Navigating the Rules of the Road and Avoiding the Pot Holes

Hello, everyone!

Every wedding and event is unique, because every client is different and this makes my job fun and challenging at the same time.

This week's blog is a compilation of tips plus, new and old favorite things.

I hope you enjoy!

Thank you.

-Gianna

GIANNA'S TIPS OF THE WEEK - 

If you are renting an estate - please hire an experienced event planner who has done several estate events.  This person can help you to establish a realistic budget, help you find the right venue, connect you to the right service providers that will help you connect to your style.

Flip flops - provide a cute basket by the dance floor with flip flops in your wedding color or colors. At every wedding, we see the female guests take off their shoes, so they can dance and I am always concerned that someone will step on broken glass and get hurt.

DJ vs. Band - both can be great.   A DJ will cost less than a band to perform which includes saving costs on their dinners.  If your venue has sound restrictions, it may hinder the band. The DJ will be able to play music the way it was recorded.  If you are set on having a band, most will negotiate their price.

Late Night Appetizers -

Ask your hotel or caterer to serve fries or baked mac and cheese or your favorite comfort food. Late night snacks help keep the party going.

Booking your florist - check out his or her work and see if you like it. Be frank about your budget and allow your florist to give you options.  Many of our clients use Pinterest to show their florist their style.  I love this web site for inspiration meetings.

Bridesmaid Dresses -

Select your color for their dresses and let the bridesmaids choose their own style to fit the shape of their body. We love to see the dress have options, so it can transform from the ceremony to the reception.

Flower Girl Dresses -

I find it hard to find dresses for little flower girls that I love or even like.  You won't see many photos of flower girl dresses on my site since this is the one thing that I struggle with on a regular basis. I think too many dress designers try to put little girls in dresses that are made for older girls or the designs are way over the top.  :(

Guest Accommodations -

Have three choices for your out of town guests -  low, medium and high end room rates that are close to your venue.  This will help when setting up transportation for the event day.

Hair and Makeup - During your make up and hair trial session, take photos of your favorite look, so you have a record just in case. xo

GIANNA'S PICKS OF THE WEEK -

ABS Boatneck Dress

Bag It Up Boutique

Or...

Profile-JAton

I am in love with these shoes - they keep making appearances on this blog:) Go figure. xo

Bridesmaid bouquets - white hydrangea

Sugar cookies stacked to look like miniature wedding cakes.  xo

Things That Make Me Say OMG....

Every once in awhile things happen at "live" events that make me think that there must be a hidden camera and someone will jump out from behind a bush and say "gotcha".

Unfortunately, that has not been the case and it is just real life playing out in front of me.

Some of these stories show that excessive drinking can mess up what should be the one of the happiest days of someone's life.

Here are some examples of what can go wrong.  xo

• An intoxicated bridesmaid who gives a toast that includes tales about her good friend, the bride, in front of all the guests, bride's mother, bride's new in-laws and new husband. Our sweet couple sat silently at their sweetheart table, which was right next to the dance floor watching. It was like watching a car accident in slow motion.   The groom finally gave the DJ the sign to cut her mic and the bridesmaids dragged her off the dance floor.  The wedding ended up a happy wedding, but that moment will forever live in my mind. 
• An intoxicated bride jumps on stage to sing and dance with the professional female performers.  Then when the bride thought she had a handle on her performance, she pushed the female performers off the stage. I can replay this scene in my mind whenever I need to smile:)
• The bride and groom have the DJ play, "Let's Get Physical" by Olivia Newton John repeatedly through-out the night. This happened in 2007...omg.:(
• The bride and groom left with their photographer immediately after the ceremony.  The cocktail hour was planned for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The caterer had enough appetizers for 1.5 cocktail hour.  The couple arrived after 2.5 hours.  Nothing really bad happened, but it was just myself and my amazing team, the caterer, security personnel and 300 of their closest family and friends waiting while they captured "memories".  There is a happy ending to this story - their dinner was delicious and the couple and their guests partied the night away until 1:30 am. 
• One last story -  the photographers (who were friends of the bride and groom) drank and partied all night with the couple and the guests while randomly deleting some of the digital photos to make room, so they could take more photos of the wedding. 

There is never a dull moment in the life of an event planner.    XO

Downtown Wedding -

Last month we had the pleasure of producing a wedding reception for Kimi and Adam.  

Their reception was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time including the couple.  I love downtown LA for many reasons and one of them is when people don't want music restrictions.
Wishing this lovely couple all my best. XO

The book. xo

The couple.  xo

This little guy likes to dance. 

Gianna's Pick's of the Week - 

Garden Wedding. 

Eve of Milady Gowns

Jimmy Choo

Pretty cake.

Love her bouquet, robe, the bedding, pretty garter, her hairstyle and the lampshade. XO

Tips of the Week -

If you want to save money and still  have a beautiful wedding, check out having a Thursday wedding at one of your favorite venues. 

Last month, we produced a Thursday wedding that had a 12 piece band. I could not believe my eyes - their guests danced until 1 am and the wedding was a huge success. The hotel and service providers gave great deals since it was not a prime day. 

Line Items To Consider When Thinking About an Estate Wedding - 

The rental of the estate should not be more than 20% of your overall budget.

Caterer - food, service charge, staff and tax - could run $120 and up per person - depends on your menu and guest count. If your guest count is high, then the caterer might cut you a break in price per person.

Rentals - expect between $80 and up person.  Depends on your style - type of chairs, table settings, weather, dinner courses, etc. We have seen clients spend $150 per person when someone has expensive taste. 

Cake - Really great cake shops charge anywhere from $7.00 and up per slice. Cakes will vary depending on how many flavors and art work. 

Attire:

Dress - $1000 and up.

Shoes - $250 and up.

Tux or Suit - Suits start around $300 and go up and tuxedos start around $1000 and go up. 

Rentals are the least expensive route when trying to save a few dollars.

Lighting - $1700 and up.  You can have your rental company provide the lighting if you want pretty but more simple lighting - maybe up lighting with a few chandeliers. 

Alcohol - will it be premium or top shelf?  Are your guests big drinkers?  Costs will depend on your guest count.

As the host of your party, please remember to provide shuttle and/or cab vouchers if you expect your guests to drink. We recommend having the bar close about 45 minutes to an hour before the end of the party and consider serving late night snacks (grilled cheese and fries or pigs in a blanket) to keep your guests well fed and safe.

Music - Do you want a DJ - rates start around $2000 for four hours. Or do you want a band - prices will vary depending on how many musicians and singers.  Plus, music for the ceremony and cocktail hour.

Photography - packages start mid 2000's and go up.  

Video - packages start early 2000's and go up.

Floral - will depend on your style (ceremony, cocktails and how many tables will you need for your guests).

Invites/Paper - costs will depend on your style - do you want flat printing or embossed? Will there be place cards and or escort cards? Do you want thank you notes to match your paper selection plus, menus and programs?

Site reps and off duty police officers - we require them at all of our events for the safety of our clients, their guests and the property. Rates generally run around $45.00 per hour / per person.

Insurance - $250 with deductibles. 

An experienced and reputable event planner or producer can provide guidance and recommendations to help you navigate these waters and give you a very special event. xo

There are more line items, but these are core. Please let us know if we may be of an assistance to you.

Have a wonderful day!

Gianna 

The Guest List Game -

Brides and grooms run into challenges when deciding on their guest list.

There are a few challenges that can play a part into who makes it onto the guest list -such as:

- the size of the venue,
-the budget
-whom the couple needs to invite due to family, friends and /or work obligations.

Traditionally, the guest list is split down the middle or it might tip towards the person who is contributing most towards the cost of the wedding.

And sometimes it tips towards the person with the larger family.

I would imagine if you are an only child and marrying an Osmond, their guest list would be bigger. :)

Ideally, brides and grooms want to invite the people that they love and whom they want to surround themselves with on one of the most important days of their lives.

When clients call me about one of our venues, the first two questions I ask them is, "what is your guest count  and have you established a budget?" When they can answer both questions, then it makes it easier to start the process.

Tips -

The bride and groom first should make a list of their guests and place it on spreadsheet.

We always recommend separating it into three columns - A, B and C.

The A is the list with the must have guests - first family, closest friends and the bridal party, then the B list is your wish list - people that you adore from work, etc., and finally the C list are the people you would like to invite but only if it is possible.

Once you and your fiance have compiled your lists, then combine the lists into a master list and hand it over to your parents or the persons that are sponsoring your wedding, so they can add their names to the list.

Once this list is done, then we recommend having an experienced event planning company confirm if  your budget matches your guest count based on the style, guest count and vibe of your wedding.

Once the budget is determined, then it will make it easier to rule out venues or even having a private estate wedding.

Our company has the privilege to have access to over 4,000 private estates and venues.

Please let us know if we may be of an assistance with your search.
-Gianna

RACHEL AND MARCUS' WEDDING - 

Bride's bouquet.

Bridesmaid bouquet. 

Gianna's Picks of the Week -


Valentino



Manolo Blahnik

J. Crew - Farrah Beaded Gown -under $1500

J. Crew Bridesmaid Dress or Wedding Rehearsal  - $250.00

Moyna Beaded Fold Over Pewter Clutch

More tips on the subject of inviting guests -

If there is a limit on how many guests your venue will allow, you can mention this when you are asked by one of your relatives to invite your fifth cousin twice removed to your wedding.

If someone wants to add guests close to your date, you can let them know (politely of course) that you have already submitted your food count to your venue or caterer and it is past the cut off date.

These tips don't always work, but I hope it helps.  xo

Buffet vs. Sit Down -

If you have a choice in the matter, I always recommend sit down.  However, we have seen some great dinner parties with buffets.  Buffets can take place any time of the day - brunch, lunch, dinner, plus they are less formal than a sit down dinner.

When weighing in the costs - here is the difference -
buffets require less staff but more food is necessary, since guests can go up more than once. One concern I have is long lines.  It is painful to see guests stand for long periods of time for food or beverages.  Always make sure that you have enough stations and staff.  An experienced planner and catering company will be able to make the right recommendations for you to consider.

No matter which way you choose, please remember to have a vegetarian option for your guests.  Normally, we see less than 10 percent choose this option at an event. If you have vegan friends - your caterer or the hotel should be able to create something special for them so they don't have to go without food at your event.

Have a wonderful week!

Gianna