Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 2

Mistakes That Will  Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 2

"InDeCiSiOn"

This is something that can happen to anyone planning a wedding.  Most people would apply this behavior with the "Bridezilla" but there's a new term called "Chillzilla" (one who claims they don't really care or will say yes to anything).  I don't particularly like the latter term because this implies that they are temperamental, spineless or moody, and that's usually not the case.  So I will would prefer to create a completely different term for a bride or groom who displays this behavior...someday when I have time.   

There are two types of clients that can make wedding planning difficult.

1.  Bridezillas/Groomzillas who know what they want and do not want to accept the fact that their budget doesn't allow for everything they want.  When they become angry and blame everyone else for "destroying their dream", they tend to think that everyone should make an exception for them while not caring if a vendor would go out of business doing it!

2.  Bless or not bless their hearts, (temporarily called Chillzillas) but there are those just don't know what they want or can't decide between all of the options.  It's understandable, but when a bride or groom say, "I don't really care", that leaves us without a place to even start. This also can be expensive because time lost is money lost.  It can lead to changing one's mind a lot, too.  That doesn't make anyone happy!

My initial consultation form subtly lets me now what a client's personality type is.  That helps me help a client.  It also goes into style preferences, priorities and how they want to remember their wedding as well as their guests.  Once this indecisive client becomes comfortable with the fact that they do care more than they thought and aren't afraid to state what they want, the rest of the journey is easy!

Below, you will get something I don't just share with anyone!  Please let me know if this helps YOU!  This is one page from my initial consultation form.  I suggest that you choose among the following what is most important to you and rank them from 1-5 as to their importance to both of you as a couple.

Level of Importance     most <----------->least	Wedding and Reception Choices in Alphabetical Order
1    2     3      4      5	Alcohol
1    2     3      4      5	Attendant’s Dresses
1    2     3      4      5	Cake
1    2     3      4      5	Dancing
1    2     3      4      5	Decorations
1    2     3      4      5	DJ
1    2     3      4      5	Entertainment
1    2     3      4      5	Favors
1    2     3      4      5	Flowers for Aisle, Altar
1    2     3      4      5	Flowers for Tables
1    2     3      4      5	Flowers To Carry
1    2     3      4      5	Flowers To Wear
1    2     3      4      5	Food
1    2     3      4      5	Hair and Makeup
1    2     3      4      5	Honoring those who have passed away
1    2     3      4      5	Invitations and Save the Dates
1    2     3      4      5	Musicians/Vocalists
1    2     3      4      5	Photo Booth
1    2     3      4      5	Photography
1    2     3      4      5	Slide Show
1    2     3      4      5	Table Decorations
1    2     3      4      5	Transportation ( i.e. Limo, classic car, horse-drawn carriage, etc.)
1    2     3      4      5	Tuxedos
1    2     3      4      5	Veil
1    2     3      4      5	Venue
1    2     3      4      5	Videography
1    2     3      4      5	Wedding Dress
1    2     3      4      5
1    2     3      4      5
1    2     3      4      5
1    2     3      4      5
1    2     3      4      5

Feel free to go to our Greatest of Days website and find a hidden planning tip on each page of our website!

As always....

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Vote for us in the Best of Western Washington Contest in the Wedding Planner Category! Thank you!

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Pa...

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Pa...: Mistakes That Will  Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 1 "Honeymoon" Everyone thinks about the wedding when it come...

Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 1

Mistakes That Will  Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 1

"Honeymoon"

Everyone thinks about the wedding when it comes to intense planning, but there's one thing that will keep money in your wallet for your wedding as much or more than anything.

It is the honeymoon!  You can save more money than many other items for your wedding combined by carefully planning your honeymoon.  Long before you even began thinking of planning a wedding, you've planned vacations or trips.  So you already know how much pricing fluctuates for various destinations at various times of the year.  

If you plan your wedding date that will coincide with a less expensive honeymoon you can be taking a lot of stress off of your wedding budget.

Feel free to go to our Greatest of Days website and find a hidden planning tip on each page of our website!

As always....

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Reality TV Wedding Shows vs. Weddings in Reality!

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Reality TV Wedding Shows vs. Weddings in Reality!: Reality TV Wedding Shows vs. Weddings in Reality I'll admit that I don't make a habit of watching the "Reality TV&...

Reality TV Wedding Shows vs. Weddings in Reality!

Reality TV Wedding Shows vs. Weddings in Reality

I'll admit that I don't make a habit of watching the "Reality TV" wedding shows. Honestly, I find them to be stressful to watch.  It's similar to a scary movie as a little kid.  You're afraid when that monster might appear out of nowhere!  It's like...drama down everybody, please!  But it's TV so that's the way it will be. However, truth is stranger than fiction and sometimes reality is strangest of all. As a Wedding Planner we can only hope we don't have to experience too many of the things we see on TV.  That's not to say that we don't see our fair share of unbelievable moments or actions!

I hear this all the time from people I run into.  "Is being a Wedding Planner like it is on TV?"  "I suppose you have to deal with a lot of Bridezillas!"  "Is it like Jennifer Lopez in the movie?"  "Do you have that movie...  ....uh.... The Wedding Planner?"  "Do you wear a headset?"

Now and then, I'll admit to being drawn into watching the shows.  Sometimes I almost want to watch the show with my hands to my face and peeking through my fingers!  It's better if I'm alone when I'm watching unless someone doesn't mind me yelling, "What the heck?"  They might hear, "Well, of course!  What did you think?"  Maybe it's just a long drawn out "NO!"  That's about the time that my husband walks in and asks "Did something break?  "Who were you talking to?"  I'll respond with, "Oh, never mind, it's just....you wouldn't understand!"

Here's what I'm really thinking when I watch some of these shows depending on the drama meter for a particular episode.  Now you'll see why I don't make a habit of dropping everything to watch these shows!

Remember this is to people chosen to be on TV for effect!

Referring to the TV Bride:

~ Uh, oh!  You shouldn't have brought so many people to shop for the dress!

~ Wow!  This one has probably been a spoiled brat all of her life!

~ That's the dress!  I can tell!

~ Remember to think about your guests at your wedding!

Referring to the TV Bridal Party:

~ I thought you were her friend?

~ I wonder if they will still be friends after the wedding?

Referring to the TV Mother of the Bride:

~ I bet your mother never let you have any say in your wedding?

~ I can't believe you're taking this!

~ Be nice!!

~ What does your daughter want?

Referring to the TV Sister of the Bride:

~ It's not your wedding!

~ Hang in there.  She really loves you!

Referring to the TV Host:

~ Did you really think she would like that?  You know what you're doing and it will turn out!

~ I would love to design something like that, but what bride could afford all that?

~ I've said those exact same words!  Do I ever know how he/she feels!!

Referring to the TV Wedding Dress Consultant:

~ Who is the designer?

~ That's too much like the last one!

~ You're a miracle worker!

~ Good Luck!

Referring to the TV Cake Designer:

~ Well, that's interesting!

~ I want to learn how to do that!

~ Is this a kid's birthday party or a wedding?

TV show or not there's always a chance for drama, but one thing is certain...each wedding is different!  I've only had one wedding in 7 years that I ended up hating, well maybe 1-1/2.  Crude, rude and socially unacceptable are words that come to mind. If someone is rude or mean to vendors or me while working with me at an event, all ties are cut.

Seven Intangible Benefits to Hiring a Wedding Planner

Wedding professionals are not any different than other professionals.  They put in a lot of time and money into developing a business and like many other small business owners, they wear about every hat you can imagine to deal with all the tasks that they are faced with.  You will know pretty quickly if you are dealing with a wedding professional who has a lot of experience or is still testing the waters.  You can be certain that you will be getting what you pay for.  It's your choice.

When it comes to considering hiring a Wedding Planner, you are receiving many intangible benefits such as:

1.  Peace of mind.

2.  Loss prevention. (mistakes couples commonly make that cost money)

3.  Knowledge of weddings. (knowing them like the back of their hand)

4.  A lookout person!  Wedding Planners can sense when things just don't feel right and can deal with a potential problem before it happens.

5.  Invisible problems.  If a problem does happen, 99% of the time the couple getting married won't even know it happened.

6.  Who do you know?  You don't have to worry if a vendor is right for your personality, style and budget.  A Wedding Planner will get a sense of what will make a perfect vendor and perfection client connection.  You will be personally introduced to a vendor rather than searching for a vendor.

7.  Go team!  Your Wedding Planner is putting together a team for a couple's wedding day.  Each team member knows what the other is doing well in advance of the wedding.  This is often not the case when you don't have a Wedding Planner.  Every wedding should have a detailed playbook!

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You Can Be Allergic to Flowers and Still Have a Beautiful Wedding!

And guess what?  You're more than likely going to have guests try to sniff them, but they won't sneeze, because these beautiful arbors are embellished with quality silk flowers and other forms of bling!

If you live in the Puget Sound area, you should think about having one of these at your wedding or other event.  Can't you see these arches and even the lamp posts at a garden tea party?  She also has a very special design for 50th Anniversary celebrations.  

"Where do you get one?" you ask.  Here is my friend and fellow wedding vendor's website:

www.FleurDeLaceEvent.com   You'll get see even more of what she does and the pictures are better!  She also makes beautiful paper roses which can be used for weddings, but what better way to bring flowers to the hospital when you can't bring real flowers?

Here are some reasons why I recommend that couples use her arches and other ceremonial decorations.

1.  Allergy sufferers can have or attend a beautiful wedding.

2.  You don't have to worry if your favorite flower isn't blooming around the time of your wedding.  You want a color, you'll probably be able to find it any time of the year.

3.  They certainly don't need to be kept cool until the ceremony.

4.  They won't wilt.

5.  If a flower falls off, it's not the end of the world...just put it back in its place.

7.  These arbors are designed with the bride in mind and can be customized to a look that you want as far as flowers go.

8.  Themes aren't a problem!  As you can see, they are adaptable to different settings.

9.  They provide the setup and the tear down.

10. It's just fun to have an element of surprise at a wedding (in a good way).  It's fun when people say, "I thought they were real!" 

11.  Price out regular flowers for a regular arch decorated with fresh flowers and you will see a higher price tag for the same look.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Greatest of Days Wedding and Event Planning & Design

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Would You Rather Have Wedding 101 or Wedding 9-1-1...

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I speak with wedding vendors on a regular basis and I want to be able to make their jobs easier. The end beneficiary is the wedding couple and their families.  I even had a mother of a bride (with her daughter and future son-in-law’s reluctance) pay for a wedding planner because all she wanted to was buy her dress and the next thing she would do was sitting down before the ceremony!  That same reluctant couple actually toasted me during the wedding reception with a huge thank you and stated they could have never done it with me and the bride’s father actually said in his toast that other people with a wedding in their future should hire Greatest of Days!  Most couples think that they don't need a Wedding Planner or they have a friend or relative who can fill that role.  It sounds like an honor to be placed in that role, but in reality that person is probably going to be the one who has the least chance of really enjoying the wedding, or... will automatically fall into the guest mode leaving the couple getting married stranded.  Ironic, but true.

Here are some misconceptions people have about hiring wedding planners!

~  Wedding Planners are too expensive.

     Wedding Planners have so many options to help whomever is planning a wedding.  So many times when a couple or perhaps a mother is thinking that they are saving money by doing things on their own, they can actually be wasting money.  Wedding Planners have discounts offered to them that the couples can benefit from that they can't get on their own.  Every couple engaged to be married owes it to themselves to at least have a complimentary consultation with a Wedding Planner.  If you believe that time is money, you really owe it to yourself to see what you will save in time alone.   For an average wedding, without a Wedding Planner, the equivalent of 7-1/2 40-hour work weeks is spent planning a wedding.  I’d say to wedding vendors, recommend a complimentary consultation with a Wedding Planner as a  gift to your brides.  Chances are, they will thank you for it!  

Please look at our various Wedding Planning Packages.

~   A couple will often have friends who seem like they are naturals to help plan a wedding. There are so many things that the recruited or volunteering friends and family members just don't know about the actual wedding day and what can happen.  Wedding Planners spend a lot of time networking, doing research and taking classes.  
  

   If a website isn't kept up to date or does not reflect a particular vendor's personality, you just don't know if they will be the fit for you or not.  As Wedding Planners we try our best to match vendors and clients according to their personalities, styles and budget range.  Just as a bride/couple is looking for an ideal vendor, a vendor is also looking for an ideal client.  Vendors learn that not every bride is going to be one that they will work well with.  

  

~  A Wedding Planner will take over my wedding.

      Wedding planners feel that the most important thing they can do is listen.   We listen to what you want, can sense a couple’s or parents’ uncertainty, can feel what kind of pressures they are facing and learn by the expression in their faces that they have found that "just right" dress, venue, photographer, etc.  

~  A Wedding Planner won't let me use any vendors I've found on my own or will make me work with a list of their preferred vendors.

The opposite would be true 99% of the time.   The most common type of job that a Wedding Planner is hired for is what is referred to as a "Day-of"  Coordination.  In this case, all the wedding vendors or other people filling in for those roles, have been set.  A "Day-of" Coordination usually doesn't include any research for venues or vendors but actually puts in, according to statistics,  40-80 hours of work before a wedding.  I have actually had brides call me wanting someone to coordinate just their wedding day and not hiring me because didn't think that there could possibly be that much work involved for the "Day-of" Coordination.  You might have noticed how I always put quotations marks around “Day-of“ and that is for a good reason.  There really is no such thing as Day-of like the name implies or what the bride thinks she wants.  Of all days, you don't want someone coming to your wedding and not knowing all the aspects and variations planned for the wedding.  For many of us, the part we like best about doing a "Day-of" Coordination, if finding new vendors whom we might not have met otherwise!

Brides, Grooms, Same-Sex Couples, Venues and Vendors alike, I would love to have the opportunity to speak with you about various ways Greatest of Days can help you out!  If you are a venue or a wedding vendor, we can help you as well.

If a Wedding Planner is given the chance, a wedding engagement time can be cut in half! Grooms particularly love that!

Wishing you the greatest of days!

www.greatestofdays.com

Planning and Designing Events and Weddings since 2007!

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