Category Archives: The Gardens

January172018NOCOMMENTS

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Decor

GARDENS ORIGINALS™ : Making the Unique Even More Unique!

GARDENS ORIGINALS™: Making the Unique Even More Unique!

Where you make your best day ever starts with the ability to create a truly unique event. The Gardens is making it easier than ever!

The Gardens Originals Rustic Refined™ Table and Chairs only available at The Gardens of Castle Rock.

At Gardens of Castle Rock, we’re here to help you design a unique wedding ceremony which reflects who you are as a couple. The Cedar Garden Tables™ are breathtakingly beautiful. They are included in the Complete Wedding Rental Package and can make decorating your wedding a dream. We wanted to give you even more flexibility and control in styling your styling your wedding! From garden to rustic, vineyard to vintage and everything in between and beyond… Consider our Gardens Originals™, developed to give wedding couples extra options to make their wedding extra special and truly.

The Gardens Rustic Refined™ Chairs are perfect for your ceremony, too!

Gardens Originals™ Head Table Packages

Choose from three distinctive head table options:

• Rustic Refined™ : Salvaged wood from an 1880’s grainery combined with hand harvest cedar tree limbs for the legs. A variety of antique weathered Oak Chairs compliment the tables.

• Vintage Affair™ : Pinewood planking tabletops with turned legs painted and distressed with an elegant touch. Mixed and matched antique chairs blend beautifully with the tables.

• Napa Inspired™ : Thick boards of cedar finished in the Shou-Sugi-Ban method to create a compelling deep dark rich finish with cross brace legs. Paired with cross back wood chairs.

• Country Industrial™ : Vintage 1945 solid wood table featuring a charming tongue-and-groove surface, perfect an industrial-style old-world wedding vibe. Paired with sleek black metal framed chairs.

The Vintage Affair™ chairs paired with the Garden Cedar Tables at The Gardens of Castle Rock.

Each table is uniquely crafted in-house by The Gardens Founder Glenn Switzer and Woodworker Ben Finley of Duckhill Workshop.

Packages include four eight-foot uniquely crafted tables and up to 20 chairs.

Pair the King’s Harvest Table with The Gardens Rustic Refined™ Chairs

Selecting a Gardens Originals™ Head Table Package frees up all of the Cedar Garden Tables to be used for guest seating. That translates into seating for 160 guests on 20 of our beautiful eight-foot cedar tables. Each of The Cedar Gardens Tables™ seats eight guests. Many wedding parties dress these tables simply with a runner, to show off the warm, attractive natural wood grain of these gorgeous tables.

Wedding parties may mix and match Gardens Originals™ table and chair sets.

Only $299 to add a Gardens Originals™ Head Table Package for your wedding day.

Gardens Originals™ Twelve-Inch Risers

Elevate your wedding party with risers. When the tent is full and your wedding party is looking good, let everyone see them! It makes the special moments like speeches that much better for everyone. Not to mention your photographer who can easily capture those tender moments.

The risers are wide enough to provide ample walking space for your bridal party.

Our 12 inch high, 4-foot by 8-foot risers hold up to four eight-foot banquet tables, or Gardens Original™ Head Tables that can seat 16 members of the wedding party.

Reserve as many as you like, for only $40 each.

Custom Elements for a Unique Wedding

No two weddings are the same with Gardens Originals™. Create the wedding of your dreams with our special, custom-crafted tables, a unique option proudly offered at The Gardens of Castle Rock. We would love for see for yourself first hand the beauty of The Gardens Originals™! Schedule a tour to visit with us about making your wedding truly unique!

We customize the width of your riser set-up depending on how many tables you need for your Head Table! Photo by Images by Nic

Gardens Rustic Refined™Wall

This hand-crafted beauty is perfect for photo booths, head table backdrops, or seating charts at the entrance of the Reception Tent. At approximately 8 feet wide and 7 feet tall, it makes quite a statement and adds just the right amount of modern elegance.

The Rustic Refined Wall is the perfect frame for your Reception Smooches! Photo by Jeff Dose Photography

The Rustic Refined™ Wall creates a perfect head table backdrop. Photo Credit: Nygaard Photography

September252017NOCOMMENTS

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Planning

What an experience! ~ Millennial Wedding Trends

Millennial Wedding Trends

What an experience… Share, wear and care! Cool trends

Hanging mason jars are the perfect touch to the Lath House rustic wedding ceremony site. The Gardens of Castle Rock

Millennials: they’re trend setters, and they’re in the prime marrying age, ranging from 18- to 34. What are they favoring this year in wedding trends?

A wedding and relationship survey of 800 Millennials by youth marketing and research company Ypulse revealed popular trends. Here are our favorite nine items out of their top 20.

Hashtags

Hashtags have completely taken the place of the disposable-camera-on-every-table trend of the last century. Brides and grooms select a hashtag and share it at the wedding–on signs, temporary tattoos, napkins, favors and backdrops. Guests tag their best pix so everyone can share and enjoy them. Struggling to choose your hashtag? Enter your info in an online generator which will propose ideas, then check your favorites to make sure they’re not over-used. First and last names, wedding venues, puns, and dates are all fair game.

Social Media

Social media is deeply integrated into the wedding world, from Pinterest for decor ideas to Facebook Live to stream the ceremony for the absent. Some couples hire social media consultants/content creators to post to their personal Instagram or Tik Tok accounts for the run-up and for the big day. The content creator may take charge of posting on the big day, so it’s easier for guests to let go of their phones for a few hours.

Content creators can act as a more budget friendly option to a professional videographer. Content creators capture all the in-between moments while some incorporate current social media trends to make it fun and engaging. They will even put together small video clips or quickly edit photos from your big day, so you’re able to share on your personal social media pages while you wait for your professional photos to be delivered from your photographer.

Mason Jars

Mason jars – they’re here to stay! They’re eminently versatile, and will enjoy a lifetime of practical re-use after the wedding. Hanging or on tables, for flowers or candles, they make great decor. They also serve up cocktails, individual pies or desserts, composed appetizers and party favors.

Colorful Bridal Gowns

Colorful bridal gowns reflect the modern trend to let personal style trump tradition. While white is still hugely popular, beautiful wedding dresses in ombre gradations, floral prints, jewel tones, and even rainbows are gliding down the aisle.

Absolutely fun wedding dress… love the color! The Gardens of Castle Rock

Mismatched Bridesmaid Dresses

Mismatched bridesmaid dresses allow the diverse personalities and styles of the wedding party to shine. The flexibility and versatility makes each bridesmaid look and feel her best. Tips: for a unified appearance, either style, shade, or fabric should be the same. An ombre effect among dresses is attractive. Also, make sure the mood of the dresses reflects the venue–what looks great in a barn might bomb in a ballroom.

Wedding Cake Alternatives

Wedding cake alternatives are bigger every year. While cupcakes were the first foray into alternatives, the sky is now the limit. Pies, mini-pies, sundae bars, macaroons, eclair assortments, mini cakes, mini bundt cakes, cheesecakes, mini tart and pastry assortments, ice cream cakes, and donuts are all options. There’s also the spectacular croquembouche, a stunning tower of cream puffs encased in ribbons of hard caramel in the French tradition.

Honeymoon Registries

Honeymoon registries are a great alternative to gift registries, especially for older couples who’ve established complete households already. Online registries enable guests to easily give gift cards for airlines or hotels. Most sites allow you to specify gifts such as sightseeing tours or breakfast in bed.

Donations to Charity

Donations to charity are a popular way to harness that lovin’ feeling for good. Some couples are eschewing favors and making a charitable donation instead; others are inviting guests to donate to a favorite charity in lieu of giving a gift.

Bridesmen and Groomsladies

Groomsladies and Bridesmen reflect the diverse meaningful relationships treasured by the bride and groom. BFFs can be any gender, so more and more weddings are featuring attendants of both genders on both sides of the aisle.

The VW bus is home to The Blue Goose Photo Booth. The Gardens of Castle Rock

Photo Booths

Photo booths are huge crowd-pleasers. While it’s simplest to hire a professional, a DIY photo booth is easy: set up a background with good lighting, gather fun and festive props, and let guests take their own pictures. You can even provide a Polaroid-style camera or a photo printer to make instant souvenirs.

No matter what your idea is for the perfect wedding The Gardens is here to let your personality guide your wedding day… We’ll assist in facilitating all the little and big detail that will make your wedding your wedding. DM us now to get started!

August72017NOCOMMENTS

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Planning

Avoiding Wedding Drama

It’s no surprise they generate a little drama: they’re a big deal!

Weddings are enormous, landmark, life-changing events. They’re an elaborate celebration of the merging of two families and of two individuals as they make a life-long commitment. It’s no surprise they generate a little drama: they’re a big deal!

You can divide the drama into three chronological categories: the lead-up; the big day; the after game dynamics. Mastering the lead-up drama can help minimize the wedding day and post-wedding drama. We’ve helped many couples tie the knot, so we’ve learned a few tips to share:

Take time for yourself. Practice self-care by eating well, exercising, and remembering that there is a future beyond your wedding day. Don’t get so caught up in the planning that nothing else matters
Take time as a couple. Schedule romantic dates in which wedding planning topics are totally off limits.
Recognize you can’t change people and you can’t please everyone. Don’t let people make you the unwilling referee or the bad guy. Pick your battles.
Remember that a big event like this brings up all kinds of issues in loved ones, and most conflicts are really about deeper issues. Parents may be reliving their own hopes and disappointments. A sense of loss may be triggered in the widowed, the divorced, the single, the unhappily married. Past hurts may surface, veiled as conflicts about wedding matters.
Embrace your sovereignty. You aren’t obligated to invite people who will misbehave, and you don’t have to follow traditions. If the bride doesn’t want to be “given away,” that’s a valid choice.
Try to resolve conflicts while they’re fresh and small.
Never be afraid to ask questions… your vendors are there for you.
Be an example of grace and generosity: hopefully you’re friends and family will be inspired to emulate you.
Establish unity as a couple on decisions before involving others in the planning process.
Don’t share details about your wedding decisions with people who will try to talk you out of them.

Let go… Once your planning is complete and the big day is here, you’re the only one who knows every detail. Let go of the small stuff and enjoy how your day unfolds.
Enlist a wise and close friend for ongoing emotional support.
Keep your sense of humor alive.
Stuff happens… Keys get locked in cars, rings are forgotten in the dressing room, the grand march song gets played for the prelude… it all becomes part of the story, your guests will play off of your emotions. Enjoy and have fun with the bloopers.
Ditch your phone on the big day.
Insert a micro-honeymoon into the wedding day: schedule an interlude after the vows for the bride and groom to be together, alone, and really savor the weight and the joy of what they’ve just done.
Above all… be present in the moment! Savor everything about your day!

The wedding venue you choose can go along way in minimizing the drama. Venues that can host the ceremony and reception eliminate the stress involved and time lost with extra travel. A venues ability to work seamlessly with other vendors is paramount to a successful event.

One of the most effective ways to sidestep wedding day tension is to build a clear, shared timeline with your vendors and any key participants well in advance. When everyone knows where they need to be and when they need to be there it dramatically reduces last-minute confusion and finger-pointing. Designate a point-person like a day-of coordinator, to handle questions and small issues so they don’t reach you. This will allow you to stay focused on what truly matters, celebrating your love and being fully present with the people who came to support you.

The Gardens offers the flexibility for you to plan and execute a wedding that is of your design and comfort. “Glenn, Michelle, Deb, and team were so amazing and helpful with any questions I had and always instilled a sense of calmness in me.” said Stephanie about her recent wedding at The Gardens. The Gardens would love the opportunity to help you minimize the drama and create a wonderful experience for your whole wedding. Email The Gardens today or call 651-264-9510

August72017NOCOMMENTS

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Decor, Wedding Planning

Create a Wedding that Reflects You as a Couple

Express yourselves as a couple!

Your wedding might be the biggest party you ever throw, and it’s a great opportunity to express yourselves as a couple. No doubt the two of you share a passion for something wonderful, whether it’s a sport, a hobby or a profession. You can make that passion a central theme of your wedding.

Some couples exchange vows while running a marathon, SCUBA diving or sky diving, which is a ton of fun but tends to limit the guest list. Other couples bring their passion into the wedding ceremony and reception, relying on it to inform the theme of the event.

Is there something that brought the two of you together to start with? Maybe you met at a photography exhibit, a soccer game, or a kayaking meet-up. Do you devote your free time to classic films, volunteering at the Humane Society, or wine tasting? Do you share a passion for sci-fi, square-dancing or scrabble? Maybe there’s a book, a film, or a city you both love. Consider what passions and past-times you share and consider reflecting it in your wedding.

For example, a couple who loves to go hunting together can embrace the camo theme. Yes, it’s possible to buy a camo wedding dress–Google it and find out! If fishing is more your speed, get married in waders, and have centerpieces inspired by hand-tied flies.

Perhaps your first vacation together was to Paris, or it’s your dream honeymoon destination. Let the French city of light inspire your outfits and your decor, with cafe-style seating, beautiful patisseries, and Eiffel tower invitations and decor. Don’t forget Edith Piaf and accordion music!

Was your first date at a tiki bar? A tiki-themed wedding is guaranteed fun, with tiki torches, bright colors, luscious pupu platters and a miniature umbrella in every mai tai.
Do you love golfing together? Think green and white for a color scheme, with a 19th hole serving Arnold Palmers and a white wedding cake dimpled like a golf ball.

One couple who works from home decided on a pajama wedding. Since they both spend the better part of their days in PJ’s, they invited guests to play along and wear pajamas to the ceremony.

If you share an obsession with a favorite movie, draw your theme from it. Whether it’s Star Wars, Casablanca or Gone with the Wind, you’ll have fun choosing gowns, suits, decor, music, food and drink to share your passion with family and friends.

A couple devoted to travel can incorporate maps, luggage tags and vintage suitcases into the decor. A couple infatuated with photography can make centerpieces out of vintage cameras and use black-and-white prints as placemats. Minnesota Vikings season ticket-holders can rely on purple and gold for their colors, and serve hot dogs, pretzels and beer.

Interactive guest experiences are also on trend, such as audio guest books where guest can leave a message for the couple to listen to later. Live artists such as live wedding painters or fashion illustrators can caption a specific moment in time for you or your guests to remember your wedding day. Bringing in late-night food that reflets your cultural roots or hometown favorites can make your wedding day feel unique and authentically you.

The bottom line: it’s YOUR wedding, make it your own! Creating a celebration that truly represents who you are together rather than what a wedding is “supposed” to be will make it that much more memorable for you as well as your guests. If you exchange vows wearing waders, you know you’ll make a long-lasting impression.

To begin planning your perfect wedding that is a direct reflection of who you are as a couple email The Gardens or just pick up the phone and give us a call…. 651-264-9510

June262017NOCOMMENTS

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Planning

Hiring Wedding Vendors… Key Questions to Ask

The right vendors will make your wedding day perfect!

Couples visit with vendors at the Northfield Wedding Fair hosted by The Gardens of Castle Rock.

Your wedding is probably the biggest party you’ve ever thrown. A typical wedding relies on multiple vendors and has much more in common with a corporate event than a cocktail party, so you have to embrace the fact that you are now a project manager for a large, complicated and expensive project. If that’s not enough pressure, it’s also a project with many stakeholders and potentially significant emotional baggage.

Wedding fairs are a great way to meet several vendors all in one location.

Contributing to the complexity are the multiple moving parts–your various vendors. At minimum, most weddings rely on these: wedding planner, venue, caterer, officiant, photographer, florist, and DJ. Bonus vendors may range from bartenders to gown consultants to videographers to photo booths. Organizing a wedding is not for the faint of heart!

We’ve got some tips for you, but they’re just the tip of the ice berg. Here are some basics, but we suggest you consult the vast and very helpful resources online. Search “questions to ask wedding venue” and you’ll find lists with as many as a hundred questions! Scan the resources, articles and checklists on the web and consolidate a list of questions that reflects your needs. Each vendor will require questions specific to their services, but here are a few important questions that will apply to any vendor:

What’s your story? Why and how did you get into this business?
Are you available on our date?
Will you work with our venue?
Will you work with us according to our budget? Are you in our price range?
How long have you been in business?
How many weddings do you do each year?
What percentage or your business is weddings?
What’s your availability, during planning and on the day of?
Who is the wedding day point person, and how to I contact him/her?
Can you share recent references?
Can you share recent examples of your work?
What’s your cancellation policy?
What’s your payment structure?
Do you have liability insurance? (This will cover little surprises like injury due to falls or damage to rental items)
What’s your backup plan if you’re ill or indisposed at the last minute?
What’s your backup plan if the weather goes bad?
Do you charge travel and/or overtime fees?
What does your planning process look like?
What’s your preferred mode of communication?

Sampling at a wedding fair is just a sneak peek at what a vendor has to offer. Always schedule a full tasting with prospective vendors.

It’s also vital to embrace your role as a project manager. Arranging a wedding is like a second job, and should be treated like one. As you deal with a range of professionals, conducting yourself in a professional manner will get the best results. Be punctual and business-like at meetings and expect the same from your vendors. Presenting yourself in business or business-casual attire will convey a better impression than showing up to your first meeting in workout wear. It’s literally a job interview for the vendor, and you are the boss!

While it’s tempting to meet with a dozen competing vendors for each role, that’s sure to invite burnout. Limit yourself to three or four candidates. Hone your short list by getting recommendations from friends, giving extra credence to those who had recent events. Check the list of preferred vendors provided by your venue, and also the lists on other reputable venue sites. Check vendor websites and make a quick initial inquiry to verify that they’re in your budget, they are available on your date, and they will work with your venue.

Vendors have experience. Ask them questions and get specific advice for what you are planning.

When you meet, take chemistry into account. You’ll be working closely with these people on a very big day, perhaps under significant pressure: It’s important to feel some mutual connection. You have plenty of questions, and your vendor should be patient and gracious in responding to them. It’s vital that your communication styles are in sync.

After the meeting, take time to digest the experience. You don’t need to make a snap decision: most vendors will hold your date for two to seven days after the meeting. Consult your notes, compare your experience with the various candidates, and honor your gut instincts.

One thing to not overlook when hiring wedding vendors is confirming how well they collaborate with your other vendors you’ve booked. Seamless coordination between your venue, caterer, planner, and entertainment can make the difference between a smooth, stress-free wedding day and one filled with last-minute hiccups. Ask vendors if they’ve worked at your venue before or if they are willing to connect with the venue coordinator in advance to review logistics and any guidelines they may have. Vendors who prioritize communication and teamwork will help ensure your wedding day flows effortlessly from start to finish, allowing you to stay present and enjoy every moment.

In a future blog we’ll give you some ideas on where to find the perfect vendors for you wedding. Attending local wedding or bridal fairs is a great way to informally meet several vendors in one outing. The Gardens of Castle Rock hosts a wedding fair each Spring. You can always just contact us and we can provide recommendations from the numerous vendors who have provided services for events at The Gardens. The right vendors will make your wedding day perfect!

Photos by Anthologie

May252017NOCOMMENTS

The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ Minnesota Outdoor Wedding Venue - Outdoor Games for your Wedding

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Planning

Wedding Day Fun! Outdoor Games for your Reception

Make your wedding day fun and enjoyable for everyone!

One of the pleasures of a daytime wedding is the chance to play outdoors with family and friends. While daytime dancing is still an option, you can broaden the activity choices by offering fun diversions for folks of all ages.

To make your outdoor wedding reception even more memorable consider creating a dedicated lawn game zone that doubles as entertainment and decor. Popular lawn games like giant Jenga or Connect Four, and personalized cornhole boards not only keep guests engaged but also add a visual charm to your wedding. These interactive outdoor wedding activities are perfect for cocktail hour.

There’s so much more to choose from, so consider your guest list and your theme. Do you have lots of families with young children? Athletic 20-somethings? Seniors? Is your theme and decor casual and outdoorsy? Vintage?

If you and your crowd love the vintage charm of a bygone era, consider complementary recreation. Consider Italian bocce, or its French cousins pétanque and boules. Offer these traditional European games accompanied by a refreshing aperitif like Pernod, as they’re enjoyed in Italy and France. There’s even a cocktail called the Bocce Ball, featuring orange juice, vodka and amaretto. These leisurely pastimes are the perfect opportunity for some playful competition while catching up with old friends or making new ones, and kids can join in too. Croquet and badminton are also great options for traditional fun that appeals to many generations.

For a more Americana-inclined crowd, set up corn hole games and lawn bowling. If your crowd is competitive, set up teams and playoffs, and reward the champs with a trophy.

Maybe inspiring laughter and silliness is more your style. Draw on classic contests from church picnics like three-legged races, potato sack races and egg-and-spoon races. Stencil circles on the lawn for an adult-scale Twister game. A giant ring toss, using lawn flamingos for targets, or a javelin throw using pool noodles will provoke lots of belly laughs. Set up a glow-in-the-dark outdoor bowling alley with colored glow sticks in water bottles as the pins. Bring the hilarity onto the dance floor with a limbo competition.

If your crowd is more crafty than competitive, set up a paper airplane table. Include a few books or diagrams with design ideas, and encourage folks to write on them and send airborne messages. A few stations for making giant soap bubbles will entrance kids and adults too.

How about a scavenger hunt? There are plenty of ideas online for scavenger hunts for kids, picnics, weddings and more. Various scavenger hunts require collecting items, spotting items or taking pictures of specific things. A kid-specific version can task children to spot natural features like an insect, a seed and a forked stick. Check the internet for inspiration and printable checklists.

Make the most of your outdoor wedding by bringing friends and family together to laugh and show off their skills. For some folks, diversions like these are just the ticket to enjoying themselves and finding a way to “connect across the aisle” with new people as two families celebrate merging into one.

By choosing a wedding venue that can host your ceremony and reception you’ll have more time to enjoy the day with friends and family. So much more fun playing yard games then driving from one location to another. The expansive lawn area right next to the reception patio The Gardens is the perfect venue to host your wedding day fun.

May252017NOCOMMENTS

Jessa & Alex at The Gardens of Castle Rock - Minnesota Nature Inspired Wedding

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Decor, Wedding Planning

Heads Up! Hanging Flowers at Your Wedding

Let the beauty rise above it all… Flowers are popping up everywhere!

The latest floral design trend explores an unexpected frontier: Look, up above! Not a bird, not a plane, but flowers!

Formerly the domain of lights and lanterns, hanging floral accents are increasingly making dramatic statements at wedding venues. A quick online search reveals hanging floral features ranging from simple, rustic and modest to incredibly lavish and over-the-top. Explore all those gorgeous images and maybe you’ll see something perfect for your big day.

Many iterations on the theme depend on a container. We love those clear glass orbs often used with air plants. Hang by a ribbon or fishing line, and tuck a single rose, peony or orchid in each. Intersperse votive candles in some of them, and give them away to guests at the end of the party. Mason jars wrapped with wire, ribbon or beads can hang above tables holding small bouquets. Clear or colored wine bottles also make pretty vases, and a DIY enthusiast can make dozens of attractive hanging vases from light bulbs.

Pomanders are trending. Echoing the shape of a tissue pompom and named after the fragrant clove-studded orange beloved at Christmas, florists are crafting beautiful monochromatic orbs of tightly packed flowers, or looser spheres exploding with baby’s breath. If you’ve got access to a few hydrangea bushes, you can approximate this look with simple hydrangea crowns dangling above.

Anderson & Palm Ceremony at The Gardens of Castle Rock Wedding Venue

Photo by Vick Photography

Vertical strands of flowers make a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony, the cake or photos. They can also cascade from the ceiling in a wash of color. A truly show-stopping option is a cascading wisteria-style installation. These trailing florals create a soft, garden-like canopy overhead, adding movement and elegance to a space like a ceremony aisle.

Continuous garlands in the tradition of Indian temple decorations and Hawaiian leis are one option, or attach flower heads to clear fishing line at intervals for a transparent floating effect. Using a range of shades of one color enables a lovely ombre effect.

For a simple, elegant, floating look, tulips and certain other long-stemmed flowers can be hung over wires or chandeliers, right where the stem meets a leaf. Add a touch of sparkle with some hanging crystals or lights, or switch to a culinary angle with plump bunches of green and red grapes with ivy.

If you incline toward rustic refined, consider a hanging shelf made of a weathered board. Vases and candles can be secured on top, or flowers can be arranged right on top, cascading over the edges. Bring a woodland effect to the arrangement with driftwood, moss, ferns, leaves and curly willow. Another attractive vintage accessory: the birdcage, oozing and overflowing with flowers.

Lighted garlands of greens or flowers, attached to the structural components of the tent, lend a festive Midsummer’s Night Dream effect to the party. Echo the theme with horizontal hanging wreaths of ivy topped with votives.

Talented florists can craft large inverted arrangements in virtually any style, from geometrical and compact to lavish tangles of blooms–perhaps to set the head table off from the rest of the room, without obstructing sight lines like a traditional table-top arrangement.

Enhance any of these eye-catching up-above arrangements with other hanging attractions. Edison bulbs, lanterns, crystals, jewels, paper parasols, paper fans and origami cranes can all provide an extra pop of color or texture in your heads-up decor.

Cherish Design… we love when couples get creative with their decor. Especially floral, after all it is The Gardens. Contact The Gardens it you want to take your wedding experience up a notch!

May52017NOCOMMENTS

strbwqhc-ca

The Gardens, Wedding Decor

Head Table Upgrade: Elevate Your Wedding Day with This Exclusive Promotion

Your wedding day is one of the most significant milestones in your life, and we want to help make it the Best. Day. Ever. When you reserve your wedding at The Gardens of Castle Rock within two weeks of your tour, you’ll receive a complimentary head table upgrade.*

Choose from three distinctive head table options:

Rustic Refined™ Tables: Salvaged wood from an 1880’s grainery combined with hand harvest cedar tree limbs for the legs. Four 8 ft. tables and one rectangle sweetheart table available.

Country Industrial™ Tables: Vintage 1945 solid wood table featuring a charming tongue-and-groove surface, perfect an industrial-style old-world wedding vibe. Four 8 ft. tables available.

Rustic Refined™ Chairs: A variety of antique weathered oak chairs.

Vintage Affair™ Chairs: Mixed and matched antique chairs blend beautifully together.

Napa Inspired™ X-Back Chairs: Washed driftwood with elegant cross back adds and a touch of style.

Country Industrial™ Chairs: Industrial chic with sleek black metal frames incredibly versatile. New to The Gardens inventory….be the first to use them!

COMING SOON…..

Napa Inspired™ Tables: Thick boards of cedar finished in the Shou-Sugi-Ban method to create a compelling deep dark rich finish with cross brace legs. Paired with x-back wood chairs.

Vintage Affair™ Tables: Pinewood planking tabletops with turned legs painted and distressed with an elegant touch.

*Head table choice does not include the King’s Harvest Head Table.

Rustic Refined™ Chairs

The uniqueness in style, color and shape of the Rustic Refined™ chairs allows for them to be integrated in a variety of décor themes….rustic, elegant, chic, old-world, boho, etc….. Photo credit: Always Karlie Photography

Placing your head table in the middle of the Wedding Reception Tent welcomes guests to interact with you and your new spouse. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

The Rustic Refined™ chairs can be used in other areas in addition to the Wedding Reception Tent…..consider using them for seating at your ceremony site for your VIP guests. Photo credit: Nik Linde Photography

Make the Rustic Refined™ chairs your own by adding a décor element that aligns with your wedding day vision. Photo credit: Nik Linde Photography

Simple yet garden elegant. Two matching Rustic Refined™ chairs with a Gardens Sweetheart Table creates the perfect newlywed reception table in the Wedding Reception Tent. Photo credit: Rachel Lahlum Photography

Vintage Affair Chairs

Distinguish the couples with the white Vintage Affair™ chairs…..I mean it is your wedding day after all. Photo credit: Bellagala

Using white in your color scheme? Consider using the white Vintage Affair™ chairs with the Gardens Sweetheart Table in the Wedding Reception Tent. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

The classic white of the Vintage Affair™ chairs says “Wedding Day”! Photo credit: Eric Vest Photography

Integrate the white Vintage Affair™ chairs with our white reception chairs for a elegant Wedding Reception Tent. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

Napa Inspired™ X-Back Chairs

The Napa Inspired™ X-Back Chairs matched with the Rustic Refined™ tables bring elegant and rustic together. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

If you want a uniform look, consider renting the Napa Inspired™ X-Back chairs for your head table. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

The Napa Inspired™ X-Back chairs are even a great match for the Gardens Cedar Banquet Tables. Photo credit: Bellagala

Rustic Refined™ Tables

The Rustic Refined™ 8 ft. Table is a centerpiece head table show stopper in the Wedding Reception Tent! Photo credit: Charnell Timms Photography

The Rustic Refined™ 8 ft. Table creates a….well…rustic vibe, but pair it with some elegant Louis XV Fauteuil Armchair and you just created 100% Rustic Elegance. Sorry, those amazing chairs were rented from a décor company,,,,,We wish The Gardens had them. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

Line up the Rustic Refined™ add your choice of chairs and you have the perfect king’s table for your wedding party. Photo credit: Samantha Stuckey Photography

The sturdy legs and bracing of the Rustic Refined™ tables are repurposed tree branches from The Gardens property. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

You are the star of your wedding day, but the Rustic Refined™ head table might be a close second. Okay, maybe not that close. Photo credit: Bellagala

The 5 ft. Rustic Refined™ Sweetheart Table situated between two 8 ft. Rustic Refined™ creates the perfect layout to have the newlyweds at the center. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

It’s the same 5 ft. Rustic Refined™ Tables as in the previous photo, but this photo allows you a close up shot of all of it’s greatness. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

Country Industrial Tables

Paired with the Rustic Refined™ Chairs, these vintage 1945 Country Industrial™ tables gives a solid old world vibe. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

The gray weathered top and black legs of the Country Industrial™ Tables contribute to its rustic look. Photo credit: The Gardens of Castle Rock

Our Country Industrial™ Chairs are brand new to our inventory and just waiting to be used in a couple’s head table design.

April262017NOCOMMENTS

Glenn Switzer

The Gardens, Wedding Planning

Imagine the Possibilities, Consider a Friday or Sunday Wedding

When choosing your wedding date, consider you and your wedding guests!

Saturday may be the big day for weddings, but Friday and Sunday are catching up in popularity. We’re here to catch you up on some of the pros to booking a Friday or Sunday Wedding.

Before we do that, check out this great video of S + T’s Sunday wedding. You’ll get an inside look to how lovely a Sunday wedding can be.

Availability

Popular wedding spots get booked up one or two years in advance on prime days, so couples often face the decision to either postpone their wedding or abandon their dream venue. Some services will be booked too, like your preferred DJ, caterer or photographer.

Choosing a Friday or Sunday wedding can open the door to experiencing your dream wedding venue at its very best. With more flexibility in scheduling, couples may receive extended rental hours and more personalized attention from venue staff. Off-peak dates can give you more opportunities to bring your vision to life and help secure the perfect setting while maximizing both value and availability.

Ashley and Kevin exchange vows in The Lath House during their lovely Friday wedding. Photo by: Type and Timber

Pricing

Saturday nights demand premium pricing, so you may be able to save money by booking on the off-peak days. Check with your venue for discounts, and be sure to check with your other vendors. Some vendors, like wedding planners, may not accept more than one job per weekend, but others may be happy to book two or three events per weekend. In any case, careful shopping may yield a savings of 15-20%.

Wedding Day and Life Schedules

Fridays and Sundays each lend themselves to a different kind of wedding party. Friday weddings will typically start late in the day, corresponding with the dinner hour, to accommodate guests who travelled or worked a part or full day on Friday. A Friday night wedding might skip the sit-down dinner in favor of cocktails and heavy appetizers, to emphasize the party atmosphere. Evening weddings are the perfect venue for elegant attire, so if that’s your style it’s a better choice than Sunday. If your heart is set on a raging dance party, nighttime is the right time.

Live music at cocktail hour is a perfect addition to any Friday or Sunday wedding. Photo By: Audrey Nicole Photography

“It sets the tone that your wedding is about the party,” Carley Roney, the editor in chief of The Knot, tells the New York Times. It also is significantly less kid friendly, so consider whether that’s the kind of party you want, or arrange an alternate kid activity.

Some brides and grooms appreciate that a Friday wedding gives them earlier access to the space for set-up and decorations. On a Saturday, you’ll seldom get more than a few hours in advance to set up, but some venues grant Thursday access for a Friday wedding.

This DIY tent reception was decorated by the wedding couple’s family!

A Friday evening wedding frees up the pre-wedding crunch. If the gathering doesn’t start until 6 or 7PM, the couple can enjoy a more relaxed day with their wedding party. It’s wonderful to not have to rush, and it’s important not to plan too much, so you’re not exhausted by the start of the ceremony. Book spa treatments and a nice lunch to build some leisure into the day.

Once the wedding is over, you can enjoy your guests, especially those from out of town, for the whole weekend.

A + D’s Sunday wedding allowed for fun upgrades like their amazing head table light installation. Photo by Empiria Studios

Sunday Brunch or Swaray?

Tia and Justin’s Sunday wedding was as sweet and relaxed as they are. Photo By: Erin Kathleen Photography

If a Friday night fête sounds too late and too much, how about Sunday? Follow a sit-down brunch with outdoor games for a family-friendly event. It needn’t be austere–mimosas, Bloody Marys, and spiked coffee can cultivate an atmosphere of celebration. However, if a teetotaling event suits you, a morning ceremony is perfect. With an early start, the official party can be over by four or five o’clock, and you can still rock an after-party and be in bed by eleven. Older guests and families with kids will be pleased.

Brunch isn’t the only option for a Sunday event. Even starting as late as 4PM allows six hours of festivities before 10PM rolls around.

A Sunday party allows extra time with out-of-town guests before the ceremony, and you can doubtless persuade some of them to take on helpful volunteer roles.

Travel

Out-of-town guests may find it easier to travel late on Friday or Saturday and take Monday off to travel home, and they may get better deals on airfare this way. Plus, lots of folks find it easier to take a Monday off than a Friday.

Opening your options to Friday or Sunday can have plenty of benefits. Be sure to check the calendar to verify whether it’s a holiday weekend, because that could impact price, availability and ease of travel.

A final smooch for the road for these two sweet brides! Guests from near and far were happy to join Blake and Shaylee for their wedding at The Gardens. Photo By: Courtney James Photography (CLJ Photography)

March262017NOCOMMENTS

Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day #TheGardenofCR #MNWedding #Wedding ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

Glenn Switzer

Real Wedding, The Gardens

Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day

Beautiful…. absolutely beautiful!

Heather and Chris’ October wedding at The Gardens of Castle Rock was a perfect celebration of love, family, and unforgettable moments.

Set in the stunning backdrop of fall at The Gardens, their special day featured ideal weather, vibrant fall colors, and an atmosphere filled with joy! The seasonal scenery created a picture-perfect setting for a romantic outdoor wedding ceremony on The Grand Promenade.

Thank you Heather and Chris for choosing The Gardens of Castle Rock as your wedding venue. We’re honored we got to be a part of your magical October fall wedding day!

Exchanging vows…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

One big happy family…. time to celebrate!! Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

Glorious fall colors on The Grand Promenade…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

The Grand Promenade Ceremony Site is all ready to go…. The White Pergola on the Grand Promenade with Fall Decorations…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

The amazing blue skies of a perfect fall day at The Gardens… Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

There may be a chill in the air, but everyone’s heart are as warm as can be…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

The kiss…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

The reception tent…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

Wedding Signage ~ here’s how the day is goin to go… Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

Awesome fall wedding decor…. the entrance to the reception…. Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

Nothings better than a big fire to enjoy on a awesome fall day… Beautiful Minnesota Wedding on a Perfect October Day ~ Heather and Chris at The Gardens of Castle Rock ~ The Minnesota Wedding and Event Center

«←1 2 3 4 5 → »

Category Archives: The Gardens

GARDENS ORIGINALS™: Making the Unique Even More Unique!

Where you make your best day ever starts with the ability to create a truly unique event. The Gardens is making it easier than ever!

Gardens Originals™ Head Table Packages

Gardens Originals™ Twelve-Inch Risers

Gardens Rustic Refined™Wall

Millennial Wedding Trends

What an experience… Share, wear and care! Cool trends

Avoiding Wedding Drama

It’s no surprise they generate a little drama: they’re a big deal!

Create a Wedding that Reflects You as a Couple

Express yourselves as a couple!

Hiring Wedding Vendors… Key Questions to Ask

The right vendors will make your wedding day perfect!

Wedding Day Fun! Outdoor Games for your Reception

Make your wedding day fun and enjoyable for everyone!

Heads Up! Hanging Flowers at Your Wedding

Let the beauty rise above it all… Flowers are popping up everywhere!

Rustic Refined™ Chairs

Vintage Affair Chairs

Napa Inspired™ X-Back Chairs

Rustic Refined™ Tables

Country Industrial Tables

When choosing your wedding date, consider you and your wedding guests!

Availability

Pricing

Wedding Day and Life Schedules

Sunday Brunch or Swaray?

Travel

Beautiful…. absolutely beautiful!

the Gardens of Castle Rock

Copyright

Contact

Follow Us