Your BFF --> The Bridal Emergency kit

I saw this article and video posted on yahoo about what to have in your emergency wedding day kit and it reminded me of an excellent post topic. I was just discussing this topic with my *newly married* friend prior to her wedding; the article on yahoo just gave me that push!

Let me start by saying the best thing in your kit is a wedding planner - they will have EVERYTHING you could ever need and the know-how to use it. The worst thing you could have? Items that waste space- this kit should be easy to assemble, low in cost and take up minimum space so you can take it with you with ease.

The list on yahoo was great, but below is my personal list of items that I think serves you and your wedding party best (listed in the order I thought of them):

• Tissues
• Chalk - white! for the brides dress
• Fashion tape - keep things in line!
• bobby pins - like 10 max, don't go crazy because somebody else already did with your hair
• hair spray - a great idea because it keeps your hair in place and can help with static cling
• extra pins- for pinning flowers as the men will never think to have this
• extra lipstick or a lip stain - keep them lips pretty!
• safety pins - of various sizes, please
• Those awesome mini-toothbrushes for on the go - they freshen your breath and clean your teeth
• Small pair of scissors - they have traveling safety scissors that fold into itself and it costs $3
• super glue - just in case
• Blotter tissue - you will need them

Items I find useless in an emergency kit

• Pantyhose - Really? It just seems so stupid to me. Do you wear hose the day of your wedding? Most of my brides do not. If you do, is your dress so short that people will notice a tear?
• Emory Board - I have never seen someone in a situation where they have to use this item. Never. 
•  Needle and thread - If you have a tear, I think the safety pins and fashion tape should get you though quicker
• Dental floss - what are you eating, popcorn with cilantro sprinkled on it? Go for those traveling toothbrushes instead which can also double as a breath freshener
• Bringing too much makeup - you will probably need to touch up some, but once the photos start, you don't have much time for anything. Don't bring everything on your face as it will take up space and tempt you to spend more time in front of a mirror when you should be celebrating.

Guest Blogging!

 Sorry for the lack of wedding posts, but it is wedding season! To take a break from working events, I took a stab at guest blogging over at BrandiNell the Southern Bell for an upcoming home improvement project. Check it out! I will be sure to cross-blog the results!


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While Brandi is busy handling some unscheduled home repair, I offered to step in and do some guest blogging. My name is Serena (@TheFriz11) and I've been a follower/admirer of Brandi's projects since we started working together. You can find me blogging over at Venue Vibe where I share wedding and event planning advice. Unlike Ms. Neil, I am wordy, stink at taking before pictures, and tend to do more cosmetic work than hammer and nail stuff.

In a few weeks, I'll be starting a project I've wanted to do for a while - transform my bathroom, which is also the guest bathroom, into a spa-like retreat. To make it interesting, I'm trying to do it for only $100. But before I jump into that, I wanted to show you some of the work I have already done so you can get to know me.

One of the first projects I did at my house was shaping up the backyard. Remember what I said about before pictures? Yep, I don't have one so you'll have to trust me when I say the finished project is better.

Our backyard had these stones, but they were pushed together in a smaller patch and had some rotting wood creating the trail leading into and out of the backyard. I started by ripping up the rotten wood and rearranging the stones to be more spread out.

 

After I placed them, I took them back up so I could place this "fabric" underneath to prevent plants trying to spout between my design. I use to know the name of it, but I forgot. 

Because I was filling the gaps with pebbles, I used garden trimmer to line my pattern so the pebbles escape less.

From there, I just had to add the pebbles!

And the finished project was...

 Awesome!

Double project bonus! Here's an example of my inside work -

Once again, no before before shot, but here's the room with the original paint color and I just finished stripping the popcorn off the ceiling

 My cats are often the overseer to my projects. I hope Sushi approves...

Anyway, another day of painting and I get these awesome results!

 That's a quick sample of my work! I look forward to sharing more with you guys in a few weeks!

Bonus Point Palooza

Even though I'm in the middle of wedding season, my mind is focused on the home. With spring in the air, I am repainting, re-cleaning and reorganizing my entire house. And I do all my bargin hunting, it got me thinking about a great blog post to help make your wedding pay for your honeymoon so here starts Bonus Point Palooza!

You're about to spend a lot of money, so make sure you make the most of every day and how you pay with those dollars with a little up front planning.

1) Delta Skymiles bonus points - Being in Atlanta, this is a no-brainer. Most facilities and caterers will accept credit card, so why not use a card that can help pay for your plane flights? New cardholders get bonus miles for their first purchase to help you achieve points faster. You probably will not get a flight on points alone, but you can at least get them discounted or use the points for some in-flights perks. Warning- Just be sure not to take on charges you can't pay off - otherwise it will cost you more in the end!

2) Visa extras/ rewards points/ possibility points - Whatever you bank calls it, you probably get bonus points for using your debt card as a credit card. For big purchases, stick with your skymiles card. For small purchases like favors, program supplies and wedding party gifts, order the items online through their market place. This way, you'll get 3, 4 or 5 points per dollar you spend and sometimes free shipping. Then, use those bonus points for gift certificates for car rental or statement credit to cover your expenses for food and fun while on vacation. Warning - this requires advance planning to have the items ship through the retailer and the points to appear on your statement. Shop early!

3) Work your registry - Before you pick your stores to register at, visit more than you think! Incentive programs are on the rise that can get you bonus gift certificates or 10% off items people do not purchase for you. Some resorts like Sandals allows you to register with them so your guests can contribute to your honeymoon costs. My favorite registry idea though is to partner up with the I Do Foundation - there's no cost to you or your guests and up to 10% of gifts purchased through your registry will be donated to a charity of your choice. In my head, that is a no-brainer!

Face lift!

While we lack the spring weather, I'm in the spring spirit! I have changed my blog title and URL to now be Vendor Vibe! Sounds catchy, right? Look out for a new design coming soon too.

What NOT to do when planning your wedding

I spend plenty of time talking about what you should do and should ask when planning your wedding, but there is also a host of items you should avoid doing when planning as well. This is equally important and can save you time, money and sanity.


1) Don't lose sight of your budget - The most important element in planning is budget. Every decision should start and end with budget if you want to stay on track. As you plan items from catering to favors, always think about how the cost plays into your overall budget. Spending is easy, it's keeping in your cost guidelines that hard.

2) Don't view venues out of your budget - It's nice to dream, but if you visit wedding venues that are out of your budget reach you're doing more damage than good. Don't set yourself up for disappointment or a constant "if only I had..." attitude. There are plenty of beautiful venues in all sorts of budget ranges. If you spend all your time looking at what you wish you could have, you may miss out on the perfect venue that you know you could have. Not to mention, it is costing the venue rep their time as well. On that note, don't interview any vendor who is out of your price range - that's time you can spend finding one who is in your price range!

3) Don't get lost in bridal magazines - I love bridal magazines, but what a lot of them don't tell you is that most of them showcase weddings that are out of the average bride's price tag. Or they feature vendors in the industry who were able to get a great discount on a big wedding. They are a great inspiration, but trying to recreate what is pictured may result in you breaking #1 on this list.  These magazines are centered around advertising and getting you to spend more. Glance, look, indulge in eye candy but don't let them run your wedding or your budget.

4) Don't forget to ask your friends and co-workers for advice - You have a great resource on hand that's free so use it! Ask your friends what they enjoyed, what they would change and what registry items they actually use. You don't have to choose their photographer, but maybe they learned some great questions to ask while interviewing them. Even if you hated everything about their wedding, you should still pick their brains. You never know what piece of information or handy tip you can pull out!

To see or not to see? - Should you see your groom before the ceremony?

While doing a site tour today, I was reminded of a little tradition that tends to bug me as a venue: the first look. We've let a lot of wedding traditions slide, but the one that no one wants to let go of is not seeing their groom before the wedding. I think one of the best things you can do the day of your wedding is take photos with your groom before the ceremony.

1) It helps with timing - You can get so many more photos in if you see your groom before the ceremony. The day of is a time crunch already, so freeing up some minutes after the ceremony by taking photos before can really help out.

2) It can help take the stress away - You have enough butterflies in your stomach already! Why would you add to it by not having some calm words whispered to you by your groom before the ceremony? I think it puts both parties at ease and gives you more time to celebrate together this happy moment.

3) No one needs to know - A first look should still be private and a surprise. Find a secluded garden or private room at your venue to meet up before hand and get some personal pictures and personal time in.You can still capture the magic of moment with how you enter the space (make it dramatic!). Remember, you only need to do this an hour or two before the ceremony, so you're look is still a surprise!

In short, I know this is the one tradition that brides try to keep but I also think it can be impractical with the modern wedding. Keep your mind open on this matter and it could help open your timeline a lot the day of!

Wear me out!

All of those blog pieces about discounts wore me out! I need some fresh new ideas to blog about. I hope to come up with an awesome piece for next Wednesday, but in the meantime I wanted to open it up to you, my few but loyal readers. Comment section is open - post some topics that you'd like me to write about or if you have a specific question I'd love to answer it!

Wedding Discounts part III - the art of getting the discount

I know I promised this article on getting discounts for your wedding on Wednesday, but I got busy. But it's here today and now - that's what matters! Let's get right into it because I have lots to discuss!

1) Phrasing - Whenever I say that I think of Archer. Anyway, we're use to getting asked about discounts all the time, but the way you ask can have a big impact on how we feel. People who are pushy and rude about it won't get as far as people who are nice and reasonable. Think of this as a job interview - I'm trying to impress you and get your business, but you also need to impress me a bit too so that I want to work hard to get you as a client. Be nice, be open, and be genuine.

Sorry, another tangent- back to phrasing! Just remember to ask for discounts politely by saying phrases like "Are your prices flexible?" or "Are you open to discounts?" instead of just spitting out there "Can I get a discount?" You can also be real general and say "Is there room for negotiation?" The theme is to test the waters by seeing if any wiggle room exists before going in for the kill.

2)Always ask! I can't just give stuff away for the fun of it! Always, always, always ask if prices can be discounted. But once again, be polite and try to wait until the end of the site tour or, better yet, when you receive a proposal. It bothers me personally when people call and ask "Can I get a discount?" when we just scheduled their site tour. You don't even know if you'll like this venue and you already want a discount? That's starting off on the wrong foot in my opinion.

3) Upgrades, not freebies - The best wedding discounts are not always the ones you get in dollars, but in value. They are also the easier one for me to provide. No, I can't reduce your beverage bill by 50%, but I may be able to provide you premium product at house prices. It makes your bar looks nicer, it doesn't cost me as much to provide that upgrade and you still get to save money.

Honestly, when clients ask me to straight up discount the beverage bill by $1,000, I flat out say no. However, when they ask me to provide premium product at house prices, I go back and do some numbers. I look at how much they are spending on the entire rental and how often we've booked that date in the past. It's not going to knock $1,000 off their bill doing that move, but it will save a few hundred dollars. Do that enough times with each vendor and you'll get the discount you wanted and the event you dreamed of.

4) Do your homework - Would you buy a car without knowing how much the car is selling for an other dealerships? No. So why do you do that with your wedding? Do your homework and learn the costs of everything. For some reason, most people greatly underestimate the cost of a wedding. Let me spell it out - a good starting point is $100 a person to cover all your costs. I won't be surprised if you spend more.You're not just paying for the product, you are also covering all the staff costs associated with that item.

Shop prices by reading websites, read wedding boards and see what other brides have said, and ask for lots of proposals. It will help you ask for something reasonable instead of completely off the wall.


5) Know when to back off - Like any good hand of poker, there is a time to step away. Don't be a butt if you're not getting your way. If you're not happy, then walk away. There are so many wedding vendors out there, I know there is someone perfect for you and your budget!

Good luck!

Don't leave your vendor meeting without this!

So I promised a great article on getting discounts and I promise it's coming! I just need some time to tweak it. This week I wanted to keep it in the same ballpark of wedding budgets by talk about...

Proposals!

You already got one great proposal to land you here (that's me being funny!), but I want to work on getting even more. When you meet with vendors, there's a lot of talk of options but none of it should be real in your head until you see numbers. Never leave a vendor meeting without receiving or requesting a proposal.

Honest moment - you probably will receive it after the meeting. I like making them after I meet with a couple so I can customize it to their preferences. It's hard to tell someone the costs when you don't know what you want.  What follows is my advice on proposals...

1) Never hesitate to get one - Take this to be the broad meaning of getting one for all your options. Maybe you're on the fence about getting lighting at your event - don't be. Make some phone calls, meet with some lighting companies and get a proposal. In the long run, this can help you eliminate or incorporate options faster since it gives you a bottom line to look at.

2) Ask for more than one - I can imagine some vendors hating me for giving this piece of advice, but I think it's a good practice to get two quotes from each vendor: one that is your dream and one that is your budget. On that note, be sure to give vendors ballpark budget to work within for that second quote. We don't want to lose your business because we couldn't read your mind.

3) Learn when you want an estimate vs a full proposal - Proposals do take time, so if you're not feeling to strong about a vendor try to push for an estimate off the top of their head (which they should be able to do!). That way you're getting the cost without costing them too much time. It's also a good idea to check out the website to see if they have any ballpark numbers. Many companies don't so be sure to ask on the phone what price range they typically fall in.

4) Use that proposal to work your discounts - when you ask for a discount before seeing the costs, I get nervous. Let me at least propose something to you before we look at cutting it down. It also helps that we have something we can both look at when cutting costs. Trust me, having the proposal will help with this!

Good looks Brides to Be! I promise another kick-ass post next week with how to work these proposals to cut your costs!

Discount Wedding II: The double booking trick

It's about time I did another article about wedding discounts and budgeting. Similar to my older post "How to ask for a discount" I'd like to go over one suggestion that you can do to help get you a discount and keep your budget down:

Share your wedding venue with another event.

Sounds weird, but roll with me for a second. Rental fees or food & beverage minimums are set to cover the baseline cost of doing business. That includes the cost for a venue to have the lights on, the doors open, the heat on and the minimum amount of staff to run the place. If a venue already has another event that is covering those costs, a second event during the same time period would cost them less in operating costs.

Not all venues can double book; you definitely have to do your homework and ask a lot of the right questions to make this work. So below are some of those questions you can ask to try and wiggle a discount using the double booking method:

1) Do you allow for multiple events on the same day?
2) Would guests from the two events share an entrance or a bathroom?
     2a) would they run into each other in any way?
3) Is there a guest count limit or any time constraints for booking two events on one day? (It's weird to ask and may not apply, but my venue will not allow both events to start at the same time for example to prevent guests from getting lost)
4) Could you check your calendar for days that you already have an event booked and are willingly to book a second event?
5) Would you be open to discounting your rental fee (or lower your food & beverage minimum) if I booked on the same day as another event?<-- This phrasing is key!!... and I think I just got an idea for my next blog post. I'll tell you why to say it this way next week!
 

How to find a venue

First a big congratulations to all of our newly engaged brides! It's a big time for us in the industry - engagement season. I've already written some advice to our new brides (To the newly engaged) and I'd like to share a bit more regarding ways to find your perfect venue.

1) Read Blogs
Personally I think you're off to a good start on this one since you're reading this blog! Blogs are so popular now, so be sure to crawl some sites like Blogger and Word Press for terms like 'wedding', 'wedding reception', 'wedding venue' or the specific venues you are looking at. It's a great method to get real reviews from real people.
 
2) Check out their website
You don't know how many people call us because they saw us listed on a different website but they never went to ours! Do some research before hand to see if you like the venue. I hesitate with venues that don't list much information on the website - especially if they're missing photos!


3) Search them on Twitter
Another great way to get real opinions from recent events. Do a quick twitter search for venues to see if anyone has posted pictures or if they have any feedback from attending the event.

4) Pick up some literature
You know those bridal magazines you keep seeing? Go get one. Personally, I'm a fan of Atlanta Occasions and the Brides regional editions (like Brides Atlanta) when it comes to searching for reception sites. Brides Atlanta has one of the largest published lists I've seen. Atlanta Occasion is the prettiest magazine I own. There are plenty of other magazines out there, so spend an afternoon at your bookstore with a coffee to browse through and see which ones you like.

Good luck out there!