Tag: #WeddingAdvice

I’m engaged, now what?

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It’s engagement season and it’s your turn, you’ve said “YASSS!”, sent the proposal video to your entire group chat, called your family, made it Facebook official and spammed everyone’s Insta-feed.

I had one of my clients tell me recently that they sat down and realized they had a wedding to plan but didn’t know where to start. So what did they do? “We looked up: “How to plan a wedding on Youtube”- my mouth dropped. The reason? They hadn’t been to many weddings, but their Youtube search lead them to WeddingWire, which lead them to me, so everything is right in the world now! Here’s a few tips to help you get the ball rolling.

Line up your wedding planning resources

After you’ve decided on a date, it’s time to start researching and for that, you need a couple of good resources to guide you. Wedding Wire is a very popular website that showcases wedding vendors in your area! Everything from beautiful venues, talented photographers, elegant floral designers, rental companies you name it. Snuggle up with a glass of wine, make a list of the vendors you need to hire and create an account on Wedding Wire. Research one category at a time, it can get overwhelming fast, be sure to read reviews and choose 3 vendors per category and reach out to them for info on their services and prices.

Talk Money

You might not realize it but having an idea as to what your ballpark budget is will be extremely helpful. Sit down and talk with your partner about what that number looks like, if it’s realistic and most importantly- do you both agree on it? Today’s wedding’s typically cost more than most couples project so round that number up and over project and try to stay under that. Both of you decide the top 3 most important aspects of your wedding you want to splurge on, for example: food, entertainment and photography. Prioritize those items and whatever remains from your wedding budget can go towards the other areas.

Don’t rush in

It’s crucial that with any potential vendor you are thinking of hiring, have a conversation with them. Emails are great to get facts and service information, but you are hiring a whole person with the service they provide. Their photos look great online, their music sample sounds energetic and upbeat, their flower arrangements are exactly what you are looking for- but do your personalities jive? It’s likely you will be working with this person for months, if you don’t get along or like their system of doing things, if your expectations don’t match the way they do their work, it might not be a good fit. So, schedule a phone call, no matter how tiresome it seems and get to know them!

Have a checklist and follow it

If you decide not to hire a planner to do the leg work for you then you will absolutely need a checklist to help keep you on schedule and on track. There might be items on the list that may or may not apply depending on the type of wedding you’re planning to have but at least have it as a guideline. Here’s a free complete Wedding Planning Check List PDF

Lastly? Stay as organized as possible and if you aren’t organized and get easily confused, overwhelmed or just don’t have the bandwidth in your already busy life? Hire. A. Planner. You can’t put a price on peace of mind.

Are wedding flowers really over-priced?

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ivy and eve flowersI was asked recently, “Why are wedding florists so expensive?” I was shocked for a moment at the question! Why wouldn’t they be expensive?? Well then I had to stop for a moment and realize that most couples getting married really have no idea what happens behind the scenes so here’s a post to fill you in.  Costs for wedding flowers can sound over the top but once you understand what takes place behind the scenes it makes more sense.

  1. Prep/Order time

There are multiple steps to this and it typically starts with the couple completing a fact sheet and a consultation. Then the florist takes your ideas and breaks them all down. Size of vases, how many, what foliage, when to pick up and drop off the flowers. The six to seven weeks before your wedding is crucial in the planning stages for florists. They need to be sure materials aren’t on back order and that all supplies are ready. Florals need be chosen to coincide with your wedding vision (tough if the blooms the couple wants aren’t in season).

  1. Bought from suppliers
VR1
Via Velvet Rope Florals/Photo credit: Allison Parker Photography

Most floral companies buy their flowers from other supplies and they are usually abroad. Flowers must be grown either in special conditions or abroad in climate conducive to their growth. Then they are imported by plane or come by boat and delivered to wholesalers. All the while they’ve been in air-controlled containers, so they get delivered in the right state of growth. Then consider rising fuel costs…it all adds up!

  1. Production & Art

It takes a lot to preserve your florals once they come in. The stems need to be trimmed and cleaned. There are solutions they need to keep in, sometimes in or out of coolers to maintain the bloom size. Then it takes hours to assemble, arrange according to the design desired- this includes boutonniere’s, bouquets, centerpieces and aisle décor. Every stem needs to be freshly cut again, and preserved during the design and assembly process. Then vases need to be cleaned and packaged and everything else in their toolkit needs to be prepped for delivery.

  1. Transport

This is an “ugly truth” moment. Yes…$800.00 delivery fees exist. Flowers don’t deliver themselves and the reality is, the more you have the more expensive it is. You can’t just toss them into the back of a four by four and call it a day if you want your installations to still look beautiful for the wedding. Plus, each design needs to be properly packaged for transport, misted with water and placed into an air-conditioned truck.

  1. Installation
opening flowers
Floral design by Opening Night Flowers

Now it’s time to unload the truck, store the blooms and designs in the coolest spot and then set up completely at your venue. This takes time, accuracy and attention to the details outlined in the paperwork. This typically can’t be done with just one person; likely a few other team members are required since set up time can be constrained to the venue’s requirements. Therefore, the cost of more bodies to set up is likely included in the pricing as well.

We love them but florals aren’t cheap, they are truly a luxury item that most couples want to incorporate. So if you have the budget to splurge go for it, you certainly won’t regret it. On the other hand, if the prices are too far out of your budget, wait for our next post and we will tell you how you can save!

AVPEvents on the worst marriage advice we’ve ever heard from real couples

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I thought this would be an interesting blog post because most of us would expect our friends and loved ones to give us some helpful marriage counsel. Recently I asked a handful of my married friends, what was the absolute worst marriage advice they ever got.

At first I was shocked at some of it but then I realized it shouldn’t be so surprising since we live in a society that hardly values the sanctity of marriage. Here is what some of them said:

“To walk away when things get tough…but we made vows for a reason!”– Mariah & LeRon

“I’ve had some rough go’s and hard times but have also had some great times, worst thing I was ever told was to suck it up for the kids.” Jake & Ashley

“My husband got the advice: Tell your wife her cooking is good, even when it isn’t! I don’t know how many stir fry and quiches my husband choked down before he told me he didn’t like them. So frustrating, I want to make meals we like and improve on them!”– Jennifer & Andrew

Poor guy!

“Have babies, they will solve your problems and make your marriage happier…shouldn’t the marriage be happy first?” Leigha & Greg

“Happy wife, happy life. What about my husbands needs?! I want him to talk to me and tell me what makes him happy or what bothers him.”– Megan & Dustin

“Don’t get fat…”– Sarah & Zach

Hopefully that person got a big 2000 piece of cake in the face!

“Everything is 50/50…no its 100/100!  If you are only putting in half the work then expect a half-assed marriage.”– Erica & Scott

Here is our personal favorite:

“Don’t compromise most marriages end in divorce anyway.”– Pamela & Adam

Moral of the story: marriage is what you decide to make it, good or bad advice no one is in the relationship but you. It’s a good idea to keep as much of your marriage between just the two of you to ensure less people are involved in giving their opinion. While we appreciate our friends and family, we also want to remain keenly aware that their own experiences can bias the advice they give. Keep those who support your marriage close to you and remember to consider one another always.