Bridal Show at Smyth Jewelers in Annapolis

Join Prestigious Occasions and Premier Bride at Smyth Jewelers in Annapolis for an intimate Bridal Show!

Couples will have time to speak to wedding professionals, enjoy refreshments and network with other Brides.

Have your rings cleaned for free, preregister for the show and receive a free pearl bracelet and complimentary parking.

www.bridalshowandexpos.com

Bridal Show Tips

Here are a few tips for future shows Bridal Shows that you attend. 

A.       Register online before the show, you can save a few dollars off.

B.       Create an email address specifically for your wedding planning and promotional materials to be sent to you. This helps keep you organized and your personal inbox separate from planning.

Print address labels and save yourself time on filling out forms. Here is an example: *Address & Phone number is optional

C.       Bring a friend if your fiancé is not interested in attending.

D.       Bring a small notebook to take notes and advice from vendors.

E.       Ask questions when you speak with vendors, what would you like to know? 

F.       Keep track of the vendors that you like:

a.       Collect as much literature as possible, for the vendors that you really like you keep the information in your bag. The others give to your friend to place in her bag. This helps you filter the information while at the show, still go through all of the information; you just know what bag to go through first.

b.       Rate the vendors you see, whether you use an A,B,C method this will also help when reviewing information. If you don’t mind have your friend rate the vendor and compare ratings later.

G.       If you like a vendor schedule a consultation on the spot and take advantage of the deals they are offering. If the show is overwhelming follow up later and schedule a consultation, many of which are free. 

        Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes and be ready to walk around at least twice.  To make sure you did not miss anything. 

        Have Fun and Happy Planning!     

Awards Three Years and Counting!

Towson, MD – January 27, 2012 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is excited to announce Prestigious Occasions - Event Coordinators has been selected to receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012 for Wedding Planning!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry awards are selected by the organization, Prestigious Occasions - Event Coordinators was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed clients.

Prestigious Occasions - Event Coordinators is recognized as part of the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on their overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal community for their supreme service and dedication to the wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Prestigious Occasions - Event Coordinators for their continued professionalism and commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for engaged couples.”

We are happy to announce that Prestigious Occasions - Event Coordinators is one of the very best Wedding Planners within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ for 2012.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/prestigious-occasions-event-coordinators-towson/999b56dfc7d73e77.html.

Another Wedding Wire Award! 2011 Award

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce Prestigious Occasions has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Planners!

Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

Prestigious Occasions stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Prestigious Occasions for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that Prestigious Occasions is among the very best Wedding Planners within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today (click here)

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

Vendor Relationships - Who is right for the Team

Have you thought about the relationship you should have with your vendors?


There are different levels of relationships that you will have across that board. When you think about it…who will you be spending most of your time with?


Each vendor is important, however think about the time and expectations that you have for your vendors and realize that it is important to mesh well with them all especially your planner/coordinator, photographer and videographer. The florist receives your vision before hand and executes to your expectations. The stationery design company brings your vision to light on paper. When you think about the roles each play and logistics there are the many things to think about.


Consider the vendors whom are there for the entire day…don’t hire them at last minute, this should be a top priority vendor and listen to their response to your style and envision them on your day. After meeting with at least two to select from in each category review mental notes with you fiancé and determine if they will make the team for your wedding or special event.


Happy Planning

Hiring Family Vendors-Caution

Hello all, I just want to start out by saying….it is not because I am an event coordinator that I am posting this blog.

I can’t count how many vendors that I have talked to recently that had a bad experience with family members functioning as their DJ, Caterer, Florists, Photographer and other vendors. We understand that the economy and other factors sometimes alter your wedding plans, however be cautious.

Whether you are hiring Cousin Joe to take your pictures or Aunt Sue to bake your cake, please make sure they plan to take your day seriously. One of the great points to working with a coordinator is that they are the glue to keep the puzzle together. Using a professional coordinator gives you the advantage to get a professional perspective of the entire day and the role of each vendor. Think about it ….your coordinator has worked with many brides, weddings, vendors, venue, etc…

Go to a professional coordinator and have them help you before things get out of control, consider their DOC (day of coordinator package). Most coordinators DOC is longer than the actual day of the wedding. Visit http://www.prestigiousoccasions.com/ to find out more about the services we offer.

If you choose to use family members, make sure there is a contract in place. All professional vendors should have a contract in place that outlines their role, services, date, time, cost and other items you have agreed on. Please be cautious, you can have a nice wedding on a budget but please remember that your family will want to enjoy the wedding also….will this affect their delivery of client service?

Contact us and we can offer a complimentary consultation of our services.

Calligraphy at its Finest

When you think about a calligrapher over a decade ago, one would think about someone to address your wedding envelopes and RSVP cards.

Welcome to the new world of calligraphy!

I would like to introduce Laura Condouris a calligrapher based in Baltimore, Maryland. Laura loves all of the things girls are supposed to love. She is an artist, calligrapher, designer, collector of vintage clothing, and occasional comedienne. Although Laura is based in the Baltimore area, she works with brides all over the world and offers to ship packages securely and insured.

Laura offers additional services other than your basic envelopes, escort and RSVP cards. Have you thought about incorporating calligraphy in a keepsake map, table numbers/titles or for your readers? Think about framing that special poem, letter or whatever you choose for your reader to read. How great would it be to frame a piece of your wedding day other than a picture in your home as a memento of your wedding day!

Here are a few tips when working with a calligrapher:

Remember to order additional envelopes for the increasing last minute invitations and/or mistakes that may occur.

If you are using Excel to maintain the guest list, it is easier for a calligrapher to address envelopes in the exact format that the envelope will be addressed. Because they must look at each guest’s name and address, it is easier to keep everything straight in a format, here is an example below.

Mr. and Mrs. John Doe

123 Fake Street

Gotham City, IL 12345

Excel spreadsheets may also be exported to labels; this will avoid the addresses to be retyped. It is preferred that our clients provide the exported document in Microsoft Word or any other word processing format.

Think about the color of ink that you would like to use on your documents and how you would like to personalize them. What style do you prefer in alignment?

I spoke with Laura recently and would like to share an excerpt of our discussion below.

How long have you been practicing calligraphy?

I've been practicing calligraphy since I was a child, but I've been doing it professionally part-time for about five or six years and recently transitioned to doing calligraphy and illustration full-time!

How long before sending out the invitations would you require brides to contact you?

For envelope addressing services, I typically recommend booking at least three months in advance.

What is the turnaround time for invitations?

Orders of up to 200 envelopes usually take about two weeks to complete- the turnaround time is a bit higher for orders of more than 200 pieces.

How much of a notice do you need for place cards orders locally?

Since place cards don't take quite as long as invitation outer envelopes to complete, I can sometimes squeeze these into my schedule, but I still recommend booking as early as possible.

Do you offer writing/copying a poem or reading material for the ceremony?

Yes! I've worked on a few poems and recently finished a very pretty marriage certificate for the bride, groom, and all of their guests signed at the reception as a sign of solidarity with the couple.
What do couples do with the maps? How are the used?

Couples have used maps in their invitation, in out of town gift bags, as a keepsake and any other form they choose. A black-and-white map takes about 8 to 10 hours to complete, or a watercolor map, which takes even more time. The price includes the design fee, original, and a high-resolution digital file for you to print yourself at home, or take to your stationer or local printer. I offer small quantities for an additional fee.

Do you create monograms for couples?

Yes! I love doing this- it's like a logo for the union that a couple creates!

To find out more about Laura and Trial by Cupcakes visit: http://www.trialbycupcakes.com/

Photo and Art credit: Trial by Cupcakes

Meet Local Vendors

When thinking about all the vendors that you will need to enlist to have a great wedding day, it sometimes become overwhelming. I took the time out to speak with a few vendors and get their feedback on tips on what to ask and also what makes it easier for the vendor and client while meeting.

With that being said I decided to create another area of our blog to share vendor information. Each reader will have an opportunity to meet vendors that will share tips and information about their business.

Please share your comments and suggestions with us at info@prestigiousoccasions.com we would like to hear your thoughts. If there is a vendor or categories that you would like to learn more about send us your request and we will be sure to follow up and be in contact with you.

Prestigious Occasions is not affiliated with any other vendors that will be featured nor do we receive a discount or ‘kickbacks’ for sharing information about featured vendors. We believe in educating our clients and welcome requests from vendors to be featured on our blog.

Warmest planning wishes for your next Prestigious Occasion.