. The Bride and Groom departed through sparklers held by friends and family to a Hummer limo to vanish off into the night together.

Bride's Cake by Kathy's Bakery & Deli

The Wellington Girls

My name is Stephanie Briley and I am the new Event Director of the Wellington! (I suppose I

should tell you I'm in the middle, of course.) I have been at the Wellington since June but started my new position as Event director in September. My staff and I are extremely excited to start our new journey here at the Wellington. We each come from different backgrounds and each have our very own strengths and unique personalities, yet work excellent as a team together.

I am originally from Wichita Falls but have spent my last 4 years in College Station where I received my Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Texas A&M University. WHOOP! (Sorry, had to throw that out there.) I was very sad to leave College Station but also excited to embark on this new journey in my life.

My favorite part of Directing Events for the Wellington would have to be meeting and working with our Clients. I enjoy getting to know each of our Client's from our very first meeting up until the day of their event. Weddings would have to be my favorite event. What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic. I also enjoy seeing their day come to life, down to every last detail.

This new position definitely has its challenges but also has many great rewards and lessons that I will cherish and take with me wherever I go in life. I have learned and grown so much already and cannot wait to see what else this opportunity has in store for me!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Briley

Event Director

Hi! My name is Shiloh Hanson; I'm the little blonde on the left! I just recently received my certification in Wedding & Event Planning the end of August at UTA where I met Stephanie, Wellington's Event Director. She called with this amazing job opportunity so I packed all of my things & moved up to Wichita Falls the beginning of September to take the position as the Event Coordinator for the Wellington. I'm so excited to help each & every person that walks through the doors to visualize their event & make all the details come to life on their big day. I am very excited to be a part of the team at the Wellington; Stephanie & Meghan are amazing girls & work very hard at what they do. I am privileged to be able to be in such a position to cherish each event that we have here at the Wellington & to be able to write about it on our Wellington blog page. I look forward to meeting all of our future clients & making your dreams come true!

*Shiloh Hanson

Event Coordinator

Hi! I'm Meghan! I'm the taller one on the right! I am so excited about my Administrative Rxecutive position at the Wellington and helping everyone have their fairy tale events come to life! So far it has been a blast. We have had a lot of early mornings turn into very late nights, but it has all been worth it to see the blissful looks on everyone's faces at the end of the day. I love meeting all of you and hearing all of your different ideas. Every event so far has had its own great style to match the different individuals and I just love that! I am in the office Monday through Friday from 8am-1pm and if you come in to say "Hello" you will see why! I also work at the Holiday Inn Express next door, and I have watched them build this place from the ground up. So I really am just thrilled about the Wellington and getting to work with Stephanie and Shiloh every day. They are such sweethearts and I think we make a great team. I cannot wait to officially meet everyone but until then "Adios Amigos!"

Meghan Byram

Administrative Executive

*Enchanted*

Mr. & Mrs. Harral

A night of an Enchanted Reception was held on 10/23/10 at the Wellington. The Decor by Two Clever Chicks of white & green pumpkins, the decorated wine barrels, to the grand flower pieces of all colors, & the lighting of romantic candles with a splash of amber gold on the walls gave this Bride & Groom a dream come true. The laughter & smiles by all their guests & the wedding party, to every detail went as perfectly as expected. The DJ Rick Hatcher hatchmobileparty@aol.com did a fabulous job with the entertainment for the reception the excitement on the dance floor never stopped. The Father of the Bride shared many sweet moments with his daughter from the father daughter dance, to making her laugh with all his dancing moves, memories were made that will never be forgotten. The Groom looked at his Bride with amazement in her beautiful gown & when she changed into a cocktail gown her mother surprised her with for more dancing & fun for the evening, everyone was in AHHHHH all over again. Before the clock struck midnight the Bride & Groom departed through the tossing of white sprinkles of confetti by friends & family & off they went to begin a new chapter in their life together.

Let the Introductions Begin!

Mr. & Mrs. Schmader

Saturday night is always a night to remember here at the Wellington. There is always a wonderful event taking place and let me say last night was nothing less than Perfect. From the introductions of the wedding party to the theme song "I'll be there for you" to the introduction of the Bride and Groom to "Sweet Emotions" by Aerosmith this reception started with a bang. All the way through the night the Bride and Groom along with all their guests were very active yet enjoyed every ones company. The DJ Todd Rafter lit up the dance floor with colorful lights and a stream of high energy dancing songs that had guests dancing the whole night. I will have to admit even a few of us here at the Wellington did the Cha Cha dance with the guests and wedding party. The feathers, candlelight, pictures and especially the grooms cake by Aunt Glenda's Cakes an ear of corn representing Nebraska Cornhuskers where the Grooms family is from gave a sense of the bride and grooms hobbies and the love they have for each other. From the setting up to the end of the reception night, I will speak for us here at the Wellington,"We are here for you" and share in all the emotions throughout the planning and fulfilment of your perfect event.

WFHS class of 1955

To those of you, whose souls have parted

the memories remain, and the thoughts are deep-hearted

We've shared laughter and tears...

We've shared good times and fears.

The days have flown by, and turned into years.

We wish you were here, to reminisce the good old times.

Because the absence of you presence,

Weighs heavy on our minds.

The good times and the laughter, will not be quit the same.

And it will seem a little awkward, not even hearing your name.

So to let you know we miss you all...

And the memories still remain.

We honor you tonight our friends...

The Class of '55

Wow! What a wonderful group of classmates. They have kept in touch with one another for 55 years and were all pleased to start planning their next reunion. We can all remember our high school days and let me say they still had their own small battles with one another even after 55 years yet they all came together to celebrate and to have a wonderful time laughing, dancing, and enjoying one anothers friendship. The decorations by Kathy Stovall and Kim Dixon were amazing. They used beautiful red flowers on the tables to set off the school spirit and on Saturday they decorated the ballrooms in mardi gra colors to celebrate their last night for the '55 reunion. The Don Cowan Quintet band played for the evening and had those folks dancing out of their own shoes. Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful evening reminiscing about old times and new. We were so pleased with the entire weekend and were happy all the guests had smiles on their faces when they left.

Diamond's are a Girl's Best Friend

*Courtnye Sikes & Tyler McKnight's Wedding*

From the lanterns that lined the aisle for the ceremony to the beautiful shades of purple & diamonds that decorated many areas in the ballroom for the reception it was a night that will be remembered by many. The food by Javier with The Orchard Catering was exactly what the couple wished for. The DJ Mark Schroeder did a fantastic job with entertainment for the night & had all the guests two stepping around the dance floor. Kathy's Bakery & Deli made a beautiful five tiered brides cake that made the guests gasp in ahh. Lots of laughter & happy tears filled the evening. The wedding party, family, & guests had a fantastic night ending with Karaoke.

Lanterns on the Terrace for ceremony

Centerpiece in the Ballroom for reception

Diamond Studded Bridal Cake

By: Kathy's Bakery & Deli

Q: What Black and White and Blue All Over?

A: Valerie Ruyle and Andrew Halverson's Wedding

Better late than never right?  Two months have flown by and I am just now writing this post.  There is really no other way to sum up the night than unbelievable.  It was seriously straight out of some Bravo, Style, or A&E show about crazy nice weddings.  The Two Clever Chicks  made the magic happen. And boy did they do it right.  It was so classic with the black and white and the highlights of baby blue.  Absolutely loved it.  Not to second guess the chicks, but I didn't really see how the second one would compare with the first one, but it most definitely did.  They were completely different looking weddings that fit the girls to a tee.  That my friends takes true talent.  Having a finish building this time around was definitely an upgrade!  Duck Soup from Austin provided the entertainment for the evening and rocked the hiz-house.  They also played at a class reunion a few weeks ago and did an awesome job at that one as well.  Chef Love sauntered on down from Fort Worth again to serve a smorgasbord of deliciousness including some of the most amazing macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted and not one, not two, not three...but five WHOLE roasting pigs complete with the five pairs of eyeballs.  I did not partake in the pig eating, but apparently it was delicious.  Not surprising.  I cannot say enough about the Chicks and their whole crew.  Karilea from the Holiday Inn Express came over for a bit during the day Saturday, and said she felt like she was on Wedding Survivor.  That pretty much sums up the hours and hours of tireless work that went into this amazing wedding.  Awesome, awesome, awesome job. Take a look at the pics!  Mucha gracias to Frances Knowles for the great pictures!

 

Duck Soup jamming out

  

Foyer without the main big table.  So creative!

Terrace view with one of the many bar set-ups

 

Most of the Grand Ballroom

 

One of the fantastic bars in the Ballroom

 

Tents for cooking and more entertaining space

 

View of details from the Women's Restroom

updates coming soon...

the Wellington has been the choice venue of many fabulous weddings and corporate events lately. We are having such a great time!

Details and photos to update you are coming soon.

enjoy your weekend...

we are busy around here - 2 weddings this weekend!

Chaos

I am currently sitting in my office listening to Elton John's Benny and the Jets blare from an actual radio-stero thing with an antena and a turn knob (its been a while since I have seen one of these brillant dinosaurs) with the lights off hiding from the mayhem.  Just kidding I'm not really hiding...maybe.  The next two weekends are completely rediculous at the Wellington- in a good way.  This weekend, we have Valarie Ruyle and Andrew Halverson's wedding reception and next week is Rider Celebration. Whew! Anyway, its going to be big.  I cannot wait to see the final product.  There is some majorly exciting stuff going on and it is going to look PHENOMENAL.  The Two Clever Chicks are the masterminds of this little (ha) shindig and they are pulling out all the stops.  The last time the Ruyles were around back in August, it was blistering hot (now we are praying for the rain to stay away), we were scrambling to get our construction site into something that could be inhabited for the night (now I'm moving things out to make room for all the insanity), and I'm pretty sure I myself looked like a deer in headlights (now I'm a seasoned pro- duh).  All in all big changes.  We are so excited to have them and I can only speak for myself, but I am so grateful it is a little less stressful this time around.  I love seeing how something so beautiful can come out of seemingly nothing.  Well its off to the races...

A Healthy Dose of Spring Cleaning

This is going to be short and sweet, but wanted to comment on all of the great things we've got going on at the Wellington.  Frances Knowles is the photographer behind all of our fabulous new photos that we may have seen on our fabulous new website.  Like I said- a lot of excitement!  Really she is wonderful and has helped us out a ton!  We definitely owe her.  Below are just some samples of her work.

Next exciting thing- website!  Crane-West has taken over and brought us into the light.  Yes, I call our previous website a dark blimp on our amazingly sunny outlook.  Long story short, we had some issues with our previous provider, but have been nothing but pleased with the new direction.  We launched it today, and have received some really great feedback already.  You need to check it out- click here.

 

DaVinci to Die For

Last Thursday, we have the pleasure to host a very special guest- a VERY special guest.  He was escorted in bubble wrap and rolled in (literally) with a whole entourage, giving a completely new meaning to the term VIP (no offense to our other guests).  The new DaVinci robot at United Regional is the character in question.  While they were setting up, I strolled over to it and said, "Oh I've seen this before on Grey's Anatomy" half joking really.  Only to be answered with an eye roll and a yes.  This thing is a big deal.  The ladies and gents at the hospital wanted to introduce him to some members of our community and the medical communities of the surrounding area.  The guests got to watch him in action, and even operate him via the video game-like control panel.  It was pretty impressive.  Other than the massive, amazing robot in the room, there was other things going on as well.

For instance, the food.  Holy cow, I wish I had a picture of some of the trays that were served.  They were absolutely stunning.  I would try to rattle off some of the menu items, but I know I would butcher it, no pun intended.  For one, there was a lobster and onion quiche served in a crisp prosciutto tart.  Let that stew in your mind for a while.  Salivating yet?  Quite possibly one of the best things I have ever eaten.  It was my professional duty to sample the food, can't help it, one of the least enjoyable parts of the job.  Ryan Dennis with the Traveling Bistro was the culinary mastermind behind the unbelievable menu.  Awesome job as always.  Torin Hasley was here taking pictures, so hopefully he got some of the food!

Speaking of as always.  The Two Clever Chicks did the decorations for the fete.  See the pictures below, they speak for themselves.  What I particular liked about the decor was how completely appropriate they were for the function.  It was a corporate function with a social aspect, which was perfectly mimicked in the sleek but fashionable orchids in shallow clean clear rectangular vases.  The foyer table looked unbelievable.

I would like to take credit for these phenomenal pictures, but unfortunately they are not the result of my amateur photography.   Frances Knowles gets all the credit and a HUGE thank you thank you thank you to her for making us look good!

 

Blogging is Hard Work

So I am new to the whole blogging thing, and I must admit we have a love-hate relationship.  I love it when I stay on top of it, but when I let it get our of hand, I DREAD it.  This is the vicious cycle that I fall into.  I put off blogging after an event, because I "don't have time" to just sit down and do it.  Then there ends up being three of four events that I haven't blogged about and then I REALLY don't have time, so just about the time that I'm about to throw in the blogging towel, I get these little nudges such as a text saying, "I've gone to your blog and nothing new (sad face)" or my lovely bosses' friendly reminders, "How's the blog going?"  To the slap in the face, Lindsey get it in gear, information request from our website saying, "I love your blog!!!" followed by a sweet voicemail reiterating how much she enjoys reading our blog.  Let the self-deprecating begin.  It's not that hard, just do it.  So here I am with what seems like an eternity to blog about because so much has been happening around here.  Luckily for me, I have all evening to sit in the back of the room witnessing the North Texas Rehab Auction's Live Auction to blog.  Now the subtle roar of happiness and go-doing is buzzing in the background, so I apologize for the mushiness in advance.  Also, if anyone happens to be reading this from 7-10 on Wednesday, April 14th, turn on the TV and bid on something!  It is for an amazing cause, and you will have awesome feel-good fuzzies floating around for a while, not to mention GREAT KARMA!

Prom 2010

Last night we got the chance to host Iowa Park's Prom.  Now coming into the evening I was a little apprehensive because it was our first high school party.  I'm envisioning all sorts of unsavory things, but that could not have been further from what actually happened.  These kids were so polite and well-behaved  .  Their chaperones and advisors were so enthusiastic and truly wanted the kids to have some good, safe, clean fun.  Prom was not a big deal at the high school I went too, so it is a little foreign to me.  The girls looked beautiful in their formal wear and the guys threw a little twist on the traditional tux.  We were so happy to host them, and would do it again in a heartbeat!  Thanks for making prom experience so great!  Monarch provided the food for the evening- which looked beautiful-but the kids were a bit preoccupied and didn't eat very much!

 

 

   

I Heart Hart

I try to come up with creative titles for these posts, and sometimes they are cheesier than others.  This one would rank about a seven, but I like it.   It would make a good t-shirt.  Enough of my bantering, lets get down to business- Alicia Hart and Mason Adams.

What a great looking couple!  Not to mention, nice and sincere.  It was a pleasure getting to know them, and be a small part of their big day.  Both of the families were so supportive and helpful as well, which makes a huge difference.  Alicia was a beautiful bride, and definitely looked the part.  They had the ceremony and reception both at the Wellington, with the ceremony outside on the Terrace.  With this crazy weather we have been having, I was a little nervous that the guests might freeze, but the forecast was definitely in our favor.  We had a hot chocolate and coffee station on hand to help keep the guests warm, but ended up being marshmellow entertainment for the kids more than anything- that was how nice the weather was.  I am so so so glad!  It is always so interesting to see how everything comes together, and the person largely in charge of that here was Judy at Kathy's Bakery.  She did a fantastic job, as did Kathy with the cake (see photos below).  Instead of having a groom's cake, they had angel bites scattered on each table in little fuscia bags.  What a fantastic idea!  They are so delicious, and really added something to the table decorations as well.  Jameson's took care of the floral needs.  They used really colorful and happy colors in the bouquets and center pieces.  Deedra was on hand for pictures- I can't wait to see what she came up with!  The Ken Nelson Band was the entertainment, and I was very impressed at their versatility.  They played some really great jazzy music.  Take a look at the pictures below!  Adamses thank you so much!