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The First Thing You Should Do When Planning Your Wedding to avoid unnecessary stress

February 14, 2019 | Tips & Education | No Comments

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After the initial high wears off from getting engaged, it’s oftentimes replaced with the daunting and vague task of actually planning the wedding.

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A wedding, whether big and elaborate or small and minimal, is undoubtedly one of the most significant celebrations you will ever plan. With that, brings a lot of decisions to make and tasks to complete. But where should you even begin? You may think that the logical first step in planning your wedding is choosing your wedding venue or selecting your wedding date or possibly setting a realistic budget right? Well, I strongly believe that, although these tasks should be completed early on in the planning process, there is a much big first step that will set the tone for the entire planning process.

The first thing you should do before you begin planning your wedding is have an open and candid discussion with your fiancé where you get on the same page on specific topics ranging from what your individual and collective priorities are with your wedding, how financial and planning decisions will be made and how inevitable conflicts will be handled with family and wedding party members during the planning process.

Family members also seem to always want to interfere with the planning process in some way. So, when aunt Joy wants to invite her entire church to the wedding when you’re already over capacity or you received a quote for your wedding cake vendor that will take you over budget (and you don’t even like cake like that) or your fiancé’s mom wants you to change the ceremony program you’ve worked on for weeks because that’s how she did it at her wedding, how are you and your fiancé going to handle that together as a couple? How involved do each of you want to be in the planning process? How will you two go about making the countless decisions needed? How will your current work schedule affect the planning process? What do you two expect of each other?

Planning your wedding is a team effort and may be your first taste of married life since you’ll be constantly working through difficult decisions, family drama, compromise, communication and finances.

One thing I’ve noticed is that there is a big difference in the planning process of clients who do not have this conversation before they start planning versus clients who do. Having all of these questions answered makes planning so much easier. It sets expectations and boundaries early on. Which, believe me, is important.

 

To get more wedding Planning guidance and tips from a professional Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer, visit Event Design by BE online at www.EventDesignByBE.com or follow along on Instagram where I share more wedding planning tips via quick videos, IG Lives and IG Stories. Follow along here: @EventDesignbyBE

 

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By fotosbyfola

The Differences Between a Venue Coordinator, Wedding Coordinator, Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer

February 14, 2019 | Tips & Education | No Comments

If you’re planning your wedding and searching for an expert to help guide you through the entire process or take on a smaller aspect of the planning and execution for you, I’m sure you’ll run into many terms that are unfamiliar to you.

So, what exactly are the differences between a Venue Coordinator, Wedding Planner, Wedding Designer and Wedding Coordinator? Or maybe you think they are all the same? Well, the fact is, they’re not.

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While the titles are often used interchangeably, both by those in and out of the industry, here is a closer look at what each focuses on. Just keep in mind that there can be some overlap in some cases and that sometimes, these terms are used to describe the services and sometimes, they are used to describe the person or company providing the service. Are you confused yet? Don’t worry! I’ll do my best to explain everything clearly.

A Venue Coordinator

The Venue Coordinator works for the venue. The venue is their full-time employer and their loyalty is to them first and foremost. They are responsible for ensuring you pay your deposit, choose your menu by a specified date (if catering is provided), oversee your menu tasting, receive your guest count on the day required, and obtain your vendor insurance certificates.

On the wedding day, they arrive early to oversee their staff has set up your ceremony and/or reception areas as required and the catering staff is handling food and beverage services. In terms of timelines, the Venue Coordinator will only develop timelines that relates to the responsibilities of the venue and catering staff. Also, in most cases, the Venue Coordinator does not stay for your entire event. Once dinner has begun or the cake has been cut, they leave and turn your event over to their banquet captain.

In a nutshell, the Venue Coordinator is there to ensure the venue provides to you what has been agreed upon but will not intervene in areas not related to the venue.

 

A Wedding Coordinator:

A Coordinator is responsible for the execution of the wedding day from the moment hair and makeup begins until the last guest leaves for the reception venue and will usually begin working with you anywhere from 30-90 days prior to your big day; although they should be hired prior to this timeframe.

To put it simply, the Coordinator is there to make sure that everyone is where they should be at the time they should be, and doing what you contracted them to do or provide. Having a Coordinator ensures that when something goes wrong, it gets fixed quickly with minimal to no affect on your wedding.

They will work with you on finalizing all wedding details and confirm rental orders, setup times and logistics with each of the vendors. They will develop a comprehensive timeline for the day that will be sent to all vendors, and will be conduct the ceremony rehearsal the day before the wedding.

The Coordinator does not help with planning or designing the visual elements of the day and only starts working when all vendors and details are booked and finalized.

 

A Wedding Planner:

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“Wedding Planner” is probably the most commonly used terminology. A Wedding Planner’s role is to guide the couple through the entire planning process ensuring that all the necessary tasks and decisions are done in a timely manner in order to produce the wedding you truly envision. This includes creating a detailed and itemized budget document, matching you with the best creative partners within their network (e.g. photographer, DJ, caterer and florist), creating a comprehensive timeline for the wedding day and executing everything on the day of with a team.

A Wedding Planners role is to take on the majority of the planning for you so you’re less stressed and ensures you get the wedding you want.

 

A Wedding Designer:

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A Wedding Designer’s primary focus is on the aesthetics and look of your wedding from beginning (save the dates) to end (the reception send off). A Designer’s role is to create a customized and cohesive look for the wedding and focus on an experience for your guests that relate to you and your fiancé’s personalities, personal taste, love story, etc.

This service will typically include assistance with or development of your color palette and overall concept, guidance on stationary and cake design, centerpiece design development as well as focal area design such as the cake display, escort card table, sweetheart table and ceremony. The Designer is heavily involved in collaborating with the stationer, rental companies, floral designer and lighting specialists to create the overall design.

The Designer comes on the day of with a team to set up and execute only the visual and design components for the day.

Some Designers can provide planning services and some Planners will offer design services so make sure you ask.

 

In Conclusion

Instead of worrying about the title of who you are trying to hire, focus instead on what specific services you need as you’re planning your wedding and find the best person who can help you. Don’t hesitate to ask a vendor to clarify their role and what services they will be providing before hiring them so you are on the same page.

 

To get more wedding Planning guidance and tips from a Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer, visit Event Design by BE online at www.EventDesignByBE.com or follow along on Instagram where I share more wedding planning tips via quick videos, IG Lives and IG Stories. Follow along here: @EventDesignbyBE

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By fotosbyfola

3 Insightful Questions to Ask Any Wedding Professional Before “How Much Do You Charge?”

February 14, 2019 | Tips & Education | No Comments

3 Insightful Questions to Ask Any Wedding Professional Before “How Much Do You Charge?”

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Beginning to plan your wedding can feel daunting. This is especially true if you’re doing it on your own and not under the guidance of a professional Wedding Planner. As a bride or groom, one of your main areas of focus is to put together a great team of professional vendors who will execute your vision on your behalf on the wedding day.

If you sit back and think about it, you’re putting your trust and the success of your wedding in the hands of people that you have only interacted with for a few hours at best. So how do you ensure that you book the right vendors? Not by just asking them how much they charge but asking thoughtful questions during the consultation that are focused directly on the VALUE they will bring to you.

Now, granted, we all know that a beautiful and custom wedding is not inexpensive so costs should definitely be something to consider but are you securing vendors just to spend money? Or are you securing vendors to help you realize a specific result (e.g. you want to be able to relive your wedding day when looking through pictures after the wedding, you’re super busy so you need vendors who can save you time, etc.)? Exactly! So, when meeting with potential vendors, your questions should be geared more towards the value they bring and if they can help accomplish the results that you desire. Then, and only then, can you determine if their pricing matches up to the results they can provide you.

In my experience, many brides and couples jump to ask the price question first mainly because of two things (1) This is your first time getting married therefore, you have no idea what questions to ask other than price and/or (2) you don’t have a very clear idea of what results you want for your wedding day other than something “pretty”.

So that’s what I’m going to help you with today! (Cue the superwoman music). Here is 1 strategy and 3 insightful questions to ask wedding vendors before “what is your pricing for…”:

 

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Before you begin booking any vendor, right down a list of 5 – 7 of your highest prioritized goals that you want for your wedding planning process and wedding day. Some examples may be the following:

  1. You want timeless wedding images, canvas prints and a beautiful wedding album for yourself and your parents
  2. You have a busy schedule so you need vendors who have adapted to the latest technology (e.g. electronic signatures for documents versus having you print, sign, scan and email documents back and forth)
  3. You’re a visual person so you would love tangible visuals of things (e.g. real samples from your stationer verses just a digital PDF)
  4. You have a busy work life so you want vendors who will be able to save you time. (e.g. you would prefer to have video calls with vendors instead of face to face meetings)

 

When that’s done, you’ll have a better idea on what you value and what type of vendor can provide that to you.

Then, when meeting with vendors, ask these questions.

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  1. How do you work with your clients? What processes or tools do you have in place to help with the planning process or (insert one of your desired results here)?

 

If one of your priorities is saving time but the vendors you are speaking with work better with face to face meetings, take over 48 hours to return your phone call/email, or say “well, every client is different. We work as we go” then they are definitely not a good match for you. You probably want vendors who have created resources and tools to make it easier for you and easier for them to work with you.

  1. What type of clients do you work best with?

Planning a wedding takes a lot of time and involves a lot of details. So it’s important to make sure that you align personality wise with each of your vendors, or at least the vendors that you will be in communication with frequently or spending a lot of time or intimate moments with (e.g. your planner, photographer, videographer, etc.)

If the vendor answers “well everyone really” or is very vague, try and have then get more specific.

If it’s really hard for you to make decisions so you need someone who is patient and will provide options but the vendor works better with clients who already have a complete vision ready then you need to find that out before booking them.

  1. I really value insert something on your list how can you help provide that to me? Any examples on how you have done this in the past?

Sometimes it helps to just ask directly. It saves you time and helps a vendor know exactly what you care about and if they would be the best person to serve you. Sometimes, if it’s not a good fit, they may refer you to someone who can help you.

Before each vendor consultation, use these 3 questions to write more of your own thoughtful questions that align with what you really value and want from the vendors you select. You already know you love their work but what else do you need to know (other than price) before being confident in securing them for your wedding?

To get more wedding Planning guidance and tips from a professional Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer, visit Event Design by BE online at www.EventDesignByBE.com or follow along on Instagram where I share more wedding planning tips via quick videos, IG Lives and IG Stories. Follow along here: @EventDesignbyBE

 

 

 

 

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By fotosbyfola

Why You Should Secure Your Wedding Vendors Before Engagement Season Ends

February 14, 2019 | Featured, Tips & Education | No Comments

Have you noticed a certain something in the air lately? That’s right! It’s engagement/proposal season. Engagement season is defined as the period between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. Research shows that over 50 percent of couples get engaged during this time. But what does this have to do with you if you’re already engaged and planning your wedding? A lot actually.

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With the popularity of Pinterest and Instagram, many brides begin planning their wedding before they are actually engaged which means often times they already know what venue, photographer, wedding planner, etc. they want to work with.

They are simply waiting on the ring so they can set a date and book each vendor.

This new approach to planning is why wedding vendors are receiving a record increase in inquiries during engagement season for wedding dates within 6 to 12 months. A wedding date that may be yours as well.

So do you have a vendor you have been eyeing for a while but haven’t met yet or booked? Well, if you wait any longer, they may not be available for your wedding date. Especially if your wedding is during peak wedding season, which is April through August as well as October.

Many vendors only have the capacity to take on one couple per day so I urge you to start meeting with vendors and booking them soon before another couple scoops up your dream vendor.

 

To get more wedding Planning guidance and tips from a professional Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer, visit Event Design by BE online at www.EventDesignByBE.com or follow along on Instagram where I share more wedding planning tips via quick videos, IG Lives and IG Stories. Follow along here: @EventDesignbyBE

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By fotosbyfola