“What Should We Do First?” ~ One Year Prior To Your Wedding (Philadelphia Event Planner)

My wedding is now just under one year away.  It’s time for me to get moving!  This led me to the idea for this blog.  One of the most common questions I get at my initial consultations is “What should we be doing first?  Are we too far ahead?  When should we send our save-the-dates? etc.”

SO… I have decided to put a little guide together, as I plan my own wedding, that readers can access to answer the question, “What should we do next?”.  This post will describe what you should be doing one year out.

First things first – Pick a date.

You can start by deciding what time of year/season appeals to you.  If there is no particular time of year that interests you, maybe pick a date that is symbolic to you as a couple (your first date, birthday, holiday, etc.).

When you choose your date be sure to consider the expectation for the weather, if there could be any conflicts for guests to attend, big sporting events (you don’t want to have to argue with your fiance over weather a tv should be added by the bar to watch the Phillies in game 7 of The World Series or the Eagles in the NFC Championship game), etc.

My fiance and I got engaged on October 18th, 2009.  We knew we would have a lot of saving to do, and both have very busy schedules, so we knew we needed at least a year.  A year would have obviously put us right back into October.  Although I enjoy the fall, I am much more of a spring/summer person.  We would have loved May or June, but during those months prices increase, so we went with the closest Saturday we could get and decided on April 30th, 2011.

Some other ways to play around with your date to save on expenses is to choose a Friday or Sunday wedding, which are becoming very popular.

Look for Inspiration

Start looking through Bridal magazines, watching wedding shows on tv, and surfing the internet to find your wedding style.  Get a binder and fill it with pictures you like.  Look for a common theme or two in the pictures.  This can help you to decide what type of venue you would like, the level of formality, color schemes, etc.  It will also help you describe to your planner the look you are going for.

Make AND Stick To Your Budget

This part is never fun, but is EXTREMELY important.  You need to know up front what you are willing to spend, and what you can afford.  Hiring a planner to assist you with this can be invaluable.  They will be able to tell you what is a realistic price for each professional you will need to hire in regards to your region/location, and can aid you in allocating your budget to the areas that are most important to you.

This is also a good time to have the “who will pay for what” discussion.  It is important to know if your families will be contributing, or if you will be funding all of the expenses on your own.  For more budget advice you can reference a former post Creating and Staying In Your Wedding Budget.

Who Makes The Cut

It’s no secret that weddings are a large expense.  Unless you have a money tree growing in your backyard, you have to cut your guest list somewhere.  Decide if you want a large wedding, or something more intimate.  The size of your guest list will also dictate what venue you can or can’t choose.

Start by drafting a list of everyone you would like to have at your wedding.  See what number you come up with.  Get some packages sent to you from a few venues you think you may be interested in.  Take the number of guests on your list, and multiply it by the average price per person on the packages you were sent from the venues.  If the number in your calculator is more then 40-50% of your wedding budget, you need to reduce your list.

Some ways to cut guests out, without hurting feelings, is to do it by category.  Start with children, and young adults.  Make a cut off point.  Perhaps you decide that there will be nobody under 18 invited.  If your count is still too high, move onto couples.  If they are not engaged, or in a serious relationship of a year or more, don’t give them a plus one on their invitation.  It seems hard, but people will understand, and if you follow the same rules for everyone, nobody can get upset.

Find the Perfect Venue

Start looking for your venue as soon as possible.  Depending on the time of year, and popularity of some venues, they can be booked a year or more in advance.  Look through the binder you have put together with all of the images you like to see what type of venue will fit your style, and the level of formality you want.  Be sure to read all policies and contracts in detail before committing to a venue.

Create your Wedding Registry

It’s never to early to create your wedding registry, even if you are having a two year engagement.  It can be used not only for wedding and shower gifts, but for your engagement party, and even holidays and birthdays leading up to your big day if you handle it properly.  Don’t send everyone a message around the holidays to let them know you would like a gift from your registry, but if they ask what you would like you can reference it.  The earlier you create your registry, the better the chance you have of getting everything on it.

Begin Searching for Wedding Professionals

Start looking for your photographer, videographer, and entertainment.  If you are trying to decide which to start with first, consider what is most important to you at your wedding and start there.  Schedule appointments to meet with each professional, and ask as many questions as you can.  You can never be too informed when making important decisions for your wedding.

These are the things you should be working on one year from your wedding.  Getting a strong start on your planning will make the months leading up to your wedding less hectic.  The next milestone is 9 months out.

Think Big ~ EventQuip (Philadelphia Event Planner)

Donald Trump has been a public icon that I have followed closely since the beginning of my college career, when I really became interested in Business.  I many times find myself mesmorized by his ability to make deals, run effective organizations, and strive for excellence in every aspect of his brand.  In my career, if I can master half of his magnificence and business sense I will retire feeling successful.  One of my favorite books by Mr. Trump is Think Big.

Last week I had the opportunity to visit EventQuip in Lansdale.  During the tour of their facility, I couldn’t help but think of “The Donald”.  Everything EventQuip does is BIG.  Their organizational skills are incredible.  I have never seen such a multitude of equipment so neatly arranged, and efficiently categorized.  EVERYTHING was in place.  There was not so much as a single bolt lying on the floor.  As the tour continued I began to feel as though I was going through Willy Wonka’s Choclate Factory.  I was beyond impressed.  My favorite part of the tour was seeing the washing machine they use for the tents.  It looked just like the one I have at home, except about 65 times bigger and made of what appeared to be a steel-like material.

As Michael Sardanopoli, my gracious tour guide, explained the procedures they follow it became clear to me why EventQuip is known as “thee” tenting company in the Philadelphia area and surrounding counties.  Every  precaution imaginable is taken to insure the saftey of their clients and their guests/customers.  There is never a detail overlooked.  If Mr. Trump where looking to buy into the tenting industry, I would be sure to let him know where to start

Hats off to Ed Knight, Michael Sardonopoli, and the entire staff of EventQuip for creating and maintaining such a cohesively and efficiently run organization!

www.EventQuip.com

Real Weddings 2009 Survey Results (Philadelphia, New Jersey Event Planner)

Real Weddings conducted a nationwide survey which included over 21,000 couples that were married in the US in 2009.  The results along with the interpretation are very interesting and informative.  If you are a former bride who was married in Philadelphia and you are reading this blog DON’T PANIC when you see the numbers mentioned in this report.  Keep in mind these are national averages.  It’s ok if you paid $1200.00 for your Wedding DJ and the report states the 2009 price as $892.00.  We are in a highly populated city, where costs of living are higher then in some other areas of the country like Arkansas or Idaho.

Here is the link to the article discussing the results.  It touches on many areas including budgets, number of attendees, music, the use of planners, cakes, etc.  Enjoy!

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Knot-Unveils-2009-Real-bw-2004126660.html?x=0&.v=1

You Get What You Pay For With A “Virtual Event Planner”(Philadelphia, New Jersey, Event Planner)

I am a faithful reader of Real Simple Magazine.  They always have great products to promote, recipes to share, and new uses for old household items.  While reading through the February issue something caught my attention in their article titled 9 PROBLEM SOLVERS OF THE MONTH.  Number 8 is listed Mypunchbowl.com.  So I began to read the description, and became immediately disgruntled .  The description reads as follows:

“Need a virtual event plannerto organize your sister’s baby shower (turned thunderstorm)?  This party-savvy website allows potential attendees to vote on the best date, creates online invitations, and helps you find a theme, a venue, a caterer, and more, leaving you ample time to shop for Onesies”

I took a look at www.mypunchbowl.com.  It is a great resource for gathering ideas, getting some inspiration for your event, creating gift registries, etc, much like weddingwire.com, theknot.com, and many others.  You can find unique favors, fun themes, and even create some online save the dates to send to your guests.  Online event resources are very useful, and neccessary.  According to recent studies 94% of brides will use the internet at some point when planning their wedding.  So you may be thinking “So what is my issue then?”  Here is my issue. . .

My anger stems from the wording “virtual event planner”.  There can not and will never be a virtual event planner.  A virtual event guide, yes.  A virtual event resource, yes.  But a virtual event planner, no.

An event planner/wedding planner has progressed from a luxury to a necessity in todays society.  An event planner is an extremely creative  individual who is knowledgable in todays styles, trends, and etiquitte.  The major job of an event planner is to get to know their client personally by learning their wants, likes, and needs, and to then take that information and match it with the industry professionals that will fit into their criteria, in addition to having compatible personalities.  Please show me a computer that can do that.

Using the wording “virtual event planner” gives readers the impression that they can go onto this website for free and use their resources in place of hiring a professional event consultant.  I stated earlier what you will get on this website.  Here is what you will not get.

• You will not get the organizational skills of a professional to tell you how the flow of your event timeline should go to optimize your guests enjoyment.
• You will not get a professional on site the day of your event to fix a last minute emergency should things go wrong.
• You will not get access to a planners industry connections that they spend hours each week building so that their clients can get the best value for their money.
• You will not get a professional to look over your event contract and make sure you have not been overcharged, taxed on non taxable items, or that important elements have not been left out.
• You will not get to have a stress free day that you can enjoy every minute of knowing that there is a professional seeing that everything goes as planned.

Please take the previous points into consideration when trying to decide whether or not to plan your event on your own, with simply a computer.  Use these sites for what they are created for, ideas, inspiration, and a good starting point.  The cost of event professional pays itself after all the tragedies averted, budgets kept, and the value of professional service is accounted for.

Tips for Shopping for Wedding Gowns (Philadelphia, New Jersey Event Planner)

As women, most of us love to shop.  Shopping for your wedding gown is one of the very exciting items on your wedding to-do list, but it can also become stressful.  One of the main problems that I see in wedding planning today is not the issue of being able to find ideas and information, it is information overload.  You can type “wedding gowns” into your web browser and come up with enough results to be searching through them for weeks, and become so overwhelmed that you feel like you are right back where you started.  A current Events by Monroe client has been facing some stress in finding a dress, so she is our inspiration behind putting this article together for our readers  

Read these tips, and complete these tasks BEFORE you go shopping, and it will save you time, stress, and aggrivation. 

1. Consider the style and tone of your event.  Is it a beach wedding?  A black tie affair?  A reception in a restored barn with an outdoor cocktail hour?  This is the first thing to consider.  You may have had a vision in your head of what your dream wedding dress would look like since you were 5 years old, but will it match the look you are going for.  If your wedding is on the less formal side, a knee length dress would be appropriate.  If you are holding a black tie wedding go for a beautiful formal gown.   If you are holding your reception in a restored barn, maybe you are going for a vintage look.  Whatever the style of your wedding, your dress should reflect that.
2. Consider your timeframe.  You will want to order your wedding dress approximately six months prior to the wedding, so nine months in advance can be a good time to begin shopping.  If you are doing a last minute wedding, or are already beyond this time don’t panic!  You can still get your dress in time, there just may be a few additional charges for the faster service.
3. Make sure you are comfortable.  Although a dress may look phenomenal on you, if it is not comfortable it will affect the fun of your day.  If you love to dance and plan on moving around a lot make sure your dress can handle that when you are trying it on.  You dont want to have to be tugging your dress up all day, or adjusting it so the zipper will stop poking you in the side.
4. Consider your shape.  Men have the luxury of knowing what size they are, going into a store for jeans, picking up a 34×34, continuing to the register and out the door, without even a glimpse of worry over whether they are going to fit.  Infortunately, us ladies don’t have that luxury.  Every designer is different in sizing/styles as well as what shapes their clothes will fit.  Pull out your photo ablbums and start looking through formal events you have gone to in the past.  See if there is a pattern in the style of dress you usually buy.  As you are looking through the photos consider which of these dresses you felt the most confidant and beautiful in.  After this exercise you should have a guideline of the type of dress you would like to look for.  You can also look through the bridal magazines and websites for advice on what shapes look good in what types of dresses.
5. If you have a day you can take off of work, or a day your office is closed during the week try to shop then.  It is easier to have a salespersons full attention during the week, rather then a Saturday when the store is busy.
6. Money Saving Tips.  There are many ways to save on your bridal gown.  You do NOT have to spend thousands of dollars if you can’t afford to.  You can look for sample sales or floor models that are being discounted.  There are often one day trunk sales that travel around who often have sales.  Although it may seem odd many designers will try to sell their dresses on ebay for a great discount.  You can find some hidden treasures in consignment shops.  You can also find bridesmaids dresses in white or an off white shade that you may love (nobody has to know).
7. Sizing.  Wedding gowns run small so don’t be alarmed if your gown is larger then your normal size.  Also every designer is different.  Sales people at the stores should know how each designers dress will fit.

Here are just a few tips.  All wedding websites also have a plethora of information for you to read about gown shopping.  Feel free to contact us with your specific questions we can advise you on.  Happy Shopping!

Creating and Staying In Your Wedding Budget (Philadelphia, New Jersey, Wedding Planner)

Here is the ugly truth:  The average wedding costs $27,000.00 .  Ok, now that we got that out of the way, what can you do about it?  Don’t panic, you can definitely have a beautiful wedding for less then that, you just need to do your research, find out what your price range is, and make sure you stay within your budget.

Creating a budget is probably the least fun thing you are going to do for the wedding, with the exception of any religious classes you may have to take .  Although it may not be a party, it is extremely important.  Without creating a budget, you may get half way through your planning and run out of money.  There are lots of sites with budget trackers that you can use to create, record payments, and update to stay on target.  These are great to be used as a guideline, but be sure to consider your geographic location also.  The numbers they project are based on the national average.  If you are living in a booming city like New York, or a very small town in Wyoming, you may have to adjust these projections up or down accordingly.  Below are some guidelines you can follow to get yourself started on creating a reasonable, and workable budget.

• Start by finding out who is paying/ how the bill is being paid.  Are you paying it all by yourself?  Are parents or friends pitching in?  If so, what are they offering to help with?  It is not wrong to discuss this with your families, if you expect they will be helping.  Knowing up front what they plan to contribute, or how, will help you to create your budget.
• What is most important to you for your wedding?  The gown?  The location? The food?  The entertainment?  Knowing this will help you to see where you want to splurge, and what areas you will need to cut back on.  Here is a general percentage breakdown of a wedding budget.

Reception – 40% – 50%

Attire – 10%

Photo and Video  – 8% – 12%

Music – 6% – 8%

Flowers & Decor – 6% – 8%

Stationary – 3% – 5%

Rings – 2%

Transportation – 2%

Gifts – 2% – 3%

Ceremony – 1% – 3%

Misc Costs – 5%

• Once you have your priorities you can adjust this breakdown to fit your needs.  If you decor is important to you but food and drink is not, you could take 5% from the catering and add it to decor.

The most important advice I can give, is once you have decided on your budget, stick to it.  Many of the wedding professionals you meet with will try to get you to upgrade.  Let them know your budget up front, and if they try to talk you into spending more, simply remind them of your budget and be firm.  With careful calculation, and good planning you will be able to have your day the way you want it, for an amount you can afford

With Love, Philadelphia xoxo

As many of you know, I graduated from Temple University with my degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management, which means there are many things that interest me beyond event planning.  Tourism is one of them, and we are in the perfect location for it.  When you live in Philadelphia, I think sometimes you forget how much our city has to offer both residents and tourists.  I love the GPTMC’s (Greater Philadlphia Tourism Marketing Corporation) recent campagin.  It is titled “With Love, Philadelphia xoxo”.  The campaign started in May 2009, and every time I see the latest creation of it I have to laugh.  I received one of the ads in the mail which inspired this post.  The campaign is the GPTMC’s recessionary attempt to promote the tourism of Philadelphia and overnight stays.  They have many different ads that they have created to appeal to many different audiences, all with a common theme.  Each of the ads is a letter addressed to someone and written by “Philadelphia” itself.  The letters are really very comical, and each one entices people to travel and visit our great city. 

There are 54 unique executions of the idea (letters from Philadelphia) which include :

• Dear World Champions
• Dear Guys who like guys and Girls who like Girls
• Dear Schools out for Summer
• AND MY FAVORITE – Dear Guy Who Claims He Never Cried During Rocky IV – http://bit.ly/63rFDc you have to look at it.  It’s very funny.

The agency responsible for creating this great campaign is Red Tettemer.  The campaign is running in Philadelphia, New York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Washington, and Nationally online.  The total cost of the campaign is $1.4 million and is being funded by the 1.2 % tax increase on hotel rooms which was approved by the Mayor of Philadelphia, the City Council, and supported by Governor Ed Rendell. 

I believe this campaign is coming to an end or has recently ended.  I can’t wait to see what the city comes up with next.

Great Wedding Resource! (Philadelphia, New Jersey Event Planner)

I have recently become more acquainted with Wedding Wire, a great resource that I am now using on a daily basis.  It is a great site that you can use to search for various types of professionals to assist you with your event.  It also has a multitude of useful tools to help you stay organized and on track with all the planning for your event.  They are very interactive on Facebook and Twitter, where they keep you posted on all their latest tips and advice.  You can now find Events by Monroe, LLC as a listed event professional on Wedding Wire, as well as Best Philadelphia Weddings, and Martha Stewart Weddings.  We are very excited to be expanding.  I hope you get some use out of these sites and the great tools that they offer!

Martha Stewart Weddings ONLINE Bridal Expo (Philadelphia, New Jersey, Event Planner)

Thanks to technology, and Martha Stewart , you can now attend a Bridal Expo in your pajamas, from your home computer.  This weekend, November 14th and November 15th from 11:00am – 4:00pm, MarthaStewartWeddings.com will be hosting a Luxury Bridal Expo right in your internet browser.

The expo will have virtual booths manned by live wedding professionals, to assist you and answer your questions.  You will also be able to chat with industry experts and magazine experts.  The main event will be a presentation called Wedding 101 which will discuss the basics of wedding planning.

Finally, there will of course be fun sweepstakes and giveaways to participate in for all attendees.

Exciting News! (Philadelphia, New Jersey Event Planner)

So.  . . as promised, here is the big announcement.  About two weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went out to dinner, and he proposed to me!  Of course I said yes!  We are both very excited.  I wanted to find a way to make this an exciting  adventure for all of my readers also, and here is what I came up with . . .

From now until the wedding I will be writing about all the details of our planning, no matter how big or small, exciting or aggrevating    You will all be able to follow along with all of the decisions we face, and I will even be taking polls to let you help us to decide on many things.  We would also love to hear any feedback and comments you have regarding our big day! 

So. . . now you will not only be staying up to date on all the latest trends and advancements in the event industry, but you will actually get to help in planning my wedding!  I can’t wait to start.