When planning your wedding, whether by yourself or with the help of a wedding planner, it can be hard to know exactly which vendors to hire.

Here at Each & Every Detail we call it finding a “love match”.

Finding your love match doesn’t mean you and your florist need to be best friends. You don’t need to go to coffee or brunch with your photographer. No need to exchange BFF necklaces with your DJ.

A love match means finding someone you trust to come through on your wedding day. They understand your vision and help you come up with ways to get the desired results and stay within your budget. But most importantly they are someone you feel comfortable with, this person is going to be helping you on one of the most important days of your entire life and you need to feel comfortable to speak your opinion and say if you like something or how you want it changed.

Your budget and vendor pricing are of course a factor in finding your lovematch.  Sometimes you might fall in love with a florist, or another vendor, that is out of your set budget and it can be a hard choice whether to sign a contract with them or not. My advice is to continue to shop around, meet with other florists. You may end up finding a less expensive florist that you click with as there are lots of vendors out there.  However, while the less expensive vendor can help create your vision, you may not find you trust them as much. Sometimes the stress and worry you save yourself from can be worth spending more money than you expected to.  Go with your gut feeling.  It’s a personal decision and it’s a hard decision, but always know you have options.

I wish you all the best in finding your love match and as always Happy Planning!

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It is estimated over one million couples will become engaged over these holidays, from Christmas to New Years.  According to data from the Fairchild Bridal Group, 19% of all engagements happen in December.  If you are one of the lucky couples, congratulations!  I am so happy for you!  Love is wonderful and being engaged is just fabulous.

Many  brides and grooms jump straight into wedding planning, if for no other reason, than everyone starts asking you questions.  When are you getting married?  Where?  Who will be your maid of honor or best man?  I want you to know it’s ok to answer “I don’t know”.  I want you to enjoy this time!  Spend time with your family and friends, show off that ring and enjoy your engagement without the pressure of planning, at least for a little bit. 

Who am I kidding?  I know you found this blog for a reason, because the wedding planning bug has already bit you and you just have to scratch the itch!  Ok, well, let me give you a few tips for getting started then.

1. Do start talking to your fiance (and possibly family) about what you want for your ceremony and reception.  Many a couple comes through my door and they’ve not really even had a conversation about what each of them want.  I encourage you to look at pictures in magazines and online and show each other what you like and what you don’t.  This will set the tone for your planning and make the road much smoother in the long run.  Using pictures helps you to articulate your preferences and can make the conversation much less stressful.  One of my favorite sites for pictures is www.stylemepretty.com.  You’ll find a great variety here and the storyboards give you the overall feel of a wedding, not just particular details.  Whether you want a beach wedding and he wants it on a ranch, this will get the conversation started.
2. Do start talking about your wedding budget.  Start with finding out who will be contributing to the affair.  If you know your parents want to pay for it all, great.  If not, it may be that you (the bride and groom) are paying for the bulk, and parents may just be contributing.  Also start talking amounts.  DON’T start with “What do weddings cost?”.  Ask yourself, what am I prepared to spend?  What are my parents prepared to spend?  This doesn’t have to be finalized yet, but you need a general range to work with before you jump out there.
3. Do start talking guest count.  You can never start on your guest list too early.  Plus, your wedding guest count, or head count, will absolutely dictate how your money is spent.  If you have a of $30,000, and want to invite 200 guests, it will limit your spending choices more than if you had a $20,000 budget and only 50 guests.  It’s time for you and your family to start coming up with those that you absolutely must invite and then make your “B” lists as to who you’d like to have.  The sooner you do this the better. 
4. Don’t start asking your wedding party to do you the honor yet.  While I know you want to immediately run to your close friends and ask them to be your maid of honor and bridesmaids, don’t do it just yet.  Many a times I have seen a bride in tears because their close friends do not turn out to be maid of honor or bridesmaid material.  I’m not saying don’t ask them at all, just take a step back and wait to see what your plans may start out to be before choosing who will be best for these roles. 
5. Do start talking about when you want the wedding to be.  For helpful tips on what dates not to choose, check out my previous post about avoiding the holidays.  Choosing when helps you know how much time you have to plan, which is key!

This list should get you started on your wedding planning, and will actually be quite a bit of homework.  I’ll expand on these four points in the next few blog posts, so keep an eye out for more advice on how to get started.  In the meantime, enjoy it!  Oh, and even better, show off that engagement ring!  We here at Each & Every Detail would love to see them, so send us pictures. Seriously!  Send us a pic and let us know how he proposed, and we’ll put them on the blog!

Congratulations again!

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Since Christmas is this week, it has me thinking about dates.  (Specifically how little time I have left to prepare, but that’s another story!)  Many, many brides become engaged over this holiday season, from Christmas to New Year’s Day, and one of the first questions they are presented with is “When will you get married?”  Such a simple question, but what thought it requires!  Before finalizing your wedding date, consider some of these calendar dilemmas.

Holidays can give you three day weekends to choose from, which make it much easier to hold a celebration on a Sunday and possibly save a few dollars on your wedding costs.  However, travel and accommodations can be more expensive for you and your wedding guests, plus some wedding vendors will up charge their services to accommodate for time away from their families.  It also might adversely affect your guest list if your guests traditionally spend that weekend on vacation or with family, and choose to stick with their traditions versus attend your wedding.  Some of these holiday weekends include:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Jan 18, 2010 & Jan 17, 2011
• President’s Day – Feb 15, 2010 & Feb 21, 2011
• Memorial Day – May 31, 2010 & May 30, 2011
• Labor Day – Sept 6, 2010 & Sept 5, 2011
• Columbus Day – Oct 11, 2010 & Oct 10, 2010  (Since this date is 10/10/10, some couples may choose it, even though it is a Monday, to make their date more memorable.)

Holidays that are sure to increase your costs would be:

• Valentine’s Day – February 14th (Sunday for 2010 and Monday for 2011) – Floral costs for your wedding will be much higher!
• New Year’s Eve – December 31st (Friday for 2010 and Saturday for 2011) – Wedding venues often charge more for this day.

Religious Holidays will often either dictate restrictions on wedding ceremonies at the appropriate place of worship or may affect your guests availability:

photo by Kate Mefford Photography

• Palm Sunday – March 28, 2010 & April 17, 2011
• Easter Sunday – April 4, 2010 & April 24, 2011
• Passover – March 30, 2010 & April 19, 2011 (begins at sunset the night before)
• Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)  – Sept 9, 2010 & Sept 29, 2011
• Yom Kippur – Sept 18, 2010 & Oct 8, 2011(begins at sunset the night before)
• Hanukkah – Dec 2, 2010 & Dec 21, 2011 (begins at sunset the night before)
• Christmas – December 25th (Saturday for 2010, Sunday for 2011)
• Kwanzaa – December 26th (Sunday for 2010, Monday for 2011)

Some choose Christmas, or a date close by, to take advantage of the many holiday decorations venues already have to help save money on decor.  Be aware that if you choose a Saturday during December, your costs may be higher due to the holiday season, but weekdays and Sundays will be lower.  Other holidays to be aware of when planning:

• April Fool’s Day – April 1
• Mother’s Day – May 9, 2010 & May 8, 2011
• Father’s Day – June 20, 2010 & June 19, 2011
• Halloween – October 31st
• September 11th
• Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day  – December 7th

Just an FYI, 9/10/11 is going to be very popular, so if you want it, book it as soon as you can!

Finally, keep in mind special sports days and watch for big convention days in your area.  For example, Super Bowl is on Feb 7, 2010, and watch for March Madness dates in 2010 that might affect your big day.  Here in McKinney, we always keep an eye out for local festivals in case a bride’s venue is on the historic square.  Parking becomes very limited and traffic can be a nightmare for guests trying to find your reception.  It is always your choice as to whether you choose a holiday for your wedding, just remember how it affects you and your guests and we’re sure you’ll make the best decision!

Are there any other dates that you have found won’t work as your wedding day for 2010 or 2011?  Which ones and why?

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I LOVE IT when brides and grooms-to-be come to interview me and they actually ask questions.  You wouldn’t believe how many come through my door and have not put any thought into what they want to ask.  While I completely understand they’ve never done this before, I’m always blown away that they are hiring a planner, but don’t have some way to qualify the person they are willing to pay thousands of dollars to for their help.  I encourage couples to scrutinize the planners they interview.  Remember, it is exactly that, an interview for a person you are going to hire.  Think of this person as a potential employee for your company (yes, I know, a wedding is not a company) and you want the best you can get!  If I were to hire a planner, here are some questions I would ask. 

Look at Potential Planners with a Magnifying Glass

Q.  Are you certified and how do you continue your education as a planner?

A.  They should absolutely be certified as this is completely easy to do considering the amount of online courses available as well as those local to the Dallas area.  I believe everyone continues to learn, or they grow stagnant.  If they can’t tell you how they continue to learn, they aren’t learning.

Q.  How many full service weddings have you planned and coordinated?  What specifically did you do for these weddings that qualifies them as full service?

A.  Many who start out focus on “day of” weddings.  While there is nothing wrong with this, if you are their first full service wedding, you may not get the help you are looking for due to inexperience.  The second part of this question helps you both to realize what they’ve done for previous clients.

Q.  Can you give me referrals, not only from brides, but from vendors as well?

A.  Their relationships with vendors are vital to helping you get possible discounts or “freebies”.

Q.  What is the average budget you work with?

A.  If you have a $20,000 budget, you want a wedding planner that can operate within that limit.  Someone who consistently works with $80,000 and above may not have relationships with vendors within your budget range.

Q.  Do you take kickbacks or commissions?  If not, what do you do when offered this by vendors and venues? 

A.  Wedding planners SHOULD NOT take kickbacks or commissions.  They should turn this around and get it as a discount from the vendor for you.

Q.  Will you be the planner I work with, from planning to the day of the wedding?  Will I be the only wedding you have that week?

A.  Many companies have more than one planner on staff.  Make sure it is clear who you will be working with and that you are comfortable with them before signing. 

Q.  Is planning weddings your full time job?

A.  I offer this only because if you want full access to your planner, they may not be able to accommodate if they are working a full time job elsewhere.

Now of course this is by no means the entire list of questions I would ask, but it would at least get the conversation started.  And you can bet I will absolutely call their references, and probably a venue or two that they said they worked at.  This will give me lots of info as to if they work well with others, have great relationships, or if they just made up half of what they told me.  Not to be negative, but there are definitely those out there that are not professional and you deserve the best!  Want more?  Sign up for my next “How To Hire a Planner” info session.  The next class date is TBD, but we will hopefully set this soon!  In the meantime, please feel free to call me with any questions and best of luck in your search!

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Wedding planners help bring together all the details of your wedding to make one specacular day. But how do you know if a wedding planner is right for you? Maybe you are asking some of these questions:

What does it take to plan a wedding?
What does a professional planner do?
How can a professional planner help you?
What does a wedding planner cost?
How do you find the right planner for you?

Come get the answers to all these questions and more! Food presented by Mama Emilia’s and door prizes to be given away!

Details

• Date:  June 17th, Wednesday!
• Time: 7-8:30pm
• Location:  D’Vine Wine of Plano, 8600 Preston Rd, Suite 100
• Cost:  FREE!

I hope to see you there!

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Each quarter, I host an info session to let you know how wedding planners can help, what we do and how to find the right planner for you.   The next session will be held on March 18th April 15th from 7-8.30pm at D’Vine Wine of Plano.  Through the support of my fabulous vendors, this session will continue to be FREE! 

Mama Emilia’s will have some delicious food for us and D’Vine Wine is donating their fabulous Tuscana room.  Door prizes are being donated as we speak, such as a gift card from Sweet Art Bakery.  Thank you to each and every one of you!

This info session is intended to help you (the bride) and anyone else interested to learn about the how and why a professional wedding planner is now crucial to help you with your planning process, from how they save you time, money and stress to hiring a planner for day of help.  We’ll get into details of how a wedding planner can help, what services to look for and even how much a wedding planner should charge.  We’ll talk about how to determine if you need a wedding planner and how to find the right one for you.  Please feel free to bring anyone interested, from the reluctant groom to your parents.  Seating is limited though, so please RSVP now!

PLEASE NOTE:  This info session has been rescheduled to April 15th.  Please RSVP for this event now!

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One of the many blogs I read is from the owner and lead consultant of Blue Orchid Designs, Liene.  She has two that I read, but on one that gives advice to brides, I found a post that just says it all to me.  The bride was asking if she should hire someone local to her wedding location, or if she should import a reputable planner since the bride herself will be traveling to the destination of her wedding.  Among all the good advice, these three paragraphs struck me:

“A professional wedding planner will also know the dish on everything behind the scenes that you will not find online or from previous brides, so I am a huge proponent of hiring one even just for vendor recommendations (many will offer this service a la carte). With the exception of catering and cosmetology, the wedding industry is largely unregulated. Because of this, vendors run the gamut from being exceptional to well below sub-par. A good wedding consultant can help you find professional vendors who will mesh with your personality, steer you away from ones who will spend the entire wedding day hitting on your bridesmaids instead of doing their job, and give you the peace of mind that you are hiring people who won’t flake on you.

Day-of wedding coordination services entails quite a bit more than just showing up on your wedding day and keeping people on schedule, so the planner’s fee should take that into account. Pricing will vary depending on the market, but definitely keep your radar up for the difference between “a good value” and “too cheap”. Budget now for a good day-of coordinator and then set that money aside (I recommend putting it in an ING account so it is at least working for you during the next few months) so that you have it on hand when it comes time to hire your day-of coordinator and you aren’t tempted to spend it on a second pair of must-have dancing shoes.

Even if you are doing the bulk of the planning, having a professional there on your wedding day to tie up the loose ends means that you and your friends and family can relax and enjoy your day. Being relaxed definitely shows through in your photos and wedding video and makes them a million times better as well. Your guests will also take their cues from you, so if you are enjoying yourself and having fun, they will follow suit. Having a good planner with you on your wedding day is worth every penny. ”

These are all great points that any wedding professional knows, but is hard to articulate at times.  Thanks for saying what I felt Liene! 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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