What Wedding Problems Drive Planners Crazy?

Biz Bash, an event industry trade paper, recently ran a piece on what drives PR and corporate planners crazy at parties they attend.  Amy Sacco, founding partner and creative director, LDV Hospitality Nightlife, listed four points, three of which translated so well into wedding world, I had to share. Today, we cover Amy Sacco’s irritant number one* in the next few days, on to the next two.

When events are pitched as intimate or exclusive and then you find guests’ assistants there

 It doesn’t take a lot of creativity to translate this one into the wedding experience.

A couple explains their tiny, intimate wedding and matching brutally small head count. The venue only holds so many people, or there are budget issues, and that’s why the guest list is so lean, and you can’t bring your fiancé. Apologies are made, and tears are shed.

Who's coming?
Who’s coming?

Your tears dry pretty quickly, though, on wedding day when you’re seated with the bride’s sister’s boyfriend’s mother.  You think I’m kidding don’t you?  This happened to me.  The bride’s sister-in-law’s brother and her parents were there too.  My boyfriend of three years sat at home.  The upshot? I had a crappy time at that wedding, and remember it as an unpleasant experience to this day.

Wedding Paper Divas Wedding Day Needs - Programs, Menus, and more

The Fix:

Guest List Diplomacy. Think a little before you cross someone off or decide on your “plus ones.”  You could be changing a dear friend or relative’s experience of your wedding completely for the benefit of your father’s chiropractor.  This is your day, but do you want people to remember it as a miserable one?  Probably not.

Stay tuned for Amy’s next pet peeve, how it pertains to wedding planning, and how to avoid it!

Live well, and love well.

-Dinah

*Note. Amy’s Biz Bash quote started with this:

“I loathe the following, in no particular order…”  ergo this party fail is no more or less loathed than the others we will cover in the days to come.

My Little Marital Bliss Shop: Never Stop Dating

Cadillac CTS Coupé Concept
Cadillac CTS Coupé Concept (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Who’s dating your man? It had better be you honey boo boo child, before, during AND after the wedding.  He was beguiled by your charm and fun personality, and fell in love on dates with you. Keep the initial spark alive by still going out regularly- and I don’t mean some kind of obligatory once-a-week dinner that you drag yourselves through. Snooze fest. Think about what you really enjoy doing together, or separately, and have some adventures! You can go as far as a weekend get-away, or stay as close as your own kitchen, but be creative.

Recently I told my husband we were going on a mystery outing. He had no idea where, but loved trying to guess!  He’d been talking for the last few weeks about wanting to test-drive a Cadillac CTS Coupe, so I had found a local dealer, and we went on a “Sunday Drive” to go take a look.  He was very surprised that I would even come up with such a thing, and was thrilled to pieces. The date was a hit because it was something he was really into, and it warmed his heart that I had been listening.

If your imagination is running a little slow these days, The Dating Divas have a website chock full of ideas to spice things up. (No, not that way. Get your mind out of the gutter). They have themed dates, bargain dates, at-home dates for after the kids go to bed… you get the idea.  So go out and get dating!

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

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Who Should the Bride Be On Her Wedding Day? Herself!

Often brides have a tough time figuring out what they want to look like on the big day.  Sweet, or seductive? Classic, or modern?  Here’s the key.  You want to look like yourself!  Your groom fell in love and proposed to you because of who you are – don’t present some exotic version of yourself on the day of the wedding because of some fashion trend or pressure to create dramatic photographs.

Here are three important questions to ask yourself about your look on the big day including your bridal hairstyle, wedding dress, and make-up.

  • Are you comfortable?  Looking like you walked off a Paris runway isn’t worth having your dress duct taped to you and your hair pulled so tight it gives you a migraine.  Most of us don’t live in cultures where it’s a badge of honor to get bruises from your elaborate wedding dress, so find something that fits well, and feels good!
  • Will your fiancé recognize you?  Do you look like a glammed up version of yourself, or like someone you’ve never met?  Your man wants to see someone familiar underneath all the trappings of bride-dom.  Keep in mind you’re dressing up for him after all!
  • Don’t go for broke.  Debt is not cute.  If you can’t afford a hair and make-up team, or a $5,000 dress, don’t charge up a storm on credit cards.  If your look is important to you, compromise on other budget items to make sure you have the resources you need, or investigate ways around the expenses like bartering for services, or renting a designer gown.

If you stay true to yourself, keep your wits about you, and follow your heart, you’re sure to be a beautiful, comfortable, solvent bride!

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

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