Christmas Soiree

Bridal Shower Gift for the Bride

Back in August, I planned a bridal shower for my cousin Katey. For her gift, I decided to make her a scrapbook to commemorate the bridal shower attended by family and friends. In the scrapbook I added her invitation, guest list, gift list, photos from the event including opening presents, I also included the two games that we played during the shower. At the end of the shower, I asked all guests to write their wishes or advice for the bride and groom and included that in the scrapbook along with a photo with them and the bride. I hope that Katey likes the scrapbook. I had so much fun putting it together.

Review from Kelsey and John

Thank goodness we hired Lori Losee! She was a wedding life saver! I am one of those people who thinks they can do anything on their own and so when it came to our wedding I tried to plan it all to save us money and only thought I would need help the day of. I found Lori at the Tacoma wedding expo after going to many and found her to be the most affordable which was most important. During the planning process she made herself very available by phone and e-mail to ease my stresses and the planning meetings were very thorough and helpful. The day of the wedding I felt kind of worn out after all the planning stress, and it was such a breath of relief to have Lori there by our sides reasuring us that everything was going to be ok. It was nice to have someone else ordering people around instead of having to be bridezilla, trust me. Well as hard as I worked and checked every detail I thought I needed to, just about everything ended up having a snafoo in it and Lori somehow was quick and inventive to handle every situation. At the end of the night we had an amazing wedding of great memories that could have been really disastrous. I would highly recommend Lori Losee for wedding coordinating, and more than just the day of service becuase she is awesome!

~Kelsey and John Titus, August 8, 2009

Review from Jim and Cathy

My fiancé, Jim, and I met later in life. We’re both in our mid-fifties, working full time. Planning the wedding at this stage of my life was fun, but very time-consuming. We decided to hire a wedding coordinator for the day of the ceremony and the rehearsal. Having Lori available for email consults, which she graciously provided, really helped me remember all the details I needed to. I mistakenly assumed I would have everything under control. Needless to say, as the wedding got closer I started feeling and acting like a “bridezilla.” Lori’s reassurances that things were under control kept me sane!

The gifts for the groomsmen didn’t arrive until after we had to leave for the hotel. Lori made a special trip from her home in Puyallup up to Seattle to pick up the groomsmen’s gifts and brought them with her to the hotel. Wow!

Once Lori showed up at the hotel, I was able to relinquish the details to her and enjoy a beautiful celebration with my husband-to-be, family, and friends. She coordinated every detail, from overseeing the ballroom decorations to making sure Jim had his preferred choice of soft drink waiting for him at our table. I’m not sure if I could tell you everything she did because she operated so seamlessly! What I do know is that she took care of every detail. The reception ran smoothly and on schedule because Lori seemed to effortlessly make it happen. While we were dancing and enjoying ourselves, Lori and her assistant took some of the white roses used to decorate the reception to our hotel suite and sprinkled rose petals and chocolates on the bed.

Our wedding day was on one of the rare truly hot days we occasionally experience here. Lori made sure we had cool drinks before and after the ceremony. We ladies could remain in the air conditioned hotel room and she made sure we were where we needed to be when we needed to be there. While taking pictures after the ceremony, she not only brought me comfortable shoes she put them on my feet!

Hiring Lori as a wedding day coordinator was the best gift we could have given ourselves!

~Jim & Cathy English, July 25, 2009

Review from Bride and Groom

We decided to hire Lori as our Day-of-Wedding Coordinator a month or two before our wedding, and it is was a great decision! At first we thought we could do everything on our own, especially since our vision seemed simple and we had a lot of friends and family to help. But as the wedding date drew closer, the amount of coordination seemed like it would overwhelm our ability to enjoy the day, and that is when we called Lori.

I felt so much better and less stressed after our very first meeting with Lori. She was organized, on time, and helped me prioritize what needed to be done before our next meeting. I am not someone who has dreamed about her wedding her whole life, so I really appreciated having Lori give me ideas or point out things I might want to consider. She really helped me feel that what needed to be done was manageable and that she would take care of any problems so that Matt and I could enjoy our day.

Lori was at the rehearsal and it was so wonderful to have her there directing everyone. We all had a clear understanding of how the ceremony would go the next day and I was able to enjoy the evening instead of fielding questions. At the ceremony, Lori and her assistant were so wonderful, making sure everything went well. The chairs were set up exactly the way I had hoped, and Lori even made beautiful name tags to hang on the chairs for family.

During the reception, I later found out that Lori helped things run smoothly when the refrigerators stopped working! I never knew until someone told me after the wedding. It just illustrates what a great decision it was to hire Lori. Instead of dealing with mishaps and figuring out who would go get ice, Matt and I were able to completely enjoy our wedding, unaware of any chaos that might be going on. We had a wonderful, wonderful wedding and we are so glad we hired Lori so that we could enjoy and experience our day as much as possible.
Thank you Lori.

~Emily Barlow and Matt Currie
August 23, 2009

Review from Couple

Lori was absolutely fantastic in helping us plan for our wedding. Lori had great insight on how we should plan our wedding given our budget, and was more than willing to meet with us to work things out. The most important thing for us was to have everything run smoothly on the day of the wedding, and Lori was more than organized! Even though we had family and friends that volunteered to help, we wanted to make sure they didn't have to worry about anything, and Lori made that possible. We really don't know how we could have organized everything without Lori. Even if you think you have everything in place and planned, something is bound to go wrong. She was there to put out any fires before we even knew there was a problem. Because of Lori we were able to actually just enjoy the day!

~Sean and Lacey (June 2009)

Testimonial from Bride

I would recommend Lori and Elegant Affairs to anyone! I met Lori at the Tacoma Fall Wedding Expo in 2008. I figured I could do everything myself for my wedding, but about a month out I felt overwhelmed and wanted some guidance and someone to oversee the big day. I met with Lori two times before the rehearsal and she gave me a ton of ideas, I had never even heard of. We went over the perfect way to thank my parents in the toast, wedding songs, where to have people stand in the ceremony and a hundred other things.

When the rehearsal came, I was feeling indecisive and didn’t want to make even more decisions. Lori stepped in and helped me choose when other people wanted to let me choose and I really needed the help of someone who had been there multiple times before. She met with me after the rehearsal and we went over all the stuff I brought for the wedding.

Finally the big day arrived and I was so glad to have Lori there helping me. She brought everything I needed (including last minute golf tees to put in the ground so the groomsmen would know where to stand, and the roses we used down the aisle) and directed all of the festivities: including putting bows on the backs of the chairs for the special guests, handing out all of the checks to the vendors and generally watching over every last detail. My mom especially loved how Lori was able to move people from one place to another without being intrusive at all.

At the end of the night Lori and her assistant Lilly were there handing out my favors to everyone before we left. I had a day of event coordinator with my venue, but I AM SO GLAD we hired Lori to be another day of coordinator. The venue coordinator was great for being in charge of the food and all of that side, but I know I would have been stressed without Lori. I wish I would have contacted her sooner to get even more ideas, but having her as the day of coordinator still made all the difference.

Bottom line, if you, your dad, your fiancé or someone else involved in the wedding is unsure about hiring a wedding planner, just remember this: my dad is one of the most frugal people you will ever meet and he said Lori’s help was worth every penny and then some.

~Rachael Odom-Parsons (July 2009)

Marriage Licence 411

To make sure that your marriage ceremony is legal according to the state of Washington, review your county's rules and regulations regarding obtaining a marriage license. Washington State does not require a blood test. The marriage license is valid in Washington State only. There is a 3-day waiting period and the license is valid for 60 days. Two people are required to witness the marriage ceremony and the officiant cannot serve as a witness

Make sure when going to obtain a marriage license, bring proper form of payment and current photo ID. . Most counties only accept cash, cashier's check or money order, but make sure to check with your county first. Also, both the bride and groom need to be present to obtain a marriage license.


Pierce County- License fee is $64

King County- License fee is $64

Kitsap County- License fee is $64

Mason County- License fee is $64

Skagit County- License fee is $60

Snohomish County- License fee is $62

Thurston County- License fee is $64

Jackson's 2nd Birthday Party

For my son's second birthday party, we used the Fire Engine theme since is the new obsession Jackson has shown toward any of his toys. He loves trucks and they make lots of noise, what else would make a tw0-year-old happy.

Our color scheme was red and black and utilized all of Jackson's firefighter toys as the decor as well as balloons to spice up the inside of our house.

For the cake we had a rainbow sherbert ice cream cake from Baskin and Robbins, which was the perfect treat for the hot summer day.

Handmade Invitations

Here is a collection of invitations that I created for various events.

Testimonial from Mother-To-Be

"Lori hosted my baby shower, and did a wonderful job. Everything from the decor and food to the diaper cake were amazing. Coming from across the state to celebrate the upcoming arrival of my baby, I knew Lori was the perfect person for this job. She took care of everything. The shower was lots of fun! Definitely a day to remember with great food, fun games, and amazing friends!"
~Lyn Leyde, May 2009

Testimonial from Bride and Groom

"We hired Lori for our “Day Of” wedding coordinator, and were very pleased with the wedding coordination she provided. Lori’s service was invaluable when it came to our ceremony. She coordinated the set-up of our rental items and decorations for the church. Lori attended our wedding rehearsal to become fully knowledgeable about the order of the ceremony, and she kept everyone on track on the wedding day—the seating music and ceremony began right on time, she gave the pianist his cue for the four processional songs, and she provided cues for all 22 members of the bridal party when it was their turn to walk down the aisle. Lori is very good with children, and when the three eager flower-girls attempted to walk down the aisle before the ring-bearers, Lori swiftly and calmly got them into the correct order in plenty of time. At the wedding reception, Lori coordinated with the banquet contact and the DJ to make sure everything ran smoothly for our Grand Entrance and other events. She checked in with me multiple times to see if anything was needed. Lori understood my “vision” for the day, and this allowed me to just relax and enjoy, and to soak up every wonderful moment without worrying about the details! We are very thankful for Lori’s help. Looking back, I can truly say that hiring Lori was one of the best decisions we made!"
~Andy and Ashley Hay, May 2009

Testimonial from bride and groom

"Lori was exactly what we needed. We were about a month or so away from the wedding and realized we were going to need some professional help for the big event. Lori was exactly who we were looking for - someone personable and friendly, but also professional and knowledgeable. We're grateful to Lori and her assistant for all their help - our wedding was expertly run and we didn't have to worry about a thing! If we had to do it all over again, we would hire her from the beginning!"

~Steve and Laurel Bierman, April 2009

Easter Egg Hunt kids party

To celebrate the Eater holiday with some of my husband's fraternity brothers and their families, I hosted the 2nd annual Phi Kappa Theta Easter Egg Hunt. The party featured a wonderful assortment of dishes that fit everyone's taste buds. The highlight of the event was that the weather cooperated and it was even warm and sunny out.

Tackling the Wedding Registry

One of the funniest aspects of preparing for your wedding is the creating the wedding registry. This can be a great bonding time with you and you fiance finding the best products to complimnet your home and to start off your married life together. For men, its the power of the registry scanner and for women its picking out your own gifts. The key to a successful registry experience is to register together since this is for the both of you; and to make a whole day out of it by going out to lunch or dinner afterward. Remember the process can take anymore from one to three hours so make sure that you are not under any time constraints.

Here are some helpful hints for registering.

1. Determine what store(s) you want to register at and what are your needs for the household. Make sure that you register at stores you frequent and if you are going to register for a speciality store make sure that you register for a nationwide department store to accommodate all of your guests.

2. Register in person rather than online. This is best since you can touch and feel out the products and then after completing your registry you can always go online to change or add a product.

3. Register for items to fit every kind of budget. With the current state of our economy make sure to register for a wide variety of products with price points. But don't shy away from registering for big ticket items such as a luggage set since a new trend is for wedding guests to pool their money to purchase one large gift.

4. Do your research on household products. Before you register figure out what your needs are. Don't register for something just to register. Stick to one brand for linens, towels, stemware, luggage and china. This will avoid receiving several items from different product lines.

5. Before your wedding, find a reliable friend or family member to gather all of your gifts at the church and/or reception venue to bring to your residence.

Alpha Phi PNW Regional Conference Testimonial

"Congratulations on a job well done! The Pacific Northwest Conference was a success due to your thoughtful planning and attention to detail. I know the collegians went back to campus with a new vision for their chapters! Thank you for sharing your experience and talents with Alpha Phi. Our fraternity is stronger because of your efforts."
~Susan Sherratt, Alpha Phi International Executive Board Member

Testimonial from Doubletree Hotel San Francisco Airport

"Lori was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. Her partnership during the entire planning process as well as while she was on-site assured a great event! Lori’s attention to detail and excellent communication skills made it possible to effectively share her expectations with our operations team. I look forward to working with her again in the near future!"

~JenniferDer, Sr. Sr. Catering Sales Manager at the Doubletree Hotel San Francisco Airport

Testimonial from Amy and Mike Sachwitz

"After working with Lori Losee, we would highly recommend her to anyone with event planning needs. Her attention to detail and can-do attitude alleviated many of the stresses that would normally occur in planning a big event. Our wedding went off without a hitch, and it was due in no small part to the efforts of Lori!"
~Mike and Amy Sachwitz

Alpha Phi Pacific Northwest Conference

This weekend I had the pleasure of travelling to San Francisco for the 2009 Alpha Phi Pacific Northwest Conference. This was the third conference as the event coordinator.

Planning for this year's event began last summer finalizing dates and a venue to host the 190 participants Alpha Phi Executive Office and Foundation Staff and members of the Alpha Phi International Executive Board and collegians and alumnae from Canada, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California.

This year's conference was held at the Doubletree Hotel San Francisco Airport. It was a fantastic venue with great staff work with in preparation of the event and the successful execution of the conference.

The theme for this year was Alpha Phi First Class. For Friday night's dinner we used that idea to create a nightclub themed dinner with a purple carpet entrance with VIP check-in.
Saturday night was our Red Dress Gala event to promote cardiac care. The event included a heart healthy version of the Alpha Phi Foundation Price is Right game.

Pirate themed Birthday Party (January 10, 2009)

This past weekend, I planned my son Grant's 4th birthday party. Ever since we visited Disneyland last April and met Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, my son has been obsessed. It was then he asked for a pirate party so I began planning 10 months before his birthday.

Anytime I found anything pirate I drew some inspirations including party favors, decorations, games and cake ideas I put it into my idea notebook for later.

I created his invitations from my digital scrapbook files and then had Costco print the invitations as 5X7 photo cards.

Each party guest upon boarding our Pirate Ship recived their own Pirate name and several pieces of pirate flair from hats, an eye patch to a gold earring.

I work with Shelley from A Tier Above Cakes to create an amazing replica Treasure chest cake. When the guests arrived, they said how much they liked my "centerpiece." Once I told them that the "centerpiece" was an actual cake they couldn't believe it. It was realistic looking all the way down the sugar sand and candy pearl necklace and jewels.

My husband (assistant) helped me turn our garage into a sunken pirate ship where all of the younger party guests ventured for games and playtime. The kids played pirate ship battle in two homemade pirate ships, digging for coins in a sand pit, "Pin the Treasure Chest on the X." and a Parrot pinata.

After this experience, I would really like to get into planning more events like this. It was so much fun.

How a wedding planner can make your life as a bride easier and more fun!

When I first got engaged (18 months before I got married to my college sweetheart) I never thought I needed a wedding coordinator. My first thought was why I should have to pay someone to help me to plan my wedding.

Then reality hit about 6 months before my big day, after I organized and planned everything myself, the internal wedding planner in me, thought how was I the bride going to make all of this happen on my bid day while still being the bride.

Thank goodness a good friend of mine who was a wedding planner whom I met while I was a newspaper reporter in Gig Harbor explained to me how she could make my vision and plan come true while still enjoying my wedding day. She said that all I had to worry about was and saying was walking down the aisle and saying, "I Do."

My day of coordinator was fantastic and that is how I have modeled Elegant Affairs after the way I was treated on my big day. I love what I do and this isn't my full-time job. My full-time job is being the best mommy to my two boys. I do this because I love weddings!

The vision for Elegant Affairs is to help brides who were just like me who just need help on their wedding day and/or help brides actually start the wedding planning process from selecting a venue, a photographer and helping with designing the overall layout for one of the biggest days of a couple's future together as husband and wife. I am very detail-oriented and I go beyond the call of duty to make sure that your vision for your day comes true while on any budget.

September 2008 Wedding Expo at Tacoma Dome

The Wedding Expo was this past weekend and I can't believe it came and went so fast. I remember booking my booth back in June thinking, "Oh, my gosh, what have I gotten myself into, am I crazy."

Believe or not, I'm not crazy and everything went I think really well. I think the best part of the booth at the show was having Sara and Roni doing hair and make-up demonstrations, which I think drew a good crowd and I was able to meet a lot of people who just stopped to watch.

The other great part of the Expo was all of the people that I got to meet, from making some good contacts with vendors and then meeting all of the excited brides, grooms, mothers and friends which I love. I was really surprised by how many people I know were there. I spotted several people from my high school at the show and it was great catching up.

Now, only time will tell how to rate my success is seeing just how many decide that working with me on their wedding is the only way to go.

First Blog Post

For many months I have been thinking about starting a blog, but I didn't know how to start and what I should blog about. There are so many things on my mind, I just don't know where to start.

I decided to add my blog to my wedding Web site after hearing from many other wedding industry professionals that this is great for potential clients so they understand you as a person and not just a vendor.

As many of you know, I started Elegant Affairs back in 2005. My vision for this company came out of my own wedding in 2003 to Steve my college sweetheart after planning my wedding after an 18-month engagement. Yeah, I know that is a long time, but if you know me, I am a perfectionist and I wanted everything to be perfect no matter how long that would take me. I figured it took Steve long enough to ask me to be his wife, I could take my time in sealing the deal.

I loved planning every single moment, from generating a wedding Bible full of ideas both realistic and unrealistic to a list of vendors I wanted to work with to every single piece of material related to the wedding industry.

Finally, after dating for nearly six years and nearly a two year long engagement the big day finally was here. Now, of course there were things I would love to differently like finding a better photographer to having a limo that had a working air conditioner (yes, in Washington in June it got up to 90 degrees), but to this day more five years later, people are still talking about how much fun it was to come to my wedding, some have admitted to me it was better than their own.
Now, that is what your wedding is supposed to be like and when the idea of Elegant Affairs was born.

My first adventure into this business came from a couple that Steve worked with. They met in June, engaged in September and married in December. My task was to plan an economical budget with a bride who lived in Alaska and had no idea how to plan a wedding. It was a very intense three months, but the day of the wedding couldn't be sweeter, everything came off without a hitch. It was a beautiful ceremony and a great reception and I couldn't ask for a better wedding.

I learned a lot from that first wedding and knew with Grant (my oldest son who is now 3 but at the time of that wedding was only six months old) that trying to be a wedding coordinator full-time was out of the question. I was a new stay at home mom, finally leaving my job at the Peninsula Gateway after four years. That was my first job right out of college and working as a reporter was a dream of mine. But the reason why I left is that I didn't want Grant growing up in daycare, that is not the kind of mom I was.

So, I decided to wait on Elegant Affairs and I came back with a vengeance in September 2007, only three months after having Jackson. A sorority sister of mine was getting married and posted a bulletin on Myspace looking for a wedding coordinator so I jumped on the chance to work with a bride I already knew. They were a great couple to work with and so much fun to be around, which made my job easy. Their wedding was in May and they have lived happily ever after.

After that experience, I knew that both boys were old enough I can really focus my energy onto making Elegant Affairs what I always dreamed it could be. My first advertising adventure will be next month, September 13-14 at the Tacoma Bridal Show.

About Us

Elegant Affairs was created in 2005 by owner and event planner Lori Losee. Lori first came up with the idea of Elegant Affairs when she was planning her own wedding to her college sweetheart in 2003.

Now, married for seven years and with two sons, Grant and Jackson, Lori is taking Elegant Affairs to a new level.

Elegant Affairs is not only about weddings; we can also plan such events as parties (Holiday, Birthday, Bachelorette, Bridal and Baby Showers) to corporate and non-profit events and conferences.

Lori attended Washington State University and earned a degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism. Her career has spanned from a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, editor and her vast volunteer experience with the Alpha Phi sorority.

Our goal and focus at Elegant Affairs is to ensure your special day runs flawlessly. Through her own experiences, Lori understands the importance of this one day and promises to make it a dream come true for you. We are here to help you create your signature wedding by collecting all your thoughts, dreams, and ideas on how you envision your special day to make your dream a reality.

Wedding Services

We offer a FREE, one-hour no obligation consultation to discuss your vision. Call 253.279.6485 to schedule your appointment.

Elegant Affairs will coordinate every aspect of your wedding or event, beginning with an introductory meeting for us to get to know one another and discuss your vision. Trust is important in any relationship. You should feel completely comfortable with your coordinator and feel assured that we completely understand your needs. If you need assistance in determining your individual needs based on your wedding/event style and budget, we would love to sit down with you and help and put together a package and price that is right for you.

All wedding coordination packages include: unlimited access to expert wedding advice via e-mail; access to our preferred vendor list; Elegant Affairs wedding planning workbook; assistant(s), review of contracts; working/coordinating with all vendors, including confirmation one week prior to wedding; and an "Emergency Kit."

Heart to Heart 

Two planning meetings

Vendor Referrals

Create Timeline for Bridal Party/Vendors

Elegant Affairs Workbook

Ivy Leaf

One planning meeting

Coordinate ceremony rehearsal (One hour)

Coordinate the wedding day (Six hours)

 Silver and Bordeaux

Two planning meetings

Coordinate ceremony rehearsal (One hour)

Coordinate the wedding day (Eight hours)

Little Dipper

Three planning meetings

Attend two vendor appointments

Coordinate ceremony rehearsal (One hour)

Coordinate the wedding day (Eight hours)

Big Dipper

Five planning meetings

Attend three vendor appointments

Coordinate ceremony rehearsal (One hour)

Coordinate the wedding day (Nine hours)

Lily of the Valley

Seven planning meetings

Attend five vendor appointments

Create a realistic wedding budget

Advise on reception design

Develop ceremony and reception logistics and floor plans

Coordinate ceremony rehearsal (Two hours)

Coordinate the wedding day (Ten hours)

Forget-Me-Knot

Ten planning meetings

Attend all vendor appointments

Budget preparation

Create and maintain a week by week calendar

Assist with wedding style and/or theme

Manage guest list

Unlimited coverage of your wedding day and rehearsal

We can also customize a package that best fits your planning needs and your wedding budget.

If you just need a little help getting started, or need some advice along the way, Elegant Affairs can assist you with those tasks you just can't find the time for: finding the right location for your wedding ceremony, researching caterers within your budget, locating the right florist or baker, helping to design invitations or wedding programs, and much more! Consulting services can be arranged via phone, e-mail or person to person.