What a Weekend!

The first weekend of this month was crazy busy around here! As I hope you have already read July 1, we had Ricka and Blaine’s ceremony and reception, July 2 we got to hang out with Tiffany and Weston for their reception, and on July 3 we got to do it all over again for Aaren and Brandon’s’ ceremony and reception too! I had the pleasure of being here all three days, and now I get to blog about it soooo here it goes…


Tiffany & Weston McCalip




July 2, 2011 was all about Mr. and Mrs. McCalip at the Wellington! We had so much fun at this reception, I was so sad when it was time for the newlyweds to make their exit! Judy with Kathy’s Bakery was the coordinator for this day, and she for sure lived up to her end of the bargain. The ballroom was decked out in hot pink and black. There were even little hints of zebra in some places. The tables had centerpieces on them with hot pink flower arrangements on top. The head table was set up on the stage behind the dance floor. Judy and Kathy made an awesome drape to hang behind the wedding party that had the couples’ initials on it, and a little bit of bling too of course. The foyer was absolutely amazing. The table had Tiffany’s mothers wedding gown and Weston’s mother wedding gown on mannequins, the trains covered the table perfectly falling all the way to the floor. There were pictures set up of the couples grandparents and great grandparents on their wedding days. It was nice to see all of these people still happily married. It was also neat to see the style transformation of the dresses through the years. Tiffany was a gorgeous bride. She looked like just like one of the brides you see in the magazines, only prettier. Mark Schroeder provided the tunes for the night and as always did a great job. When the clock struck 9:00 it was time for the ol’ red Studebaker truck to pull up and take the young couple off into the night so they could begin their honeymoon. It made for some very cute pictures as everyone threw pink rose petals and waved their goodbyes!







Aaren & Brandon Halencak




The next day our team came together to get everything ready for Aaren and Brandon. Kim Southard with The Swanky Thang was the planner and like always everything turned out perfect. The day started with an early morning rehearsal. One for the ladies and one for the guys since the tradition does say the bride and groom are not supposed to see each other on their big day. After that the guys headed of f so the girls could get ready. We turned the music up and got to work. Aaren and Kim decided to go with brown table linens and orange centerpieces. There were also hints of ivory in the ballroom which really set the orange tones off. The ceremony was held inside. The bridesmaids wore brown dresses and the groomsmen wore ivory suits. Aaren looked like the perfect bride in her dress. She really did a great job picking out that gown. During the ceremony Aarens brother, Adam, sang his rendition of “Wait for me.” He has an amazing voice. After the ceremony, always comes the reception, and this was a great party. Monarch set up a mashed potato bar, salad bar, sliders and a fruit station. And as always the food was delicious. Kathy’s Bakery was in charge of the bride’s cake and it too did not disappoint. The groom’s cake showed Brandon’s love for the Texas Rangers and chocolate covered strawberries. Iron Horse set up the bar, and kept the guests cups filled all night. I’d have to say the funniest part of the night was when it was time for the bouquet and garter toss. Brandon with the help of his best man, Austin, pulled out his hard hat and tool belt and then put on quite the show. Finally after using all the tools he had he was able to pull the garter off of Aarens leg and throw it to the single guys in the crowd. What seemed as such a short time after, the clocked turned 12 and it was time for the party to end. Everyone threw birdseed as the couple made their exit.






I had such an amazing time working with both of these couples and their families! Thank you to Lauren Pinson with Lauren Pinson Photography for the great pictures of Mr. and Mrs. McCalip! And thanks to DeEdra with Photo[E]motion Photography for the awesome pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Halencak!

To Tiffany and Weston and Aaren and Brandon, thank you for letting us at the Wellington be a part of your big days. You guys were great to work with and we hope y’all nothing but the best of luck on your new ventures as husband and wife!

"It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding!"

July 9th was definitely a hot day in July for Nathan and Laura’s Wedding Day! However, despite the Texas heat, even the white flowers held it together for this special day.
The excitement started early here at the Wellington as the bridal party arrived in a white stretch-Hummer. The girls applied their make-up in our Bridal room fully stocked for full-relaxation and enjoyment as the rest of the wedding party and guests enjoyed the sun poolside at the Holiday Inn Express next door! The bridal party ended their time here, before loading back into the limo for the church, getting photographed by the amazing Rachel Archer who is going to provide us with beautiful pictures of this romantic and exciting day! Be on the lookout for her pictures to be posted!

Meanwhile, in the ballroom, the wedding planner was putting her final touches to the white floral arrangements full of roses, hydrangeas, carnations and orchids that were beautifully arranged by Kim Southard with The Swanky Thang. The centerpieces were absolutely stunning and elegant! We even had Shiloh back in the house helping out!

6 o’clock came and went as the lovely couple exchanged vows at a local church. Thoughts of “I Do’s” and first kisses were on our minds as we swept through the ballroom lighting candles and making sure things were just right for the newlyweds.

Hors D’oeuvres were served just as the guests began to arrive. Monarch Banquet and Catering passed bacon-wrapped shrimp along with scrumptious spinach quiche before dinner was served. The couple chose food stations of Sliders, Quesadillas and a Roast Beef carving station with horseradish sauce that would make any guest’s mouth water!

Once the wedding party arrived in an even larger vehicle, the bride and groom were swept off to one of our private rooms for an intimate first-dinner. I love this because, really, when do the bride and groom actually get to enjoy the meal on their special day? This way, they got to share some time together reliving the day’s events before being introduced for the first time as husband and wife in our grand ballroom!
Once Laura and Nathan entered the ballroom, the festivities began! They immediately danced their first dance followed by the father-daughter dance and mother-son dance.

The speeches were to follow. They were each full of laughs as well as tears. My favorite part of the speeches had to have been the matron-of-honor’s advice as a married woman herself. She said, “You fall in love by chance. You stay in love by choice.” These are wise words to live by! With as many weddings as we have seen around here, I will always keep that with me.
Then, onto the cakes! Kathy’s Bakery provided the stunning white bride’s cake and festive groom’s cake, which was surrounded by chocolate-covered strawberries and topped off with sugar made to look like ice! These cakes stood out especially this week thanks to the Wellington’s new toys: upgraded pin-spot lighting! There is nothing worse than your cake not standing out is what I always say!

Next: dancing! I have to say, I had my suspicions for this particular reception. You see the bride is an Aggie while the groom is a Sooner. So, on this particular day, the Wellington was a house-divided. Most of the groomsmen were from OU while many of the girls were Chi Omega sorority sisters from Aggieland. I had imagined the dance floor being divided with the guys not quite sure about these Aggie women. However, thanks to Drive the Band, I was proven wrong. Aggies and Sooners can, in fact, intermingle while dancing the night away. During dinner, the band played everything from Jason Mraz and John Mayer to the Beatles.
Once it was time to kick it up a notch, they really got the crowd up and moving! What got the guests to make their way to the dance floor was when the band played “Shout!” A wedding essential, of course, but the band was so into the song that even I found myself getting a little bit louder now! At this point, the band was taking requests and playing everything from Katy Perry to Michael Jackson to Prince’s “Kiss”, another wedding essential in my book. Being an Aggie myself, I particularly enjoyed when the band took a break to play the Aggie War Hymn. (Whoop!) A wedding involving an Aggie is incomplete without the whooping and swaying that we love so dearly!
The guests were dancing all night until the last song was played at 11:30 that was another Beatles' classic, “With a Little Help from my Friends.”
Once this song was over, it was time for the bride and groom’s big exit. The entry doors were opened and everyone was given a handful of birdseed to toss at the newlyweds who left in style in their, of course, white limousine.

And so an Aggie married a Sooner.
Congratulations, Laura and Nathan!
We hoped your day was just as special as you had imagined it to be. We wish you all the luck and love in your future together.
-The Wellington Crew

The Beginning of a New Chapter ...

My Final Wedding.

Excuse me bloggers, while I am quite sure that I will become misty-eyed while writing this blog. This is, indeed, my last blog to write for the Wellington Banquet and Conference Center. *Tear*. I am so sad to be leaving this place, but so happy to have gained the knowledge and experience that I have. As some of you read in my earlier blogs, I came to the Wellington to complete my work-study hours here to go toward my degree in Restaurant Hospitality Management with my concentration being in Meetings and Events Management. My time is now up and I will be returning to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. You guys don't have to lie to yourselves; I know y'all will miss me. But, enough about me, let's get on with this past weekend's reception, shall we?

My last wedding reception here at the Wellington was for Taryn and Grant Rogers. These two were a precious couple and had such a wonderful reception. Their ceremony took place at Our Lady Queen of Peace and their reception immediately followed around 4 in the afternoon. For the first hour, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour in our foyer and boardrooms. Kim Southard with The Swanky Thang was the planner for this event. She did a FABULOUS job on the decorations! It was absolutely breath-taking with the lime-filled vases topped off with roses painted of pinks, red and purples. My favorite sight, though, was probably the bridal portrait display table covered with pictures that showed off Taryn's beautiful dress and cute and quirky personality. The guests anxiously awaited to see what was in store through the ribbon-tied doors leading into the grand ballroom. 5 o'clock arrived and the doors were opened! The Band, A Formal Affair, began to play some soft dinner music while the guests enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres. After the wedding party arrived and were announced, Taryn and Grant shared their first dance as husband and wife to Gavin Degraw's "Belief". I don't know if it was the beauty of the moment, or if I was getting sentimental with it being my last wedding, or the lethal combination of the two, but I began to weep like a baby. In fact, all of the staff was tearing up! It was such an amazing moment! The food was catered by some of my favorite ladies from Bistro Express. Their food is always to die for and they are such a joy to work with. Meegan Weaver was the photographer for the evening. She always does such a great job! (We will post her pictures here as soon as they arrive! :) )

You would think that a wedding reception beginning so early would wind down early as well. But, no, Taryn and Grant's reception was so much fun that no one wanted to leave! It was amazing! I have to admit, I was a little jealous that I was working and not a part of the wedding. I definitely would have loved to bust out to some Journey with Taryn and her friends! Taryn and Grant had their send off with their close friends and family tossing birdseed as they ran through the entrance of the Wellington. It was a wonderful send off!

When the night dwindled down and it was time to clean up, I became very sad. I wanted them to stay longer so that my last wedding here would never end. However, what a wedding to end with! The reception was amazing and definitely one for the Wellington books. Congratulations Taryn and Grant! We all wish you guys all the best! Thank you for being my last wedding and for being so fabulous!

On this note, it is time for me to say farewell. I shall always miss writing this blog and filing everyone in on the details of the weekend's previous events. I hope you all will miss me, too! Thank you to everyone who read my blogs!

Ricka and Blaine

What better way to start off the month than with a ceremony AND reception! July 1, 2011 we had the great honor of hosting the Ricka Garlington and Blaine Willett wedding here at the Wellington! Ricka and her mother, Diane, did all of the decorations themselves and did quite an impressive job. We draped purple and silver fabric on the east wall of the terrace where they were married in front of about 260 friends and family members! Ricka and Blaine did not stop the Texas heat from keeping their ceremony from going exactly as planned! The flower girl was just as cute as she could be. She did not throw petals down the aisle as most do, she rang a cow bell! Ricka was escorted down by her mother to Carrie Underwood’s’ “Mama’s Song.” It was so sweet. After Blaine kissed his bride they danced their way back down the aisle to Smashmouth’s “I’m a believer” and then everyone headed into the ballroom to get the reception started! Monarch did an excellent job on the food. They served chicken fried chicken and steak with mashed potatoes and fried okra. It was super tasty! For dessert we had wedding cake (of course) and peppermint ice cream in honor of Rickas’ late father. Rickas cake was gorgeous and four tiered with purple flowers that sat on top of it to match the centerpieces on the tables. Blaine’s cake made sure to show his appreciation to his second great love, golf. It was served with chocolate chip cookies. The DJ really knew how to keep the party going! He played everything from Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” A big thanks goes out the wedding coordinator Julie Caldwell with “I do Weddings” for helping keep the night fun and run smooth. Another thanks to Ms. Geri Merrick, the photographer for the evening, for taking such great pictures all night. We got to know Ricka and Diane pretty well since last October when they first came in and toured the facility. A lot of planning went into this event and we are very happy to have got to be a part of it and meet such wonderful people. We wish Blaine and Ricka the best of luck on their new lives together.

Two's a company... Three's a crowd... Unless it's a dog!

The Wellington was the place to be on Saturday June 18. We had the honor of hosting the Jordan Haggart and Dustin Jackson reception. Jordan was quite crafty, coming up with most of the decorations and theme herself. The colors were different shades of champagne, chocolate, and ivory which matched the ballroom very well. They draped the most gorgeous fabric down the walls and really made this place look like their own. It was very much a cocktail reception, because the couches and tables that were brought in from Liland’s Special Events out of Dallas. Thanks to Dustin and Jordan’s friends, and day of coordinators, Keeley and Carmen, everything came together beautifully. John Johnston was the florist and really out did himself with the centerpieces in the foyer. The white flowers matched perfectly with the white couches that sat in the foyer as well. The arrangements were over four feet tall! Sally Harlow with Big Tyme Catering out of Iowa Park did a great job with the food! We had heavy hors d’oeuvres served on china. There was shrimp, beef, and a very delicious pasta! The cakes were provided by Aunt Glenda’s and Jordan’s actually sparkled. After dinner the night really got started thanks to The Tyler Rushing Band. They kept the dancing going until it was time for the party to end. Especially when they covered Lil Jons’ “Get Low.” One of my favorite things from that night was when Jordan and Dustin shared their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, they had a special visitor come join them, Dustin’s dog, Cody! He is a border collie mix and super friendly. He was a little scared of the bright flashes from the cameras, but that didn’t stop Kelly Trimble from getting some good pictures of the dancing trio! On a more sentimental and admirable note, Jordan and Dustin made a donation in the name of every guest that attended their wedding to the American Cancer Society in honor of Jordan’s late mother, Judy Haggart. All of us ladies here at the Wellington had a great time planning this event. Congratulations to Dustin and Jordan Jackson! We hope you two had as much fun on your honeymoon in the Caribbean as we did getting to know you and helping making your big day a successful event!

What-a Wedding Weekend!

The week of June 6th-12th, we had an amazingly crazy/fun time up here at the Wellington! On Thursday, we got to witness a new WBCC first! Mason Vailes proposed to his sweet girlfriend Marie Augustine out on our terrace! It was the sweetest thing. They had been considering marriage and she thought she was coming in simply for a tour. As the tour finished up on the terrace, Mason had flowers on our mantle with a card. He got down on one knee and the song "Marry Me" was played through the out door speakers. Stephanie, Meghan, and I could not stop ourselves from spying on these two through the windows. The moment was so perfect and gave my chills! It was a real first for us. We always get to see and help out with the weddings which is a super special day, but it was nice to see that first moment for a change! After we cleaned up our tear stained faces, it was time to get back to work for our Friday wedding for Patricia and Sean Thompson. Congrats to Mason and Marie, we are SO excited to have your wedding here next June!
The following day, we had the pleasure of hosting Patricia and Shawns ceremony and reception! Patricia did a fabulous job with her wedding! Strands of small Christmas tree lights were wrapped around each column outside. When lit, the terrace looked stunning! The two had the ceremony take place on our terrace. At the end of the ceremony, the couple played the infamous Grease song "We go together". The bridesmaids and groomsmen danced their way down the isle to proceed into the reception. It was so cute! Monarch provided chips and fruits while Kocks provided the kegs. The cakes were created by Darling Cakes by Hannah. The grooms former roommate and close friend, Jason Talbot was the DJ for the evening. Everyone was having such a blast! We even got to meet a girl who turned 21 at midnight! We witnessed her first legal drink! The photographer was Brittney Hunt. As the reception dwindled down, it was time for Meghan and I to get our rear in gear to prepare for our Saturday ceremony and reception!
Saturday was Courtney and Chad Trietsch special day! Courtney and Chads ceremony and reception was absolutely beautiful! Paula Hill with Designing Spaces was the decorator and did a wonderful job on the arrangements! The wedding was very summery using pinks, oranges, and greens everywhere! The ceremony took place on our terrace. Courtney had a wonderful idea to provide water bottles for everyone to survive this awful heat! The bottles each were given with the cutest koozie which had the couples name on it as well as the date. On one side, the koozie read "to have and to hold and to keep your drink cold". Now how cute is that?! One of the bridesmaids sang Carrie Underwoods "Mama's Song". She was amazing! Monarch catered the event with a live carving station and all sorts of heavy hors d'oeuvres. The wedding was an absolute blast! The DJ, Chris Widener, kept everyone on their feet and played some great songs. At one point in the night, Courtney led a conga line throughout the entire ballroom! Benny Daniel made both the brides and grooms cakes. DeeAdra with photo[e]motion was the photographer. She has posted a ton of great pictures from the wedding on her facebook page! It was a great night, however, now Stephanie and I really had to focus and concentrate on our round 3 ceremony and reception on Sunday.
Marlene and Chad held their ceremony and reception with us. It was such a sweet wedding! Being concerned for the well being of their guests, Chad and Marlene kept the ceremony inside and was taken place on the dance floor. It turned out beautifully. Monarch provided an ice cream bar which was so much fun for everyone! Each person had the choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. There were topping galore set out! There were sprinkles and candy bars everywhere! You name it, it was there. The family made the brides cake. Rather than cake for the groom, he requested cobbler! (which was also made by the family) I helped to serve the cobbler while Stephanie and Kelly helped to serve the cake. The cobbler smelled amazing. It took every ounce of my being to hold back and not eat it. I can still imagine the smell. As the night wound down, the couple ended their reception with their first dance out on the terrace with just the two of them. I am a sucker for romantic stuff, and let me tell you, my heart melted a little. It was so sweet and romantic! The wedding was so great.
We want to congratulate each of our amazing couples! It was such a blessing to be a part of each of your special moments!

On Friday June 2nd, and Saturday June 3rd, we had the pleasure of hosting Lauren and Brady Penartz dinner reshearsal and wedding reception. These two were so sweet and so fun to work with. On Friday night, the dinner rehearsal was held on our Terrace. Although it was scortching hot that afternoon, the night turned out to be very nice. The tables were topped with beautiful yellow and white roses with daisies and other beautiful flowers. Candles were definitely not lacking for this evening. The setup was absolutely beautiful! Monarch catered the dinner as well as the reception. For the rehearsal dinner, they prepared chicken parmisan and a cajun salmon pasta with tiramisu for dessert. The food was loved by all! At the end of their meal, the couple played a slideshow as everyone gathered around to watch. Lauren and Brady (being the sweet couple they are) brought gifts for everyone who was involved in their wedding and who had an impact on their lives. Each gift was given with a speech. Some speeches made me tear up a bit. The night was perfect!
The next day began their big day! Lauren and Brady had a daytime reception begining at 3:00pm. Kelly Bretschneider did an amazing job decorating for the rehearsal as well as the reception. Each seperate table had a different arrangement of antique pieces. It was such a unique wedding. Rather than a guest book, a long time friend painted a wonderful tree for each guest to put their thumbprint on and sign. Lauren and Brady told everyone that this would be their new artwork for their home. I absolutely adored how unique her ideas were. Monarch provided sliders, shrimp, fruit, a chip station, and sushi. The cakes were provided by Aunt Glendas and David Molina. The wedding was so much fun for everyone! Lauren created a playlist on her ipod for everyone to enjoy. Everything turned out wonderfully! The two changed and were waved off to enjoy their new life together as husband and wife. Congratulations Lauren and Brady! We wish you all the best for your future!