Wedding Vendors - Part Three

Part three of a series: Wedding Vendors- What do you know about the people you are hiring to serve you at your wedding?

This series of blogs covers key elements of vendors and what to look for when hiring. When the wedding is over and the cake and food are eaten, the tangible part of the wedding is the photos and videos. These precious memories should not be trusted to just anyone. A venue is defined as a location for an event.

Traditional venues can include churches, chapels or halls. Non-traditional venues can include parks, museums, historic homes, or just about any place that will accommodate the size of the guest list. A wedding can have several venues used for the different parts of the day. A bride may get dressed and take preliminary pictures at a hotel, then go to the church for the ceremony. Afterwards, the reception can be at a historic home. I have even known couples to take their closest friends to a club for an after-party. On the flipside, a couple could have a simple ceremony in the park and dinner at a restaurant.
The choice of where to have a wedding is based on several factors including availability, cost, and personal preference. Popular locations may not be available for a date wanted. That is why it is important to begin the planning process as soon as possible by compiling a guest list. This gives you a ballpark idea as to the size of the venue needed. Falling in love with the little chapel on the corner may be wonderful, but reserving the venue only to realize that they can only accommodate 50 and your guest list is 200 can cost you not only time, but also any deposits you may have put down.

Key questions to ask a venue include:

· What is included in the rental fee? (tables and chairs; decorations; cake and punch reception; officiant)
· How much time is allowed for decoration of the site and how soon does it need to be cleared?
· Are there any special requirements for alcohol to be served? (many venues do not allow alcohol or may require that security be hired for the event)
· Are there any prohibited items? (many venues are not allowing confetti or birdseed because of clean up and safety issues)

While it may seem “less expensive” to have your wedding in the backyard of your parents, it can be much more expensive once all of the hidden costs are added on. Not everyone has service for 50 or have the room to seat even half that many people. Tables and chairs, china, flatware, and decorations all quickly add up. In addition, the host of the event cannot relax and enjoy the party and will often end up spending many hours “fixing up” the location in the weeks before. This may be a source of tension in the future because of the stress.

The key to choosing a wedding venue is to research your choices before making the decisions and do not make impulse purchases.
In the next installment: Florists

Trash the Dress and Brides Against Breast Cancer-- A great combination

I was going to post another “How to select” article, but something came up last night on a forum to which I subscribe to that I just had to blog about. Mark Eric is a gifted photographer based in Louisiana and has been featured on Good Morning America lately with his wonderful “Trash the Dress” photo sessions as a new take on the bridal portrait. Brides dress up in their gowns one more time to take fashion style photographs in unusual situations. Many times the dress will get wet or dirty but is not ruined even though the session is called “trashing” the dress. Many people have hit his blog and others with the question, “Why trash the dress?” A charity was brought to Mark’s attention that has been near and dear to my heart for many years.

Brides Against Breast Cancer has been quietly working in the background fulfilling the wishes of terminal breast cancer patients since 1998. They have been featured in the past on Oprah, and in many national magazines. Dresses are donated to the organization, cleaned if needed, and then placed on the traveling show. Many of the gowns are new and donated by shops and still have the tags on them. Even if a dress is donated that is not in top shape, it can still be donated and turned into a beautiful quilt that can be sold to raise funds as well.

As with any charitable organization, Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation needs volunteers, donations and assistance. They have several ways to serve including quilt making, the pink envelope project, diamonds for dreams, garden parties and the gown sale events. If your life has been touched by breast cancer, please consider how much just a little of you time can be worth. Check out their website and see what a little time or money can do for someone at the end of her life.

Did you like this post?

Engaging Engagement

OK, I know this isn’t about venues or caterers or choosing the right vendors, but I just MUST tell you all about this young man and his apparent massive love for a young lady. They have become an Internet “phenomenon” since his elaborate and spiritual proposal in April and covered by the Atlanta Courier Journal on July 14, 2007.
Robert Gray, Jr. has set the bar pretty high for the men in Georgia, and at the rate the video and slideshow are traveling around the internet, the men of the US had better be on notice. Gray planned his proposal for more than a year and included dozens of roses (some were gold dipped), 50 family and friends, 10 hotel rooms, and prayerful consideration.

Photographer Ross Oscar Knight captured the romantic moments for Gray. According to the Atlanta Courier Journal story, the couple never intended for their private moments to be spread across the US, but the “AWWW” factor has made the term “viral” jump to mind. The video was passed from the couple, to several of the people that attended, to their friends, to other friends and over 100 million hits later, Knight had to take the video off the net because of the traffic. Knight’s photography is beautiful and emotional. He captures the moment with a photojournalistic style. His blog is insightful and visually stunning as we get to peek into this creative mind. He has now been added to my homepage.

Men can sometimes create their own stumbling block when it comes to a memorable, meaningful proposal, but it can be done. As my husband has said many times, “Men are wired to do. That’s why when it comes to shopping, men decide – I need a shirt. Go to the store. Buy a shirt.” (In his best caveman voice) Sometimes, men just need to open up to their friends and brainstorm or consult someone to give them ideas. An exercise that may help some men come out of their shells involves things like making a list of all of the things you love about your lady. Develop your own style and emotions (eek!! That word used when talking to some men is worse than a cussword in church on Sunday morning.) and if you need it ASK FOR HELP!! Whether it is from a co-worker, friend or family member, help is not a four-letter word. (well, yes it is- but not a bad one) There are certain memories that women keep. Engagement proposals are one of the dearest; make it special for her.

Do you like this?

Wedding vendors - Part 2

Part two of a series: Wedding Vendors- What do you know about the people you are hiring to serve you at your wedding?


This series of blogs covers key elements of vendors and what to look for when hiring. When the wedding is over and the cake and food are eaten, the tangible part of the wedding is the photos and videos. These precious memories should not be trusted to just anyone. A friend with a quality camera may be willing to memorialize your day, but the money invested in a photographer and videographer will be appreciated in the long run and may save hard feelings between friends if things do not go right.




Photographers record the wedding day in still pictures. The difference between a good photographer and a bad photographer is not measured in money, but in the quality of the pictures. I do not ever recommend going without a photographer but realize a good photographer is worth their weight in prints. Be sure to check out not only the portfolio of the photographers that you interview,but also call previous brides. If a bride is not happy with their photos, they will let you know in a heartbeat.



Videographers also record the wedding day. Be sure to verify how much footage is shot when signing the contract and what form the final product will delivered to you. A VHS tape is won't do much good when you only have a DVD player.


Copyrights are also an issue for both photographers and videographers. It is worth asking both of these professional who will retain the rights to the footage. In other words, are you going to be able to legally copy your wedding video to send a copy to your elderly grandfather that could not travel to your wedding or will you need to purchase additional copies? Will you need to track down the photographer to get more prints and how much will those prints cost? This may not seem important now, but in the future you may wish you had asked.


In the next installment: Venues

Do you know who you are hiring? Wedding vendors-part one.

Part one of a series: Wedding Vendors- What do you know about the people you are hiring to serve you at your wedding?


In the wedding industry, there are many names for many jobs. This series of blogs will cover key elements of vendors and what to look for when hiring. Hopefully, the information that I give to you will be of assistance and allow you to hire with confidence. Many people do not realize how many different vendors are used in a typical wedding day.

Wedding planner/wedding coordinator/wedding consultant/wedding designer- many in the industry use these names interchangeably. While there are subtle differences, there are differences. Many of these differences are based on the services provided.

Wedding consultants or planners may provide more information than physical services. They serve to assist with the direction of the necessities of the wedding.

• Wedding coordinators tend to take a more hands on approach to not only the wedding planning but also execution of the day by working closely with all of the vendors.


• Wedding designers are usually more interested in the look and feel of the wedding including the color scheme and design.


• Day-of coordinators are hired to manage the wedding for the day of the event. Many times they actually work for one to two weeks prior to the wedding to assure that they understand the contracted rolls of all of the other vendors.
  

An on-site coordinator (sometimes lovingly referred to as "the church lady") is hired by the venue to protect the interests of the venue. Her primary job is to keep the walls in one piece, show the venue to prospective clients, assure that the services contracted for are provided. They are lovely people in most cases that love weddings, but they are not individually contracted with the couple to provide services. The contract is with the venue. If circumstances change with the venue and the on-site coordinator leaves, any promises that you may make with her that are not in writing, may not be provided.

While these names may be used interchangeably by many people, asking someone that uses a specific name (such as wedding designer) may take offense if they are called a planner. Some vendors (such as a caterer or bridal salon associate) will use these names as add on titles for their rolls. While they may provide additional assistance with their individual portion of the wedding, rarely does this add on title replace the individual that is assigned to handle the details the day of the wedding.

There are many certification programs that are available to enterprising people wanting to break into the wedding industry. I highly recommend doing homework before jumping into this profession. For organized, creative people, it can be an outlet for the pent up energy and ideas to come to life bringing other people's dreams to reality.

In the next installment: Photographers and Videographers