Wedding Planning in Omaha – August 2022

Before diving into wedding and marriage talk, let’s remind ourselves why we’re here in the first place: love. To do this, I’d like to share a quote by Esther Perel.

“Love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life: time. Marriage is not the end of romance, it is the beginning.”

Planning a wedding is such an exciting time, especially as you do it with that special person who has captured your heart and wants to do forever with you, and you with them. Our hope for any couple planning a wedding is that it is an enjoyable process.

Many would call this time of year “wedding season”, a statement that is backed by a quick Google search that produces an average answer of late spring to early fall being the most popular time to have a wedding. However, some may be wondering…does wedding season ever really end? There may be a slow period during the colder months where wedding celebrations aren’t taking place, but if you look behind the scenes, there are many brides, grooms, parents, and other family members; wedding party members; and more who are spending their hours past 5 p.m. or on the weekends going to tastings, trying on dresses or suits, touring venues, or trying to decide if the DIY route is really worth it.

When I’m not at my desk working on editorial with the awesome Strictly Business team, I’m probably browsing Pinterest and looking for ways to DIY as much as I can for my very own upcoming wedding (yep, I’m definitely one of those brides!). Not everything can be done on your own, though – and it’s so relieving knowing that Omaha has so many wonderful and talented professionals right around the corner that are ready to help you make you and your partner’s dream day become a reality. Here are some of the Strictly Business team’s recommended vendors!

Planning Professionals

Wouldn’t a one-stop-shop event planning company make planning for a wedding so much easier? Luckily, you can find just that in LimeLight Expressions (limelightexpressions.com). Their goal is to make the entire process stress-free – not only for the client, but also for their family and friends. From start to finish, they will handle all your event needs and every detail so that everyone can truly relax and enjoy the event to the fullest. The family-owned and operated business has been offering their services to the area since 2007 and has received over 22 awards in the event planning industry. Their business model is unique because they prioritize building relationships with their clients and establishing trust through consistent communication.

“Our customer service truly enhances the wedding experience,” shared Kimmylea Konsel-Taylor, owner and designer. “We are alongside our client every step of the way to ensure everything goes smoothly. Our planning professionals can be reached at any time if questions arise during the process. Additional face-to-face meetings can be arranged to make the client feel more comfortable. We also have a creative design team that can take our client’s vision and ideas to a new level, so the event is originally and uniquely theirs from beginning to end.”

Kimmylea encourages soon-to-be-married couples to establish a budget ahead of time and schedule a consultation with a professional planner early in the process. A budget sets realistic goals on where your vision can take you, and the planner will advise how to get the most out of every dollar. Whether it’s modest or elaborate, an established budget and professional plan can assist in prioritizing event items.

“Your wedding should be a reflection of you and your spouse, as well as your vision, rather than of the planner!” Kimmylea said. “A professional planner will keep this in mind while assisting the bride and groom in the creation, vision, and design of their wedding day. An experienced planner creates a stress-free process from the first meeting, to the ceremony, and throughout the reception. As the wedding approaches, keep in mind there are things that cannot be controlled, but a good planner will already have thought of these things and have a backup plan in place. Wedding planners are there to help things go smoothly, put out any fires prior to you even knowing about them, or shift gears in a new direction to make the day unforgettable.”

Wedding Wellness

EVEN Hotels – Omaha Downtown (ihg.com/evenhotels) is where travel and balance meet for a healthy relationship, no matter where you go. They’re a fabulous choice of stay for your guests and wedding party members to help them maintain their wellness routine amidst all of the craziness that can come with a wedding weekend.

“Our hotel is all about wellness,” said Paige Hadan, corporate director of sales & revenue at Anant Operations Inc., which oversees EVEN Hotels in Omaha. “We have fitness equipment in every guest room so no one will feel like they have to get out of their fitness routine, even during the hustle and bustle of a wedding. You can also count on us for a wide variety of great tasting, good-for-you foods that are freshly prepared and fully customizable. Whether you’re focused on heart healthy or gluten-free noshes, simple and natural choices can be found at Cork & Kale™ Market and Bar in the hotel.”

EVEN Hotels in Omaha is located at 2220 Farnam St., just a few blocks away from The Old Market historic district, making it a convenient choice of lodging for downtown venues or guests who are looking to venture out of their rooms in their free time.

“We have a lot of very flexible meeting spaces for all sizes of events, as well as suites that can be utilized for smaller groups or gatherings,” Paige explained. “EVEN Hotels understands the convenience that comes with having everything in one location – especially for your out-of-town guests – and that’s why we are happy to work with you to plan and coordinate your events within the hotel.”

If you are hitting the gym in preparation for your big day, get a boost from Any Body Supplements Omaha (anybodysupplements.com). The supplement and vitamin shoppe offers protein, pre-workouts, muscle growth, recovery, weight loss, pre/postnatal, and many more different types of supplements. Interested in checking out what they have to offer, but new to the world of supplements and/or working out? That’s no problem – the team at Any Body Supplements is here to help anybody with any body. From beginners to professional athletes, and those who want to lose some weight, those who want to maintain, or those who want to gain some muscle, Any Body Supplements has something for you. With all of the factors that go into planning your wedding, a little extra help in some areas is always appreciated – and Any Body Supplements can supply that help for you!

Document All the Fun!

Photo booths are a fun addition to any event, but especially a wedding. They encourage guests to have fun with their photos and also create a social spot that complements the other activities at the bar and the dance floor. We highly recommend FotoFunSpot (fotofunspot.com) as your photo booth vendor for your upcoming wedding. FotoFunSpot will assemble a photo booth experience that your guests will remember for years, and they can work with any size of wedding. FotoFunSpot offers a variety of different photo booth options, including a Mirror Booth; OMAHA360booth; Roaming Photo Booth; and their latest addition, Fonetastic, an audio guest book! The best part? They offer a print for every single person in the photo, for every photo. To print photos, FotoFunSpot selected from the fastest photo quality printers available. Their fast printers mean that your guests will get their own copy within seconds of taking the pictures. FotoFunSpot also provides a variety of backdrops to match the theme of your wedding, in addition to templates for photo strips, 4×6 horizontal, 4×6 vertical, and square photos.

“Imagine having just completed the most epic poses with friends you haven’t seen for a decade, and your photo booth attendant hands the six of you two little blurry photo strips to share,” said Mitch Miller, owner. “That will never be FotoFunSpot! Every person in the picture is entitled to their very own copy – even the babies. As long as people keep taking pictures, we will keep on making prints for each person in it.

“Another unique quality of FotoFunSpot is our Memory Book offering,” added Mitch. “This includes the photos that guests took at the photo booth, as well as a special note they choose to write. We provide the album and all the supplies to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake. Our attendants will place each picture into the guestbook and ask your guests to leave a greeting for you. At the end of the night, you will have a completed book with warm greetings ready to take on your honeymoon.”

Slow Down for Self-Care

It’s no secret that wedding planning can be stressful. When your body takes on too much stress, you will start to experience sleeping problems, fatigue, body aches and headaches, upset stomach, and more. This is why it’s so important to make sure that you’re taking the time to unwind before the weight of the stress collapses on you. We recommend visiting Harmony Med Spa (harmonymedspa.net) for all of your self-care needs.

“Harmony Med Spa is here to help you on the journey to your best self, and especially for one of the most important days of your life,” shared Co-owner Heidi O’Connell. “We offer so many services to help a bride or groom feel their best, from botox, facials, and waxing to IV hydrations, laser treatments (hair removal, IPL, tattoo removal, and skin resurfacing), and body sculpting. Brides and grooms spend so much time and energy planning for their big day that we really want to encourage them to make sure they are taking the time to care for their bodies so that they feel good, too.”

Whether you need that extra boost of energy, are looking to get a refreshing facial, or are interested in getting some help to really see results in the area you’re targeting in the gym, Harmony Med Spa can help. Everyone’s version of self-care and method of decompressing look different; that’s why Harmony Med Spa offers a variety of services to help all members of the wedding party feel like their best self.

“We want the bride, groom, bridesmaid or groomsman, mother of the bride, and any other member of a wedding party to feel like their best self from the inside out for this life changing day,” concluded Heidi. “It’s just amazing to watch a bride or groom glowing with amazing skin that gives them extra confidence on their big day and will be preserved in pictures for the rest of their lives!”

For Intimate Gatherings

Small weddings have continued to trend, so if this is something you are planning for when it comes to your own wedding, be sure to check out The Wedding Barn (www.weddingbarn402.com). It’s a new venue located just north of Palmyra – less than an hour away from Omaha – that is ideal for intimate gatherings of up to 80 people. Owner Kelly Jensen explained that The Wedding Barn is ideal for more than just a space for a wedding reception.

“The Wedding Barn is great for the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception, keeping everything in one convenient location,” Kelly shared. “Plus, we offer a package that comes with limousine transportation for the wedding party, as well as on-site photography. Even if you are planning for a smaller wedding, it still requires a lot of important details that can make the process stressful. We have created this wedding package, as well as two-day and weekday rental options, to help minimize the stress.”

The Wedding Barn is now accepting 2023 bookings for April 1 – August 31. Located just off the highway, you can enjoy a rustic, rural atmosphere without worrying about traveling on gravel roads. Reach out to Kelly and his team today to learn more about how The Wedding Barn can help you make your dream wedding a reality.

Sweet Satisfaction

While many brides and grooms choose traditional, layered wedding cakes decked out in flowers or other decorations for their receptions, others choose trendy cupcakes, decadent brownies, or even cheesecakes for their celebrations. Any way you choose to go, The Omaha Bakery (theomahabakery.com) can make it special. Their reputation, experience, and techniques enable them to create the perfect wedding-cake design that makes a statement about your personality and sense of style or fun. They specialize in the latest techniques in cake creations, including rolled fondant, which gives you the smooth porcelain-like finish that is so popular today. Of course, you’ll probably want to do a lot of tasting to make sure the flavor is just right, too!

Because The Omaha Bakery is a specialty bakery, they can also duplicate any cake you might see in a magazine or at another function and then customize it for you. You may choose a sophisticated elegant look or show your playfulness and sense of humor with a more whimsical style. It should also fit well with your wedding location, decorations, and the ambiance you are creating for your reception. One thing you can definitely bet on is that when you see the finished product, it will reflect you and your good taste. Have fun and let your imagination run wild!

Are wedding bells in your future? These awesome professionals can hear them! Reach out to them today to take advantage of their wonderful services and outstanding knowledge of all that comes with wedding planning.