1 Elegant Event Vietnamese Catholic Wedding

Sometimes I get just excited by stuff as my couples!!! I was super excited to have these indoor sparklers for the first dance!!!

This weeks wedding pros:

*Coordinator & Wedding Management:

1 Elegant Event @cossie1elegantevent

*Professional Photos & Video

Fredrick’s Photo & Films (Shawna) @fredericksphotoandfilms (btw this is a fantastic clip!!! )

*Event Designer:

Joan Bertucci Events @joanbertuccisvents

*Florist:

Leslie Hartig Floral Design @lesliehartigfloraldesign

*Wedding Cake & Gelato Cart

Incredible Edibles @incredibleebiblesbakery

*Hair Stylist

Drew Inge Hair Studio (Robert) @domyhairdrew

*Make-up by Sac

*Dj (Larry), Photobooth, Cool Indoor Dance Floor Sparkler Machine, Rentals

Astro Entertainment @astroentertainment

*Venue

Our Lady Of Vietnam Catholic Church NewPort , News

*Caterer

Traditional 10 Course Vietnamese Wedding Dinner by Our Lady Of Vietnam Catering Staff

We do not own the rights to this music

Wedding Heaven Bridal Expo question and answer session with 1 Elegant Ev...

Cossie Crosswhite, the Award winning wedding planner, owner of 1 Elegant Event Wedding & Event Planning and Hampton Roads Regional Director of the Association of Bridal Consultants doing a Q&A at the, McEllis Brides, Virtual Wedding Heaven Bridal Expo in Hampton Roads Virginia!

Feel free to continue to ask me questions right here on this social media platform!

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 \

Destination International Weddings
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Keep Your Sanity & Enjoy The Experience, "Don't Become Your Very Own Wedding Planner!" Response to the "Brides Magazine Blog"

As I sit and wait for my next client to arrive, 

I stroll through my Facebook news feed to 

come across a Blog Post from the popular 

"Brides" wedding magazine titled, 

"How to become your very own Wedding Planner!"

http://www.brides.com/blogs/aisle-say/2015/08/how-to-be-your-own-wedding-planner.html

First I was shocked and appalled that such an established and respected magazine would publish such an article which disrespects the Wedding Planner advertisers they have. I do understand that not everybody can shell out thousands of dollars for a professional wedding planner, and this magazine was just trying to give those brides some tips to help them plan a successful wedding, but if you hire a good wedding planner, the savings they provide you in proper planning and budget management should cover the cost of the wedding planner!

Here is my response to the blogs suggestions! 


Tip #1 Get Organised:
The problem with this is, many couples don't know where to start to even get organised! They suggest creating different folders in your in-box to store paperwork, templates and etc. Which is a good idea, but a better idea is if you don't want to hire a professional full time, most professional wedding planners offer hourly rates, or a kick start your wedding planning offer where they help you create a proper foundation to planning a successful wedding. This usually cost a very minimal hourly rate or a small inclusive rate. By doing this, the DIY bride is given a proper plan to be organised and this could not only save time, but 1000's of wasted dollars she may have spent researching and booking the wrong things out of order. 

Tip #2 Use Online Tools:
This is a great tip! You can find lots of charts, to do list, check list, budget calculators, time-lines that are free to help the DIY Bride plan her wedding, but what usually happens is once the bride prints them all out, or saves the app, or papers to their device they began to go over those and quickly get overwhelmed will all the tasks especially if you are in school, working, taking care of a child, or any number of things life hands to you. In many professional Wedding Planners Kick Start wedding planning packages they will give you a customized plan just for your wedding and budget so you only have the charts, checklist and time'lines you need and can stay focused instead of feeling bogged down! 

Tip #3 Make your to-do list accessible no matter where you are
This is the best tip that they give, do keep your to do list virtual , so it is available on your computer, phone, pad and any other device you may have. Saving things to Google docs is perfect because once you long in on any device all of your files are available to you. 
                 *Notice they add a link to their blog, "What to do when you hate wedding planning," They added this because if you try to become your own wedding planner, at some point you are going to start hating wedding planning which I really hate to hear from Brides who find me after they are sick with planning their wedding. This is a once in a lifetime experience and you should be enjoying every moment of it not stressing over details and worrying about if who you hired can live up to what you contracted them to do. They mention in this link blog, not to sweat the small stuff because something wrong will happen and no one will notice. Yes, no wedding is perfect, but if you hire someone to be their at least to be the wedding coordinator for the day, you will have a professional to handle to issues that come up or least have them covered up enough so no one really won't notice and you can at least enjoy your wedding day and not just be happy when its all over! 


Tip #4 Do your research
OMG this is the most overwhelming statement that they could have added to this blog. My company has been in the wedding planning business for 20 years and we are constantly meeting new wedding industry providers, finding new great ones, marking off new and old ones that never provided good service or stopped providing good service. This statement of, "Doing your research", can be a full time job all by itself!
This is where hiring a professional can really save you time, wasted dollars, and save you lots of tears in the end! A good wedding planning company that has been around for a while, can save you research time by recommending wedding professionals that not only fit into your budget but will work with your personality and provide you with the service you are looking for. 
It is never proper to haggle or try to negotiate with wedding vendors over prices! This is this persons livelihood, how would you feel if your boss says, I know we said we would pay you $18 an hour to work for us, but since we don't want XYZ from you this week how about we pay you $15 and hour instead! 
That is what you are saying to wedding vendors when you want to haggle with them, also when you do this you discredit yourself and they feel like you don't respect them and after that they really don't want to do your wedding. In every case it takes lots of time, (not just on the wedding day) to do what it is you are hiring them for. They are charging you according to their experience, education, talent, how many workers they may have to pay & time!  A photographer who charges $600 for a 4 hour wedding verses a photographer who charges $3000 for a 4 hour wedding is because the $600 may have just graduated photography school, did not go to photography school, or is not a full time professional and does this as a side job in their spare time (which means a longer wait to get your pictures back). The $3000 one for 4 hours has done it for years, will edit your photos for wedding perfection, and they will be of crisp excellent quality for years to come. This example works for all wedding vendor types. 


Tip #5 Ask other brides
Do ask other brides, but remember they only can tell you about what not to do or to do  if their wedding is over, because during the process they are in the same situation you are and have the same about of information you do . They are not a professional so you are sharing same time experiences. This is a great idea for support because unlike many friends and family who may tire of hearing wedding ideas and stories form you, this community will never tire of your stories and even welcome more!

 

Tip #6 Become friendly with Pinterest
Pinterest is great for ideas and learning how to create things to make for your wedding. Pinterest can also be deceiving, many post show how you can create what would be a very costly wedding look for pennies. Many brides see this and get discouraged when talking to wedding vendors and they quote them a very surprising number and they think the vendor is trying to price gouge them, when that is truly the price and cost of materials! The truth really is, wedding vendors for the most part aren't really over charging many are truly under charging! By the time they get what they need to do your event, give you what it is you ask for, they make a very minimal amount to live on and to provide for their family. 

Tip #7 Divide and Conquer
When you start to feel stress, delegate the task to others to do.... 
This is a great idea if you have people who will do this for you and won't let their lives distract them form getting it done for you. When you hire a professional to do things, they get it done and it is a business transaction, yes by the end they could possibly be your friend, but the job will be done. When you delegate to friends and family they may or may not get it done at all or if done not the way you asked. I have seen many friendships end over things like this and family disputes. What happens when tragedy strikes and the person helping you cannot do what they said and its 2 weeks until the wedding..... 

We at 1 Elegant Event understand that everyone can't spend 1000's of dollars on their wedding, or on a wedding planner, but it is smart to seek out one to get you started and to coordinate the day of your wedding! Your wedding day and the wedding planning process should be enjoyed so you can have great memories of the entire process! Happy Planning!

Blog Written By:

Cossie Crosswhite

Owner, 1 Elegant Event Wedding & Event Planning

www.1elegantevent.com 

www.facebook.com/1elegantevent 

Top 6 things you should do when you first get engaged"

Once a couple is engaged they usually have no idea on how to get started with their wedding plans and they have no idea what to do first, so usually the Bride gathers up her Mom and friends and goes bridal gown shopping! Here are a few tips to get your wedding planning started out down a smooth path! 

1. First have a dinner or engagement party to announce your big news to all of your very close family and friends. Don't just jump right into picking a date or anything, take a moment to enjoy the moment of being engaged. Show of your new ring to friends and family, let them congratulate you. Have a few moments to have time to soak in the fact that yes you are getting married and this is a big commitment and what does this really mean to you. 

2. Go to your local book store or grocery and buy a few different style Wedding Magazines! Look at the dresses and reception styles and cut out everything you like and put it in a binder. Once you do this, you should be able to figure out what type and style of wedding you and your fiancé would like to have. 
Now, I know you are probably saying to yourself, "Can't I just go pin a bunch of stuff on Pinterest, that is the same thing right?" 
Sure, pinning on Pinterest is great and I recommend that, but nothing beats sitting down, scissors in hand, making your very own wedding idea binder out of great magazine cut outs! Believe me, its like bride wedding planning therapy! 

 

3. Determine your estimate guest count: Talk with your parents and find out an estimate amount of guest that you will invite or who would like to attend. Almost everything you do in planning will require you to know an estimate number to accommodate your guest.

4. Pick a wedding date or season! If you do not have a particular stand out date you must have that holds a true meaning for you both just pick a season. If you pick a date and fall in love with a venue and it is already booked, you may find yourself disappointed, but if you pick a season and fall in love with a location, you have a few dates you can work with. Picking a venue should be the first real booking in your wedding planning process to secure your solid wedding date. 

5. Interview wedding planners. Even if you really had not planned on hiring a wedding planner, don't do yourself a disservice, talk with some just to get yourself on the right path to wedding planning success. Many planners offer a free consultation and will give you a few great pointers for free. Then if you decide to hire one, any-time is fine, but at the very beginning is the best time, so they can help you plan your dream event in your budget parameters and keep you from making costly mistakes in your planning process.  

6. Now once you have an idea of what style of wedding you want, the number of guest that may come, have a venue locked down and a planner to make sure it all comes together, now its time to find that perfect wedding gown! We highly suggest making bridal gown appointments at least 2 weeks in advance preferably during the week not a weekend. We also suggest taking no more that 3 people, and try to take those who like the similar things you like and will tell you honestly if the gown is perfect for you. This should be a fun and exciting time and we all have a negative person in our lives and no matter how close they may be to you, it is a good idea to leave this person out of the initial picking process. Also having too many people come with you may give you too many opinions leaving you frustrated, which is not what you want. 

Written By: Cossie Crosswhite, 

Owner of 1 Elegant Event, Wedding & Event Planning 

and National Event Specialist

Visit our website at www.1elegantevent.com

To see the our TV segment on this wedding tip click HERE

Advice from a Wedding Planner: Remember to Insure that Bling!

Did you recently get engaged over the Holiday's? 

If so, Congratulations! 

Before you get entrenched into planning your dream wedding, consider getting some insurance on the fabulous bling your fiancé put on you! Recent research states that the average cost for an engagement ring is around $5000! That is a lot if you loose it, get it stolen, or accidentally dropping it in the sink and the garbage disposal eats it, yikes! 


What is wedding ring insurance, no one ever mentioned this to me? 

I'm so glad you asked!
In most cases most homeowners or renters insurance policies do not cover wedding rings if it's lost or stolen unless it was stolen inside the home during a burglary. Ask your insurer about a "rider" ring insurance that can be purchased as an extension to your existing renters' or homeowners' policy.  A better option is to research company's that specializes in jewelry insurance, they usually offer more coverage.  



Do I really need to purchase insurance for my ring, I promise never to take it off! Yes! It is always better to be safe than very sad and sorry you didn't. Take a little survey of some of your parents friends and ask them how many have lost or had their rings stolen, you may be surprised by the number (its higher than you think, especially if you ask them when their spouse is not around, LOL!) 
If you have a ring made of real mineral value of $500 or $50,000+, your insurance honor's all the sentiment it represents and it's financial value.  

Now that I'm convinced how does it all work?   
Make sure your fiancé has kept the receipts because you will need to provide proof. You will also need a professional appraisal from a certified gemologist. If it is an Heirloom Ring your gemologist appraisal is very important thing to obtain. Also make sure If you move after the wedding you are still covered! To have the full replacement cost of the ring covered you will need to obtain a floater or endorsement. They both typically offer coverage if you misplace the ring and don't have a deductible.
 


You mentioned having renters insurance or homeowners insurance, we do not have either, what do we do?
You should then consider buying a stand-alone policy. The Jewelry Insurance Brokerage of North America and Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. great stand alone policy's and can explain all of the details to you about what is covered. The price of additional coverage or separate policies depends on the type of policy, where you live and the value of the ring. Coverage for a $5,000 ring ranges from about $15 to $100 a year.

 


 
This is a lot of information, is there something you said that is the most important?

Sure, always when buying any kind of insurance read the fine print before you sign. Don't feel bad about taking an extra 15 minutes + of the insures time to actually read what you are agreeing too! Any great policy will cover all potentially ring-threatening situations from damage, and theft to accidentally dropping it in unmentionable places. HAPPY PLANNING!

Blog by: Cossie Crosswhite, 

Owner of 1 Elegant Event, Wedding & Event Planning

Visit our website at

www.1elegantevent.com

411 Pointers on Wedding Guest Etiquette

Great 411 Pointers on Wedding Guest Etiquette

We all have heard and seen them too...

the fashion aficionados proclaiming that white is the "new black" this season as a wardrobe staple. This may be true, but for weddings and bridal showers, leave the solid white to the bride unless asked to in the invitation!

The whole reason for your invite was for you to be a honored witness to your loved ones life changing event! It is rather tacky to skip the ceremony and attend only the celebration. The couple may not notice, but the other guests will. Since were speaking of the ceremony PLEASE DO Arrive Before the Bride gets to the aisle! This really does seems like the most obvious advice, but for some reason there are always stragglers. Be sure to make every possible effort to arrive at the wedding ceremony at least 10 -20 minutes early!

 

Unless your invitation specifically states "plus 1", "and guest" or "and family" you can presume only the people named on the invitation are invited. You may want, feel, think, and be sure others should be invited, but only those issuing the invitations can make those decisions. Due to the rising cost per person most must stick below a certain number of guest. For all the singles out there, an FYI weddings are great places to meet potential mates!

Our second to last 411 Pointer concerning Wedding Guest Etiquette is about Clicking Cameras. Personal pictures taken by guest should be taken at the beginning and at the end of the ceremony. Only the photographer hired for the event should be clicking away during the ceremony (this includes the vows, ring exchange and kiss). The clicks, flashes and sound of film rewinding can turn a serious and (usually) religious event into a paparazzi-fest and the other flashes could potentially interfere with the professional shots. Also on the subject of uploading to the Internet, it's OK to tag yourself at the event, but try to wait until the end of the night to post your pictures. Give the couples hired or appointed instant Internet liaison a chance to upload them instantly first!

Our last 411 Pointer about Wedding Guest Etiquette is about when is a good time to leave? Maybe you have to work early in the morning or drive back that night night, if you have accepted the celebration invitation, you should remain at the party until the wedding cake has been cut. It really is rude to leave before then because they thought enough of you to invite you and pay for all that came with that (catering, decor and etc). Once the cake cutting has ended if you must leave, you may, but before you leave, be sure to wish the wedding couple well, congratulate the families of the bride/groom, and thank the wedding hosts (i.e. whoever paid for the wedding!).

 By following these few tips, you will be the perfect guest to the prestigious event you were invited.  Feel free to share with friends, because sharing is caring! Have fun!

Blog Written By Cossie Crosswhite

National Event Planner

1 Elegant Event, Wedding & Event Planning

www.1elegantevent.com

For more free tips like us on facebook! www.facebook.com/1elegantevent

Tips to Survive and Enjoy Your Dream Beach Wedding!

 

I'm really not sure how brides pull off beach weddings with ease, without hiring professionals! There are just so many things that happen during these beach events, but we hope our few tips will help. This beach set is beautiful but it doesn't come without a lot of effort! 

Check out our Tips to see how to pull this look off!

 

Breaking down the beach set up. 1st you must get the arbor stabilized, easy right?! You never new how windy the beach was until you see your arbor blow down the beach, funny but true! Make sure it has side hooks and anchor 2-3 foot stakes in the sand to keep it in place!

Brides love beautiful beach chair decor and it goes on pretty easy, they catch is getting it to stay in place until ceremony is over. The secret to keeping all of your chairs in the sand, drum roll please.... Put your booty in them! You sit in each one and they will stay, easy fix! 

We all love flowers, shells, tulle etc... decorating the arbor! The key is lots and lots of zip ties. Just as the mighty wind wants to wisk away your arbor, it loves to blow away all your fine decor. So tie it tight, and keep it secure! 

Everyone tends to enjoy the soothing sounds of the beach until the soothing sounds keep your guest from hearing your ceremony. Don't have your guest trying to read your lips during the vows, have a simple speaker set-up so all will be able to hear your confessions of love! 

So you decided to have everyone go bare feet down the aisle, make sure you have someone to rake through the sand in the walking path before the wedding to make sure nothing dangerous is in the path to hurt their feet. 

 

 Our last Tip to Survive and Enjoy your Beach Wedding! Its so easy to go pick up a bag of fake rose petals to use for your aisle, unless your having an outdoor/beach wedding! Only dried or fresh flowers are allowed to be used in most outdoor locations, and it is the right (Green) thing to do! 

Blog written by: Cossie Crosswhite 

Owner of 1 Elegant Event Wedding & Event Planning 

visit our website

www.1elegantevent.com

For more free tips daily like our Facebook Page

www.facebook.com/1elegantevent