Posted by Patti Wellington on Sat, Jan 02, 2010 @ 02:15 PM
Here is something I found on Youtube that will help you create your own wedding planner.
It's a great video, although I strongly disagree with the first statement about not hiring a wedding planner; this will give you an idea of all the work that goes into planning your wedding and will help with your organizing if you decide not to use a planner.
Posted by Patti Wellington on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 @ 10:44 AM
Congratulations on your engagement!
Here is the second in a three-part series that will provide the newly engaged wedding couple with some tips on getting the wedding planning off to a good start.
It’s now time for some shameless self-promotion – this is the moment when I highly recommend hiring a professional to assist you with your wedding planning (after figuring out how much money you have to spend). And here are some really great reasons why you should invest in a wedding planner to help with your wedding:
- Save time – Planning a wedding takes enormous amount of time; it takes the average couple over 200 hours to plan their wedding. Hiring a wedding coordinator will save you time (and energy) not only by researching and interviewing vendors but also by taking care of the many, many details and coming up with imaginative ideas to make your wedding unique and wonderful experience.
- Save money – You’ll soon find out that weddings are tremendously expensive. According to Wedding Bells magazine, the average cost of a wedding in 2009 was $19,274. Hiring a wedding planner can save a great deal of money - since wedding planners provide so much business to vendors, they are often able to negotiate discounts, passing them on to their clients. Wedding planners are great at setting budgets and sticking to them. Their vast experience will also stop you from making costly mistakes.
- Family Referee - Weddings are a very stressful time and can cause arguments between couples (and family and friends). A wedding planner can be proactive and provide advice to avoid problems before they happen; even if problems do come up, they are able to mediate disagreements. Your wedding planner can also lend a “shoulder to cry on” to support you during the hectic days.
- Experience - wedding planners have coordinated countless weddings and know exactly what works and what doesn’t. They'll act as the “go to person.” A wedding can have up to 22 different vendors - add in the wedding party and all of the wedding guests and that is a lot of people pulling on the bride! When you hire a wedding coordinator, you can simply tell others to “talk to the wedding planner!” This minimizes your stress and maximizes your fun. A wedding planner ensures that you will have a worry-free and stress-free wedding, allowing you to enjoy your day like your guests!
If you want to talk more about your plans and how I can help, e-mail me or give me a call and I'll be happy to discuss anything about your wedding with you - weddings@occasionsniagara.com
Posted by Patti Wellington on Mon, Dec 28, 2009 @ 01:58 PM
Here is the first in a three-part series that will provide the newly engaged wedding couple with some tips on getting the wedding planning off to a good start.
Congratulations, you’re engaged. The first thing you should do is talk with each set of parents and find out if either would like to assist financially with the wedding; this way you know exactly where your finances are coming from and how much you will have to spend on your wedding – which is a really good place to start.
Here are some tips on handling the Family Meeting
- Meet with each other’s side individually; this will help avoid any awkward moments for both families involved. Money is always a tricky subject to discuss, let alone in front of your parents/soon to be in-laws.
- Some couples choose to discuss their parent’s financial contribution in private without the fiancé in attendance; your fiancé could do the same thing with his/her parents. Sometimes these conversations can get a bit heated and it may be best for them not to see your parents in that light.
- If the parents have decided to help with the wedding costs, talk about a total amount of money they will contribute to the wedding instead of them committing to paying for the dress and alcohol at the reception.
- Have your parents provide you with their wedding guest list and tell them to put an asterisk beside the “must attend” names; this way they’ll make the cut no matter what. Try and put all of the wedding guest names and addresses into Excel; this spreadsheet you produce will help throughout the wedding planning process.
- Ask the parents what is important to them on the wedding day. Knowing this information in advance will help avoid disputes throughout the wedding planning process.
Note: If you (the bride and groom) decide to pay for all the wedding expenses yourselves, then the above information will not pertain to you. You’ll be allowed to plan the wedding of your dreams based on the budget you both decide on. The upside to all this will be that you won’t have anyone telling you what you should and shouldn't do at your wedding, which will help elevate a lot of stress from your wedding planning.
Do you have any questions or want more information about wedding planning? E-mail them to me and I'll contact you with an answer. Who knows, I might even write an article on it and post it in my blog. weddings@occasionsniagara.com
Posted by Patti Wellington on Sun, Dec 27, 2009 @ 09:23 AM
Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2010
Will you be getting engaged over the holidays?
As you begin to plan you 2010 wedding keep in mind these top trends you'll see next spring and summer. Wedding Cakes with buttercream icing is very important to couples in 2010. Also, the natural organic green color is very popular. Home / backyard weddings are upcoming trends for the new wedding season.
1. Basics
Wedding details will be the center of attention this year. It will be the base of the event, not the drama or opulence of the evening. Consider spending more on the lasting memories than the showmanship of the event. Spend a bit more than the average budget allowance on photography rather than abundant floral. Or think about a longer stay on your honeymoon and a little less of a party at the reception and you'll be thankful for your decision in the end.
2. Home / Backyard Weddings
Intimate and personal affairs at home are becoming very popular and bigger than ever. It's really the essence of a personalized wedding day experience.
Smaller size guest lists, more intimate settings, grass roots weddings, elegant and detail driven, but in no way small on what counts.
3. Buttercream for Icing
Fondant is falling behind (due to the taste), but buttercream is making a huge comeback in the market. Most cake designers can smooth out buttercream so that it looks like fondant but the taste is so creamy and decedent. Overall, buttercream is a much better flavor, and has more natural ingredients. Some designers charge a lot less for buttercream.
4. Wedding Favors
Personalized favors are back in a big way. Guests always notice when couples don't put a lot of thought into the favor. Show how grateful you both are to those in attendance. Think outside the box. - local artisans, locally grown products and personal mementos.
5. Local Wedding Destinations
The popular destination wedding will remain high on most couples priority list, but couples are selecting locations that are within driving distance. This way couples can create a wedding weekend. Having a more local wedding will not only allow all guests to attend, it supports the local economy and helps the environment.
6. Colors
Monochromatic palettes - single color bunches. Vibrant shades of orange, green, yellow, and pink. Metallic colors such as gold, silver, copper, and pewter are still very popular. Black is always in for weddings, mostly attire.
7. Green Weddings
Couples want an "eco-friendly" wedding. They are making small changes, but getting big results. We are recommending the venue to clean the property with green cleaning products, all lighting should be LED, and all food leftovers should be composted. Also, having the caterer/Chef prepare food using local and organic ingredients. All stationary should be printed on recycled paper.
8. Video and Digital New-Age Ideas
Everyone has seen the photo /video montages of your childhoods during dinner, but the next phase in video at your event comes in several different forms. Wedding ceremonies are being broadcasted on screens for better viewing from the back of the venue; also they are sent over the internet to guests who cannot attend the event. Time lapse photography is being shot and integrated into video for current day montages of you and your fiancé. The photographer and Videographer are setting up cranes with cameras and projecting the event as it unfolds on screens around the dance floor.
9. HD Video
Videographers have already switched to hi-def camera equipment. Next year all or most will make such a transition, making HD and even Blu Ray the norm in wedding videography. Upgrade now and be thankful for the quality later. This also means smaller cameras on site and less infringement into your event, all around a better option on the big day.
10. Visual Combinations - "Fusion"
Professional grade still photo cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II DSLR have been released with HD video capabilities. It is a great idea to have both services at your wedding to capture every moment of the big day. Tech-savvy brides looking for a new experience, may like to experiment with a visual professional (videographer or photographer) who has this technology. In the future, you will begin to see an emergence of two-in-one companies.
Do you have any questions or want more information about wedding planning? E-mail them to me and I'll contact you with an answer. Who knows, I might even write an article on it and post it in my blog. weddings@occasionsniagara.com
Posted by Patti Wellington on Sun, Dec 27, 2009 @ 09:09 AM
Through my years of wedding planning (I'm going into my 14th wedding season this coming year), I've found that unexpected things are going to happen on the wedding day. The best way to be prepared for it is to be prepared; Here's a peek into my Wedding Day Emergency Kit and how to make it work for you:
Wedding Day Emergency Kit
Try to purchase a large cosmetics bag or case and fill it with all your bridal basics. Put someone in charge of the bag (your mother, your maid of honour or a bridesmaid). Find a good place to store the case - a person's car, a private change room, or your hotel room You don't want them to have to carry your bag all day, but you want to make sure to have easy access to your kit.
Here is what you'll need
* Mini sewing kit for accidental rips and tears
* Ivory or white thread to match your wedding gown
* Small scissors to snip at loose threads
* Chalk that matches your gown colour, to cover stains
* Fabric stain remover such as Shout Wipes for larger spills
* Safety pins and straight pins to secure boutonnieres
* Two-sided fabric tape to secure garments
* Small lint brush
* Quick drying glue for broken tiara or busted shoe heels
* An extra pair of stockings or pantyhose, in case of tears
* Clear nail polish to quickly fix torn pantyhose, if changing them is not an option.
* Breath freshening strips such as Listerine PocketPaks or mints
* Lipstick or lip gloss, and a mirrored compact
* Make-up blotting paper such as Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets
* Extra bobby pins and hair pins
* Toothpicks or dental floss sticks
* Nail file and nail polish in your wedding-day colour, for last-minute manicure fixes
* Sample-sized bottle of perfume, to refresh your fragrance
* Clear elastics can serve multiple purposes
* Straws to sip beverages without ruining your lipstick
* Cotton swabs to fix eye make-up in a pinch
* Small bottle of hair spray to secure rebellious locks
* Any other hair and make-up product you can't live without.
* Tampons
* Deodorant
* Advil/Tylenol/Motrin
* Alka-Seltzer
* Tums
* Band-aids
* Visine
* Purell
* Spare set of contact lenses
* Contact solution
* Slippers
* Extra pair of fancy shoes to hide under dress
* Vendor phone numbers
* Cell phone
* CD with your most important wedding music
* Spare copy of your speech
* Extra copy of guest list and seating charge
* Money / Credit cards
Do you have any questions or want more information about wedding planning? E-mail them to me and I'll contact you with an answer. Who knows, I might even write an article on it and post it in my blog - weddings@occasionsniagara.com