ORGANIZING WEDDINGS
Small Business Spotlight: Sweet Petite Celebrations
CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. » With summer in full swing, it’s the height of wedding season in the
Capital Region. Sort of. Like so many other industries, weddings took a hard hit as COVID-19 continues to keep businesses shut down or operating under very altered business models. The hit to the wedding industry is an especially hard one, because of the ripple effect it creates that touches so many different local businesses, from florists to salons to venues.
This is leading to a trend of couples doing “ceremony now, party later.” And here in the Capital Region, a team of wedding industry professionals has come together to help couples make their ceremonies as special and stress-free as possible under the current conditions.
Meet Sweet Petite Celebra
tions, self-described as a team of “serious, strong women bosses.” These women business owners have banded together to provide couples with everything they need for a beautiful, intimate, small-scale wedding ceremony, in a way that is extremely budget-friendly.
The SPC team is comprised of: Melissa Brown from SBM Event Co. LLC, Katherine Wright from YTK Works; Kim Blair from Kim Trang Photography, Carrie Bielinski from Blooms For Rooms, Lauren Trudeau from True Beauty Company, and Lisa Shaul from The Sablewood.
Brown says that SPC got started when she and Wright had a mutual client who wanted to get married in August. It was important to the client’s family that the wedding take place this year. With everything shutting down, it was starting to look like a dream wedding simply wasn’t going to be possible.
“She told me, ‘I guess we’ll just have a ceremony at town hall,’ and it broke my heart,” Brown said. “She wasn’t excited about the ceremony at all.”
Wanting to do something to help their client have a ceremony that could still be beautiful and special, Brown and Wright started talking. Their ideas started to snowball. They reached out to other industry professionals they knew to see if they would be willing to help out with this new idea. Everyone was enthusiastically onboard.
And Sweet Petite Celebrations was born.
The SPC team truly is a team - everyone has ideas to contribute, everyone has skills to teach and learn, and everyone has a part to play.
“Teamwork has always been important,” explained Brown. “Having everyone shape what this was, was super important.”
Here’s the way it works: Brown reaches out to venues across the Capital Region to work with them about hosting mini wedding ceremonies. She secures a date with the venue and works out all the details, including the safety precautions that must be followed at all times.
So far, the venues that are onboard with the company are The Sablewood at Highview Springs in Schoharie for ceremonies on Aug. 15 and The Renaissance Hotel in Albany for ceremonies on Oct. 10. Brown is also working on finalizing details for Adelphi in Saratoga Springs for ceremonies on Sept. 19.
“As interest grows, we’re of course looking to add more dates and more locations,” Brown said. “The venues have been amazing. They’ve been extremely flexible with us, timewise and costwise. They want to see this, too. I think they’re screaming ‘put us back to work!’ They’ve been very proactive about getting us the information we need and talking it through with us.”
“I like how each venue has its own unique feel,” commented Trudeau. “Different brides can choose different venues based on what they want. Plus, these are venues that might not have been in a couple’s budget before, and now they can be.”
That’s because couples are splitting the cost of their wedding ceremony up to five ways with other couples. The venue is reused multiple times over the course of the day, getting a thorough cleaning and sanitizing in between each ceremony.
Each couple is given a two-hour time slot for their ceremony. When they arrive, everything is ready and waiting for them, from the flowers and decorations to a live officiant to perform the marriage. Time is provided for the couple to get dressed. The bride and members of her bridal party get hair and makeup done. Professional photos are taken. Live music provides the couple with their first dance.
After the ceremony, there is cake and a champagne toast, and if the venue allows it, a meal is provided. The whole ceremony is livestreamed so that friends and family can share the couple’s special moment.
All the couple has to do is get their marriage license and attire, and show up.
By current state guidelines, up to 50 total people can be present at the ceremony in person. SPC wedding packages are scaled depending on the size of the party because there are different sets of regulations for different numbers of guests.
“We have to do things differently depending on if the group has up to 12, 25, or 50 people,” explained Brown.
“Melissa has done all the legwork to make sure everything is within the safety guidelines,” Trudeau said. “It’s stress-free for the couple.”
“They can forget about COVID and just focus on them,” Brown added.
“It’s like stepping into their own fairy tale,” said Bielinski. “Everything has been done for them. Now they can have this intimate and beautiful moment.”
SPC’s services have an extra-special significance for Bielinski. The first mini-ceremony they worked on was for her brother and his fiancée.
“Their wedding had been canceled twice because of the coronavirus,” she said, “but they still got to have their special moment.”
Trudeau feels that the company’s tagline says it all: “Times have changed but your love has not.” Everyone one the team has worked hard to bring couples the most memorable, special experience possible, given the strict guidelines that must be followed.
“I think what we’ve learned so far is to ensure that there’s flexibility,” said Blair. “Large-scale weddings in 2020 just aren’t going to look like the couples’ visions. Having this support team for couples is something that as a group, we were really excited to be able to provide, to show them that they’re not alone, they don’t have to figure this out all by themselves.”
“As business owners, it’s been great for us to be able to still get out there and do what we love,” added Bielinski. “Getting to see that final beautiful moment is why we all do what we do.”
SPC is also willing to go to any lengths possible to make sure couples have their special moment, any way they want. Their wedding packages have loads of customization options and add-ons, including a full “my day my way” package.
“If the venue you’re at doesn’t provide food, we’ll arrange reservations at a nearby restaurant,” Brown explained. “At Sablewood, you can arrange to have a picnic outside after the ceremony.
“We’ll get that set up for you. If you want specific flowers or colors, we’ll make it happen. If you want extra video reels or extra photo time, we’ll make it happen.”
Brown urges anyone interested in booking a “minimony” with SPC to fill out an application on their website. The whole process starts online.
“Wedding planning during this time is new for everyone,” said Brown. “We’re learning too. Staying on top of what we’re able to do and constantly shifting our business model has been hard, but if it allows couples to still have that intimate special moment, we’re going to keep doing it.”
To learn more about Sweet Petite Celebrations, and to fill out a wedding package application, visit www.sweetpetitecelebrations.com.