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!

You have a 2pm ceremony at the church, but your cocktail hour doesn’t start until 5pm.  What do you do?

This is a common problem for many couples planning their wedding.  Churches can be pretty strict about the times they conduct ceremonies and that doesn’t always work with YOUR plans for the reception.  Or you just happen to be the last person to book that date at the church so you don’t have your pick of the time that best suits you.  No matter the reason for the situation, you have a couple of hours where your guests have nothing to do.  So what do you do?

First, try to close the gap by adding 30 minutes to the front end of your cocktail hour or by bumping up the entire evening by 30 minutes.  It may not seem like a lot of time to you, but it will to your guests.

If your group is game for a laugh, try a mini-scavengar hunt for your guests based on the route from the church to the reception.  Make it easy though!  Have them take silly pictures with their digital cameras at spots designated by you along the route.  The couple (or group) that completes the hunt with the best pics wins “the prize” (like a nice bottle of wine or champagne or gourmet chocolates!).  Makes for added fun for you as you go through the pics and see the silly faces made!

Another option is to have a map of “hot spots” along with way.  Restaurants, lounges, must see landmarks…the nearest mall or department store (runs in pantyhose, shawl for a chilly night, broken heel, numerous reasons for such a pit stop).  Let your guests amuse themselves until cocktail hour begins.

You will have folks that arrive too early and will wait until they can enter the cocktail hour, but at least you’ve given options to those in need of something to do!

Happy Planning!