Lisa Gordon Events

BIG NEWS!

After almost twenty years in the wedding business, I have decided that it is time to close up shop. I am so grateful to everyone who trusted me to handle your wedding day, bar or bat mitzvah, or family party. It has been an incredible privilege to have a part in so many important, memorable occasions. To all my former clients: You’re all fabulous people, and I’ve loved working with every one of you.

My last day of business will be December 31, 2025, but I am not currently taking any new clients. If you’re planning an event right now, I want to wish you all the best with the planning. And remember my evergreen motto: As long as the two of you end up married–to each other!–at the end of the day, it was a successful wedding.

[ID: Wooden folding chairs set up in rows for a wedding, in the dappled light of a conservatory.]

My first wedding since 2019 could not have been more perfectly suited to what I do: It was a small, backyard wedding that was completely non-traditional, extremely eco-friendly...and there were puppies! For the whole story and more photos, hop over to my blog and check it out: https://lisagordonevents.com/its-wedding-season-again/.
[ : A couple in matching rainbow and denim outfits (with matching rainbow masks) pet a small black puppy held by a person wearing all black.]

It has been way too long since I wrote you a blog post, but I'm coming out from under my pandemic rock, and I see some good news. Read on for more: https://lisagordonevents.com/peering-cautiously-out/
[ : A woman in a strapless white dress (with a black belt) seated in a plush orange chair peers over the top of her bouquet of brightly colored Ge**er daisies.]
Photo: Paul Grigonis, pplusgphoto.com

If you have been wondering whether that farmers market was going to be saved, the answer is an unfortunate no. There are too many obstacles and the time is too short. Please support the farmers who are coming to town, anyhow, to drop off people's orders and CSA shares. You can find more information on my blog:

No Miracle | Lisa Gordon Events - Chicago Wedding Planner No Miracle Nov 13, 2020 | Other Events | 0 comments Update as of Monday, November 16: The market is definitely not going forward. There are too many obstacles and too little time. Please share this information with your neighbors and friends. I don’t want people to show up and be disappointed beca...

I know this has been at the bottom of my wedding-planning list for years, but I think it's way past time to start considering the needs of all of the guests at a wedding. Non-drinkers can have fun beverages, too!

This weekend I went to a wedding at a friend's house. As we chatted with fellow guests, my partner and I stood in line at the bar.

"What can I get you?" the bartender smiled. "We have everything!"

"Great!" I cheered. I was thirsty. "Something non-alcoholic please."

The bartender's cheery demeanor immediately turned to one of perplexity. He wasn't expecting this, apparently. Befuddled by my request, he told me there was juice and water bottles in the cooler around the corner. So... the kids cooler.

Yea, I know the drill. I've been sober almost two years and I know all about the kids cooler. And yet I go into every social gathering, every wedding, every restaurant with almost a Pollyanna hope. Maybe the sober curious movement is making a ripple in the food and beverage industry. Maybe this time they'll have the non-alcoholic (NA) beer they said was out of stock last time. Maybe they've finally updated their menu to have NA options that are fun and flirty and celebratory.

But we still have a long ways to go, don't we? And at every social gathering, I still ask for my drink in a wine glass or a tumbler. And I ask for a lime wedge because, yes... it's more fun. And yes... it makes it look less like a kid's juice box and more like a grown up drink.

And yes, I don't drink but that doesn't mean my taste buds died. I still like festive drinks in fun glasses with pretty colors.

Yet more often then not, I wind up digging through the ice of a kids cooler, looking for something NA besides apple juice and Capri Sun.

You stand out if you're not drinking. You get questioned if you're not drinking ("are you pregnant?") You look and feel out of place, especially if you're new in your sobriety. Sometimes... you even get ridiculed or pressured to have one.

Being sober in a world that idolizes booze feels like a target on our back. A target I never asked to be there. A target I never expected.

Quitting drinking was hard. But navigating in this boozy culture as the only non-drinker at almost every event, networking party, every wedding? That's harder.

A little inclusivity would go a long way. Offering NA options at your party. Throwing out non-alcoholic suggestions when you offer to buy someone a drink? It's an easy, inclusive concept that might make a big difference for someone newly sober and struggling.

Time to change the narrative. Someone's reason for not drinking is none of our business. Let's offer more NA options and less sideways glances. It would go a long way.

***
Follow Celeste on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theultimatemomchallenge.

One more post in the series on food preservation for winter: Root cellaring--minus the root cellar. http://lisagordonevents.com/eco-friendly-living-root-cellaring-minus-the-root-cellar/.

Join me next Tuesday at 7:00 pm on Zoom for a workshop on freezing, pickling, and any other kind of winter food storage that might interest you. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89593190791.

Here's another in my eco-friendly living series: How to make your own vinegar. This one is fun! http://lisagordonevents.com/eco-friendly-living-make-your-own-vinegar/
[ : A glass jar full of yellow apple cider vinegar.]

Want to know about brine pickling? I have another post in my eco-friendly living series on my blog right now: http://lisagordonevents.com/eco-friendly-living-pickling/. Let me know what you think!
[ : Two quart jars of cauliflower in brine on a plate. Jars are unlidded and have small jars in their mouths as weights.]

I know you're going to say, "What does this blog post have to do with wedding planning?" The answer is, "Nothing!" But it has everything to do with eco-friendly living. And since green weddings are all about eco-friendly living, here's a blog post on the subject of food storage. Let me know what you think!
http://lisagordonevents.com/eco-friendly-living-freezing-fresh-food/
[ : A row of one-pint canning jars, stacked in twos, on a wooden shelf.]

Remember how my last blog post was all doom and gloom? Well, I still think parties need to wait, but if you are planning a wedding, anyhow, my post this week is more of a how-to (http://lisagordonevents.com/more-on-phase-4-weddings/). Take a look!
[ : A long table, seen from the end, dressed in white linens with silver chargers at each place setting and a few flowers and candles down the length of it.]

Today, in harshly realistic wedding blog posts, I present "Phase 4 Weddings: Just Because You Can, Should You?" (See http://lisagordonevents.com/phase-4-weddings-just-because-you-can-should-you/.) I am not the one who is going to sugarcoat the situation for you. A realistic assessment is always going to be your best friend, even when you hate it. So, if you want my unvarnished opinion, read on!
[ : A woman in a long, lacy white dress, seen from behind.]
Photo: The Still Life Photography