Apr 17, 2017 | Budget Planning, wedding, wedding planning
There are two major reasons people don’t hire a wedding planner or coordinator: First, they think they don’t need one. Second, they think they can’t afford one. I’ll address the first issue in a couple of weeks, although I’ve written about it before. Today, let’s talk about how a wedding planner or coordinator has an impact on your wedding budget.
Hiring a day-of coordinator for your wedding can add a few thousand dollars to your budget (depending on which coordinator you hire). It’s usually less than 10% of the budget, unless you have a very small budget. Is that the end of its impact on your budget? Hardly!
When you hire a coordinator, you can actually save money. And the earlier you hire, the more likely your coordinator will be able to help you save money. One of the things that makes weddings expensive is the fact that a great many people getting married have never planned a wedding before and can get trapped into spending more than necessary.
That is one of the reasons why I encourage my clients to keep in touch with me as they plan. Let’s say you hire me to coordinate your wedding as soon as you have a date, maybe a year in advance. You can always drop me a note or call me up when you have a question or problem. Chances are, I have an economical solution.
I was talking to a woman recently who was a couple of months away from her wedding. She was thinking about hiring a coordinator, but before we were able to have a discussion about it, her budget blew up and she decided she couldn’t afford me. I kept thinking what a shame it was that she hadn’t hired me much earlier and given me a chance to prevent the budget blow-up in the first place.
So, when you’re making your budget, include a reasonable amount for coordination. In the long run, your budget will thank you.
Apr 10, 2017 | Style
Classic and elegant or funky and fun–your style is front and center.
I’ve had the good fortune to work with many different people who all have their own ideas about wedding or party style. As most of my clients are not obsessed with (or, mostly, even interested in) high wedding fashion, they can give free rein to their own good taste. This has resulted in my working on weddings and other kinds of parties that have been wildly different from one another–and all beautiful.
You might wonder how a planner deals with such diversity of tastes. After all, doesn’t the stereotypical wedding planner try to impose her vision of the “perfect” wedding on all her clients? Not at all!!
My personal taste and style has very little influence on how I approach your event. This is, I think, partly a hold-over from all my years working as a theatre stage manager. In that capacity, it was my job to execute the designs of all the various designers in the service of the director’s vision. I became quite good at adapting myself to the styles of my collaborators.
I bring this same quality to party and wedding planning. I spend as much time as necessary learning what you like and how you think things ought to look so that when I am setting up your decor, I can make it look the way you had in mind.
All this is not to say that I don’t have definite ideas about style. If you need guidance, I’m always happy to supply an opinion. I don’t lack for those. But it’s more important to me that your vision shines through.
Apr 10, 2017 | wedding planning
I’ve had the good fortune to work with many different people who all have their own ideas about wedding or party style. As most of my clients are not obsessed with (or, mostly, even interested in) high wedding fashion, they can give free rein to their own good taste. This has resulted in my working on weddings and other kinds of parties that have been wildly different from one another–and all beautiful.
You might wonder how a planner deals with such diversity of tastes. After all, doesn’t the stereotypical wedding planner try to impose her vision of the “perfect” wedding on all her clients? Not at all!!
My personal taste and style has very little influence on how I approach your event. This is, I think, partly a hold-over from all my years working as a theatre stage manager. In that capacity, it was my job to execute the designs of all the various designers in the service of the director’s vision. I became quite good at adapting myself to the styles of my collaborators.
I bring this same quality to party and wedding planning. I spend as much time as necessary learning what you like and how you think things ought to look so that when I am setting up your decor, I can make it look the way you had in mind.
All this is not to say that I don’t have definite ideas about style. If you need guidance, I’m always happy to supply an opinion. I don’t lack for those. But it’s more important to me that your vision shines through.
Apr 3, 2017 | vendors
Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Sometimes I run across a vendor that I never knew about and whose work I like a lot. Photographer Ryan Timm is in that category. I worked with him on a wedding last fall and was completely stunned by the photos he shared with me. I’m pretty jaded about event photography, too, so it’s hard to get my attention. But Ryan managed it with beautiful photos, each one a little narrative in itself.
I was also impressed that he caught so many wonderful photos working entirely by himself. Most wedding photographers work in teams, so I was very surprised that he did all the work himself. I was doubly impressed that working solo did not compromise the quality of his photos at all.
There are a lot of excellent wedding photographers in the Chicago area. There are plenty that I’d be more than happy to recommend. I’m glad to expand the list by one more, now that I know Ryan.
Apr 3, 2017 | photography
Sometimes I run across a vendor that I never knew about and whose work I like a lot. Photographer Ryan Timm is in that category. I worked with him on a wedding last fall and was completely stunned by the photos he shared with me. I’m pretty jaded about event photography, too, so it’s hard to get my attention. But Ryan managed it with beautiful photos, each one a little narrative in itself.
I was also impressed that he caught so many wonderful photos working entirely by himself. Most wedding photographers work in teams, so I was very surprised that he did all the work himself. I was doubly impressed that working solo did not compromise the quality of his photos at all.
There are a lot of excellent wedding photographers in the Chicago area. There are plenty that I’d be more than happy to recommend. I’m glad to expand the list by one more, now that I know Ryan.
Mar 27, 2017 | DIY
Today’s DIY topic is: Photography. I’ve updated the original post a little here.
You might look at the cost of professional photography (which can run from $1,500 on the very low end to over $6,000 on the high end) and you might think you’d be better off without a professional photographer. You might be right. Or you might be very disappointed. It all depends on how important photos are to you.
Here’s a photo I took with my point-and-shoot camera and limited photography skills.
If having high quality photos of your entire wedding and reception is not your first priority, you can ask a friend or relative to document the day for you. Someone with good photography equipment can probably take decent photos for you.
But if having professional quality photos is important, it’s difficult to get them without paying professional prices. Professional wedding photographers have equipment and skills that ordinary mortals lack. The best consistently take copious, excellent photos that capture the essence of your day. They are on the spot and work hard so they don’t miss any important moments. It’s also important that they are not guests, but are hired to work for the entire time, so they will be alert and sober until the time they leave. They know what to look for and how to take good (and often stunning) photos of your wedding.
The same cake in a photo taken by Agnes Malorny, professional.
If you have a friend or relative take photos, they may or may not have the same equipment. Unless they are professionals or truly talented amateurs, they probably don’t have the same skills. And you won’t know until the wedding day if they will be paying attention (and sober) for the whole evening. At some point, a friend or relative is going to stop working and start enjoying the party, which is an option a paid professional doesn’t have.
As with all DIY projects, think this one through before you make a decision. There is a definite difference in quality between amateur and professional photos. Decide what is important to you, and then pay a professional if you can’t live without those photos.
Mar 27, 2017 | DIY
Today’s DIY topic is: Photography. I’ve updated the original post a little here.
You might look at the cost of professional photography (which can run from $1,500 on the very low end to over $6,000 on the high end) and you might think you’d be better off without a professional photographer. You might be right. Or you might be very disappointed. It all depends on how important photos are to you.
If having high quality photos of your entire wedding and reception is not your first priority, you can ask a friend or relative to document the day for you. Someone with good photography equipment can probably take decent photos for you.
But if having professional quality photos is important, it’s difficult to get them without paying professional prices. Professional wedding photographers have equipment and skills that ordinary mortals lack. The best consistently take copious, excellent photos that capture the essence of your day. They are on the spot and work hard so they don’t miss any important moments. It’s also important that they are not guests, but are hired to work for the entire time, so they will be alert and sober until the time they leave. They know what to look for and how to take good (and often stunning) photos of your wedding.
If you have a friend or relative take photos, they may or may not have the same equipment. Unless they are professionals or truly talented amateurs, they probably don’t have the same skills. And you won’t know until the wedding day if they will be paying attention (and sober) for the whole evening. At some point, a friend or relative is going to stop working and start enjoying the party, which is an option a paid professional doesn’t have.
As with all DIY projects, think this one through before you make a decision. There is a definite difference in quality between amateur and professional photos. Decide what is important to you, and then pay a professional if you can’t live without those photos.
Mar 20, 2017 | About me
Fun times coming! Photo by Studio Finch Photography, www.studiofinch.com
As I’ve mentioned once or twice before, there’s a new website in my future. I’ll make a big announcement when it’s completely ready, but keep your eyes open. It’s going to be a big improvement. I mean, I love my old website, and it as served me well, but it’s time for an update!
But there’s even bigger news. Very soon, you’ll see a new address for me. I’m moving into a real, grown-up office space. Julia at Crafty Broads and I will be sharing her cute space in Rogers Park. (I’ll do a profile of her so you’ll know more about the custom garments and alterations she does.) I’m looking forward to welcoming you to the meeting space there. As a bonus, if you have an appointment there, you might see some of my handmade lace and custom embroidery work on display. I’m looking forward to sharing that with the world, too.
Stay tuned for updates on all these new and exciting things!
Mar 13, 2017 | Weddings
I had a huge amount of fun with this wedding last September. The bride and groom had unique and fun ideas for their wedding day, and they did it in their own style. It was one part wedding and one part kiddy carnival–and eco-friendly to the core. They rented a lake house in Wisconsin and made sure that everyone had a good time. It was a wonderful wedding!
You could tell from the moment you arrived that this wedding was like no other. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
The lemonade stand was a give-away, too. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
It had rained in the morning, so the bride and her family hung up family photos in the early afternoon. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Skipping stones were ready for the lake. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Something for everyone on the picnic tables: flowers and crayons. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Finally, everything was ready. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
The processional went from the house down to the waterfront. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Even the baby was part of the festivities. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
It was a beautiful ceremony, with officiant Rev. Darrell Jones. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
And then the fun started with lawn games and barbecue. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Jana Kinsman brought her Doodlebooth to the party. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Both kids and adults had their faces painted. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
The kids had lots of fun things to do (and so did the bride). Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
It’s possible that the grown-ups had even more fun than the kids. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
There was even cotton candy. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
The bride and groom saw to it that everything was composted or recycled. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
There was even a chance to dance to the music provided by the DJ. Photo by Ryan Timm Photography.
Mar 6, 2017 | Eco-Friendly Events
Did you miss Committed 2017, the annual wedding show staged by the Green Wedding Alliance? It was a couple of weeks ago at the Greenhouse Loft. As always, it was a fun, low-key afternoon of food and flowers and happy people planning their weddings. All the vendors are members of the Green Wedding Alliance. Here are a few photos from the show.
Greenhouse Loft was decked out for the occasion.
FIG Catering was there with their delicious food.
So was Food for Thought.
Cacao Bakery was right next to me.
Erickson Design was across from me with their invitations and paper products.
Spilled Ink Press was there, too.
Fab Flora had a fab display.
And Pollen had some of their floral displays there.
One of the most unusual vendors, PoemGrown will write custom poetry for your event!
And here was my table. Green wedding planners always bring their bicycles!
A little close-up.
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