When it comes down to selecting a wedding planner there are many factors that you should base your decision on other than the cost.
When selecting a wedding planner you determine the relationship you would like to have, as the client you have the final decision on how you spend your money. Planners can make suggestions and accompany you to the vendor meetings, advise you on your budget in each area. Keep in mind if you go over the budget in a category, you good planner will adjust the budget to break even overall.
The fees of a planner depend on the services that you would like to retain. Before you hire a planner/coordinator be sure to know what exactly their services cover. Some planners offer a flat rate; others charge by the hours worked, or a percentage of your wedding budget. Most will create a proposal for you based on the services that you desire.
If you chose to hire a planner for full service planning (from beginning to end) this may end up saving you money in the long run.
For Example, there may be a venue that you are interested in and your planner can negotiate a deal on the same venue or find you a venue similar or better while saving you thousands in that one area just to start with the other potential savings to come.
Don’t assume that you can’t afford a planner for your special day, there are many resources and ways you can incorporate a planner in your budget.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
DIY Signs to Guide your Guests
If you have venue that it may be a challenge to get to in the car and/or on feet, think about extra signage to help your guests find their way.
I have two brides so far this year that their receptions are on a college campus. As many of you know it can be challenging to locate the correct building on a large campus such as John Hopkins University. However we are planning to DIY a few things to keep the expenses down and help lead the guests in the right direction.
I found a post by a previous bride and her DIY tutorial. All the details are listed below and also a link to the original blog post. Enjoy and share this blog with someone else who you may think want to save.
If your ceremony or reception location is challenging to get to although the turn-by-turn directions on the back of the map you may have included in the invitations were received. There may be a few guests that will forget this information, GPS is great but may not work in all areas that you are traveling in. Here is a quick DIY project that will help you with some simple signs to help your guests find their way.
Supplies Needed:
1. 12″ unfinished wooden plaque
2. Indoor/Outdoor satin finish spray paint in Ivory
3. Martha Stewart Crafts rub-on alphabet decals
4. Cricut Cuttables adhesive vinyl in black (not pictured)
How they are made:
1. After laying down a few sheets of newspaper outdoors to protect the grass, apply three coats of spray paint to each wooden plaque, allowing a few minutes of drying time between coats. (TIP: Disposable gloves are a great idea!
2. Allow the paint to fully dry for about an hour. Using a light colored pencil and a straight edge; sketch a faint guide line where your letters will be placed.
3. Position a decal on the plaque with the ink side down. Apply by rubbing all over the surface of the decal with the included craft stick, using a good amount of pressure. To ensure a clean transfer, make sure to rub over all of the little detailed areas, and especially the edges of each letter. Slowly peel back the acetate backing. If you notice that parts of the decal have not transferred, lay the acetate back down and keep rubbing. Repeat for all letters.
4. Using adhesive-backed black vinyl, free-hand an arrow shape in Sharpie on the paper backing. Then cut it out with a craft knife and adhered it to the plaque. The nice thing is that the vinyl is repositionable, meaning that the arrow can later be changed to point in a different direction and the sign can be used again.
A small screw with a loop on the back of the sign with ribbon will allow you to tie the signs to the a sign that is already in place such as a stop sign. Add a stake to the back and this sign can be placed in the ground along the route.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
RSVP & Open Receptions....Save yourself the drama!!!
Here it is another Sunday that I relax and hang around the house watching wedding shows and movies after doing the normal Sunday routine things. I decided to watch Four Wedding on TLC since I am almost never available to watch it on Friday nights.
For those of you whom have never seen the show it is about four brides competing for a honeymoon and have to critique the other brides on their dress, venue, and food. At the end the ratings are revealed along with the overall experience.
One of the brides had her DJ make an announcement “If you did not RSVP for the Reception you have to wait outside”.
Yes…I’ll wait until you go back and read that again……you read right! This is a No No…
Unless you can afford unlimited food and seating please manage your guest list. As a planner I strongly suggest during the consultation that the couple be realistic in the guest count and also leave room in the budget and guest estimate for additional guests. This particular wedding was for 200 guests within a $30,000 budget.
To avoid or narrow down any confusion for the guests and attendants have your hostesses in place to assist with the escort cards and/or seating cart. If a guest’s name is not on the list the hostesses will know how to handle this particular guest. Have a default table available for possibility of overflow. This table can be used to house your vendors and a few extra guests, your vendors will not sit and eat for long, most just enough their meal and go right back to working.
If you run into an overflow problem please don’t have anyone make an announcement that your overflow guests will have to go outside. This will leave a bad impression on the guests overall, the guests outside and also the ones inside. Don’t take over as a bride, after all this should be a day for you to enjoy, make sure you have a planner or someone as your point person to troubleshoot your day. However, this individual should know all your details to the entire wedding….you must give up all information to them to be successful. Plan accordingly to prevent having to extinguish a fire that could be prevented in the planning stage and last minute logistics of the reception.
Happy Planning!
For those of you whom have never seen the show it is about four brides competing for a honeymoon and have to critique the other brides on their dress, venue, and food. At the end the ratings are revealed along with the overall experience.
One of the brides had her DJ make an announcement “If you did not RSVP for the Reception you have to wait outside”.
Yes…I’ll wait until you go back and read that again……you read right! This is a No No…
Unless you can afford unlimited food and seating please manage your guest list. As a planner I strongly suggest during the consultation that the couple be realistic in the guest count and also leave room in the budget and guest estimate for additional guests. This particular wedding was for 200 guests within a $30,000 budget.
To avoid or narrow down any confusion for the guests and attendants have your hostesses in place to assist with the escort cards and/or seating cart. If a guest’s name is not on the list the hostesses will know how to handle this particular guest. Have a default table available for possibility of overflow. This table can be used to house your vendors and a few extra guests, your vendors will not sit and eat for long, most just enough their meal and go right back to working.
If you run into an overflow problem please don’t have anyone make an announcement that your overflow guests will have to go outside. This will leave a bad impression on the guests overall, the guests outside and also the ones inside. Don’t take over as a bride, after all this should be a day for you to enjoy, make sure you have a planner or someone as your point person to troubleshoot your day. However, this individual should know all your details to the entire wedding….you must give up all information to them to be successful. Plan accordingly to prevent having to extinguish a fire that could be prevented in the planning stage and last minute logistics of the reception.
Happy Planning!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
DIY Centerpiece Ideas & Products
At $3.33 per foot, Crystal Diamond Mesh are a popular ways to add "bling" to centerpieces, bouquets, candles, vases and more. This item is available at Koyal Wholesale for you DIY designers and professionals, this rhinestone-studded crystal ribbon is offered in silver diamond, gold diamond and black diamond. Launched just one week ago, Crystal Diamond Mesh has already become one of the best-selling items of 2011!
As low as $1.80 per strand, the 21" Hanging Crystal Garlands are one of our all-time best selling items. New for 2011, Koyal Wholesale now offers the hanging crystals in 6 colors, including clear, black, fuchsia, purple, pink and turquoise. They also sell Manzanita Trees. The bendable artificial trees come in gold, silver, black and white and in a variety of sizes. Combine with hanging crystals to achieve platinum centerpieces that won't break the budget.
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