Why you need a wedding Planner!!!!!!

Planning your own wedding is very hard and it takes allot of time. It can be done, but it usually brings great stress. I will share a few reasons with you that will help you determine if you need a wedding planner or wedding coordinator. If you have poor time management skills, if you are doing it all by yourself, I get frustrated easy; I have a very busy schedule. If you read most of the information online they will say you don’t need a planner. Planner’s prices range from $500.00 to $5000.00. The key is to find the right planner at the right price. Some brides need day of planning only some need full planning so it is important for you to understand your needs when choosing a planner.

Most planners will offer you an unlimited package that will cover from the beginning to the end of your wedding. This is a great way to go to save money and time. You will get the most out your planner selecting this type of package. Using a wedding consultant to plan your wedding day had always been viewed as a luxury that only the rich and famous enjoyed. This is not so much the case anymore and the number of people using wedding planners continues to rise every day.

Planning a wedding can be like a full time job if a bride decides to go it alone. This type of event involves a lot of time with so much to learn and do and often not enough time to do it all. This event planner has to be highly organized and always knows what to do if things go wrong. He/she knows exactly who to contact when the need arises.

A professional wedding planner has to be extremely creative by nature. He or she also needs to have a very good sense of style and know what trends are current and which ones are outdated. The event planner also needs to have a personality that connects well with clients in order to understand them and to have a clear picture of their personal and specific needs for their special day.

A good event planner has lots of connections with the best vendors and works at getting his/her client the best value for their money. There is usually a budget to maintain and endless details tailored to the bride and groom. A wedding planner can also save the bride and groom a lot of money as well as time. This is because they usually know which vendors are reasonably prized and the quality of work involved. The event planner is usually in a better position to negotiate and get discounts from vendors they have worked with before.

Event planners will help their clients avoid disasters at their functions because they oversee all of the operations of the day to the last detail. Should there be an emergency at the event, the planner is usually better prepared to deal with the crisis rather than having the client try to figure out what to do.

The costs involved in hiring such a professional may be surprisingly affordable given the amount of details they have to work with. Planners also tailor their cost according to the client's budget and help them to stay within their budget.
Without a wedding planner on hand, many brides and grooms run themselves ragged as the wedding day approaches. Some couples have even complained of not enjoying their wedding day because of the stress. An event planner comes in handy at this point because the couple has nothing to worry about since all the details are taken care of. The end result of having an event planner or a wedding consultant, in this case, is well worth it. The clients end up with a stress free day and they are able to enjoy every moment of their special occasion.

Why Hire A Wedding Coordinator?

As couples begin thinking about their wedding , they are often confused as to how much to spend, where to obtain specialized services, and how to choose vendors.

These worries often mount as quickly as the cost of the wedding. After the euphoria wears off and the reality settles in, it's shocking to discover of how much preparation is involved.

Couples are faced with decisions about everything from invitation wording to planning their honeymoon. Couples often find they want experienced professional help.
Not long ago, a wedding coordinator was thought of as a luxury, only used by the wealthy.

Now a coordinator is essential to the well planned affair. It is no longer "trendy" to engage a coordinator. Being experienced in negotiating contracts with caterers, florists, photographers, and other suppliers, the coordinator saves valuable time and money. The coordinator can take advantage of discounts not available to private parties and avoid costly mistakes, while turning your dreams into reality.

The average wedding can take more than two hundred fifty hours just to plan. With today's hectic lifestyles, you may not have time to compare all the options, making sure you get the best deal, and make sure all the details are in place.
Wedding coordinators are not here to make decisions for you, but to guide and assist you in making informed decisions. Their training, knowledge, and experience will turn your dreams and expectations into reality. They want you to host a beautiful and distinctive event which you can enjoy.

A wedding coordinator will save you time and enable you to get the most for your money! A wedding coordinator can serve in many other capacities. They can act as the family counselor for apprehensive brides and the mothers, a wedding coordinator can become as close as your best friend.

How do you know you're hiring the right coordinator? Trust is important in any relationship. You should feel completely comfortable with the coordinator and feel assured that he or she completely understands what your needs are.

Your personalities should match. It's important to find out how long the coordinator has been in business. Be careful of coordinators who are not members of any professional organization. These organizations have a code of ethics that the consultant must follow in order to be a member, some also require some sort of continuing education each year to stay a member.
How Do Wedding Coordinators Charge for Services?

VENUE TRENDS

Recently I was talking with one of my wedding planning friends about venues. She shared that one of her brides called her specifically for a venue search. They went to several venues in Olympia and Tacoma. The bride looked at Grand Holiday Ball Room, South Sound Manor, Scottish Rite, and the Chapel. They are all very nice venues and I would recommend them to anybody for their wedding. I have personally gone out and met the owners and viewed them myself. My friend said that the bride liked them all but felt strongly that she would have to spend extra money for decorations at three of the venues. When the bride walked into the Grand Holiday Ball Room her jaw dropped with excitement. My friend said” only if you could have seen the smile on her face”. I feel this is a great trend for venues that are elegantly decorating their venues then adding that into the rental fee of the venue. Secondly providing a package that includes: catering, venue, centerpieces, tablecloths, DJ, chair covers, and more for $6,500 to $8,000 depending on your guest count, not bad. I really feel that this trend will catch on with other venues because you become a one stop shop and you stand to make more money. These days due to the economy brides must be practical in their budget but be honest champagne test never goes away. Take your time with your venue search. Make sure you look at several venues. Go back and look again if you are not sure. Don’t allow you planner to rush your decision. Remember your wedding day only happens once for the first time. Here are a few venue links below take a look if you are look for a venue for your wedding. I hope you wedding day is very special. Talk to you soon!!!!!!

Wedding Make-Up Providers

Hello Wedding Fans!

As you know, we are deep into wedding planning season right now. In fact, in the past several months, I have personally helped with several weddings and have met with many brides and bridesmaids to talk about Dessy bridesmaid dresses.

An important, yet often forgotten, aspect of wedding day beauty is makeup. The bride, the bridesmaids and often the mother of the bride and groom too want to look their best, which includes having professional makeup help. Have you considered having a makeup company consultant do a pre-wedding party, and then help the day of the wedding too?

In fact, Mary Kay consultants have samples to try out, and enjoy working with groups of ladies at bridal showers or pre-wedding makeup sessions. It is easy to test out, experiment with and purchase products that match/compliment dress colors, skin tones, etc. Plus, you can ask for help before wedding photos are taken for a more flawless look.

Olympia, WA Mary Kay: Lori Sevier, Independent Sales Director. Site: http://www.marykay.com/lorisevier/default.aspx

Shelton, WA Mary Kay: Teresa Hurt, Independent Consultant. Contact: sweet4monkeys72@hotmail.com

For more wedding ideas, visit http://www.nwweddingplace.com/ today!

2010 wedding? Looking to order Dessy bridesmaid dresses? Visit www.Dessy.com, then send us a note for a no-obligation price quote on your favorite style!

Note: Dresses take 8-9 weeks to receive since they are custom made for each person (style/size/color).

ordering@NWweddingplace.com

Engagement Party

This past weekend, I hosted an engagement party for a couple who is getting married early next March. Here is a re-cap of the party planning process and information:

• The bride and groom wanted this to be a fun time. Couples and close friends were invited via Evite online invitations, approximately 3 weeks in advance.


• A special engagement cake was purchased, using the couple's planned wedding colors.


• Each person who came brought a food dish to share, and the party coordinators also brought sandwiches, drinks and deviled eggs.


• Drinks included a variety of pop, sparkling water with lemons and limes and coffee.


• One person was assigned the job of official party photographer. She took candid and posed photos at various times during the party.


• The party began at 2:00pm, and most left by 5:00.

Since this was a time for just close friends who cherish the couple to gather, and no games were needed. Plenty of networking and socializing happened naturally. It was a great time for the bride and groom to discuss their wedding plans and ideas with this intimate group of friends, many of whom will be volunteering time to help at the wedding.

Engagement parties are fun! They are meant for both men and women to attend, and usually couples will choose to invite their closest relationships.

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Day-of Wedding Coordinator

So you're getting married...Congratulations! Weddings should be all fun and games, but sometimes...they cause the engaged couple to be on overload.

One of the complaints we hear from brides is that their wedding day is too stressful and chaotic. The bride knows how she wants every detail, yet can't do it all herself. The groom is not fully available either! Besides, for the couple much of the wedding day is consumed by hair appointments, getting dressed, hanging around with the bridal party, photos, greeting guests and family members, etc. So what is a couple to do??

Hire a day-of wedding coordinator! What is the difference between a day-of coordinator and a traditional wedding planner, you ask? The day-of coordinator does a lot less of the planning work, and the majority of the practical tasks at the event. The day-of coordinator sets up decorations, organizes the volunteers, coordinates incoming vendors, such as photographers, caterers and DJ's, keeps the bridal party on-time, helps clean up, may return rented items, etc. Basically, this person takes care of many of the little things that need to get done so the bride, groom and their families can relax and have fun!

The couple gives this day-of coordinator their master plan, and meets with them beforehand to review all aspects of the big day. Fees for this type of wedding coordinator can vary widely. Depending on the scale of your wedding, and the tasks you want this person to take on, fees could be anywhere between $300 - $1500.

This person needs to be very organized and task focused, as well as have the ability to work with others effectively. Reliable, creative and sharp are also great qualities to look for!

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

Wedding Jewelry Deals

Hello Readers!

Did you know that NWweddingplace also offers another blog dedicated to saving you money on your wedding? Yes...it's true...check out our cheap-wedding-tips blog for ideas on how to save your wedding budget from utter disaster.

As an example, we have access to this great jewelry deal from Ultra Diamonds, and we thought you'd want to know about it:

Use code 50off. Their prices are already great, so check this out and find a great wedding engagement set, or a gift for a loved one. Grooms, your lovely new bride would certainly appreciate some pretty earrings as a gift from you. Brides, what about getting your man a special watch, engraved with a wedding day message from yours truly?

Just a couple fun ideas for you :-). Happy shopping!

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

Cool Ring Bearer Gift

If there is one gift that's difficult to decide on when planning a wedding, it's what to get the ring bearer as a wedding party gift! Not any more...Check out this super cool, personalized back pack from American Bridal!

Click the picture to find out more information about this personalized ring bearer backpack and how to order (then type in "camo backpack"). Camo is certainly a hit with ring bearers ages 4-10! Additionally, American Bridal also has a clearance sale happening on wedding favors and gifts!

Happy shopping... :-)

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

Are Blue Weddings Back?

Blue - the color of the early 90's...

From what we can tell, blue seems to be back for weddings! In recent months, we've helped with several weddings, all whom have used blues for bridesmaid dresses.

In the past several years, blues have remained popular for beach themed weddings (for obvious reasons) and have been spotted in some winter weddings.

Great accent colors with blues could be browns and tans, silver, reds (used sparingly), pinks, pale yellow, and of course ivory or white. How do couples incorporate their wedding "color?" In several potential ways:

Bridesmaid Dresses

Groomsman ties

Bridesmaid bouquets and ribbons

Table centerpieces

Floral

Tableware, such as plates, napkins, linens, etc.

Balloons

Candles

Banners

Cake frosting accents

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue! Or maybe, a LOT of things blue!

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

Picking a Wedding Date?

Hello Engaged Couples!

Are you deciding which day of the week to have your wedding? Personally, my husband and I got married on a Friday night. My sister and her husband did also. However, as you've probably noticed already, Saturday is actually the most popular day of the week for weddings. Friday is the second most chosen day.

According to The Wedding Report, 65% of weddings in 2009 were/are scheduled on Saturdays. This statistic tells me that if your heart is set on a Saturday wedding, your best bet is to set that date up as EARLY as possible. Many other couples will be competing for venues, vendors and services that same day. Priority #1 will be to secure your venue as soon as possible after your wedding date is chosen.

Saturdays are a practical day of the week for weddings for several reasons:

• Guests and wedding party typically have that day off.
• Guests who must travel can more easily do so on Saturdays.
• Churches normally do not have services on Saturdays, so they are available to hold weddings.
• Couples can leave for their honeymoon that night or the next morning, and take the following week off of work.

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

Funny Wedding Video!

Are you worried that your wedding ceremony and wedding vows won't go perfectly smooth? Take a look at this very funny wedding video, and prepare yourself for a good laugh!

brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com

How Much Are Bridal Shoes?

Once again, couldn't help ourselves and we're going to post more wedding statistics! Today's stat is about the bride's shoes. Every bride puts thought into what shoes they'll wear with their special wedding gown. Here's a statistic on the average spent on bridal shoes:

2008 (whole year average spent) - $94
2009, 1st quarter - $91
2009, 2nd quarter - $83

Wedding statistics by "The Wedding Report"

This particular tid-bit of information got me thinking. Are the prices really going down and/or people are spending less, or is it that it's summer time? Maybe more brides are opting for flip-flops or other simple flats to go with their summer weddings? Could that be the reason for the average spending dip right now?

We may never know for sure, but what I do know is that brides love shoes! If you're searching for just the right bridal shoe for your wedding, please visit www.nwweddingplace.com's shop online section for a wide variety of bridal shoe & jewelry options!

Buying Wedding Cakes

Since we're on a roll lately with wedding statistics...Thought you'd enjoy another one about wedding cakes! What are couples paying for their wedding cakes these days? According to The Wedding Report (wedding statistics company), the average amount spent for a wedding cake right now is approximately $350. This spending level has stayed relatively the same for the past 18 months, despite the economic downturn.



I took this wedding cake photo at a local grocery store's bakery department, where I know the bakers and cake decorators.

If you're looking for a unique, gorgeous cake topper for your wedding reception, visit our shop online section at http://www.nwweddingplace.com/shop-caketoppers.htm.

Wedding Planner Costs & Why Hire One?

It's wedding season! For those of you planning 2010 weddings, you may be curious about the costs of hiring a wedding planner (AKA wedding consultant or coordinator). According to the wedding industry statistics experts - The Wedding Report - the average cost of hiring a wedding coordinator is around $2300. Not too shabby, considering what an over-all wedding budget adds up to be.

Why would engaged couples want to hire a wedding planner? Here are 3 great reasons:

1. You just don't have time to figure it all out yourselves. Less stress!

2. You want a great wedding, but aren't that creative or knowledgeable. I need to DIY what??? No thanks...

3. You have family members who want to "take over" but you don't want them to. You'd rather defer to the planner. "Thanks anyway Aunt Millie...but the coordinator has already taken care of that detail..."

Planning a wedding in the South Puget Sound Region? Consider UniqXpressions Floral Design & Event Planning.

Brought to you by http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

Fun, Funny Wedding March Video!

OK, this is not our normal informative wedding post. But... You simply must see this video! If you're planning a non-traditional wedding ceremony, maybe this is just what you've been looking for! Check out this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

Cheers!
Brought to you by http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

Average Wedding Costs

Happy July!

Are you planning a wedding for 2009 or 2010? I personally know several engaged couples who are either getting married this year, or are gearing up for a 2010 wedding.

We just got word from one wedding statistics source that average wedding costs are still on the downward spiral. This is probably due to 2 possible, main causes:

1. Couples are cutting out extras & taking other cost-saving measures.

2. Vendors are lowering prices & offering more deals.

Chances are, that number 1 accounts for the bulk of the plummeting average wedding costs. If you are an engaged couple planning an upcoming wedding, how are you saving? Are you cutting out extra services, opting for cheaper outdoor venues, reducing the size of your wedding, etc? We'd be interested in hearing your plans and stories. Share them as comments to this post!

For more wedding saving ideas, visit our Cheap Wedding Tips blog. Brought to you by http://www.nwweddingplace.com/.

Featured Wedding Story

Hello Readers!

I'd like to tell you about an upcoming wedding's plans, so you can potentially get some ideas.

Wedding Theme - Rustic

Colors - Sailor Blue

Location - Farm, outdoors, evening

Flowers - Bride's professionally created bouquet will be deep red roses, with bridesmaid and reception tables featuring a variety of wildflowers. The wedding cake will also be adorned with flowers.

Features - Short, outdoor ceremony with reception on the same property. On-location, country-style dinner served to guests. Bride will wear a strapless, oyster-shell top gown and flip-flops. Professionally printed invitations. Rented glassware (to avoid wind-tipping outdoors) and chairs.

Hopefully this information will be helpful in your wedding planning process!

http://www.nwweddingplace.com/

Having a Recession Wedding?

Yep - that's right. If you'll be getting married in 2009, according to some big-name publications & websites, you're officially having a recession wedding! In fact, if you're NOT planning on cutting your wedding budget back, some have even called that choice "impractical" during this economic downturn.

Our view here at NWweddingplace has always been to find great deals for your wedding, but to have it be exactly what you want. We won't consider you as "impractical" if you decide to buy crystal guest favors or have a 9-tier wedding cake. We also don't feel that it's cool to label people's wonderful wedding day, no matter how small or large the budget is, as a "recession wedding." Tacky! But, that's just our humble opinion :-).

Go have a great wedding, no matter what you spend! Enjoy...

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com.

Wedding Budget Tracker

Are you looking for a way to keep track of all your wedding vendors and track wedding expenses at the same time? Look no further! NWweddingplace.com has a free, downloadable file that will be exactly what you need to keep your wedding budget on track and your contacts organized. Best of all - it's free! Yes...it's true...something for your wedding that doesn't cost you a thing!

Visit our home page, and look at the bottom of the middle column. You'll find our "Wedding Budget Tracker File" link highlighted and ready for you to click :-)

Brought to you by www.NWweddingplace.com. "Helping Pacific Northwest Couples Plan Their Dream Weddings & Successful Marriages"