Planning Events with Less Stress: Pulling the Plug on Plugged Wedding Ceremonies

Planning Events with Less Stress: Pulling the Plug on Plugged Wedding Ceremonies: Pulling the Plug on Plugged Wedding Ceremonies! Okay, here we have it.   There are two big reasons why people are choosing unplugged w...

Pulling the Plug on Plugged Wedding Ceremonies

Pulling the Plug on Plugged Wedding Ceremonies!

Okay, here we have it.   There are two big reasons why people are choosing unplugged weddings.  In case you don't know what an unplugged wedding is, it is when no electronic devices are allowed other than for those who have been hired or chosen to take pictures or operate the sound system.  

~~Number 1~~

I officiate weddings.  When one wedding photographer asked me before a wedding if the wedding was going to be unplugged, I said, "I always talk about that with my couples and I've had no one refuse my suggestion to have an unplugged wedding!  That's the first announcement I make before anyone walks down the aisle".  That particular photographer looked over to the other photographer and said, "We love her, don't we!"

When guests are taking pictures it interferes with the photographer's lighting.  They want to do the very best job possible and then someone comes out of the woodwork and snaps a picture.  So much for setting up that perfect shot!  At a wedding, there are some moments you just cannot recapture!  Professional photographers will give you a link to pictures that your guests can download.  As you'll see below it's also very dangerous to get in the way of a photographer..for the guest and the photographer.

~~Number 2~~

The second reason is that the cameras, cell phones and what have you, interfere with with the sound system.  I don't pretend to know all of the technical reasons for that, but it's been confirmed by many professional DJ's.  I'm happy to not have the sound messed up when I'm officiating a wedding!

Enjoy the other reasons to have an unplugged wedding!

Wishing you the greatest of days!

STOP, Before You Choose Someone to Officiate Your Wedding!

Here are some important things to consider before you have a friend or family member perform your wedding ceremony.

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: RSVP! If Only People Would Pretend to Know What it...

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: RSVP! If Only People Would Pretend to Know What it...: Do You Know What R. S. V. P. Means? I probably wouldn't lose too much money if I bet that one of the most frustrating things that a...

RSVP! If Only People Would Pretend to Know What it Means!

Do You Know What R. S. V. P. Means?

I probably wouldn't lose too much money if I bet that one of the most frustrating things that anyone hosting an event experiences, it would be trying to wrangle in the RSVP's.  

So this one is for you if you:

1.  Have ever had to hassle with this dilemma, 

2.  Don't want to admit that you didn't know what it means.

Maybe this will help.  As for the reasons why sending in an RSVP is so important, here's a short recap.  The number of people dictates the costs of an event.  By not sending in a timely RSVP, you are making the math extremely difficult for the items listed below.  For rentals, it is a nasty budget killer whether it was money spent and gone to waste or having to make last minute adjustments from late RSVP's.  Here goes!

Tables, chairs, food, serving utensils, sternos, chafing dishes, linens, decorations, space, favors, dessert, plates, glasses, cups, saucers, bowls,  cutlery, etc.

I can't speak French, so I'll just say it means:  Reasons you Should Verify Your Presence.  That might be only partially correct, but it might get a few more people to send in their RSVP's!

Now, go send in an RSVP for something you're invited to!  Consider it almost like a gift!  It's sad, but true.

"I don't have stamps isn't an excuse"...they still make them.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Contact us here if you would be interested in attending any upcoming webinars, podcasts or seminars on hosting successful events!

We also officiate weddings, really fun weddings!

We also officiate and plan Celebration of Life events, really funny ones!

We also plan business events, really good ones!

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Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Don't Think You Need a Wedding Rehearsal? Think ag...

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Don't Think You Need a Wedding Rehearsal? Think ag...: If You Think You Don't Need a Rehearsal, Think again! First, here are some definitions for you and terms of reference.  Also, Bride an...

Planning a Wedding is a Time and Money Balancing Act

Balancing Money and Time to Plan Your Wedding

1.  Truth #1.

The reason why weddings seem so expensive is because there are so many moving parts and elements that need to be put together.  They all cost money.

We all excel at different things and absolutely can't stand other types of chores, jobs, duties, etc.  The same goes for planning a wedding.  Why spend your valuable time on something you hate.  I know that with the DIY craze, it would be easy to fall into that trap that gets bigger and bigger.  The trap that comes from saying, "I can do that myself!"  Yes, maybe you can, but do you love doing it?  If not you're likely to add unnecessary stress.  

2.  Rephrase your stress points.

If you catch yourself saying, "I need to do this" or "I need to do that", rephrase it to "it would be preferable if I did this or that".  Surprisingly, it lowers the priority a little or even makes you think it's not necessary to do the "this or that" at all.

3.  It's okay to let go!

I've read somewhere that the average (usually a bride) spends the equivalent of 7-1/2 weeks of 40-hour work weeks planning a wedding.  That is a lot of time and energy.  It takes some of us longer than others to realize that it's okay to hire some things out and realize we can't possibly come close to being as talented as the professionals in all of the categories we need.

4.  Time Management and Planning.

The things that couples don't realize when they are planning a wedding is that a lot of the DIY projects take place very close to the wedding.  Especially the flowers, making your own cake, etc!  Regarding the flowers, it doesn't matter whether they are of the "wear and carry" or "decor" categories..they take up time when you least have it.  That's not even including the tasks that people procrastinate on, constant interruptions and all the mini celebrations that are taking place at that time.  

5.  You only get married once.  Ideally!

If it's difficult for you to think about hiring tasks out, think again.  You wouldn't expect to be able to put braces on your teeth by yourself.  We hope we only get married once so you shouldn't have to justify handing out some headaches.

6.  Invest where it counts.  Determine your "dreads!" 

You can hire people to do everything from addressing your invitations, keeping track of RSVP's, cleaning up after the wedding, childcare on site at your wedding, theft protection with coat-check companies who will guard your gifts and your guests' possessions.

My biggest suggestion would be to hire a "Day-of Coordinator".  (there really is no such thing which is to your advantage).  A "Day-of Coordinator" actually does most of what a Wedding Planner does except find vendors for you.  You will want to look for one who will contact all of your vendors, verify your contracts to see if your plan actually matches what is in the contract, will tour your venue, conduct a rehearsal (might cost extra) and do their best to inhibit behavior from anyone that could risk you not getting your deposit back.  They will create a realistic timeline so that they day flows smoothly since they know the wedding industry and what the vendors need to do a good job for you.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Check out our other programs for couples planning a wedding or needing wedding officiating, individuals planning events and businesses who want to market through hosting events.

Bridezillas and Their Replicas! Beware!

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Bridezillas and Their Replicas! Beware!: Bridezillas and Their Replicas,  Beware! Yes!  You think weddings are expensive?  Well, Zillas of all types, you have inadvertently or ...

Bridezillas and Their Replicas! Beware!

Bridezillas and Their Replicas,  Beware!

Yes!  You think weddings are expensive?  Well, Zillas of all types, you have inadvertently or not, contributed to this for two primary reasons.  Wedding vendors are seldom wealthy and have a lot of hidden costs, so putting up with bad behavior just makes whatever profit they have made not worth the trouble.  So they either quit or raise prices.  Supply and demand effects any industry.

Unless you've been around the wedding industry a lot, you would not know how many vendors, who can provide their services to other types of clientele say, "I don't do weddings anymore!"  This can range from planners, florists, photographers, caterers and so forth.  They usually say that there's just too much drama, clients who think that they should get everything for nothing, and engaged couples and their families are getting ruder and sometimes violent when they are just trying to do their job.  I've seen it all myself!  Couples will also come up with the craziest excuses to not pay for services. If they heard that message from their own bosses, they certainly wouldn't appreciate it, but it's okay in many couple's minds to do just that.  People outside of the industry are generally surprised to hear what we put up with in the wedding industry.

Bridezillas, if you think about how you like to be treated at work by customers or co-workers, then imagine how people feel when they are doing their best to make a wedding the best possible.  However, if you have not communicated as your vendors have requested, make frequent changes, fail to relay important information or especially make last minute changes, you are asking for something to go wrong.  It's that way with everything in life.  If a bride tries blaming everyone else,  whether it be friends, family or vendors, that sets the tension to a higher level for the whole day.  If a bride rolls with the punches and is half-way gracious, the atmosphere is completely different. Everyone picks up on that energy whether it be positive or negative.  

What seems to have caused the bride/guest zillas problem?  They show inexcusable bad behavior ranging from words to temper tantrums towards family, friends or anyone who is involved with the wedding.  What has made this behavior seem acceptable in many people's eyes?  

The problem is big enough to come up at industry and networking meetings.  The question that's asked is, "What do we do with all of this bridezilla behavior and even their friends and families?"  The general conclusion is that about all they can do to tolerate it is to raise prices.  

I would attribute the bridezilla or other zilla behavior to several factors, and I know that other vendors share my opinion on this.  

1.  It probably starts with what is taught as acceptable behavior when dealing with people in general from the time they were young.    

2.  Many people of the generation that are getting married now, were in general given whatever they wanted.  Perhaps they have been dreaming of their wedding day for years.  That's nothing new, but more recently it's been with a different mindset of entitlement.  I've heard of brides saying, "But it's my wedding!"  So vendors are supposed to just hand out their services like candy on Halloween?

3.  The media with all the "reality" shows paints a dream wedding that few people can afford, but having been used to getting what they want, they can't accept that the same can't be theirs.  The "reality" shows thrive on drama, but that does nothing to help a real wedding go smoothly where everyone can still be friends at the end of the day.

4.  The media, especially the one that is named after "perfect vision" (in the form of numbers) broadcasts sensationalized shows that paint the industry with a broad brush that does not come close to matching what I've seen of hundreds of vendors.  They spend most of those shows comparing apples to oranges.  If their purpose is to educate the public, they are actually doing a disservice to the public by misrepresenting the industry.  Other shows piggyback off of those shows and perpetuate the myth.

Let's not forget the wonderful clients who we would gladly adopt as family.  The ones who appreciate our efforts and treat us as professionals.  I've had more of them than the bridezilla variety.  Those clients have usually not had the easiest lives and are far from anything like a spoiled brat.  They couldn't be more opposite than that.  Like anything else, it's the few bad apples that can ruin the whole batch.  You might have even heard teachers say that they remember the really nice students and the ones who were just the opposite.  The same principle could apply to weddings.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Click here to learn about our upcoming podcasts on wedding planning on our "Engaged!  What's Next?" Facebook page!

  

If You Are the Second Daughter to Get Married, You're Lucky!

If you are the second daughter to get married in a family, to a certain extent, you will benefit from all the lessons learned from the first wedding.  The rude awakening is that no two weddings are alike.  With sisters, often their weddings are polar opposites.  I understand perfectly why that is.  I have a sister!

I've noticed something about people who hire wedding planners.  What would that be? At some point in the initial consultation with a parent, they will say, "This time.....!" That is usually followed by we are not going to be having a stressful day and do everything ourselves.

I had one mother say all she wanted to do was to shop for a dress that she liked, and the next thing would be to sit down at the wedding!  That's pretty much what happened. The bride and groom were reluctant to hire a wedding planner and then she said, "Then it's going to be your wedding gift!"  They thought that she should save that money for something else for the wedding.  Within a month of being hired, they said it was the best decision they made!  That same couple along with their father mentioned me during the toasts, thanked me and said that they never could have had their wedding without me. Her father recommended that other people with upcoming weddings use my services.  I was so thrilled and taken aback.  I was also very tired!  It was an outdoor wedding on a very hot August day!  

I will never forget that moment, and it has kept me sane through the "not so pleasant" bridezilla types--which I won't even take on or keep as clients anymore.  They are out the door!

Cherish the good memories, right?

Wishing you the greatest of days!

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Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and Valentine's Day Are...

It's Valentine's Day 2015 and romance is in the air.  More people get engaged from Thanksgiving through Valentine's Day than any other time of the year.  These days are often associated with a gathering of friends and family or as with Valentine's Day a day of special attention paid to the love of someone's life.  Have you ever wondered why so many wedding shows take place from January through March?  Well, that's the reason!

One thing that I would warn people about getting married on Valentine's Day, is that you can expect to pay through your teeth for roses on your Valentine's Day wedding.  I just saw something on the news about tulips replacing roses as a favorite flower for Valentine's Day.  That's a very good decision since they are in-season around Valentine's Day.

Wishing you the Greatest of Days!

15 Ways Couples Can Help Wedding Vendors Provide Their Best Service

15 Ways Couples Can Help Wedding Vendors Provide Their Best Service

Every vendor really wants to do the best job possible for your wedding. What can a bride/groom do to insure that they are able to do exactly that? Here are some general suggestions that go across most if not all vendor lines. 

This might be the only place you will hear this!

1.  Communicate with your vendor in a timely manner during the planning process.   If they reach out to you, they probably need information from you to proceed. 

2.  If your vendors don't reach you as quickly as you might like, they are probably in a meeting or working an event. Remember that they will show you the same courtesy when you are having a consultation with them or they are at your wedding.

3.  Ask if they have a questionnaire to complete before the consultation.  If so, have it done before your appointment.  If you can email it to them even earlier, all the better.

4.  Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions at a consultation.  

5.  Keep your vendors informed of any major problems/questions that have come up as soon as you can.

6.  Notify the appropriate vendors of any changes after you have considered the change carefully.  Limiting the number of changes, especially closer to the wedding will make things flow more smoothly. Changing your mind often will increase everyone's chance of confusion and possibly result in things not being as you wanted for your wedding.  Emailing is the best way because it creates a record that can be referred to or transferred to notes in a file created for you.  It never hurts to double-check.

7.  Try to keep your questions relevant to what a vendor actually does for a wedding.  They want to help you, but their time is better spent in their area of expertise.  When they suggest that you need a coordinator, they are trying to save you valuable time and money as well as for themselves.

8.  Try to keep all of your appointments and give at least 24 hours notice if possible.  You should text, email or call or a combination of any of these.  Depending on where your vendor is and what they are doing, their access to any of these might vary.

9.  Have some idea of what you want your wedding to be like.  When asked what you envision for your wedding, as much as possible avoid responses such as:

A.  "We don't really care".

B.  "My Mom (or whomever) is taking care of all of that".  Come prepared with details of what is being done.

C.  "We don't think that anyone will cause problems at our wedding".  (You really have no way of knowing how people are going to react on such an emotionally-charged day added to alcohol).

D.  "We haven't really thought of a budget".  A vendor will be wondering if you are even able to pay them and won't have as good of an idea of what you want for your wedding. 

E.   "We're just shopping for prices."  This is okay on some level because sometimes that is the only starting point or ice breaker you have!   If you're speaking with a professional vendor, be honest with yourself.  If a particular type of vendor is really important to you and you know that they are integral to your wedding day and future memories, you want a quality product.  The lowest prices are often the costliest decisions.  Set what you feel are priorities for your wedding. You might not know it, but some professionals take offense at this "price shopping" response, because they feel that you have not taken the time to check out their quality of work which they generally take a lot of pride in versus a non-professional who probably doesn't have a portfolio, testimonials or nearly the experience.  They could wonder how serious you really are about that particular aspect of your wedding.  

   

10.  Assumptions you should never make:

 A.  Your friends will help you set up and clean up.

 B.  Your bridal party and guests will show up on time.  Do what you can to encourage people to be on time.  (The opposite can be a problem, too)  If people show up too early, they might want to help and that can actually hinder vendors trying to do their job.

        

11.   Remember that your vendors working at your wedding are people!  They will probably be working many hours and to do their best they will need a chance to eat.  No fainting vendors!  You can arrange to provide a plate, or a trip through the buffet line after your guests have been served or have gone though a buffet line.  Offer them a little bit of privacy as they won't want to be seen eating in front of the guests if possible and they may only have a few short minutes to eat.

12.  Ask if a vendor needs a tablecloth and order them tablecloths that go all the way down to the floor.  They will need to hide a number of things that are unsightly or just don't want everything in plain sight.

13.  Tell a few key people who will be at your wedding what some of the venue rules are.  This is especially true for those things that might prevent you from getting your deposit back.

14.  Don't expect a vendor to wait for payments.  Sometimes brides have an attitude of  "..but it's my wedding day!"  To this type of bride, I would say, think of it this way.  You expect a paycheck for your work and wouldn't appreciate it if your boss said, "I'm not paying you today because it is my birthday!"  (A little tongue in cheek there)

15.  Last but not least, don't procrastinate to hire a vendor.  Remember that most wedding vendors do the majority of their work in a 3-4 month period of time.  This also can set limitations on the number of vendors available for whatever service you need.

Wishing you the Greatest of Days!

Make it Easier for Guests to Find Their Place Cards

Place Card Distribution Table

Have you ever been to a wedding and when it is time to transition to the reception, you have to get in a huge line to find your name and then find your seat?

Here are some tips to make this process go more smoothly.

1.  Have signage behind or above the table that shows how you have the place cards organized.  *Whether you choose to alphabetize them by first or last name, you'll find that you'll have a lot more of one letter due to many family members attending.  Just play with the adjustment to reflect your specific guest list.  Preferably, divide the table into 4 segments.  It usually works very well to make your divisions relatively equal if you group the place cards by A-E, F-L, M-R and S-Z.

2.  Show the divisions between the sections of the alphabet.   On a table, you could even use rose petals to show where different letters begin.  The diagram below represents a ribbon or garland creating the divisions between the alphabetical groupings.

3.  Don't just put up the alphabetical divisions on a sign.  *Make it extremely clear by signage that the names are organized alphabetically by  first names or last names whichever you have chosen. The whole purpose is to make it easier to navigate quickly from the place card table to their assigned table and/or seat.

4.  You can use a round or rectangular table.  Some venues have large bulletin boards on the walls which are perfect if they are big enough to see from a distance and in a convenient location to the reception dining area.  You can make the alphabetical category signs large which are helpful to guests as they are standing in line.  Hopefully the lines will be shorter if they can quickly identify where their place card is.

5.  Below is just one example of how you could design a round table for place cards.  Please excuse the quality of the design due to time constraints.   You can get creative on the signage which should be elevated.  In this case the design calls for a centerpiece.  More people can navigate around a round table.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Greatest of Days

Wedding/Event Planning and Design

Non-Denominational Wedding Officiating

As of January 2015 we will have a series of podcasts available on 52 different topics to help couples plan their wedding.  Be on the look out for "We're Engaged! Now What?"   We will be developing not only a series of podcasts but also webinars, tele-seminars, videos and live workshops.  We are using all of these methods because people learn in different ways!  Some people learn visually, by listening or having a hands-on workshop.  We will be developing at a later date private coaching programs.   Look up our special Facebook page "We're Engaged! Now What?" 

One Thing You Must Never Do at Your Wedding!

Again, never!

There's one thing that many people do at a wedding that can lead to stress, heartache, feeling helpless and fearful of identity theft.   The saddest part is that it is totally preventable.

Do not ever have your table for gifts and cards that you receive by any door that can be accessed by the public.    Even worse is just outside the door in a hallway!  The same goes for your guests' belongings.  I know it's so convenient for guests to sign the guest book and drop of their gifts or cards at one place near the entrance.  The same would apply to guests' coats and their belongings.

There is a solution.  I want you to check out a company called Coat Check Complete and see if there is a similar service in your area.  Please don't rely on your friends to take on this task of the gifts and card management or the guests' belongings.  They might have the best of intentions, but they will sooner or later get distracted because they are your friend and their heart is where the action is at your wedding.  You can't blame them for getting caught up in things and without them even being aware of it, walking off for a few minutes or more.

At the very least you should have all of your cards, gifts, and your guests' coats, purses, umbrellas, and so forth in an area as far from any door as possible.  You might not feel that you have the budget for a service to keep an eye on everything, but we live in the world that we live in and the regret of stolen gifts, cash or gift cards that your guests have purchased with their hard-earned money is something you can't put a price on.  Your guests could be faced with a nightmare of trying to stay ahead of identity theft, closing bank accounts, stopping check which will add to their burden financially and increase their stress level.

People might want to place blame if something like this happens, but the bride and the groom are the hosts and they owe it to their guests to make sure that their guests are taken care of properly.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

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 Will Increase Wedding Costs, Part 5

Planning Weddings and Events with Less Stress: Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Pa...: Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 5 "Weddings and Media Influence, Unrealistic Dreams-  Maybe Not!" ...

Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 5

Mistakes That Will Increase Your Wedding Costs, Part 5

"Weddings and Media Influence, Unrealistic Dreams-  Maybe Not!"

We can all dream as much as we want.  You and I both know how extravagant the shows on TV portray weddings.  Perhaps you can afford to do the same at your wedding, but chances are that your budget is far less that what you see is available for a TV production.

1.  Don't feel bad if you can't afford everything you want.  Just like they say in interior design, "If you give a limited budget to a designer, you will see them sweat genius!"   Creativity does wonderful things and who doesn't like a challenge when you hear, "Sorry, it's outside of your budget!" 

2.  DIY can be the costliest way to go!  You really owe it to yourself to explore further options.  If you really hate the feel of paper, why should you torture yourself with making your invitations?  Also, without knowing what other options are, you should at least compare prices from various suppliers or vendors to see what will give you the biggest bargain.  Often, time and money are both difficult things to come by in the amounts you need for planning a wedding so measure the value of both.

3.  Here's a important story for you!  In 2008, during the economy's rush to the bottom, many couples decided to "just have a backyard wedding" because it would be cheaper.  Research showed that during that time, the travel and hospitality industry was being hit especially hard.  I was approached numerous times by hotels which ordinarily would not even want to touch weddings, and they literally begged for the wedding business!  Their corporate meetings were taking a skydive and people could get some amazing packages at hotels during that time for weddings.  

The reverse side of that was finding out that families with the backyard weddings, who "saved money on food" were working their fingers to the bone and emptying their pockets with every move they made in preparations for the wedding.  There seems to be an unavoidable urge to do more than host a wedding.  For example I heard people who would  get new carpet, paint the interior and/or exterior of the house, re-do the guest bedroom, re-landscape the yard and even put on a new roof!  The thought of all that stress on top of planning a wedding makes me cringe.  I've been through both!  Saving money was the goal.  People would say, "At least the house is nice now!"   I just hope they aren't too exhausted to enjoy it!

4.  Something great things you should take from the shows!  Have you noticed that they often end up with weddings in some really unusual venues?  In the wedding industry, we can take entire classes on holding events at unique venues!  Doing this meets two common goals for a wedding.  Most people want something that hasn't been done before and often they are less expensive than standard venues.

5.  Don't be afraid to ask for even a little bit of help from a Wedding Planner!  Many Wedding Planners have specific planning packages that involve a consultation and then researching for particular vendor categories that you are tearing your hair out trying to find.  It is one of the least expensive ways to get help from a Wedding Planner.

6.  Set your priorities and stick with them.  If you absolutely fall in love with one particular idea you obtain from a TV show, by all means see if it fits within your priorities and try adopt that idea for your wedding.  You can put less emphasis on the things that don't matter to you.  

7.  I have to repeat this advice from my other blog posts!  Don't be afraid to check out ice sculptures.  If you have one that makes an amazing statement, you won't need much else as far as decor.  You might even be able to get less expensive centerpieces by having a small ice sculpture than flowers!  What if you did you table numbers in ice with some LED lights in your wedding colors lighting up the middle of the banquet tables for your guests to enjoy?  They're just water, so that is why they aren't as expensive as you would think.  Sure it takes some amazing skills, but you owe it to yourself to learn about ice sculptures.

Wishing you the greatest of days!

Greatest of Days has been planning weddings and officiating weddings since 2007.  From 2011-2014 Greatest of Days was nominated for "Best Wedding Planner" in the King 5 Best of Western Washington Contest.

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

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

We would appreciate your vote at the link below

Nominated for Best Wedding Planning in the 

King 5 Best of Western Washington Contest in 

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

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