Tuesday, November 25, 2008
After having a discussion at lunch with one of my favorite photographers, I realized that the engagement portrait session isn’t just for the couple to show off their love for each other. It is also a time for the photographer to see your personalities, get a feel for your style and build a rapport with you. It makes their job on your wedding day so much easier because they feel as if they already know you. Based on your personalities they start getting ideas of things they’d like to do or shoot for your big day. It will also give you an idea of their work prior to your wedding. So if at all possible, make sure to do an engagement session with your photographer. You’ll be happy you did.
You can incorporate your engagment photos in a variety of ways for your wedding. Why not add them to your save the dates or wedding website which is a great way for those who have not met your fiance(e) to get a look at them 
 
{both images from minted.com}
Make a photo book for guests to sign in lieu of a guest book like this one from Michelle & Lawrence’s wedding.
Use them on guest tables as your table numbers/names like these from Joe & Kerry’s wedding.
Lastly, use them in a signature mat like these from April & Joshua’s wedding.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
I watched a re-run of Whose Wedding Is It Anyway last night and one of the planners said she’s done over 8,000 weddings. Huh??? That number seemed ridiculously high. The Accountant in me had to try doing the math and the results were startling. Basically, she was exaggerating…to say the least. I thought I should post about this because couples need to know the character of the planners they meet with. If a planner tells you something like this then I would wonder what else they are exaggerating about.
Here’s the math to prove my point:
Scenario #1
52 weeks in a year
3 days in a weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
2 weddings on each of those days
= 25.64 years
Or
Scenario #2
52 weeks in a year
7 days a week
2 weddings each of those days
= 11 years
In the first scenario, she’d have to do 2 weddings each of the 3 days in a weekend every single weekend for almost 26 years straight to do 8,000 weddings. If she’s around 40 years old (like the planner on last night’s episode appeared to be) she would’ve had to start at age 14. In the second scenario she’d have to do 2 weddings EVERY SINGLE DAY for 11 years straight.
Do you see the point I’m making? Please do your homework when selecting your wedding vendors.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
I’m sure all of us on the East Coast were affected by hurricane/tropical storm Hanna’s down pour, gusty winds and humidity. I had site visits down in PG County with a client yesterday. Let’s just say I left Baltimore with my hair still nicely done but returned home with a poofy, uncurled hairdo. The Old South Country Club was gorgeous and definitely lives up to its name. It has a very old south, Charleston, SC feel. The front of the venue will be great for bridal party pictures.
Fortunately, we didn’t have any weddings yesterday but September is a popular month for weddings so I know Hanna caused less than desirable weather for couples…especially those who had their hearts set on an outdoor ceremony or reception. We have done our fair share of outdoor weddings and one thing we REQUIRE is a “Plan B” just in case the weather decides not to cooperate with our client’s dream wedding day. We’ve had some reluctant couples who feel they can wish, will or pray for good weather but I am always the voice of reason.
Although most couples don’t expect a hurricane in our area, rain is a definite possibility. Whether you’re planning on your own or have a wedding planner or DOC, this is a topic that should be discussed and planned for. There’s nothing worst than frantically trying to come up with a secondary game plan the day of your wedding.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I recently attended a wedding (as a guest) and one of the biggest mistakes that stood out to me was the wedding coordinator butchering the bridal party introductions. It has always been a pet peeve of mine when someone mispronounces my name (this was more common before I got married since my maiden name was much harder to figure out than Kennedy).
My remedy for this is to print a sheet with all of the attendants’ names and the phonetic spelling beside it so that the DJ (or myself) will pronounce their names correctly. The usual culprits are last names but there are several first names that fall into this category too. For example the first name “Andrea”. It can be pronounced An-dree-yah, An-drey-yah, Ahn-dree-yah or Ahn-drey-yah. There is a planner in the Phoenix area whose first name is “Liene” which looks like Lee-in to me but it’s actually pronounced Lynn.
What’s the hardest bridal party name I’ve had to figure out how to pronounce? That would have to be Keuhne (pronounced Key-knee) and my all time favorite Stachelcyk (prounounced Sta-hell-check).
See the picture below for an idea of what you can provide to your DJ. Click to enlarge (the actual names have been abbreviated for this purpose).
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
I meet other planners from all across the country. We become friends, share ideas, successes, etc. We also share horror stories. Recently one of my wedding planning friends/colleagues shared a story with me of an initial consultation she had with a couple. They’d originally hired another planner as a day-of coordinator for their 400 guest wedding which also included a very large bridal party. The planner told them she’d been in business almost 10 years. She agreed to do elaborate set-up, provide vendor referrals, attend vendor meetings, provide décor design and the list goes on and on…as a Day-Of Coordinator…red flag# 1. She agreed to do all of this for $1,500…red flag#2. She also showed them very few pictures of her work…red flag# 3. She doesn’t have a professional website but instead has a MySpace page…red flag# 4.
2 months before their wedding they realized that not much had been done so they started their search for a wedding planner all over again. Enter my friend. After only 10 minutes into the meeting, it becomes very clear to them that their previous planner (and I use that term loosely) had no idea what she was doing. They hired my friend and her role for the next 2 months was not only that of a Wedding Planner but Clean-up Woman and Damage Control Expert too.
I know I’ve said before that “you get what you pay for” but this goes beyond that. Planners (or should I say so called planners), this is not a game!! I cannot stress this more. You are playing with a couples’ wedding day! A day that they cannot do over. A day that they have dreamed of for months, sometimes years. A day that they have spent thousands of dollars on. This is someone’s life and it is not to be taken lightly.
Couples, please, please, please realize that there are some professional planners out there AND there are some inexperienced planners out there who are not forthcoming about their lack of experience. So do your homework. Ask for references and actually call or email them. No website, no portfolio, promises the world for a very low price…these are all red flags. This is different from those planners who let you know upfront that they are just starting out (everyone starts somewhere). It is then your choice to take a chance with them. But this post is regarding planners that don’t tell their clients that they are guinea pigs.
Okay, I just stepped down from my soap box.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Thinking of having your wedding ceremony performed by a friend who became ordained online? You may want to think twice about that idea! Some states may not recognize your union. Click here to read more from the New York Times article published August 5, 2007.
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