Bridal emergencies! This was a first!

Our tagline is "Creating Memories to Bring a Smile to Your Face for Years to Come!"  A few years ago, this was a situation I found myself in 10 minutes before a ceremony was to start.  The Maid of Honor came to me with a look of desperation on her face.  Immediately, I went into caaaaaalllllmmm mode and listened with an open mind!  She said, "She (the bride) says she needs us to bring her bucket.  She has to pee really bad!"  My first thought was, "This highly educated, refined woman?"  Expect anything on a wedding day!  But this was a first!!  The problem was, if the bride left the dressing area, everyone including the groom would be able to see her.  She wanted to surprise her groom!  Here's a secret and a view into the method to my madness!  Before I leave the house to prepare for a wedding or event, I go through my house looking for anything that might possibly come in handy other than what I have in my bridal fashion emergency kit of 600 items!  There's really not much rhyme or reason to it, I just do it!  This time I saw and grabbed a very large piece of fabric I had bought and eventually made drapes from.  It had beautiful creamy white fabric with a silver thread background with a very pale blue brocade design of a flower basket.  Best of all it was 85" wide!  That could come in handy for something. I told the maid of honor to get all of the bridesmaids prepared to hold up this piece of fabric, first taking a corner and then picking up the slack at even intervals around the fabric and hold their hands high!  What we did was encircle the bride so that she was hidden and we took the craziest 15'-20' journey from an area that was only pipe and drape over to the restroom.   Obviously we were all in a little bit of a daze and after the bride emerged from her fabric cocoon and was in the restroom, we realized that we were still holding the fabric up high in the air!  I asked, "Would anyone like to go in there and see if she is okay or could use some help?"  Preferably a Maid or Honor or a Bridesmaid! Long story short, we made it back to the dressing area, everyone was composed, a bride was much more comfortable and the wedding started on time!   Later that evening she handed my card to someone and said, "Everyone should have a Wedding Coordinator!" Wishing you the... You can reach Greatest of Days through Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Greatest of Days Newsletter (Wedding & Event Dialogue)

7 Tips to a Happy and Yes, Uneventful Wedding Day!

1.  Have a wedding rehearsal.  It's also nice if everyone who is going to be in the wedding party will be there.  I'd recommend it happen the day before the wedding and not more than 2 days before the wedding.

2.  Don't booze it up before your wedding.  People have been getting married for ages and everyone thinks that people pass out during the ceremony because of nervousness. More often than not it's from a poor judgement call made regarding alcohol consumption before the wedding the night before or the day of the wedding!  I find that many couples really don't want alcohol at their wedding and sometimes there is alcohol at a wedding because family members or friends pressure them into it.  My response would be, "It is your wedding and if someone can't handle a few hours without alcohol, they have bigger problems than you can take care of.  Create your day the way you want it.  Consider toasting with sparkling cider for everyone as an alternative and everyone will actually remember your wedding the next day!  You can consider finding a venue that won't allow alcohol and that will take some of the pressure off of you.

3.  Include a map in with your wedding invitation and make directional signs guiding your guests to your wedding.  So often weddings start late because of late arrivals and we hear this "wait for this person or that person".

4.  Keep hot food hot and cold food cold.  You don't want to be blamed for everyone getting sick.  Leave the food and cake up to the professionals to help eliminate this potential problem.  For instance, I heard of bride who's guests all got very ill and it was traced back to the cake.  The bakery knew it had nothing to do with them.  The mistake was that the bride didn't want to pay anyone to put flowers on the cake.  The guests found out the hard way that you can't just stick any flower into a cake!  Some flowers are toxic and at best should only be inserted into the cake with floral tubes to avoid contact with the cake.  Don't risk it!

5.  Know the venue rules well.  You're probably safe if you just make it a policy to leave it in better condition that you found it!  Have someone else go with you to visit the venue that you trust will be your eyes on the wedding day looking out for your interest and the venue's interest.  Don't be afraid to use signs that can be put in picture frames to set on a counter, or on a table where everyone will see the rules.  The venue should do this, but often they don't!

6.  Plan ahead and anticipate everything you will need for your wedding.  It's very frustrating to find that something crucial has not been purchased.  Listen to suggestions and act on them as soon as possible to avoid any last minute rushes.

7.  Handle those chronically late people differently (and gently).  Tell them you need them 30 minutes to an hour earlier than you tell your other guests!  You know better than anyone who these people are.  If they do show up early, that's okay.

Wishing you the greatest of days!


Greatest of Days 
Event/Wedding Planning
Decor Design and Officiating




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Why You Should Not Plan Your Wedding Online!

What??  Well, not entirely, that is!  If you are interested in truly getting the best deals, the best information and have your questions answered in real time by someone who isn't anonymous or unknown to you, you must meet vendors face to face!  It's hard as millennials to get comfortable with this concept.  This is uncomfortable for a lot of individuals, but particularly in this age group.

It feels like I am online almost constantly, but as a Wedding Coordinator, I know all too well that you cannot get the very best information for planning a wedding online.  You will only get the best prices and advice by talking to people who are in the business and have relationships with real people who specialize in their particular area pertaining to weddings.

It's easy to sit at the computer, and it's actually a ton of fun to see all that is available out there to customize a wedding.  However, planning a wedding isn't all about what it will look like or just picking vendors without really getting to know them.  How do you know what questions to ask a vendor?  How do you know if you are seeing the warning signs or not?  How do you know if you are even going to like them?  Do you really want to get advice from other brides on how to plan a wedding versus people who know what the realities are to every detail of a wedding?  Do you know what you should ask before signing any contracts with a particular venue or vendor.  Do you know why things costs what they do for your wedding, i.e. catering vs. a nice dinner out or why you might not be saving money getting your wine or champagne at the big box stores?  Do you know why you're going to pay more for a particular type of flower at certain times of the year?  Do you know what the laws are in your particular state as compared to advice you get online?  How will you know if you have all the bases covered without getting an education first on the essentials of planning a wedding spoken from proven professionals?

What you don't know can hurt you!  As a bride, you would have no way of knowing how many venues and vendors are hoping for Wedding Coordinators to conduct workshops to teach brides about the wedding industry.  It's a concept that would prove to help brides and also make wedding vendors and venues be able to serve their clients much more efficiently which saves money for everyone in the long run.  So why mention all of this?  If this was not true, you would not be hearing more about venues requiring that a bride hire an independent Wedding Consultant in order to book a wedding at their venue.

For the benefit of all brides out there planning weddings, you must look for opportunities to learn in real live situations, workshops and stop limiting your advice only to websites, forums and yes....blogs!  You have to get out in the real world to save yourself a lot of time and money. Hey, wouldn't it be cool to have a shorter engagement?  Now that can save you a LOT of money!  One example of how you can do that is to go to www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com and take a look at what you're not taking advantage of.  For every 10 hours  (maybe more) you spend on the computer filtering through information about planning your wedding, you could find more information from a workshop or a Wedding Coordinator in just 2 hours.

So it depends on how much you trust information online to be reliable as compared to a professional who makes it their livelihood and truly has a passion for what they do.  If they didn't have passion for what they do and the greatest desire to help brides, they would probably choose another line of work.  Their jobs require long hours before and after the wedding, weekends away from home and family, and a phenomenal amount of time marketing for the number of clients they might receive.

I absolutely love being online and I wouldn't have a business without it, but brides and wedding vendors alike, we have to get out in the real world to really know what is going on in the world of weddings.  No matter what we would prefer, there is no substitute.

Wishing you the greatest of days!


Janis Flagg, Event and Wedding Coordinator


Creating memories to bring a smile to your face for years to come!


http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/
http://www.greatestofdays.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkKIjSu9dbA

Wedding Planners Cost Too Much!

Let's dispel some myths here since we're getting into the season where everyone seems to have gotten engaged or is getting engaged.


In two hours of time your assignment is to get 3 of each category of photographers, DJ's, cake designers and floral designers whose work you are familiar with, who you really like as a person because they have your style down to a "T".  On your mark, get set...stop!!  I can hear you say, "How in the world am I supposed to do that in two hours?  That's 12 people and how would I know all of that information about them?"  


This is how it happens.  I would say that most wedding coordinators could do just that after they had a 1-hour consultation with you.  They would also have enough information at that point to suggest other vendors and a selection of venues in a very short period of time.  


There's another exercise to do now.  Let's say that you didn't use the above system to plan your wedding and did all of that research whenever you had some extra time during the evenings and weekends and when you could sneak in a few minutes at work.  You realize after you count the hours during the week or month that you have just taken on a part-time job..planning your wedding.  You may have even had to take a day off, that you really wanted to spend on your honeymoon, but instead you spent that day trying to find just the perfect invitations and still didn't find what you liked.  You feel like you see less of your fiance' than ever.


That is the kind of scenario that really makes me sad.  I catch myself hearing a couple's stories who might be half-way through planning their wedding and it makes me cringe.  I can't help it.  I think to myself or out loud, "I sure wish I'd been able to speak with them sooner!  I could have saved them so much time and money."  


I know what you're probably thinking.  How in the world can a Wedding Planner save you money?  Aren't they only for rich people? They act like snobs in the movies!  Not for me.  No way!  


Reality differs from Hollywood once again.  Wedding Planners can pass on to you the discounts that vendors give to them because they have that "know, like and trust" relationship already established.  Sometimes the discounts are 20% and they add up fast in a good direction! 


Another reality strikes again and you find that you saved or almost saved as much in those discounts to pay for your Wedding Planner.  It doesn't stop there. The rest is gravy.  You also know that you have a liaison with vendors, your venue and sometimes even your family and friends if problems come up.  You also know that your Wedding Planner is going to have her eyes on you and your guests on your wedding day to make sure they are comfortable and not working on your wedding day.  This scenario is especially true with a full planning package where everything has been designed from the beginning to fit together like pieces of a puzzle.


Let's see, where would you rather be 6 months from now.  Still trying on shoes for your wedding or walking on a beach in sandals?

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days
Event & Wedding
Planning and Design
Wedding Officiating

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242
Covington WA   98042
Cell:  206-604-1908
http://www.greatestofdays.com/
http://www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com

If you are a wedding vendor, join the South King County Event and Wedding Vendors through http://www.meetup.com/
A very special guest will be speaking on January 27, 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkKIjSu9dbA

If you know someone who is planning a wedding, give
them the gift of information by telling them about
Bridal 4-1-1 Wedding Workshops beginning in March 2011.
Creating Memories to Bring a Smile to Your Face for Years to Come!

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Wedding Coordinators = Money Saved Planning Your Wedding!

As a Wedding Coordinator, I've found myself so many times saying that I wish I could have been in contact with a bride earlier.  Often this is when I've met a bride who wants me to do a Day-of-Coordination.  She has chosen all if not close to all of her vendors by this point in time.  There's a good chance that I could've gotten some discounts for a bride earlier in the game.  If I had a dollar for all the times that a mother of the bride or a bride herself has said, "If only we had known you sooner"!  I literally feel a grimace come over my face wishing the very same thing.  I hear about their heartaches and nightmares and I genuinely feel for them.

So many times brides will start planning their wedding with all the greatest of intentions and wonderful plans and end up facing roadblocks that a Wedding Coordinator might have been able to steer them from.  That could be just in letting them know that their favorite flower isn't available around the time of their wedding, that a particular venue will not allow decorations that she looked forward to using.  I always think of a venue that they would have enjoyed more for less money.  I love helping a bride and groom create little aspects to their wedding that only they will know about.  It could be a little something added to her bouquet that is a reminder of their first date.  I love it when I hear a bride and groom say in unison, "I really like that idea".  I know that another special moment has been added to their wedding day.  So many times these additional special moments don't cost a dime!

Wishing you the greatest of days!

http://www.greatestofdays.com/services.html
jan@greatestofdays.com
206-604-1908

10-10-2010. What is in a wedding day?

The 2010 wedding season will be more popular in October than normal. That is because of the novelty of 10-10-10 and it helps that that day falls on a Sunday.  I've found it interesting that some brides and grooms who have chosen this date for their wedding, are surprised that they find themselves in such large company.  It makes sense because it's just fun to have an unusual date for a major moment in one's life.  The groom might pitch in with, "I wanted to have a day that I would remember!"  I wonder if it is similar to parents choosing a name that they are certain no one else will be using to name a child.  How is it that these names end up being so popular and their child is one of many with the same name in a classroom a few years later?  I'm sure that someone has an answer to this phenomenon, but at the moment I don't really know.

It's not uncommon to find that people think that a long weekend is a good time to get married especially for those who have to travel.  But is it? Traffic is more congested from everyone else being on the road.  Airlines know when to increase prices just as the oil companies raise the price of gasoline.  I'll never forget a wedding that was delayed by 2 or more hours because of holiday traffic that the father of the bride was stuck in.  Granted, it didn't help that his car broke down or maybe it was the traffic that contributed to it breaking down!  That's not the worst part.  He was driving what was supposed to be a surprise gift for the bride and groom!  Popularity of a particular date or holiday can bring on an extra element of stress, and a better chance of your guests experiencing delays.

You want to know if your vendors are going to charge extra for their services on a holiday.  Are they going to make regular deliveries on a particular day and are they going to have less experienced help performing the tasks.  These may be things that you are willing to work with but it doesn't hurt to find out what you are in for.

We want our wedding days to go perfectly.  But it is best to remember that some things you can control, some things you cannot.  Mother nature can often render the worst storms when you are certain you've chosen your wedding day to be one with the best chances of good weather according to all the statistics.  If a bride is getting nervous, I try to gently remind her that though we want everything to go perfectly, does the average day go perfectly that has only a fraction of the details and emotions involved as their wedding day?  Probably not.  Chances are that with a lot of effort, 99% of everything will go wonderfully and no one will be the wiser to any unplanned events.  The secret is to be prepared for the most likely unexpected happenings.

No matter what the wedding date is, I find for myself that a positive attitude is a good companion to going with the flow, turning on a dime, choosing to laugh instead of scream, remembering to smile and above all, keeping a good sense of humor!  I guess I would stress one thing to brides. Sometimes those moments you would rather not live through, are the moments you are going to remember with a good laugh for years.  I threw my bouquet on the roof, but I'm still married years later!  Those years later are what your day is all about.  Planning is so important, but life happens and no one should feel guilty about that.  Keep It Simple and Steamlined!

So what is in a day?  A good mixture of everything you put into it.  By the way, next year "the day" will be 11-11-11.

Wishing you the greatest of days!