Keeping the Peace Amongst your Vendor Army

You’ve chosen your vendors and the day of your wedding is fast approaching; there are a lot of little kinks to be worked out and you want to keep the peace with your vendor team while also voicing your opinion. This can be tricky but we’re here to help! Don’t sacrifice your vision because you’re afraid to speak up. Your vendors are there to support you and make your dreams come to life. They are willing to stick with you through the thick and thin of the planning process. If this isn’t their philosophy, they shouldn’t be your vendor (of course, your demands should stay within reason—if your florist is unable to persuade live butterflies to sit delicately on your bouquet while you walk down the aisle, you need to rethink a few things)! In the following scenarios, please act accordingly.

Undesirable centerpiece floral arrangements. You want your centerpieces to be on point, but you also want your florist to want to help make this happen. You need to harvest good relationships with your vendors, so instead of panicking and getting angry, mention that you want to try something different. Ask to see the new arrangement and say “oh, I almost like that better, what do you think?” Ask for their opinion and work with them.

Food discrepancies. If you go to a tasting and the food is not up-to-par, don’t criticize outright. Help your caterer help you! They want to make your day special with the right food. Let them know that you enjoy their food and gently nudge them in the right direction. For example; “this filet mignon is great, but I’m concerned some of our guests will want something a little more well-done. What do you think? Can we try that?”

Makeup preferences. There’s nothing worse than being self-conscious at a gathering because you don’t feel confident in your outfit, hair or makeup choices. When you go for a trial run of your hair and makeup (which we highly recommend you do), always start the conversation with, “yes, I really like the direction you’re going! Can we do (insert preference here) instead? I want (insert the look you’re going for here). I’m really loving the (insert what you like most here).” Keep the peace and let them work their magic honing in on your preferences.

Ceremony/reception changes. As with all your other vendors, if you’ve hired a wedding planner, communication is key to success. As a wedding planner, we want you to have the most beautiful, wonderful and flawless event that we can make happen. Therefore, we need to know what you like and what you don’t like. All of our ladies at Elegant Affairs know that when you voice your opinion, it’s our responsibility to listen and offer guidance, structure and deliver a flawless execution. Be straightforward with your planner; explain your vision in detail and quickly let her know what you do and don’t like. We will be there to correct and fulfill your needs!

Don’t sit quietly if you have differing opinions with a vendor. This is your big day, and therefore it should be tailored to your taste. There are good ways and poor ways of going about building a relationship with your vendor team. Remember to stay positive and highlight everything you like before letting them know what you want to change; work with them, not against them, and let it flow. Now, at ease soldiers, and keep those relationships healthy! 

Need a planner? | Why you should hire us!

In the past, many have thought that hiring an event planner was an extravagance only meant for the elite. After all, why spend money on something you could “do yourself?” Today, however, times have changed. The costs and complexity of planning any event, but most especially weddings, have many people turning to an event planner. An event professional not only saves time and emotional stress, but it can actually save money.

This is how Elegant Affairs can help you. We believe in making your vision come true no matter what budget you have. From locating the perfect vendors to dealing with all of the details leading up to your special event, our aim is for you and your guests to have fun and to make your event something that people will still be talking about five years later.

We realize that everyone’s needs and visions are different. That’s why we listen to you! We custom design your event to fit your needs, style, and budget. For example, you may find along the way that with your busy schedule, and never-ending commitments, you don’t have the time, and you need Elegant Affairs to step in and assist you with partial planning, planning for the rehearsal and dinner, researching specific information for you, or full wedding/event planning. We’re here for you – however, you need us.

Elegant Affairs is a different type of event planning company. We connect with our clients on a personal, individual basis. This connection allows us to truly understand your vision for your event, and once we understand your vision – we figure out how to make it a reality. At Elegant Affairs, your ideas are important to us, and we listen to YOU. When you choose Elegant Affairs Events, you’ll be able to make intelligent, educated, and informed decisions throughout the entire process – and at the end, you’ll have the event you’ve dreamed about.

What Elegant Affairs can do for you:
•Help create a realistic budget
•Devise an event/wedding master plan that maps out all the little details
•Find the best florists, photographers, DJs, in your price range
•Read over all of your vendor contracts
•Create a timeline that tells everyone involved in the planning process - vendors, members of the wedding party, and families - when to do what and how to actually stick to that schedule
•Coordinate with the photographer, florist, musicians, and caterer/banquet manager to determine realistic set-up times and when they should arrive
•Manage the wedding day/event, supervise vendors, handle emergencies, and soothe nerves
•Serve as your spokesperson, conveying your every whim and desire to vendors or family members when you just can't deal with doing it yourself

You’re Engaged, So Now What?

Getting engaged can come in a whirlwind and often times knock you right off your feet. You don’t know how to start planning because you don’t even know what to begin with, and it can spiral out of control into stress overload from there. Never fear our beautiful brides-to-be and handsome almost-husbands! Elegant Affairs is here to help you map out your big day beginning with the basics. There are a few key areas we want to spotlight for you two that will make everything else that follows SO much easier.   

Notify family, friends, and the rest of the world! First thing’s first…take a deep breath and call everyone you know.  All your loved ones want to be included in this monumental event and they also want to be aware that there is a wedding in their future!

Choose a date. This doesn’t have to be immediate because there is absolutely no timeline on when you decide to tie the knot. It could be in 6 months or 2 years; it’s completely up to you and yours. Just remember that you’ll want to send your Save the Dates as soon as you can to secure that time frame on guest’s calendar. So, as soon as you do decide on a date, get those calendar markers out there. Serious planning and strategizing will begin to take place after you take this step.

Brainstorm. Everyone is different. Some people have been dreaming about their weddings since they were a little kid and others could care less as long as the respective parties are there signing the correct legally binding documents. During this stage, let your ideas get the best of you. Go through magazines and pluck out the pages that inspire your creative side, it doesn’t even matter what it is. Maybe it’s a color you really love or a scene of a field of wildflowers. Let yourself add anything you see and like to your list of décor, venue, food, beverage, dress, dessert, etc. ideas. You can sift through all of this when you start getting more serious about details.

Rings. Get that finger-sized and pick out a ring with your fiancé that you’ll look forward to wearing for the rest of your life. This is a simple step but often gets overlooked because of that very reason, sometimes on the verge of almost forgotten. Note for the day of; make sure you have a responsible ring bearer.

Engagement pictures. Not everyone takes engagement pictures and you certainly don’t have to if you don’t want to. However, if this is something you plan on doing, the sooner, the better. These photos can be sent with your Save the Dates if you’d like, which are always important to send out as soon as you set a date so guests can mark it on their calendar. They are also another added expense, so it’s better to spread out the wedding costs to make them easier to keep up with.

Last, but certainly not least, hire your girls at Elegant Affairs! 

Okay all, after you get these small tasks marked off on your to-do list, planning can really take off! The beginning always starts off a little rocky, but as soon as the basics are under your belt you will feel so much better and excited to continue planning. And don’t forget; Lori and her team are always here to help if you need the extra hand! Happy planning!