weddings and special events and private estates: February 2014

I moved to L.A. in my 20's and started working in cable TV. A few years later, I landed a job at Sony Picture Entertainment's GSN. My very first job assignment was taping boxes for our traveling sales team. I had no idea where this job would lead, but I knew I was working with some very talented people and this was a great opportunity.

BTW to this day - I can still tape up a box for shipping like there is no tomorrow. LOL

After a few years, I was producing live game shows and special events all over the country.

I had my dream job and it all started with the jobs that no one wanted to do.

Today, I am fortunate to be doing what I love the most - producing special events, live shows, and weddings for wonderful clients.

We are proud to announce that we have expanded our business operation to Central California. Our senior event coordinator, Cara Vidaurri will be managing our Central California division. For more information, please call Cara at 559-301-9552 or our L.A. office at 818-246-2288. XO

Here are a few ideas sprinkled with a little creativity to help with the planning process -

1. Start a Pinterest account.
They are fun and easy and your event professionals will get great insight into your style.

2. Consider using votive candles and lighting to create the right ambiance at your dinner reception. When the doors open and the guests enter the reception, the energy will come alive when the lighting is done correctly.

3. Set realistic goals when you decide to get into shape for your wedding day. Crash diets are dangerous. Schedule an exam with your doctor and ask if there is a nutritionist that she or he recommends, plus check out the different workouts that are available in your area.

4. Keep your party and guests safe. Hire only insured and licensed professionals such as the bartenders, wait staff and valet to help ensure that your party goes smoothly. Our company hires off-duty police officers at all of our off-site events to make sure that people don't drink and drive. The extra $45.00 per hour for the officer is money well spent. Our police officers are professional and they know how to handle situations by notifying us so we can communicate with the party host.

5. Avoid asking toxic friends to be in your wedding party. If you do this, you might be inviting unnecessary stress into your life.

6. Limit the type of bar you have at the wedding rehearsal. There is nothing worse than a hungover bride, groom or wedding party on the wedding day. In addition, we recommend not serving shots at the wedding. If you do this, we can almost guarantee someone will end up getting sick.

7. Tip your event professionals at the beginning of the event - it is a nice gesture.

8. Just because it is expensive, does not mean bupkis. A few years ago, we produced a high six-figure wedding for one of our clients. Our bride spent almost $2,000 for each of the bridesmaid's dresses and they were not one of my favorites. Even though our client spent a lot of money on her wedding (she was happy with the outcome), her wedding was turned down by all the popular publications and wedding blogs. Moral of the story, the amount of money one spends does not have anything to do with getting published.

9. Don't do any serious procedures on your face or body close to your wedding or event date. Please give yourself PLENTY of healing time. Talk with professionals and only use reputable medical spas and doctors. Also, ask questions and please don't get everything done all at once.

10. Finally, if you want to save money, time and stay stress free, consider hiring a professional event planner. XO

ESTATE PICK OF THE WEEK:

ESTATE 8536 MALIBU

This property allows inside and outside access, including sleep over options. Perfect for a 150 person or less guest count.

PICKS OF THE WEEK -
I love seeing beautiful votive candles (mercury is my favorite) and candelabras on dinner tables mixed with flowers. This allows each table to be unique, but still have continuity.

Could not resist - very popular where I am from - Central California.

Have a great day! XO, Gianna

Several times a week, we receive inquiries from new brides asking about day-of-wedding coordination. Since this is a very popular service, I thought it would be a great idea to address it.

The name of this package was created by wedding publications and blogs a few years ago. They helped to convince first-time brides that they can plan their wedding by themselves and then bring in a planner on the wedding day to "coordinate" so that everything can come together flawlessly.

Ask anyone who has ever planned a wedding and they will tell you that it takes a great deal of time (an average wedding from start to finish takes anywhere from 100 to 150 hours to plan).

Our company offers day-of-wedding coordination. The following describes in detail the services provided in our package:

1. An initial meeting to create your wedding timeline, in which we will confirm which projects have already been handled, review items that still need to be planned and answer any remaining client questions.

2. The development of a comprehensive wedding timeline. In order to create one with complete accuracy and include all updates, this will take approximately 3 hours.

3. A walk-through meeting at the venue to confirm logistics with event professionals and our client.

4. Phone and email support to our client.

5. Review the event professional agreements to confirm timing, price, load-in and load-out before our clients sign.

6. Confirm all of the event professionals to make sure that they have received the most current information and the latest timeline about 10 days before the wedding.

7. The wedding rehearsal - we collect all the important items for the wedding. These items can include the escort cards, final checks, seating chart, copy of the vows, and marriage license, to name a few examples. This way our bride and groom can relax and start enjoying their wedding weekend. We also direct the wedding rehearsal, unless the wedding takes place at a religious setting like a church or temple. In these cases, the onsite coordinator will conduct the rehearsal.

8. The wedding day - we spend approximately 10 hours to supervise the set-up, give cues for the musicians, bride and groom's entrance, first dance, event toasts, father-daughter and mother-son dance, plus the cake cutting.

We offer this package at a very special rate (we are only able to do five per year, since it takes up about 30 + planning hours) from $1650 to $1850. These packages only apply to weddings at hotels or private clubs.

There are some event planners who charge $500 for this same package, but for this fee there is a good chance that they might be trying to build up their portfolio and gain experience on your wedding.