Posts Tagged "wedding planning"
Five Tips for Wedding Vendor Contracts
I initially posted these five bits of advice about hiring wedding vendors and signing service agreements back in April 2009, but I wanted to republish them for all of you recently engaged brides.
- Get it in writing! Before you pay a retainer or non-refundable deposit to any vendor for wedding services, it is imperative that you have all arrangements in writing in the form of a service agreement, signed by both you and the respective vendor. Never ever, pay a retainer to a vendor without a contract. If they do not have a service agreement for you to sign and you want to hire them, and then draw up your own written service agreement.
- Do not sign a contract until you have read every line. You absolutely should read every service agreement you sign to make sure you understand the vendor’s terms and conditions for services. If there is something that you do not agree to, then by all means let the vendor know to see if you can come to a mutually agreed upon term. This is not to say that a vendor should rewrite his or her entire contract for you because this is not likely to happen because contracts are designed to cover and protect the parties involved.
- Review all vendor contracts. Every vendor contract should at least include the following: your event date, the start and end times, including set up time, a cancellation policy and a service description including any custom details or special requests that you discussed. In addition, the contract should have both a fee and payment schedule. The fee schedule should clearly outline what is included in the base or quoted price, the price of any additional services if you requested any, and the cost of overtime should your event go over the amount of hours included in the service. The payment schedule should include your retainer, which is due at the time of signing the contract and it should clearly outline the due dates of remaining payments.
- Pay with a credit card. If possible, pay for vendor services with a credit card. In this way, if there is a problem and you think in full conscious that you deserve a refund for services and the vendor denies you a refund, you will have a much better chance of obtaining that refund than if you had paid with cash or check because you can file a claim with your credit card company. Another benefit to using a credit is that you can earn points, for example, for air mileage and in some cases, cash-back and this may help you pay for your honeymoon. Please note that when I say pay with a credit card, I am not saying use your credit cards to finance your wedding as in get in debt.
- Go with your gut instincts. If it is something that does not sit well with you about a vendor and or his contract, then by all means trust your instincts and locate someone else to provide that service for you.
Should your wedding planner sign your vendor contracts? Get the answer by clicking here.
Photo: Quick Purchase
*Also republished in January 2010
Wedding Wisdom: Brides, Always Honor Your Mothers
Whether your mother is contributing to your wedding costs or not, let her have a bit of “say so” about a few things. Chances are she too has dreamed about your wedding day from the day the doctor said to her, “It’s a girl.” And definitely, from the moment she learned that you were engaged to be married.
Now, I am not saying that you should compromise your vision or on the things that really matter to you and your fiancé, rather that you should take into consideration what your mother has to say. Planning a wedding should a be a joyous time for the both of you, not an event that will lead to an estranged relationship.
My opinion is this…you mother had you, raised you, and I am certain she has your best interests at heart. So, please value her, never disrespect her, and it is smart to include her in some aspects of your wedding planning. At the end of the day, I am certain that she will always be your number one advocate.
Happy Planning!
Photo from Cafe Press
Read MoreWhen to Use Admission Cards
An admission card is an invitation enclosure that admits your guests into your wedding or other related social event.
The most common situation in which you would use an admission card is if you are hosting an exclusive event at a historic landmark that attracts tourists, for example a famous cathedral.
Another situation in which you may include an admission card in your invitation set is if your event location requires you to do so in order to host an event on their property. This is not uncommon if you are hosting a wedding or social event at a private estate and often times, in this situation you will also be required to hire security.
Finally, high-profile clients, for example celebrity weddings, also use admission cards. Therefore, unless you are a celebrity or hosting your event at a venue where tourists tend to congregate, an admission card is not necessary.
Do you have any wedding planning related questions? If so, please feel free to comment below and I will answer them.
*Originally published in July 2009
Image from Invitation Consultants
Read MoreWinter Wedding? Please Check Your Guests’ Coats!
Are you hosting a late fall or winter wedding or other social event this winter season?
If so, please consider providing your guests with a coat check service. If your guests are anything like me, they do not like dragging around their winter coats. And hence, they will greatly appreciate knowing their coats are in secure place and not having to worry about them until the end of the your wedding.
Another plus of having your wedding guests’ coats checked is that you will not have to worry about hanging over the back of your beautiful specialty chair covers. You know…the ones that you just spend a load of money on as part of your event design.
Think about it! Do you really want photographs of your event design with big winter coats falling off the back of your chair covers?
I did not think you would, so keep them out of sight.
Things You Will Need to Check Coats at Your Wedding:
- Coat Check Attendants – You will need at least two attendants to check your wedding guest’s coats. The larger your guests lists, the more coat attendants you will need. If you hired a wedding planner and I hope you did at least to manage your event logistics, then s/he should be able to supply a couple of event assistants to do this for a nominal fee.
- Cost Rack and Hangers - Obviously, you will need a place at the venue to hang and store your wedding guests’ coats. If you are getting married at a hotel, check with them to see if they provide this service or if they at least have the garment racks and hangers that you can use to check coats. If not locate a place to rent them. Another option, if there is a coat check service agency in your area, is to hire them for your wedding.
- Coat Check Tags – The coat tags are a necessity because at the end of the night, it will be easy for the coat attendants to retrieve your guest’s coats. Part of the coat tag goes on wedding guests’ coat hanger and the bottom portion of the coat tag is given to them. Therefore, all they will have to do is to present their portion of the coat tag when they are ready to retrieve their coats.
Again, keep them out of sight!!
Photo Source: Admit One Products
*Originally posted November 2008.
Read MoreMaid or Matron of Honor?
What is the difference?
The only difference between the two is that a maid of honor is an unmarried attendant. Whereas, a matron of honor is a married attendant and both can be thought of as your lead bridesmaid.
Do you have to have both?
No, it is completely up to you. However, if you want both a maid and matron of honor, you can have both. In this situation, the maid of honor’s role takes precedence during wedding ceremony (i.e. arranging your veil, holding your bouquet, and signing your marriage license). However, it is perfectly find for them both to share responsibilities like planning your bachelorette party or bridal shower together; and they can each share duties on your wedding day.
FYI: Did you know that an “honor attendant” is when a bride has a male as her lead attendant instead of a maid or matron of honor; or when a groom has a female in lieu of a best man?
*Originally published in May 2009 (content has been modified).
Read MoreAverage Destination Wedding Budget
Here are a couple of current facts about destination wedding budgets for those of you considering hosting a destination wedding away, in lieu of a traditional hometown wedding lasting for just one day.
FACT: Spending for destination weddings has actually increased over the last decade and has exceeded the average budget for a traditional wedding in the last three years, despite the recession.
As reported by Destination Weddings & Honeymoon Magazine:
“…the average traditional wedding budget has decreased by 7 percent in the last year from $21,814 to $20,398.”
whereas
“The average destination wedding budget has increased 4 percent, from $19,800 in 2006 to $20,600 in 2009…”
What does this mean?
It means that hosting a destination wedding with your closest family and friends does not necessarily mean that you will spend less money on your wedding than if you were to host a traditional hometown wedding.
However, one benefit to hosting a destination wedding is that you may be able to do more with your budget (plan a nicer wedding) and create a more memorable time for your guests, especially when you consider that the average number of guests attending a destination wedding is 48.
Although your guest list is more likely to be smaller than when hosting a traditional wedding, you are likely to spend just as much because you will be entertaining your guests over a period of days, usually three and as a result, you are spending more money per guest.
Of course, it is also important to keep in mind that the average cost of a destination wedding also will vary depending on the location you choose and the things you want to do and plan for your guests.
Are you thinking of hosting a destination wedding? If so, what is your biggest concern?
Read MoreDestination Weddings – Civil or Religious Ceremony?
Previously, I discussed three things you need to determine when choosing your destination wedding location. Today, I wanted to expand on that blog post by discussing another factor to take into consideration. As mentioned previously, just as your options of where to host your destination wedding are plenteous, so are the rules and regulations in many locations.
Another factor to determine when choosing the location is whether you envision a religious or civil ceremony for your destination wedding. This is very important because in some locations a religious ceremony may not be legal or vice versa. For example, if you have your mind set on a having a religious ceremony and your top choice to host your nuptials are in the Mexican Caribbean, then you should note that only civil ceremonies are legal in Mexico. You can still have a religious ceremony, but you will have to opt to do a civil service first to make it legal, and then you can proceed with your religious ceremony.
On the other side of the coin, if you wish to get married somewhere like Bali, a beautiful and exotic island of Indonesia, you should note that only religious ceremonies are binding. Civil ceremonies are not acknowledged in Bali. In other words, you must declare a religion to be married in Bali and the wedding ceremony has to be performed in accordance with the laws of your religion. Even more, both parties must have the same religion. Therefore, if you are a Christian and your fiancé(e) is a Buddhist, one of you will have to file a written declaration to change your religion to that of your partner’s, in order to be legally married in Bali.
Tomorrow, I will provide an overview of how varied residency requirements are for getting married abroad. Stay tuned by subscribing to my blog.
Advice: You can always contact a destination wedding planner in your local area for a consultation to determine if a destination wedding is right for you and to learn about the legalities concerning having a destination wedding in your top destination choices. Most destination wedding specialists are well versed in the marriage requirements of many of the leading wedding destinations.
{This is a re-post and content has been modified. Originally published on my old blog in 2009}
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