The date is the thing when planning any type of event.  Before you can move forward with booking anyone or anything you need to have a date set.  But not all dates are created equal!  New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July, basically any holiday weekend is at a premium.  And not just for you, the person hosting the event, but also for your guests.  If you are inviting anyone from out of town that would require a hotel room, then they will also be paying a premium for their stay if your event is in a tourist city.  Don’t get me wrong…you’re free to choose whatever date you like to host your wedding, birthday party, anniversary party, or whatever event it may be.  But you will likely be paying a higher price because of the date.  And the increased cost of airfare/hotel/car rental for your traveling guests may prohibit them from attending.  However, the payout may be worth it!

San Diego Skyline

I have been speaking with a bride who is getting married on July 4th along the San Diego Bay, and one of her deciding factors was the free fireworks display that she and her guests will enjoy during the evening.
The holiday weekend also means people have time off work.  So if they were planning a vacation or trip then they may just make the city of your event their vacation destination!
If your decor fits the holiday, then the amount of decorating you have to do will decrease.  I had a bride get married at the Prado in Balboa Park just before Christmas, and she choose to fit her color scheme to the holiday decor.  Her bridesmaids wore lovely light gold dresses and she kept the flowers simple using whites with a hint of red.  The Prado already had a decorated Christmas tree setup and some garland which just added to the scheme!

So just remember to look at the BIG picture when picking a date for your event.  It will save you from being surprised down the road!

Happy Planning!

I love home weddings!  Whether the home belongs to the Bride & Groom, the parents, an aunt and uncle or a very close family friend; home weddings strike an emotional chord that a wedding at another location sometimes cannot.  You are really and truly entering the role of host and hostess because you are literally inviting people into your home (or your aunt’s home).

There are challenges to planning a backyard wedding though.  The biggest hurdle is the fact that you have to bring in everything!  But I actually see that as a blessing.  When you bring in everything from the caterer to the linen company, you are really able to customize your wedding to your specifications.  You have the caterer of your choice, the linens of your choice, whatever alcohol you choose and whatever quantity you choose.  It really opens the doors to planning a day that suits not only your taste and style but also your budget.

However, because there are so many details involved with a backyard wedding that is where it can become critical to hire someone to help you at least manage the day, if not the last few months.  If you’re having a small party of 50 people then you may not be blindsided with a heap of last minute details.  But if you’re having a party of 100  or more you better make sure the details are covered…like that you have enough bathrooms and toilet paper!  Simple things like that can often be overlooked because we take for granted that those points are automatically covered at a typical wedding location (I don’t believe I have ever seen a hotel advertise free use of their bathrooms as part of their wedding package even though it is included).

The other big plus for a backyard wedding is that you are not tied to a set amount of hours, but depending on your city you may have to abide by sound restrictions (unless your neighbors are totally understanding or you have no neighbors).  Having worked in Los Angeles, I frequented Malibu homes on several occasions for events, but you have to cut the music off at 10pm because of noise ordinances.  Now that I’m in San Diego I have learned that San Diego County and Temecula have similar restrictions.  So making sure you educate yourself on fine points like that and going out of your way to be respectful of the neighbors can really save you a headache that day…because do you really want the police knocking at the door asking for you to shut down the party?

The other potential drawback of a backyard wedding is the clean up.  The clean up can be the most painful part of the evening if its not properly planned for.  So make sure your vendors (especially the caterer) are true professionals because their hard work and professionalism will save you time and energy at the end of the night.

Happy Planning!

Have a question on planning a backyard wedding?  Leave a comment and I’ll post a response!

Any large scale event is a big investment.  Its an investment of your money, time and emotions.  So when it comes time to making decisions during the planning process, there are typically several issues that you are weighing.  Do you go with the least expensive option because you’re on a budget?  Do you pick the option that came with the most recommendations because you can’t decide?  Do you pick the most expensive option because that has to mean its a quality choice?  I say that at the end of the day, it boils down to Comfort and Confidence.

Let’s say you’re selecting a florist.

First, make sure you’ve asked all the questions of your vendors.    Try to get the quotes you receive from each florist as similar as possible in terms of the product you are receiving or the price you are targeting (comparing apples to apples is better than apples to oranges).

Make sure you have done your research on each company’s track record.  If you found this vendor through recommendations, then ask the folks that made the recommendation what their priorities were (because they may be different than yours).

Then consider how important that vendor is to you.  This is key. Budget, Your Vision & Quality go hand in hand, but your decisions will usually be based on one pulling rank over the others and how that vendor is able to make you comfortable and instill confidence in their abilities.

• If maintaining Your Vision is critical to your florist selection, then the florist that is best able to translate Your Vision (sometimes regardless of budgetary concerns) will take the lead.
• If Budget is critical to you in this category, then the concept of “You Vision” will probably take a back seat to Budge & Quality.
• And if just straightforward Quality of product is key, then Budget and Your Vision are at the bottom (A vendor can have a great Quality product that does not necessarily match Your Vision)

Whichever key is critical to your decision, the top priority is that you should have a comfort level with the vendor you are hiring and confidence that they will deliver the product you two have agreed upon.

If you don’t feel comfortable telling your florist what you like and what you don’t like about the options they have presented to you, then you may end up with something that you are not completely happy with.  And if you are not confident that your florist can deliver on the ideas you have discussed, then you’re going to be concerned the entire time.

But if you are comfortable and confident, then it makes the entire planning process much less stressful and much more enjoyable!

Happy Planning!

I met with a bride yesterday who is planning her wedding for 2010.  Like many people, she postponed her 2009 wedding because of the economy and also because she and her fiancee wanted more time to spread the spend (smart move!).

So in our conversation we got to talking about the guest list.  Her fiancee wants to invite everyone they have known throughout their lives.  She would prefer to keep the guest list to a minimum only inviting those they both know.  “I don’t know what to do!” she said.  So here was my two cents on the matter!

Make a guest list of those people you absolutely HAVE to have at your wedding.  Then make a list of those people you would LIKE to have at your wedding if budget, location, etc, make that possible!  So now you have your minimum and maximum, which is a good place to start in the planning process.

These numbers will allow you to weigh all the pros and cons of locations, caterers, florists (cause 10 centerpieces will be less than 20!), so that you can make smart decisions on the things that are important to you!  If the caterer says they can do a wedding for 150 and a wedding for 200 with the same bottom line, then maybe you do go big and invite everyone (keep in mind that the style of service and type of food would be different though).  Or perhaps you find a location you absolutely love but it only accomodates your HAVES guest list.  Then you make the decision on your priorities there.  But at least you are making those decisions together, and taking each other into consideration.

AND if you have hired a full service wedding planner then they can mock up budget scenarios and tell you how realistic your guest list combined with your budget and all the other special requests you have match up!

Happy planning!

Yummy!!

Some people think food is just food….not I!  I think that food is one of the centerpieces of nearly any event.  I look forward to seeing what kind of food is being served and what yumminess I have the pleasure of consuming!

So when it comes to planning an event I put a lot of stock in the catering.  My philosophy is that if you want your event to be memorable, make the food memorable.  And doing so does not require taking out a loan.

If you are planning a cocktails/hors d’oeuvres/dessert only type event, then advertise it as a scaled back version of what you will actually be doing.  For a wedding, on the invitation print: “Champagne and Cake Reception” but have a combination of champagne cocktails (like a Bellini!) or a beer and wine bar, do an assortment of mini pastries on display along with your cake, and have some tray passed hors d’oevures.  You will far exceed your guests expectations and they will be so pleasently surprised that your event will certainly be memorable!

For a full dinner, try some interesting sauces or variations on a classic.  Typically, the least expensive entrees are chicken but chicken does not have to be your good ol’ Rosemary Chicken or Chicken Marsala (unless that’s your personal favorite!).  I’ve been to events where a dish of chicken stuffed with jarlsberg cheese, granny smith apples and almonds was served with an apricot brandy sauce.  Can you say delicious!?  So surprise your guests with a new take on an old favorite!

Any caterer worth their salt will be able to help you create a menu that is special to you, but that does not cost an arm and a leg.

Here are some of my favorites:

Indulge Contemporary Catering - San Diego, CA
Truly Yours Catering - Los Angeles, CA
Thank Goodness It’s Sofia - O.C. and Los Angeles, Ca

Happy Planning!!