Posts Tagged ‘wedding etiquette’

Should I hire a wedding coordinator?

austin_wedding_expo_2014Recently, I attended the Austin Wedding Expo and heard many great speakers talk about goal setting, marketing ideas, SEO tips, etc. One of the most interesting comments I heard there was by one of the speakers who stated, “Based on case studies, brides wish they would have hired a wedding planner (after the fact).” Hearing that is so frustrating as a wedding consultant in San Antonio, Texas. I went up to the speaker after the presentation and asked, “Well, how do you convince the bride BEFORE the wedding just how important planners are?” That’s a hard question to answer! Some brides will never get it but there is that small percentage that DO (thank you!). Here is a list of reasons to consider using a wedding planner & if hiring a wedding coordinator is the way to go – maybe I can convince those other brides.

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  • Have you planned a wedding before? There is a lot that goes into it…someone experienced can guide you and save you a lot of time trying to figure it all out. Have you thought about your plan B if it rains or who is going to move all those chairs from the ceremony to the reception? I have! How much time goes into planning a typical wedding (10 months prior)? “Say I spend 5 hours a week thinking about, researching for and crafting the wedding – which is probably a conservative estimate. At 5 hours a week, 40 weeks of planning = 200 hours,” blog from Wedding Bee, Time Well Spent. http://www.weddingbee.com/2008/11/06/time-well-spent/#ixzz3AIcX5ktk. Do you have this much time to plan? Wedding coordinators can cut that time in half!

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  • If you opt to hire a wedding planner, you can focus on the fun details of planning the wedding while your wedding planner takes care of the technicalities. Do you really want to spend time on the phone with transportation companies and hotels?

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  • I understand that planning your dream wedding is not cheap and you want a good deal on everything or you just don’t budget for it at all – like coordinators. However, couples need to keep in mind that this is one of the biggest days of their lives. I’ve been married for over 14 years and I still think back on all the details and the things I should have done for my wedding…I have regrets! I don’t want you to have regrets too! We really are essential for ensuring a smooth and stress-free day! Trust me, we are worth every penny!

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  • Do you think that your family, friends and wedding party really want to be given tasks to do for your wedding? They may say they would love to help but is it really fair to ask them to do all this manual labor work? Wouldn’t you much rather have them around you relaxing and enjoying one another’s company as they come together to celebrate this very special day with you? Think about those memories!! A coordinator’s job is to make sure all these tasks are done so others can relax too.

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  • So, going back to my question…how do I convince bride’s that consultants really are essential to have BEFORE their wedding? Here’s some reasons…vendor recommendations, give advice, review contracts (it seems like I always catch something), create timelines (I give one to the DJ, caterer & bride), do the leg work (calling vendors), attend rehearsal (make sure everyone knows what to do), pin boutonnieres & pass out flowers, ensure vendors arrive & set up, manage the entire event from start to finish, take care of problems (At one wedding I coordinated the toilet was overflowing in the bathroom….there I was with a plunger and cleaning up the floor so others wouldn’t slip – the bride never knew this!), load up cars with gifts and couple’s items, make sure vendors clean up (I want you to get your deposit back) plus so much more.

Consultants put in hours and hours of their time for each and every wedding they assist with. We love what we do and are passionate about it! I hope you will consider hiring an expert. I hope this blog has helped convince brides-to-be. If you need consulting or invitation services please contact Trudy Scott, 210-595-9263 or info@royaltyeventparties.com. I service the San Antonio, Texas area.

Follow Up: I posted this blog on a Linked In Wedding Group and here are some comments I received. Pretty interesting….https://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=86275&type=member&item=5906130834867372036&commentID=5906532529652912128&report%2Esuccess=8ULbKyXO6NDvmoK7o030UNOYGZKrvdhBhypZ_w8EpQrrQI-BBjkmxwkEOwBjLE28YyDIxcyEO7_TA_giuRN#commentID_5906532529652912128

 

 

 

Wedding Etiquette: Who Pays for What?

While it used to be the tradition for the bride’s family to pay for the wedding, that’s no longer the case. Figuring out who will pay for what can be an etiquette dilemma. Here’s how to approach the subject.

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  • Be realistic: It’s possible to have a fabulous wedding on any size budget, and you’ll be much less stressed if you go into planning being realistic. Think about what you and your fiance can realistically spend yourselves and work within that figure.
  • Be grateful: When you announce your engagement, your families might offer to pay for specific parts of your wedding. Don’t take this for granted, and be thankful. It might mean relinquishing control over part of the planning, so decide which is more important to you — the help paying or the control.
  • When in doubt, ask: If you aren’t sure whether your family has money set aside for your big day, ask them. It’s far better to have one slightly awkward conversation before you start planning than to find yourself in huge amounts of debt because you didn’t.

Whether you’re paying for your wedding or it’s a group effort, working with a wedding planner can help you save money. To find out more about how I can help plan your San Antonio wedding, give me a call today (210-595-9263) or get in touch through my website!

Wedding Planning Etiquette: The Invitations

Planning your wedding is full of etiquette questions. This week I’m taking a look at the questions that come up in regards to invitations.

After you’ve created your guest list, you’ll need to let them know you want them at your wedding. While you might be excited to let everyone know about your big day, you should wait until six to eight weeks before your wedding to send out the actual invitations. If you want to send something out earlier, consider save the date cards.

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Your invitation choice should reflect the style of your wedding, as they will give guests a hint about what they can expect on the big day. The invitations should also provide them with all the information they need to attend your wedding. This includes the basics, like date and location, but also details such as places to stay and dress code.

If you are planning a wedding website, use it to provide additional or non-essential information. Remember that many older family members won’t be comfortable finding everything out online. This is why it’s so important to have the vital details in the paper invitation.

Your invitations are a special piece of stationery, and your guests will be honored to receive them. To find out more about how to handle the etiquette of your invitations, or for help planning your San Antonio wedding, give me a call (210-595-9263) or contact me online.

Wedding Planning Etiquette: The Guest List

As you plan your wedding, you’ll come up against all sorts of etiquette questions. From who to invite to how to invite them, I’ll be tackling the most common dilemmas over the coming weeks. This week, I’m taking a look at guest lists.

Creating your guest list is something you’ll need to do early, and can be a huge struggle. First off, find out how many guests you can invite. This can be determined by the budget and your venue’s capacity.

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It can be helpful to write down a big list of possible invitees, then put them into A, B, and C lists. The A list should be close family and best friends who are must-invites. The B list is your close friends and more distant family. The C list should include co-workers and others who you could cut from the guest list more easily.

At the end of the day, your guest list should be the people you most want to spend your wedding day with. If you and your fiance disagree about the guest list, talk about why you want to invite (or don’t want to invite) a particular person. In general, you shouldn’t invite any exes, or anyone who will make either of you uncomfortable.

If you’re planning an intimate wedding, be ready to explain this to friends who might feel slighted, but don’t give out invitations to anyone you don’t want to be there! If you do want more people than you can really afford, consider offering invitations to the evening celebration, where guests can pay for their own drinks.

For more advice about creating your guest list, give me a call today (212-595-9263) or contact me through my website.

Check back next week for my advice about invitations, including how to handle plus ones and kids!

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