Made Woman Magazine Wedding Feature

I recently had the pleasure of contributing an article for the wedding issue of Made Woman Magazine, an online publication for professional women.  Click here to read the full article offering tips on how to make the wedding planning process stress free and enjoyable.   

First 5 Things To Do When Planning a Wedding

Your dream engagement went off without a hitch and the glistening diamond engagement ring is perfectly affixed to your left hand. Once the joy and blissful disbelief that you're really getting married has set in, it's time to get down to the business of planning your big day. Sure, the process can seem overwhelming for some, but it doesn't have to be if you have a plan. Here are the first five things you should do as you begin the wedding planning process:

Establish a budget -The budget is the very first thing you should think about when planning a wedding. It affects EVERYTHING. From how many guests you can invite, to the type of venue you should select, to the type of reception you can host...everything is tied to the budget. So, before you do anything else, sit down with your fiance, parents and anyone else who may be contributing and determine a realistic budget for your wedding activities.

Envision the type of wedding you want - At this point, you don't need to have all the details like decor and theme figured out; but you should have a general idea of the type of wedding you want. Do you want a formal gala or a casual soiree? A traditional affair or one with modern flair? This is time to think about the overall picture you envision for your big day.

Select a season and month - Think about the time of year you'd like your wedding to take place. Don't worry about setting an exact date just yet -- as the date can often change depending on the availability of your venue -- but decide on the season and the month, then select a few different dates you'd like the wedding to take place.

Bring in a professional planner/coordinator - Enlisting the help of a professional during the early stages of the planning process can really save you a lot of time, energy and money in the long run. While this may be your first time planning a wedding, a good coordinator has done this many times before and comes with a great deal of knowledge, valuable connections and priceless insight that can help bring your vision to reality, within your budget.

Select and book the venue - Try to reserve the ceremony and reception venue as soon as possible -- 9 to 12 months in advance is ideal. Locking in a contract with the venue early will ensure you have a variety of dates and times to choose from in your preferred wedding month.

Guest Blog Post on Marriage.com

I had the pleasure of being a guest blogger for Marriage.com recently where I shared tips on how to keep uninvited guests off your RSVP cards and guest list. Take a look at the full article here.

Personalized Wedding Websites

When it comes to the value of the internet, I'm sure we'd all agree...IT’S PRICELESS. We head online for pretty much everything. And when it comes to planning a wedding, the value of the world wide web is no exception. You found this blog, so I'm sure you're using the internet for things like research, inspiration and shopping for items for your big day, but are you using this online tool to its full potential? If you haven't created a personalized wedding website, the answer is no.

The personalized wedding website, or “wedsite” as some like to call it, is a rather new phenomena, but has caught on big over the past several years with couples who want to communicate the details of their wedding and with friends and family. Not only can you chronicle your love story with pictures and information about you and your spouse-to-be, but its an especially useful tool for your guests.

At the click of a mouse, your guests will be able to find out anything they need to know about your big day such as location and directions, gift registry and hotel details for out of towners. Most wedsites are even equipped with an RSVP tool that allows guests to RSVP for the wedding online. Think of how much $$$ that will save you on RSVP cards and postage, not to mention the headache it will spare you from  having to listen to your phone go off every hour with people calling to express their intentions to attend or not.

Companies like The Knot, MyWedding, Wedding Wire and Wedding Window, just to name a few, offer great customizable wedsites for free or minimal costs. And as I'm typing this, Wedding Paper Divas just did a post on their blog about their free wedsites that can even match the invitations and stationery you purchase from them!

Your save the dates and invitations are the perfect place to tell your guests about your wedsite, but you can even post the link on your Facebook profile if you want to involve some of your family and friends who may not be able to attend the actual wedding.

Have a wedsite already and want to share? Feel free to post a link to it in the comments section!

Google Docs Wedding Planning Templates

In an ideal world, all soon-to-be brides would have their very own wedding fairy godmother. She would be free, handle every detail of planning and executing the wedding, and when she appeared out of thin air, a small briefcase full of money to grant the bride's every wish would come with her.

Well, unfortunately, this is not an ideal world. So, for those brides who can't hire a wedding fairy godmother wedding planner, here's a tool that might make staying organized and on budget a little easier.

You've all heard of Google Docs, but what you may not have known is that Google Docs has a whole set of templates just for weddings. From budgets and guest lists to timelines and seating charts...just head over to docs.google.com/wedding to browse through the available templates.

Just remember, while the templates are great, they certainly don't replace a wedding fairy godmother. I come with all the above...minus the briefcase full of money. If you're wondering what about the free part, we'll get to that in an upcoming post ;)

Ask A Planner: Keeping Uninvited Guests Off Your RSVP

Dear Fabulously Ever After,

I’m getting ready to send out invites for my summer wedding but have a small concern. I’m afraid that some invited guests will see the invitation and assume that their entire household is invited, instead of just the adults the invite was intended for. I have a fixed number of seats for the wedding and reception and want to make sure that only the invited guests RSVP for the event. Any tips?

Dear Bride-To-Be,

I’m so glad you asked this question because this is a frequent concern for brides and grooms. I’ve seen situations where five people RSVP to an invitation, when the invite was actually only intended for two. It’s also not unheard of for someone to add a “plus one” to their RSVP when only one was really invited in the first place.

Nothing is worse than having to inform someone who RSVP'd for your wedding that they actually weren’t invited after all. So, as you prepare your invites, keep the following points in mind to prevent this from happening:

The outer envelope for your invitation should make it very clear who the invitation is intended for and who is invited. So, for example, if you want to invite the whole Jones family, your invitation should be addressed to Mister and Misses Jones and Family. If only Mr. & Mrs. Jones are invited, the wording should simply say Mister and Misses Jones.

It is always polite to give single guests the option of bringing a date. So, if your friend Ashley Smith is welcome to bring the new guy she’s dating, the invitation should be addressed to Miss Ashley Smith and Guest. But, if only Ashley is invited because you want to use this opportunity to set her up with your fiancée’s handsome cousin, simply address the envelope to Miss Ashley Smith.

Regardless of the how the invitation envelope is addressed, you still may have some not so savvy wedding goers that think they can bring a date or their children. If you’re still concerned you can also use the RSVP card to reinforce who is invited. Consider the following layouts:

We have reserved___ seat(s) in your honor.

M__________________________________

__Accept with pleasure

__Decline with regret

OR

M__________________________________

____of _2_ accept with pleasure

These recommendations should have you covered. However, in the off chance that someone you invited still RSVPs for an uninvited guest, this is where your wedding planner comes in. Your planner will respectfully and kindly call your guest to inform them that while the bride and groom would love to celebrate their day with the entire Jones family, unfortunately only blank number of seats have been reserved for them.

Good luck!

Zoe'
Fabulously Ever After

Real Simple Weddings

For those of you looking for a wedding publication with great planning tips and hints abound, head to your local bookstand and pick up the 2010 edition of Real Simple Weddings. The magazine is filled with valuable information to guide you through the wedding planning process. I have a copy on my coffee table, but still stood in The Grove's Barnes & Noble browsing through the pages and pages of images and planning tips for the umteenth time this weekend. A must read for all you soon-to-be brides!

Selecting Your Event Venue

*Source

So, you finally got the ring and now the planning can begin. What’s the first thing you need to do when planning a wedding or event, you wonder? After you decide what type of event you want to have, select and book your venue immediately.

Typically, a wedding and reception venue should be booked 12 months in advance. Locking in a contract with a venue early will ensure you have a variety of dates and times to choose from in your preferred event month. However, if your timeline is a bit more condensed, book your venue at least 9-10 months in advance.

There are a variety of tools out there to help you pick a venue that’s perfect for you. Wedding and event planners are great resources. All you have to do is give them some information about when you want to have your event and the type of setting you want to have your event in, and they’ll do all the leg work for you then come back to you with a handful of recommendations. If you decide to go about it on your own though, ask family and friends if they have any recommendations, turn to a search engine like Google, or take advantage of websites like Project Wedding or Wedding Wire that have listings and reviews of wedding and event venues in your desired area.

Once you have your short list of venues, arrange for site checks. Pictures can be very deceiving, so I always recommend that clients schedule at least an hour with the venues on-site catering or event manager to take a walk through of the location. This is your opportunity to ask any and all questions needed to narrow your list down to your top choice, including:

• What does the venue rental fee include?
• How long can the venue be used for that fee and what are the overage charges if the event exceeds that time period?
• What are the insurance requirements?
• Do you have to use the venues preferred vendors, or can you bring in your own outside vendors?
• What is the parking capacity at the venue and is parking included in the rental fee?
• What time can you access the venue on event day to begin setting up?

These are just a few examples of questions to ask, so make sure to bring something to write with, take copious notes and plenty of pictures to ensure you have all details needed to make your final selection.

Once you’ve made your final choice, review the rental contract carefully to ensure everything you discussed with the on-site manager is included within the agreement.

After you sign the contract, the on-site manager will be a vital part of your “wedding planning team,” so feel free to contact them regularly throughout the planning process to ask questions, make additional arrangements, schedule another walk through, etc. They are there to help you and you’re paying them a lot of money to do so. 

*Wedding Venue Image from La Venta Inn. Photo by Sean Azul Photography

Wedding Vision Boards

As you prepare for you big day, you're likely to work with at least a dozen vendors to bring your wedding vision to reality. In order to insure that all involved parties truly understand what you expect your design, decor and theme to look like, try constructing a wedding vision board.

A vision board is a collage of images that give you and your vendors a visual reference for most elements of your wedding, including venue, ceremony site, attire, flowers, tablescapes, etc.

You can create a handmade vision board with items like posterboard, magazine cut outs and fabric swatches or, even better, simply head online to a site like Dessy and use their free vision board tools.

The vision board pictured above is a sample I created on Dessy for an outdoor autumn earthy wedding.

Why Hire a Wedding Planner?

Last year, before officially launching Fabulously Ever After, I had the opportunity to assist a talented established wedding planner as she orchestrated spectacular events. It was during that time that I learned how essential a wedding planner/coordinator truly is. Some may think hiring a planner is a luxury, but if you want to have an enjoyable and stress-free experience leading up to and on the wedding day, hire a professional wedding planner! They are worth their weight in gold.

I can't imagine any couple (or close family member for that matter) that wants to have to worry about event logistics and details that can take away from the enchantment of their special day. Here are just some of the responsibilities a wedding planner can take off your plate:

Before the wedding

• Recommending reputable vendors (planners often have relationships with vendors and are able to negotiate prices that can save you a lot of money)
• Assisting with budget creation and management
• Providing monthly checklists
• Tracking RSVPs so you know exactly who is coming
• Developing detailed timelines so the wedding party and vendors know exactly what should be taking place when

Wedding day

• Managing setup of the ceremony & reception venue
• Making sure your "vision" is realized in the setup and decor
• Attending to any last minute needs or details
• Correcting any mistakes the venue or vendors might make (I've seen a vendor put the wrong linens on tables and set the table before realizing the error, a venue set up a dance floor in the wrong part of the room and have to tear it up and reassemble not long before guests arrived, a florist forget to finish decorating the cake with flowers resulting in "Zoe The Cake Decorator", etc, etc)
• Organizing your wedding party and getting everyone down the aisle
• Handling non-RSVP guests and "crashers"

These are just a few examples of the services a typical wedding planner or coordinator will take care of. On your day, leave the details to the professionals and focus on enjoying your special day.

Jennifer Lopez in the popular movie, The Wedding Planner