October 13, 2018

From Stephani… I first met with Sam and her mom Denise on one of their trips up from California. Sam has such an easy going personality and her mom knows her stuff when it comes to putting on events, so they were building a vendor team that was nothing short of amazing. Nate, self-admittedly, was along for the planning ride, but it was clear all he wanted was to ensure that his bride had the day of her dreams!  I was ecstatic to be asked to join the team! Reminiscing about this wedding brings so many smiles and happy memories. Jake from Sweetlife Photography did an incredible job capturing the day from beginning to end exquisitely.

Sam had a beautiful vision of whites, blues, and greens that translated into an elegant blend of garden and urban elements. Leftbank Annex was the ideal setting for the couple. The ceremony took place in the great room in front of a stunning arch by Blum Floral Design accented by perfect personal flowers for the wedding party.

The best member of the wedding party... Chloe! How adorable is she?

We then transformed the space for guests to enjoy the reception. Blum also composed beautiful centerpieces that incorporated those whites and greens with accents of blue tones.

Art of Catering developed a delicious menu that kept guests full from hors d’oeuvres through dinner and ended with delicious late night snacks. And their stunning cakes was designed by Dream Cakes.

Event Team Entertainment kept the party going till the very end!  The dance floor was packed the entire night. I will admit I loved this couple so much and their crew was so amazing that they convinced me to join the dance party for a song or two!!

XO,

Stephani

Vendor Team

Coordination: Whitney Werts and Co

Venue: Leftbank Annex

Photo: Sweetlife Photography

Catering: Art of Catering

Cake: Dream Cakes

Floral: Blum Floral Design

DJ & Photobooth: Event Team Entertainment

Rentals: Bridgewood Events

HAMU: Brittany Blanchard Makeup Artist

July 7th, 2018

From Whitney… 
This wedding is a very special wedding to me because I got to work with Taylor and her family for nearly two years planning and designing this day at Kestrel Park in Santa Ynez, and along the way they became very dear friends of mine!  Taylor and Collin’s wedding at Kestrel Park was a show stopper not only because of all of the thought and personal touches that went into the design and the one-of-a-kind European setting at Kestrel Park amongst the Santa Ynez Valley, but their strong love for each other and the JOY their families had for their union was felt throughout the entire day.

We are honored that this wedding was just recently featured on California Wedding Standard!

Here is their beautiful wedding Film by Roman Howell Films to Kick things off! And don’t miss words below from the bride, Taylor, including sharing their wonderful love story since Junior High!

Now from the bride Taylor on their love story, inspiration, and favorite details and memories of the day!

Our love story started in junior high (2006), when we were introduced by a mutual friend. My friend, and her boyfriend at the time, brought me along with them to Collin's house. Collin thought it was a great idea to play a game of 2-on-2 soccer in his backyard with two club soccer players. Collin and I are very competitive, so of course neither of us wanted to lose. Collin said he was first impressed by my athleticism and competitive nature, and I enjoyed his attempts at flirting. Little did we know that our love story would begin after an innocent game of soccer. The rest of that summer we hung out after school almost every day. We even had our first kiss while playing hide-and-seek. Collin said he wanted to "hide" with me and he snuck a kiss while the other team was looking for us. He does admit that the kiss wasn't very good (I had never kissed a boy before). When Collin went to high school the next year, he thought it wasn't cool to be dating a junior high schooler, especially after his Geometry teacher and my family's friend announced to the whole class that he was "seeing" a junior high school girl. He was so embarrassed in front of cute, upperclass girls so we didn't see each other again until after I arrived at St. Joseph High School the next year. It wasn't until my junior year and Collin's senior year (2010) that we found our way back into each other's lives. I remember Collin asked me to be his girlfriend in my friend's jacuzzi one night. He was so nervous, but finally mustered up enough courage to ask me. Then it came time for Collin to go off to college at Pepperdine University in Malibu, while I finished up my senior year of high school. We made our "long-distance" relationship work for about 5 months, until we decided it was time go our separate ways so we could both have the college experience. The following year, I ended up going to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, only 30 minutes away from Pepperdine University. We would hang out during the summer, but for the most part, we thought it was best to enjoy college life separately. I was so busy playing for the D3 Women's Soccer Team, and Collin started a fraternity with a group of friends. We dated other people, but those relationships were always missing something. I'll never forget how often I thought about Collin when I was studying abroad in Australia. There's something about being on the other side of the world that makes you appreciate what you have back home. And it's almost as if he sensed I was missing him, because I received a Facebook message from him one morning asking how my time in Australia was. After almost 3 years apart, we decided we didn't want to spend another minute without each other, and have been together since 2013. We've been in each other's lives for almost 10 years. 

 OVERALL INSPRIATION

Collin and I wanted to make our day all about our long-standing romance, so we decided the theme of our wedding would be romantic elegance. 

 FAVORITE DETAILS

Collin and I were really excited to include some family heirlooms for our day, including my grandfather's (John "Jay" Will) 1958 Mercedes and my grandparent's (John "Jay" and Anne Will) loving cup. My grandma and grandpa received the loving cup on their wedding day as a gift. Now, every couple that gets married on my dad's side of the family, starting with my grandparents, has included the loving cup in their day. My grandma has engraved each couple's names on the side of the cup. The couple is supposed to drink champagne from it at the same time (it has a cup on each end) to celebrate and commemorate their union. My jewelry was also very important to me. For my 21st birthday, Collin's dad (Patrick Cusack) gave me Collin's mom's (Janice Cusack) tennis bracelet. She passed away in 2011, and I wanted nothing more than to have a piece of her with me on our wedding day. Also, for my bridal shower, my mom (Karen Will) gave me her grandmother's and my great grandmother's wedding ring and band. I never got to meet her but my mom tells me what an extraordinary woman she was. 

FAVORITE MEMORIES

Collin and my vows were easily one of our favorite parts of the day. There is nothing more special than looking into your partner's eyes on your wedding day and telling them how much they mean to you. Another important moment that comes to mind was Collin reading his mom's letter that she wrote him a couple weeks before she passed away. We wanted Collin to hear his mom's words and feel her presence on our day. She wrote him a beautiful letter about marriage, her hopes and dreams for him, and her wish for him to keep the Lord close to him always. Another moment that comes to mind is my cousin (Abigail Maguire) reading a bible verse that was important to Collin's mom. The night she died, Collin had a dream about a bible verse. He woke up the next morning and decided to look it up in his mom's bible. When he turned to the page, he noticed that his mom had highlighted that particular verse (Colossians 1:9-12) and wrote next to it "pray for our kids". She has never stopped praying for us, and she always hoped that we would remain close to the Lord. Lastly, my dad read me, my mom, and my sister a letter about a sixpence coin in your shoe for your wedding day. The letter was about the significance and the traditions behind it. My dad found a penny from 1993, the year I was born, and put it in my shoe right before I walked down the aisle to bring me and our marriage good luck. It was a sentimental moment for all of us.

 ABOUT THEIR VENDOR TEAM!

First of all, Whitney Werts, owner and lead designer of Whitney Werts & Company, was amazing. Whitney is so organized and on-top-of everything that she made the process easy for my mom, Collin, and I. I was also impressed with her diligence in ensuring our vision was carried out from start to finish. She took so much time talking to us about all the details we envisioned for our day, and took great care in helping us choose vendors that would do the same. Secondly, Emma Hopp, owner of Emma Hopp Photography, was one of our favorite vendors. We chose Emma as our photographer because she captures the raw, emotional moments that you never want to forget, and let's you have fun and enjoy your wedding day without all of the posing. Our wedding photos turned out so beautiful! Thirdly, Scott and Claudia Matthews, the owners of Kestrel Park. Scott and Claudia are two of the nicest people to work with. Not only is their property absolutely gorgeous and so well-kept, they were willing to go the extra mile to help make our day so special. 

Fourthly, Field to Table Catering and Events, owned and operated by Tracy Labastida. Not only did Tracy and his team customize our menu to reflect our vision and taste, but they also provided an amazing food tasting experience prior to our wedding. Collin and I couldn't be happier about how our food turned out. Tracy and his team cooked all of our favorite things to perfection. Our guests can't stop raving about how good it was. Last but not least, Roman Howell, owner of Roman Howell Films. Roman does impeccable work. He wants to know everything from beginning to end, to ensure that he captures your whole love story. You can tell that he truly loves what he does and wants his clients to feel the magic of their day. Our wedding film is one-of-a-kind, and we are so grateful we chose him to capture our day. 

HER ADVICE

Hire a wedding planner! Our day would not have gone as smoothly as it did without Whitney and her team. Do your research! Spend a lot of time looking at different vendors and choose the ones you know will see your vision through. Also, don't stress! Your wedding day will go by in a flash so make sure to take in all of those special moments. There will be mishaps and mistakes made, but don't let those things ruin your day. 

XO,
Whitney

Our Amazing Vendors!!

Planning: Whitney Werts & Company
Photography: Emma Hopp Photography
Floral: Anna Le Pley Taylor
Venue: Kestrel Park
Food: Field to Table Events
Videography: Roma Howell Films
Dress: Jinza Bridal
Tux: The Black Tux
Decor: The Tent Merchant and Theoni Collection
Desserts: Crush Cakes
Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rentals
Calligraphy: Sophia Loves Letters
Invitations: Honey Paper
Transportation: Jump on the School Bus
Hair and Makeup: The Queens Bees
Bridesmaids Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids

We are honored to be featured in the Best of 2018 Oregon Bride Magazine.  There is nothing more rewarding then having your work featured in such a highly regarded publication.  We put so much love and thought into our weddings, and I just can't imagine anything better then seeing them in print.  Thank you Oregon Bride!

Will and Rachelle came to me with a pretty clear vision of how they wanted their wedding to look and feel.  They knew they wanted the day to have a bit of a moody vibe with rich hues of oranges, reds, and black.  We then added in hints of blush, and cement to add some softness.  The result?!  Such a refreshing and gorgeous design that was a true reflection of their style and personalities.

Swoon Floral Design did an incredible job on their florals and really brought their color pallet to life.  We did a mix of oval cement containers on the banquet tables and cement urns on the rounds.  She also incorporated black pillar candles into the head table, and a mix of amber votives which helped bring bring color interest throughout the tablescape.

Classic Vintage Rentals provided the farm tables, lounge furniture, and moody black flatware!  And we ordered Charcoal Grey Velvet table linens and runners for their dining tables.

A fun design detail we incorporated was using black acrylic for their signage and their table numbers.  Their escort board in particular was a huge self standing black acrylic board designed be See Level Design Co. with white vinyl, that made a statement and helped guests find their table assignments during cocktail hour!  

Food was an important component to them as well.  Chefstable served a beautiful dinner which was a mix of plated and family style dining.  They had finger desserts to accompany their wedding cake, and they also surprised their guests with Chicken & Waffles as a late night snack- Yum!  Their cement styled wedding cake was created by the talented Dream Cakes!

Their group was on the smaller side for the lofty open space at Castaway, so in order to make the reception feel cozier we draped off the ceremony corner with a beautiful grey velvet fabric which created a really warm and cozy ambiance for their intimate group of 90 guests.  The newlyweds and their family and friends danced the night away under the twinkle lights at castaway!  It was a very memorable night, and definitely a highlight of my 2017 season!

XO,
Whitney

Vendor Team

Photographer: Bryan Rupp Photography

Planning + Design: Whitney Werts & Company

Florist: Swoon Floral Design

Venue: Castawy Portland

Signage: See Level Design Co.

Bridal Gown: Adrianna Papell

Cake: Dream Cakes

Caterer: Chefstable

Event Rentals: West Coast Event Production, Classic Vintage Rentals, and La Tavola Fine Linen Rentals

Hair and Makeup: Portland Makeup and Hair

Music + Entertainment: John Ross Music and Production

We are so excited to introduce to you our new name and new look!  When I started Whitney Werts Events in 2012, I was young, driven, and with big dreams to establish a company that would fulfill my passion for the details and personalization that goes into the coordination of each event.  These past 5 years have been extremely rewarding-- filled with lots of exciting firsts, new opportunities, friends, challenges, lessons, incredible and inspiring clients, and of course growth!  I have put countless hours and heart into this business and it has evolved into a company that I am really proud of.

Going through the rebranding process enabled me to do some sole searching and not only reflect on how far we have come, but also what we have envisioned for the future.  While our look and our experiences have grown, our foundation and priorities still remain the same.  We are a boutique planning company, each of us take on a limited amount of events a year, and having a personal working relationships with our clients always will be our priority!  Getting to know our clients not only enables us to be the best planners we can be for our clients, but it also is what gives us the satisfaction and fulfillment in what we do.  Getting connected with our clients and seeing them live out their dream wedding day with their family and friends will never get old!

The Name - Whitney Werts & Company!
Not only have we matured as a company in these past 5 years, but our team has also grown!  I am so proud and blessed to have these talented, strong, ambitious women by my side.  This new name represents our growing team; it is not just a solo endeavor anymore, and I could not do it without these ladies by my side.  

The Look – Thanks to See Level Design Co.!
Our new look, reflects the maturity and years of experience we bring to the table.  With our vast knowledge of the ins and outs of what makes an event successful, and our extensive vendor relationships, we deliver personal, sophisticated, and timeless one-of-a-kind events for each of our clients.  And a big shout out and thank you to my friend Kelly of See Level Design Co. who brought our new look to life!

Introducing our Blog!
Stay tuned to get to know us more on our blog and see what we are up to.   We are excited to be able to share more real weddings & their stories with you as well as valuable tips and professional guidance that may help you through your own planning process!

Xo,
Whitney Perry, Owner & Lead Designer

Inspiration board photo sources from top to bottom, left to right:
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

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