Information is gathered up and put into a folder to keep track of all the little things that go on until the big day. Main Venues and Vendors are secured with deposit and contract so now begins some of the fun for Brides, Grooms and families!!!
Dress Shopping....
Every Bride wants to make sure her dress is the most beautiful dress in the world and it will be...just keep your budget in mind please. There are countless wedding dress shops and also Internet shops popping up all the time. Always make sure to read reviews no matter if it is local or Internet.
Your can ask your Wedding Planner to go with you if you do not have any close friends or family available to help give you a few pointers. Always look through all of those bridal magazines you bought right after you became engaged, cut out pictures of dresses you would love to try on always remembering to check prices along the way so that you keep the dress within your budget. You do not want to try on a dress and fall in love with it if it is in the $2000 price range and you can only spend $600, be realistic, but have fun with it.
Some of the Internet shops are now offering to let you pick a dress, ship the dress, try it on and if it is not right for you ship it back and pick another all in the privacy of your home..could be very time consuming, but could also be allot of fun. I will look into this more and post for you later.
OK....so you have picked out your dress and I was there with you all the way giving you the support on the dress you fell in love with while your best friend really wasn't crazy about it, but you were. I know when my bride finds the perfect dress...when she stands in front of the big mirrors and tears start falling and she looks at her Mother and says "Mom, what do you think"
These times bring tears to my eyes!!!
Dress is bought and we move onto the next journey........................next time I post!!!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
What does a Wedding Planner do for a Wedding?
OK, I am going to try really hard to let everyone know what I do when I start planning your wedding from day one, keep in mind I may miss a few things here and there, but here goes!
It all starts with an email or a phone call from a bride who is all excited and feeling a bit overwhelmed, she is full of excitement in her voice or in words and I can usually pick this up in her tone and with what she is writing. Most brides these days are relying on email to plan and that's fine with me.
The first email is great (as long as they put enough information in it for me) it goes something like;
Hi my name is ___. I am getting married on ______ and want to know what you charge?
My colors are_____ and ____, and I want to have an elegant, but fun Reception. We are inviting over 200 guest and our budget is $____. Can you let me know if this is doable and what you charge to be our Planner/Coordinator for the wedding and reception. I haven't really done anything yet except the guest list, oh and I did find a church that I want you to check out for me. I would love to have the reception at______ can you call them and set up an appointment for me to see it and find out how much it would be? I got my wedding dress it is beautiful, I can't wait for you to see it! Can you tell me how much this is going to cost? I guess I should find this out first instead of boring you with all the details, can you email me and let me know if you can do our wedding and how much it is going to cost?
Thank you
Bride (a very excited one at that)
From the email I can tell I have a very excited bride who is already thinking about all of the work, but wants to make sure it will fit into her budget to have a Wedding Planner.
First, I email her back and ask if she would like to set up a free consultation? I make sure it fits into her schedule in the evening (most brides do work). We meet at a coffee house of sorts so that we can get to know each other a little and go over some questions she may have for me. I can tell when she is comfortable, because the questions are never "How long have you been a Wedding Planner" or "How many weddings have you done" she digs right in telling me everything she wants and loves and can I help her do that (it is so cute to listen to) When the meeting is over and she knows what my pricing is, I always ask if she would like to think about it for a few days and get back to me...nine times out of ten she wants to sign and give a deposit so that her date does not get taken by another bride. Contract signed...I get to work.
Names of Venues and Vendors in hand I suggest a few at a time so as not to overwhelm her with them. A few are decided and I start calling to make sure dates are available, pricing for this bride and any discounts I may be able to get for her. This can be a process, but one that I hope gets done quickly so that she does get the venues that she wants. (dates fill up quickly). We look over the budget, what she has spent so far. Once she has the venue for the ceremony and reception..it is on to Photography. I offer up a few that I like and that I know will fit into the budget very nicely. If none of the work looks good we look for others until she finds the one she just has to have (problem: they do not always fit with the budget and she may have to take from another part of her budget to have this photographer, but we can make it work).
Next, onto Florist...same here, I offer a few that I think will fit with her style and budget. Numerous pictures are sent from her in emails until she finds just the right bouquet she is looking for. If it is a go than we start dealing with a few of the florist she liked and we start the process of seeing if we can get these to fit into the budget. Then comes the Cake and the Dj or Band. All of these things take time and countless hours are spent on the Internet and phone.
Now comes the part that you will have to wait for in the next blog...
Tell me your story for a chance to win a Day of Coordination Package from Party Planners Plus.
It all starts with an email or a phone call from a bride who is all excited and feeling a bit overwhelmed, she is full of excitement in her voice or in words and I can usually pick this up in her tone and with what she is writing. Most brides these days are relying on email to plan and that's fine with me.
The first email is great (as long as they put enough information in it for me) it goes something like;
Hi my name is ___. I am getting married on ______ and want to know what you charge?
My colors are_____ and ____, and I want to have an elegant, but fun Reception. We are inviting over 200 guest and our budget is $____. Can you let me know if this is doable and what you charge to be our Planner/Coordinator for the wedding and reception. I haven't really done anything yet except the guest list, oh and I did find a church that I want you to check out for me. I would love to have the reception at______ can you call them and set up an appointment for me to see it and find out how much it would be? I got my wedding dress it is beautiful, I can't wait for you to see it! Can you tell me how much this is going to cost? I guess I should find this out first instead of boring you with all the details, can you email me and let me know if you can do our wedding and how much it is going to cost?
Thank you
Bride (a very excited one at that)
From the email I can tell I have a very excited bride who is already thinking about all of the work, but wants to make sure it will fit into her budget to have a Wedding Planner.
First, I email her back and ask if she would like to set up a free consultation? I make sure it fits into her schedule in the evening (most brides do work). We meet at a coffee house of sorts so that we can get to know each other a little and go over some questions she may have for me. I can tell when she is comfortable, because the questions are never "How long have you been a Wedding Planner" or "How many weddings have you done" she digs right in telling me everything she wants and loves and can I help her do that (it is so cute to listen to) When the meeting is over and she knows what my pricing is, I always ask if she would like to think about it for a few days and get back to me...nine times out of ten she wants to sign and give a deposit so that her date does not get taken by another bride. Contract signed...I get to work.
Names of Venues and Vendors in hand I suggest a few at a time so as not to overwhelm her with them. A few are decided and I start calling to make sure dates are available, pricing for this bride and any discounts I may be able to get for her. This can be a process, but one that I hope gets done quickly so that she does get the venues that she wants. (dates fill up quickly). We look over the budget, what she has spent so far. Once she has the venue for the ceremony and reception..it is on to Photography. I offer up a few that I like and that I know will fit into the budget very nicely. If none of the work looks good we look for others until she finds the one she just has to have (problem: they do not always fit with the budget and she may have to take from another part of her budget to have this photographer, but we can make it work).
Next, onto Florist...same here, I offer a few that I think will fit with her style and budget. Numerous pictures are sent from her in emails until she finds just the right bouquet she is looking for. If it is a go than we start dealing with a few of the florist she liked and we start the process of seeing if we can get these to fit into the budget. Then comes the Cake and the Dj or Band. All of these things take time and countless hours are spent on the Internet and phone.
Now comes the part that you will have to wait for in the next blog...
Tell me your story for a chance to win a Day of Coordination Package from Party Planners Plus.
Monday, September 14, 2009
How will you know if you need a Wedding Planner?
How will you know if you need a Wedding Planner? If you are reading this you must need one. Brides today are rushed for time due to the work schedules they keep. It is hard to plan for a wedding, work 9 hour days and if you have children, just keeping up with the schedules of sports is enough to send a bride over the wall.
Hiring a Planner is more than likely the best money you can spend on your wedding, not only to save you money, but to give you the time and energy to spend enjoying everything that leads up to your big day.
Working couples today do not always have the time to meet with each vendor, to taste every cake and listen to every band.
A few questions to test yourself if you need a Wedding Planner
1. Do you work a full time job?
2. Does your Groom work a full time job?
3. Do your families work full time jobs?
4. Are you in School?
5. Do you have children?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions then more than likely you would benefit with a Wedding Planner.
Take care,
Nora
Hiring a Planner is more than likely the best money you can spend on your wedding, not only to save you money, but to give you the time and energy to spend enjoying everything that leads up to your big day.
Working couples today do not always have the time to meet with each vendor, to taste every cake and listen to every band.
A few questions to test yourself if you need a Wedding Planner
1. Do you work a full time job?
2. Does your Groom work a full time job?
3. Do your families work full time jobs?
4. Are you in School?
5. Do you have children?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions then more than likely you would benefit with a Wedding Planner.
Take care,
Nora
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Cutting Back on Your Guest List Saves Money
How many times have you said "When I get married, I want...."? Now you are getting married and the Budget comes into play and you come to the realization that what you wanted isn't in the budget at all. What can you do ... "Cut your guest list by 10 guest" that's right, if you cut your guest list by 10 guest you could have enough left in your budget to splurge on something you really wanted for your Wedding Day. Here is a sample of what happens...
Food and Bar $60.00 per person = $600.00
Chair cover & Sash $ 4.00 per person = $ 40.00
Centerpiece $60.00 per table = $ 60.00
Invitations $ 5.00 per invite = $ 50.00
Programs $ 2.00 per person = $ 20.00
Favors $ 4.00 per person = $ 40.00
Cake $ 5.00 per person = $ 50.00
Just what I have listed (and it still does not cover everything) can save you $860.00!!!
That could be enough to get something you didn't think you could afford such as the Limo or Carriage you always dreamed of, the upgrade on the photography. The possibilities are endless when you take away just 10 guest, 1 table.
Look over your guest list many times and think about things such as.....
When is the last time I spoke to or saw.......
Do I really need to invite my friends...friend.....
Do all my co-workers really need to be invited....
They are just Business acquaintances......
You get the idea, so dig into that Guest list and mark off some of those guest so that you can have the one thing you have always wanted for your Wedding Day.
What's been going on in "My Life"
I have been busy with weddings and family. We welcomed another Grandson into the family on August 5th. He is adorable and on September 8th we welcomed yet another Grandson who is equally adorable. This has kept me very busy along with the weddings that I love doing.
I hope to post pitures soon of past weddings and of Grandchildren soon. We will be welcoming another Grand-Daughter in October....I am so excited!
Take care...
Food and Bar $60.00 per person = $600.00
Chair cover & Sash $ 4.00 per person = $ 40.00
Centerpiece $60.00 per table = $ 60.00
Invitations $ 5.00 per invite = $ 50.00
Programs $ 2.00 per person = $ 20.00
Favors $ 4.00 per person = $ 40.00
Cake $ 5.00 per person = $ 50.00
Just what I have listed (and it still does not cover everything) can save you $860.00!!!
That could be enough to get something you didn't think you could afford such as the Limo or Carriage you always dreamed of, the upgrade on the photography. The possibilities are endless when you take away just 10 guest, 1 table.
Look over your guest list many times and think about things such as.....
When is the last time I spoke to or saw.......
Do I really need to invite my friends...friend.....
Do all my co-workers really need to be invited....
They are just Business acquaintances......
You get the idea, so dig into that Guest list and mark off some of those guest so that you can have the one thing you have always wanted for your Wedding Day.
What's been going on in "My Life"
I have been busy with weddings and family. We welcomed another Grandson into the family on August 5th. He is adorable and on September 8th we welcomed yet another Grandson who is equally adorable. This has kept me very busy along with the weddings that I love doing.
I hope to post pitures soon of past weddings and of Grandchildren soon. We will be welcoming another Grand-Daughter in October....I am so excited!
Take care...
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