Wedding Insurance

Posted by on May 6, 2014 in Blog |

Wedding insurance may not seem like a necessity, or fit well into your budget, but it could save you from financial catastrophe.  Follow this checklist to help you ensure your big day is protected: Items that could get lost, stolen, or damaged You invest so much in your engagement and wedding day, so protect the big-ticket items, such as wedding and engagement rings, the wedding gown, bridal party gowns, gifts, and other valuables. No-show guests You organize your seating arrangement and dinner menu according to the number of attendees, so you’ll need to prepare yourself for guests, whole families, or out-of-towners who can’t make it last minute. Wedding vendors If you hire certain vendors—such as caterers, florists, a DJ, a band, or anyone else—you expect them to show up, and show up on time. Make sure to ask your wedding vendors if they have insurance of their own, and if they are affiliated with any associations that may be more reliable, such as the Association of Bridal Consultants or the International Service Events Society. Many times, vendors have to adhere to the standards of their industry associations to stay in good standing, so they won’t risk unprofessional conduct. Choose vendors that you feel are reliable, flexible and willing to accommodate your needs. Contracts When it comes to vendors and venues, get a contract. Make sure that your contract includes back-up plan items. Sometimes venues will say that they have coverage and so you do not need it – that’s not always true. Just because they have liability insurance doesn’t mean that it covers you and your wedding. Ask to see their liability insurance plan. Ask if the venue has backup generators. Ask about the refund policy. Ask as many questions as possible. The more you know, the more you can protect yourself. You should also have someone review your contract, such as a lawyer. If you’ve hired a wedding planner, they can assist you in your contract as well, plus they’ll know to ask plenty of questions you might not have considered. Liquor license If you plan on serving alcohol at your wedding, it is absolutely necessary that you get a liquor license. Ask your bartenders, servers, caterers, and the venue if they already have liquor licenses. Ask your lawyer or wedding planner to review their licenses. If you need to get a liquor license of your own, get one. Make sure the bartenders card everyone who looks underage. Make sure no one is over-served. Take every precaution you can. That way, if Aunt Linda’s boozy new boyfriend drives over someone’s mailbox after your reception, you won’t get sued. And even if you do, everyone will be covered. Cancellations or...

Read More

Practice Makes Perfect

Posted by on May 6, 2014 in Uncategorized |

    A wedding ceremony rehearsal normally takes place one or two days before the Big Day andsometimes even the ‘morning of’ for a Destination wedding.  If you are having your wedding outside of a house of worship, a rehearsal may not be included with your wedding day contract. If this is the case, inquire as soon as possible about reserving a rehearsal date and the cost for the additional rental time (typically you will need to reserve one hour of time). If your ceremony site is not available consider planning an off-site rehearsal together with your wedding coordinator and Officiant. The alternate site can be someone’s house, backyard or even a park, or whatever space will best simulate the layout of your ceremony site when practicing the order of your processional and the various sequence of events. Once your date is set, notify your wedding party as soon as possible to ensure they have plenty of time to accommodate the rehearsal into their...

Read More

Let’s Get Trendy

Posted by on May 6, 2014 in Blog |

Literary Centerpieces In place of traditional centerpieces, spice up your reception tables with quirky, and partially non-living centerpieces-try books! A short stack or an arrangement of books topped by a seasonal fruit, vegetable or a small vase of flowers would create an interesting and eccentric décor. Guests can take a book home as a souvenir of the evening and perhaps even catch up on some of the classics and it will take care of your decorations and favors in one swoop. If giving away classic books to each of your guests is not in your budget; consider making a donation of classic books to a local charity in need. If you’ve designed a seating chart, select each table’s books to reflect the interests of the people seated there. You can even name your tables after your favorite literary pieces and create table names instead of the traditional table numbers using titles such as The Great Gatsby, Sense & Sensibility and Wuthering...

Read More

Nesting and Entertaining

Posted by on May 6, 2014 in Blog |

Photo Courtsey of http://www.nygeekcast.com Your home should be a place where you and your partner want to spend time, a place where loved ones and friends will want to visit, a place where anyone could feel at home. Studies show that laughter and socializing enhances resilience, lowers stress hormones, strengthens relationships and creates a space to let go and start living more fully. Setting aside special times to have co-workers, friends, family or neighbors over may seem overwhelming at first but it doesn’t have to be a time intensive, fancy or complicated affair. It could be as simple as ordering take out, or asking friends over for a game night where everyone brings an appetizer. Most importantly it’s a time for you and your guests to take a break from the all of the other day to day responsibilities of work deadlines, wedding planning and home projects and just.. relax.. Getting your home ready for guests doesn’t have to be complicated or time intensive either. Try these easy decorating tips to create a welcoming atmosphere. 1. Focus on your entryway  You want guests to feel immediately comfortable entering your home, so the entryway or foyer should be the most inviting part of your house. Keep the flow open, and well lit. Add a table with a bouquet of flowers or a plant in view of the front door. You could even put a small cozy bench near the entrance. 2. Feng shui your living room Arrange your living room furniture in a square or circular pattern so that guests can see each other. If people can sit together and easily converse without having to move chairs across the room or twisting around to hear each other, the energy of the room will circulate in a positive way. 3. Personalize your hallways Decorate the walls of your hallways and stairway with photos of family and friends and your favorite paintings and other artwork. Bare walls have no personality, and they don’t reflect the people who live there—so don’t waste that blank space. 4. Warm your kitchen Even if you and your partner aren’t big on cooking in your kitchen, fake it. Nothing says, “welcome home” like a warm kitchen with freshly baked cookies on the counter. The kitchen is the area that brings the family together, and it tends to remind people of their own family home. Hang your pots and pans on a rack above your kitchen island or over your oven instead of hiding them in cabinets. Put out a spice rack. Store flour, sugar and other ingredients in antique jars on the counter. Give the illusion that your kitchen is well used, even if it isn’t. 5. Don’t forget...

Read More

Unique Wedding Sites

Posted by on Apr 14, 2014 in Blog |

  If the standard house of worship or hotel combo doesn’t quite suit the type of wedding that you and your partner hope to have, you may be entertaining ideas for some less traditional sites for your ceremony and reception. An off-beat venue is  great way for couples to express their personalities in ways that are unique to them as a couple, plus the more unusual the location, the more likely the venue will be available for your chosen date. Keep in mind that if you choose a venue that does not typically rent its space forweddings and receptions, it may require or advise you to seriously consider hiring a wedding planner to assist you in coordinating the many elements that need to be brought together to create your dream day. This may or may not include your caterers, seating, lighting, flooring, bars, sound system, generators, portable bathrooms, as well as the handling of permits and city allowances for parking, noise, fire safety and handicap accessibility. A wedding planner who specializes in planning unique and off-site occasions can recommend the most reputable service providers for your particular occasion and work in tandem with your caterers, rental companies and the venue’s on-site manager to ensure that it all comes together as easily and as smoothly as possible for you and your partner. Before you finalize your venue choice, consider, at the least, hiring a third-party wedding planner (one that doesn’t work for the venue) because he or she may be able to advise on any additional costs that you and your partner may incur and need to budget for, the estimated amount of time you will need to allow for planning, and any items to consider changing or negotiating before signing your contract. Consider one of these interesting alternative locales for the wedding that suits you best. A Conservatory Designed to house, grow, study and protect exotic plants, tropical trees, flowers from around the world, endangered types of greenery needed to sustain forest life, a conservatory is overflowing with natural beauty. You would hardly need to haul in your own floral arrangements, and most conservatories are free to the public, which means you may be able to negotiate a sweet deal (perhaps even a free deal) to privately reserve it for your big day. So long as you respect the inhabitants of the facility, your WeddingDay will feel like a trip to the Garden of Eden within the greenhouse walls of a conservatory. A Concert Hall Look for old concert halls in your area. If your town or city has an opera house, a specific venue for the symphony, the ballet or the theatre—or if there are any historical-landmarks-turned-venues for bands to perform shows—talk to the owner or the booking agent to...

Read More