Week 33 – Know what you are looking for

Bonjour from Project Wedding HQ

Well I have many excuses for not blogging, but I won’t go into them, but I will try and make up for it this week with 2 blogs.  On the weekend I participated in a Wedding Expo in the City and met many many Brides and on the odd occasion was thrown the question “Why should we hire you over some of the other exhibitors”.  It is a difficult question to answer when there is other people in the Industry there.  However I have also been interacting with Brides on a particular Facebook Page and have been hearing some very sad stories of late, with wedding suppliers letting them down.  I also met with a lovely couple yesterday who have been let down by there venue. I am very passionate about the Industry and this upsets me as this is a couple’s special day and they need to know they can rely on us as suppliers to ensure everything goes perfectly without them having to worry.

Therefore I thought I would give you a little background on myself and my business, as for me I know the people in the Industry and I know who to select for my wedding and have started making some progress with this.

I come from 17 years in the Industry from starting off as a Waitress in a venue, to moving up to Wedding Coordinator and then managing 2 Venues.  Prior to that I worked in the Corporate World.  As a Wedding Planner I am of the belief that a Certificate of  Wedding Planning does not make you an experienced Wedding Planner if you start your business just after you have graduated.  This piece of paper does not teach how to handle a Brides emotions, deal with the mishaps of a Wedding Day and other organisational tools required.

I am down to earth and will not sugar coat anything I tell you how it is whether it be you are hiring me as a Wedding Planner, Decorator, to do your Floristy, to make your Stationery or the other services we offer.  This honesty and my experience over the years and since relaunching my business 11 months ago, has got me to where I am.

This blog is not meant to be controversial and have a go at other suppliers, far from the case and it is not meant to frighten Brides at all as there is a lot of businesses in the Industry who are very professional, but in the recent months I have just heard to many sad stories.

For Brides who don’t know where to start I host group Wedding Workshops and I educate  you on the pitfalls you can come across when planning. This workshop has proven to be very successful with past Bridal Couples. If you would like to know more just email me at firstclassevents@bigpond.com.au

TODAY’S TIP –  When selecting a Supplier:

• Ask around about the particular supplier you want to go with, get reviews and check their testimonials
• Have a list of questions ready for when you go for your consultation
• Make sure the images they are using are not royalty free, they are actual images of there work
• Read the fine print in the contract

These four tips are just to start you off, but are important.  I hope today’s blog has opened your eyes as it was truly educational for me on the weekend when I went to the Expo myself.  Until next time.

Au Revoir, The Savvy Bride

Week 37 – Dream Theme

Bonjour from Project Wedding HQ

Well so far we have determined our date, our venue, started looking at attire and so we are up to the next vital element for me, which is setting the tone for the whole wedding day.

For me this is very important as a Wedding Stylist, however some brides may find that it is just not a priority.  I stewed over this for ages and I was tossing backwards and forwards over what theme to go with.  As I work in the industry I wanted it to be a little  different to everyone else that I have seen, as I have lots of  resources available to me.

I tried to keep the theme a secret, but I am very excited about it and due to the planning process and having to discuss it with particular suppliers, I thought what the heck, the word is out.

So what have we gone with.  The title is …. “Let them eat cake” …. what does this relate to.  My style will be based around Marie Antoinette, old world france Versailles.  When I think of Marie Antoinette I think of a lavish lifestyle, ribbon flowers, embellishments and more.  But most of all elegance. However my most favourite thing about the one of my design elements for the theme is a nice long candy and dessert buffet full of lots of sweets, yum yum.  My colour palette is that of that era of ivory, blush, powder blue and mint green.

TODAY’S TIP –  Styling your wedding:

• You don’t have to necessarily work with your bridesmaids colour overall and follow it through to the reception.  Remember there is only a  couple of them.
• Work with your venue.  Choose colours that will compliment your venue and not work against it.  For example if you are in a Vintage style home, avoid having a beach themed wedding there.
• What mood do you want to evoke.  Bold colours evoke modern & elegant, where as a soft palette suggests romance.
• Don’t pick to many colours 2 or 3 is enough you don’t want to go overboard.
• Create for yourself a mood board and cut pictures out from a magazine and create yourself a little wedding book.
• Popular colour trends for 2012 are tangerine, dark blue, deep red, aqua, lilac, latte, lavender, charcoal & sage.

COLOUR WHEEL

• Monochromatic Colours – This means many shades of the one colour.
• Analogous Colours – This means colours adjacent to each other on the colour wheel.
• Complementary Colours – This means colours located opposite to each other on the colour wheel.

So enjoy styling your weddings ladies. Until next time.

Au Revoir, The Savvy Bride

Day 278 – Location Location

Bonjour from Project Wedding HQ

Today we take a step back as I refine some of the details about our Wedding Reception location.  Naturally before you can have a wedding date you need to check with your ceremonial area/church, etc and your wedding venue to see if they have the date available that you require.

Planning well in advance will assure you get the date you want and minimise stress.  Due to the popularity of a venue and if it is peak season you will need to book a venue at least 1 – 2 years in advance.  That’s why as soon as Chris and I got engaged and we knew roughly when we wanted to get married we started investigating dates immediately.

We had a basic idea of the look we were going for and we also wanted to actually get married and have the reception all at one place for the convenience of our travelling guests and also have nearby accommodation for them.  Even though we would have loved to have had our wedding on a Friday, so we could party all weekend, we had to consider our guests travelling from interstate, therefore we had to remain with a Saturday wedding.  So silly me has booked our wedding for one of the busiest times of year in my industry.  I have weddings leading up to my wedding day and weddings straight after.  So no honeymoon for me.  Oh well.

WHEN SELECTING YOUR WEDDING VENUE HERE ARE A COUPLE OF VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Capacity – Your venue must be able to seat the number of guests you are considering inviting.  A lot of people do get this wrong and what you have to also consider is that a lot of venues have a minimum number of guests for smaller affairs.

Car Park – Is there enough parking for my guests. Do they need to park a mile away from the location or will they have to pay for parking.  Your guests will not be impressed if they have to pay for parking, just speaking from experience.

Package Costs – When comparing venues look closely at what each venue’s packages include, they will vary hence the reason in price.

Terms & Conditions Hire – Read these very very carefully as you don’t want to be hit up with additional costs that you didn’t read about in the beginning, which will certainly add more stress to the budget closer to the wedding and to you in general as a bridal couple.  You would be surprised at the types of things that can easily be missed on your contract.

Events Manager – Straight away you will know if you are going to have a great relationship with this person who is going to be looking after your wedding reception on the day.  This is vital as is all of the wedding suppliers who you hire on the day, however this is the most important one. Simply for the fact you will be spending a large majority of your time here with your guests and this is the largest portion of your budget.

Chris and I reviewed some of these checklist points above and others and we have ended up booking a lovely vintage style venue, Topiaries Beaumont House at Samford.  It is everything we want for our Wedding.  Have a great day all.

Au Revoir, The Savvy Bride

Day 280 – Why Save the Date?

Bonjour from Project Wedding HQ

Now I have my wedding date and my guest list, the next most important thing for me to do is to organise my Save the Date cards to go out to my guests to improve attendance.

WHAT IS A SAVE THE DATE CARD? 

A Save the Date is a basic card that is sent out several months prior to sending your official Wedding Invitation. Some bridal couples may see this as an extra cost, however this is very important for guests who are travelling from interstate or have a busy work schedule and need to place the date into their calendar. Guests who need to travel or want to book accommodate need to be able to budget and will need extra time to plan.

HOW DO SAVE THE DATE CARDS WORK?

It is recommended that your save the date cards go out at least six months to a year before your wedding day. On your card you should include the Bride and Grooms name, date and time and the location and maybe include a map.

So now I have to come up with something to reflect my wedding theme, without giving to much away before the formal Wedding Invitation. There are many many different designs and ideas for Save the Dates, I am becoming so totally confused and need to just narrow it down and do it or they will never go out.  I will keep you posted as to my design. Have a great new year everyone.

Au Revoir, The Savvy Bride