Fancy Pants Weddings Re-Blog Post {Roseville and Sacramento Wedding Planner}

Great post from Fancy Pants Weddings

 

The care and feeding of wedding vendors

You have hired the best of best Northern California wedding professionals to work on your wedding.  You are paying them very well.  Then you hear you have to feed them too??  What?  Yes!  Feed me Seymour!

Photographers and videographers will be working with you 6-10 hours on your wedding day.  When was the last time you worked at your job for 6-10 hours with no break and no food?  You want your pros to have the energy to capture that great shot of your Grandma doin’ the twist on the dance floor.  You want your DJ to be thinking about how to keep your party going rather than how fast he can get out of there and hit the drive-thru.

Who: You should feed any vendors that have been working more than 6 hours and/or through the dinner hour.  This usually includes: Photographer, DJ, Band, Wedding Planner, Videographer and their assistants.

Double check the contract.  If the vendor requires a meal, it should say so in their contract. When in doubt, ask them.

What: You should feed the professionals working for you a HOT meal, NOT a boxed meal. They have been working hard! Please do not feed the people in charge of making wedding magic happen a crappy, stale sandwich, bag of chips and a Capri Sun.  They will need more fuel to recharge their creative juices.

When doing some research for this article I read on the knot.com: “…Remember that your caterers will make more food than is needed “just in case,” so there will likely be plenty for your wedding professionals to munch on…Don’t worry about it too much.   Just mention it to whoever will be in charge of the food, and trust them to provide.”  No, no, no!  Wrong, wrong, wrong!  You need to plan for your vendor’s to eat.  So talk to your caterer and make sure you provide for your professionals.

 

Some wedding venues and caterers are better than others at taking care of the wedding professionals.  Regardless, you are hosting an event and as such should be in charge of making sure everyone, including vendors, are taken care of.

When: Have your vendors fed early in the dinner hour.  The earlier they are fed the faster they can get back to their jobs.  Do not let the venue tell you they will feed your pros “whatever is left over” after the guests have eaten.  By the time all the guests have been served, your wedding professionals should be getting back to the action.
Also check with your pros to see if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies and relay that information to the venue or caterer.

Where: Ideally, your vendors should be seated at a table of their own within ear shot of the reception.  If there is not a separate area where they can take a break, set up a vendor table in the corner or towards the back of the room.  They need to be able to hear what is happening so they will know if they are needed to deal with an issue or capture a moment.

 

In the end, it comes down to common sense and decency.  Just be a good host and treat the professionals working for you as you would like to be treated.

But PLEASE remember- never, ever feed them after midnight!

Thanks to Sarah Maren*, Memory Journalists and Kris Holland* for the images.

Check out Fancy Pants Weddings Blog

 

 

 

NEW Ad {Roseville and Sacramento Wedding and Event Planner}

I know is been a while since my last post but I've been hard at work building my branding. Here's a glimpse at the new design!. LOVE it! Just posted it to my website too and updated my photos to be a slideshow instead of a link through, check it out.

Friday FAB Finds {Roseville Wedding Planner}

This is my latest FAB-find in regarding to the bridal world!!!

I came upon these when I was getting married and wasn't able to purchase them because it didn't match my theme but now I wish I could have used them for my rehearsal or in some aspect of my BIG day....so brides, use them!!! They're too cute!!

Check out the maker on Esty: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MissJenniferRae

Wedding Free Wednesdays~These Boots are Made for Talking {Roseville Wedding Planner}

I wanted to share with you a little more about myself so I decided to have "Wedding Free Wednesdays" and today is the first edition!!!

These are my newest purchase, my gorgeous new boots...comfy cute and a steal for only 30 bucks!!!

Lately I have a new obsession for the color purple, so these will fit right in! They're so cute that they needed a special spot amongst my other shoes in my closest and thus they face out to showcase to the WORLD...well my world that is! hehe

I LOVE MY BOOTS!!!!

Bridal Show Tips & Advice {Roseville Wedding Planner, Bridal Show}

Bridal Show 101!

Bridal shows are the mecca for newly engaged couples....I've seen my share of girls going all out with “bride-to-be” sashes with a matching bag and entourage shirts for all 7 of her bridesmaid that “had” to come to help her select vendors and then there's those girls that look WAY too young to even be getting married. Non-the-less here are a few tips if your planning on attending a bridal show.


#1 There will be other “bride's” there, so it's not just about your day. Be patient when meeting with potential vendors. If you have to wait your turn to ask questions or to get the attention of a potential vendor look at it as a good thing, that probably means that vendor has something that others like too and they may be someone worth the wait.


#2 Do your research. Look up vendors that showcased last year or if you're lucky are going to be in attendance this year. It gives you a sneak peek to see if the show is worth going to. If there are only two photographers and you weren't impressed by their websites than maybe save your time and money and go to the show next week or try a larger show with more variety and selections.


#3 Create a custom e-mail address. This allows your personal or work email to stay just that personal/work. It also allows for all wedding related business to be in one central location. Don't forget to check it though, besides bridal shows that's the best place to get deals is through those follow up emails vendors send.


#4 Check the website for a coupon or pre-register. It will save you money and sometimes it's even FREE!!


#5 Make pre-printed labels of your information. It's inevitable that you will be asked the key questions about your wedding. It saves you from getting writer's cramp and from repeating yourself 100 times throughout the day. This will also help the vendors know who is serious and who is not about attaining their information if you register with them. (If you're not interested it's better to just tell them upfront that way you don't have to dodge their calls later). Make sure to have: your names, wedding date, phone number, email address, and wedding location.


#6 Bring a pen and paper. Take good notes, be specific, cause there is no way you can remember it all. (personality, albums, display, prices, etc.) or even better bring a camera and capture what you liked, as long as it's know copyrighted by the vendor.

#7 Eat well and pack a snack and water. No one said finding a good vendor was easy so it's better to be prepared with a full stomach and water to stay hydrated, after all it usually takes at least an hour to weed your way through the crowd. We won't tell that you have your emergency Snicker's in your purse, just in case.


#8 Save your self time and energy. Know which vendors you need and which you do not. It's better to stay focused on the prize that to look at all the shiny things along the way.

#9 Wear comfy shoes and layer. You will be walking and on your feet for a length of time. No need to bring out the winter coat, after all you have to carry what you take off.


#10 Bring an entourage. If it's a large show and you get overwhelmed you can have them talk to vendors while you grab a snack and some water to recuperate. You may also need help holding “the bag” of goodies you'll receive of vendor information.