Through the Eyes of an Intern

I recently asked one of my interns, Kristi Riley, to write me an article about the last wedding she worked with us through her eyes.  This is how Kristi saw the day:

The last wedding that I interned with Southern Charm Events was anything but dull.  The wedding and reception took place at Palm Valley Gardens in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.  It was elegant and absolutely beautiful with deep red and silver colors in keeping with the Christmas theme.  There was rain in the forecast, however, it turned out to be a sunny and beautiful, warm winter day.  From the first moment we arrived on the wedding site we were hopping.  

The first hurdle of the day was the bride’s father.  He had fallen the night before the wedding and was taken to the emergency room with a very large gash in his leg.  Nobody was sure he would be able to walk his daughter down the aisle.  Luckily, he was able to pull it off….thank God for prescription drugs!

One of the groomsmen had lost weight since the last time he had tried on his tux.  We had to pin him up to prevent any accidents.  The grooms vest was too big….luckily Tanya has a HUGE emergency kit.  This kit has everything imaginable! It has Pepto, antacids, safety pins, panty hose, make up remover and everything you can think of.  About 10 minutes before the bride was to walk down the aisle, one of the bridesmaids ripped her dress.  Of course, Tanya had a sewing kit and was able to sew her in her dress (which stayed in one piece all night.) 

After the groomsmen and the bridesmaids walked out, it was time for the flower girl.  The little 4 year old girl had a very long walk from the house to the garden by herself.  Once she realized that everyone was looking at her she got embarrassed and decided that it would be best to cover her eyes.  With her eyes covered, she could not see the pond beside her that she fell right in to.  Other than being wet, she was fine.  The wedding went on and was a success.  

During the reception, the bartender came up to Tanya and told her we were running out of beer.  With an open bar and a drinking crowd, this did not make the bride’s dad happy.  I made a run to the liquor store and stocked up just in time.  Nobody even knew that there was almost a bar disaster.  

As the band started up and everyone danced and greeted the bride and groom, we helped the catering staff clear tables; we loaded gifts in the appropriate cars, passed out bubbles and cookies, and stayed BUSY! I heard so many people tell Tanya what an amazing job she did.  It was so much fun and so much work at the same time.

I Got a Ring – Now What Do I Do?

Congratulations! So you got the ring and are now engaged? What do you do first? Where do you start? How much does a wedding cost? Do I have to pick my date first? These are some of the most common questions of newly engaged couples.


The very first thing you should do is sit down and create a budget. This is a very easily done task that many folks skip or wait until later to do. By doing it first you know exactly what you can spend and where you can spend it. Once you have a budget in place it is a lot easier to find your venue and start working on an available date.

Many people are afraid of doing a budget but in reality you will save money by preparing a budget and sticking to it. A Professional Wedding Planner can assist you with preparing a budget that is both realistic and workable. We have many years of experience knowing what wedding items cost and where you can get the most “bang for your buck.” If you are unsure of the amounts to allow for items or where to place the most emphasis, contact a local Wedding Planner and ask if they do budget preparation. Our company offers a budget preparation meeting wherein we allow up to 2 hours of our time for $100.00. We provide the budget forms and assist the newly engaged couple with this daunting task. If the couple decides to hire us to plan their wedding they receive a $100.00 credit toward any package. How can you go wrong?

You should always have a little extra built into your budget for unforeseen events or items. The cost of items can vary depending on many factors such as the costs of gasoline. Vendors will charge more if gasoline is at a premium price, while venues may give you a break on their minimums if the economy has been bad for them. In addition to relieving a lot of stress down the line a budget will make both you and your family happy in the long run. There are always factors to look at when preparing a Wedding Budget, therefore getting some professional help in preparing it is your best option. But whether you seek out a Professional Wedding Planner or DIY, prepare a budget before you start looking at dresses, venues, or anything wedding. You will be much better prepared for the adventure you are about to undertake.

Seating Charts, Escort Cards and Placecards, oh my!

Everyone’s heard the saying, “Opposites attract,” When it comes to couples that’s often true; however when it comes to wedding guests, that’ not necessarily so.

Choosing the seating arrangements at a reception can be one of the more frustrating aspects of planning a wedding. Both the Bride and Groom want their friends to mingle at the wedding, but they also want to ensure their friends and family get to spend some quality time with the people they already know and whom they might not have seen in awhile. When assigning seats for your guests, follow these tips to help lessen some of the stress:

1. Keep age and interests in mind. Couples should try to keep people of similar ages and interests seated together. For example, your parents’ elderly neighbors should not be seated at the same table as your former college roommates. Instead, consider what guests might have in common and seat them accordingly. If there are people who simply do not get along from a family riff, do seat them far apart.

2. Consider location when seating elderly guests. Elderly guests should be seated away from the stage or the DJ’s speakers, and preferable in close proximity to the restrooms. Be careful not to seat elderly guest next to an air conditioning vent or the door. Try to make things as weasy6 as possible for them.

3. Seat coworkers together. If you inviting coworkers to the wedding, seat them together. Chances are your coworkers do not know many of your family and would be more comfortable with their other coworkers. So seat them with people they know so they’ll have a better time.

4. Seat children with their parents. If your guests are going to be bringing their children, seat them with their mother or father, especially if they are very young. There is a little wiggle room here though, if there will be a larger number of children in attendance, you can set up a children’s table where they can all sit together. Provide activities such as crayons, coloring books and special age appropriate favors for them. They’ll probably have more fun at such a table.

Maile and Kris | September 25, 2010

Maile and Kris were married on the River Terrace at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront on Saturday, September 25, 2010. Mother Nature was a doll and cooperated wonderfully. This couple has been absolutely amazing to work with and such a wedding planner’s joy. The Bride has been extremely organized and precise in all her details and planning. She made my job a dream!

 

The ceremony was held overlooking the Main Street Bridge and the view was breathtaking. The Hyatt was their normal Regal self and performed their duties with expertise.

The Bride was beautiful and the Groom stunning. They held their cocktail hour on the River Terrace overlooking the river and the Main Street Bridge. The guests were treated to wonderful hors d’oeuvres while enjoying the warm breeze.

Dinner was a plated service and was done with all the right touches. The chef at the Hyatt made the dining experience something of awe. After dinner the guests were treated to a coffee bar and mini desserts.





The cake was a sample of the amazing Chef Paul of Signature Cakes by Paul and was accented by Monet broaches as well as Swarovski crystal monogram cake topper. The flowers were by Kelley’s Bloom Room and were just the right touch to the Bride’s décor.



The Bride chose one of the most phenomenal photographers for her big day. Star Bradshaw is truly a professional in every sense of the word. She was very organized and new exactly what she needed to do to execute the photos and stay within the Bride’s tight timeline. She was a wonderful team member to work with and as you can see from the sneak peak photos she does amazing work.

     

Congratulations Maile and Kris! Enjoy your honeymoon and we wish you the best!



The DJ Did Not Follow My Timeline!!!

One of the biggest mistakes Brides and Grooms make in hiring a DJ is not doing their homework.  Anyone can play music, but it takes a professional to be able to have the music organized, know exactly when to play the music, when to make the introductions, work with a wedding planner and watch for the planner’s cues, know how to correctly pronounce names as well as dress and act appropriately at a wedding.   Your DJ can make or break your wedding reception!  They are both the number one complaint and number one applause at weddings. So be very careful when selecting a DJ for your big day.  

DJ’s can be very charismatic and on first meeting one you are taken in by their charm and enthusiasm.  They have so much energy you want to hire them on the spot!  Buyer beware!    

Before you select a DJ for your wedding, make sure they have done more than one wedding in the past. Ask if they have worked with a wedding planner. I find there are a lot of DJ’s that have never worked with a planner and just wing it, so when they are presented with a detailed timeline they don’t want to be told what and when to do things. A lot of these DJ’s seem to not want any direction ahead of time from anyone and only want the Bride and Groom to provide them with a list of songs and then allow them [the DJ] to “run the show.” It does absolutely no good for a Bride to hire a wedding planner and go through all the hours of putting together a timeline for the DJ to just ignore it.

www.delandentertainment.com

Paul Deland of D’Land Entertainment says, “A good DJ needs to be a team player. The DJ is essentially a servant to the party.” He explained, “All DJ’s have egos; that’s what makes them standout in this business.” However, they need to channel these egos into serving the party and the Bride and Groom.

http://footlooseentertainment.com/

Kris Parnell of Footloose Entertainment says, “Ask them if they carry insurance. “ By the way; all of your wedding vendors should answer yes to this question. Ask them what professional training they have had. Ask them to what professional networks and organizations do they belong. Ask them what area of experience do they have. Have they primarily played for parties, clubs, etc.? Then ask and listen to your wedding planner or other vendors, specifically ask your venue.


It may seem like a huge difference in price when interviewing DJ’s, but be educated on what a wedding DJ needs to be able to do and make sure the one you hire will be able to perform! You may spend a little more in the beginning but in the long run, you will be much better off with an established and professional wedding DJ.

"I do not want children at MY Wedding!"

This is a sentiment that I am hearing more and more from my brides lately. While for some this is not a big deal, for others it is tremendous. I am told there are family members or friends that will feel their children are exempt from this preference and will ignore the wishes of the Bride and Groom. The Bride and Groom and not left with too many options to let the guests know their wishes but primarily guests should follow etiquette the same as the Bride and Groom. The invitation is addressed to only those invited. If your children’s names are not on the invitation there is probably a reason. If you are unsure, call the Bride or the Mother of the Bride for clarification, but do not get your feelings hurt when you are told they were not invited and please do not just “show up” with your uninvited children.

I am often asked, “What the best way to handle this situation.” Let me first say that that it is NEVER proper to indicate “No Children” anywhere on or in your invitations. Usually, my first suggestion to the couple is to create a wedding website that can be used by all guests to obtain Hotel Information, Timeline Information, Registry Information and little tidbits such as No Children. My second suggestion would be to send out a separate newsletter to your guests with all this information included. Do not send it with your invitations! I know this is twice the postage but it is simply not appropriate etiquette. Lastly, and I believe the die- hard- etiquette experts will disagree with me, I would suggest having “Adult Reception to Follow” placed on the invitation.

More and more weddings and receptions are taking place in very “Adult” settings and in the later evening hours. While these precious little ones make adorable ring bearers and flower girls, if the reception is being held at an adult club and alcohol is being served, it is simply not the place for a child. The adults with the children are not able to enjoy the evening and dance and party and the children are usually tired and grumpy as well. They are better off at home with a sitter.

As a very last resort, I tell my Bride and Groom, you may want to hire someone to act as a babysitter during the reception and to make arrangements for a separate room where the children can go into during

the reception. There are wonderful services that will entertain and take care of the kids for a modest fee.

The most important thing is to remember it is your day (and night) and if you prefer no children, make sure it is communicated (properly) to your guests.

Price vs. Quality

I recently asked my followers for suggestions of things they would like to hear about in my blogs and one of my followers asked me to please explain the importance of price vs. quality. So here goes… when looking for ANY wedding vendor, you should never go with the cheapest! I know budgets are tight and we are all looking for a bargain, but while you may find someone cheaper they are not always your best bargain. I have worked numerous weddings where the Bride and Groom hired a DJ and were so proud they only spent $250.00 or had a “friend” DJ for them. In the end, they only got about 1/3 of the DJ they would have had they hired a true Professional Wedding DJ. They were mortified when he did not have the music they asked for a month in advance, his system shorted out three times, not to mention he looked like he just came from a “gig” at a party club. One local photographer showed up to the wedding on so much medication or maybe alcohol he could barely stand. Once the wedding was over the Bride tried for 6 months to get her photographs. I finally had to get involved and all we were able to salvage at that point was 4 unedited cd’s of pictures. Not a very reliable vendor. These are just examples and the issue runs across the board for all vendors, including wedding planners.

When you are looking for your wedding vendors, do your homework! Do not hire them because their website is flashy and their prices are low! Ask questions such as are you licensed, are you insured, who is your back up in the event you become ill, how many wedding have you worked. These are all very important things you should know before hiring any professional. Ask for references, and call them! There is usually a reason someone’s prices are so cheap. They may be just starting out and do not have the experience, they may be working under the table which is highly illegal not to mention unethical or they just might be a scam artist.

Ask the vendor do they belong to any professional organizations. Southern Charm is an active and proud member of the Association of Bridal Consultants. The Association of Bridal Consultants has been the professional organization for the wedding industry since 1955 and has over 4,000 members in 26 countries on six continents. This association is a membership service organization, designed to increase awareness of the wedding business and improve the professionalism of members. We are held to a standard of conduct and expected to maintain our training each year. These are very important factors when hiring a professional vendor.

Every professional vendor should at the very least carry general liability insurance. This is a short cut many vendors try to cut and in the end can be very costly to both themselves as well as the client.

One way to make sure you are getting the most for your money is to ask a wedding planner. Many wedding planners include this service in their packages but they may also offer it as an a la carte item. It is well worth the cost of a consult to obtain a list of professionals that have proven they can provide the Bride and Groom excellent service on their special day.