New - Design Ensembles

We are so excited to launch our new Design Ensemble service! This is not a new concept. It is something we have been doing for years upon individual client request. Now, we are streamlining the process to make wedding planning easier for everyone.

What is it? It is the concept of having a unifiying design between all of your wedding decor items, accessory, and stationary pieces. The definition of ensemble is: A group or unit of complimentary parts that contribute to a single effect. If you walk into Michael's you are going to see a "collection" of a ring bearer pillow, cake cutter, flower girl basket, and guest book with the same unifying look. What about everything else that goes into a wedding? And, well, some of that stuff is a little dated looking anyway. What we have done is taken the work out of it for the brides. We have taken one look and coordinated all of the pieces in advance. You can pick and choose which items you want. We rent the items to you, go and set them up, and take everything down. Presto! If you don't like a particular element in the centerpiece, we can talk about a substitution. Our centerpiece ensembles are about 95% non-floral. You would go through a florist for your bouquets and personal flowers. We have many great ones that we have worked with and can make great recommendations.

Why have we done this? For a number of reasons: 1) I have a lot of new clients that come into the office that don't have the time to coordinate everything but still want everything coordinated together. 2) They don't have the budget to work with a wedding designer to coordinate everything for them. 3) They have great taste and don't always know how to coordinate everything together themselves but know a great finished product when they see it. 4) Not all brides want floral centerpieces so where do they go for something else? 5) Not everyone is a Do It Yourselfer but they end up doing it themselves because they don't know where to go otherwise. 6) And, if you don't do floral centerpieces, who is going to do the set-up?

Is this a "wedding in a box" design collection? Kind of, but not really. Yes it is because it can be that easy. No it isn't because each Design Ensemble doesn't have that cookie cutter look to it. Each one of these Design Ensembles has already been the highlight of a previous client's wedding. We have just dug through our files, picked out the best of the best, and are now offering it to future clients. A bride can take our ideas and also create them on their own. But, once they start looking into how much each individual piece costs, how to put everything together, and where does it all come from, it is just easier and more cost effective to go through us. Hopefully they hadn't bought anything before they realize that they will be in pictures when the set-up is happening and can't actually set everything up themselves. Another problem that is alleviated by working with us is the dilemma of what to do with the stuff afterwards if you do pull everything together yourself. Do you really want to spend another ten hours on cragslist trying to get rid of everything for the same price?

Each Design Ensemble includes the option to rent or purchase:

Custom made, unique non-floral centerpiece

Coordinating votives for additional ambiance

Table linen, runner, or overlay

Chair cover with or without sash

Cocktail and non-guest table decorations

Place cards

Table numbers

Menu cards

Bathroom primp basket

Hotel welcome baskets

Invitations with RSVP cards

Save the dates

Thank you cards

Cake cutter

Cake topper

Guest book

Champagne flutes

Flower girl basket

Ring bearer pillow

Unity candle

Ceremony programs

Aisle/pew markers

Candy buffet with coordinating scoopers and bags

Garter

We are in the early stages of pulling this all together but I have posted what we have come up with so far. If you are interested in more information on a particular Design Ensemble or the details of this service, contact me and I can walk you through it. This will all be on our website soon.

Also, coming are:
Wine Wedding
Spring Wedding with Eiffle tower vases and callas
Recycled Wedding
Beach Wedding
In Love with Red Wedding
Polka Dot Explosion
Autumn Wonder
Retro Wedding
Fire & Ice Wedding
6 contemporary designs to choose from.

Enjoy!

If I used my cake cutter to cut pvc pipe will it still cut cake?

One of the things that I have always sworn that I would teach my children is how to be themselves. I always felt akward growing up because my ideas were always a little bit different from everyone around me. I was never told that they were dumb or stupid. I just knew that they were different. I was maybe about nine years old and we were packing to go to Billings for a family wedding. I wanted to wear a white shirt, jean skirt, and this white and blue vintage straw grandma hat. I thought my mom's eyeballs were going to pop out of her head when she saw me packing that outfit. Now as an adult and a parent I see why my mom was hesitant.

These days, if you want to see my husband's eye balls pop out of his head say the words, "I have an idea". He is really a patient, kind person. But he knows that with these words it is going to cost him money and there is a project on the horizon. He doesn't have a handy bone in his body so this is why these are painful words. The humorous part is that our three boys have learned this expression. When they say it I can feel my husband's groan even if I don't hear it. He is a good sport with the "creativity" at our house.

As an adult, I am learning that it is ok to be myself and have learned to let my freak flag fly. I don't think my clients would like it if I showed up to their wedding with hot pink hair, but I can at least harness my energy for the greater good. Last Sunday I had a booth in the Book of Love Bridal Show put on by MN Bride Magazine. It has been a very busy (in a good way) January. February hasn't been looking any easier. I am not a procrastinator. My husband's procrastination on things makes my eyes pop out of my head. But, I ended up working on my booth the night before the show. I wanted to create a new table top frame for my display. So, I was running to Menard's at 7 pm the night before the fair. When I got back to my office I started assembling my frame out of pvc pipe. I could have sworn that I left my hack saw at the office from a project in November. But, I couldn't find it. Thank goodness for my McGyver skills. My cake knife did the trick with cutting the pvc pipe into the sizes that I needed. Now, I just need to take it home, wash it, and test it out on some cake to see how well it still cuts!

The best part of being an adult and recognizing that a strength of mine is to think out of the box is that it benefits my clients. The con is that I can't sleep at night because I can't shut my brain off. Fortunately, I made an unexpected score at Menard's that night for a client. This Menard's is closing so everything was on sale for 40% off. I have a client getting married in February 2012. A couple of weeks ago we were admiring Kate Aspen favors at a wedding fair. Picture below. Total for what she would need would be about $350. On a shelf at Menard's I saw two boxes of completely clear Christmas tree bulbs. I thought to myself, "OMG, too bad there are not more. I could totally see us turning these into favors". The best thing about these clients are that the bride and MOB are really crafty and DIYers themselves. It has been a lot of fun to come up with a centerpiece that we could do ourselves. Not all of my clients are DIYers and that is ok. I think we are having a really good balance of making it ourselves and making sure it doesn't look like crap when you make it yourself. Then, I turned the corner and I saw the biggest pile of clear Christmas tree bulbs that thee eye would ever see. I think I heard an angel playing in the background even. I ran to get a cart and loaded it up with 50 boxes of ornaments - 6 in a box for a total of 300. The cost? $45. At the check out they said I could bring them back if she didn't like the idea. I snapped a picture and sent it to the client. She is so excited and we have already generated a ton of ideas on how to personalize the bulbs.

So, when Mikolas wants to wear his Spiderman costume to the grocery store in June, I am ok with it. When Sebastian wants to wear his Thomas the Train rubber boots with shorts in summer to Target, that is ok too. My point is that they also have freak flags and I am going to let them fly them. It will pay off eventually when they can harness that creativity for client projects. I think it is a win/win for everyone. Clients with freak flags are welcome.

This is how the booth turned out!

Oh, this makes my head hurt...

I am so terrible at keeping up with my blog. I am going to be honest, I hate to write. Love, love, love to read, but I hate to write. My husband is always highly surprised by that when I say it because I am, as he says, highly creative and amibitious so a blog should come easy to me. Not so much. So, my New Year's business resolution is to try and blog at least once a week.....once every other week at least. I have so many fun pictures from the 2010 summer and fall weddings that they really need to be posted and shared.

I did want to touch base on the latest issue that has needed my attention for the last three weeks - probably more. It has been a big pain, a big headache, and a mini nightmare. When I have a bride cry, that is when I need to start throwing down the smack.

Last year, I had two different clients sign a contract at the same venue for different wedding days. I hadn't heard of this place before. When I received one of the contracts, the contract made me groan. This "venue" is an abandoned factory in Minneapolis that has been turned into an art gallery. It has a high rental fee, but my clients have to clean their bathrooms at the end of the night and the bathrooms are not cleaned for them before we arrive. There is also no heat or a/c so they only do weddings seaonsally. The space is very raw. There were things in the contract that I didn't like, but the brides had already signed off so my hands were tied.

In December, I made an appointment to do a walk through. I had such a bad feeling from being in there. Great space - but I could tell right away that the zoning was not right. I also knew that my clients had no idea how much it was going to take to accomplish what needed to be done in a few short hours to pull off what they wanted to be ready on time. Could it happen? Absolutely. But, for a price. My mental caluculator was whirling away.

I didn't leave with a good feeling. I don't know exact formulas for zoning, but I know enough to know that it wasn't even close. My tour guide and owner told me that they can hold 1,000. Not with only three tiolets, my dear.

So, I left and I let it simmer for a few weeks. Do I call the fire marshall and check it out? What if I am right and the place gets shut down? Then I have two clients upset at me for getting the place shut down. There is also the possibility that the venue gets a fine and the venue "takes it out" on my clients by being very unaccomodating and making things miserable. Or, do I not do anything and something happens that day. Then I am up a creek with angry clients for not knowing. Worse yet - someone gets hurt.

So, I took the road that causes trouble for everyone. I called the fire marshall and business licensing and find out that my hunch was correct. We talk about my clients getting a "temporary gathering permit". A temporary gathering permit would be a permit needed when we have an event in a tent in the family backyard. It gives them permission to have a large gathering at the property. At first, it looks like the city may grant it. But then, the city looked into how far away the venue is from actually being licensed and says, no way.

So, now I place two calls to clients to inform them of what has happened. While I am feeling like a dream crusher, both couples are thankful for my expertise. What happens next? For the June clients, there is no question in their minds that they need to pull out. They request their deposit back and receive an apology the next day. The venue was under the assumption that they could still have events there during the renovation. They also received their deposit back the next day. Way cool! We were out looking at two new locations when the groom received the email. We were doing high fives in the parking lot.

For the September client, it gets a little sticker. The venue is planning on being licensed as an event center by mid-summer. Should she stay or should she go? We are still working on that.

Lessons learned - always listen to your gut and know your stuff. Wedding planning goes way beyond pretty flowers and the perfect shade of pink. There are tons and tons of other things that we need to know that the client doesn't even know we know - legal, zoning, weather, truck sizing, table dimensions, electrical, plumbing, etc. We wear many hats.

On a lighter note - I am going to switch over my lead picture to this one. Love it! Thanks Jacki V. www.jackiv.com. This is Marissa & Robb at their December 4th wedding at Graves 601. Fantastic wedding. Cute couple.

Wedding Planner Certificate or Not?

For the past couple of years I see ad after ad regarding "wedding planner certification". It tokes that you can became a wedding planner by going through these courses. Through varies debates and conversations with colleagues, I have concluded....nothing. In the wedding planner industry it stands to say that there are many, many different routes to becoming a wedding planner. Who am I to say that there is only but one and it is the best.

Yes, you will see through my credentials that I am a certified wedding planner through the Association of Bridal Consultants. To be fair and honest, it was nothing more than a few open book tests. Was it good to go through the process? Probably. Would I put it up against my long standing wedding industry resume? Probably not.

Reading through a book and actually being out in the field getting training are two different things. Do I think you can go through an organizations wedding planning certification process of reading a book and taking a test and pairing that up with your own field training? Absolutely. I was asked to sit in on a seminar called "Weducation". It is a one-day seminar/workshop for aspiring wedding planners created by a dear colleague of mine, Amy Rubins. She is the owner of Fete Perfection. Amy is a full-service wedding planner that does many, many destination weddings. She recognized a need that these online programs needed some hands-on training attached to it. She also made the connection that it was a good introduction for vendors to see what a wedding planner does, how we can make their job easier, and the seminar can also give them insight as to what the other vendors do. Example - It is good for a cake baker to see what a DJ can do and how they can work together. Amy's workshop was FANTASTIC. I strongly encourage anyone that is thinking about becoming a wedding planner to take this course before they think about the switch. I also strongly encourage wedding vendors (DJ's, bakers, transportation, reception venue wedding planners, etc.) to take this course.

What's my point? I am not convinced that a wedding planning certificate is all that it is cracked up to be unless it is also paired up with hands on training of some kind. Books don't teach you how to "throw down" or "dress" a round table complete with linens, chairs, chargers, flatware, and all the glassware at the last minute when the bride doesn't give the caterer the right guest count and another eight guests walked in and they don't have a table. Tests also don't teach you "timing" for the day. How long does it take to put on 150 chair covers with a kimono sash tie or 150 placecards in alphabetical order outdoors with the wind blowing?

To be continued...

Favors, Accessories, and Treats

If you are on the hunt for the perfect favor, start with these, fun websites. They have tons and tons of new and unique products that could help set your wedding apart from the other ten weddings your friends are attending this year. I just purchased a black and white parasol to carry with me on the day of the wedding for my clients. It is uber cute for pictures and fantastic to have at the last minute for shade.

Wine, Cheese & Chat Night for Brides for August

Wine, Cheese & Chat Night for Brides is a time for brides to come together and bounce their own wedding ideas, plans, and questions off of other brides over wine and cheese in a small, intimate setting. The monthly group is next scheduled on Tuesday, August 17th from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Yes! We said Free Event. This is probably the only thing you haven't had to open your wallet for in planning your wedding thus far!


We host this event once a month. Attend as many events as you wish. You do not need to be a current client of ours to attend (nor will we try to talk you into being a client). This is your time to plan your wedding without having to sit in front of a computer. We will have a “Minute Clinic” available for any brides that want to take advantage of chatting with a professional wedding planner with no charge. Yes, we said no charge.

Please RSVP at: lora@atyourserviceweddngs.com or 612-208-1051. Wine, Cheese & Chat Night for Brides is held in the At Your Service Weddings office in International Market Square building near downtown Minneapolis. Our address is 275 Market St, Suite C-27, Minneapolis, 55405. Visit www.imsdesigncenter.com for directions. Our office is on the lower level. At the glass elevator in the event atrium go down the steps and turn left. Please note that IMS closes at 7 pm. If you are running late, please call and we will let you in.

Next Wine, Cheese & Chat Night for Brides is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13th

Wine, Cheese & Chat Night for Brides is a time for brides to come together and bounce their own wedding ideas, plans, and questions off of other brides over wine and cheese in an intimate setting. The monthly event is next scheduled on Tuesday, July 13th from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Yes! We said Free Event. This is probably the only thing you haven't had to open your wallet for in planning your wedding thus far!

We host this event once a month. Attend as many events as you wish. You do not need to be a current client of ours to attend (nor will we try to talk you into being a client). This is your time to plan your wedding without having to sit in front of a computer. We will have a “Minute Clinic” available for any brides that want to take advantage of chatting with a professional wedding planner with no charge. Yes, we said no charge.

Please RSVP at: lora@atyourserviceweddngs.com or 612-208-1051. Wine, Cheese & Chat Night for Brides is held in the At Your Service Weddings office in International Market Square building near downtown Minneapolis. Our address is 275 Market St, Suite C-27, Minneapolis, 55405. Visit www.imsdesigncenter.com for directions. Our office is on the lower level. At the glass elevator in the event atrium go down the steps and turn left. Please note that IMS closes at 7 pm. If you are running late, please call and we will let you in.