My Wedding Pictures November 26, 2008

As I searched for my bridesmaid’s dresses two years ago, I was looking for two things. A dress that the girls would feel comfortable wearing again, and a dress that describes my personality. When I went to Twirl Boutique (twirlboutique.com) with my mom and two sisters, I found what I was looking for. Here are my lovely sisters, my maids of honor:

It’s a quaint little shop in Scottsdale where clients are given 100% of the employees’ attention. The store is closed to other customers when a client is being helped. Top notch service! And here is the dress I chose. Each girl wore a different color of the same dress. I liked it so much, I had to get one myself.

I highly recommend Twirl for their customer service and their quality products.

Theme Inspiration November 21, 2008

A few days ago, I discussed how to make your personality a part of your wedding. Today, I want to talk specifically about Themes. When looking for the inspiration for a theme, look:

 

At your future hubby–you never know. This may just be where his planning skills can shine.

To your favorite color–it’s fun to take several shades of one color and be creative in how you use them. Even white is a great theme.

On your list of hobbies–we talked about traveling. How about reading? Or, golf.

A pattern–as you plan your wedding, you will come across many beautiful things. When you find some stationery or linens or anything that inspires you, use it! put it in the ceremony decorations, put it on the reception tables, put it on your cake.

There are endless opportunities for inspiration. Just keep your eyes open.

My Wedding Pictures November 19, 2008

Know your guests. Think about who you are inviting to your wedding as you plan the reception. I knew that there would be mostly young to middle-aged, outgoing people at my wedding, so we got a big dance floor and told our DJ to play DANCE music! However, we also knew that there would be a handful of elderly people and several young children, so we played more relaxing music at the beginning of the reception and set up vignettes for people to have a place to chat away from the loud speakers. Here are some examples of our full dance floor:

 

Photo by Linda Story

Wedding Quotes November 18, 2008

“Now join hands, and with your hands your hearts.”

                                          - William Shakespeare

Personal Weddings November 17, 2008

Brides and grooms everywhere are having unique weddings that show who they are. I, as a wedding planner, believe that it is very important to put your personality into your wedding. You can do this a number of ways. 

Stationery

Your invitations are the first piece of your wedding that your guests will experience. They are a clue to the guests as to the formality and they can also reveal a part of you. If you both love to travel, perhaps a map invitation would be a clever start.

 

Top row: Bahamas and Cape Cod map invitations by CeciNY; Bottom: Oahu invitation by Rosebud Studios, Mexico map invitation by Dauphine Press

 

 

Theme

Your theme can be obvious or it can be more subtle. In keeping with the love of traveling, your theme could be quite blunt by naming each table with a country instead of a number, or it could be slightly more subtle, by serving your favorite French pastry on your dessert table. 

 

Earl Grey Tea Cookie Favors by Martha Stewart Weddings

 

 

Flowers

Import fresh flowers from out of country.

Catering

If you opt for buffet style, consider setting up three stations with cuisine from your three favorite countries.

Whatever it is you and your future spouse like, try to make it a part of your wedding. Your wedding will be more memorable for your guests and more fun for you!

Wedding Quotes November 14, 2008

“At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.”

                                                 -Plato

My Wedding Pictures November 13, 2008

As a little girl, I went to many weddings and was in a few. One of the visions I had for my wedding at that young age was a dove release at our kiss. I’m not sure what put that into my mind, but I thought it would be the perfect ending to my ceremony. So, I had a dove release.

 

Photo by Linda Story

 

The doves were beautiful and I think everyone enjoyed them. It was the perfect grand ending. 

I also remember helping my mom with the dishes as a child, because I was so fascinated with the bubbles. I always loved bubbles. In fact, I still find myself shooting them into the air with the dish soap bottle when I do dishes in my own house. There’s something so magical about bubbles. It’s almost as if they came from Disneyland. So, between my love for bubbles and my desire to make clean-up a little easier, my new husband and I left in a great cloud of bubbles.

 

Photo by Linda Story

 

It’s What Time? November 12, 2008

 

I hear two things from everyone I know at some point. First, “I’m so busy! I don’t have time for everything.” Second, “I’m tired.” These are things we can all relate to. That’s why the phrase ‘not enough hours in the day’ was born. My parents put it this way: unlimited opportunities, limited resources. In this case, the limited resource is time. This is yet another reason that a wedding planner can be helpful.

When you have a career, classes, friends, family and a new fiance, it becomes extremely difficult to juggle everything. That doesn’t even include all the extra activities and fun you have on your calendar (if there’s room for fun). A wedding planner is there to do as much or as little as you want. That’s the blessing. If you want to be completely in control of the invitations, but you just don’t have time to pick up the extra ribbon and book the photographer and call the caterer with your final guest count, that’s where I come in.

In addition to doing things for you, a wedding planner can save time by making sure you know what needs to be done and when. A checklist for the planning months and the accountability to get it done will reduce stress as you get closer to the wedding. She can tell you what is most important at that time so you don’t have to worry about everything on your list at once. 

Brides are beginning to understand the importance of using a wedding planner. Over half of the brides surveyed on superweddings.com in 2002 said they used a wedding planner. Similarly, 72% of those who didn’t hire a planner said they wished they had. This says something for the value of professional experience, knowledge, people skills, and service.

Bridal Consultant, Wedding Planner, or Day-of Coordinator? November 11, 2008

Some people don’t understand or appreciate the benefits of having a wedding planner or bridal consultant. So, this week, I will explain a few of the things that I do, here at Designer Events and why it makes such a difference to have a professional help you with the most important day in your life.

You may have noticed that I used two terms for my profession here. Let me explain. The terms can be used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference. A wedding planner will help you with the design and layout of the aesthetics, as well as reviewing vendor contracts to make sure you don’t get in a bind, and can offer many other services ranging from the assembly and mailing of invitations to shopping. Basically, a wedding planner helps you plan your wedding. On the other hand, a bridal consultant is a consultant. He or she is there to give you advice and make recommendations. The confusing part is that a consultant can also do planning and a planner can also give advice. That’s why I say the terms can be interchangeable. But, now you know the basics.

Today, I want to emphasize the benefits of having a day-of coordinator. I tell just about every bride I know that even if you don’t want to hire the full services of a wedding planner, please hire a wedding day coordinator. You and your family want to enjoy this day and you would be making it very hard on yourself if you try to do all the wedding day work. You need someone to direct the rehearsal, tell the wedding party when to walk down the aisle, save the day when the officiant’s mic isn’t working, and keep the photographer, DJ and other vendors updated on the reception schedule as it comes. It is also very helpful to have a professional who can spot potential problems and fix them before they happen.

Don’t try to do it all. You will have a much better time if there is someone constantly watching over the event to make sure it all happens the way you want it to.

What to ask a Venue November 8, 2008

When visiting venues, it’s sometimes easy to get caught up in the moment and not know how to wisely choose one. Here are some questions that you will want to ask on your visits.

Do you have a set-up and tear-down crew? You don’t want to find out at the last minute that you and your family (or bridal consultant) will be doing this.

How much parking do you provide and where is it located?

Do you have a dressing room for the bride and her attendants and one for the groom and his? You also want to consider how close these rooms are to the aisle. If the ceremony site is outdoors and the dressing room is a football field away, you’ll need to make arrangements to get to the aisle without your guests and groom seeing you before you get there.

What is your guest limit?

How many weddings are booked on my wedding day? If you are looking at a banquet hall or similar facility with several rooms available for events, be sure that there are no other events on your wedding day that will be close enough to have clashing sounds and music with yours. Also, be sure that the staff that will be serving you that day doesn’t have to be shared with other events.

Do you have room to store gifts?

Will there be a facility director present at my wedding? If you or your wedding planner has any questions about the facility, you need someone to go to.

Do you have restrictions on using outside vendors? If so, who is on your preferred vendors list? Some brides see a preferred vendors list as a pain, because they can’t use whomever they want. However, realize that the list exists because those vendors have proven to be of good quality and professionalism. You have an almost guarantee that they will deliver as they should. However, if they don’t have restrictions on outside vendors, be sure to get good recommendations from others who have used them, or ask your bridal consultant. Never do a blind google search on vendors, because there are several out there who will not give you the quality service you want. Remember, everyone says good things about themselves on their own websites.

Are there any service charges or fees we haven’t discussed that might come up later? It is very common to find out as you sign the contract that there are hidden fees you were not originally aware of. Keep in mind that there will be tax, and probably an extra charge for bussers and other service people. Also ask if they charge for corkage (the venue staff pours alcohol for the toasts).

Do you have an alternative if there is bad weather? If you are planning on having your wedding outdoors, they should never say ‘no’. I don’t care where you live, be prepared for bad weather.

What are your restrictions on throwing rice and confetti? Do you have other recommendations? Most venues will not allow confetti or bird seed because it is so difficult to clean up. It is a myth that rice will make birds explode, but it too is hard to pick up. Some nice alternatives are bubbles, rose petals or a butterfly or dove release

What time must the reception end? The staff will need time to clean up and put things away before going home, so be understanding when they say you can’t have the space all night

If you have a wedding planner, they can ask all these questions and will probably have more of their own, too. However, if you are planning your own wedding, be sure to go armed with these questions on venue visits.