Many times I’ve received a call from a bride who is looking for someone to help her with “day of”.  When I ask the bride what her major concerns are, often she is really just looking for someone to do the decorating that she has planned, so that she and her family can relax on the big day.  Because of this, I find more and more that brides often assume the role of a wedding planner is simply a decorator.  While this may be true for some, it is not true of all.  This is why I try to clarify exactly what a bride needs and what my role in helping her truly is.

 While I can certainly help add the embellishments that you’ve planned, such as setting out place cards, adding twinkle lights, and sprinkling rose petals, this is not my main function.  My main role is to help plan out all the details, coordinate with your vendors and to make sure everything comes off flawlessly the day of your wedding.  Many times, your vendors, such as florists or rental staff actually do most of the “decorating”, such as tying chair sashes or adding floral to the gazebo.  Every vendor is different, which is why I encourage brides to clarify with their vendors exactly what it is they are helping with on the big day. 

The flip side is to understand what responsiblities your vendors are not handling for you and why it is beneficial to have a wedding planner with you through the process and on the big day.  For example, will the decorating company you hired provide an accurate and to-scale floor plan?  I recently worked with a decorator who did provide a floor plan, but it was not an accurate representation of what would be set up that day.  This became a problem because on the big day, it became apparent that what the decorator thought was ample spacing between tables was not what we originally envisioned.  Now as a bride, you hire vendors that you trust to know their job, but unfortunately, there are vendors whose opinions vary and their vision may not be exactly what the bride wanted.  

 As your wedding planner, it’s my job to make sure all the vendors are on the same page as the bride, so to speak, and to get accurate representations of what they are delivering. This is why the earlier in the process you hire a wedding planner to represent you and begin working with the vendors, the easier it will be for the planner to make sure your wishes are carried out.  Unfortunately, my bride had only hired me for “day of” and I was unable to prevent this problem.  (Another reason why many wedding planners will not offer “day of” services, they get stuck with vendors not of their choosing and are stuck with the consequences.)  While I continue to offer my Classic services, I offer up this example to show why hiring a wedding planner for more than “day of decorating” is so key to the wedding planning process.

I had the pleasure of helping a fellow wedding planner this past weekend with one of her brides.  It was an amazing wedding she had been working on for a year and the family was just darling.  Mom was as sweet as could be and wanted everything to be perfect for her gorgeous daughter.  I was able to see the engagement and bridal portrait photos at the wedding and let me just say WOW!  The photographer did an amazing job and this beautiful girl will probably end up in a magazine!

I was supposed to just attend the rehearsal and then help with the wedding setup, during the wedding and reception, and help with strike.  However, there was so much last minute stuff to be done, I was called in on Friday afternoon to help.  This is why a wedding planner can be crucial.  While the bride greeted guests, hung out with family and friends, attended her rehearsal dinner, etc, we were hard at work finishing up all the last minute stuff.  Here’s a little peek at what all we accomplished:

• Sewed on detached or loose buttons to tuxedo shirts for the guys
• Returned tuxedos to the shop for adjustments to fitting
• Completed an introduction list for the band to read off
• Ordered programs, table cards, escort cards, signage and a few other misc items from a local printer who we delivered paper to and they delivered the finished products to our hotel afterwards (Yes, this was done on Friday)
• Corrected the table cards as some of them came back wrong (this took us over 4 hours, it was a little insane)
• Assembled programs, accepted deliveries from vendors such as photographs to be displayed and a viper convertible
• Got gas for the convertible and performed a test run (we needed to make sure there was turning clearance around the ballroom dance floor, what fun!)
• Placed photos in frames, along with table cards
• Corrected tables that were set out and a few minor setup details
• etc, etc, etc

All in all, I worked a solid 30 hours between Friday & Saturday.  I still say it was a pleasure because I love my job, but I would not wish that work on any bride or her mother.  So, if you are a bit of a last minute personality, please take this list as an idea of what you might be facing on your wedding day if you do not have someone to help.  That’s what we’re here for and I promise it’s worth every penny to be able to sleep at night and enjoy your family and friends during the day.

As I tend to work quite a few non-traditional weddings, I often get asked what can guys wear that’s a little different from the standard black tuxedo?  Well, first, there is no longer JUST the standard black tuxedo.  Most tux shops carry complete lines of black, pinstripe, white and even gray tuxedos.  Some of the cool new options though include a brown tuxedo, or even just tuxedo coats of navy to ivory and every color in between.  For a fun website that shows some of these options, check out www.aftersix.com.  They have some great lines of tuxedos, coats and suits that will fit any formal affiar, but have that twist of something different.

The biggest task in planning a wedding is usually finding your venue.  Not only is it the biggest item you’ll spend money on, it completely sets the tone and style for your wedding.  Thus, it takes lots of googling, viewing websites and pictures, emails and phone calls, and then takes up every weekend until you find the perfect one. 

The hardest part of this process seems to be the comparing.  Most want to just compare the venues offerings dollar-for-dollar.  Now, while I understand trying to compare venues to get a good deal, let me first say PLEASE don’t forget to recognize the special features and services each venue offers to you.  Of course price will play a role in the venues you choose, but try to remember that the venue’s worth is not just in the dollar amount you have to pay, but also how much it offers you to make your wedding vision come true.

When comparing pricing between venues, this usually means looking at what each will cost you per person.  (Not the minimum amount required, which is NOT the amount you will end up paying)  In other words, place A will cost you $X per person and place B will cost you $Y per person.  The problem is, place A and B are offering a package deal, so you have to compare what is in each of their packages.  This is where the apples and oranges come in.  Each package can be (and most likely will be) totally different.  One place may include the ceremony and reception spaces, valet parking, sound system, chairs, tables, linens, etc, and the other may not include half that stuff.  Why is it so hard you say?  Simply because venues are trying to offer you everything you want in their packages, not what you need, so that they can make the biggest bang for their buck.  They tell you it is to make it easier, which of course it is, but they don’t really give you any way to determine if their pricing is fair.  (This is of course where a wedding planner comes in very handy.)

If you’re stuck trying to juggle all of this and need to compare places based on price, the best way to handle it is to come up with what you want, not what the package offers.  For example, you want their ceremony space for a half hour, the reception space for 4 hours, no valet parking, bridal suite, champagne toast but no bar, butler passed canapes and the roast beef dinner.  Give this to the coordinator at each space and ask them to come up with a custom package for you based on this.  If you prefer to negotiate, take their package and see what items you can exchange to “customize” the package for yourself.  Do this with each venue coordinator, and you’ll get something much closer to comparing apples and apples.  This will help you narrow down what is the true price you are paying and what you really want for your wedding day.

What’s the difference between the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to DJs?  Here are some examples:

1.  They don’t have the equipment requested.  This past week I requested a lavalier microphone for the officiant to wear during the ceremony on Saturday.  This did not make it onto the DJ’s truck, thus the minister had to use a hand held mic for the ceremony.  Not convenient when he has a bible, rings and the couple’s hand to juggle while doing this.  Especially not good if he hasn’t practiced this and the vows keep getting cut off as he moves the mic from himself to the bride or groom to quickly.  Even worse, the officiant decided to put on his own comedy routine to entertain those guests remaining seated while waiting for the receiving line to go down.  We took the microphone away.  Some people just can’t handle their microphone. :)  A good DJ will bring the equipment you asked for.  A great DJ would have double checked to make sure your request was taken care of, had a backup or had someone bring him said equipment if he didn’t have it there.

 2.  The songs you requested are not being played.  Too often an unprofessional DJ does not have the genre or the specific songs you requested, but what’s worse is he doesn’t read your song list until 2 days before the wedding.  He then calls and tells you to burn a cd of this, which would have been fine 2 months ago when you had time, but now you only have 36 hours and between picking up tuxedos and family, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, etc, you don’t quite have the time to spend 2 hours doing this.   A good DJ will have checked the song list immediately upon receiving it and make sure he has on hand what you need.  A great DJ will either have the songs already, or will obtain them on their own (legally), with no questions, no extra fees and no hassle.

3.  He skips the details you worked into your agenda, like the blessing you asked Uncle Phil to give before serving dinner.  Even though this may be written down directly in front of the DJ, they skip it because it’s not their “usual” and they simply aren’t paying attention to the written instructions.  A good DJ will be checking the agenda all evening, making sure to not skip any of the personal details you added to the evening.  A great DJ would have double checked the agenda with you before hand, making sure to understand all the nuances of your agenda and even making suggestions on personal touches you can add to your evening.

When interviewing a DJ, ask how they keep their library current.  Ask what they’ll do if they do not have a song on your request list.  Look at their paperwork and see if it allows you to customize your evening by adding personal touches, or if it just allows you to number things in the order they are to happen.  Find out from their references if there were any “little” mistakes at their wedding, and look at them with a microscope.  While these are little mistakes, it might be something this DJ has a habit of doing and you do not want it repeated at your wedding.  All of these questions will reveal whether the DJ you are looking at is one of the good, bad or the very ugly.

And now the blog makeover.  What do you think folks?  Now that the blog looks like the rest of my website, is it better or worse? 

Thanks to everyone who competed in the contest.  The winners are:

1.  Shannon Cole with Happy Trails Carriage Service

2.  Ari Gray with Alternative Wedding Services

3.  Debi Sementelli with Lettering Art Studio

Thank you to the winners and everyone’s feedback on the site.  You all rock!  There are always a few adjustments left to be made, such as making the gallery a little faster and making the blog resemble the rest of the site, so keep an eye out for more changes.  And as always, stay tuned to the blog for more fun tidbits!

The Each & Every Detail website has been reborn with a fresh look and great new features.  I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on it, so I’ve put together a contest to encourage it!

For the one who can correctly answer the below questions first, you’ll receive a handy $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, my absolutely favorite store!  The two runners up will each receive a $5 Starbucks gift card. 

1. How many pictures of gerber daisies are on my new site, excluding the Galleries page? (These are the bright colored daisies.)
2. How long does your first consultation with me take?
3. Which service level offers monthly meetings?
4. Who is Rosemary?
5. What is the fourth item on my Anti To-Do List?

Just email your answers to wendy@eachandeverydetail.com and we’ll see who is the quickest on the draw.  Now you bloggers have some competition as I sent an email out with the contest details too.  Ready?  Set, Go!

Hold on to your hats folks, we’re going through another website revamp.  I’ll be adding lots new features like a huge FAQ page and a photo gallery.  So, for today no real blog as I’m going to focus on getting the website knocked out.  I’ll be back soon though!  Once the site is up and running, I’ll also have a contest for everyone and a prize.  Stay tuned!

I recently spoke with the new NYLO Hotel in Plano and found out a few fun things they offer.  So, if you’re looking for some summer fun you should definitely check it out!  This hotspot is open to all, not just their guests, so head on over. 

Currently, they are having a “Movies Under the Stars” event Thursday nights in July at 7.30pm.  They have a huge inflatable screen in the pool area and are showing some of their faves, such as Jaws, There’s Something About Mary and Casablanca.  Their pool area is fantabulous and has tons of couches, lounge chairs and an outside bar area to help keep cool.  I can’t wait to find time for this!

 They also have “The Loft”, which is their restaurant there.  You will find some great appetizers and even better drinks to be had, with Dj’s providing the best tunes to relax to.  Their happy hour is M-F, 5-7pm and on Saturdays from 4-6pm.  They have a Library as well, which includes pool, fun board games and a rentable Wii.  How much fun is that?