It’s one of the most significant and emotional days of your life, and its your moment in the spotlight, so of course you only want the best in the business surrounding you on your big day. Here are a few practical tips to keep in mind to ensure that you cross all your T’s and dot all your I’s before signing on the dotted line.
Keep in mind that there is a vendor out there to suit every budget. Prioritize what you value most, be it décor, food, or entertainment, and set parameters accordingly. It will make the process of selecting vendors much more objective.
Once you have a budget in mind, research, research, research. Select at least three vendors in each category and let them know your specific requirements, and ask for a cost estimate.
When you have a few vendors that fit the bill, explore each one to find the vendor that suits your personal style and taste. Speak to each vendor, meet them in person, ask to see samples of their work, and of course ask for references and follow up with each one with a phone call. A great question to ask some vendors is why they got into their line of work, and what they like best about it. It will give you some insight into what they value most, and will allow to see if its in line with what you are looking for.
Once you have selected your vendors and are ready to sign a contract, be sure to outline each of the vendor’s specific responsibilities as well as the payment method and plan. Avoid vendors who insist on being paid in full up front; most vendors will want an initial deposit and then the balance on the wedding day. Finally, be sure to ask the following questions:
Are taxes and gratuities included in the price quoted? Are there any additional fees that may come up?
Who will actually be managing your event? Will it be the lead event planner, the principal photographer, the main DJ? Be sure that the person you spoke to and approved will be the one handling everything. If the person contracted to be there cannot make it, who will come?
If staff is required, ask how many they will bring. How will they be dressed?
Find out if your venue will be holding any other events on the same day as yours, and whether there will be any overlap. Will you be able to see/hear the other event?
Find out if the venue has any restrictions in terms of décor that can be used. Ask if they plan on doing any remodeling in your event space. You don’t want to fall in love with the site and then have it look any different on your wedding day.
Finally, a good wedding vendor will be upfront and honest with you about their style and capabilities, and they will let their work speak for them. Go with your instincts and choose vendors that work well with your personality. After all, you will be working with them extensively for the better part of a year in most cases. And on your wedding day you want to be sure that you have people there that can carry out your vision without your supervision.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Reception Seating Plan
The reception seating plan can seem like a gargantuan task for most couples to take on during their wedding planning process. Inevitably couples have to juggle the wishes of so many friends and family members, including their own, and complete the puzzle of where will everyone sit. Here are a few tips to help you through this process.
Seat groups either by their relationship to you or by their ages. For example, seat teens together, aunts and uncles together, friends from college together etc.
Seat anyone you feel will be visiting the bar often close to the bar, so they don’t have to disturb your other guests walking through all of the other tables.
As for the head table, you have several options. You and your better half can sit at a raised table with your wedding party below you. You can have your own table with a table on either side of you with your wedding party. You and your husband in the middle of a long table with men on one side and women on the other, or boy, girl, boy, girl. Parents and grandparents at the table or not, it's up to you!
Stick to table numbers. Famous couples, places you've been, etc., are hard to see from across the room. Otherwise, have table numbers accompany your theme place cards.
Reserved tables are all you need. Once at the table, people like the option of choosing their seat.
It's a good idea to have a "Reserved" card for seats for parents and close family. They are the only ones that need preferred seating.
Follow these rules, and remember its your wedding, everyone there is there to celebrate you, and as long as they have a seat they're happy to be there to be a part of your day!
Seat groups either by their relationship to you or by their ages. For example, seat teens together, aunts and uncles together, friends from college together etc.
Seat anyone you feel will be visiting the bar often close to the bar, so they don’t have to disturb your other guests walking through all of the other tables.
As for the head table, you have several options. You and your better half can sit at a raised table with your wedding party below you. You can have your own table with a table on either side of you with your wedding party. You and your husband in the middle of a long table with men on one side and women on the other, or boy, girl, boy, girl. Parents and grandparents at the table or not, it's up to you!
Stick to table numbers. Famous couples, places you've been, etc., are hard to see from across the room. Otherwise, have table numbers accompany your theme place cards.
Reserved tables are all you need. Once at the table, people like the option of choosing their seat.
It's a good idea to have a "Reserved" card for seats for parents and close family. They are the only ones that need preferred seating.
Follow these rules, and remember its your wedding, everyone there is there to celebrate you, and as long as they have a seat they're happy to be there to be a part of your day!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Wedding Reception Part II
This past weekend, for the first time in a few years, I got to attend a wedding reception as a guest and not as the planner. The reception was to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend of mine, and I saw some great ideas at the wedding that I simply had to share!
The couple was married a few months ago in a huge blowout traditional wedding in Delhi, and so when they returned to the US, they decided they wanted to have a reception here for friends and family that were unable to join them in India.
What I really appreciated were the small personal touches the couple added to showcase their wedding in India, which allowed all their guests here to enjoy their celebrations in India as well. As soon as guests walked in, we got our first glimpse of the grandeur of the couple’s wedding in India. The bride and groom’s wedding outfits were beautifully displayed in huge frames. So many brides sadly store away their wedding dresses right after the wedding with no chance or reason to pull it back out. I loved the idea of framing it for guests to see, and keeping it as a keepsake to perhaps display in their home.
Our next glimpse of the couple’s Indian wedding was on the back of each table number. The couple had included pictures of the bride getting her mehendi done, the groom’s entrance on the horse, the tying of the mangalasutra, and several other poignant moments that happened throughout their time in India.
Then, just before the couple made their grand entrance into the reception, the guests got to watch a video of the couple’s first dance at their first reception in India, it was a special moment I was glad I didn’t miss out on.
All in all the reception here in America was the icing on their Indian wedding cake, and it was a heartfelt and joyous event!
**If you want to take the photo table number idea one step further here’s a great idea for your next intimate party or gathering. Instead of writing the names of your guests on a placecard, use a photo that you have of them and put their table number on the back. It’ll bring back great memories for you and lets all of your guests share in the memories as well!
The couple was married a few months ago in a huge blowout traditional wedding in Delhi, and so when they returned to the US, they decided they wanted to have a reception here for friends and family that were unable to join them in India.
What I really appreciated were the small personal touches the couple added to showcase their wedding in India, which allowed all their guests here to enjoy their celebrations in India as well. As soon as guests walked in, we got our first glimpse of the grandeur of the couple’s wedding in India. The bride and groom’s wedding outfits were beautifully displayed in huge frames. So many brides sadly store away their wedding dresses right after the wedding with no chance or reason to pull it back out. I loved the idea of framing it for guests to see, and keeping it as a keepsake to perhaps display in their home.
Our next glimpse of the couple’s Indian wedding was on the back of each table number. The couple had included pictures of the bride getting her mehendi done, the groom’s entrance on the horse, the tying of the mangalasutra, and several other poignant moments that happened throughout their time in India.
Then, just before the couple made their grand entrance into the reception, the guests got to watch a video of the couple’s first dance at their first reception in India, it was a special moment I was glad I didn’t miss out on.
All in all the reception here in America was the icing on their Indian wedding cake, and it was a heartfelt and joyous event!
**If you want to take the photo table number idea one step further here’s a great idea for your next intimate party or gathering. Instead of writing the names of your guests on a placecard, use a photo that you have of them and put their table number on the back. It’ll bring back great memories for you and lets all of your guests share in the memories as well!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Sweet Tooth Brides
If you have a sweet tooth like me, quite often, you politely nibble on your dinner, just so you can make it to dessert - the highlight of your evening. Dessert is quickly turning into yet another opportunity for you to incorporate your own touch, and wow your guests. Whether it’s a grand five tiered cake you’re interested in, or an elaborate display of Viennese desserts, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind when deciding.
Don’t feel pressured to have a cake just because it’s a wedding. These days more and more couples are letting go of the notion that a wedding isn’t a wedding till you cut the cake, and they’re embracing more unconventional dessert ideas. If you’ve never enjoyed cake, and would rather have something else, go where your taste buds lead you, its your day!
Cakes are no longer the typical 5 tier, white fondant covered cake topper holders they used to be. These days almost anything can be made into a cake. From having a replica of the couple, to a representation of your favorite past-time, your options are endless. If the shape you choose isn’t conducive to feeding large crowds, then simply have extra sheet cake in your favorite flavors to pass out for the guests. You can also have mini-cakes for each individual guest, or have cupcakes come together to make a picture. Another tip is to be sure to have lots of pictures of the type of cake you want, it leaves much less room for discrepancies between you and the baker in terms of what you want.
If you want to add a personal touch, you can always incorporate something about your story into your dessert. Maybe the two of you met at a carnival, you can have cotton candy displays, funnel cake, caramel pop-corn, and a flavored ice bar. Or perhaps the two of you fell in love over a shared dessert at a favorite restaurant, see if you can bring in the dessert for all of your guests to enjoy. If both of you just love cookies and milk, have warm cookies passed out with shots of flavored milk and cream based liqueurs.
Remember, no dessert is too simple or too unconventional; it’s just another way for you to make your wedding your own unique event.
Bonus tip! Cake Toppers aren’t what they used to be either! Click here http://www.weddingcaketoppersideas.com/handmade-personalized-wedding-cake-toppers.php for a website that will let you submit a photo of you and your fiancé and your wedding outfits, and voila, within a few short weeks, you have a custom cake topper complete with wedding day details, that has an uncanny resemblance of the two of you!
Don’t feel pressured to have a cake just because it’s a wedding. These days more and more couples are letting go of the notion that a wedding isn’t a wedding till you cut the cake, and they’re embracing more unconventional dessert ideas. If you’ve never enjoyed cake, and would rather have something else, go where your taste buds lead you, its your day!
Cakes are no longer the typical 5 tier, white fondant covered cake topper holders they used to be. These days almost anything can be made into a cake. From having a replica of the couple, to a representation of your favorite past-time, your options are endless. If the shape you choose isn’t conducive to feeding large crowds, then simply have extra sheet cake in your favorite flavors to pass out for the guests. You can also have mini-cakes for each individual guest, or have cupcakes come together to make a picture. Another tip is to be sure to have lots of pictures of the type of cake you want, it leaves much less room for discrepancies between you and the baker in terms of what you want.
If you want to add a personal touch, you can always incorporate something about your story into your dessert. Maybe the two of you met at a carnival, you can have cotton candy displays, funnel cake, caramel pop-corn, and a flavored ice bar. Or perhaps the two of you fell in love over a shared dessert at a favorite restaurant, see if you can bring in the dessert for all of your guests to enjoy. If both of you just love cookies and milk, have warm cookies passed out with shots of flavored milk and cream based liqueurs.
Remember, no dessert is too simple or too unconventional; it’s just another way for you to make your wedding your own unique event.
Bonus tip! Cake Toppers aren’t what they used to be either! Click here http://www.weddingcaketoppersideas.com/handmade-personalized-wedding-cake-toppers.php for a website that will let you submit a photo of you and your fiancé and your wedding outfits, and voila, within a few short weeks, you have a custom cake topper complete with wedding day details, that has an uncanny resemblance of the two of you!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Flowers Not Your Thing?
When you think of centerpieces, you think flowers. But maybe you’re allergic to flowers, or maybe flowers were just never your thing, or maybe you just want to try something a little unconventional. If so, there are several other options that can be just as elegant, glamorous, and awe inspiring as any flower centerpiece. Candelabras, lanterns, or even picture frames can be the centerpiece on any table. Vases can be filled with fruit, feathers, crystals, leaves, colored sand, branches or candles in any combination or separately to create your own unique centerpiece. Draw inspiration from these pictures and ideas for your own event!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Decorating your Outdoor Space for your Summer Event
Want to take full advantage of the beautiful summer weather? Here are a few ides to spruce up your outdoor space to make it more elegant, warm and inviting for your guests. Use paper or origami lanterns that come in all colors and hang them from your trees for a pop of color. Use colorful conventional lanterns to line your pathways and in places where you may need a little more light. As always using all of just one color will immediately give your space a more dramatic look. I also love the idea of hanging clear lanterns with candles from the trees. Add pillows to seating areas if it’s a more informal event to make the space look cozier. Use the branches and leaves you have and incorporate them into your table setting. Drape sheer fabrics to create separate areas for guests and to bring in more color to the space. Use your food as décor, make a colorful cocktail and line them up in glasses for a fun presentation. A unique “centerpiece” idea that I’ve used before is to take a colorful piece of fabric and to twist it up so it serves as a “tube”. Then simply string colorful bangles all along the piece of fabric and use it to line the middle of the table. Then place colorful votive candles all along the piece of fabric. The bangles shimmer under the candlelight and the look is dramatic yet effortless!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wedding Day Survival Kit
Wedding Day Survival Kit
Now of course on your wedding day, ideally every hair will stay in place, not a thread will come unraveled, and nothing will break, crack, or chip. But just in case you need a little help, here’s a list of things that every bride should have on hand to have a picture perfect day.
· Tide Pen
· Double sided tape- be sure to get various sizes
· Sewing kit – you can pick up a small one at any hotel
· Scissors
· Safety pins – again get various sizes in both gold and silver
· Makeup for touchups (powder, and lip-gloss)
· Mirror
· Tissues, tissues, tissues!
· Blotting papers
· Q-tips
· Brush and comb
· Hairpins
· Hairspray
· Floss
· Travel toothbrush and toothpaste
· Mints/Gum
· Clear nail polish
· Super glue
· Nail file
· Deodorant
· Advil/Tylenol/Motrin
· Band-aids
· Visine
· Purell
· Perfume
· Slippers
· Insoles for high heels – Ladies please be sure to wear your shoes at least once before the big day to wear them in a bit
· Eye lash glue – perfect for keeping your Bindi and Hair Jewelry in place along with your lashes
· Nail Polish – matching the color you have on incase of a chipped nail
Now of course on your wedding day, ideally every hair will stay in place, not a thread will come unraveled, and nothing will break, crack, or chip. But just in case you need a little help, here’s a list of things that every bride should have on hand to have a picture perfect day.
· Tide Pen
· Double sided tape- be sure to get various sizes
· Sewing kit – you can pick up a small one at any hotel
· Scissors
· Safety pins – again get various sizes in both gold and silver
· Makeup for touchups (powder, and lip-gloss)
· Mirror
· Tissues, tissues, tissues!
· Blotting papers
· Q-tips
· Brush and comb
· Hairpins
· Hairspray
· Floss
· Travel toothbrush and toothpaste
· Mints/Gum
· Clear nail polish
· Super glue
· Nail file
· Deodorant
· Advil/Tylenol/Motrin
· Band-aids
· Visine
· Purell
· Perfume
· Slippers
· Insoles for high heels – Ladies please be sure to wear your shoes at least once before the big day to wear them in a bit
· Eye lash glue – perfect for keeping your Bindi and Hair Jewelry in place along with your lashes
· Nail Polish – matching the color you have on incase of a chipped nail
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