Hindsight is 20/20.

I can tell you all of the things that I wish I had known before I became a wedding
planner. Some things, people warned me about, but I just did not want to believe
them. So now I want to share my experiences in hopes that they will make your
day just a little more special.

Set a Budget

The most important thing you can do is set a budget and try the best you can to
stick to it. But a word of caution: be realistic.

If you are watching David Tutera on “My Fair Wedding” on WEtv and want
a “fairytale wedding” just like the one featured in the program for $10,000, you
are going to be very disappointed.

You and your fiancé must sit down and calculate the cost. Here is a great site
that can help you see how to proritize your spending: Wedding Budget Planner .
On this site you can type in any budget amount and the calculator provide
guidelines for allocating your funds. Please understand the calculator offers
suggestions which are not hard fast rules. If you just have to have that $3000
gown, that is fine, just know that you will have to cut somewhere else (or have
Grandma buy it for you).

In my experience I have learned that there are three things not to go cheap on:

1. The Photographer

2. The Flowers

3. The DJ

The Photographer

You have spent countless hours planning your dream wedding and the pictures
taken by your photographer will be the pictures you have for the rest of your life!
When you look back on your family history, what do you look at? PICTURES!
Pictures of what? A lot of times, pictures of family members WEDDINGS! You
could go to Craigslist and hire someone to take pictures, but it is unlikely to find a
good photographer on Craigslist, one who creates images. A good photographer
is invested in his trade, which means he or she is invested in YOU! And although
price is a factor, don’t just look at dollar signs, look beyond. Look at the quality of
the photos.

Does the style of photography appeal to you? Does your personality click with
the photographers? Does the photographer understand your vision? During your
consultation with the photographer, ask him or her to go through the details of
the day, how the photographer goes about planning coverage, what equipment
he or she plans to use, what backup equipment he or she keeps on hand at the
wedding, what training he or she has, and his or her professional affiliations.
You will soon understand that when you find a photographer invested in creating
beautiful images, you’re getting more for your money than you think.

The Flowers

Secondly, consider the flowers. When you see a couple’s wedding pictures,
what do you see in every picture? Your bouquet. Your bouquet is the wrong
place to try and save money. Instead, save money by scaling down on the
bridesmaid’s bouquets and focus on your flowers. Remember, it will be a
picture of you and your husband that will be hanging on your wall thirty years
from now, and what will be in that picture? Your wedding bouquet! Flowers
are a living product so you have to trust your florist. If something goes wrong,
will they be there for you? If an hour after receiving your Calla lilies you notice
they are wilting, what will the florist do? Make sure your florist has your back.

The floral people we work with here at Simple Elegance Events and Wedding
Design
have, if needed, redone bouquets, or upgraded bouquets if something
goes wrong. It is important to know prior to the wedding if your florist will be
there for you. Talk with your florist about what you want. Tell them about your
dream bouquet, can you afford it? If not, can you substitute a more economical
flower to make the bouquet more affordable, keeping the look you want? When
you share the types of flowers you want with your florist, listen carefully to
their advice. Your florist has countless hours invested in knowing how flowers
respond in different seasons and situations, draw upon their experience. Outside
wedding in August and you want tulips??? Make sure you are comfortable with
any person you with whom you work.

The DJ

Third, your DJ and/or entertainment are very important to the success of your
wedding day. Your DJ can make or break the reception. Not only do they need
to have a great personality and fresh ideas, they need to have a back up system.
Ask the DJ about his or her experience. How many weddings have they done?
What will they do if people stop dancing, can he or she motivate the crowd to
return to the party? A DJ should also understand the type of music you enjoy.
What type of crowd is he or she trying to entertain? Your DJ should also ask
about your customs and family traditions. Knowing what is appropriate for
you and your guests will make sure that everybody has a fun time during your

reception. Price should not be the determining factor for finding a DJ. Quality of
service and presentation should. Talk to your DJ about what he or she does. Ask
him or her why they became a DJ. I will say it again, when a good DJ is invested
in his or her trade, he or she will be invested in you and your wedding.

Planning & Coordination

Weddings are a complicated orchestration of vendors: caterers, bakers, florists,
photographers, entertainers – the list goes on. Your time is valuable and you have other
commitments, whether work or personal. Thus, you may not have time to make numerous
phone calls, set up appointments, and drive all over town looking for the perfect site. At
Simple Elegance we have extensive knowledge of the best vendors, venues, and services
to assist you in making your wedding everything you wish it to be.
Whatever you choose, it is sure to be unforgettable! Wouldn’t it be great if it was also
stress free? With Simple Elegance it can be both.

Again, hindsight is 20/20.

I hope that this will give you a measure of insight so the day after your wedding
you do not say, “I wish we had only known.”

Six Steps to a Successful Outdoor Wedding

Simple Elegance Assistant Planner – Ade Olayinka

Every spring, people begin to congregate outdoors for all types of events. From March to
October, ceremonies, receptions and combinations of the two escape their winter cocoons and
take Mother Nature up on her dare to join the fun. However, many brides forget to take the
necessary precautions that go hand in hand with their weddings’ union with the Great Outdoors.

Precaution #1 – Plan for the Rain
When planning your outdoor affair, always operate under the assumption that it will rain
on your big day. While this may sound like a negative outlook, it will save you a lot of
stress if Mother Nature cannot contain her tears of joy. Choosing to use tents or locations
with an indoor option are popular backup plans.

Precaution #2 – Know Your Ground
Any female at an outdoor wedding is probably averse to sinking of any sort. In that spirit,
it is important to know the ground on which you walk. Many heels tend to have trouble
with sand, soft grass and cobblestone. So, take a lesson for Cinderella, and plan ahead
before you lose your shoe. The sinking soil problem also applies to tents, tables and
chairs, so be sure to keep that in the back of your mind.

Precaution #3 – Don’t Get Blown Away
While rain may bring you in, in most cases wind will allow you to stay outside. Choose
décor that can withstand great gusts. Having décor pieces that can be pinned, tied or
weighted are sensible solutions. Just remember, it’s possible to have solid and stunning
decorations.

Precaution #4 – Eliminate the Huh?
When guests arrive at your ceremony, the likely want to hear you say “I do!” Crashing
waves, gusting wind and the chirping of joyful birds may prevent your witnesses
from hearing your happy promises to one another. If you know there may be sound
obstruction, find out about obtaining a sound system of sorts. For outdoor receptions, talk
with the DJ or band about being prepared, come what may.

Precaution #5 – The Blind Side
When you invite guests to your wedding, they will likely be under the assumption that
they will be able to see you. Keeping that thought in mind, when planning your ceremony
or reception, be sure to face guests away from the rising or setting sun. It wouldn’t hurt to
take the same precautions for yourself.

Precaution #6 – Capture the Critters

Nature’s smallest inhabitants can have a big impact on your day. Flies, mosquitoes and
their insect friends can bug your guests when they are trying to pay attention to you.
Worse, they can bother you. Bug zappers and citronella candles are simple solutions to
these tiny problems.

Sometimes it is hard to keep everything straight by yourself. It’s important talk to the experts
about everything from space permits to food safety. Let them help you choose food that will keep
well in the heat, plan for garbage collection, and find ways to keep guests hydrated while dancing
the night away.

Even with all these precautions, every bride needs to note that things can still go wrong.
Therefore, the most important tool you can bring with you on your wedding day is patience.
Remember, it’s all about you, rain or shine, so enjoy your day!

Wedding Hair Style

With formal hairstyling trends taking a step back from the rigidly crafted styles of yesterday, today’s wedding hair styles are free, natural and a great deal easier to attain than they were a few years ago. But even though this is true, the bridal hair style is probably the most important style that you are going to choose for quite a while so it is best served by a little research and practice before the big day.

On your wedding day, hundreds of eyes will be on you, and your chosen bridal hair style can either complete the picture or detract from it. That is why it is so important to choose the perfect formal hairstyle well in advance of the big day so that you and your stylist can get it right and make custom additions to your wedding hair style. Nothing is worse than a hastily crafted coif decided upon only minutes before the ceremony.

You can begin your search for the perfect bridal hair styles and bridesmaid hair styles by browsing through style books that highlight formal updos and popular wedding hair styles. While looking, keep in mind the style of dress that you have selected and choose wedding hair styles that compliment the style, era and cut of the dress. The same thing goes for your bridesmaids dresses.

Another important thing to consider when choosing bridal hair styles are the styles, lengths and textures of the bridal party’s hair. For example: if every member of the bridal party save one has short hair, selecting a French Twist as your only bridesmaid hair style would not be very feasible. But you could do a French Twist on the one member with long hair and select different wedding hair styles for the rest of the party as long as it doesn’t bother you that everyone is not going to look identical.

When it comes to coordinating your wedding hair styles for your wedding party, you do not have to choose cookie-cutter styles for each member of the party. Look instead at bridal hair styles that compliment each member’s personality, facial structure and hair texture. Let your wedding party members have some say in how they would like to wear their hair and set some practical guidelines such as whether or not the bridesmaid hair style should be pinned up off of the neck or allowed to flow free down the back.

Then, coordinate the individual bridal hair styles by using matching accessories and placing them in similar patterns on each member. These pointers apply for the bridal party only; the bridal hair style should set the bride apart from the others and be more intricate and beautiful than all other wedding hair styles chosen by members of the wedding party.

Once all bridal hair styles have been chosen, have a practice run where all of the ladies meet at the same salon and allow the stylists that are going to do the wedding party’s hair on the big day have a crack at crafting the intricate wedding hair styles that you have chosen. While it may cost you a little bit of money to do this, it will save you a great deal of headache on the big day.