Many of you know that I founded and organize a networking group for event and wedding vendors via the Meetup.com platform. It's called South King County Event and Wedding Vendors. Iris Dumuk of www.peridotphotography.pro featured our June 2012 meeting on her blog. At the meeting she took head shots for everyone and did a great job documenting the event and portraying the venue! Here is the link to her blog post about the event.
http://peridotphotographyblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/des-moines-beach-park-event-center-mock-wedding-vendor-meetup/
Enjoy!
Wishing you the Greatest of Days!
Janis Flagg
Greatest of Days
Event/Wedding Planning and Design
Wedding Officiating
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Everything on Event Planning and Wedding Officiating
Showing posts with label Seattle Wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle Wedding. Show all posts
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
What You Need to Know When Other Vendors Offer to Plan Your Wedding!
When you speak to a wedding vendor for your wedding, there is something that should put you on alert. It's not intentionally a bad thing, but beware. When a wedding vendor other than a Wedding Planner says, "We can plan your wedding for you" they are only partially seeing the vision of your wedding and will not be able to intercede for you on your behalf like a Wedding Planner will throughout the planning process and on your wedding day. I wouldn't pretend to be the professional to safely prepare your food or operate the equipment that a DJ has invested money and time in. I wouldn't pretend to get your flowers done in nearly the amount of time a florist could. I do know that a Wedding Planner sees all of the finer details that others just aren't used to looking for and knows how each segment is part of a complete picture. Wedding Planners take away the worry wort factor. We are on the lookout for what can go wrong, but hopefully a bride won't even know until after the wedding what was an issue.
A venue coordinator's primary responsibilities are to the venue and their staff. A caterer's responsibilities are for the food and they seldom stay for the whole wedding reception especially off-site caterers. A DJ is hired for a specific reason to provide music and facilitating entertainment and more than likely will be your emcee and seldom is able to leave his or her post.
Why do they say that they can plan your wedding? It's not necessarily just to make money, but I think that many of them really think that they can do Wedding Planning and that they are helping a bride! Granted, they are extremely familiar with weddings and very professional in what they do. However, I feel that these vendors are not doing a good service for the bride nor to themselves as vendors by saying that they can plan a bride's wedding. I want you to know what to look for when a vendor volunteers to plan your wedding.
This is the picture! On the wedding day itself, these vendors and other have their own job to do. They will have their own set up and tear-down to take care of and are not going to be able to take the time necessary to make sure that all of your contracted vendors are on schedule, know if they are having problems in traffic and then able to help them with their setup.
Prior to the wedding day, what these vendors consider to be wedding planning is not going to include accompanying you to consultations with their selected vendors which is what a Wedding Planner will do for you. They probably won't be selecting vendors based on your personality, style and budget for each and every category of vendor you need. More than likely they are only thinking of half a dozen vendors when in reality it takes 16-20 vendors for the average, a not-many-frills wedding. It's understandable that they think only of the vendors that are actually a part of the reception, because that is what people primarily think of as those involved in a wedding or what has to be planned for a wedding.
There are so many vendors that are behind the scenes even months prior to the wedding and some who have a role only after a wedding. Everything from invitations, finding selections of makeup artists or hair stylists that will come to the venue, a calligrapher, pre-marriage counselors, etc. Will you want a caterer or florist coming with you to shop for wedding dresses? Don't worry, they won't.
There are also some very unique vendors that they probably have not run into. Do they know multiple people who specialize in daycare at weddings? Do they know 3 people who play bagpipes? Do they know where to find and know how a business operates that has horse-drawn carriages? Will they check to see if your venue is within trotting distance from a place where the horses can set up for your carriage ride to the venue. They might know a harpist, but do they know one that can actually bring magic out of the harp and have everyone dancing to rock and roll music from the harp? These categories might be on the more unusual side, but if somebody wants even the oddest category of a vendor, that is what we as planners thrive on. We have an insatiable curiosity to know what is out there for making a wedding unique just in case a bride might ask for that type of vendor.
Sorry, but here are more questions. Do they know the things that each of their suggested vendors needs to optimally perform their individual tasks? Are they aware of all venue rules? Are they prepared for answering all of your questions at any time you have them about your wedding? Will your vendor who says they can plan your wedding be willing to look at each and every contract. Aside from consultations, are they going to be willing to meet each vendor prior to the wedding on those selected vendors' schedules at the venue to help them get familiar with the layout and where they are going to fit into the larger picture? That would include the photographer, the DJ, the rental company at minimum. Normally a client has to take time out of their busy schedules, but a Wedding Planner will do this save you a lot of time which you'd rather save for the honeymoon or money to stay in your paycheck. Wedding Planners primarily work on weddings while these other vendors also have other types of events that they do or concentrate on even more than weddings. For example, many caterers and others count on Corporate events to be their bread and butter. Many times those events are held during times when you really need some answers.
You know I love good vendors, but I have to love brides more. Even better, I like knowing that a bride has someone to exclusively look out for all aspects before, during and after her wedding. Yes there is work after a wedding. Is there such a thing as a Lost and Found Manager? A Wedding Planner is hired for the bride, her family and her guests so that they can relax and enjoy the party knowing that a complete team has been put together just for her with every minute detail considered in the planning process.
Wishing you the greatest of Days!
Greatest of Days
Event/Wedding Planning
Decor Design and Officiating
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Sunday, November 6, 2011
5 Reasons Why Brides Hire Wedding Planners
I will keep this short and sweet. These are things I hear most often.
1. Save money planning their wedding because of a Wedding Planner's relationships with vendors.
2. Less stress planning because of a Wedding Planner's relationships with vendors.
3. Don't have enough time to plan a wedding.
4. Don't want to worry about a lot things on the wedding day.
5. Mother of the bride wants to be able to enjoy the wedding day.
Recently I was talking to someone in a non-related profession and it was music to my ears what she said. She said, "I thought that everyone knew that Wedding Planners could save brides money!" I wanted to take her with me to every networking meeting, or wish that I could plaster that message on every billboard around! Yes, I love saving brides money...absolutely love it. I also like to shorten engagements by doing just that! That alone is less stress. It's not my goal to change wedding dates, if that makes sense. I just have been able to make it possible for people to get married sooner!
Wishing you the greatest of days!
P. S. If you would like to sign up to receive the Greatest of Days weekly E-zine you will receive a complimentary Wedding Vision Questionnaire.
1. Save money planning their wedding because of a Wedding Planner's relationships with vendors.
2. Less stress planning because of a Wedding Planner's relationships with vendors.
3. Don't have enough time to plan a wedding.
4. Don't want to worry about a lot things on the wedding day.
5. Mother of the bride wants to be able to enjoy the wedding day.
Recently I was talking to someone in a non-related profession and it was music to my ears what she said. She said, "I thought that everyone knew that Wedding Planners could save brides money!" I wanted to take her with me to every networking meeting, or wish that I could plaster that message on every billboard around! Yes, I love saving brides money...absolutely love it. I also like to shorten engagements by doing just that! That alone is less stress. It's not my goal to change wedding dates, if that makes sense. I just have been able to make it possible for people to get married sooner!
Wishing you the greatest of days!
P. S. If you would like to sign up to receive the Greatest of Days weekly E-zine you will receive a complimentary Wedding Vision Questionnaire.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
What Happens When You Hire a Wedding Coordinator? Part 3.
Okay! Let's create a wedding!! By this point in time you have determined what is most important to you and your fiance'. Also at this point in time, you will run into the biggest "What comes first, the chicken or the egg?" I would say that usually it is the dress and venue or the venue and the dress.
With full planning, your Wedding Coordinator will meet with you on all of the various types appointments that you will have during the planning process. Their job is to ask the questions you don't know to ask and do their best to make sure that your interests are addressed.
If you already know that you're getting married in your grandmother's rose garden, you don't have to worry about the location. You will soon find out that not having a venue, where they are not used to having events, comes with its own bundle of challenges. Without going into all the details, I have counted 39 questions that I have in my head when I visit a venue! You might think that that is overboard, but that is really just covering the basics. If you have your heart set on a venue you might actually want to set your wedding date according to that. It just depends on how long you want to wait for your wedding. Your Wedding Coordinator will be able to suggest others venues, some of which you have never heard of, that might just make you forget all about the venue that you had your heart set on! Your coordinator can help you get through many disappointments or incorrect assumptions, but don't worry. If he/she knows your vision of your wedding, there are ways to make it happen no matter what!
You must also have some kind of a "guestimate" of the number or people who will likely come to your wedding. Your Coordinator will discuss with you what the challenges might be with setting a particular wedding date such as seasons, holidays, weekends or weekdays, evening or daytime hours for a wedding.
On average, right up there with finding a venue is finding the dress! With some designers it can take many months to get the dress you chose delivered to you and you still need to leave time for alterations if necessary and then the final fitting. At any rate even if you get a dress that is delivered in a very short time, you will need a fitting or two as your wedding date gets closer. This isn't the time to put extra pressure on yourself to lose that 50 pounds you have been going to lose for a few years now! The important thing, if you can do it, is to be healthy and fit so that you stay well. There are many ways to take a lot of the frustration out of the process of finding the right dress and there are options other than finding a dress at a bridal shop. Don't be surprised if your Coordinator tries to get you to steer clear of some types of bridal stores. We care again about your style, personality, budget and your priorities for quality.
With all appointments it's great if you know what you want, but having an open mind is almost just as important. Sometimes, just like shopping for your regular wardrobe, it helps to know what looks best for your coloring and your body type. However, you might miss out on that perfect dress if you are zeroed in on one particular type of dress. You should allow yourself to think outside the box, be more daring and have fun. If you have heard that a bride has found her dress when she cries tears of joy, I think that it is quite true. Another sign is if she takes much longer to get back to the dressing room, does many more turns in the mirror and the repeats with a couple more poses or angles! I love the look on the bride's face when she finds that dress!
So in summary, venue and dress or dress and venue? There are no rules set in stone, but this falls within the average. Stay tuned for Customizing Your Wedding and Dual-Purposing to Save Money!
As always, wishing you the greatest of days!
With full planning, your Wedding Coordinator will meet with you on all of the various types appointments that you will have during the planning process. Their job is to ask the questions you don't know to ask and do their best to make sure that your interests are addressed.
If you already know that you're getting married in your grandmother's rose garden, you don't have to worry about the location. You will soon find out that not having a venue, where they are not used to having events, comes with its own bundle of challenges. Without going into all the details, I have counted 39 questions that I have in my head when I visit a venue! You might think that that is overboard, but that is really just covering the basics. If you have your heart set on a venue you might actually want to set your wedding date according to that. It just depends on how long you want to wait for your wedding. Your Wedding Coordinator will be able to suggest others venues, some of which you have never heard of, that might just make you forget all about the venue that you had your heart set on! Your coordinator can help you get through many disappointments or incorrect assumptions, but don't worry. If he/she knows your vision of your wedding, there are ways to make it happen no matter what!
You must also have some kind of a "guestimate" of the number or people who will likely come to your wedding. Your Coordinator will discuss with you what the challenges might be with setting a particular wedding date such as seasons, holidays, weekends or weekdays, evening or daytime hours for a wedding.
On average, right up there with finding a venue is finding the dress! With some designers it can take many months to get the dress you chose delivered to you and you still need to leave time for alterations if necessary and then the final fitting. At any rate even if you get a dress that is delivered in a very short time, you will need a fitting or two as your wedding date gets closer. This isn't the time to put extra pressure on yourself to lose that 50 pounds you have been going to lose for a few years now! The important thing, if you can do it, is to be healthy and fit so that you stay well. There are many ways to take a lot of the frustration out of the process of finding the right dress and there are options other than finding a dress at a bridal shop. Don't be surprised if your Coordinator tries to get you to steer clear of some types of bridal stores. We care again about your style, personality, budget and your priorities for quality.
With all appointments it's great if you know what you want, but having an open mind is almost just as important. Sometimes, just like shopping for your regular wardrobe, it helps to know what looks best for your coloring and your body type. However, you might miss out on that perfect dress if you are zeroed in on one particular type of dress. You should allow yourself to think outside the box, be more daring and have fun. If you have heard that a bride has found her dress when she cries tears of joy, I think that it is quite true. Another sign is if she takes much longer to get back to the dressing room, does many more turns in the mirror and the repeats with a couple more poses or angles! I love the look on the bride's face when she finds that dress!
So in summary, venue and dress or dress and venue? There are no rules set in stone, but this falls within the average. Stay tuned for Customizing Your Wedding and Dual-Purposing to Save Money!
As always, wishing you the greatest of days!
Featured in: Not My Mother's Wedding, blog for Mothers of the Bride
Founder of South King County Event and Wedding Vendors
The 7th largest Wedding Vendors networking group in the world through Meetup.com.I dare you to leave a comment and say hello! 8)
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