Veterans Terrace

WBSD Concert Series

2010-08-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Burlington's own 89.1 WBSD has a wonderful concert series here at Veterans Terrace as a fundraiser for their station. So far the band TUGG has been here and we also have had a teen dance. The next two concerts are sure to be a great form of entertainment!

On Thursday August 12 the Katie Todd Band will perform.

On Thursday August 19 Pat McCurdy will be here!

Don't miss out on these great summer-time activities right here in Burlington.

For more information, call into WBSD at (262) 763-0195

Sunday Weddings

2010-07-28T12:47:00.001-07:00

We receive quite a few inquiries about Sunday weddings. Most brides are interested in the great savings that many Sunday weddings bring; but many do not have creative ways to "do" a Sunday wedding. Below are just a few ways to schedule a Sunday wedding.

Think about having a small ceremony with your closest friends and relatives on Saturday. You can have them all over after the ceremony for a small barbeque or intimate dinner. On Sunday host a formal reception brunch. This will save you tons of money. Brunch entrees are typically much less expensive than a dinner entree. This will also extend your wedding fesitivies to two wonderful days of celebrations.

Photo by Here's Looking at you, Kid
Speaking of brunch receptions, if you don't have the time to celebrate on two days, have both your ceremony and reception on a Sunday and consider a brunch reception. We have seen some beautiful Sunday weddings with string quartets, beautiful dessert buffets, and stunning day-time views of the park.

Photo by KK Photography
We also have quite a few night-time receptions on a Sunday. With this we recommend sending out a save-the-date right away with the date clearly written so your guests may plan accordingly. Most of our Sunday night receptions occur in the summer. If you have guests that are teachers or that have children, they will appreciate not having to go to school the next day!
Regardless of the day you choose to have your wedding, it is sure to be a wonderful celebration!

These are a Few of our Favorite Things

2010-07-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

In the world of weddings ... These are a few of our favorite things...

The small details

The perfect dress
The raw emotion
A spalsh of color

A candid moment
A generational celebration

And beautiful memories.
Congratulations Josh and Jennifer. 6.12.10

Thanks to Jon Hainstock Photography for providing these photographs!

Summer Weddings

2010-05-20T10:17:00.002-07:00

We are quickly approaching July which means it's getting hot out! We have quite a few wedding ceremonies here at Veterans Terrace - many out on our beauitful Memorial Terrace.

www.leopilakphoto.com

If you are like many brides that want to have that beautiful outdoor ceremony, you may want to take a few things into consideration.

www.leopilakphoto.com

1.) Make absolute certain you have a inclement weather back-up plan. Luckily here at Veterans Terrace we do have three different spaces as a potential back-up to inclement weather.

2.) Make sure your guests are aware of the outside venue. They may not want to come in a full suit knowing it might be sticky outside.

www.leopilakphoto.com

3.) Check out the outdoor venue to see if there are any ideal shade spots. If you have any elderly guests or young children at the event, your ushers may want to make those guests aware of the shaded locations.

4.) Consider out-door friendly wedding favors. We have seen Chinese paper umbrellas to shade guests from the sun, water bottles with the couples name imprinted on the label, ceremony programs that look like a paper fan, and even sun screen / bug spray with the couples date imprinted on the bottles.

www.leopilakphoto.com
An outdoor wedding can be beautiful. By taking a few small steps to ensure everyone is comfortable and happy, your event should go off without a hitch. Most importantly, don't forget to take advantage of the amazing photo opportunities a natural setting will provide!

www.leopilakphoto.com

Hot Dates!

2010-05-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

Are you still searching for a perfect venue for your wedding day? Check out our beautiful Liberty Hall, which accomodates up to 420 guests for your wedding reception!We are now offering special discounted pricing for our 2010-2011 "Hot Dates".

Inquire Today about the great discounts we are now offering for the dates below. Don't delay! They are going fast!!

November 27, 2010

December 18, 2010

January 22, 2011

February 12, 2011

February 19, 2011

February 26, 2011

March 5, 2011

Let the Wedding Season Begin!

2010-04-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

On April 10, 2010 we hosted the first wedding of our official "Wedding Season 2010". From now till December we have at least one wedding every weekend. Many of those weekends we have multiple weddings! We are honored to be a part of our couples' special day!

Please enjoy some pictures from our first wedding of the season! Thank you to
Matt Mason Photography for providing these pictures!

The couple had a simple tree with pictures of their relatives on their wedding days.

The groom made the place card holders - which also doubled as beverage coasters for guests to take home and enjoy.

The couple had a chocolate bar with delicious chocolates for guests to enjoy.

The event had a Spring flavor to it.

The couple chose to do a Sweetheart table at their head table. The couple sits at a small table for themselves and the rest of the wedding party still sits on either side of them.

The dance floor before it was packed with dancers!

Congratulations to Mandi and Paul! We wish nothing but the best for you in your future.

Veterans Terrace Inaugural Bridal Showcase

2010-03-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

On March 14, 2010 Veterans Terrace held its First Annual Bridal Showcase. We were proud to have over 40 of the area's best vendors on hand to display all the newest products and ideas for brides and grooms-to-be.

We were so excited to see 300 attendees come out for the fantastic day. Enjoy some pictures below!

Thanks again to our Gold Sponsors!

Attendees waiting for the fashion show to begin.

At the end of the show Ideal Impressions Photographer Zak Smith got on a really big ladder to take this picture. Those photographers certainly are dare devils!

Models showing off some bridesmaid dresses.

The fashion show was put on by Christy's Bridal.

Thank you to Carol and Christy from Christy's Bridal for putting on a fantastic show!

One lucky bride winning one of over 20 prizes. We were so excited to give away over $6,000 in fantastic prizes! A big thanks to the major give-away donors!

Aphrodite Designs, Christy's Bridal, Fox's Paper Trail, Matt Mason Photography, and Northpine Studio
A bride getting her picture taken in Ideal Impressions Photobooth.
Veterans Terrace four preferred caterers were onsite for brides and grooms to get a wonderful taste of their food.
Enve Salon and Day Spa was there to provide free makeup trails and mini chair massages for attendees. They also provided the hair and makeup for the fashion show models.
A bride-to-be checking in.
Our Emcee's for the day from Medley's in Motion DJ Company.

Did you miss this year's show? See you next year on March 13, 2011!

Riders in the Sky

2010-03-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

March has been one busy month at Veterans Terrace.
And the fun has just begun!

Please save the date of March 24, 2010

at 5:30 p.m.

for a concert by Riders in the Sky - America's Favorite Cowboys!

Riders in the Sky is a group of four funny and incredibly talented musicians playing the best Western Music there is! The group has been together for over 30 years and has won multiple awards. Most recently they were featured on "Toy Story II''.

Go to our website to view more information on the group and to purchase tickets.

Click here to see a fun YouTube ad!

See You on Sunday!

2010-03-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

We hope to see you on Sunday March 14, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. for our First Annual Bridal Showcase.

Some things to expect from this show...

- Over 40 wedding vendors waiting to show you the lastest trends and ideas for your big day

- Complimentary Romantic Pictures with your fiancee by Ideal Impressions Photography

- A One-of-a-kind fashion show presented by Christy's Bridal (2:30 p.m.)

- A Groom's Room with snacks and a big screen TV for him to watch sports while you do the shopping

- A Bridal Spa by Enve Salon & Day Spa featuring free makeup trials and chair massages

- Food and cake tastings

- A Chance to win over 20 door prizes. Some of which include: Free ceremony coverage by Northpine Studio Videographer, A Trash the Dress Session by Matt Mason Photography, a $500 gift certificate from Christy's Bridal, a $500 gift certificate from Fox's Paper Trail, $100 + Free veil, gloves and alterations by Aphrodite Designs, and much much more!

Click here to see a full listing of exhibitors and prize give-aways.

Thanks to our Gold Sponsors!

A Winter Wonderland Wedding

2010-02-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

We just love winters in Wisconsin here at Veterans Terrace. There is something magical about a fresh layer of snow on a crispy and sunny winter day. We have a feeling our most recent couple, Cassie and Brian will agree. Cassie and Brian had a Winter Wonderland Wedding this past January -- and their reception certainly held up to that title.

To say that the bride was a savvy one would certainly be an understatement! The year prior she had one big shopping spree at the after Christmas sales and found all of her decorations. She put tall vases full of copper colored ornaments and red garland in smaller vases filled with water and a romantic candle on top. All of their guests were treated to a lovely votive candle to bring to their table which added to the ambiance of the room.

The bride and groom found picture frames with three picture slots for the table numbers. Each table number coincides with a picture of the couple at that age. Below you see Table 10 with pictures of the bride and groom at age 10. This was such a fun conversation starter - many guests went from table to table to look at the progression of pictures.
Adding to this brides "savvy-ness", she chose an off-season wedding. This gave her the opportunity to set up a few days early - a luxury that most seasonal brides do not get. The set up transformed the ballroom into a gorgeous setting with twinkling lights with tons of warm candles everywhere.

Earlier that week it snowed just enough to give a spectacular view of the park and lake through the ballroom's windows. After the dinner the lights went down for dancing which made for a romantic setting.
The cake table was a custom-made sleigh with three tiers of blue and brown wedding cakes.
The head table had Christmas lights under the linens which glowed once it got dark.

The bride had the help of her Uncle - an Interior Designer - who had the vision of the night.
At the end of the night guests were treated to warm donuts and hot chocolate -- it was a huge hit for everyone!

The best part of the wedding was that they were able to stay under budget since they chose to go with an off season wedding. So many vendors (including Veterans Terrace!) offer great discounts for savvy brides like this one!

Congratulations to Cassie and Brian on a beautiful wedding and a very happy marriage!

Thank you to Art Z Photography for providing these pictures!

Vendor Promotion!

2010-01-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

We love informing our brides of some GREAT deals local vendors have. One of our partners, Ideal Impressions Photography has a great new promotion. Visit their website and book a Platinum wedding after February 1 to get a New Apple iPad loaded with your wedding images.

p.s. take a look at the gorgeous building in their advertisement!

Public Events

2010-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

People always ask us "I'd like to go to an event at Veterans Terrace, what events are open to the public?"

We will try to use this blog as a tool to update our readers on events open to you! Our first public events of 2010 are Aurora's Crystal Ball on February 6, 2010 and Burlington Family Chiropractic's Wellness Fair on February 21, 2010. SAVE THE DATES!

Aurora's Crystal Ball is an annual event, fundraising dinner, dance & auction to benefit the emergency department of Aurora Memorial Hospital. 6:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Call Aurora's Philanthropy Department for more information. (262) 767-6572.

The Next Generation of Healthcare: A RENAISSANCE!
Come to the fair! An all natural, holistic, first-of-its-kind-for-Burlington Wellness Fair.

Veterans Terrace at Echo Park
589 Milwaukee Ave.
Burlington, WI 53105
Sunday February 21, 2010
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For more information please visit Burlington Family Chiropractic's Website by clicking here.

Congratulations!

2009-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

Congratulations on your engagement!

Ok, we know that every reader may not be engaged -- but 'tis the season of wonderful engagements so we know odds are in favor that you were recently engaged! Now that the excitement of your engagement day is over, you are probably wondering where to start. We hope this will give you some guidence on the wonderful world of wedding planning. Below are (what we believe to be) the most important and crucial first steps of planning your wedding.

1) Set a budget. A thorough budget. It's important to figure out in the grand scheme what you can and are willing to spend. It is also important to break that figure down into what you can spend on flowers, cakes, food, beverages, and so on.

2) Find a place. Some couples set the date first. We believe it's more important to find your ceremony/reception place that you love and find out what their availability is. When looking at your ceremony location, make sure the officiant/pastor/minister of your choice is available. Try to get an agreement with that person to make sure you have them.

3) Set a date. Once you know that both the ceremony location and reception location are available, lock in those dates! In some areas (especially in South Eastern Wisconsin) churches and reception venues can book up fast!

4) Start spreading the word! Get Save the Dates out so your guests can start planning ahead.

After those crucial steps you can relax a bit and focus in on the details. Try to get your vendors lined up right away, including DJs, photographers, videographers, florists, bakeries and caterers if needed. Hopefully once you get closer to the big day you'll only have last minute details to worry about.

Still feeling overwhelmed? There are TONS of resources out there to help keep your wedding organized. There are books, websites and many different ways to get it all straight! We highly recommend putting together a binder to keep all of your inspiration pictures, pamphlets and contracts together.

Regardless of where you are with your planning we wish you the best with your wedding festivities!

Holiday Shopping is Here!

2009-12-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are here! If you are still searching for a gift for the impossible person to shop for, we may have the solution for you!

Veterans Terrace Memorial Bricks make a wonderful and memorable present for your loved ones. Memorial Bricks are not just to honor or remember Veterans, either. (although we love those bricks!) If you have a son or daughter getting married at Veterans Terrace, why not donate a brick that has their names and wedding date on it? If you have a grandpa or grandma that has too much "stuff" maybe they would enjoy a brick in their honor! Did your parents get married at the old "Vets Building" 30 some years ago? Maybe they'd enjoy a brick to remember their day.

The best part: Veterans Terrace hosts two brick laying ceremonies per year that the gift receivers can attend! On Memorial Day and Veterans Terrace of every year Veterans Terrace will invite those that have donated bricks to reveal their memorial bricks.

To purchase a Memorial Brick, please click here. Memorial Bricks are considered tax deductible donations. A receipt will be provided once your brick is purchased.

Fall Wedding

2009-11-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

On October 24, 2009 Veterans Terrace hosted a lovely Wedding Reception for 220 guests. Thank you to Ideal Impressions Photography of Lake Geneva for providing the wonderful images below.
The group brought in red spot lights to go against the walls behind the head table. This added so much drama to the room.

Catering was provided by Courtyard Catering by Gooseberries.

Compliments to Chef Mike & staff for a job well done!

Candelbras added great depth to the room.

The group rented out some fun table cloths that incorporated the color scheme.

Friday Weddings

2009-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

We receive quite a few inquiries about Friday weddings from our brides. As we all know the typical day to get hitched is a Saturday; however the trend has been moving towards other days of the week. When considering exactly which day to have your wedding, there are a couple of things you should remember.

First your guests will likely have to work on a Friday. The most important thing a Friday bride can do when she chooses her date is send a save the date out right away! Make sure that the save the date has the word Friday clearly written on it. Your guests can then plan their schedules accordingly. The next big step is to communicate the Friday date to all guests that are required to attend. Your bridal party, parents, immediate family, and flower girls / ring bearers and their parents will be happy you considered their schedules.

Image Courtesy of Ideal Impressions Photography.

Instead of having the rehearsal on that Thursday night, consider having it the Saturday prior to the wedding. You are not required to have the rehearsal the night before the wedding. A perk to having the rehearsal on a Saturday night is that your wedding party can celebrate and not have to worry about the wedding the next day! You can also make the rehearsal dinner the start of a fun wedding week. Perhaps the next Sunday the parents of the groom can host a barbeque. The rest of the week could be spent participating in fun events in anticipation of the big day. Invite your guests to a local baseball game, have an evening pool party, or gather a group to play a fun sport. The average Saturday wedding goes by so fast – why not extend your festivities to an entire week?

When Friday comes around, consider starting the ceremony later in the evening. There is nothing more romantic than a ceremony at sunset on a lake. Your guests may still be able to get a work day in if your ceremony starts later. If you choose to have a later ceremony, make sure you have hors’ doeuvres ready soon after. Your guests will be hungry! If you choose to have the ceremony early, you may see a smaller crowd at the ceremony and quite a few more at the reception. In that case consider video-recording your nuptials and have it playing on repeat at the reception for those who missed it.

We have not even hit the best part of having a Friday wedding: the savings! Many wedding vendors, including Veterans Terrace, offer great discounts to a couple that have their wedding on Friday. Since this still is not a typical day to getting married, it will be easy to negotiate better pricing and discounts.

Regardless of your selected date for your nuptials, we hope you have a wonderful time planning the biggest day of your life!

Meghan Peterson
Events Manager

First Event

2009-09-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday August 28, 2009 Veterans Terrace hosted its first wedding. The ceremony was held in Memorial Terrace followed by dinner and dancing in Liberty Hall. It rained and poured the entire day all the way up to about one hour before the ceremony. Lorena and Tony were so fortunate to say their vows with such a beautiful setting.

We wish Lorena and Tony all of the happiness for the rest of their lives.

Open House

2009-08-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

We are so excited that our Open House is just a few short days away. Veterans Terrace at Echo Park will finally open its doors after many years of hard work and generous contributions.

Our ceremony will start at 2:00 p.m. on August 30, 2009. Following the ceremony we will open our doors for the community to view our beautiful meeting spaces. Our staff and board will be available to answer any questions you may have on hosting your next event at Veterans Terrace. From weddings, class reunions, holiday parties, birthday parties, and anniversary parties - Veterans Terrace is a magnificent new building to host your next event.

Below are just a few pictures to give you a sneak peak of the (almost) finished product!

Business After Hours

2009-07-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce held its Business After Hours at the new Veterans Terrace on Thursday, July 16, 2009. Attendence was much more than anticipated at more than 100 chamber members, their spouses, and guests. The common comment of the evening was "I never expected it to be this beautiful!"

While the building still is not quite complete, guests were able to get an even better idea of what the building will soon be. At this point of construction, we are happy to say that the only remaining items on our "to do" list are fairly cosmetic, i.e. laying carpet and installing ceiling tiles. Business After Hours guests were treated to tasty samples from Veterans Terrace preferred caterers, Charcoal Grill, Courtyard Catering and Stowell's Catering. Guest also enjoyed drinks with compliments from Veterans Terrace. Local businesses donated door prizes for select guests to enjoy. Thank you to AmericInn of Burlington, Baymont Inn and Suites, Euphoria Day Spa, Madcap Music, Minuteman Press, Pepsi and Richter's Sentry for their generous donations.
On August 30, 2009 Veterans Terrace will host its Open House for the community. The Open House will have a variety of fun-filled activities for all to enjoy. We will post additional information on this anticipated event as we get closer to the big day.
Thanks again to all who attended the Business After Hours and we hope to see you soon!

William Smitz
General Manager

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-03T07:54:00.001-07:00

We hope you will spend this weekend grilling out with good friends, going to the park with your children, and enjoying some wonderful firework displays. In short, enjoy your freedom to do whatever you wish to do! At Veterans Terrace, we feel we have even more reason to celebrate a holiday such as the fourth of July.

The old Vets Building was built in 1963 as a sign of gratitude from our community to all of those who have defended our freedom since the beginning of our nation. With donations from generous citizens and companies throughout Wisconsin, Veterans Terrace has transformed to a beautiful, state of the art community building with the focus still lying in honoring our Veterans. We will continue to enjoy hosting the various Veterans groups at this wonderful new building.

We are also fortunate that some of our brides and grooms have either served or are serving in the United States Army today. It is touching when a bride explains that her groom is in Iraq or Afghanistan and will come home to a wonderful wedding at Veterans Terrace. What a great home-coming that Veterans Terrace has the honor to be a part of!

This weekend and throughout the year, we encourage you to remember all of the sacrifices men and women in this country have given to allow us to celebrate our freedom.

Happy Fourth of July!
The Staff at Veterans Terrace

Grand Opening!

2009-07-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Save the Date

Construction of the building is smooth sailing at Veterans Terrace. We are scheduled to open EARLIER than anticipated!

To celebrate the start of a new phase from the old “Vets Building” to the new Veterans Terrace, we will open our doors to the community on August 30, 2009. We invite you to stop by and take a tour of this magnificent new building.

Veterans Terrace will lay the first group of memorial bricks, donated to the building by generous citizens and businesses in the area. Come see where your brick will be laid on August 30! There is still time to take part in the brick program, please visit http://www.veteransterrace.com/ or send us an e-mail.

We will have other fun activities going on at the open house, do not miss out!

See you on August 30.

William Smitz
General Manager

It's Beginning to Look a lot like....

2009-06-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Holiday Party Planning Season!

Whenever it starts to get warm out, the first thing we think about is Winter! November is just five months away. Now is the time to book your holiday party at Veterans Terrace at Echo Park. Below are five reasons to book your holiday party at Veterans Terrace!

Your colleagues, friends, and family will be so happy you chose a beautiful new building that had $5 million in renovations done to it.
You will feel good being part of a building that was built by your community for your community.
You will love the cozy atmosphere, there is even a fireplace to enjoy in the cold winter months!
The winter views of Echo Park and Echo Lake are unparalleled.
You know that this community building is not for profit - any revenues made by the building are donated to the Burlington Community Fund-- what a great way to help give back during the Holiday Season!

Call Veterans Terrace today at 262.763.9400. Or click here to e-mail us!

William Smitz
General Manager