Saturday, May 29, 2010

Wedding Ambiance: Themes, Schematics, Design & Layout

How do you go about creating a wedding ambiance that embraces your personality, style and the vibe you want for your wedding day? The three factors that create your wedding ambiance is your wedding theme, color schematics and your wedding design and layout.

Without defining these three factors, it will be difficult for you to go into details when involving design and decoration.

THEMES:

Your wedding theme should be reflected in your wedding stationery, decorations, centerpieces, bridal entourage formal wear, favors, guest book, napkins, table clothes, etc. This will make your special day visually appealing and reflect your personal creativity. It's your special day! Match all pieces of your wedding day and create a truly unique and elegant wedding that symbolizes the bridal couple.

Black Flower Accents

One of the top wedding trends in 2009 was the black and white wedding dress, and black and white wedding cakes. In 2010, one of the leading trends is black flowers and accessories adorning red, white or blue tablecloths, black rosette embellishments on cakes and gowns, and black flower centerpieces.

Short Wedding Dresses

For the bride that wants a fashion-forward look for the 2010 wedding, the mini wedding dress is the way to go. These formal gowns end at or above the knee and give the bride a chance to show off her legs in a pair of ankle-tie heels or embroidered flats.

Locally Made Wedding Favors

Brides on a budget can turn to locally made wedding favors including small trinkets, personalized mementos, handmade crafts and other small gifts made by local artists and crafters. If the bride is a crafter herself, the 2010 wedding could be a good excuse to make a lineup of small gifts for her guests - and save a few dollars in the process.

Weekend Getaways

Couples that don't want to spend a lot of money for their 2010 wedding are planning weekend getaways for friends and family -- instead of multi-day affairs that require paying for extended hotel stays and other expenses. Weekend getaways are being booked closer to home to save even more on wedding expenses, which means destination wedding packages may be taking a backseat for the upcoming wedding seasons.

Green or eco-friendly

Weddings have risen in popularity since 2006 and are still going strong for the 2010 wedding. Wedding planners are coming up wit eco-friendly décor ideas and nature-centric themes to accommodate for the eco-conscious couple's tastes. Recycled paper wedding invitations, the use of solar energy for lighting, outdoor weddings in the garden and organic food served at the reception are among the top trends for the 2010 wedding.

Modern Romantic' Style

Martha Stewart's Wedding Show broadcast in August 2009 to spotlight some of the leading weeding hairstyles, bridal fashions and beauty trends. In addition to the romantic, flowy dresses introduced by designer Vera Wang, Martha highlighted the beauty trend of eyelash extensions for the brides and bridesmaids. This is the year for the 'modern romantic' look that combines traditional flowy gowns with glamorous makeup and the latest beauty trends.

COLOR SCHEMATICS:

All weddings have a color scheme that reflects the bridal couples’ personality and style. The bridal couple should make the decision to choose the colors together. It can be their favorite colors or the latest color scheme combinations to define who they are as a couple. Choose colors that allow you to use cloths that are readily available, to make personalize and especially use to make what is practical versus what is not. Colors should also enhance the beauty of the ceremony and reception venues if you are going for a more simple and elegant look.

If you haven’t chosen a reception venue yet, then you should first do a site visit of all possible venues fitting the perfect setting within your budget. At your site visit, you should make note of the venue color scheme and visualize integrating your wedding colors into the furniture and environment colors already present. Choose a venue closest to the ambiance and colors of your wedding so that you do not have to do much or alter the natural beauty and environment of the venue.

If you already chose a reception venue and the visible colors are not matching your wedding colors, than you have the option of renting specialty linen and chair covers with sashes to create and portray your wedding colors. If budget is not an issue and you have money at your disposal, than use your imagination and transform the venue allowing you to use your wedding colors to create the look you want.

When choosing colors, consider the type of beautiful flowers to accompany it or what type of flowers are available during that season. Flowers are a very important part of the decorations as well as part of the bridal entourages color scheme. Think about the colors of the bridal party’s bouquets that you will be carrying. You want it to contrast the colors of the bridesmaid gowns and groomsmen tuxedos. Flowers can be very expensive so the best you can do is to learn what colors work well with year round flowers versus seasonal flowers.

The hottest colors to look out for in 2010 are the following colors:

1) All blues – this year’s lucky color according to the Chinese predictions of the Chinese Zodiac. Example: Aqua, Turquoise, Navy, Cobalt Blue, Light Blue

2) Off White – another color would be Diamond White, not too white and not too ivory. Allows you to add white to the bridesmaids and entourage because the bridal couple is incorporating accents of the wedding colors into the gown and tuxedo.

3) Orange – Bright and colorful, the color orange is a fun experimental way to highlight your wedding this year.

4) Purple – Although it is not the color this year, it is a hit for this year’s wedding. Purple goes well with any color of blue especially Teal Blue.

5) Green – Mint greens, yellow green or lime green are in and can be in conjunction with eco friendly weddings.

6) All Pinks – Use different shades of pink for a fun and romantic play. Example: Hot Pink, Magenta, Pink, Mauve, Coral

7) Accent Colors: Gray, Silver, Yellow, and Beige

Hottest Color Combinations of 2010

Light Gray & Pink

Navy & Yellow

Gold, Beige, Coral, Blush & Pink

Gold, Gray, Champagne & Light Blue

Yellow, Green & Orange

Red, Black & White

Light Green & Beige

Gray, Violet, Light Blue & Beige

Teal & Coral

Vintage Purple & Sky Blue

Emerald & Cream

Mauve & White

Lilac & Sky Blue

Wine & Blush Pink

Sky Blue & Light Yellow

Mocha & Blush Pink

Gray, Pink, Coral, Blue & Purple

Olive & Mauve

Mint & Vintage Purple

Name those colors specifically

If you like purples try ~ Lilac, Lavender, Periwinkle, Purple, add Sky Blue as an accent.

If you love bright pink try ~ Hot pink, Fuchsia, Light pink, Red, add Lime or Tangerine as your accent color!

If you adore warm oranges try ~ Tangerine, Coral, Red, add soft Violet, Sky Blue or Fuchsia as your accent color.

If you like burgundy try ~ Dark Green, Gold, Champagne, Creams, add any of these as your accent.

If you love blues try ~ Deep Ocean Blue, Navy Blue, Sky Blue, Periwinkle, add Tangerine, Silver or Sandy Brown as your accent.

What colors go well during each season

Fall colors ~ Burgundy, Dark Green, Navy Blue, Silver, Gold, Creams, Burnt Orange, Taupe, Brown and Plum.

Winter colors ~ Red, Silver, White, Cream, Burgundy, Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Purple, Plum and Gold.

Spring colors ~ Pink, Tangerine, Lilac, Periwinkle, Hot Pink, Fuchsia, Lime, Yellow, Cream, Soft Violet and White.

Summer colors ~ Red, Yellow, Orange, Coral, Fuchsia, Blue, Sky Blue, Green, Lime, Lilac, and Lavender.

DESIGN & LAYOUTS:

It’s not your mother’s wedding, so be more creative and show a little splash of modern style. Your not limited to just plants and white lattices, they are a thing of the past. Now you can create a beautiful atmosphere using your theme and color scheme to create a special design like no other. With specialty linen, chair covers, sash, tents, chandeliers, lounges, customized gobo lighting, up-lighting and highlighting, ceiling swags, paper lanterns, and elaborate centerpieces, you can create unforgettable design layouts.

Bridal couples are opting more for sweetheart tables versus a bridal entourage head table. This allows the bridal entourage to sit with their guests and families. Sweetheart tables allow the couples to spend less on decoration since it will be a smaller table of flowers and decoration. The bridal entourage may be relieved to be out of the spotlight allowing the newlyweds to shine.

The sweetheart table and head table are no longer just on the stage or elevated in front of their guests. They are now opting to be apart of the guests in front facing the stage allowing them to watch the live band and/or performances on stage that was once hard for all of the guests to see.

Dance floors are no longer horizontal in front of the sweetheart table or head table, they are now vertical allowing more guests on both sides of the venue to watch or interact with the performers.

Instead of using just round tables in your layout, add 1 or 2 oval or long tables for the parents or VIP tables. These tables give parents and special guests recognition of their attendance and participation in the wedding. Rectangular tables are now being used to accommodate more guests and to show off new specialty linens and table runners. Rectangular tables allow you to showcase more than just one centerpiece with 2 to 3 more in a horizontal layout.

If your reception venue does not have special lighting capabilities, than opt for up-lighting and highlighting to accentuate certain areas of the room. Newer hotels and upscale venues have the capabilities to change the lighting in the room to a certain degree as well as pinpoint certain areas such as the head table, cake table and podium for certain lighting effects and ambiance.

Whatever your wedding theme, color scheme, and your design & layout may be, always have several options in mind to discuss with the wedding professionals. A wedding consultation will have a better idea and feel for the direction you want to go in as well as provide you with resources and information that may not be available yet or give you the insights on what is new and trendy for the new wedding season or year. Be yourself, be unique and have fun with your wedding ambiance planning. Themes and color schemes may come and go, but your personality and style should always show!

Mission Statement: We provide hassle and stress-free wedding planning and coordination through organizing details and time management.

For more information or ideas, contact Janice M. T. Bachiller of Wedding Planner 808 at (808) 688-4405 or email at marie@weddingplanner808.com to discuss your wedding day requirements and budget. Complimentary Initial Consultation at your convenience.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Wedding Budgets and Expenses

The majority of brides regret some of the choices they made concerning their wedding especially by overspending and not creating a realistic budget. Proper budgeting and tracking of all expenses could have prevented some of these problems.

Whether you are paying for the wedding yourselves, or your families are helping; setting a realistic budget is essential. Here is where majority of your wedding budget is going:


1. 40% to 50% for reception location rentals, food, cake and beverages
2. 8% to 10% for flowers and décor
3. 8% for photography and Videography
4. 5% to 10% for the bride's and groom's attire
5. 5% to 10% for fees, invitations, transportation, etc.
6. 10% for honeymoon
7. 2% to 5% for Misc. Items including keepsakes


Janice M. T. Bachiller of Wedding Planner 808 offers brides five simple budgeting tips to ensure that their weddings go as smoothly as possible without breaking the bank in the process.


Who is responsible for what?

Times have changed and no longer are the bride's family responsible for assuming the entire cost of a wedding. Get help from both sides of the family in creating a wedding budget. One idea: Each family would assume responsibility for one-third of the costs- bride's family, groom's family and the bride and groom. This relieves some of the pressure on the bride's family and also makes the process of planning the wedding a more enjoyable experience. If you want to be really organized about who is paying for what, find out who traditionally pays for what and decide who will be responsible for what section of the wedding. Now, brides and grooms have been paying for their own wedding based on their own savings, financially abilities to contribute and they don’t want a traditional wedding.



Guests Lists

The amount of guests you have at your wedding is one of the most important factors in deciding how big your budget is. Face it, the more guests you have – the more you have to shell out at the reception. The reception is the biggest percentage of your budget.


First, create a guest list of A, B and C for both sides of the bridal couple. The lists should be in the order of importance. A – Most Important and must haves to witness your day of marriage union and celebration. B – It would be nice to have them at my wedding because they were special to me sometime in my life and it would be nice for them to help me celebrate. C – This is the list of family and friends that mom, dad, grandma or grandpa, siblings, former co-workers and friends that I would invite should I be able to afford additional guests.


If the bridal couple will be responsible for paying for the entire wedding, then they have to decide what the reception’s minimum charges will be and the based on their guest list the maximum they can afford to invite without having to go overboard. If the number of guests is below what you expected to invite, then one way to help is to have the bride and groom’s families be responsible for assisting in the amount of guests that they want to invite. Your last resort is to keep your guest list to a minimum to only invite family and/or friends that you can’t celebrate without on your special day. I know that families and friends can be very large in numbers and in the long run very expensive. How to decide who to invite and who not to invite is based on your realistic budget and what you can afford to pay.



Creating a Realistic and Practical Budget Worksheet

Attached is a budget worksheet that you can start completing to help you create a realistic budget that you can use throughout the wedding planning process by keeping track of the maximum amount budgeted for, the actual deposits paid and balances due. Keep in mind the total budget that you have saved for, the amount you expect to borrow or take a loan out for or expect to have saved by your wedding date.


Go through each category with realistic numbers and decide along the way on the most important items to have on your wedding day. Figure out your wants and needs according to what is practical to you and your wedding day requirements. Here are two important things to think about when calculating your total budget: The number of guests that you would like to have at your reception and the total dollar amount that you can afford to pay for.


Here are some tips when going through the budget worksheet:

1) Wedding Rings: Best time to purchase is from November to February for the best holiday pricing.

2) Determine what type of wedding planner and coordinator is required for your wedding day requirements. Choose a wedding designer/consultant/planner/coordinator that will assist you best on what type of services is required of him or her. The planner/coordinator should be able to past the savings and discounts to you because in the long run, your coordinator will be paid for “hassle & stress free”!

3) Think about having your wedding ceremony and reception in one location to avoid transportation fees and traveling time.

4) Choose a buffet over hand service. The hand service will cost more based on the staff service charges. The appetizers, entrees and dessert will keep your guests hungry for more.

5) When creating your reception menu, don’t forget the minimum of food and beverage charges you have to spend before you get hit with unnecessary additional charges.

6) Create a bar beverage limit according to the following: tickets, host cocktail and dinner only, host only certain drinks, use a dollar amount based on two drinks per person – you can be creative!

7) Don’t forget to calculate the service charges and sales tax into your budget; it can be a difference of $2,000.00 in total for everything.

8) Find family and friends entertainers that may want to entertain your guests at no cost to you.

9) The venue may offer you a complimentary cake based on how much your minimum spending is at your reception.

10) Choose a photographer and videographer that will capture everything the day of your wedding. Don’t skimp on these vendors as you won’t be able to recreate the day. If you had to choose a service – choose an all day service, you can purchase the storybook album and extra DVD copies later. Purchase the rights and waived releases to them so you will be able to reproduce them in the future and avoid costly reproductions.

11) Invitation templates can be created yourself and printing them on nice paper. Most invitations are $5 - $20 a piece. You can save money on having them printed them yourself.

12) When budgeting for flowers, consult with a florist who will be able to relocate your ceremony flowers to the reception. Eliminate additional costs and recycle them. Florists have created different looks from the ceremony to reception.

13) Purchase your bridal gown, bridesmaid dresses, flower girls dresses and accessories at one place. It is more than likely that the bridal salon will extend you a discount for purchasing everything in one place. You might even get a complimentary groom’s attire with all of that purchase.

14) Look for the vendor that offers a complimentary groom’s tuxedo with the rental of 4 tuxedos. The deposit is minimal of $20 dollars and a wide range of choices.

15) Hair and Makeup should not cost more than $150.00 each per person. Flower Girls should be complimentary – there is not much makeup to put on.

16) The groom’s parents and family should be responsible for the rehearsal dinner if you’re going traditional.

17) The reception venue will let you borrow the cake knife and server, and toasting flutes so that you don’t have to buy them.

Keeping things organized. To stay and keep on budget, keep track of all deposits and balances due. Consider using a simple budget worksheet that will keep track of your spending, but it could also help with invitations and guest lists. Make sure that you receive a contract for vendors that you have approved and hired. Keep a binder with divider pockets to keep all of your receipts.


Keep yourself from overspending. It is not impossible. If you have to adjust your budget worksheet, do it as many times, because it shouldn’t be set it stone. You should be able to cut costs here and there and make budgets more realistic by always checking on it. Accepting the services of a wedding consultant will always save you money and avoid lots of stress!

Click here to download Budget Worksheet!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

A Stress – Free Wedding, Let a Professional Handle the Details

What is the difference between a Wedding Planner, a Wedding Coordinator or Wedding Consultant? Which would benefit me most?

A wedding planner is someone who plans a full service wedding to simple tasks and duties to include research, planning, consulting and coordination as well as any assistance required in the developing process of a wedding. The planner is a person who is assisting throughout the planning process that can start as early as 18 to 12 months prior to your wedding date.

A wedding coordinator is someone who is responsible for organizing different and diverse elements into the coordination of a wedding day. Furthermore, the wedding coordinator is someone who coordinates the services of all of your wedding vendors to ensure the management of your contracts are executed. A coordinator is a person who implements your wedding day plans and executes the contracts between you and your vendors. Coordination of your wedding day can start as soon as all of your vendors and contracts are situated and can be hired anywhere from 6 months up to 2 weeks prior to your wedding date.

A wedding consultant is a professional and experienced advisor who charges a fee for providing advice or services requested to plan or coordinate a wedding. A wedding consultant can be anyone who can be professional, experienced, respectable and reputable in the wedding industry that can provide a service that can be executed through a contract. A professional consultant should be one who can provide a clear and understanding contract of services to be provided between both parties in exchange for a fee.

A wedding planner, coordinator or consultant can almost act as a couple’s personal assistant, taking care of as many, or as few, preparations as you deem necessary. In addition, the wedding planner may also have a network of regular suppliers at his or her disposal, through which some cost savings can be made.

Before you decide on which would benefit you most, you should always do your research by doing the following:

1) Inquire for Services. Inquire with several different planners or coordinators for the type of services they provide.
2) What type of Service do I need? Complete a Questionnaire for Services or a form that will help the planner or coordinator help you decide what type of service would suffice for your wedding day plans.
3) Get a price Quote. Request for a price quote and the services that they will provide for you from several planners or coordinators based on what you would require for your wedding day.
4) Request for an initial consultation. Meet with several planners or coordinators to insure that all of your questions have been answered.

Now that you have done your research, you will be able to decide on what type of services are needed, the type of professionals required to create your wedding day, and the costs required to produce a successful, organized and stress free wedding that will be “A day to remember!”