As you’ve probably figured out from my about page, I’m HUGE into education.  I feel it is part of every wedding planner’s job to keep up their education, about vendors, styles, trends, etiquette, spending habits, etc.  There is so much to learn!  To best serve my clients, I feel it is a huge part of my daily routine to keep educating myself on everything there is to know about this industry.

In that vein, I have recently begun a floral design course at the local community college.  It’s not much, just the basics of floral design and care, but I felt it was important knowledge.  Unfortunately, I’ve had too many instances where the florist did not deliver as promised.  Because of this I’ve had to create boutonnieres on the spot, correct bouquets (including the bride’s!), redo centerpieces and pretty much a lot of stuff that I’ve never been trained to do.  So, now I’m getting some training.  I am NOT trying to be a florist.  However, in the chance case that a bride hires a florist I did not recommend to them, I want to be able to handle those emergency situations.  So for, I’ve learned about basic flower care, how to make a topiary, working a little bit with silks, creating a bud vase arrangement, a standard arrangement and now an arrangement in a pumpkin.  In two weeks I get to start on the wedding stuff, yippee!  In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at what my class has accomplished.

There are so many wedding magazines out there.  Each has it’s own style and I have found that some are better for dress shopping, some better on advice and some are better for inspiration on decor and color.  When you go to the bookstore, which of these wedding magazines do you find inspiring when it comes to theme and decor?  If you select other, leave me a comment on which is your fave, even if it’s not a wedding magazine!

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.

I received this ad by email a few days ago.  It just struck me as an interesting take on how to get customers in the door.  See, the wedding industry must not be too bad if everyone is trying to be like us.

A friend sent me an article a few days ago titled “10 Things the Wedding Industry Won’t Tell You” from SmartMoney.com.  She sent it to me saying oh great, here’s another article bashing the wedding industry.  I read the article and I can honestly say it infuriated me. 

Yes, there are some flat out crap people in this industry.  Yes, some of the things listed in this article do happen.  Yet, most of these stories you see here are NOT the majority of what goes on!  The wedding industry has taken many great strides over the past few years to “clean up” it’s act.  There are now so many associations and organizations with the main purpose of certifying, licensing or at least upholding their members to a code of ethics so we don’t have so many loons and greedy persons out there.  There’s someone checking on every corner of the industry, officants to planners to DJs.  We all have someone out there who is making sure we do a good job.  We are not the same people!

The issue is now that anyone looking to get married is going to see these scare tactic articles that not only give out worse case scenarios as if they are commonplace, but they offer no help in educating the consumer in how to avoid these situations.  Not only that, but they give them no resource on how to find the good vendors!  They simply want to make ratings, so they throw out these sensational stories and get everyone to believe that the big bad wedding industry is only out there to do horrible things to people.  Guess what?  That’s how the news places make their money! 

First of all, wedding vendors are not non-profit organizations.  We are here to make an honest living, just like everyone else.  If you hear about a way that someone is making money that you are not comfortable with (for example kickbacks), ask about it!  Check with both vendors to see if their stories match.  I have had vendors offer me kickbacks, but when this happens I either out right reject the offer or ask the vendor to change it into a discount for my clients.  (I can explain about this in more detail, but will need to make it another post.)

Second, there is plenty of information out there for brides to look up and see how well a vendor is doing.  Simply asking for references is a crucial task, but not the only way to find out how a vendor is rated!  Check for ratings on sites like WeddingWire.com.  Simply Google a vendor’s name to see what you find.  Check out the BBB.  

Third, the wedding industry makes it a habit to go above and beyond for their clients.  What other industry does this?  Our clients demand that their wedding day be perfect.  We are held to the highest standard.  Yet, when someone has a bad day and makes a mistake, they are lucky if it is not spread all over the papers as if it were a common error.

My advice?  Do your research!  Weddings should be treated like any other big ticket purchase in life.  Look at what you want, do your research on market pricing, evaluate your vendors and then make a decision.  Every bride that walks through my door gets told what organizations I’m a part of, what my education and experience is, that I am certified and insured and is given everything in writing.  If you can’t get the same from a vendor you are using, you didn’t do your homework and you’re not using top quality vendors.  Quality is what counts.  Wouldn’t  you rather know that your wedding is not going to become one of the worst case scenarios you see in the news?

Oh wow, it’s been a total month.  So sorry about that!  All I can do is blame it on June being the busiest wedding month.  I promise to do better!

For those of you who don’t know, my husband is a computer programmer.  The true geek.  Well, this week he got to see me “geek out” over one of my role models, Preston Bailey.  Preston is who I would consider to be THE premier event designer.  He designed Joan Collins’ daugther’s wedding, Donald Trump’s wedding (yes, the most recent), many, many, many events for Oprah and even TomKat.  He is the designer for the stars and his works is truly amazing and inspiring.  You can check out pics of his impressive portfolio at www.prestonbailey.com.

Well, to my total luck, Preston came to Dallas.   During an event at The Crescent, he spoke to wedding professionals and brides about his career and gave advice to both sides of the field.  It was wonderful and heartfelt, funny and helpful.  He gave advice on being in the field, how to work with brides and even helped brides to understand how being open and adventurous can truly make their wedding special.  I was in total heaven!  I even got to take a pic with him!!!!

Yes, I totaly geeked out about seeing Preston Bailey.  For those of you who are at my CCEP meetings, you’ll get to hear all about it soon!

That’s right folks, I’m headed to Vegas.  The hubby and I are taking a much needed vacation and won’t be back for a little over a week.  So, if you send me an email or leave me a message, I’ll get back to you starting on May 20th.  I hope everyone has a great 10 days while I’m gone!

I stumbled across a blog titled Manolo for the Brides a few months ago and now check in quite often.  I haven’t quite figured out who’s perpective it truly represents, but I’ve found it entertaining nonetheless.  A few days ago, I noticed their blog “To Hire or Not To Hire: Do You Need a Wedding Planner” and found it quite interesting.  You can read it here.

I really like how they break down the questions to ask yourself when considering hiring a wedding planner and how to think about each one on a personal level.  While of course I’m always for hiring a wedding planner (it’s my job already), I’m also for being monetarily conservative.  I realize that some brides just cannot afford a wedding planner, nor need one if they are super-efficient and have the time.  My main reason for recommending wedding planners is to save on stress!  That’s a tangent though.

The one thing I felt was missing from the article was the idea that you can hire a wedding planner for other “packages” than full service.  It focuses mainly on if you should hire a wedding planner for the full planning process, not even mentioning alternatives.  In my opinion, they should have pointed out many wedding planners now offer packages for “day of” or any combination between day of or “full” service.  I myself have 3 packages, ranging from wrapping up the last month or two including “day of” coordination, to partial and full planning services.  It’s completely customizable to what the bride needs.  Some brides just don’t need full service.  They have the time and the talent to do all the planning themselves.  The only thing they need is someone to come in at the end that they can hand over the reins too, allowing them to fully enjoy their day with no worries. 

Anywho, good job Manolo, whoever you are.

I love McKinney.  It has such charm, such atmosphere and such unique wedding venues!  The McKinney Convention & Visitors Bureau just sent out a press release about just that.  I can honestly say in the past year, I’ve not coordinated one wedding that the ceremony was held in a church.  It’s a little strange, but since most were in McKinney, it’s totally understandable.  There are just so many non-traditional options!  Want a sneak peak?  Check out the article yourselves…  Here Comes the Bride! McKinney Finds a Special Niche in Weddings

With the rising gas costs, many businesses are being forced to raise their prices.  I’ve had many prospective clients ask if I charge extra for gas.  So far, I have not.  However, I am considering adding an additional fee to packages for those that are outside a certain radius from my office.  I hate to do this, but unfortunately I’m one of those who loves her SUV.