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!!!!!!

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.

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One Bride's Maid of Honor Experience...

I am writing this blog very specific to my own wedding. My Maid of Honor was my sister, whom I love dearly. However, as the bride, there was so much that I wish she would have done for me. I found myself doing a lot of her duties even on my wedding day! My experiences at my rehearsal and on my wedding day were very stressful for me. Here are some things that I wish my sister (my maid of honor - MOH) would have done for me:

My rehearsal was a disaster. My wedding was out of town and the location was an hour away from where we stayed. At 1:00 PM, I was supposed to be at the venue to decorate and rehearse. I wanted to have the decor/supply list of everything that needed to go with us ready. I had asked my MOH to make sure that everything on the list was ready to go. I was running an hour late, and she did not help until the last minute. Once we got to the venue, my fiancé and I set nearly everything up ourselves.

On my wedding day it seemed even worse. There are basic duties of a MOH that everyone knows about and all the magazines tell you about. Have a list of detailed things that you'd like her to do during the ceremony and reception. Here are some of the little wedding day things that should be on that list, and will save the bride a lot of stress:

• Make sure to tell your maid of honor to fluff your wedding dress after you arrive at the altar.
• Make sure the ceremony and reception candles are lit (they could delegate that task, but just make sure it's done by someone).
• Make sure the DJ knows what events are going to occur during the reception (and in what order).
• Make sure that everyone who needs to be photographed are where they need to be.
• Know when the toast is coming and be prepared.
• Make sure that the best man has done his job with decorating the car. (We all know that the men need to be reminded :-)

As you can see, things could have gone better for me where my MOH was concerned. Take my advice and make your experience better! -Jenn Wyer, married July '08

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Big Wedding Problem Solving

Planning a wedding with a huge guest list? There are special challenges to consider!

Potential problems:

• Parking
• Adequate number of helpers to set up/clean up/serve food
• Receiving Line
• Guests feeling lost in the crowd
• Guests not being able to hear ceremony speaking
• Amount of food at reception
• Lots of gifts on gift tables, with the potential for theft

Possible solutions to solve these issues:

• Carefully choose venue and take parking into consideration
• Hire help, or have the venue staff clean up
• Skip an official receiving line or have the receiving line pass by the 'head table'
• Give each guest a special guest favor to show your appreciation
• Make sure microphones & a sound system are used during the ceremony
• Hire an experienced caterer who can accurately plan food amounts
• Keep a trusted person stationed at the gift table at all times

Hope this helps get you thinking! Visit www.NWweddingplace.com for more wedding planning help & ideas!

Short Engagement Timeframe?

Here I go again...
I have my first planning meeting tomorrow night for a big - BIG - upcoming wedding. We (the planning team) have less than 2 months to plan! Thankfully, the bride already has her dress ordered, which was my very first question once I found out how soon the wedding will be.

So what are the top priorities for a wedding with a really short planning/engagement time frame?
1. Get the Bride's dress ordered ASAP. Bridal gowns are normally custom made, and require approx. 8-10 weeks for creation & delivery. You can get a 'rush' order, but you'll pay extra fees.
2. Get the bridesmaid dresses selected, sized and ordered ASAP. Same as above... it takes a while! Otherwise, choose an off-the-rack style or let your attendants choose their own styles in your chosen color.
3. Venue is always a challenge with short notice, unless you're planning a backyard or beach wedding. Some churches are easier to secure on short notice as well.
4. Secure some of your main wedding vendors quickly, such as photographer, catering, florist, DJ/musicians, & officiant. If you can't find available vendors for your chosen day, go to plan "B". Or should I say, plan "F" for friends :-).
5. Keep yourself very well organized. Use our budget tracker form available for download on this page near the bottom. Keep records of who you've talked to and when, price quotes, their contact info, etc. This will make your life much easier!

I'm all for short engagements, but they do have their potential challenges. Good luck!

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