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