Engagement season is underway and we are loving all of your romantic proposals and engagement rings on our social media! But what comes after the champagne toasts and congratulations? Wedding planning, of course! It’s easy, right? Wedding planning with a full-time job and chores and errands…ok maybe it’s a big ask. That’s why we’re here to help! Here are some things to think about while planning your unique wedding:

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Love is in the air from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day! Did you know that December is the most popular month to get engaged? It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise: the glamour of the holidays and coziness of the impending cold weather inevitably bring people together. Getting engaged in December means that you can start your new year off in engagement bliss and focus your New Year’s resolutions on wedding planning!

According to WeddingWire, 6 of the 10 most popular dates to get engaged occur in December. This has a lot to do with extensive time off for the holidays. The most popular engagement dates include: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years’ Day, and Valentine’s Day.

During the holidays, you want to make full use of your holiday time off to enjoy. Most couples that get engaged in December use the time to celebrate the big news with their families. Those that can’t wait might use these extra days off as an opportunity to get ahead of the planning process and all it entails: finding a wedding planner, scouting out venues, and starting to think about the all-important food that will be served on the big day.

The average couple hires about a dozen different vendors to help with their wedding day: the cake, photographer, flowers, and so on. With so many options and limited time to kick it all off without a hitch, many default to vendors who are upfront with need-to-know information and who are great with communication.

Here are the top 5 biggest planning challenges:

• Determining budget and guest size
• Making decisions
• Keeping track of expenses
• Knowing you’re on the right track
• Finding vendors

At Catering by Michaels, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring together many different aspects of the wedding planning process. Working as your caterer, we connect with many other wedding vendors to create a beautiful event: your photographer, the venue, designers, and so on.

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In the case of Chris and Daniella, it was their professional involvements that brought them together. After quitting her job at a rival company, Daniella became a client of Chris’, and a networking event turned into love at first sight. From there, they became coworkers, friends, and the rest is history. 

Since both Chris and Daniella have connections in the hospitality industry, they were extremely easy to work with, and had an intimate knowledge of the wedding planning process. This helped make the process so much more fun! We worked closely to find the perfect venue to fit the romantic, city vibe they were looking for, and eventually settled on Harold Washington Library.

To complement the urban feel of their wedding, they wanted to serve a menu that was delicious, fun, and a bit different than what guests might expect. Since the couple love Gene & Jude’s hotdogs, we brought them in for a surprise late night snack, which was a huge hit! And if one Chicago favorite wasn’t enough, Chris & Daniella followed the theme of their wedding through to the guest favors and included Garrett’s popcorn (yum!). Needless to say, the wedding was a Chicago foodie’s dream and we had a blast putting it all together!

Photographer Jill Tiongco matched the vibe of the wedding seamlessly and captured these magical images of the day:

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We love working with event planners, and recently had the opportunity to chat with Nisar Naimi from Events by Nisar. If you’re about to plan an event, his insights may be especially timely!

How did your career in events begin?

​It started off as a part-time job to make extra cash on the weekends during my undergrad years at Loyola University. I used to work for a non-profit community organization, and my boss at the time introduced me to his friend who was an event planner. I worked with her throughout my college years, then went full-time with event planning once I graduated.​

Why do you love working in the events industry?

​I love that it’s a new experience every day! I get bored very easily, so I love the creative and personal interactions that allow me to have a new and exciting experience every day. More than anything, I love all of the relationships I am able to build and foster.​

What are current trends you love?

​Simple is more.

• I love the mixing of metals (golds, rose golds, silvers).
• Lighter, softer tones in decor have also recently become very popular.
• The rustic theme is very big at the moment.

Couples are now so much more open to being creative with their menu selections, especially in terms of live action stations, exotic ingredients, and presentation. It seems that recently, food has definitely taken precedent over decor and other event items. ​

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Food tastings are probably the most fun and delicious part of wedding planning. However, there’s more work involved than you may initially think. We want to make sure that you walk away from the wedding tasting not only full, but feeling confident and excited about your custom menu.

Here are the top 10 things to know before your wedding tasting.

Be open-minded.

Be willing to think outside the box. There’s a good chance that almost everyone has had a Caesar salad at a wedding before, so guests will be more excited by something unexpected. Don’t be afraid to try something new. If you like what you taste, then it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser on your big day.

Consider the timeline.

Though your designer will guide you with timeline items, it’s helpful to have a general idea of flow during your big day. For example, consider where you will be during cocktail hour. If you’re not there, be sure to have some hors d’oeuvres set aside so you don’t get hungry.

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