Simple and Sentimental Solutions to Wedding Problems

I had a bride who wanted an outdoor ceremony and she did get just that and the weather was beautiful.  This bride hired me very late in the game and I needed to find out as much as possible about her dream wedding and do it very quickly.  I soon learned that they wanted a program placed on all of the chairs.  Are you thinking the same thing that I thought at that moment?  Outdoor wedding, programs on chairs.  Hmmmm.  I saw programs flying all over the place with any gust of wind.

Since I knew that this bride was very much into doing what was "green" for her wedding, I suggested that they put nature into the wedding ceremony to solve the potential problem.  I explained to them some of the ways a rock ceremony can be a part of a wedding.  I was also thinking that rocks could hold those programs securely in the chairs!  This bride was very creative and turned it into a very sentimental part of their ceremony.  Her family had property on a beautiful lake with a type of stones on its shore that were flat.  This lake had special meaning for many family members as you can only imagine all the good times they had together, probably tossing these types of stones into the lake as kids.

After the ceremony, all of the guests who had been instructed to hold the rock and make a good wish for the bride and groom and place the rocks into a special box.  I love the picture of the bride and groom walking through a meadow with the groom carrying the box filled with good wishes.

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.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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050
Trendy Events, Home of Betta Mansions
1903 Market Street,
Tacoma, WA 98042

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050
Trendy Events and Home of Betta Mansions
1903 Market Street,
Tacoma, WA 98042

What Does A Wedding Planner Do?

This "Vendor Wheel" isn't meant to frighten anyone, but is illustrates just how many aspects there can be to planning a wedding and even after the wedding.  If you have the help of a Wedding Coordinator who can pass on discounts they receive from many vendors, many times those discounts are equal to or more than what you originally pay for a Coordinator.

There is at least one possible vendor missing here.  Can you guess one?

copyright 2011, Greatest of Days.  You may use this by mentioning this business.

As always, wishing you the greatest of days!

Janis Flagg

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/
http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050
Betta Mansions
1903 Market Street, 
Tacoma, WA 98042

Wedding Planning and Help for the Mother of the Bride.

Hello to Moms and Brides!

If we are married, we all remember when we were planning our weddings and maybe it felt like Moms did some crazy things.  I often hear from those who are of the age to have children getting married now, that their mothers did everything and they didn't really have any say in what their wedding was like.  That wasn't always the case, but it can have some rather unpleasant results when it's the next generation's turn to get married.  Can you guess what happens sometimes?  Yes, you got it!  The very same thing, intentional or not, pops up out of nowhere all over again, only this time with a lot more struggle.

First of all, I think that the mother-daughter relationship can be one of the most complicated relationships.  Even when they have a wonderful relationship, it can be one of those things that cannot be put into words.  With that said, we tend to only hear about how horrible the mothers of the brides are.  No one is all good or all bad.  Is it just easy to give the mother of the bride a little more bad press because they'll do anything for their kids?  That's not to say there are some really obnoxious mothers out there.  I have a few memories of my own mother being less than kind and words that still sting when I think of them.  We've all heard of the generation gap, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a nice bridge or better yet, a path created through a beautiful meadow of flowers between Mom and daughter?  I think there is!  There's no excuse for rude behavior on either one's part, but it just might happen.

When a parent is primarily paying for a wedding, after I've spoken with the bride and groom, I will offer an additional hour of complimentary consultation with the whomever that parent(s) might be.  If they are primarily paying for a wedding, remember that even a modestly-priced wedding can cost more than one or more of their first cars they bought.  This is a very emotional time for mothers and brides, but if they have the tools to get through the wedding planning process together it can be a completely different experience for all involved.  During these consultations I can help each "side" understand where the other is coming from and relay that from a neutral stand point.  One thing that Wedding Coordinators over the age of 45..ahemm.. benefit from is that we have seen and experienced things through multiple generations.  With this comes wisdom, if we have studied all the nuances of each generation and are open-minded.  We all base our adult lives on what experiences have shaped us and that is going to be different for everyone.

In a nut shell, it helps so much if I can relay to the bride that Mom and Dad may not have every dime in the world even though she might be the princess and has almost always gotten everything she wanted.  On the other hand, if a parent has the purse strings, it is not their wedding and those strings should not strangle and dictate what the wedding is like and end up being a wedding day that the bride and groom really won't hold as a day of pleasant memories.

I would suggest a an investment worth it's weight in gold.  Check out http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

As always....

Wishing you the greatest of days...and happy planning!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days
Event & Wedding
Planning and Design
Wedding Officiating

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242
Covington WA   98042
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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/
http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050
Betta Mansions
1903 Market Street,
Tacoma, WA 98042

Exciting! My business is now being featured on Bridal Tweet!

My business is now featured on Bridal Tweet because this week I invited the most people to their site.  It has over 10,000 members and it is a great forum for wedding professionals and brides alike!

Their site is http://www.bridaltweet.com/

Hey, I am having one of those....

Greatest of Days!!

So You Just Got Engaged! Feels A Little Surreal?

There's no feeling like it in the world when you realize you are referring to your boyfriend as your fiance'!  It takes a while for it to sink in and every time someone says, "Congratulations!" it hits you!  I'm getting married!!  That is followed by everyone wanting to see your ring, and then question is when is the date?  It's all very exciting and almost surreal.  That smile will not leave your face except for when you experience those tears of joy and those fleeting moments of butterflies in your stomach.

When it comes time to begin preparing to make your wedding and marriage a reality, your feelings will more than likely be all over the place.  Don't be surprised if it seems like there are a few people in your life who seem to be on an emotional roller coaster!  A lot of this is because people tend to not know how to express their emotions.  You might feel better thinking about a quote from Aristotle.  To paraphrase it, "Seldom does anyone get angry at the right person, at the right time, at the right place and to the right extent".  There's always a story behind the story or an emotion behind the emotion.

It helps if you and your fiance' have set some priorities on what you really want for your wedding and have determined what your budget is.   Determine what you have time for and to become educated about those people who will be providing services for your wedding.  So many times people think that they can save money by doing a lot themselves.  This could be true, but it is a risky assumption if not false sometimes.  You really need to take the time to talk to professionals who live, eat and breathe the very thing that you have never planned before.  It's such an important day.  A good vendor will suggest ideas that can save you money, make something have a dual purpose, or tell you the good news along with the bad.  For instance, some flowers are only available at particular times of the year and you might find yourself paying a premium price for others if they are in high demand.  The date you choose might not coincide with availability of product.  It's best to keep an open mind.

Do-it-yourself projects can be fun, but the more you have closer to your wedding day, expect that stress will take on a bigger role than you imagined.  It's crunch time and think about how many things you want to have on your to-do list during that last week or two.

See some opportunities below to help you or your friends who will be getting engaged over the holidays.  Hmm..it might be a really nice engagement present if someone pays for you to take a wedding planning workshop, or you might just want your bridal party to join you in taking the classes.  That much less you have to explain!  I can't help but think that you will have a much smoother road planning your wedding than you would otherwise.  What a beautiful picture that is in my mind.  Less stress = more good memories!

Pricing on the workshops below is $10.00 per class until January 30, 2011 and will then go up to $15.00 per class.

Wishing you the greatest of days during your  engagement!  Enjoy!!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event & Wedding 

Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

www.greatestofdays.com

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242

Covington WA   98042

Phone:   206-604-1908

www.facebook.com/greatestofdays.com

 www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050

Betta Mansions1903 Market Street, 
Tacoma, WA 98042
www.bettamansions.com

Music for Your Wedding Should be Music for Everyone's Ears!

"Yea!  I can save a lot of money on my wedding.  Our best friend is going to use his Ipod for our wedding music!  Whew, that's one thing out of the way!"  Not so fast! 

I would say it can be one thing out of the way, but more than likely it will be the one thing that could get in the way of you having a wedding with the very best of memories.  Here are some of the wonderful things that I love about working with a professional DJ.  They recognize that you will have people of all ages attending your wedding and reception.  I'm sure that in your mind you visualize ALL of your guests having a wonderful time.  A professional, experienced DJ will read the crowd, know just how much to speak, when to speak, be your liaison with your guests and help keep your wedding on schedule.

It's probably safe to assume that Grandma and Grandpa Smith are not going to be having a great time listening or even dancing to anything on the Top 10 chart!  No matter what their age, they are still in their hearts younger than their number of years add up to and they cherish the best times in their lives...when they were your age.  A good DJ will know how to bring that back out of them and they can feel young once again.  Your reward will be seeing the smile on their faces and what is so pure as a hug from Grandma!  A possible side effect might include one of the biggest laughs of the night at your reception as that generation cuts loose to everyone's surprise!

Getting down to brass tacks!  You're saying, "I don't have the budget for a DJ!  I would suggest that you interview several DJ's and you might be surprised at their options.  Sometimes they will have systems set up for you without a DJ being present that will be a wonderful compromise to having an IPod wedding without the glitches.  There really are a lot of options from DJ's that you might not have even thought of that will end up being the icing on your cake rather than melted butter cream all over the place.  Well, you catch my drift!

More on DJ's in future posts.

As always..wishing you the greatest of days!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event & Wedding 

Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

www.greatestofdays.com

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242

Covington WA   98042

Phone:  (253) 630-1754  Cell:  206-604-1908

www.facebook.com/greatestofdays.com

 www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

Attention: Wedding Vendors

I frequently will have vendors come up to me and say "I really wanted a client of mine to call you.  They really needed someone to help them with their wedding, but they just didn't get it!"

What can we do as Wedding Coordinators to help vendors create a compelling message for their client's benefit?  Would vendors appreciate something that would make this easier for them in the form of a handout, a video?  An invitation for a free consultation?  I'm all ears!

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event & Wedding 

Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

www.greatestofdays.com

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242

Covington WA   98042

 Cell:  206-604-1908

www.facebook.com/greatestofdays.com

 www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050

Betta Mansions1903 Market Street, 
Tacoma, WA 98042
www.bettamansions.com

Decorating Tips for Weddings

Here are some of my favorite and simple decorating tips for weddings.

Wedding Decorating Tip # 1. Most venues will not allow the use of tape, tacks, or nails when decorating an event. Look for steel surfaces and use strong magnets. Just remember!! 1) Use something to act as a barrier between the magnet and the surface, i.e., leaf from silk flowers. It's common courtesy to go out of your way not to cause any damage to the venue. 2) Keep magnets out of the reach of children!!

Wedding Decorating Tip #2: Have the bridal and attendants' bouquets do double duty! With either vases or special bouquet holders that attach to a table, you can add a splash of color where ever you might need it. Maybe the guestbook table, cake table or head table. Let your creativity go crazy!

 Wedding Decorating Tip #3: Develop a theme and design for your wedding. This will reduce your costs on decorating as long as you don’t buy everything that has a seashell on it (for example) and have to start your own surplus store. Stick to your design!

Wedding Decorating Tip #4: Not everything has to be "matchy-matchy". Use a variety of tones of the same color. Light will change how a color looks anyway. Think of the walls in your house, same color, totally different look with lighting. In design, wedding colors tend to run in same hues for a year, two or more. Some just stay around longer than others. Sometimes the colors stay the same but the names change!

Wedding Decorating Tip #5 Flower petals, real or artificial--BEWARE. The real ones can stain floors, concrete or just about any kind of surface. Step on those and you have a real mess and possibly a charge from the venue. The artificial petals can be very slippery on many surfaces. I would pick up either one of these off the floor or other surface almost immediately after a ceremony. Check with your venue!

Wedding Decorating Tip #6: Don’t assume that you can just put a sign or other decoration into the ground at a venue or public park. Why do many places not allow this? Three words! Outdoor sprinkler systems! That can be one very expensive decoration and miserable experience after you have paid to repair the sprinkler system.

Wedding Decorating Tip #7: Aisle Runners. I have a love hate relationship with them. They will seldom work as you would want them to.  A Wedding Coordinator can tell you where you can get them made from real fabric for just a few dollars more or make your own from your choice of heavier fabric.  If you want to really have a great one-of-a-kind runner, spend more money and get a custom aisle runner that is made of upholstery grade fabric, check this out!  http://www.originalrunners.com/index.htm

Wedding Decorating Tip #8: If you can decorate the venue the evening before a wedding, everything will go more smoothly. Some venues will let you get in the evening before if they don't have another event taking place. Always ask what their policy is about getting in early to decorate.

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event & Wedding 

Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

www.greatestofdays.com

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242

Covington WA   98042

Phone:  (253) 630-1754  Cell:  206-604-1908

www.facebook.com/greatestofdays.com

 www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

http://www.fostergolflinks.com/sites/courses/view.asp?id=305&page=7050

Betta Mansions1903 Market Street, 
Tacoma, WA 98042
www.bettamansions.com

Wedding Decorating Tip #3

Wedding Decorating Tip #3:  Develop a theme and design for your wedding.  This will reduce your costs on decorating as long as you don’t buy everything that has a seashell on it (for example) and have to start your own surplus store!  Stick to your design!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event and Wedding Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

http://www.greatestofdays.com/

http://www.facebook.com/greatestofdays?ref=ts

http://greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com/

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

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242 Covington WA   98042

206-604-1908

"Creating Memories to Bring a Smile to Your Face for Years to Come!"

Serving South Seattle, South King County and North Pierce County

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.

Wedding Decorating Tip # 1

Wedding Decorating Tip # 1.  Most venues will not allow the use of tape, tacks, or nails when decorating an event. Look for steel surfaces and use strong magnets. Just remember to 1) Use something to act as a barrier between the magnet and the surface, i.e., leaf from silk flowers. It's common courtesy to go out of your way not to cause any damage to the venue. 2) Keep magnets out of the reach of children!!

Janis Flagg, Owner

Greatest of Days

Event & Wedding 

Planning and Design

Wedding Officiating

www.greatestofdays.com

27111 167th PL SE, STE 105-242

Covington WA   98042

Phone:  (253) 630-1754  Cell:  206-604-1908

www.facebook.com/greatestofdays.com

 www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com

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!

http://www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com/

Learn how to thrive in the new wedding marketplace on a F R E E call 11/3

My friend Natalie Bradley of www.BrideAttraction.com is hosting a F*R*E*E call for vendors like you and me on the "How to THRIVE Right Now in the New Wedding Marketplace and Create Your OWN Successful Economy". Natalie’s known for giving out a ton of valuable information on these kind of calls and I'm helping to spread the word.

Bride Attraction is helping wedding vendors throughout the world to learn how to thrive instead of just trying to survive right now with marketing and mindset techniques. I've already learned so much from her Bride Attraction System and seen real results in my business ... so here's the link to read the details for the call AND to sign up for the call on November 3rd!  www.brideattraction.com/thrive.html 

See you there!

Janis Flagg

P.S. I am spreading the word first and foremost because I believe in what Natalie’s teaching, and I have seen the results in my own wedding business. Make sure to let Natalie know that I sent you, too! :)