Does your wedding planner have a back up?

We all agree hiring a wedding planner can ease a lot of stress, especially the weekend of you wedding. What happens when something happens to your wedding planner? There have been instances where colleagues have had a sudden death in the family, a major accident or come down with a major illness. Does the vendor's contract cover such instances?

I've personally not been able to attend to two of my weddings. Once in 2005, I had a death in my family, so sudden and shocking, it was painful, but I would have been able to work; however, the funeral for my young family member was on Saturday. At the time, I had a very large team and we no had problem staffing. More importantly, they were fully aware of how I run an event and did so in a manner that the bride expressed she did not even notice my absence.

My second wedding ever missed was this year. I had the joy of planning the wedding of two sisters. These were large extravagant events. In 2009, we are considered a "boutique" planning firm (translation - it's just me and we take very few weddings). I've enjoyed the change in my business practice to do less events and leave the wedding planning world domination to others. It suits my personal lifestyle and allows me to give even more attention to my full service clients. So when my personal dilemma prevented me from attending the second wedding of the Patel family, I was worried. I was worried, wondering if my colleagues who were helping me would deliver in the manner I do: I am all over the place, I don't freak out - at all, I am cool as a cucumber and nothing bothers me. Large events for 600 people are not stress free nor are they snafu free. My son had surgery the Wednesday before the big wedding and I really thought I would leave the hospital and just check on everyone, as set up began in the ball room on Thursday, then again Saturday. It was a big deal and I didn't leave the hospital for days until he was discharged. My friends plus their staff did a stellar job. The family was very happy. They even came to the hospital to express it in person. I was so touched.

So how is it I was successful the second time around without large in house staffing? Bottom line: I've made nice with my competitors. Of course not all of them, as you work in the industry, you learn of certain business practices; some just don't want to like you, any number of reasons to be friends or not to be friends. Some years ago, a few of us cordial planners agreed to be each other's back up in the event of an emergency. We also agreed to a certain rate so as not to break the bank. In this instance I had to activate the wedding planner phone tree and use everyone available.

So, does your wedding vendor play nice with others to call upon them in an event of an emergency?

If you are a wedding professional interested in discussing a back up plan further, please join me as I moderate a WEDCHAT on Tuesday, September 29th at 8pm E.S.T.

A Planner's response to Plan a DIY Wedding Using Social Media

I read a great little article written by groom Josh Catone, an editor over at Mashable. He discusses using Social Media to plan his own nuptials slated for July 2010. I loved this little article. I don't like the bad word DIY, which Marcy Blum calls Do It Without Us, it leaves a bad taste in this planner's mouth.

The bottom line? YES, you can plan your wedding using social media. And NO, technology can't help you with everything. As a confessed social media junkie and professional planner, I use social media to plan weddings. New resources are readily available and at my fingertips. If you tweet it, they will come. If I need a great designer for custom invites all I do is ask and within minutes, I have 10-20 choices. I like the comfort of working with my tried and true San Antonio wedding professionals, but every year we must bring it to another level, find the next best thing, bring a new trend. One thing i have learned from social media is that wedding professionals can make it happen anywhere and get it to you (and we love to travel for your wedding). That awesome photographer from Dallas? Sure, I can get him here for your San Antonio wedding.

These easiest of Social Media resources to use:
Blogs: aaah, blogs, also known as eye candy. This is mecca of social media for your wedding inspiration. Detailed pictures, how-to, you name it, it is out there on a blog. Some great blogs to start if you haven' already discovered: Southern Weddings Magazine, The Bride's Cafe, Style Me Pretty, and DIY Bride. (Janie's Bride Cafe has a lovely DIY project, Wedding Cake Chandelier this week)

With all the technology at your fingertips such as my favorite iphone app: evernote, wedding website, twitter, the dreaded Facebook invitation, and many more, why do you need a planner? Well let me throw a few things out there:

1. Your iphone isn't going to tell your fly is open right before you walk down the aisle with your best man. Your best man might, but if he is twitpic'ing your wedding, he'll probably miss it.
2. All those great reviews on that wedding website (wedding vendors - you know what I speak of) didn't tell you that those glowing reviews were former brides now in the wedding business and really have NO business in the wedding business (say that three times fast)
   
3. Does your twitter account help smooth out the rough patches during the reception when you've gone a little long taking your post ceremony photos?

I'm being funny, but as planners we do much more than connect vendor A with Client B. We work with you every step of the way, listening to everything you have said, burning it to memory so that when that emergency does arise, we handle it with grace and you never ever have to know about it, because it didn't change one thing in your perfect day. We do so much more, but I don't want to put you to sleep.

I love social media. It has changed the way I do business. It has made my work so much easier and I love my iphone. I couldn't live without, much like my crackberry, uh I mean blackberry in the years before.

Get out there and socialize. There are 100's of us professionals out there, with our Facebook fan pages, tweets and blogs. Thank you for reading mine.

Lastly, because we believe in love, we wish Josh Catone and his betrothed a stress free wedding planning experience and many Many MANY years of married bliss. Best of luck and hit me up on twitter if you have a questions (on weddings).

We're getting a face lift!

and no, it does not require scissors....

soon, you will see some pics of our weddings in Mexico, Spain, the Carribean, Utah, Colorado. Destinations have been great and we hope to bring the world of weddings to you.

We will also unveil our event / wedding accessory website. We have been scouring the globe for unique wedding items for our boutique. We love all things shiny and you will see many items with genuine swavorski crystals. We have been working on this since early last year.

We continue to be your best choice for your Texas Wedding Planner, Destination wedding planner, and just plain event planner for any corporate event.

hot gossip: I hear Bret Michaels of Poison fame (I am showing my age here) is coming to town for a new club opening. Keep your eyes peeled to the blog for a press release coming soon.

Thinking of Hiring a Day of Coordinator?

$800 special
Day of Wedding Coordination

September 1st - Jennifer & Dana
September 8th - Dana
September 22nd - Jennifer
September 29th - Dana

Our Price: $800

List Price: $1250-$1750

Through some strange coincidence, our calendars are light in the month of September. The dates are available for either Jennifer or Dana to provide Day of Wedding Coordination services. Please review our Day of Coordination package below:

Pre-Wedding:

Two one-hour meetings with the bridal couple for the purpose of:
Appointment 1 (at the signing of the contract)

Assessing the arrangements made and identifying deficiencies

Create task list with deadline dates

Receive copies of all contracts and vendor information

Provide further guidance in planning process

Outline ceremony

Provide etiquette suggestions
Appointment 2 (two weeks prior to wedding)

Finalize a wedding week and day schedule

Approval of confirmation letters to wedding vendors

Approval of confirmation letters to wedding party

Unlimited phone and email support

Create a customized wedding task list for remaining planning projects

Send itineraries and information/confirmation letters to wedding vendors

Send itineraries and information letters to wedding party

Follow up vendor meetings the week of the wedding

Attend and direct rehearsal

Wedding Day:
Execute all wedding plans and details with vendors, families and guests

Handle any emergency
Oversee setup of ceremony and reception
Attention to detail: table number, seating cards, favor, program.....
Distribute final payments and gratuities
Assist Bride, Groom, Wedding Party and family
Direct flow: grand entrance, speeches, cake cutting, walking down the aisle....

Wedding Planning 101 - Budgets & Guestlist - the first step

Welcome to wedding planning 101. A new series on the blog geared towards the thousands of brides out there. When working with a client, we typically ask about 100 questions. Here is our first two topics and the questions that go along them (what are your answers):

1. Do you have a completed guest list yet?



2. Is there a ball park number?



3. Have you gotten the families involved in helping create this guest list?



4. Have you all discussed finances?



5. Who is going to pay for what?



6. Is money coming from several different sources (fiance, groom's parents, bride's parents, bride, etc.)

In planning any event, these are the first two hurdles - money and how many people. It is difficult to discuss church, venue or even dresses until this is accomplished. What if you want a garden ceremony at a lovely museum, but your heart is set on a big ball gown style dress and you have 300 people....they just don't work together....Big gown = grand church, garden does not equal 300 people and so on............

Step One: So first task is to make your guest list. Make your list and count your for sures and your maybe and the I have to send it, but I know they won't come (don't be surprised if they do). Until you know how many people you expect, we can't start looking for the perfect place.

Step Two: Now that we know we are inviting every cousin, step cousin's girl friend's mother, we figure out if that is our vision. It is helpful when working with a professional to help create the dream but if anything to keep everyone in reality. Now that we have 300 people, can we afford this. I never recommend creating debt for an event. Save up or scale back. The best way to stretch a budget is to scale back on the people invited. Remember one invitation is roughly two people, but if you invite me and my family, we are 7! (yep, 5 kids, crazy, I know).

Step Three: Assign priorities. A professional wedding planner can take initial information and give you a ball park of what the budget will look like. We approach one of two ways: We create a budget based on your vision, or we create a budget, based on the number of people and average costs. Large robust centerpieces in San Antonio range from $85 - $185, depending on your style. Please email us for a wedding expense sheet (In excel). It lists all expenses and helps identify and track all expenses.

I find that most times 50% or more goes towards the reception. I also find that photography is a really important item and average for our clients in the past two years has been $5000. Not to say you can't have great photos for less, you absolutely can. In the end, you have your memories and your photos. I would say in San Antonio, you can have a very nice wedding for $25000 and you would need $40000 in Dallas or Austin. I am working on a wedding right now where the budget is $10k....all things are possible, so if these numbers are frightening, don't be.

Budgets and guest lists are the hardest part of kick starting your planning. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we are here to help. Get this first part completed and you are well on your way.