Any brides out there that love Flagstaff and have thought about having a winter wedding in Northern Arizona but still have doubts and questions?
Don’t rule out a Northern Arizona Wedding in the winter. Imagine photos with the snow Cap Mountains as a back drop or even a snow covered ground with the mountains behind to set the scene for your beautiful special day!
We can help you plan a simple affordable and even last minute wedding for the 2011-2012 winter seasons. You can have a Grand Canyon or Flagstaff Wedding for a fraction of the cost when choosing a date that is not during high season. Don’t forget a Sedona Destination Wedding this winter. The weather is perfect and mild during the winter months
At Peak Events we are here as your Northern Arizona Wedding Consultants to connect you with the vendors offering amazing deals for winter weddings. There are some beautiful ceremony and reception sites lodge or formal style that would love to host you this season for your special day.
Whether you live in Northern Arizona or just love it as a location for a destination wedding, contact us today to discuss some of the options available. There are some beautiful places to choose from. You can keep it small and quaint with a small guest list or have a large celebration.
Voted Best in Flagstaff the last two years in a row, Peak Events specializes in working with each individual to create your best day ever!
Photos provided by Cameron Kelly Studios
“Oktoberfest war ein Hit!”
In case you don’t speak or read German… the title means Oktoberfest was a hit! I really hope that you all got to experience such a fun day, but in case you didn’t here is what you have to look forward to…
Last year was my first experience with Flagstaff Oktoberfest and I was stationed at the Volunteer Check-in. I think sitting on the sidelines like that really benefited me for running in this year because then I was able to take in all the areas of the event and see, from an attendee’s perspective, what worked and what didn’t.
This year was whole different ballgame. I was off the sidelines and on the field! I really got a taste of what it is to put on citywide event in Flagstaff. Just as any event does, you have to start with the cold-calls and sponsors. I have done this in Scottsdale before and well, lets just say that Flagstaff people are a lot “friendlier” when it comes to asking for sponsors and donations! It was nice to get to talk with community businesses and promote Oktoberfest along the way. It was also really fun doing the city walk and getting to figure out which ways we could save money and planning the layout, and flow, of the event.
Some plenty of phone calls and emails later came the day of the event. All of our planning and strategizing was ready to be put into action! Since I couldn’t sleep (literally felt like Christmas morning) I arrived at the event site at 7am. From there it was set up, directing vendors in, keeping people out and overall making sure things were running smoothly. Jen, Debbi and I all sort of have a way of keeping each other on some sane-normal level. (Something that is very important with your event staff team!) The whole event was a blast, from set up to take down. It was great seeing so any of my NAU peers there and having a blast with their beer games! I hope that next year there are even more NAU students there and an even bigger attendance!
There were vendors, awesome food (that kept you craving all day even if you were full), delicious beer (so I heard), great music to bop to and a lot of fun games, prizes and people watching! If you like a lot of fun on a beautiful Saturday then this is the event to clear your calendar for! Hope to see you next year at Oktoberfest!
Belle
Are you one of those brides that wants a special wedding but are feeling financially challenged? Luckily, you are not the only one. It is possible for you to celebrate your special day without having to make your own dress and have the reception at your Grandma’s home.
The good news is that weddings have changed over the years. The current trend is creating a wedding that is perfect for you. This means one that fits YOUR budget.
The average budget for a bride in America is around 25,000. That sounds like a lot. You can do it for a lot less. There are 15 basic categories to think about when planning a wedding.
When determining your budget, don’t forget to add enough to include tax and tips.
Take a look at these categories and start thinking about your priorities:
1. Ceremony
2. Reception
3. Photography
4. Videography
5. Stationary
6. Wedding Attire
7. Music
8. Bakery
9. Flowers
10. Decorations
11. Transportation
12. Rental Items
13. Gifts
14. Parties
15. Miscellaneous ( Marriage license, Gown preservation, Wedding Consulting)
Peak Events is working hard to get you the best prices on vendors and offering you creative solutions for cutting costs. This month we are focusing on the first two categories that are crucial in planning your perfect Wedding day. Let’s face it, the actual site where you get married is up there on the list for important features when setting the stage for that perfect day.
Typically, a large part of your budget will go to the reception site and food. This can be close to 40% of the Wedding cost compared to the ceremony which should be around 5%.
Do you want an outdoor wedding? Why not choose a location where you can have your ceremony and reception at the same place? This will save money, time and energy. The best part is your out of town guests do not have to drive across the city. Worried about inclement weather? Choose a location that offers a back up indoor or covered spot for your piece of mind. There are several places in and around Flagstaff that offer affordable sites for $1500 or less. This does not include food. You can decorate yourself and even bring your own caterer. Don’t be scared away by a location that has simple décor. There are affordable tricks for dressing up a place. Do your guests really care about the granite princess sculpture in the front of some lobby you are paying a premium for? The point is that the day and location should reflect who YOU are. Peak Events will continue to cover and work with local vendors offering the best deals. Feel free to contact us to learn more.
Sally
Welcome Everyone! I am thrilled to be part of the Peak Events team here in Northern Arizona. I love living and working here. My journey as an event planner began in 1978 when I coordinated ski vacations for teenagers. My intention at the time was purely selfish. I thought my family was the only one in my town that did not know how to ski. If I coordinated and planned the trips for 25 people or more, I would ski and vacation for free. The most important thing for me was that I learned how to ski.
I loved the planning and organizing aspect of the trips. I loved making the flyers, securing the dates, travel, meals, accommodations and ski packages. It never crossed my mind I would be doing this for a living 30 years later.
I went on to college to study Psychology and Early Childhood Education. I still continued working events through graduate school. I worked for three different caterers and especially gravitated towards the tailored events and private parties. I was a DJ for many parties. I organized and led freshman and transfer orientation for the first week of school 3 years in a row. We organized events for up to 1000 students.
After I landed my first teaching job in New York I still continued working events on the weekends through the 1980s. I always loved it. I just never considered doing it full time.
After years of living in New York and Boston, I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1998, I took my first job as a Wedding Coordinator. I was also working as a Youth Education Director during the week since most weddings were on the weekends. After 6 years and 250 weddings later, I moved to Tucson, Arizona when my husband took a new job teaching Business at the University of Arizona.
I worked for the Tucson Botanical Garden coordinating Weddings and other events until we moved to Sedona with my three children in 2009. I continued doing social work mostly on the reservations until recently.
I have finally come to accept the importance of doing what you love. I am dedicating myself full time to planning events and weddings because it is so fun and it is what I love to do. I am also trained to assist in childbirth and hospice. Although I really hope those skills don’t come in handy at my events.
When I am not working, I am spending time with my family, gardening, traveling, dancing, or hiking some of Northern Arizona’s incredible trails.
I look forward to working with you and learning more about your special day and how we can make that a reality. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Sally
sally@peakeventsaz.com
