Five Grain Events

Chicago Event Planners

Cool people I met this week. Volume IV

Happy Sunday, all! Last week I had the great opportunity to visit with three awesome vendors at two locations in Evanston that are RIGHT next door to each other. Pretty convenient!

1) Jeremy Lawson was introduced to me originally by Kelly from Fleur but is also a very popular guy; many of the other vendors I’ve met with over the past few weeks know and love Jeremy and his photography work. We met in his bright and colorful loft that he just moved into a couple weeks ago. Jeremy has a really fun and energetic personality that, judging from his photos, is readily transferred to his clients. I swear, every last one of his couples looked like they were having the time of their lives in the photos!  Joining us on our meeting was Jeremy’s adorable puggle, Charlie, but I was told that Jeremy is trying to teach Charlie to live upstairs during client meetings. I didn’t mind. Below are some of Jeremy’s photos that showcase his talent for bringing out the pure joy and beauty in his clients, but check out his blog for even more.

Jeremy Lawson Photography

Jeremy Lawson Photography

2) When I contacted Jeremy about meeting, he immediately suggested that I see if Lori Roche and Matt Buckman of I Do Films wanted to get together on the same day since they’re right next door. Luckily it worked out and I was able to wander over after my meeting with Jeremy. Lori and Matt were really welcoming and it was a beautiful night so the three of us sat out on their rooftop deck and talked business. I Do‘s story is really quite amazing. Matt began filming weddings of friends and colleagues a couple years ago just for fun. When word got out about his talent, he booked a slew of other events until he realized he couldn’t do all the work required and still maintain his 9-5 job. Lori and Matt officially started I Do just about a year ago–and I believe they said they have over SEVENTY weddings booked for 2010!! And yet, I’m not surprised. Their work is stellar (plus in addition to Hi-Def digital recording they also use Super 8 which give a unique vintage feel) and they are really great, down-to-earth people, so who wouldn’t want to hire them to help capture their day? I’ve included a clip from their blog of a wedding film, so you can see why I Do Films is a total necessity at your wedding!

http://vimeo.com/12786595

Thanks, Jeremy, Matt, and Lori for your hospitality and meeting with me last week.  Can’t wait to connect again!

Emily and Brad, Highland Park, IL

“We hired Joan about 6 months into our 18 month engagement. I had booked the place, the caterer and the priest/rabbi on my own but I started to get overwhelmed with all of the other ‘stuff’. I didn’t know what was a good deal, what questions to ask, what was important to think about etc. In came Joan. I let her know our budget and what I was looking for. She took the reins and narrowed down the hundreds of vendors to just a couple of each. We both went to the meetings and she helped me decipher all the wedding talk. It was great to have someone who knew the business and to ask questions. Since she has done this so many times she really knows what works and what might not. She never forgot about what I wanted for the day. Even if it wasn’t the best idea or the most logical, she never said no. She said would make it work. Which I thought was great.

When it came down to the week of the wedding, I think it would have been a disaster without Joan. She saved us from a horrible set up with the caterer (thanks to her diligent planning and follow up), made sure the photographer was there and had the schedule, supervised the reception set up (we had the ceremony and reception in the same room and had an hour to flip it). She even got our groomsmen to shut their mouths and listen at the rehearsal! She took over at the rehearsal and made sure everyone knew who she was and if anyone had ANY questions, do not ask the bride and groom…ask her. We didn’t have to worry about a thing. One thing I remember was when the DJ announced the bouquet toss. I had NO idea where I left it, I somehow found Joan and within 30 seconds my bouquet was in my hand. I really have no idea where she got it from.

I would hired Joan again in a instant. She was the best money we spent on our wedding. She is the reason we enjoyed and felt relaxed on our wedding day. You can really tell this is her passion and she takes her work seriously. No detail is too small to ask about and plan for. My only complaint is I wish I hired her sooner. I was in way over my head from the beginning!”

Five Grain Events

Well, this is my first official post as a blogger! I am in the process of starting an event planning firm called Five Grain Events, although I’ve been event planning for as long as I can remember. Let’s see if I can catch everyone up as to why I decided to do this…

http://www.applepiepatispate.com/

About Me

Beginning in about jr. high I realized that I was what one would call “organized”. I planned (start to finish–at age 14) a trip for my immediate family and my aunt to St. John in the US Virgin Islands. I think that was about the time that my mom realized I was not following in her slightly scatter-brained footsteps.  The trip went off without a hitch!

During my junior year in college I was recruitment coordinator for my sorority and planned 5 events plus numerous rehearsals in quick succession for the recruitment period, and I was flattered when several people admired the fact that I was able to successfully pull these off without succumbing to major stress like those who had held the position before me.

After college, I took a job at Lyric Opera of Chicago, but knew that I wanted to do more. I sent out my resume to several event coordinators in Chicago in the spring of 2008. I ended up signing on as assistant to Susan Jablonski who runs Pomme Productions and assisted her with several weddings.

During that summer two important things happened: 1) A friend of my boyfriend’s brother was getting married in May of 2009. When she found out I was assisting an event coordinator, she asked if I would be day-of coordinator for her wedding. I gave an enthusiastic yes! 2) My boyfriend became my fiance.  So, I knew the next year would be full of wedding planning and I’d get a chance to see if I really loved it!

Well, they both went FABULOUSLY! I knew it was time to start my own business…just had to come up with a name.

Five Grain Events

This was actually an easy one! The name comes from my married last name which means five grains in Italian. It also has to do with the fact that if you hire me, I can help remove a lot of the stress from the wedding planning process by taking care of some of those pesky details. “We’re good for ya!”.  Ha, ok–that’s not going to be our slogan.

I have 2 weddings scheduled for 2010, one in March and one in October and would love to coordinate a few more. If you or any friends or family are interested in discussing an event further contact me at [joan at fivegrainevents dot com] or [773-359-3106]. I’m looking forward to sharing the process with you as we go!

Emily and Nick, Chicago, IL

“We had the perfect wedding day, and we owe much of that to you.  You did an amazing job and we couldn’t have asked for a better coordinator!  You took all of the stress off of Nick and I, and I know that there are details that you attended to that I don’t even know about!  Really, you hit it out of the park…and I would recommend your services to anyone.  Thanks again for everything!”