Do You Know Your Bride Type?

Let's shed a light on it!

Headlight

1.  Do you feel like a deer in the headlights?  Let's change that to dear in the headlights even though I think deer are very cute and sweet, too.  Maybe you feel blinded by fear or are paralyzed with indecision.  Maybe you have been stopped in your tracks by the bombardment of unwanted advice. Maybe you would just like to say "Beam me up Scotty!"

Spotlight

2.  Do you love all of the attention to be set on you?  You want nothing more than to be a prima donna, belle of the ball and it's all about you!  You are willing to push everyone aside so you can make your grand entrance during the whole planning process as well as the wedding.

Laser Beam

3.  Are you ultra focused and you know exactly what you want and you are afraid to let anyone help you?  Maybe you know exactly what you want and are blinded by the lack of a limitless budget.  You might even be doing some damage being so focused that you refuse to listen to suggestions to guide you away from costly mistakes.

Searchlight

4.  Do you feel like you need to find out who's going to get you?  Do you feel that everyone is going to rip you off?  Are you wondering where you will find the vendors that make you comfortable, match your style and fit your budget.  Maybe it feels like that there is no one out there who "gets" your vision.

Mood light 

5.  Do you want your wedding to ooze with ambience, romance and glistening light and sparkles everywhere?  You can never have enough bling.

Let's shine a light on why all of this matters!

Okay!  Why is all of this important for a wedding planner to know?  We need to know who we should suggest for vendors who get you!  I guess you could say we need to be able to find your "Vendor Type" not just find a vendor in any particular vendor category and not just someone who could do the job. Our goal is to match ideal vendors with ideal clients.  That is exactly why we like to know many vendors and stay from preferred vendor lists.

Mistakes That Increase Wedding Costs, Part 4

Mistakes That Increase Wedding Costs, Part 4

"Familiarize Yourself with the Wedding Industry"

You can read online and get very well acquainted with all of the popular websites that are geared for reader's nationwide and beyond, but it doesn't give you any clue as to what a wedding will cost in your area.  There are sites that purport to tell you that you can narrow right down to your zip code what your wedding will cost.  I don't trust surveys when it comes to these kinds of details.   I have never seen anyone spend as much as they say a wedding would cost in my particular zip code.  That's not to say that it couldn't happen, but on an average?  No.  No two weddings are alike and no two couples are alike!

1.  It's important to have a basic idea of what you want.  It's a safe place to start and you can always learn about substitutions to reduce costs.  

2.  Don't be surprised when you find substantial differences between vendors.  

If you don't hire a Wedding Planner who will do their best to match you with vendors within your budget, I would suggest that you get at least 3 different proposals within each category for your wedding.  For example, floral designers, caterers, venues, DJ's, photographers.  Cheapest is not always a good value nor is the most expensive always the best quality.  This is the area where Wedding Planners save you a lot of money and quite often it is equal to the their fee.

3.  Ask your friends (newlyweds love to talk about their wedding) and get an idea of what they spent.  You probably have seen pictures at least of what they had in the way of flowers.  If you attended a wedding, you might remember the venue and what food was served.  The details of the photographer, DJ and other vendors will require more detailed questions.

4. Determine what time of year is the busiest for weddings in your area.  For instance in the Pacific Northwest, June is not the busiest wedding month, but the average person who lives here assumes that June is a busy wedding month.  Not so.  Save money by having an "off-season" wedding.

5.  Don't just rely on wedding shows!  They are a good place to get an idea things you will have to plan on for a wedding. The booth spaces are very expensive for businesses and many quality vendors don't spend their money on the shows or they pick and choose which wedding shows to participate in.  It also varies for each vendor category on how beneficial the shows are.  You might want to determine if the shows have a good mix of vendors.  I don't find many clients at wedding shows because usually people going to a show use a wedding show to plan their wedding.  I don't recommend planning a wedding that way because you are not getting the in-depth consultations at a wedding show nor a really good comparison of things you want.  You might be more comfortable with open houses that are held by venues or caterers.  Just search Google for local wedding open houses, show cases, etc.

6.  Attend local wedding planning workshops hosted by wedding planners.  There's no substitute for education.  One thing I have heard repeatedly from vendors is that they wish prospective clients came to them with more education about their services.  Live seminars will give you the opportunity to ask questions and learn from others who are planning a wedding.  Many times different vendors will actually participate in the workshops.   

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Greatest of Days (Event/Wedding Planning/Wedding Officiating)

Since 2007

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Nominated for Best Wedding Planning in the 

King 5 Best of Western Washington Contest in 

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Wedding Planning is Full of Emotional Decisions

All decisions are made on an emotional level no matter what the situation is.  That is why it is even more important to listen to brides by first making them comfortable to discuss their wedding.  There's no such thing as a stupid question, a weird idea nor a dream that should be given up on before it has had a chance to be heard.  I love to surprise brides with putting in an element they didn't think they could have for their wedding.


Wishing you the greatest of days!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event and Wedding Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

http://www.greatestofdays.com/

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