Lawrence Business Magazine 2016 Q2 by Lawrence Business Magazine

2016 Q2

Publisher: Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC Editor-in-Chief: Ann Frame Hertzog Chief Photographer: Steven Hertzog Featured Writers: Julie Dunlop Derek Helms Emily Mulligan Bob Luder Patricia A. Michaelis, Ph.D. Tara Trenary Liz Weslander

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Copy Editor: Tara Trenary Contributing Writers: Janice Early Austin Falley Megan Gilliland

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Lawrence Business Magazine, is published quarterly by Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC and is distributed by direct mail to over 3000 businesses in the Lawrence & Douglas County Community. It is also distributed at key retail locations throughout the area and mailed to individual subscribers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced without the publisherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permission. Lawrence Business Magazine, LLC assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Statements and opinions printed in the Lawrence Business Magazine are the those of the author or advertiser and are not necessarily the opinion of Lawrence Business Magazine.

2016 Q2

Conte nts Features: 20

Non-Profit: The Dougls County Community Foundation

Turning a Love of Music into a Booming Business

Cakes & Cocktails Signature Cakes, Cocktails

Custom Ring Selection Technology & Custom Design

The Wedding Planner Planning, Organization Key to Success

Gowns & Tuxedos Wedding Attire can Set the Tone

Flowers Local, In-Season

Someplace Old, Someplace New Wedding Venue Options

Memories Last a Lifetime Photography

What are You Serving? Local Catering

Where to Register Local Registries with Personal Touch

Departments: 7

Lawrence in Perspective

Business on the Hill

City of Lawrence

Lawrence Memorial Hospital

Professional Spotlight

Local Scene

Newsmakers

New Business

Mission:

Lawrence Business Magazine: Telling the stories of people and businesses making a postive impact on Lawrence & Douglas County. /lawrencebusinessmagazine

@LawrenceBizMag

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: LawrenceBusinessMagazine.com/SUBSCRIPTIONS

LAWRENCE & DOUGLAS CO [IN PERSPECTIVE]

AbsenceMakes the Heart GrowFonder by Patricia A. Michaelis, Ph.D., Historical Research & Archival Consulting Images from the Kansas State Historical Society, kansasmemory.org

The challenges of settling in Kansas territory often included long separations between husbands and wives, complicated by the fact that the only means of communication was mail. It would take days or weeks to exchange letters. Lawrence’s “first couple,” Charles and Sara Robinson, endured numerous separations in the 1850s. Charles Robinson, born in 1818, practiced medicine for a time after graduating from Berkshire Medical College. Adventurous as he was, he headed for the California gold fields in 1849. While there, he supported John C. Frémont’s efforts to keep slavery out of the new state. He served in the California House of Representatives from 1850 to 1851, when he returned to Massachusetts to marry Sara Tappan Doolittle Lawrence.

Sara Lawrence was born in Belchertown, Massachusetts, in 1827. She received a classical education and was said to be “an excellent Latin scholar and could read German and French fluently.” She began “seeing” Charles Robinson before his trip to California. After his return on Oct. 30,1851, they were married. The Robinsons were both ardent abolitionists and became involved in the struggle to have Kansas enter the Union as a free state. By spring 1855, Sara joined Charles in Lawrence. During the next few years, the couple was separated for long periods of time while Charles made trips east to lobby for Kansas interests in Washington, D.C. and Sara made extended visits to Massachusetts to visit family and friends. The letters that survive from this period show their feelings for each other and the difficulties of being apart. In a letter written Jan. 27, 1857, Charles writes Sara from Boston. In this letter, he expresses his love for her and apologizes for neglecting her while dealing with Kansas-related matters in the east. He says he hopes to eventually give her a comfortable home. He

TRANSFORMING IDEAS INTO COMMERCE

also writes about how he feels business affairs are competing with his desire to be with his wife.

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â&#x20AC;Ś I have been too much engrossed in political & business matters. I have not even taken time to love my own good wife as I ought. As I have caught a quiet moment like the present when business pressure was removed, I have partially realized the blasting nature of too much thought of the details of business. I can, just now, at this moment, appreciate your chidings of me for being so absent & absorbed in the thought when I ought to think of & love the good & loving little creature by my side. I can now realize that my conduct must be chilling to you although nothing is farther from my intentions. â&#x20AC;Ś I forget for the time that you cannot enter with my feelings, & that while my thoughts & perhaps affections are given to business matters you are pining for the love your nature, & all good natures, crave. If you will pardon the past I will try to do better in future, although I am awful anxious to complete the schemes as fast to get some money for my wife & myself & to secure a free state of Kansas. If for a while longer I am too indifferent, apparently, & fail to pay the measure of love I owe, please do not attribute it to anything worse than a too great devotion to business matters. I know my love is as deep as ever, & is only for the time eclipsed by worldly affairs, I trust only to grow to more fervently when this foreign body shall have passed by, & left us a comfortable little home with enough for our comfort. If you know how my heart yearns for your presence, & how much of the time my thoughts are with you, you would not think me too cold. No, you would rather fear for your safety, & prepare to defend yourself from the crushing or devouring impulses of my heart. I do love you most fervently & will try in future to make you

realize it at all times. I hope to leave for Kansas this week if I can get through in Boston. In the mean time I am your own loving husband. In September 1857, Sara was in Massachusetts, and Charles wrote to her there. I have been waiting patiently for a letter from you but none came. I wrote you last week a line or two. If I don’t get a letter soon I shall conclude that you have sloped [sic] if nothing worse. … I am getting the house on the hill plastered all through. … I believe that is all the news. Now what are you & Eliza about? … Political matters are comparatively quiet & I have less anxiety than usual & would have a little leisure to love you if you were here. As it is I will improve the time to get rested & grow fat. …

Finally, a rate that’s worth your interest.

In much love Your own C_____ Charles was in Washington, D.C., in December 1857. In this letter, Charles complains about not getting many letters from Sara. He is also dealing with issues concerning Lawrence and writes about the health of various friends. (Health was discussed frequently in 19th-century letters.) In today’s context, Robinson’s complaints may seem sarcastic, but the comments about not hearing from his wife appear to be sincere. The Lawrence case will be taken up tomorrow by the Land Commissioner – How long it will take him to decide I do not know – My health is I think better although I have gained but little flesh – Tappan has a bad cough & looks sick. Things look favorable so far as I can judge. I hear nothing from Lawrence except your first letter – It is now a month almost & I have written 5 or 6 letters & received one – There was a time when I received letters oftener than once a month. However it affords some consolation as it shows that you are not dependent for your happiness upon my presence or correspondence – On the other hand it is comforting to know that I have a thought bestowed upon me as often as twelve times in a year – Once they settled in Lawrence, the Robinsons were very involved in the promotion of Lawrence and making Kansas a free state. Charles helped found the Free-State Party in 1855 and was elected territorial governor under the Topeka Constitution, which would have banned slavery in Kansas but was not accepted by Congress. In 1856, Sara also contributed to the free-state cause by writing “Kansas: Its Interior and Exterior Life.” She described the political situation as well as the acts of violence in “Bleeding Kansas.” Once Kansas entered the Union, Charles was elected the first governor of the state from 1861 to 1863. He served in the Kansas State Senate from 1873 to 1881. He was superintendent of the Haskell Institute from 1887 to 1889, and a regent of the University of Kansas for twelve years. The excerpts of letters shared here illustrate the devotion of this couple to one another but also to their adopted home in Lawrence and the free-state cause. The Robinsons lived in Lawrence the rest of their lives at Oak Ridge Farm, north of Lawrence. Charles died in 1894 and Sara in 1911. They had no children so they contributed most of their estate to the University of Kansas, including the land for the main campus. p

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BUSINESS on the [HILL] by Austin Falley, Director of Communnications , KU Business School

CapitOl Federal Hall In June, the University of Kansas School of Business will begin teaching classes in its new home, Capitol Federal Hall, at 1654 Naismith Drive. The $70.5 million new building is the largest KU facility to be funded by private support, including a $20 million lead gift from Topeka-based Capitol Federal Foundation. The 166,500-square-foot building will allow students and faculty to build stronger ties to industry, the region, state and world. The 166,500-square-foot building is composed of two wings—north and south—joined by a central atrium where students, faculty and corporate recruiters can collaborate. The central atrium was designed for moments of serendipity—chance encounters among classmates and professors meant to spur new ideas and innovation.

Atop Capitol Federal Hall's Dicus Family Auditorium, the business school's 350-seat lecture hall, rests a 7,000-square-foot green roof, designed to honor KU's architectural history and red roofs. The green roof is composed of mostly red sedum, mountain plants and soil. The green roof is visible from the dean's office, executive boardroom and terrace, with ample views of Allen Fieldhouse. Our landscape architect tells us the green roof will capture storm water runoff, extend the life of the building roof, and reduce sound and carbon emissions. Capitol Federal Hall features the latest in educational technology, with state-of-the-art video conferencing and live-streaming capabilities in each new classroom and teaching space. The new building's design architects led the school's efforts to design flexible classrooms that will allow KU business professors to provide relevant teaching and instruction well into the future.p

Beautiful (public) Spaces and Historic Places Lawrence Parks and Recreation offers parks and facilities to rent for weddings and special occasions. By Megan Gilliland, City of Lawrence Communications Manager photos courtesy of City of Lawrence

Within Lawrence’s extensive parks system, there are numerous opportunities to find a special place to celebrate. Whether you’re looking to say “I do” in the iconic South Park gazebo or celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary in Centennial Park, Lawrence Parks and Recreation has space to fill almost any need. “We are here to serve the community and try to provide an affordable option when planning an event,” says Tim Laurent, recreation operations manager for Lawrence Parks and Recreation. Depending on the size and type of space needed, Parks and Recreation has many options. Shelters and gazebos may be reserved from April 15 through October 30, weather permitting. There are three gazebos in the park system available for rent: one at Watson Park, one at South Park and one at the Lawrence Rotary Arboretum. Gazebos rent for $50 for a half-day or $90 for a full day. Shelters for rent are located at Broken Arrow Park, 2900 Louisiana St.; Burcham Park, 200 Indiana St.; Centennial Park (on both the east and west sides of the park), 600 Rockledge Rd.; Clinton Lake Outlet Park, 1316 E. 902 Rd.; Clinton Park, 901 W. 5th St.; Dad Perry Park (on both the north and west sides of the park), 1200 Monterey Way; Hobbs Park, 702 E. 11th St.; Holcom Park, 2700 W. 27th St.; Lyons Park, 700 N. Lyon St.; and Prairie Park, 2811 Kensington Rd. Shelters rent for $45 for a halfday and $75 for a full day. There are also shelters available on a first-come-first-serve basis that are not on the reserve list. These shelters are located at Deerfield Park, 2901 Princeton Blvd.; John Taylor Park, 200 N. 7th St.; and Brook Creek Park, 1200 Brook St. “We also offer park space for large events,” Laurent explains. “We recommend organizers call us with plenty of advance notice to reserve a park and check availability.” For indoor events, the city provides rental opportunities in the Carnegie Building, 200 W. 9th St.; the Community Building at 11th and Massachusetts streets; the East Lawrence Recreation Center, 1245 E. 15th St.; Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St.; the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Dr.; and the Lawrence Union Pacific Depot, 402 N. 2nd St. Since it’s renovation in 2011, the Carnegie Building has been a popular spot for weddings, receptions and events. “The Carnegie is a beautiful, historic building. Its architecture alone, with its columns and high-arch entryway, are a thing of the past,” Laurent says. All of the current facility rental fees are online at lawrenceks.org/lprd/facilityrental. The city offers online reservations for facilities and shelters. Visit lawrenceks.org/lprd/recreationfacilities/shelters to reserve a location. Reservations can also be made in-person at any of the community recreation centers, including the Community Building, East Lawrence Recreation Center, Holcom Park Recreation Center, the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center and South Park Recreation Center. Contact Lawrence Parks and Recreation at 785-832-7920.p

Lawrence Memorial Hospital Names New CEO By Janice Early, MBA, Vice President of Marketing and Communications,Lawrence Memorial Hospital

Russell W. Johnson has been named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH), succeeding Gene Meyer, who retired after 19 years. Johnson, 57, comes from the Centura Health system, in Englewood, Colorado, where he most recently served as senior vice president of network development and outreach. He grew up in Merriam, Kansas, graduating from Shawnee Mission Northwest high school, and still has strong family ties to the area. Cindy Yulich, chairperson of the LMH Board of Trustees, says trustees are gratified that the extensive search culminated with Johnson’s selection. "We are extremely pleased to have on board a health-care executive with the leadership skills Russ Johnson demonstrates," Yulich says. "He is experienced in formulating, communicating and executing strategies for improved patient care, physician engagement, operating effectiveness and community partnerships. As importantly, his character and integrity impressed the entire board of trustees. “His expertise will help lead our organization as we face an increasingly challenging, and exciting, future. We are confident he will build upon the strong foundation established at Lawrence Memorial during Gene Meyer’s tenure and advance the continued vision for LMH to be the best community hospital in the nation.” LMH launched a national search for a new CEO in August, 2015, following the announcement that Meyer would be retiring in May after serving as CEO for 19 years. The search attracted more than 150 candidates. A board-appointed search committee composed of trustees, physicians and community members has been assisted by the executive search firm of Witt/Kieffer, Oak Brook, Illinois, in narrowing the applicant pool. Andrew Ramirez, of Lathrop and Gage LLP, served as counsel to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Johnson is a seasoned health-care executive with 30 years of successful senior leadership in hospitals and health systems, in both the urban and rural setting. Prior to his present role, Johnson served as CEO for San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center, in Alamosa, Colorado, for 12 years.

He began his health-care career in 1984 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was an assistant administrator and administrative fellow for a 540-bed regional medical center. He also served as vice president of operations for VHA Iowa before returning to the Kansas City area in 1989 to become assistant administrator of operations for Saint Luke’s Northland, a position he held for eight years. He was chief operating officer for Edinburg Regional Medical Center, a 169-bed hospital, in Edinburg, Texas, from 1997 to 2000. Johnson is active in many professional, civic and community organizations. He served 12 years on the board of directors for the Colorado Hospital Association and was a board member for the American Hospital Association (AHA) for three years. In 2007, he was awarded the AHA’s Shirley Ann Munroe Leadership Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of small or rural hospital leaders who have improved health-care delivery in their communities through innovative and progressive efforts. He also received the Rural Healthcare Excellence Award by the Colorado Rural Health Center in 2007 and was the Colorado AHA Grassroots Champion for 2008. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. He received a bachelor’s degree in management and economics from the University of Tulsa, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and a master’s degree in health-care administration from Washington University, in St. Louis, Missouri. Johnson and his wife, Isabel, will be relocating to the Lawrence community in the near future. They have a son, 27, who is in the fine arts program at the University of Colorado, Denver, and a daughter who lives in New York City and is a choreographer and dancer for her own dance company. Johnson is expected to be on the job by Aug. 1. LMH Chief Operating Officer Karen Shumate will serve as interim CEO from June 1 until his arrival. “The trustees look forward to working with Karen to provide a smooth transition to new leadership and thank her for agreeing to serve in this role,” Yulich says.p

PROFESSIONAL [ SPOTLIGHT ]

NANCY LONGHURST THE OLIVIA COLLECTION GENERAL MANAGER What is your company’s most important commodity or service? The Olivia Collection encompasses The Eldridge, The Eldridge Extended and The Oread Hotels. Our mission statement is “Memories Created, Hospitality Defined.” Our No. 1 objective is to provide excellent customer service to all guests who enter our properties. This covers hotel rooms, restaurants, weddings and catering services.

What have been some of the most important aspects of your success? Attention to detail and good, old-fashioned hard work. The hospitality business takes a lot of hours, and it is important to be visible when people are in the hotels and to thank them for coming in or staying at our properties.

How many people does The Olivia Collection employ? The Olivia Collection has approximately 220 employees on payroll. In our peak months, it can go as high as 250.

How do you and your company, The Olivia Collection, make a positive impact on the Lawrence community? We have been very involved in the community. I was on the steering

committee for the Hearts of Gold ball fund-raiser at LMH (Lawrence Memorial Hospital). I am currently on the Cottonwood Foundation board of directors and will serve as president next year. Pam Van Roekel, sales director, recently served on the VNA (Visiting Nurses Association) committee for its annual fund-raiser. We sponsor a show annually at The Lied Center of Kansas. I am currently the chair of ExplorLawrence, the Convention Bureau for the city of Lawrence. We support KU Men’s and Women’s Basketball and KU football. We have had various teams we support from both Free State High School and Lawrence High School. We support the Lawrence Schools Foundation by giving to the scholarship culinary fund for both high schools.

What do you see as your personal responsibility and your company’s responsibility to the community? My parents taught me at a very early age to give back and to become involved in my community. I am very thankful for what I personally have in my life, and to make someone else’s life more enriched is important to me. It is just part of who I am. Our company is committed to many organizations. We want to be good civic partners with many organizations, and it is a privilege to see and observe all the good work they do on a daily basis.

What would you change about doing business (or working with businesses) in Lawrence?

What is the biggest challenge you feel The Olivia Collection faces?

Our hotels are “independent hotels.” We are not a part of any chains. Our hotels are all locally owned, which is very special in my mind. I want the community to know we are supportive of its efforts and to know that we will make it look great by providing excellent customer service. If there is someone you need to impress, call us, and we will make it happen. Since we know the community so well, we know what is important to its organizations. We want the opportunity to full fill our mission … . Memories Created, Hos-

Economic Development in Lawrence. Under the current leadership of Chamber of Commerce CEO Larry McElwain, it is the best effort I have seen in the past 25 years. We are all appreciative of Larry and his team, working to bring more businesses to Lawrence. Hotels in Lawrence are full on the weekends because of sporting events and weddings. Where we all need business is Sunday through Thursday. With increased businesses in town comes an influx of overnight stays in our hotels because of visits to plants or other sales representatives visiting local companies. Economic development has a direct correlation to our business. More business, more travel.

pitality Defined.

Why did you become involved? or What inspires you? Is there a specific thing, person or incident? When I was a young girl, my parents and siblings were very involved in the church. We would visit people regularly in nursing homes and provide companionship to the residents. We would sing at their nursing homes at Christmastime. We visited people in the hospitals who were lonely. My parents lead by example and were always “taking care of people.” We helped our grandparents by working in their yard or helping on the farm. When I reflect back on my childhood, it transferred to the hospitality business, which is really “taking care of our guests.” Without our guests, there is no business. Given what I have said, it is ultimately my parents who inspired me, and I am forever grateful to them.

Generating hotel room nights benefits the entire community. All hotels pay a transient guest tax on all rooms rented in Lawrence. This tax money generates more hotel stays in our hotels as well as markets the entire community. Additionally, not only do guests pay this “bed” tax, but they also generate a lot of sales tax by eating in our restaurants, spending money in our shops and buying gasoline. Of course, in addition to the sales tax revenue, the additional money spent in restaurants and stores is very significant in the health and vitality of our community. Guests attend sporting events at Rock Chalk Park and the University of Kansas, visit our museums and enjoy all that downtown Lawrence has to offer.

Hotels are, in many ways, a reflection of who our community is. A welcoming environment that says, “Thanks for coming to Lawrence,” and, “How can we make your stay more enjoyable?” A great stay can make or break a business deal. Our job is to make our clients look fabulous! We are very fortunate to have a vibrant and strong Downtown. It is the backbone of Lawrence, going all the way back to our original founding, by advocates for the Free State of Kansas who first settled in Lawrence in 1855. Ever since then, our downtown has been the heart of Lawrence. I feel it is important for Lawrencians and visitors to our community to help those willing to take risks and invest their own money in our downtown. We need to keep downtown special, and this enhances the original question of what The Eldridge and The Oread face, continuing our strong efforts in economic development by our Chamber of Commerce.

losses include that of union dues. Another concern by hoteliers includes safety, when guests stay at Airbnb booked accommodations, such as the lack of cameras or ’round-the-clock security. The largest concern is Airbnb does not charge transient guest taxes. In Lawrence, there are 113 Airbnb locations. While I do not know what their occupancy or revenues are, I have observed the number of rentals has increased drastically during the past eight months. Again, these rentals do not pay transient guest taxes, while all local hotels in Lawrence do pay the tax. For our industry, we are not against Airbnb, but we are seeking ways to get the playing field leveled so it is fair for all stakeholders and equally safe for travelers, regardless of where they may choose to stay. p

Lastly, we need employees who really “love” to take care of people. That is what hospitality is all about.

What is the biggest challenge for the future for your industry? The biggest challenge for the entire hotel industry is Airbnb, specifically in larger markets like New York City, San Francisco and other large metropolitan cities. Airbnb affects 10% of New York City’s inventory, which translates into loss revenue of hotel rooms and food and beverage. Additionally, the loss of wages for both administrative managers and hourly employees include loss of labor income for total wages, benefits and proprietor income. Other

NON- [ PROFIT ]

DCCF Connects Charitable Community Members, Organizations by Liz Weslander, photos by Earl Richardson

Lawrence is full of generous people who want to support their community through charitable donations. It is also full of nonprofit organizations that rely, at least partly, on donations to fulfill their missions. The Douglas County Community Foundation (DCCF) exists to help address the needs of these two groups. Community foundations exist all over the world, and the first community foundation was established in 1914 in Cleveland. The Douglas County Community Foundation was established in 2000 with a major gift from the late Tensie Oldfather, a charitable champion of Lawrence. “She was looking for a way to improve the way she gave away money and also to provide other folks an avenue to do their charitable giving,” says DCCF Executive Director Chip Blaser. “She learned about the idea of community foundations and set one up in Douglas County.” Marilyn Hull, DCCF program and communications officer says community foundations generally serve three roles in a community: grant making, providing donors a vehicle for charitable giving and community leadership. “Everything we do connects to those main roles,” she says.

Grant Making Since its inception in 2000, DCCF has given more than $18 million in grants to the Douglas County community. In the last five years alone, it has given more than $10 million in grants. The money for DCCF’s grant making comes out of the more than 150 individual funds that families, individuals and organizations have set up through the foundation. Hull says DCCF’s community grants, for which any Douglas County nonprofit organization can apply, are the ones with which people in the community are most familiar. These grants come out of a general, unrestricted fund that was established by Oldfather and are given out twice a year. DCCF awarded its most recent round of community grants in March, with 24 local nonprofits receiving a total of $133,000. Cottonwood Inc. and Family Promise of Lawrence received the largest grants, of $15,000 each. Hull says the DCCF’s lesser-known grants are the ones that come out of donor-advised funds, which are funds set up by individuals to manage their charitable giving. These grants differ from the community grants in that there is no application process. Instead, fund donors direct the grants according to their interests. “Almost all of these donors are longtime Lawrence residents, and they, in many cases, already have an established relationship with several nonprofits, so they know what they are interested in supporting,” Hull says.

opposite page: Sunrise 2 kids top to bottom: Sunrise Project Planting Emily Hampton, Sunrise Project Director Sunrise Project student from Haskell Little Nations Preschool

Nearly half of the dollars that go out to the community from the DCCF come from donor-advised funds, Hull explains.

Donor Services People often ask Blaser and Hull why setting up a fund for their charitable giving through the DCCF is a good idea. In a nutshell, the answer is return on investment and convenience. “In many cases, it can be effective and efficient for families or individuals to put one donation into a fund, and then, over time, they can decide the causes and organizations they want to support,” Blaser says. “The money is invested and grows over time. It’s really a way to have a charitable piece of their overall financial plan.” Hull says it’s not uncommon for people to believe the best way to use a charitable donation is to give the entire sum of money to a charity right away. But because of the concept of compounding interest and income on investments, putting money in endowed funds allows a substantially greater impact on the community. “One of the things we are always trying to educate on is the fact that endowed funds actually produce many more dollars for community over time,” Hull says. Another advantage to setting up a fund through DCCF, Blaser explains, is that families or individuals can give stock, mutual funds, shares or even real estate as their charitable gift to the community foundation, which can then be turned into money to use for charitable donations for grant making. Starting up your own private foundation is time-consuming and comes with cumbersome tax requirements, Hull says. When a family gives to the community foundation,

it doesn’t have the burden of those administrative aspects. DCCF also offers various donor education opportunities related to charitable giving, such as estate-planning tools and education on community issues. “We are providing donors some money management; we are also making it efficient for them in that they don’t have an organization to manage and do all the reporting for,” Hull says. “On top of money management, they are getting some education and consulting.”

Community Leadership DCCF’s third role, community leadership, is, in many ways, what gives the foundation’s grant making and donor services maximum impact. The Douglas County Community Foundation Board of Directors is made up of people with a longtime and strong interest in the charitable sector in Douglas County, and the DCCF staff is involved in various task forces and planning processes within the community. “Because we have a wide lens on what’s going on in all the charities in the community, sometimes we can help connect the dots between cause and effect, or between different organizations, that similar goals can work, Hull says. “That leadership can be as important as the grants we make.” p

Turning a

Love of Music into a Booming Business Sean Mawhirter stands patiently behind his MacBook Pro, 1,000-watt amplifier, Bose sound bar, equalizer and two large speakers mounted on tripod stands, and itches to push the virtual button that’ll turn up the volume and get this party started. But, alas, it’ll have to wait a few more minutes as the reception hosts have a few more door prizes to raﬄe oﬀ. “This is the glamorous part of being a DJ, sit around and wait,” Mawhirter says with a wry grin. “It’s as glorious as I dreamed it would be.” Don’t let Mawhirter’s dry sarcasm fool you. He loves being a disc jockey (DJ) for weddings and, on this particular night, a Kansas University sorority event. Moments later, he’s cranking up “Cupid Shuffle” and smiling broadly as revelers semi-successfully negotiate the choreographed dance steps. It’s a scene he’s witnessed countless—hundreds, perhaps more than a thousand—times over the past 16 years. “For the most part, everybody’s lovely,” says Mawhirter, who estimates he’s DJd and/or played live at 40 weddings per year since starting his business in 2000. “At the same time, there’s a tension involved. It’s a performance, and you want to do a good job. “But, there’s a ton of satisfaction you get from doing this.” If one is in the market for a wedding DJ or band to entertain at your ceremony or reception, there’s no need to look far. A Google search of “Lawrence wedding entertainment” pulls up a list as long as Mass Street. The options are endless. Mawhirter, an unassuming, soft spoken yet outgoing sort originally from Wichita, is happy to have found his niche in a business that typically puts him in the middle of one of the happiest days in young couples’ lives. He moved to Lawrence from Wichita in 1997, and it wasn’t a couple years later that he decided to take his love of music and start making a living with it. He bought some equipment and started advertising in local publications and attending wedding fairs. These days, he sticks to online advertising—places like WeddingWire and Thumbtack—and says he could DJ a wedding every weekend if that’s what he wanted to do. Business is booming.

by Bob Luder

He’ll DJ a high school dance or college fraternity or sorority party occasionally but says, “The wedding circuit is my bread and butter.” There are two tiers of Mawhirter DJ experiences for weddings. There’s the basic playlist that typically runs $600. Adding in a fog machine and karaoke will run $750. The typical block of time is five hours. If a client wants longer than that, it’s $100 for each additional hour. Wedding reception playlists have become somewhat standardized, Mawhirter says. Most everyone wants to hear “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Love Shack,” “Celebrate” and “We Are Family.” But that’s not always the case. Mawhirter says he always likes to get together with the bride and groom beforehand to see what music they’re into, and sometimes tastes can be quite diverse. “I had one couple where the groom was from India,” he says. “So, part of the reception, we had Bollywood songs, and the other half we had country. “I always encourage requests. It’s never about me,” he continues. “Making it about you is not going to get you another job.” Mawhirter says he remembers one wedding reception he was DJing in a barn in the Iowa countryside when the power went out. No problem. Someone drove into town to the local hardware store and bought a generator. Last October, during the Kansas City Royals run to a World Series championship, there was a reception where everyone wore blue and white, and gave away Royals jerseys as a parting gift at the end of the evening. Mawhirter is much more than a DJ playing other people’s songs from his computer. He’s an accomplished musician himself. He plays in four bands, each of a different musical style. He studied jazz as a college student at Friends University, in Wichita. Last November, he traveled to Argentina to train with world-class tango artists. “Originally, I studied jazz, but I’m learning classical,” he says. “It’s steady work.” Mawhirter says that in about 12 or so of the 40 annual weddings he works, he plays guitar live during the ceremony before performing as DJ at the reception.

DJ Scott Simpson top to bottom: music console, set up, performs a sound check

Sharing a Greatest Day Being an accomplished musician does have its drawbacks, however. Every once in awhile, Mawhirter says he’ll hear one of his contemporary artists throw a disparaging remark his way about “selling out” as a wedding DJ. It might have bothered him at first, but these days, he’s having none of it. “I don’t think it was until I got married in 2007 that I got over myself,” Mawhirter says. “Some people look down on you, but I see how important it is. I don’t feel like I’m compromising anything, because I’m part of one of the greatest moments these people will have.” Scott Simpson feels the same. Simpson says he’s DJd more than 2,000 weddings since he started as a college student in 1986. For his first gig, he charged $150 and remembers spinning Glen Miller records and playing “Tiny Bubbles” from Don Ho. Today, he gets $550 to $700, depending on the length of the reception. “It’s been interesting, to say the least,” says Simpson, who once owned the venerable Lawrence college watering hole Ichabod’s, north of the river. “I remember doing a reception once in a cemetery on Halloween. Obviously, it was very gothic.” Like most wedding DJs, Simpson gives the bride and groom a song list before the reception, and asks that they check what they want played. He is a little old school, however, in that, while he does have playlists loaded on a computer, he prefers to play CDs that he’s compiled and curated specifically for weddings. The main thing is, he just wants everyone to have fun. “I’ve always liked a good party,” Simpson says. “I don’t want to see people playing on their phones during a wedding reception. I have to be honest, alcohol plays a big part of it. Nighttime receptions are a lot more fun than daytime because people drink more. “It’s just really nice to be part of a special day. When I leave a reception, and I’ve just killed it, I drive home with a smile the whole way,” he says.

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Bigger Business The demand for wedding entertainment is so enormous, there are entire companies dedicated to it. Take Complete Music, for instance, which blankets Lawrence and much of north-central and northwest Kansas with a small army of “media specialists” for all events, but mostly betrothals. The company doesn’t just handle music but offers wedding photography, videography and photo booths. “DJ-wise, we have the ability to do 25 weddings on any given day,” says Domingo Ward, a DJ with Complete Music, which also serves Manhattan, Salina, Hays and any of the smaller communities within those areas. “We don’t look at it as just providing entertainment. We look at it from a media aspect, and we have one business to deal with all that— high school dances, proms, corporate events.” Complete Music charges $795 for five hours and brings the works—dance floor lighting, state-of-the-art sound production equipment and, of course, a full songbook. “Typically, most people do traditional format, songs by decades,” Ward says. “But sometimes, some uncle is really keen on Hank Williams. “This is one of the best jobs I’ve had. Being a part of one of the most important days in someone’s life is pretty great,” he explains. “In college, I practiced to be the party starter, and now I have the job to do it. I get paid to have fun. How cool is that?” Alonzo Beardshear started DJing weddings back in the 1970s, but today, as owner of Alonzo’s Music, he considers himself an entertainment director and has hired comedians and even circus performers for weddings and receptions. An accomplished instrumentalist himself, he’s performed live at many ceremonies and receptions, as well as served as a DJ. He says he’s even served as sound man for some live bands. “Most bands don’t play a wide variety, which is why people prefer DJs,” he says. “People don’t want bands that just play pop covers.” He says he’s charged anywhere from $500 for a basic DJing session to, one time, $3,000 for a reception that included six circus acts and tents. “I also recommend lots of people if I can’t do it or I’m not right for the job,” Beardshear says. “Basically, I want people to have a great wedding and have a great time. “I feel I’m really bringing people together,” he continues. “That’s what I do.” p

DJ Sean Mawhirter at his control board.

Cami of Camis Cakes starts creating a 4 tier wedding cake. Photo of cake above by Melissa Sigler

Cakes

Signature Cakes, Cocktails

by Anne Brockhoff, photos by Steven Hertzog & Patrick Connor

Wedding celebrations through the ages have ranged from grand feasts and garden parties to balls and breakfasts, yet all have included cakes and drinks. Tradition usually dictated what was served: Romans crumbled wheat or barley cakes over a bride’s head to symbolize abundance, while Medieval couples drank mead for luck. Money mattered, too. Only the wealthy could copy King Charles II’s pyramids of sugar-glazed English spice cakes in the 1600s. And politics dictated tea and punch replace wine during Prohibition. By the end of the 20th century, Champagne toasts were back in vogue.

And now? Tradition and fashion still matter, but couples are increasingly focused on expressing their own style when it comes to cakes and cocktails. “Couples are spending more on the guest experience and adding personal touches,” according to a 2015 survey by wedding resource The Knot. Spending on all reception categories rose, with cakes now costing an average of $575, or 3.6 percent more than in 2014. Signature cocktails are also more popular—22 percent of the 18,000 couples surveyed served them last year, up from 12 percent in 2008. The added cost is worth it, though, says Louis Wigen-Toccalino, owner of Decade Coffee & Espresso and Back Bar Catering Co. “You’re building memories,” he says. “It’s something people will talk about afterwards.”

Louis Wigen-Toccalino, Decade Coffee & Expresso and Back Door Catering Co.

Cocktails Enhance Guest Experience

Wigen-Toccalino opened Decade two years ago and started mixing drinks after getting a liquor license in October. Soon after, customers began requesting cocktail catering services. Some events are off-site, while others take place at the shop, at Ninth and Delaware streets, such as a recent social hour following a wedding at the Cider Gallery. After the ceremony, guests walked to Decade to socialize over cocktails before returning to the gallery for a dinner reception. They weren’t just any cocktails, though. Wigen-Toccalino works with couples to create drinks that reflect their own personalities. “If there’s a gin they had on their first date or a Champagne they drank on the beach—whatever those stories are, we can weave them into a drink,” Wigen-Toccalino says. “It’s a cocktail just for them. You won’t find it anywhere else.”

Wigen-Toccalino’s creations often feature infused spirits and house-made syrups or bitters; herbs, berries and farmers’ market finds; and fragrant garnishes. The result is typically a classic cocktail with a unique spin, such as a Boston sour that adds cold-brew coffee to the traditional whiskey, lemon juice, cherry and egg white. “Where we shine is with excellent versions of simple drinks,” Wigen-Toccalino says. “People are surprised when the cocktails they’re familiar with are elevated and refined.” Demand for bespoke wedding cocktails is in keeping with the overall shift to craft drinking, says Bryan Love, owner of The Bourbonist, another Lawrence-based cocktail catering company. Consumers in their 20s and 30s are especially fascinated by them, thanks in part to social media and television shows like “Mad Men” and “Bar Rescue.”

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“It’s very trendy with millennials,” says Love, a bartender who also manages the Red Lyon Tavern. “They know what they want and how they want it.” Love typically conducts two initial tastings. The first helps him hone in on preferences; specific drinks are chosen during the second. Gin and vodka are popular for summer, Love says, and he likes matching them with lavender-honey syrup, blackberry or vanillaorange shrubs (vinegar-based syrups), fresh herbs like mint or rosemary, and edible flowers. The cost varies, depending on what clients want. Love says some offer a single signature drink; others request different drinks for prewedding festivities, the wedding day and the reception—what he calls “the whole shebang.” “It’s all customizable,” Love says. “I’m here to say ‘yes.’ ”

Brian Love, The Bourbonist

The same goes for cakes. While the white, multitiered cake is still popular, it’s by no means de rigueur. Buttercream frosting now comes with flowers, ruffles or textures, although lace, geometric patterns and so-called naked cakes with exposed sides and fillings are still popular. Marbled patterns or ombré, pale pink and gold or bright colors—anything’s possible, says Cami San Romani, owner of Cami’s Cakes and Coffee, in Eudora. Whatever the design, it’s best to order early. Specialty bakeries that focus primarily on weddings book up quickly, especially during the peak autumn months. Yes, you read that right. Autumn has now surpassed summer as the busiest wedding season. “October is our No. 1 busiest month of the year,” says San Romani, who recommends couples book a year to 18 months in advance. “People are surprised that we’re completely booked into fall [2016].” San Romani does between 200 and 250 wedding cakes a year, mostly in Kansas City, Lawrence and the surrounding area, both for locals and out-of-towners who attended the University of Kansas or whose families live nearby. Each begins with a tasting of a handful of the dozen flavors San Romani lists on her website; all are made from scratch using real butter, vanilla and other ingredients. That’s one reason her cakes typically cost $5 per serving, putting many in the $800 to $1,000 range. That shouldn’t scare anyone, though, San Romani explains. She routinely works with customers to devise less-expensive options, such as a smaller-tiered cake supplanted by sheet cakes. Donut bars, pies (either whole or hand pies), cupcakes or a selection of confectionary or desserts are popular, as well. “We’re willing to work with any budget,” San Romani says. Labor also figures into the cost. All custom orders must be paid in full two weeks ahead of delivery so San Romani can order supplies. She confirms details the Monday before and bakes on Tuesday. Cakes are wrapped and chilled, then decorating begins on Wednesday. On Thursday, San Romani finishes icing. Fridays are for detail work like flowers or extra piping. Most cakes are delivered on Saturday or Sunday with the help of her husband, Dustin San Romani, who teaches in Lawrence and coaches basketball in Eudora.

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In between all of that, San Romani and her three employees fill plenty of orders for other occasions. “We live in a small community, so we have to be accessible,” she says. “We do tons of birthday cakes, graduations, baptisms and communions.” Not that she minds doing the smaller events. San Romani, an artist, began baking cakes out of her house in 2011 and then moved into a commercial space in downtown Eudora. A successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 raised $5,531 and allowed San Romani to move into a larger space and add a retail counter serving coffee from The Roasterie, donuts, scones, muffins and treats. There are couches and soft chairs, and a nook with children’s books and toys—a favorite spot for her 2- and 4-year-old children. They often tag along on deliveries, too, making it very much a family business. “When we’ve drive by, my name’s on the building,” says San Romani, who’s expecting her third child this fall. “It means something to me, and hopefully it will mean something to them.” Desiree Lopez was driven by a similar entrepreneurial urge to open BellaRoca Cakes in Lawrence. She’d always baked but didn’t consider doing it professionally until the company she worked for merged with a competitor and eliminated her position. So she took a cake-decorating class, and then a friend of a friend asked her to make a wedding cake. More requests followed, and by 2011, she had a full-time business baking wedding, birthday, baby shower, graduation and special-occasion cakes.

Now, “We do pretty much anything you can think of,” says Lopez, who suggests placing orders for wedding cakes and large events six months in advance. Lopez’s business was initially home-based, but she quickly realized the need for more space. She bought a second house in north Lawrence, which is used entirely for BellaRoca Cakes, save a playroom for when her 3-year-old is there. She has one assistant, and her husband, Joel Lopez, helps with tasks including building special structures required for large cakes, like the 6-foot football field once ordered by KU’s football team. “It was a massive thing,” says Lopez, who often uses social media sites like Pinterest to communicate with customers. “Obviously, it’s not a normal cake board I can order.” Lopez offers a variety of cake flavors, all made with real butter and locally sourced eggs. That can be challenging, since egg production varies seasonally, so she’s forged relationships with several farms near Lawrence and Topeka. If the farmers run out, Lopez buys eggs from Dillons Food Stores, which sources all of its eggs in Kansas. That does add to the cost—Lopez’s prices start at $3 a slice, with additional charges for things like fondant and shimmer colors—but customers like that she buys local, she says. Plus, “I think it tastes better,” says Lopez, who also offers cupcakes, cake pops and balls, hand-dipped strawberries and other confections, many of which can be shipped. “You pay more for better quality ingredients.” p

BellaRoca Cakes photo by Melissa Sigler Photography

Above: Upstaris at Marks Jewelers - The Work Shop right: Showroom Marks Jewelers

Technology,Custom Design Change Face of Ring Selection by Julie Dunlap, photos by Steven Hertzog

Before a couple can say, “I do,” one of the two must first ask, “Will you?”

As the 14th-oldest jewelry store in the country, Marks Jewelers, at 817 Massachusetts St., has facilitated that question and the “I do” to follow ever since opening in 1880. Owner Brad Parsons, a 43-year jewelry veteran with Marks, steadfastly carries on founder Sol Marks’s tradition of honesty and kindness 146 years later, assisting couples daily—both in person and remotely—with the selection and design of engagement and wedding rings. “We take their ideas and grow them with mechanical integrity,” he says of the store’s mission, “and find a way to get them what they want.”

The jewelry industry has changed both in trend and technology during the many decades. Most new to the process is the use of computer-aided design (CAD), with 3-D photo renderings and printings available. Couples typically enter the store with photos of designs they like, sometimes with a family gemstone they would like to incorporate into the new ring. Parsons and his staff of jewelry designers work with the couple, blending the couple’s ideas with the mechanics needed to make the ring last a lifetime. This includes designing the ring to the correct specifications either by hand-carving a wax model or using CAD technology to create a lifelike photo rendering and/or 3-D-printed model. Once approved, a wax model is created and placed into a soup can-sized cylinder filled with plaster, sealed and heated high enough to burn out the wax completely, leaving a fossil-like mold for the actual ring to be cast. The precious metal of choice is then

poured into the mold and filled via vacuum force to produce the setting. From here, the experienced jewelers buff, polish and set the ring with the stones. Parsons says roughly 98% of the rings they produce are made from start to finish in-house, “so the customer is always talking with the person who is actually making it.” Over the decades, Parsons has watched the life cycle of several trends blossom and fade, noting that fewer brides and grooms are choosing the three-piece set of matching engagement and double wedding bands. And, while diamonds are still a girl’s best friend, alternative stones are being used, as well. “There is no right or wrong way to do it anymore,” he wisely explains. Just down the block at 833 Massachusetts St., Kizer Cummings owner Ernie Cummings and his team note a shift to custom design, as well. Kizer Cummings has been in business since 1982 and has seen a significant rise in requests for custom engagement and wedding rings, slipping custom-designed engagement rings on well more than 150 ring fingers last year alone. “Today’s brides-to-be are almost always looking for a custom ring, whether it be tweaks in a current in-stock ring or a ring designed from scratch,” says Erica Greve, Kizer Cummings GIA diamond specialist, citing the current trends for couples to forgo the traditional wedding band and incorporate various colored sapphires into the engagement ring for a more unique look as well as cost savings. In-house jeweler/designer Blaine Allmond, a degreed metal smith and jewelry designer with nine years design experience, including four years with CAD, personally meets with couples looking for a custom-designed ring. The couples give Allmond their specifications and requests, ranging from shape and size of the gems to arrangement. Allmond may spend as much as six hours designing a ring, even with the use of CAD technology, as every design is created from the ground up. Other than the metal casting, which is often sent to an oxygen-free facility off-site, the entire process from conceptualizing to the polishing of the finished product takes place in-house, with Allmond’s expertise leading the way. While under the right circumstances a custom ring can be completed in as little as three weeks, finding the right stones and creating the right design usually requires six to eight weeks from initial consultation to final product, especially one built from concept or rough drawing. Allmond’s most creative request? “I worked with one couple to design a ring with the stone being held by two swans wrapped around it,” Allmond recalls. “It was one of the more challenging jobs and took a few tries, but the couple loved it when it was finished.” left: Ernie Kizer and Erica Greeve talk with customers, Blaine Allmond handcrafts a ring work desk at Kizer Cummings

This kind of happily-ever-after tale is just one of thousands from Lawrence’s downtown jewelers over nearly a century and a half, with thousands more to come. p

TheWedding Planner Planning, Organization Key to Successful Wedding Day by Emily Mulligan

Often unfairly portrayed as caricatures in movies and TV shows, professional wedding planners are in increasing demand among busy, working couples. Carmen Hocking is a wedding planner and owner of A Beautiful Wedding, and she has been in the business for 27 years. Hocking and her staff handle all aspects of the wedding, from planning vendors and locations beforehand, to coordinating each event the day of, to wrapping up afterwards. Hocking is a wedding officiant, as well, and an invitation dealer, travel agent and even weddinggown preserver. She founded the Wedding Industry Networking Group (WING) five years ago, which brings together local vendors to share ideas and collaborate. Hocking wears many hats as a wedding planner, but she says the process and details of planning a wedding are often just a small slice of what is happening in her clients’ lives. “Some people are planning a wedding, graduating from college, moving and buying a house together at the same time. They definitely need a wedding planner,” she says. “I have done a huge amount of research. The reason you are hiring me is for my experience and expertise.” Hocking makes an organizational plan for each couple, providing them with checklists and questions for everything from the rehearsal dinner to the honeymoon. Having coordinated about 1,000 weddings, she knows the important details and pitfalls that await at any given stage. “When they say, ‘I never even thought of that,’ I remind them that that’s why they have a planner. Developing a relationship with the couples to learn about them is really important. They should bring out their personalities in their weddings—not just the ceremony but the reception,” Hocking says. Her first question to any couple is always what the budget is, and the second is often who is paying so she can understand the dynamics of the situation. “It’s my job to stay in the budget or come in under,” she explains. Each couple is different in how they approach the planning, and Hocking allows them to choose how much they want her to be involved in each step. Some couples like to have her with them

when they meet with each venue, photographer and florist. Others prefer to meet with vendors on their own and report back to her. Either way, she works with them ahead of time to make sure they know what questions to ask to make sure the vendor fits their needs. Laura Stillings Pattavina married her husband, Anthony, in July 2015 and had Hocking plan the entire wedding from start to finish, including being the officiant. With 16 wedding attendants and family coming from out of town, plus Pattavina’s admitted penchant for perfectionism, they thought a planner could help. The Pattavinas were both working full time for the year preceding their wedding, so Hocking’s relationships with reliable vendors were one of the reasons she was so valuable to them. “She suggested five caterers, five photographers, five florists. She lined up meetings with all the people for us, and we could literally just show up,” Pattavina says. “We wouldn’t have had a clue where to start with that. That saved us, probably, months.” Pattavina and her mother had scheduled meetings with multiple wedding planners for the Topeka wedding. Hocking was the first one they met with, and because of her approach and her experience, they knew she was the one for the job—so they canceled the meetings with the other planners. “Some couples don’t want to hire a wedding planner because they are afraid the planner will take over the wedding day. That is never the case,” Hocking says. If anything, wedding planners likely know better than average people when to speak up about something and when to hold their tongues. Hocking says wedding days bring out both the best and the worst in people, and she has had to navigate extremes of both happiness and crisis, often off the top of her head. Good communication skills are the most important attribute for a good wedding planner, she explains. That starts with establishing a rapport with the couple and continues with writing the invitations, making sure the guests know exactly what to expect and writing the questions for each vendor. Wedding planners also have to be prepared for and capable of delivering bad news effectively, whether it be telling a potential vendor that he or she wasn’t chosen for the job, or making it clear to Aunt Jane that she is not invited to the bride’s dressing room.

photos courtesy of Carmen Hocking

Being able to read people’s personalities and sense what they want is also a crucial part of the job, Hocking says. Her prior experience in human resources helped prepare her to work with people who are shy or anxious, and unable to express what they want or need. “You have to know how to draw information out of people,” she says. Of course, organizational skills are tantamount to any event planner but especially for something as personal as a wedding. Not only does Hocking have to keep herself organized for each of her couples’ special days, but she also creates a system that even the least-organized couples can use to track what needs to be done and where they are in the planning process. No detail goes unnoticed in her system, including specific instructions for the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and their duties in planning, the day of the ceremony and at the reception. Although she has taken charge for the months and weeks ahead of the wedding, Hocking says the wedding planner must be able to step back and work as an equal team member with the vendors on the wedding day. Each entity is working toward the same goal of a successful event, so the wedding planner has to allow the vendors to do what they do best. Hocking also has a staff she can provide on the wedding day, including servers, bartenders and even child care. She also has people she can call on at the last minute if a vendor has a noshow. So, cultivating and maintaining those relationships can be critical, as well. Pattavina says most of her friends and relatives had the stereotype of a wedding planner in their minds before her wedding and reception. But she and her husband knew they made the right choice to hire Hocking. “Planning a wedding is stressful, no matter how big or how small it is. But it’s a life experience you want to enjoy. Having Carmen took the load off our shoulders. Our wedding wouldn’t have been as perfect or as beautiful without Carmen,” she says.

Wedding Trends Now, more than ever, with social media sites like Pinterest, weddings are subject to trends. Many long-standing wedding traditions are starting to be bucked as times change. Hocking’s practices and ideas roll right along with either keeping tradition or doing what’s hot. Some brides like to use trendy wedding colors, and Pantone issues current colors to help keep them in style. This year’s colors are Pantone Rose Quartz, a pale pink, and Pantone Serenity, a light blue. Hocking says other popular colors are teal, mint green, coral, emerald green and navy. In recent years, some of the trends Hocking has seen include: • more outdoor weddings, including park weddings and backyard weddings • weekday weddings (Hocking says she has done weddings every single day of the week, and vendors generally charge less for weekdays.) • grooms being more involved in the wedding planning than brides, and the groom’s family paying for much more than just the rehearsal dinner • processing RSVPs online on the bride and groom’s wedding website (also a trend) instead of having guests mail a response card • “first look” pictures (The bride and groom see each other right before the wedding, and the photographer captures the moment.) • couples who are a bit older and more established in their lives and careers • pies instead of wedding cake at the reception • popular wedding themes and styles: shabby chic, antique/Victorian, country/redneck p

Gowns & Tuxedos Wedding Attire Can Set Tone of Entire Event by Julie Dunlap, photos by Steven Hertzog

Nothing quite makes the dream of a wedding seem more like reality for a bride than trying on wedding dresses. Fortunately for Lawrence-area brides, gowns of all shapes, sizes and budgets can be found right here in town, starting at J.Lynn Bridal, at 731 Massachusetts St. Owner Jena Lynn Dick, a former wedding coordinator, opened J.Lynn Bridal three years ago on Iowa Street. Business was strong enough, and the lure of downtown appealing enough, to move to Massachusetts Street when the opportunity presented itself last June. “I grew up in Lawrence,” Dick explains of her desire to be downtown, “and Mass. Street is where you need to be.” The increased foot traffic and drive-by exposure have helped build her business, bringing in brides-to-be from both within and outside of Lawrence. With roughly 150 wedding gowns on the showroom floor at any given time ranging in price from $800 to $2500 and 120 bridesmaid gowns available to try starting at $200 (often used as wedding gowns, as well),

in addition to mother-of-the-bride and groom and flower-girl dresses on the showroom floor available for order, Dick is more than ready to outfit an entire wedding party. Brides may either make an appointment, which is recommended, especially if the rest of the wedding party is joining her, or walk into the store to view the collection. J.Lynn is located in the old Francis Sporting Goods building, one of the oldest buildings in Lawrence and one of the fortunate ones to have survived Quantrill’s raid. This rich history and perseverance may be seen as a good luck charm—the “something old” traditionally sought after by brides. Inside the bridal shop, the soothing blue walls, aged wood floors and exposed brick provide the perfect backdrop for trying on dresses, shoes, jewelry and other accessories to complete the look. Brides and their helpers are free to peruse the racks while Dick takes notes and assists with the selection. She emphasizes it is important to try on dresses before judging them, for better or worse. Dresses will always look different on a body than on a hanger. The dresses on the showroom floor are samples only, with all dresses being custom-ordered and altered to fit each person perfectly. Bridal gowns typically take three to five months to come in and will almost always require alterations. Mothers’ dresses and bridesmaid gowns usually arrive within eight to 10 weeks, with alterations to follow. All sales are final since all dresses are ultimately made-to-order. The winter holiday season continues to prevail as the most common time for engagements, making the months that follow, January through April, particularly busy for bridal shops. “Most brides will hit two to three boutiques,” Dick says, finding that Lawrence brides tend to be “more chill.” She recommends brides have a clear vision of what they would like to have both budget- and fashion-wise, but to keep an open mind as they shop, as there is no substitute for hands-on browsing. And with so many varying styles, lengths, cuts and fabrics on the racks, it is important to consider all options. “You can do whatever you want,” she explains about bridal fashion. “There are no rules anymore.” Bridal fashion trends previously formed from magazines, television shows and movies used to take longer to catch on in the Midwest. But since the dawn of the Internet—particularly Pinterest—and the wide availability for area retailers to carry designers previously limited to the coasts and large metropolitan areas, Midwesterners no longer trail behind in fashion. Some of the more popular trends in the Lawrence shop include lace-covered gowns and boho headpieces with raw-edged veils for a simplistic look. Alternate colors to virgin white are also growing in popularity. “Blush looks amazing,” Dick says, “especially on redheads.”

Janette Thompson tries on a wedding gown with Jena Lynn Dick of J.Lynn Bridal

When it comes to zeroing in on the wedding party’s look, Dick recommends starting with the bridal gown (or gowns—Dick has been coordinating weddings for same-sex partners long

before same-sex marriage was legally recognized). The style of the gown will not only determine the style for the wedding party, it will set the tone for the event. Some brides have found that one dress is not enough and will choose a formal showstopper for the ceremony and a more dinner- and dance-friendly dress for the reception. Dick cites the mermaid-style or sleek body-hugging gowns as those more often worn for the ceremony only. After selecting the right dress, Dick will help the bride choose accessories that enhance the look without overpowering it. Headpieces, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, clutches and shoes are all available on-site to try on and purchase. Once the bride is set, it is time to choose dresses for the wedding party to complement the style and color scheme of the bride and groom. The process can take quite awhile, depending on how many people are involved in the decision-making. But Dick’s confident, focused demeanor helps keep the shoppers on task while enjoying this part of the wedding journey. “I ask all people there with the bride to keep remarks constructive,” she says of her secret to keeping harmony among her clients and their various assistants. J.Lynn isn’t just for the bride, though. With a large selection of tuxedos available, Dick is able to outfit the entire wedding party, something she prefers to do whenever possible. And today’s grooms and groomsmen are no longer confined to black suit, tie and cummerbund anymore. Dick has seen an increase in grays and blues for weddings with fun socks, bow ties and vests to spice up the look. Brady Flannery, vice president at Weaver’s, 901 Massachusetts St., notes the same trend in tuxedo rentals and sales at the longtime Lawrence department store. “Fewer are wearing all black,” says Flannery of the modern groom and wedding party. “Instead, we see lots of gray and blue with slim-fit tuxedos and microfiber shirts being the most common upgrades.” Weaver’s offers a full line of tuxedo rentals, from the classic and formal to the outrageously overstated. “I’ve seen a full camouflage-print tux jacket and pants in the rental catalog,” laughs Bruce Collinson, Weaver’s Men’s Department manager, “but I’ve never rented one to anyone.” Flannery adds, “Menswear is now as customizable as food and drink at the reception will be.” In addition to rentals, Weaver’s also offers tuxedos and other men’s formal attire for purchase, something Flannery says is quickly becoming a hot trend. As

more and more formal weddings switch gears from the traditional tuxedo to a gray or blue suit, grooms and their male entourage are making the switch to buying a suit they can wear again. One groom, the first of his guy friends to marry, consulted with his friends and decided they would each buy matching suits and then wear them in each others’ weddings when the time came. With tux rentals running anywhere from $69 to $140, purchasing a suit for $160 or even a tuxedo for $200 can save money in the

long run. The main differences between a tuxedo and a suit are the satin stripe down the outer seam of the tuxedo pants and satin lapel on a tuxedo jacket. Grooms and their groomsmen may even decide to only purchase certain pieces to be worn again, such as pants or the jacket, and rent the rest. Weaver’s offers a free tuxedo rental for the groom when five or more are rented for the wedding party. Flannery offers another cost-saving tip: “Wear as much stuff as

Elle Martin

you own.” This includes shoes, shirts, ties and other accessories available for rent but often sitting in the man’s closet or available for purchase. Grooms also seem to be shying away from the traditional wedding party gift of a flask or other trinket, and instead are buying pieces of the wardrobe for their groomsmen and ushers, from fun socks and bow ties to shirts and suspenders. One of the biggest challenges for wedding party outfitters is obtaining proper fit and measurements from out-of-towners. Both J.Lynn and Weaver’s will take measurements over the phone and request, at the very least, four to six weeks notice for orders, though they both encourage wedding parties to send in or come in for measurements as soon as possible. Flannery goes one step further, encouraging grooms to gather their friends for a weekend in Lawrence that includes a stop at Weaver’s for a fitting. “We’ve had guys bring the entire wedding party in all together to get fitted,” he says. “They get to hang out and knock out the measuring all at once, which is great for them to just get it done. And they have fun doing it together.” Unlike the bridal gown, which is usually months in the making, a rented tuxedo will arrive on a Tuesday and be ready for the wedding that weekend with a return date of Monday. All eyes may be on the bride, but the look isn’t complete until the entire wedding party has been outfitted, and for grooms and groomsmen, there are more options and fewer rules than ever before. p

Top to bottom: Bruce Collinson (The Fitter @ Weaver’s) measures Grant Stephens

Above: Karen Pendleton with ï¬&#x201A;owers, Bouquets by Karen Pendleton

Flowers Local, In-Season on Trend and on Budget by Liz Weslander, photos by Steven Hertzog

No matter the size or style of the wedding, flowers are the flourish that confirms you are truly in the midst of a special occasion. Three local florists have given us an inside look at the world of wedding flowers, including a rundown of the trends they’ve noticed in Lawrence. They also make a convincing case for why choosing in-season flowers is the single best way to get the highest quality flowers for your money. Ask any florist, and he or she will tell you this: Brides love peonies, but this has not always been the case. Behold the power of Martha Stewart. Karen Pendleton, who specializes in local, seasonal, pesticide-free wedding flowers, first planted 2½ acres of peonies on her farm in the late 80s as way to diversify the springtime offerings at Pendleton’s Country Market, which she co-owns with husband John Pendleton. “At that point, peonies were still primarily seen as a Memorial Day flower,” Pendleton says. “But a year or two after we started growing them, Martha Stewart’s first wedding book came out, and she featured peonies. It changed our lives.” One of Pendleton’s friends had a daughter getting married in 1991, and, inspired by Martha Stewart’s new book, went in search of a florist who would work with peonies for the wedding. She couldn’t find one. “Florists wouldn’t work with peonies at the time because they didn’t hold up very well, so she asked me if I would do the wedding,” Pendleton explains. Pendleton said yes and, using the peonies from her farm, successfully pulled off the event. Through word of mouth, Pendleton quickly found herself in the wedding flower business. She and John quickly got busy increasing the variety of flowers they were growing and started refining their post-harvest handling techniques to maximize the durability of their flowers. Pendleton’s is now booked with two to three weddings every weekend from May through November.

Kristin Spacek, who has co-owned Owen’s Flower Shop, 846 Indiana St., with her husband since 2011, can attest to the fact that peonies are still going strong in the world of wedding flowers. “Oh, people want peonies all year round,” Spacek says. “I wish that was available, but they are so expensive out of season.” Perhaps one of the reasons for the enduring popularity of peonies is they come in colors that have been trending in the wedding world. Both Pendleton and Spacek agree that coral, blush pink, ivory and white have dominated wedding color palates for the past few years. However, more vibrant colors appear to be staging a comeback. “This year, I am starting to see more of the marsala color, which was supposedly on trend last year, but we tend to be behind by about a year in the Midwest,” Spacek says. “We haven’t done that sort of color scale before, so I’m excited to see that happening.” Jennifer Oldridge, who has been operating Stems Event Flowers out of her home studio in Lawrence for three years, says a number of her fall brides are planning a color scheme involving a deep emerald color paired with a hot pink or a hot rose. “It’s really dynamic,” Oldridge says. “It will be remembered, that’s for sure.” Aside from peonies, florists agree that dahlias and hydrangeas are popular at the moment, as are flowers that fit with the earthy,

Below: Owen’s Flowers, photo courtesy Melissa Sigler Photography

Alex White and Dondo

organic, just-picked-from-the-garden style that a number of brides currently favor. “The whole country burlap thing has definitely been on trend for the last three or four years,” Spacek says. “But I feel like people are starting to move a little bit away from that now. People still like the rustic, outdoor, wildflower look, but without as much burlap.” Spacek says she likes using herbs, especially lavender, to create a natural look.

estly done more for my wedding business than anyone because she promotes locally grown flowers. That’s huge.”

“Herbs are soothing and calming as far as the scents, and they provide a lot of texture that make the bouquet look more interesting,” she explains.

Both Spacek and Oldridge like to work with local flowers when they can, especially since they naturally lend themselves to the just-picked style that is popular right now.

Oldridge has also seen a lot of the “burlap and lace look,” and she says a number of people have recently started requesting the addition of antlers and horns to the wedding décor. Weathered vases and containers are also popular for creating a look that blends old and new, she continues.

“If people stay with what’s seasonal, then we can get flowers that are literally picked the day of from one of our local sources,” Oldridge says.

Pendleton, too, does a lot of “country and barn weddings,” but she says locally grown flowers and loose, round bouquets are currently popular across the board, and she does plenty of traditional church weddings using flowers grown on her farm. “Just like locally grown food, people are more aware of locally grown flowers right now,” she explains. “Martha Stewart has hon-

Even if couples choose not to use flowers that can be grown locally, all of the local florists agree it is still in the couple’s best interest to plan their flower choices around what will be in-season on the day of the wedding. “If a flower is out of season, I try to tell brides up front that it might not be available,” Spacek says. “If a bride wants peonies in November, that’s probably not going to happen. But there are always options for in-season flowers that will have a similar look to the flowers they want.”

Kristin Spacek adds ﬁnal touchs to a ﬂower arrangement at Owen’s Flower Shop Aside from the issue of availability, out-of-season flowers are also significantly more expensive. “Picking flowers in season is the best way to save money,” Pendleton says. “People think they have to have carnations or lesser flowers in order to save money, but buying things in season will save money. If someone is wanting hydrangeas in May, I’m going to tell them to use stock. I’m growing that then, so it will be less expensive. For people who want lots of dahlias, which are running expensive, I tell them they can get the same look with zinnias between July and October.” Oldridge agrees couples should embrace flexibility as much as possible when it comes to their wedding flowers. “Sometimes it’s kind of a reality check for people to understand the pricing and availability of flowers,” Oldridge says. “It’s really a good idea for couples to have a few flower options in mind. We can always get roses from Ecuador, anytime, that’s a pretty easy one; but quality and pricing on most flowers can fluctuate even from week to week depending on weather patterns across the world.” Both Spacek and Pendleton say they have some customers who, following the do-it-yourself trend, are simply interested in purchasing flowers in bulk that they can then arrange themselves. Both florists do sell bulk flowers for weddings, but, as experts, they have a few caveats for the DIY folks. One is the importance of having a specific idea of the type and quantity of flowers and greenery they will want.

“Some people will just ask me to give them enough flowers of whatever I have for twenty bouquets,” Pendleton says. “Well, that can vary quite a bit depending on things like how full they want the bouquets. If I’m going to figure all that out and make all those decisions, I might as well be making the bouquets.” Spacek agrees DIY flowers require more planning and effort than many couples realize. “I always like to try to offer my services and explain to the bride that unless they have a team that is doing it for them, it really does take more time than you think,” Spacek explains. “I’ve actually had someone call me the day before their wedding saying they realized that doing their own flowers was too much and that they needed my help.” Aside from choosing flowers in season, local florists say the best thing a couple can do when it comes to their wedding flowers is trust their florist—they want the flowers to look good just as much as anyone, and they have the expertise to make it happen. “We all want to make that bride cry for joy,” Pendleton says. “Give your designer a little leeway, and let them use their good judgment. The most gorgeous bouquets I do are the ones where the bride just gives me some colors, a list of flowers she does and does not like, and says, ‘Make it pretty.’ ” p Mary Shaw, Lana Seibel, Winnie

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Background and top: Eldridge Hotel Other photos: Oread Hotel. Photos courtesy of Olivia Collection

Someplace Old, Someplace New by Julie Dunlap

Many singers have crooned about going to the chapel or getting to the church on time, but not every couple chooses to marry on a traditional altar, and even fewer are following the ceremony with a reception on church grounds. Fortunately, the Lawrence area is filled with a wide variety of beautiful venues for brides and grooms in search of an alternative to the once-traditional church wedding and reception. Couples looking for an indoor venue with historic significance will find several choices in downtown Lawrence, starting with what is arguably the most notable corner in Kansas, The Eldridge Hotel, at 701 Massachusetts St. Originally built in 1855 as the Free State Hotel, The Eldridge has been burned to the ground and rebuilt twice with several major renovations over the next 150 years, most recently in 2005. With a history of perseverance and new life, and a prime downtown Lawrence location, The Eldridge is a prime spot for couples looking for a place to begin married life. “We see a large number of couples with Lawrence or KU ties,” says Nancy Longhurst, general manager of The Olivia Collection, which owns The Eldridge Hotel and The Oread Hotel. “Many couples don’t even live in Lawrence anymore, but they attended KU, and Lawrence still holds a special place in their hearts, so they come back to get married here.” Wedding celebrations at The Eldridge can include both the ceremony and the reception, with packages ranging greatly in price, depending on the number of guests, food and beverage served, and additional services required. While having the ceremony and reception all taking place under one roof, The Eldridge also offers hotel rooms (for an additional fee) for the wedding party and guests, relieving out-of-towners from the worry about transportation to and from the wedding festivities. “Brides like the all-inclusive aspect,” Longhurst explains. “The wedding party often stays at the hotel the night before and gets ready for the wedding just upstairs from the ceremony and reception. It is perfect for out-of-town guests.”

The Eldridge’s sister property, The Oread Hotel, atop Mount Oread at 1200 Oread Ave., also provides beautiful settings for both wedding ceremonies and receptions, including outdoor space on the fifth- and ninth-floor terraces. These upper-level venues come with complimentary breath-taking views—and a backup space on-site should the weather not cooperate. The wedding party and guests may continue the celebration outside far above the golden valley or move the party indoors for climate-controlled fun in one of The Oread’s ballrooms, with hotel rooms available for guests who wish to commute to bed via elevator. Modern conveniences abound in both historic settings, with inhouse catering, setup and cleanup, table wear, even centerpieces and cake-cutting services available for parties of 40 to 400. The two properties see well over 100 weddings between them annually.

With so much of the decision-making taken off the couple’s plate by the all-inclusive offerings of The Oread and The Eldridge, Longhurst has seen a shift in the previous trend of planning periods. While a majority of weddings in the past decade or so took well more than a year to plan, it is not unusual at all for the wedding department at The Olivia Collection to field and fulfill requests from couples seeking to marry within six to eight months. “Spend your money on food and flowers,” Longhurst recommends to newly engaged couples. “Our event rooms come with built-in beauty, so there is no need to pour too much in to decorations.” Across the corner from The Eldridge, Dean Edington, general manager of the ornate and historic Liberty Hall, at 644 Massachusetts St., agrees. “People will remember three things: how pretty the bride was, how good the food was and how much fun they had,” he advises with the calm and wisdom of a 25-year event-management veteran. “If you spend too much time worrying about every speck of every centerpiece, it stops being fun for you and your family. And this is supposed to be a party!” Edington, who assists roughly 20 couples every year with their wedding and reception planning at Liberty Hall, brings unique perspective to the venue. “The reason couples get stressed out is because most of them have never done this before,” he says. “I try to be as mellow as possible.”

Built in 1856 after the same arson raid that burned down the Free State Hotel the year before and again after an electrical fire in 1911, Liberty Hall has been a place for community gatherings and entertainment for most of its 160 years. The majestic landmark has been home to movies, fund-raisers, comedians and star-studded concerts, including Willie Nelson and Tina Turner, during the last century and a half. Liberty Hall’s long history of steadfast creativity and opulent decor, featuring the grand chandelier, marble stairways and inspiring murals, fuels the imagination for wedding ceremonies and receptions from the funky to the fairy tale. “People like to do fun stuff here,” Edington says, citing a bride who transformed the historic stage to a silver forest with stringed lights sweeping over the entire lower level like a storybook fantasy, and another bride who recently created a Star Wars-themed wedding, complete with a canopy of light sabers. The rental fee—one of the lower fees at major venues in Lawrence—includes house tables and chairs, setup and cleanup, pipe-and-drape, stage lighting and one dedicated bartender with two more people on-site to bartend and manage the event. Couples are given the space at 10 in the morning and have it until the wee hours of the night, with 1 a.m. begin closing time. The space does not include food catering and does not have a kitchen available, but it does have an in-house bar with nearly any type of beverage available for order. A 7-foot grand piano is available at an additional fee for couples that would like live piano music for the ceremony or reception, and the house sound system is available for rental as well for bands,

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Above: Abe and Jakes - photos courtesy of Abe and Jakes DJs and couples who wish to self-DJ with their own playlists. The space seats 176 people at tables on the main floor and an additional 64 on the stage. A large majority of couples that use Liberty Hall for their wedding celebrations choose to have both the ceremony and reception take place on-site. Typically, the wedding ceremony will be on the stage, with immediate family and wedding party seated or standing on or near the stage and remaining guests in the nearby balcony. The main floor is already set for the reception, allowing everyone involved to go straight to the party with minimal time spent changing out the setup. Around the corner from Liberty Hall sits another historic building with a more recent pedigree for entertainment, Abe & Jakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landing, at 8 E. 6th St. Built to house the Consolidated Barbed Wire Company in the late 1880s with a steamboat landing on the river just outside, the former factory slowly evolved into a state of disrepair during the next century, with changes in technology and the economy. In the 1980s, a group of developers dedicated the next 10 years to rehabbing the abandoned building into the grand, yet warm and inviting, venue it is today. Named after local fisherman Abe Burns and Jake Washington, Abe & Jakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landing is one of the larger spaces in Lawrence for gatherings, with a seated capacity of 350 in the main gallery and another 50 to 60 in the mezzanine just above. The building also features four smaller, more intimate rooms seating 10 to 75, ideal for bridal showers, brunches and rehearsal dinners. The main gallery features a large stage at one end with a large wood dance floor directly in front of it and seating surrounding it

Background and left: Liberty Hall, photos by Melissa Sigler Photography 55

Arterra Event Gallery - photos courtesy of Arterra

all. Rock, iron, wood and brick finishings throughout the space, along with the sweeping views of the Kaw River along the north window-lined wall and from the pavilion outside, call back to the days a century ago when steamboats and fishermen filled the river and its banks. The massive staircase leading down to the main gallery from the open balcony above facilitates a grand bridal party entrance for guests below.

nities available for an extra fee include a catered brunch at the hotel the morning after for guests and space for gift-opening for couples who want to include family and wedding party in the fun.

Roughly 50% of the wedding celebrations at Abe & Jake’s Landing include both the ceremony and reception. The open space, flooded with natural sunlight by day and dramatic light by night, allows couples unlimited options for a celebration to fit their personalities.

But the appeal of Lawrence extends beyond the architecture and history of our Downtown.

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“Nothing is traditional anymore,” states Abe & Jake’s Landing Wedding Manager Kiley Nottingham. “Nothing is right or wrong.”

Nestled in the woods of suburban southwest Lawrence sits the spacious and naturally stunning Arterra Event Gallery. Located at 2161 Quail Creek Dr., Arterra Event Gallery opened in September 2013. The retreat-like outdoor space glows with the beauty of every season, with a warm yet simplistic indoor space available, as well.

Like Liberty Hall, Abe & Jake’s Landing offers an in-house bar but no catering. Any licensed, insured caterer may bring food to the event, though, with the rental fee covering six hours in the space (including the main gallery and all smaller rooms for prep work), tables and chairs, setup and teardown, and staff on-site for the event.

Executive Director Mike Gehrs has worked hard the past threeplus years to make the hidden gem a premiere site for weddings in Lawrence. “Beautiful space and fantastic food can’t outweigh service,” he beams, adding that Arterra Event Gallery consistently receives outstanding feedback from wedding parties and guests about all three facets of their business.

When it comes to selecting a venue, Nottingham advises couples to determine a guest count and budget prior to searching. “Once you have found the venue of your dreams,” she adds, “understand the logistics of the venue to ensure there are no surprises as you plan the finer details.”

Wayne and Judy McDaniel purchased the building, formerly the original home of Pachamamas, in October 2012, naming it Arterra and partnering with Gehrs, a hospitality-industry veteran with experience in Chicago, Los Angeles and Kansas City. Gehrs runs the space with customer service at the forefront of the mission, engaging all of his employees with a profit-sharing program.

Judy Riling, sales manager for SpringHill Suites by Marriott, at 1 Riverfront Plaza, wholeheartedly agrees. “Plan ahead and look for what you want in a layout, capacity and setup of the space,” she says, encouraging couples to look for beauty in simplicity to reduce the stress of potential logistical nightmares. Located in the same stretch as Abe & Jake’s Landing, SpringHill Suites has wrapped up a $1.6-million renovation that includes new carpet, art, guest room and event space design, and an outdoor pavilion with wide-open views of the Kaw River, making it a prime venue for couples seeking a uniquely beautiful space to dance the night away and house out-of-town guests in one stop. The modest rental fee includes all-day rental of the event space (starting at 10 a.m.) plus tables and chairs, setup and cleanup, and house table linens. Guest rooms may be discounted and booked by the block, with additional discounts available on event space, as well. While SpringHill Suites does not have in-house catering or beverage services available, they do allow licensed caterers to cater events. SpringHill Suites is a member of WING (Wedding Industry Network Group) in Lawrence and has access to photographers, DJs, formal wear retailers and more to assist couples with their wedding planning. Riling notes several trends unique to the offerings at SpringHill Suites, with most couples eager to get into the event space as early as possible, many staying at the hotel the night before to relax and enjoy getting ready for the day on-site. Popular ame-

Gehrs says roughly 40% of the events they do are weddings, though that number continues to climb; and roughly 50% of the weddings they do involve both the ceremony and reception. Arterra Event Gallery is a full-service facility, with everything from silverware to lighting, food and beverage to tables and linens, all available in one stop. While the setup can be buffet-style, cocktail reception, hand-delivered hors d’oeuvres and more, the most popular and uniquely Arterra food service is what Gehrs calls the “fine-dining approach to family-style service.” Every table, plate, charger and centerpiece has been measured and carefully placed to allow servers to bring serving platters to the dining tables for guests to serve themselves family-style. All food is made in-house from scratch and timed to be served fresh with no reheating or holding warmers necessary, and may be served indoors or out. Both spaces within Arterra Event Gallery seat 200, though an expansion is planned for 2017 to add more indoor space. The full bar can include any beverage or specialty cocktail the couple desires, and the staff will install all decorations for the couple, as well. Gehrs cites Pinterest as a primary influence in what inspires brides and grooms in their wedding decor. With so many options available, couples appreciate the all-inclusive venue. “They don’t have to do nearly as much work,” Gehrs points out, “they only have to come in and make decisions,” a feature working

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and out-of-town couples especially appreciate. Just north of Douglas County within the trademark rolling hills of northeast Kansas, Circle S Ranch owner Mary Cronemeyer has found a similar trend with brides and grooms. Circle S Ranch, a working ranch with event space and a full 12-room bed and breakfast, has been sending newlyweds off for 17 years. Another indoor/outdoor, all-inclusive option, Circle S Ranch offers dreamlike natural charm and more to couples for their big day. For a majority of the 25 to 35 weddings Cronemeyer and her team oversee every year, the wedding party will choose to make a weekend out of it. With enough space to sleep well over 25 guests, festivities usually begin the day before the wedding, as the bride and groom, and their families and close friends arrive. They may spend the day decorating the party barnâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an immaculate and charming open space for 200 across the parking lot from the bed and breakfast. Or they may choose to decorate for the ceremonyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an open outdoor space down a short, scenic trail from the bed and breakfast, complete with a wooden

canopy and benches made from fallen trees on the property. They also have the option to do nothing at all but hike, soak in the hot tub, ride one of the horses on the property or simply stroll around in search of one of the many buffalo roaming the rolling pastures. A s’mores bar, with nearly every topping imaginable, by bonfire caps off the first night, as guests enjoy the last hours of relaxation before the wedding day. The bride is given run of the third floor of the bed and breakfast the day of the wedding to get dressed with her entourage, with the honeymoon suite privately tucked away upstairs for the bride and groom to share that night. “Many brides and grooms like to do a ‘first look’ before the ceremony,” Cronemeyer adds. The couple get to see each other privately before the ceremony, often with a photographer catching their first glimpses and followed by wedding party photos. This allows the newlywed couple to join their guests at the reception immediately after the ceremony rather than waiting until after the ceremony to take photos. All food and drink are catered in-house, freshly made by hand in the kitchen and accommodating of specialized diets or family traditions. Depending on the season, fresh fruits and vegetables may be served straight out of Cronemeyer’s garden. Overnight guests may be treated to one last brunch before taking off the next day, or they may choose to extend the stay for one more day of unwinding. “We see a lot of out-of-town couples from the coasts who went to KU,” Cronemeyer adds, “and the wedding weekend becomes a college reunion in a lot of ways.” Back in downtown Lawrence, Castle Tea Room Executive Director Lindsay Ibarra has seen similar trends.

“Castle Tea Room has always been a centerpiece for special events,” Ibarra states of the 120-year-old historic castle. “People choose the Castle Tea Room to be uniquely Lawrence, with many of our couples being KU students and alum.” “The Castle,” as it was originally called when Civil War veteran John N. Roberts built the stately mansion for his wife and daughter in 1894, sits prominently at 1307 Massachusetts St., just down the hill from the KU campus. The home was designed for entertainment from the very beginning, hosting countless parties and events for well over a century. Careful restoration has allowed the home to retain its original wood flooring, ornate wood carvings and stained glass, sending guests back in time as they stroll through from room to room. Outside, the grounds are impeccably maintained, with a large canopy set up in the courtyard for special events, facilitating both covered and uncovered ceremonies and receptions. Roughly 80% of the wedding celebrations at Castle Tea Room include both the ceremony and reception, with a mix of couples choosing to have one facet or the other indoors or outdoors. The rental fee includes tables, chairs, linens and setup; a full kitchen is available for outside caterers, but the facility itself does not offer catering services. Left: Circle S Ranch photos courtesy of Circle S Ranch Background: The Castle Tea Room, photo by Jerry Wang

In an era where couples feel more and more pressure to pull off a completely unique wedding (as long as it matches everything seen on Pinterest), this 501(c)3registered historic mansion offers something pretty special in a hometown that is a hotbed for ravishing weddings of all kinds.p

A Choice t o Make Memories Last a Lifet ime by Tara Trenary

When it comes to planning the perfect wedding, there are many important decisions a bride and groom must make: What unique venue expresses the couple’s style? What is the ideal type of cuisine to keep guests happy? Has the bride chosen the perfect dress? Does the cake not only look but also taste decadent? Will the flowers go well with the décor? How much will all of this cost? The ninth annual The Knot 2015 Real Weddings Study, the largest report of its kind that surveyed nearly 18,000 U.S. brides and grooms married in 2015 on spending habits and trends of American weddings, found weddings continue to be one of the most important and expensive events in couples’ lives. The average wedding cost has increased by more than $5,500 in the last five years, with couples averaging approximately $33,000. And spending has increased in all reception categories, including catering costs, cake, music, flowers, entertainment, as well as in photography. With wedding photography costs ranging from $2,300 on the lower end to $15,000-plus depending on location, package chosen, hours, special services and possible overtime hours, choosing the right photographer may well be one of the most important decisions a bride and groom has to make. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen or heard of these nightmare tales of people trying to save money on the photographer, only to have wedding images that were horrible, blurry or lost entirely,” says Melissa Sigler, of Melissa Sigler Photography, who had a home office on Massachusetts Street, in Lawrence, from

2011 until just recently, when she moved it to Lenexa. “There are plenty of ways to save on a wedding, and the photography should be the last thing to cut.” When it comes to wedding details, couples these days have become more focused on creating a meaningful and memorable experience for themselves and their guests. Therefore, they are willing to spend more money, adding personal touches and making sure the guest experience is ideal. “Since we’re so plugged in to technology and imagery with the Internet, people get very excited about their portraits and want images that tell a story rather than are just evidence of a wedding that took place,” she explains. So how do you know who’s the right photographer for your dream wedding? Wedding photographers come in many shapes and sizes, and with just as many different styles. Traditional and timeless, informal and reality-based, edgy and dramatic: Being in touch with your personal style is essential when choosing a photographer for the special day. “Knowing the photographer’s style is one of the biggest components in choosing a wedding photographer,” says Jerry Wang, of Jerry Wang Photography, Lawrence. “I always relate a photographer’s style to how someone tells a story. You want to choose someone that fits your vision and can create the images to match the mood.” Ailecia Ruscin agrees. “Couples should spend some time looking at a photographer’s portfolio to get an idea of what types of images the photographer likes to make. But also, they should look at an entire wedding to get an idea of what the full day looks like from that photographer’s perspective,” says the owner of Lawrence’s

background and right: photos by Melissa Sigler Photography

Oh Snap! Photography, who has a studio on Massachusetts Street. “Beyond style, a final point worth considering is how the photographer’s personality fits with you. They will be spending one of the most exciting days of your life with you. Are they the type of person you want to spend that special day with?” An important new trend couples must also consider when seeking out that perfect photographer is whether they want to include videography on their wedding day. According to The Knot study, one in three couples hires a professional videographer to capture their ceremony and reception. But, not all wedding photographers offer videography as a service. “We started offering wedding videography in January of 2015,” says Dustin Brown, photographer with The Larken Photo and Video Co., Lawrence. “The market for videography has exploded in the last two years. We went from never getting a video inquiry in 2013 and 2014, to expecting 80 percent of weddings to do photo and video for the 2017 season.” Videography isn’t the only new wedding photography trend these days. Other new trends coming of age, according to The Knot report, include shooting the proposal as well as engagement and day-after photos, incorporating social media, Brady Bunch-style and stop-motion photography, bridal portraits, casual family photos, overhead and backlit shots, as well as selfies. Dreamy film images, father-daughter first looks and displaying family photos (such as old family wedding photos) at the wedding are also becoming popular. Photo booths are one of the most popular new trends these days. According to the Thumbtack

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photo by Surveyor Creative, Cameron Philgreen Wedding Trends Report 2016, 97 percent of people want physical photo prints available to their guests. Couples find creative ways to personalize their booths, including using their wedding colors or theme in the backdrop, creating custom props to match their theme, using photo-booth photos for their guest book and asking guests to include a photo-booth photo alongside their note, according to the report. Couples also personalize their photo-booth photos with their wedding logos and make the photo a keepsake for guests.

wants on your wedding wish list.

So if you want to follow suit with the trends of the day, be sure you choose a photographer who is willing and able to meet all of the

“I think the opening of venues like the Cider Gallery is bringing a lot of that urban-chic style into Lawrence, which is popular right now,” Sigler continues. She says the University of Kansas

As for what’s hot in weddings in a college town like Lawrence: “Tacos and food trucks, naked cakes, cupcakes, get-hitched/ give-back efforts and handmade details are all big trends in Lawrence weddings,” Oh Snap!’s Ruscin explains. “Rustic and rural venues are quite popular, as are unique spaces like renovated old theaters and industrial buildings. This affects the wedding photography immensely.”

Kelli Dillion photo by Brian Goodman Photography

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also plays a big part in Lawrence weddings. “A lot of couples who get married here graduated from KU and bring that fandom into the wedding details and/ or get married right on campus.” Compared to larger U.S. cities, Lawrence definitely has its own vibe. “In my experience, weddings in Lawrence are a lot more laid back than weddings in big cities. We like that,” says Brian Goodman, of Brian Goodman Photography, a husband and wife team based in Lawrence. Sigler agrees: “The fact that there are so many unique choices in a small proximity makes it special. For instance, you can have a barn wedding just minutes away from a more ‘urban’ wedding downtown, and travel to many places in a short amount of time for portraits.” Not only is the town of Lawrence unique, but so are its residents. “I have found that many of my Lawrence wedding clients are intensely artistic and interested in supporting small-scale artisans of many varieties in curating the perfect details for their wedding day,” Ruscin says. “My clients will hire an esteemed ca-

photos by Jerry Wang Photography

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terer who serves farm-to-table unique food creations; they will hire a local baker to make cupcakes in a variety of flavors; they will hire local artists to create their programs and centerpieces; they will work with a local farm to buy flowers to create their own bouquets.” She explains that in Lawrence, do-it-yourself and artisan-made goodies are trendier than buying mass-produced decorations, prompting many brides to make their own flowers and bouquets from paper or comic books, or even vintage brooches. When considering photographers for your wedding, remember that there are things to consider other than photographer style and price. May, June, September and October are the busy months for weddings, so book early to save the date (many photographers hope to book out at least a year), especially if you hope to get married during the busy season. Expect to pay a down payment dependent on the total cost of the booking, and if you cancel, don’t expect to get it back. And be prepared to sign a contract so photographers can save your date. “We will refund everything but the deposit, because if we save a date, that means we’re turning down everyone else who inquires about that same date,” Goodman explains. With all the important choices that go into a wedding, choosing the right photographer means that the memories you and your family and friends make on your day will forever be preserved. So it’s important you choose the right photographer for you, because it’s an important job that must be done right. “When everything else goes wrong, the photographer still needs to deliver,” Wang says. “I view it as my responsibility to help the couple remember this day on a good note. So no matter how tired I feel at the end of working a 12-hour wedding day, I keep in mind that my job is to help tell this happy story. It’s amazing to think that the images we create this year will be remembered 10, 20, 50, even 100 years down the road. They are the roots of a new family, and it’s an honor to be a part of the memories.”p photos by Ailecia Ruscin, Oh Snap! Photography

Above and right: Culinara Food dishes, photos by Melissa Sigler Photography

What areYou Serving? Couples Personalize Dishes to Tell Their Stories by Derek Helms

Ask anyone involved, and they’ll tell you there is no “typical wedding.” No two couples want the same food or drink or décor. For Lawrence caterers, every event is an exercise in patience, managing expectations and going the extra mile to ensure a successful service. “You have to always be conscious that this is, up to that point, the most important day of the couple’s life,” explains Regan Pillar, of Culinaria Food and Wine. “That’s a big responsibility. I don’t think any successful caterer takes it for granted. I know we certainly don’t.” Kasey Dietrich, associate director of sales and marketing for Maceli’s, agrees. Dietrich explains the catering of a wedding goes well beyond maintaining warm food on a buffet table. Dietrich and her crew at Maceli’s host more than 80 wedding receptions annually at their facility, in Downtown Lawrence, and cater up to 50 more off-site. Each is a unique experience. “After almost every wedding, I’m surprised,” Dietrich says. “Even if the wedding isn’t here at our facility, and we are really only providing food, we tend to get involved and end up helping with anything

else we can. If we’re involved in a wedding at all, we kind of feel a responsibility to help the couple anyway we can. We want them to remember their experience with us.” Gone are the days of wedding packages and preselected plans. While most caterers in Lawrence have a few dishes that are very common for weddings (all name steak, chicken and potatoes), most are more interested in personalizing the experience for the couple and their guests. Pinterest boards and modern wedding magazines have given brides-to-be countless ideas. While most of the personal touches of the modern wedding are reserved for décor or destinations, many couples are putting more thought into the food they offer their guests. Evan Williams, owner and operator of Evan Williams Catering, has been catering for 25 years and says the personalization of wedding catering is a very good thing. Williams and her staff cater more than 30 weddings a year and believe the more involved a couple is, the better. “I like that couples are becoming more invested in what food is served at their wedding,” Williams says. “I enjoy working with couples that have distinct ideas and a passion for food. When people have an idea for dishes beyond a simple meat and potatoes, it

Background and right: Evan Williams creations, photos courtesy of Evan Williams

helps us plan a memorable meal service. Also, couples seem to be more interested in making the meal, and particularly the food served, a more important part of the day. They want food to be an expression, not an afterthought.” A catering plan begins with a meeting with the couple. While budgets are as different as couples, the topic of money is one of the first things discussed. This is a business, after all, and the couples (and their parents) are aware of that. In fact, Culinaria even tries to prequalify couples with a wedding questionnaire before investing too much time. Regan Pillar, her husband, Aaron, and their staff cater up to 40 weddings a year, and knowing which couples they connect with is important.

the best food they can. We tend to steer them away from a set dollar amount and have them think in terms of cost per plate.” Williams says she also strays away from a flat rate and works in terms of per-plate cost. “That cost per plate helps the couple understand the value in the price,” she explains. “I get them to think about how much they are willing to spend on their guest to treat them to a great meal and event.”

“The questionnaire isn’t so much about money,” Regan Pillar explains. “It’s more of a way for us to get to know the couple. When we sign on to cater a wedding, we are making a commitment to the couple and to their families. If we don’t think we can meet their expectations or provide just what they want, it’s better to help them find a better fit.”

Maceli’s and Culinaria both average around $35 per plate for weddings. That, of course, can fluctuate based on any number of variables. For instance, Culinaria recently catered an event that needed traditional Indian and Chinese dishes, as well as a combination of each cuisine. Chef Aaron Pillar met the challenge, Regan Pillar says, but it wasn’t without some worry.

Dietrich says talking about money is not an issue. In fact, it’s expected.

“Aaron lost some sleep before that wedding,” Regan Pillar says with a laugh. “He spent a lot of time in the kitchen working on dishes to make sure the flavors were represented well. Factoring for time and the increased cost of some of those ingredients, the budget was higher than some other events we’ve catered.”

“I don’t think it’s uncomfortable to discuss budgets,” Dietrich says with a matter-of-fact tone. “Most couples really seem to know what their budget is, where they want to spend their money and are most interested in getting

Williams cautiously discloses that her costs are a bit higher.

Left and below, Maceliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plates: photos by Jason Dailey Photography

“We tend to charge between $40 and $55 per plate,” she says. “I always get nervous to say that number because I don’t always know how people might perceive those rates. But we charge that because we think we provide a service and a product that justifies the expense.” While Evan Williams, Maceli’s and Culinaria are more traditional caterers, couples are beginning to look to more specific food options to help tell their story. James Ferguson, general manager and events director for 23rd Street Brewery, says they get calls for wedding help. “You know, we don’t do full catering for many weddings,” he says. “Maybe one a year. But, we get quite a few calls for specific dishes.” Ferguson says his staff sees more rehearsal dinners. “I think rehearsal dinners tend to be much more relaxed,” he says. “The crowd is more laid back and less worried about formalities. That works well with our attitude and ambience.” Ferguson explains it’s not uncommon for a couple to request a big bowl of Bill Self Pasta or a few kegs of their beer. “The story we hear the most is that the couple either met at 23rd Street or spent a lot of time here,” Ferguson says. “We love it when that happens. We’re here to make people happy. If our food or beer helped bring a couple together, and they want us to be a part of their wedding, well there’s just not much better than that. Most of the time, we don’t make much profit, we just love making people happy.” p

Above & below: 23rd Street Brewery catering dishes, photos by Steven Hertzog

Where to Register? Local Wedding Registry Options Popular in Lawrence by Emily Mulligan, photos by Steven Hertzog

When couples get married, not only do they officially join forces with the person they love, but they also have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask for every gift they could ever want through a wedding gift registry. Big-box stores and their websites are typically where couples choose to register, but two Lawrence stores have overcome the national competition and successfully provided gift registry for decades. “Regardless, any individually owned store competes with the bigbox stores. People love the Weaver’s experience, and people who come in say that we have the best selection in our home store, even in the Kansas City area,” says Jo Haehl, home shop department head and buyer for Weaver’s. Weaver’s has offered wedding gift registry for as long as anyone at the store can remember. Winfield House, a home furnishing store, has offered wedding gift registry since it opened 21 years ago. Both stores say their personal touches and customer service are why couples choose to register at the local stores. Winfield House and Weaver’s also work hard to ensure that out-of-towners will have easy access to the registry from afar, either online or over the phone. Winfield House interior designers Samantha Campbell and Tiara Gerhardt guide couples through the store to choose items for their registry. “If they don’t even know what they want, we can help them,” Campbell says. Once the couple chooses all the items they would like, Winfield House puts together a display of their items in the store with the couple’s picture. Campbell or Gerhardt also puts pictures of each item on the Winfield House website and on Facebook with the bride and groom tagged so friends and family who are out of town can see and choose from the gifts. Guests then call Winfield House and purchase the items ahead of time, so gifts will be ready to pick up when they arrive in town. Bonus: Winfield House giftwraps every registry purchase over $25. Haehl and her staff work closely with couples in the Weaver’s home store to make sure they are informed about all of the items Weaver’s offers. She says some couples prefer to shop themselves and make note of what they want, while others appreciate the advice about which things to choose. “Some people come in knowing exactly what they want, and oth-

ers have no clue. We’ve got all kinds of goodies. I think they really do like the advice and knowledge we have about the products here,” Haehl explains. Once the couple has chosen the items for their registry, Haehl compiles a list that can be printed and used in the store, and she also enters their registry in the Weaver’s website so out-of-towners can access and purchase items online. Gift-wrapping is free, and customers can pick up their gifts or have them delivered. So, what do brides and grooms want most? Both stores say couples want items they can use everyday. Fine china and fancy bed linens are things of the past for contemporary couples. At Winfield House, Campbell says most couples register for everyday dishes, silverware, table linens and bedding. At Weaver’s, Haehl says most couples register for cookware, Fiestaware dishes, knives, cutlery, towels and bed linens. In addition, because both stores have multiple specialties, couples often capitalize on other merchandise that might not typically be on a wedding gift registry. For example, Haehl says that recently, a bride who was having a personal shower did part of her registry in Weaver’s lingerie department. Also, she explains, many couples look around and see the luggage at Weaver’s and decide to register for that. Gift buyers also like to buy Weaver’s gift cards for the couple because they know how varied the selection is and that the couple is sure to find something they will use. Gerhardt says couples are often drawn to the everyday décor at Winfield House, so they register for artwork or home accessories to decorate their homes. “Some people don’t cook, but they think they are supposed to register for cooking supplies. Sometimes they register for things they think they will need versus things they can actually use now. Such as, instead they can choose a blanket that looks pretty on the guest room bed,” she says. Winfield House has also had couples register for area rugs, a dining table and even a sectional sofa, which gift buyers contributed toward with a gift card. “When you’re registered here, you could potentially get something substantial. It’s not a traditional wedding gift, but it’s something you need and will cherish,” Gerhardt says. Haehl says more and more brides are in their late 20s and early 30s, so they already have kitchen and home items.

Right: Jo Heahl shows a couple options in the houseware department at Weaver’s “I find they’re registering for better-quality things and wanting to get rid of older, less-quality stuff,” she says. “A lot of them have a mishmash of pieces, and they want a nice set that matches.” People also seem to be choosing more health-oriented registry items, Haehl says, including juicers, spiralizers and VitaMix blenders. She says most couples enjoy the gift registry part of the wedding-planning process. “Usually, they have a fun time doing their registry. Occasionally, they are panicked and in a hurry, but we try to make it simple regardless,” Haehl says. Carmen Hocking, wedding planner and owner of A Beautiful Wedding, says most of her couples choose to do at least part of their registry at a big-box store. Regardless, she says she always recommends the couple ask guests to send their gifts to the couple ahead of the wedding. Otherwise, when guests bring the gifts to the wedding, other guests and the families end up having to load up and haul the gifts away after the long day. She says is it OK for the couple to start writing thankyou notes before the wedding, but they should wait until after the wedding to mail them.p

Left: Tiara Gerhardt & Samantha Campbell of Winﬁeld House

THE LOCAL

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HEARTS OF GOLD BALL 74

BUSKERFEST

NEWS [MAKERS] PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Certified Insurance Counselors Honored Sarah Kueﬀer

A leading insurance professional organization recently recognized Sarah Kueffer, CIC, of Integrity Midwest Insurance, LLC in Lawrence, for dedication and ongoing leadership in the insurance industry. The Society of Certified Insurance Counselors (CIC) honored Ms. Kueffer for ten years of successfully maintaining the Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation, denoting significant commitment to advanced knowledge and customer service. “This honor is an acknowledgment of the priority Ms. Kueffer places on education and professional growth,” cited the Society’s President, Dr. William T. Hold, CIC, CPCU, CLU. “Customers, associates and the insurance profession as a whole benefit from such dedication.”

Gould Evans Announces Promotions

Gould Evans is thrilled to announce that Sean Zaudke have been promoted to Associate Principal. He has made significant contributions to the firm, and to the values which guide us. We are confident that he will each play an important, and growing role in the advancement of Gould Evans’ design and thought leadership, crafting beautiful buildings and environments which enrich the lives of those who learn, work, play and live within them. Sean is a highly skilled architect contributing at all levels of architecture. He has collaborated across most of our studios throughout his 18 years with Gould Evans. His passion for architecture has endeared him to many of our clients and helped us build key relationships in higher education. He has been a leader in our Lawrence studio and instrumental in building the design culture. Sean oversaw the design of the Lawrence Public Library, a project that has garnered multiple national awards. Over the past couple of years, he has brought his drive and skill to the Kansas City studio, providing design leadership on the Missouri Innovation Campus, The State Historical Society of Missouri Center for Missouri Studies, and has contributed to business development for both Lawrence and Kansas City.

WE tv Star & Wedding Planner Coming to The Oread Meet Entertaining Expert David Tutera at Oread Bridal Fair - June 26

Leading Wedding Planner & Entertainment Expert David Tutera will visit Lawrence to share wedding day “pro tips” with guests during The Oread’s Bridal Fair June 26. Tutera stars on WE tv’s “CELEBrations” and also is known for hosting “My Fair Wedding,” which also became one of his best-selling books. Brides and grooms will be inspired as they visit with vendors and tour the indoor and outdoor spaces at 1200 Oread Ave in Lawrence, KS. The Bridal show hours are 10am to 2pm. Tutera will speak at noon followed by signing of his books. Books will be for sale at the event. Admission is $5 and will be taken at the door. Pre-registration is highly en-couraged. Call 785-830-3927 or email lkrings@oliviacollection.com to get on the guest list.

NEW DOUGLAS COUNTY BUSINESSES

[ APR to JUN 2016 ]

3 XISTERS+ LLC 3112 Winston drive Lawrence 66049

ALIGNED PILATES LLC 4824 Quail Crest Place Lawrence 66046

B&D FLOORING LLC 918 Oak St Eudora 66025

C&D D, LLC 900 MASSACHUSETTS Lawrence 66044

CHRISTY L. EDWARDS, LLC 719 Massachusetts Street Lawrence 66044

6 GATE, LLC 5100 W. 6TH ST. Lawrence 66049

ALL CONSTRUCTION LLC 511 Eldridge Lawrence 66049

B&E PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, LLC 4149 Blackjack Oak Lawrence 66047

CAIRN THERAPEUTICS LLC 5025 Keystone Court Lawrence 66047

CINDERELLA BY CHOICE LLC 1515 E 24th St. Lawrence 66046

A & M PARTNERS INC. 532 N 900 Lawrence 66047

AMW II, LLC 901 New Hampshire Lawrence 66044

BEACON CAPITAL, LLC 814 Baker Street BALDWIN CITY 66006

CLASSIC CARS, LLC 2005 Riviera Court Lawrence 66047

A&B ENTERTAINMENT, LLC 1234 Elm Eudora 66025

ANKENBAUER MANAGEMENT, LLC 918 WELLINGTON RD Lawrence 66049

BEVEL, LLC 1009 NEW YORK Lawrence 66044

CASEBYCASE LEGAL SERVICES P.A. 900 MASSACHUSETTS STREET Lawrence 66044

ACCENDO MARKETING LLC 1948 Carmel Dr. Lawrence 66047

B.A. STYLES, LLC 3545 Eagle Pass Court Lawrence 66049

BRANDME MEDIA SOLUTIONS LLC 204 Eisenhower Drive Lawrence 66049

CHANEY MECHANICAL LLC 901 New Hampshire Lawrence 66044 CHILL CRYOTHERAPY SPA, LLC 327 N Eaton Dr. Lawrence 66047

CLB INVESTMENTS, LLC 1655 George Williams Way Lawrence 66047 COMMUNITY COLORS FOUNDATION 709 Bob White Circle Eudora 66025

NEW DOUGLAS COUNTY BUSINESSES con’t CONEXUS BIOSCIENCES LLC 5025 Keystone Court Lawrence 66047 CP PROPERTY HOLDINGS, L.C. 2701 W 6th Street Lawrence 66049 CUSTOM PROPERTIES LLC 3452 Morning Dove Cir. Lawrence 66049 DAWN STEWART PROPERTIES LLC 4105 W 6 Street Lawrence 66049 DELTA-V ENTERPRISES LLC 104 Walker Pl. Lawrence 66049 DRAFTPAK LC 2040 W 31st St Lawrence 66046 DURKIN LAW OFFICES, LLC 832 PENNSYLVANIA STREET Lawrence 66044

HAWKINS PAINTING PRODUCTS, LLC 1901 New Hampshire Street Lawrence 66046 HELLO SUN PHOTOGRAPHY, LLC 504 Rock Fence Place Lawrence 66049 HICKS INFORMATION L.L.C. 2300 W 31st Street Lawrence 66047 HIKE OUTDOOR, LLC 740 New Hampshire St Lawrence 66044 HOMSTEAD PROPERTIES LLC 302 HOMESTEAD DR Lawrence 66049 HONEST CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION LLC 1701 Alabama Lawrence 66044

I DREAM OF CLEANIE LLC 1519 Kentucky EAST EIGHTY PROPERTIES LLC Lawrence 66044 944 COVING DR IGBOMINA PROJECT NORTH Lawrence 66049 AMERICA ASSOCIATION 952 N. 3RD ST EMAMI INC Lawrence 66044 2604 Whitmore Dr Lawrence 66046 IVINS CUSTOM FENCE & LANDSCAPING, INC ERIN DUNLAP PHOTOGRAPHY, 4105 W 6 St LLC Lawrence 66049 1725 TENNESSEE ST APT 4 Lawrence 66044 IXCETOS LLC 804 Missouri EUDORA PARKS AND Lawrence 66044 RECREATION FOUNDATION, INC. J. KLEMM LLC 1135 CHURCH STREET 139 Earhart Circle Eudora 66025 Lawrence 66049 FAT GIRL FLOW L.L.C. JAS CREATIVE 1440 W 19th ter CONCEPTS LLC Lawrence 66046 2029 Massachusetts Street Lawrence 66046 FISCHER BUILDING, LLC 900 Massachusetts JBH LLC Lawrence 66044 511 UTAH ST Lawrence 66046 FLATLAND CONCEPTS LLC 4028 Crossgate Ct JDFOX LLC Lawrence 66047 3505 W 7 Ct. Lawrence 66049 FRED’S BOAT STORAGE, LCC 568 N. 1800 RD JL CURTIN HOMESTEAD, LLC Lecompton 66050 2340 MURPHY DR Lawrence 66046 GLOBAL LEARNING ACCELERATOR INC. K TEN PLACE, LLC 1305 W 19th Terrace 708 Fox Chase Court Lawrence 66046 Lawrence 66049 GOOD EARTH GOODS LLC KARR COMMUNICATIONS 3217 Big Horn Court GROUP, LLC Lawrence 66049 710 Maine Street Lawrence 66044 GRACE HOME HEALTH CARE AGENCY, LLC KAW VALLEY DENTAL CLINIC, PA 2127 E. 26TH STREET 4102 W. 6TH STREET Lawrence 66046 Lawrence 66049 GRANDURA PROPERTIES, LLC LACED DIGITAL, LLC 418 Wisconsin St 308 High St. Lawrence 66044 BALDWIN CITY 66006

[APR to JUN 2016 ]

LAK INC 4608 Cherry Hills Dr Lawrence 66047

NORTHSIDE AUTO LLC 1722 Ohio Street Lawrence 66044

RE:ORGANIZING, LLC 301 Wisconsin Street Lawrence 66044

STONE BIRD PRESS LLC 1945 KENTUCKY ST Lawrence 66046

LAPTAD STOCK FARMS AND VENTURES LLC 1439 N 1900 RD Lawrence 66044

NU CHAPTER OF BETA SIGMA PSI FRATERNITY INC. 910 WELLINGTON RD. Lawrence 66049

REESE MARIE LLC 1123 Kanza Drive Lawrence 66049

SWEET NECTAR FARMS, LLC 617 E 850th Rd Lawrence 66047

LAWRENCE COMMUNITY FEST L.L.C. 1729 Barker ave Lawrence 66044

OASIS HOSPITALITY LLC 5220 EISENHOWER TERRACE Lawrence 66049

LAWRENCE COMMUNITY HANDBELL CHOIR FUND 1427 E 550th Rd Lawrence 66049 LAWRENCE JUNIORS VOLLEYBALL CLUB LLC 5204 Stonecreek Court Lawrence 66049

OJEBODE USED CARS LLC 1109 PRESCOTT DR Lawrence 66049

REXROAD PROPERTY MANAGMENT 2 LLC 2824 Gill Ave Lawrence 66047

ONE WAY ENTERPRISES, LLC 722 E 14th place Eudora 66025

RIFLEWORKS LLC 1117 W 13th Terr Eudora 66025

OPHIUCHUS SYNDICATE LLC 2100 KENTUCKY ST. Lawrence 66046

RIVER LANDING, LLC 5750 Longleaf Drive Lawrence 66049

LAWRENCE PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS CHARITABLE OZ ART GLASS LLC FOUNDATION 50 Winona Avenue 746 Kentucky Lawrence 66046 Lawrence 66044 P & G MARKETING AND LONGMONT HOLDINGS, LLC ASSOCIATES, LLC 901 New Hampshire Street 2812 Lankford Dr Lawrence 66044 Lawrence 66046 MAIN STREET ADVERTISING, INC. 910 Pamela Ln Lawrence 66049 MALEY & SONS CONSTRUCTION, LLC 454 E 2100 Road BALDWIN CITY 66006 MARKET WATCH PROPERTIES & INVESTMENT, LLC 4726 W 24TH ST Lawrence 66047

PAGE 7 LLC 1028 Rhode Island St Lawrence 66044 PER ASPERA MANAGEMENT LLC 712 WELLINGTON Lawrence 66049 PR AQUATICS, L.L.C. 2336 Ranch Way Lawrence 66047

PREMIUM ROOFING REPAIR LLC MCSQUARED CONSULTING CO. 25864 Clover Ct 1014 Wellington Road Lawrence 66044 Lawrence 66049 PRO CONSTRUCTION LLC MNC LLC 2416 Yosemite Drive 2233 Rodeo Dr. Lawrence 66047 Lawrence 66047 QUAIL CREEK 2, LLC MOZIE’S MONEY FUND 2350 RIDGE COURT #20 1040 NEW HAMPSHIRE Lawrence 66046 Lawrence 66044 QUAIL CREEK MT. OREAD MASSAGE, INC. APARTMENTS, LLC 230 Landon Court 2350 RIDGE COURT #20 Lawrence 66049 Lawrence 66046 NDI MANAGEMENT LLC 1421 Oread West St Lawrence 66049 NIKO FREIGHT INC 2104 CROSSGATE CIRCLE Lawrence 66047 NINTH STREET FILMS, LLC 706 WEST 25TH #2 Lawrence 66046 NLC ENTERPRISES LLC RR 1017 Lawrence 66047 NORTHERNSANDS VENUE LLC 1235 N. 3RD Lawrence 66044

REXROAD FOODS LLC 2824 Gill Lawrence 66047

R&B ENTERPRISE LLC HCR 2916 Lawrence 66047 RA & ASSOCIATES LLC 1312 New York St Lawrence 66044 RANCHO CAPPUCCINO HOLDINGS, LLC 1224 N. 1100 ROAD Lawrence 66047 RASCOLL CONSULTING, LLC 646 Walnut Lawrence 66044

RL DODGE CITY 1 LLC 1112 Summerﬁeld Way Lawrence 66049 ROCK CREEK HOTEL, LLC 15264 254th Lawrence 66044 ROMSTEDT ACQUISITIONS INC 811 N 900th Lawrence 66047 SALON BARA LLC 323 Dakota Street Lawrence 66046 SCMP98 LLC 2223 Louisiana St Lawrence 66046 SEEKING RESPONSIBLE SPENDING, LLC 16 E 13th Lawrence 66044 SENIOR SITTERS LLC 24259 Stillwell Rd Lawrence 66044 SGA MANAGEMENT LLC 2416 Yosemite Dr Lawrence 66047 SHINTO ROSE INC. 534 NORTH ST Lawrence 66044 SIMS ENTERPRISES, LLC 1886 N 1000 Rd Lawrence 66046 SMITH STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS LLC 1312 Inverness Drive Lawrence 66049 SOLOMON & ASSOCIATES, INC. 4205 W 6TH, STE C Lawrence 66049 SPREAD THE DIRT LLC 3498 Union Rd Lawrence 66044 STEFFENS LAW LLC 521 Lyon St Lawrence 66044

SZECHUAN HOUSE SIXTH STREET INC 1500 W 6TH STREET Lawrence 66044 T&A RENTAL INC 532 N 900 rd Lawrence 66047 TALLGRASS CONSULTING SERVICES LLC 925 W 29th Street Lawrence 66046 TAPYNESS, LLC 730 New Hampshire street Lawrence 66044 THE 1857 WILLOW CREEK FARM, LLC 2302 Manchester Road Lawrence 66049 TRAILS WEST FARMS LLC 947 E 2000 Road Eudora 66025 VIBRANT WOOD MAINTENANCE LLC 1010 Hilltop Dr Lawrence 66044 VILLAGE COUNSELING LLC 2708 Century Drive Lawrence 66049 VINTAGE CHIC LLC 823 Massachusetts Street Lawrence 66044 WHITE EAGLE ENTERPRISES, LLC 4029 Crossgate Ct Lawrence 66047 WILLADREW PHOTOGRAPHY LLC 722 E 12th Street Eudora 66025

WH OSE D ESK? Be the first to correctly guess which local business figure works behind this desk. Winner receives a $50 gift card to 23rd Street Brewery. facebook.com/lawrencebusinessmagazine