Des Moines Beach Park Event Center Mock Wedding & Vendor Meetup

Last month I participated in a mock wedding and vendor showcase at the Des Moines Beach Park Event Center for the South King County Event and Wedding Vendors Meetup networking group . The Beach Park Event Center is a historic building that was completely refurbished and only recently had its grand opening in June. The amenities are modern, but it still holds its classic charm. I love the stained glass windows and exposed wood beams.

Designer linens donated by Heather Hope of Creative Coverings.

Susan Haas entertains us with some pop music on the harp.

Tablecloths and overlays donated by Tents and Events.

Menus and place cards donated by Gayle O’Donnell of Paper Passionista.

David Sader sets the mood with my request for music that evokes summer.

Display cake donated by Judy Tallant of Tallant House.

Food and decorations supplied by Janis Flagg.

As if there wasn’t enough space, there’s also a large patio off the side.

You are only a few steps away from the Puget Sound.

Vendor Portraits

In addition to photographing the event, I also interviewed and photographed the participating wedding vendors and the vendors who came to mix and mingle and view the venue.

Elyse Juarez provided fabulous professional hair and make-up for the head shots.

Shannon Kirchberg
City of Des Moines

For more information about booking the Beach Park Event Center for your event, call Shannon at 206-870-6548 or email her at skirchberg@desmoineswa.gov.

Janis Flagg
Greatest of Days

Janis Flagg’s business, Greatest of Days, provides event and wedding planning services, as well as decor design and officiating. Janis is also the organizer for the South King County Wedding and Event Vendors Meetup group. Janis came up with the idea of doing the mock wedding as our June meeting and kill several birds with one stone. We would be introduced to a new venue while networking with other wedding vendors. We could showcase our work to vendors in person and to brides online through our blogs. And everyone could get a new headshot. Janis took care of coordinating the event and vendors. She planned the theme and decorated the venue. Then she made sure everything went smoothly during the event. Well done, Janis, and thank you for taking the pressure of the rest of us! For helpful wedding planning articles, read the Greatest of Days blog.

Elyse Juarez
Professional Makeup Artist

Elyse Juarez started her professional makeup artist career 20 years ago behind the cosmetics counter. She loves meeting and building relationships with new ladies and getting to be creative at the same time. She’s great at making the bride relax and being her “calm in the storm.” Part of her services is offering to stay after the initial application for touch-ups during pictures and before walking down the aisle. She speaks Spanish and can accomodate those brides as well as do make-up for quincineras.

Susan Haas
The Solo Harp

Susan Haas got her start playing harp at her sister’s friends’ weddings and has been doing it for over 25 years. She loves constantly meeting new people and being involved in their milestone days. She specializes in customizing music to her clients’ requests. Not only does she play ceremonies, but she also plays for the cocktail hour (pop music) and sometimes the full ceremony. Click to read more about Susan in my earlier blog post .

David Sader
Absolute Music

David Sader has been in the music business most of his adult life. His mobile DJ service evolved out of his work with nightclubs and music programming. He’s been doing mobile DJ service for over 20 years. What he loves most about his job is that he’s always at a party or a life changing event. And the music he provides makes a huge difference. David makes it a point to connect with his clients and provide a unique soundtrack to their event. His experience programming music for radio and music/video providers gives him a unique knowledge of all kinds of music so he can help you pick the perfect soundtrack for your special day. In addition to music, David’s services include lighting, slideshows, powerpoints, video editing, auction services, and MC’ing.

Amy Hatcher
Cafe Pacific Catering

Cafe Pacific Catering got started in 1989 when Amy Hatcher and her chef husband John started Cafe Pacific Restaurant, which eventually morphed into catering. She loves interacting with people in her job and always being at a party. They cater simple box lunches to individually plated dinners for hundreds of people and everything in between. Amy prides herself at not missing the details. They also do a lot of event planning, which people might not be aware of. They can get you a DJ, a florist, rentals, etc. So you can go to them for anything from a simple lunch meeting to a large gala.

Sean Denard
Denard Productions

Sean Denard started his professional DJ business when he was in the Army as a way to make a few extra dollars. He’s been in the business for 23 years. Sean is great with the microphone in getting people motivated to dance. What he loves most is seeing people dancing and having fun at his events. His services also include lighting, videos, and dancers.

Jaimee Swindall
An Affair to Remember Event Planning & Production

Jaimee Swindall always loved planning parties, so when her children got a little older, she decided to pursue it as a career. After going to school for hospitality & tourism and interning with several industry professionals, Jaimee recently started her business An Affair to Remember Event Planning & Production. She has a passion for event planning, especially weddings. Jaimee loves seeing the expression on brides’ faces when they see their vision come to life. She can provide full planning services, from the time they’re engaged, all the way to planning their honeymoon. They don’t have to worry about any of the small details.

Meilee Anderson
Seattle Southside

Meilee Anderson works for Seattle Southside, which is a tourism office for the cities of Tukwila, Kent, Des Moines, and Seatac. Meilee has been with Seattle Southside for 5 1/2 years. Before that she served on the board for them while working in the hospitality industry. She loves the variety of her job. She works with many types of groups in helping bring their events to the area. With wedding groups, she acts as a free resource to get them in touch with venues, caterers, photographers, and other types of wedding vendors. The office, of course, specializes in the areas of Tukwila, Kent, Seatac, and Des Moines, but what people may not know is that they also know a lot about the surrounding areas and events because they help people planning their vacations in the area. Also, people may not be aware of their photo library of the area that is available to the public online. For example, a wedding planner might use the photo library for photographs of a lot of the great, unique venues in the area. If you are planning an event, the Seattle Southside website is a great resource.

Katrin Rippel
Menu International

Katrin Rippel is the president of Menu International, which is a language translation and web services company. They provide language translation services mostly to the food, travel, and hospitality industries. They can translate menus and create websites for international events or ethnic weddings. They may translate a catering contract into another language. Katrin worked in the travel, food, and hospitality industries in Germany, France, and America for 16 years, but her passion has always been languages and writing. She went back to school to study languages and localization and started Menu International 5 years ago. She loves her job because she loves different cultures and writing. Her excellent customer service provides her with repeat customers. Katrin works with a network of translators and therefore can provide translation for all languages. Her website is www.menuintl.com.

Lindsay Mackert
Larkspur Landing

Benita Corley
Clarion Hotel Seatac Airport