Don't Over Spend On Your Wedding

Real Story From A Bride,
I am a very hands-on, creative, DIY, do my own research, make my own decisions kind of gal. I know what I want, I know what I'm looking for, and I know better than anybody else, dammit!

…Right?

Okay, so maybe not. See, we hired a wedding planner. It was one of the first things we did, because I know that I can get distracted, and I tend not to follow up on things. So I knew that if the wedding was to run at all smoothly, we'd be better off paying someone to take care of things like calling vendors, asking the questions I'd forget about, and wrangling me — keeping me to a schedule, etc.

My family lives out of state and isn't up for the task of helping me plan, and while I do have two amazing, type-A friends, I've seen them absolutely WRECK themselves at other friends' weddings, and I couldn't do that to them again. I also had a good idea of the value of a wedding planner. So hiring one was something I felt comfortable with.

Mind you, I thought that I would just be directing all my preferred vendors to my planner, and that they would then just coordinate meetings and stuff. I didn't expect my planner to actually make suggestions. In my mind, I wasn't paying her for her opinion — I just needed someone to keep me on track, not cramp my style. Are ya' feeling me? I'm a girl who knows what I want!

So I was a little peeved at first when my planner started suggesting alternate vendors…

"That caterer's cost is a little too high… how about these guys?"
"Have you looked into ______ photographer yet? They're really wonderful people to work with."
"Have you thought about doing _________?"
"We have a resource for getting ___________."
And on and on… I was getting irritated.

One day I had plans to meet with a caterer and a photographer and my planner tagged along, and brought with her a second photographer for us to meet with. The moment the amazing, wedding planner-picked husband and wife photography team commented on my TARDIS-blue nail polish, I was sold — SOLD, I tell you — on a photographer that I would never known about if it wasn't for my planner.
The best part? The photographers are Eight... Hundred.... Dollars... Less. than the not-too-pricy photographer I was dead-set on. $800 is no small amount of dough.

Holy cow, did my wedding coordinator just pay for herself in my saving and then saved me an additional $2,550? Yes, yes she did.

Then my planner convinced me to talk to a different caterer. The first caterer I picked had a quote of $37.50 per person (alcohol not included, that was another $35 per person). Which I thought that was a fair price…

The second caterer? Can I tell you how much I love this woman? We had a tasting with her. She is SUPER AMAZING! And because she isn't as "established" as my first choice, guess what? Her catering was totally cheaper. $1750 cheaper.

Holy cow, did my wedding coordinator just pay for herself in my saving and then saved me an additional $2,550? Yes, yes she did.

We are paying our planner/coordinator $2500. So, at this point, getting a coordinator has saved our budget $1500 plus covered her $2500 fee. Our planner has wholesale contacts that will save us money on decor. Our planner has a florist contact who is amazing and will save us money on flowers.

Do you also not really know what EXACTLY a wedding planner does? Well, our 1EE brides are here to enlighten you all. They are saving THOUSANDS of dollars by hiring planners — this bride says, we were shooting for $20,000, now it looks like we will be spending something like $16,000. I know there are a lot of complaints about coordinators and planners not even looking at couples with a budget of less than $40,000. Believe me, I dealt with my fair share of those people looking for our coordinators.

But, the wedding industry is constantly changing, and more and more people are realizing that there is a niche market for lower-budget brides who need coordination help. If you can find one of those kinds of vendors who work with all budgets high and low, JUMP on them — they will save you money.

~From the Offbeat Bride  

For wedding planning information contact 

757-828-6702
Info@1ElegantEvent.com
www.1ElegantEvent.com 

Planning wedding all over the USA and \

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SEQUINED WEDDING DESIGNS ON A BUDGET

Nearly all of my design consultation clients are pining after the same thing.

The verdict is in, people are crazy about having a wedding with sequin tablecloths!

I don’t have to explain to you what’s to love about our Glitz Sequin Linens. Pinterest is filled with glittering, glitz sequin goodness. Instagram is twinkling with a sequined weddings. We definitely understand the appeal.

With our glitz sequins’ variety of color and superior sparkle, it’s no surprise that nearly all of my design consultation clients are clamoring to bring glitz to their wedding day!

Sequin tablecloth sticker shock is a real thing!

Consultation clients and I work together to design a glitz wedding of their dreams….which sometimes result in a price tag of their nightmares. Here’s a little known secret: you can absolutely have a glitz sequin wedding on a budget!

All it takes is a little retraining of your imagination.

I have a few tips for helping you find your happy place before you even begin designing your glitz decor on a budget!

Love the decor you can have, don’t grieve over what you cannot have.

If you have explored the possibility of having a full-blown sequined soiree, but it’s simply not possible without breaking the bank, it’s time to be realistic. Let go of the photos you may have seen of receptions decked out in wall-to-wall sequined linens. Your wedding will be gorgeous and resemble something similar to the look you desire, but if you don’t adjust your expectations you could be setting yourself up for decor disappointment.

Spring for pieces you love, let go of the ones you don’t.

If you’re in love with Sparkle Glitz Sequin Chaivari Chair Slip Covers find a way to incorporate them into your decor, even if your budget only allows for a few at your Head Table! If the Glitz Tablecloths are what makes your heart sing, but you could take or leave the matching Glitz Spandex Chair Bands and Glitz Napkins, forgo the glitz accents and opt for affordable subtitutes instead.

Consider combining sequins with a matching, more economical material.

Glitz makes an elegant pairing with some of our other linens at a gentler price point. You could easily alternateAccordion Crinkle Taffeta Tablecloths with glitz Sequin Tablecloths, for a still stunning tablescape!

Allow me to demonstrate the four sequined tablescapes for any budget!

The Full Glitz Sequin Tablescape $143.83 – $160.83

This look is the ultimate in glitz sequin decadence! If you are interested in this full glitz look don’t be discouraged by the price tag. If you are committed to the full glitz look, consider using it for your Sweetheart Table or alternating full glitz tables with partial glitz tables!

• Glitz Sequins 120″ Round Tablecloth $59.99 – $72.99
• Glitz Sequin 20″x20″ Napkin (8) $2.49 – $2.99
• Glitz Sequin Chiavari Full Chair Back Cover (8) – $7.99

The 3/4 Glitz Sequin Tablescape $88.98 – $105.90

Not all sequin enthusiasts want all the sequins! This 3/4 Glitz Tablescape is also a great solution for anyone in love with the sparkle but cringing at the price of a full glitz tablescape.

• Accordion Crinkle Taffeta Round Tablecloth $11.99 – $14.99
• Glitz Sequin Table Overlay Topper Square $32.99 – $44.99
• Sparkle Glitz Sequin Chiavari Chair Slip Cover (8) $4.99
• Polyester Napkin (8) $0.51 – $0.75

The Partial Glitz Sequin Tablescape $38.38 – $54.40

A little shimmer goes a lot further than you would imagine! Do not underestimate the power of a few sequined accents. Adding glitz sequin touches will definitely give you the glamour you desire at a price you can afford!

• Accordion Crinkle Taffeta Round Tablecloth $11.99 – $14.99
• Glitz Sequin Table Runner $7.99 – $9.49
• Polyester Napkin (8) $0.51 – $0.75
• Glitz Spandex Chair Band (8) $1.79 – $2.99

The Basic Glitz Sequin Tablescape $24.06 – $30.48

This is the smallest touch of sparkle you could manage while still claiming a sequined decor. Do not venture any smaller than a glitz runner for the sake of capturing the twinkle you desire.

• Accordion Crinkle Taffeta Round Tablecloth $11.99 – $14.99

• Glitz Sequin Table Runner $7.99 – $9.49

• Polyester Napkin (8) $0.51 – $0.75

Blog Written By CV Linen Blog

Looking For an experienced Wedding Planner Visit www.1ElegantEvent.com 

What Does a Wedding Planner Really Do?

‪#‎LongPostButWorthYourTime‬ ‪#‎1ElegantEvent‬
‪#‎WhatAWeddingPlannerDoes‬

The thing that I always remember from all our our clients over the past 20 years planning weddings, is how every bride I worked with would say at some point during the process, “Oh my goodness, I don’t know what I would do without you!” Looking back, it’s occurred to me that at first, some of those brides weren’t even sure if they needed a wedding planner. But it was mostly just because they didn’t realize all of the things that a planner *really* does… which is exactly why I’m going to share some of those things with you today!

What a Wedding Planner really does!

– Planning Checklist & Schedule.
Ah, what every bride has to have, right?
I mean, you really can’t plan a wedding without knowing what has to be done right? Having a planner create a custom checklist and schedule for you, and to remind you when it’s time to get started on the next task is pretty awesome. Besides, they have planned a wedding or 2 or 100 before, you haven’t. 

– Budget. 
Yes, the dreaded word. A planner can most certainly help you create and stick to your budget. And when you want something that just might be completely unfeasible, your planner will tell you instead of letting you get your hopes up. And then she will give you some ideas on how to get said item look and feel in the budget you have.

– Vendor recommendations. 
A planner is going to give you solid vendor recommendations of people that they have worked with before and who they trust. In fact, if you want to, ask about their experiences working with certain vendors. Sometimes they may even NOT recommend a particular vendor because of a bad experience working with them. It sounds awful, but it happens. These vendor recommendations also save you many hours and days of time researching 1000’s of wedding vendors your experienced 1 Elegant Event planner already know and have relationships with.

– Vendor communication & liaison. 
This includes contacting vendors to find out availability, emailing, phone calls, texts, and most likely a meeting or two. Sometimes if you want, you can even have your planner communicate with all of your vendors (or just a select few) and just have him or her email you with updates, questions, concerns, etc. Oh, and let’s not forget the reminders that you’ll get from your planner about when it’s time to make a payment to one of your vendors.

– Your wedding design. 
Now, not all planners are experts in wedding design. 1 Elegant Event is! We will most definitely help you figure things out when it comes to your wedding’s design. Whether it’s a specific idea or helping you pick out colors, linens, centerpieces etc.… we’ll be by your side to help guide you along.

– Meetings & Consults. 
Having a planner can also mean that he or she deals with scheduling your meetings. Sometimes it can take several emails or phone calls to figure out the right time and place for a meeting or consult to take place. That’s time- time that you might not have! Having a planner, you can just send them a few potential days and times, and then they can get to work scheduling!

– Etiquette. 

You know you’re going to have a question about whether or not to invite so-and-so’s new girlfriend, dress code, or maybe even how much alcohol to serve. A planner knows the etiquette for all things wedding. Sometimes “etiquette” things aren’t even etiquette anymore, and it’s just really what works best for you and your wedding, but sometimes there are still things that are “tacky” or not.

– RSVP's. 

Some wedding planners will keep track of your RSVP's for you. 1 Elegant Event does this will all our full service wedding packages. This is SUCH a tedious task- meals, seating, guest counts, etc. Just another thing that you don’t have to do! 

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– Reminders. 
Yes, reminders. Plain and simple. Because chances are that you might possibly forget about something– whether it’s big (like a DJ) or small (like menus), a wedding planner will most definitely be able to give you little reminders about things that could have potentially forgotten!

– Vendor Confirmations. 
The week before your wedding is going to be craziness. You do not want to have to deal with emails and phone calls back and forth with vendors to confirm times and places. Your planner will handle that.

– Wedding Day Schedule. 
You absolutely always need to have a timeline for your wedding day. How else would you know what time to start getting ready, when to tell people to deliver things, etc.? Of course your 1 Elegant Event wedding planner will handle this for you, making tweaks and updating vendors as needed.

– Wedding Ceremony Coordination & Rehearsal. 
Sometimes a wedding ceremony can be like a huge cluster of chaos. People think they know what to do, but when it comes down to it, they really don’t. Having a planner will ensure that your ceremony runs smoothly and everyone involved knows what to do and where to go!

– Wedding Day Coordination. 
I talk about this ALL the time. You definitely don’t want to be the one dealing with setting things up on your wedding day. Making sure the cake is delivered on top, the favors get placed at each place-setting, and that adorable ribbon chandelier you made gets hung or etc…. Not only that, but what about when it comes time for your wedding to *actually* happen? Who’s going to tell you when it’s time to leave for your ceremony, or when to cut your cake? Oh and who will sew your bustle when it breaks or find your best man when he’s missing for toasts? Your wedding planner, that’s who!

– Wedding Details.
Who’s going to put out your escort cards, make sure favors are at place-settings, and set up your special cake-and-dessert display? You don’t want to entrust these tasks to just anyone. Your planner will take care of the wedding details that I’m sure you will painstakingly and lovingly create for your wedding, making sure that they will be setup to meet your expectations. And then, he or she will take everything down at the end of the night and give it your parents or keep it for you to pick up when you get home from your honeymoon.

– Wedding Gifts. 
Yeah, so those gifts that everyone brings. What do you do with them?! It’s something that is commonly forgotten, but your planner will be sure to load up all of your gifts for a designated person to take home and keep safe and sound for you. And if they’re like your 1 Elegant Event Planner, they will tuck all of your cards into your overnight bag or put them in your send away car or limo.

Oh my, now that I’ve listed all of that out… WOW! It’s SO much! When I was reminiscing about my last wedding, I was reminded of just how much work planning does entail, and so of course I wanted to share it with you! And sure, while being a wedding planner seems fun and glamorous, it’s also a lot of work. But luckily, a planner really can do A LOT for you as bride- and take a lot of things off your plate too!

YOU deserve to have an amazing wedding, and to enjoy it too! 

When you have decided, 1 Elegant Event would love to help YOU!

1 Elegant Event, Wedding & Event Planning

Cossie Crosswhite,

 Owner and Award Winning National Wedding & Event Planner

251-289-9451

www.1ElegantEvent.com

www.Facebook.com/1ElegantEvent