Northern California Wedding Planner | Chico Wedding ~ Anndria & Razz

This wedding was fun from the moment we met Anndria, her laugh and high energy personality kept things light and we were always excited to see what else she had crafted for her wedding day (this girl can rock the Cricut machine!) 

We can't wait to see their full gallery, but you can check out their amazing vendor team below for more information! 

Photographer: Billings Photography
Venue: White Ranch Events, Chico
Florist: Little Red Hen Floral and More
Catering: Roots Catering 
Cake: Cinful Desserts
DJ: The Wedding DJ 
Planning: The 530 Bride  

Northern California Wedding Planner | Foresthill Wedding ~ Rebecca & Justin

We get to work with amazing couples and wedding professionals, so when Christopher Armstrong reached out about one of his couple's who were in need of a wedding coordinator we were excited to learn more! Rebecca and Brandon are super sweet and one of those couples who are so adorable together you just fall in love with them! 

Their wedding venue was the Forest Hill Veterans Memorial Hall tucked away in the beautiful trees of Foresthill, CA.  The setting was absolutely peaceful and beautiful which made sense for a couple who love the outdoors. Fun fact, their date (April 22nd fell on Earth Day!)

Photographer: Christopher Armstrong Photography
Venue: Foresthill Veteran's Memorial Hall
Florist: Pinecreek Flowers
Rentals: Celebrations
Caterer: Edible Artistry
Beauty: Vintage Rose Salon, Leslie Hooten
DJ: Firehouse Entertainment
Photobooth: Photobooth by Christopher Armstrong
Cake: Divine Desserts
 

Northern California Wedding Planner | The Fine Print

Booking your wedding venue is an exciting milestone, you've found the place where your family and friends will gather to celebrate with your marriage.  When you sign your venue agreement don't let your excitement rush you into signing before you have read the policies of the venue in close detail.  

Photo by Jack Vu Photography

Venue Policies

Dreaming of a romantic candle-lit reception or a sparkler send off? Want to party until 2 am? It is very possible your venue policy prohibits open flame and has an ordinance that requires music to be off by 10 or 11 pm.  Maybe you want to bring in an outside caterer, double check that you are able to choose your vendors and if there are any additional fees for doing so.  Bring your list of must-haves/wants with you to a venue appointment and go over each item.  

Access

From a timeline standpoint, the first thing I want to know is when you will have access to the venue and what the set-up and break-down terms are.  Best case scenario is having access to the venue for rehearsal including some additional time for setting up tables and chairs (without linens if outdoors.)  Not only does it save time for the wedding day, but it also allows couples to see the table placement, aisle and other set-up to make sure they approve of the layout.  Will guests be able to leave their cars in the parking lot after the reception if they called a cab? These are important questions to ask your wedding planner!

Alcohol/Bar 

Be sure to confirm if outside alcohol is permitted, and the requirements for serving.  The venue may require you to hire security and the number of guards may depend on the guest count and the type of alcohol you are serving.  For example, if you have 150 guests and the venue requires 2 guards, then figure $25-40 per hour for each guard for 5 hours plus travel. 

Clean-up

This is the one area that couples often underestimate, because until you have gotten married you just won't understand how long the wedding day is as a whole, but how fast the reception goes by! You'll need to have all of your personal items, rentals & decor packed in addition to ensuring that all venue requirements are met (tables and chair put away, kitchen/common areas cleaned, and even removing garbage.) Unless you have several volunteers this may not be feasible in the 45 minutes to an hour that you have to clear out.   The real question is, do you want your wedding party or family to clean after your wedding?

We totally get it, Pinterest has all of these inspiration photos that will drive you crazy until you find just the right place to hold your wedding.  We just want to be sure our couples have all of their needs met along the way!

~ Happy Planning~

Northern California Wedding Planner | Communicating The Details

On many levels technology has changed the game.  At our fingertips we have hundreds of apps for making our lives easier.  From collecting our thoughts on visual boards, taking notes, playing music, tracking finances, electronically signing, planning your outfit, scheduling transportation, creating graphics, sending a cup of joe; you name it..there is an app for it.  

While we have come so far in technology and creating ways to "connect," the one shortfall is that we have tried and failed to replace the human element.  An app cannot do the one thing that matters most for a successful event. Execution. Expressing your priorities and having a trusted planner on-site to ensure that all of the details from your notes, Pinterest board, email, vendor agreements etc are actually delivered, assembled, utilized in the degree that you intended on your wedding day.  

When we see all of the articles and apps out there to plan your wedding, it makes us want to yell from the rooftops that phone apps and planning websites don't have nothin' on the behind the scenes magic that comes from a wedding planner working with a team of professional vendors.  

iPod's will never replace a DJ who can emcee your event and keep the guests engaged.  Raise your hand if you have been to an event where the ipod awkwardness was what you remembered more than the beautiful flowers or great food. (Raising Hand)  The same can be said for not having a professional photographer capture your day, a friend with a nice camera won't know the ins and outs of photographing a wedding. 

So how do you communicate your details after you have been planning for a year? We call it a brain dump, not a glamorous term but essentially you need to get all of these ideas and plans out of your brain and on to paper.  If you know exactly how you want your welcome table set up, then try to do a mock set-up using the items that you have or sketch out an example.  When you pack your items to bring to your venue, label each box of what is inside and where it needs to go. For example "Serving utensils for sweetheart table" etc.  We schedule master planning sessions with all of our couples where we go through how they would like their event to flow, set-up and break-down of what items they are bringing versus what is being rented, what needs to be packed or returned to rental companies etc. 

If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, reach out to your local wedding planner for tips on how to feel organized and prepared for your wedding day! 

~ Happy Planning!

Northern California Wedding Planner | Where to Start

When couples reach out to us, often they are primarily wanting to get an idea of where to start after getting engaged.  Hey it's an exciting, overwhelming and somewhat confusing time, totally get it!

We love getting to start the process with couples from the beginning because we are able to first understand what the couple's priorities are for their wedding experience.  We take that information and build an outline of vendors who we feel would be not only a good match based on style and budget, but also someone who would vibe well with the couple.  Building relationships is important to us, as planning your wedding is personal so having a connection really makes a difference. 

Once we have established a budget, style and must-haves list, we begin the venue and event partner selection process.  Then we review each venue's amenities such as tables & chairs being included, having an onsite getting ready area for bride and groom, kitchen/staging areas etc.  It is easy to get attached to the look/style of the venue, but we encourage couples to see a side-by-side comparison break down of at least three venues. 

The top three venues will then get a mock-up budget breakdown and design concept for the couple to choose from.  You can read more on getting started with selecting your venue & vendors here. 

Northern California Wedding Planner | Redding Bridal Show

To us, a successful bridal show involves booth design we love, a smooth set-up and meeting new couples.  The Redding Bridal show was just that, a big success! We enjoyed learning from couples about what their stresses are, what they felt they needed the most help with and also connecting with so many exceptional vendors.  

Hundreds of couples braved the Redding heat and made it to the show at the Civic Convention Center.  We loved that there were two floors and a great stage so bride's really got to walk around and experience each area.  

From caterers, florists, photographers, rental companies, DJ's, salons, gowns and fun photo booths, there was a lot to see.  Not to mention the amazing prizes!

2018 brides were ready to lock in their dates and check off booking their vendors from their to-do list.  We will be planning a lot more weddings in the Redding area including McCloud, Mt. Shasta, Red Bluff and Anderson.  If you missed the Redding Bridal Show but would like to attend an upcoming bridal show, check out our calendar of events.

We will be getting back to each couple this week, if you missed our booth or didn't grab a card please feel free to contact us at hello@the530bride.com and we are happy to help! 

~ Happy Planning~ 

Northern California Wedding Planner | We Just Plan Weddings

Plain and simple.  We are wedding planners because thats our jam! We have a fabulous list of reputable and professional vendors for all of your wedding needs, and we are always happy to share our recommendations.  Why a blog post on the topic? Well, because the only one-stop shops that I like are when I am grocery shopping!  We want our couples and our vendor teams to know that we won't try to step in to be a florist, a photographer, a hair or make-up stylist, etc. This not only ensures that our wedding clients get the planning experience they expect instead of being preoccupied with services that are not our specialty.  

We know that hiring professionals for these services is so important, and we respect the craft of each aspect of the wedding team.  Budgets are a real thing, and understandably couples have to prioritize how they allocate their spending.  That being said, having a wedding planner who knows the local market enough to try to help match up with professional service providers who are within budget saves time and money in the long run.  

Please take our advice and use extreme caution when having a friend of a friend provide any type of service for your wedding.  If unavoidable make sure to have a written agreement of some kind that clearly states the expectation and terms of any service or product being supplied.  The same advice goes for someone who is just starting out or building their portfolio.  Everyone starts somewhere so you could end up getting a great value but you take a bigger risk in this case. 

If you are still looking to complete your wedding plans and need assistance, please feel free to send us a message and schedule a free consultation.  You can ask us anything! Meet us in person at the upcoming bridal shows! 

~ Happy Planning ~

Northern California Wedding Planner | After I Do

It isn't hard to find checklists and planning timelines for the year leading up to your wedding. What you won't find a lot of info on is what to do after it is official. Follow these easy tips for life after the wedding and avoiding the post-wedding blues!

~ Happy Planning!~ 

Northern California Wedding Planner | Summer 2017 Bridal Shows

We're about half way through our wedding season this year, and we are taking a pause to work on some really fun events coming up! We wanted to share some of our top tips for attending a bridal show!  Check out our event calendar for some of the upcoming bridal shows. 

We had a blast at the Chico Bridal Show in January, 2017! 

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Bring your appetite! 
Seriously you will be well fed with all of the delicious samples by many of the top caterers and bakers. 

Standout
These shows are just for you, the couple so stand out! It can get pretty crowded at our booths so it is great when we can easily pin point who the couple is and know who we can turn our attention to next.  Lot's of mothers, sisters and friends also attend on behalf of couples if they aren't able to attend and that is fine too!

Start with a mission
Have in mind which services you are looking for and ask your wedding planner for tips on who to visit at the show.  If you don't have a planner yet stop by and ask away!

Bring a bag or closable folder
You will want to have a bag or closable folder for all of the handy info you will be picking up from the booths.  Bonus points if you bring a smaller bag to slip the cards in of the businesses that stand out to you the most so that you don't have to dig through later. 

Create pre-addressed mailing labels
Chances are you will visit several booths that have a prize or drawing in addition to the sign up lists for various promotions.  Save yourself the time and the hand cramp by bringing pre-addressed labels that you can stick right onto the sign-up list. The labels should include your name, preferred contact (phone or email) and your wedding date if you have selected one. 

Entourages are welcome!
Feel free to bring your fiance, wedding party, mom or any others to the show to share in the experience. Bonus points for dressing up, standing out and having fun! 

Ask Questions
Feel free to ask questions and talk to exhibitors, just keep in mind that with crowds it can be difficult for us to talk long but we love getting to talk to so many couples! You can always grab a card and shoot us an email with additional questions as well as schedule a complimentary consultation.

Attend Open Houses
Many of the exhibitors will host open houses, and these are a great way to talk in more detail and to take advantage of special bridal show pricing when you book. 

~ Happy Planning! ~ 

Northern California Wedding Planner | Life Happens

From venues closing, job changes, military orders, surprise babies, storms, illnesses and everything in between, Life Happens! When you are focused on planning your wedding, even the smallest speed bumps seem monumental.  For many couples who have been far into their planning and received news of a lay-off, or a family member who is not going to be well enough to travel to the wedding it can mean either moving the date or changing the plan all together.  

Once invitations go out, it may seem impossible to move the location or change the date but you have to be able to adapt to what works for the situation in order to still have the wedding experience that you can.  Just remember to breathe!

The internet is full of crazy stories of real life date changes:  Last Minute Venue Change  - This couple experienced a venue closing and a major flood and still tied the knot! (http://www.silive.com/relationships/index.ssf/2013/02/last-minute_venue_change_dont_panic.html)

Having a wedding planner that is able to take these changes head on and communicate to your vendors, negotiate the date change or discuss potential contract changes etc can take some of the stress away.  We aim to serve our clients by being their advocate in this process.  

Consider having to explain the situation to 10-20+ vendors when you are already stressed out.  Though everyone will want to help you, simply passing this off to a family member or wedding party member can lead to miscommunication or further delays.

Tips:

•  Check with your local wedding planner who will have a good handle on the venues and likely options that would be available on short notice.  
• Appoint one person as the contact for all communication
• Review all of your current contracts and provide copies to your appointed contact person or wedding planner to aide them in any discussions of date changes, cancellations, and any monies owed.  
• Be prepared to forfeit deposits/retainers for vendors that are not able to transfer the date or who do not offer any refunds in the event of a cancellation.  Keep in mind that while your wedding vendors will be sympathetic to your situation, they have likely turned down other couples interested in your date so returning a paid deposit wouldn't be feasible unless they are confident they can re-book.  
• Take it slow - Do not jump into another date or locking in any new contracts until you have not only confirmed that any new vendors or venue is open, but also the less back and forth there is with date or location changes the better.  

Just remember that while it may seem like the worst news ever, no matter what if you and your fiance are going to say your I Do's it is still a win-win, and there can always be a plan B.  

~ Happy Planning ~

Northern California Wedding Planner | Budgeting for Service Fees

Cake cutting fees, plate charges, set-up and breakdown, delivery, corkage, gratuity..the fees may seem to pop up everywhere but here is a little info to help you navigate when budgeting for your wedding.  When it comes to fees think of it as a convenience fee to compensate for time or for additional services.

Here are a few of the common fees that you may have not factored in yet! 

Service Fees
When looking over your agreement, do make sure to factor in applicable tax, service fees and gratuity. 

For example you may see this on your catering contract:

An eighteen percent (18%) service charge will be included in the final billing on all food, beverage and labor. The service charge covers the use of our equipment, kitchen essentials, buffet décor, energy costs, liability insurance fees, and all necessary permits and other administrative expenses. Please note that the service charge is taxable based on California State Regulation 1603(f) and is not a gratuity for the personnel.

Cake Cutting Fees
Typically charged when your venue, caterer or other staff who are not affiliated with the bakery who provided the cake.  The fee ranges any where from a flat fee of $25 to anywhere from $1-$4 per guest.  This mainly is due to covering the staff member designated to cut the cake (especially for large cakes or multiple tiers.)
https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-cake-cutting-fee 

Corkage Fees
Corkage is a per bottle fee that a restaurant charges a customer who brings their own wine to be consumed at that restaurant. This isn't allowed in the majority of restaurants in the country, but it's very common/normal in Northern California. http://www.forkandbottle.com/wine/corkage.htm

Delivery Charges 
This one is pretty standard - Rental items, florals, cakes or other specialty items will likely have a delivery fee if you aren't planning to pick-up.  Delivery fees are charged to cover fuel and for the driver's time.  

Set-up/Break-down Charges
The set-up and break-down fees covers the time and labor of setting up chairs, tables, place settings etc for your wedding.  Often the break-down is the area where couples underestimate the amount of labor to clean-up after a large celebration.  Not only cleaning up the garbage and packing the personal items/decor but ensuring that all rental items are packed/stored/stacked per the rental company agreement.  Wood chairs often need to be bagged then stacked which is an extra step as well.  Just ask your wedding party, they DON'T want to do this after a long day of celebrating with you! 

Additional Hours/Services 
When you book your vendors such as a photographer, you will often book based on the number of hours they will provide coverage.  If you decide to you would like them to stay longer, you will likely be charged for the additional hour at a premium.  When it comes to additional services, this is called "out of scope" meaning the vendor wasn't contracted for the specific service but will provide it for an additional fee.  

Recently, a few articles have been circulating accusing the wedding industry of price gouging just because it is a wedding.  However, I think when it comes to fees it is more common in the service industry than most people realize.  Until you have planned a wedding, you just aren't aware of them and it can be a sense of sticker shock when you start seeing the numbers.  We recommend starting with your venue search and narrowing down your selection by first understanding these fees associated.  Work with your wedding planner to ensure that you have accounted for these in your budget! 

~ Happy Planning! ~

Northern California Wedding Planner | We Don't Do It For The Cake

If you have ever watched a movie that involved a wedding or a wedding planner, it is more than likely that the scene focuses on the pretentious couple or the crazy bridezilla moments.  Our favorite scenes are of the ultra glam wedding planners who snap their fingers and order people around (not.) Happy to say that in reality weddings are not that dramatic or stressful, we promise! 

Recently, our whole team was busy working on two beautiful weddings. Being that it was literally 110 degrees on Saturday you can probably imagine that we were not the picture perfect wedding planners.  We were sweating it out while getting the tables in place, the linens on the tables and the napkin folds just right.  

We were also coordinating with a whole team of vendors who were not in ideal conditions either (the bar was in full sun, laptops were overheating, we needed to keep an eye on not blowing a fuse with running two massive fans) on top of the normal timelines we were managing.  The important part of above any set of challenges is that everyone comes together to ensure that everything is just as the couple envisions when they arrive to walk down the aisle.  

As a bride do you sometimes want to talk about your wedding, but don't want to bug your friends or wedding party? Do you have crazy obsessive thoughts about whether to have open or assigned seating?  Getting to work with couples through some of these questions and logistics is the fun part for us, plus we don't think your crazy for asking us "which blush color we like best!"

When we begin working with a couple we get to be invited into their lives, their love story and their closest circle.  Planning details that make a wedding day flow smoothly is not just to satisfy our obsession with a well organized day; it is about maximizing each element of that day which happens to go by super fast! 

We ask about details that seem super small at the time, but they help us anticipate our couple's needs and stay a few steps ahead. Communicating with the whole event team and sharing these key pieces of information keeps everyone on the same page. It also reduces the amount of questions that go to the couple in the weeks or days leading up to their event.  

Weddings are our jam, we will never tire of hearing emotional toasts, seeing tears in a proud parent's eyes, or the moment when the couple can let loose on the dance floor surrounded by their closest friends and family.  This is why we do what we do, we don't do it for the cake or for the pretty flowers (although we love both of those.)

Getting to keep in touch with our couples after their wedding is a pretty sweet bonus if you ask us, and seeing their milestones in life is the best. 

If you are newly engaged or finding that your wedding is coming up and are in need of some help to execute the details that you have planned, head over to our contact page to say hello!

~ Happy Planning!~

Northern California Wedding Planners | The Creative Details We Love

Here we are in June (aka Wedding Season) and we are busy with creating floor plans, confirming vendors and most of all making sure our couples have everything they need for their upcoming weddings.  When we take a pause, we can see multiple events in the works but each so unique which is what gets our creative ideas flowing! 

From rustic ranch weddings to intimate farm to table winery weddings, we strive to help our couples execute these details that are meaningful and authentic to the wedding experience they want to have.  

Whether it was the flowers, the hand crafted altar, signage, fun desserts each were prioritized differently for each wedding and here are just a few highlights of what we have been working on this year.  We can't wait to get all of the galleries back, we have worked with some amazing photographers!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram (@530bride) to keep up with the latest events and planning tips, or head over to Facebook and like our page! 

~ Happy Planning!~ 

(Header Image by Turquoise & Palm)

Northern California Wedding Planner | 3 Things You Should Do The Week of Your Wedding

You have the date circled on your calendar, and you are getting the countdown from just about every person you know (as if you forgot when your wedding was!) What should you be focusing on the week of your wedding? Here are some tips!

Pack it up! 
Pedicures are important, and you can make time for that this week but our number one tip is to start at the beginning of the week and make a packing list.  Every item that you are bringing with you to your venue should be listed on the box, along with where the item should go.  So if you are planning on having shawls or small blankets for guests if they get chilly, indicate that you would like these to go on the bench next to the dance floor with the corresponding chalk board sign or note that tells guests to grab one! 
Pack items together by the order of where they are going.  All of the welcome table items such as your photo album/sign in with pens, card box, programs etc.  Cake topper with the cake server, knife, plates, forks (if you aren't renting) should all go together. 

Take Care of Final Balances
Look over all of your vendor contracts with your wedding planner and ensure all balances are taken care of so that you don't have to carry around your check book on your wedding day.  If you would like to have envelopes for your planner to distribute for balances that need to be paid on the day of, indicate the vendor name, balance being paid and/or amount of gratuity.  Not sure about tipping? Our thoughts are pretty much the same as what Off Beat Bride has to say about tipping.  If you are looking for a standard guide we have supplied one here. 

Set-up and Clean-up
Be sure to have a clear idea of what items need to be set up and also cleaned up/broken down after the reception.  Go over this with your planner to make sure you are on the same page and determine if you need any additional assistance.  If your venue handles clean-up discuss what they will do with your personal items like photos, table numbers, centerpieces, left over cake etc and when you should plan on picking that up.  Often your security deposit is subject to these policies so be sure to clearly understand any hard out times & clean-up rules.  

Before you start gearing up for your rehearsal, take an evening or even just a casual lunch with your honey and spouse-to-be and just be normal together! Try to steer clear of wedding talk for at least a good hour and know that all of the details & work is to celebrate your commitment to each other.  

~ Happy Planning!~

Northern California Wedding Planner | Taylor & Cory ~ White Ranch, Chico

The forecast weeks out had called for rain, but as just as Cory's father said in his toast during the beautiful reception "Cory is a lucky man." Take one glimpse at Taylor and that is easy to see, she was simply stunning in her gown and the way she looks at him says it all.  We love LOVE.  Photos by Bloom Portraiture 

Thank you to the vendor team who rocked, and made this day so beautiful! 

Venue: White Ranch Events 
Photographer: Bloom Portraiture
Caterer: Truck-a-roni
Florist: M Creations 
Cake: Mims Bakery
DJ: Elite Sound

Northern California Wedding Planner | StrongHold Ranch ~ Jessica & Chris Bagshaw

You know that feeling of having butterflies in your stomach? That is the feeling we had when we witnessed this incredible couple said "I do."

Chris and Jessica came to us in a frenzy due to a situation that pushed their planning process back. When we received a phone call from them, we immediately began tying loose ends to ensure that their wedding day would be the best day of their lives!

The best part about this scenario was that we had the opportunity to work with such a relaxed and amazing couple! It definitely makes this "job" much easier!  Their love speaks for itself in these gorgeous photos. 

Enjoy these gorgeous images taken by Rachel White Photography, based in Red Bluff California.

Venue: Stronghold Ranch in Redding California
Photography: Rachel White Photography
Florals: Mallery's Flowers
Catering and Rentals: Etched in Elegance
Cupcakes: Sublime Cake Design
Make-up: Makeup By Mayra
Event Management: The 530 Bride 
DJ: Netsound
 

Northern California Wedding Planner | Planning for a Smooth Rehearsal Day

Today's the day. The day BEFORE you walk down the aisle. Piece of cake right?

Why is it that no one seems to talk about the rehearsal day itinerary and that sometimes it can be more stressful than your actual wedding day!  You will have a lot of people wanting to help which is great, but you don't want to have too many cooks in the kitchen.  With intentional planning, your wedding weekend doesn't have to be stressful, here are our top tips for keeping the anxiety attack at bay:

1. Hire Professionals
Keep DIY projects to a minimum, or select projects that can be completed months before the wedding rather than the night before.  When planning your wedding you may just be focusing on what is going on the tables & what things will look like. But keep in mind that you will have to set-up and clean-up (re-pack) these items as well.  A wedding planner can not only create an organized timeline for your wedding weekend that outlines what each vendor is responsible for, but will also ensure that all rentals are correct and set-up accordingly.  Between your wedding planner, catering staff, venue staff or other event staff can assist with setting everything up so that you and your family do not have to worry.  The tips that follow are especially important for couples who may not have a full service caterer or event staff.

2. Packing & Clean-up List
If you are bringing any of your own items to the wedding venue such as (picture frames, signage, guest book, cake topper, toasting flutes etc) write it down on a packing list along with where you would like the item to go.  For example if you are bringing several frames but would like the largest frame to go on the welcome table you should indicate that.  Write this list so that anyone who picks up the list could unpack the boxes and put the items in place.  This will save you the first 10 questions from your aunt or sister, "where does this go" all those questions add up!

List out who will be taking the gifts, left over food, cake and any of your personal items home after the wedding.  Who will be responsible for ensuring that the venue policies have been met (clean-up complete, rentals stacked, dishes rinsed or any other applicable rules)

3. Timeline  
Bring along extra copies of the timeline (or have your planner distribute ahead of time) so that family and friends have their questions answered without coming to you.  Appoint someone in your wedding party to answer calls & field questions.

4. Ceremony Order & Script
Bring two copies of the ceremony order and script to ensure you have the walking order of your wedding party and that you have some verbal cues of what the officiant will be saying during the ceremony.  Bonus points if you rehearse the ceremony processional to the music you selected with your DJ.  You can time out how long it takes the wedding party to get down the aisle and determine if you need to make any changes.  You can read our ceremony planning guide here

5. Relax and Enjoy
Allow yourself to relax and take it all in.  Okay this is definitely easier said than done when emotions are running high and so much anticipations has led up to this day.  Totally get it!  Just remember that your friends and family have gathered this weekend just for you two! Laugh a lot, hydrate and hopefully sleep so that you can be rested for your amazing wedding day.  

If you are still a few months out and are considering hiring a coordinator to assist you with your wedding day just shoot us a message.  All consultations are complimentary and we would love to grab coffee & chat!

~ Happy Planning~

Northern California Wedding Planners | Feeling the Love

If you loved your wedding cake, or rocked the dance floor thanks to your awesome DJ then scream from the rooftops about how amazing it was. There are lots of tipping guides out there, but online reviews are the REAL gold for your wedding vendors!

Image via WeddingWire, Inc.

Working in the service industry of creating events, we are excited each time we meet with a new couple who are ready to start planning their wedding.  Each time we sit down for a consult, we know that before the couple ever walked in the door they had a lot of options when it comes to choosing their wedding coordinator.  From seeing ads online, to the bridal shows and countless directories it can be overwhelming.  

We are blessed to have established great working relationships with vendors who refer couples to us for planning services because they know from experience that we work hard to make sure that each detail comes together just as the couple envisioned.  These word of mouth referrals as well as online reviews from our couples gives us the warm & fuzzies because it is truly amazing to know that we helped these couples get to experience their wedding day without the stress of doing it all themselves.

Choosing your wedding vendors is a very personal experience and you should make sure that you connect with them or get good vibes.  Price is important obviously, but at the end of the day the value is in your experience not how much you paid for these services.  Reading from other couples on what they loved about working with a vendor will help prospective couples get a glimpse on what to expect or what they could gain by hiring this vendor/service.  

We refer couples to vendors based on the experience that we have had with them, and also if their services and price point are in line with what the client is looking for.  We never take any type of fee or kickback for referring vendors, and if there are discounts for preferred vendors we pass them right on to our clients.  

So if you are reading this and are about to say I do, make sure you write yourself a reminder to share some notes on your favorite review sites like Yelp, Google Places, Wedding Wire, The Knot or even Facebook.  It will mean so much to your vendors and future couples will be thankful that you took the time as well!

~ Happy Planning~