Stella Event Design::Michigan Wedding & Event Planner »

This summer we had 2 lovely brides who contacted us to help them plan destination weddings on the beach in early July! Both of them were planning from out of state, over the course of just a few months and wanted assistance pulling together everything they needed to host a beautiful destination wedding on the beach, followed by intimate dinner receptions at local restaurants. We are beach wedding pros, so we put custom services together for them, and now we’re excited to offer those services to future brides—because we loved helping these ladies relax and enjoy their engagements while we planned their perfect destination wedding on the beach!

If you’ve considered a ceremony in the Caribbean but want to stay closer to home so you can have friends & family join you, then consider hosting your beach ceremony in Southwest Michigan, and we will make it simple and fun for you by providing everything you need for a fantastic beach ceremony—from finding the perfect beach for your ceremony, to your flowers, music, officiant, photography and more—it’s all included!

All-inclusive beach ceremonies start at $2000 and are customizable to meet your needs! You get the dress—we’ll do the rest!

It’s the time of year when we have a lot of newly engaged brides contacting us, as they come across their first issues while planning their wedding, and as I get these questions, I’ll be sharing them on the blog as well, because they are issues that 99% of brides will come across at some point. If you’re a bride, mother-of-the-bride, or groom who has a question,  feel free to submit them to jessica@stellaeventdesign.com!

Q: I found a photographer, and really liked their work online, but I left them a voice mail and an email over a week ago, and have not heard back from them. Should I book them, or is this a bad sign?

A: Unfortunately, there is no clear yes or no here. Unfortunately I know some vendors who do a fabulous job, but aren’t prompt with answering emails (and that doesn’t just apply to photographers). You need to consider your own personality & expectations…if you are the kind of person (like me) who likes a prompt response to messages (I consider less than 24 hours prompt, and less than 48 acceptable) then you’ll want to hire wedding vendors who have similar expectations. For you, hiring a slow-responding-vendor may cause more stress than it’s worth.

On the other hand, if you yourself rarely check your email, and aren’t at all unnerved by a response that takes a week, then this won’t be an issue for you. The key to having a good wedding planning experience is hiring vendors you trust. So whether they respond quickly…or slowly…make sure they have great references, a stellar portfolio, and address all of your questions and concerns. It never hurts to get a first-hand professional referral, so reach out to a local wedding planner for trustworthy vendor referrals. Whether you need a fantastic florist or the perfect photographer, a professional wedding planner can match you up with vendors that fit your personality, budget and style!

Now, I’ll be honest, if a vendor doesn’t respond to you for weeks—after multiple messages and emails—I would personally cross them off of my list. Think about it this way—if this is the level of customer service you’re receiving BEFORE even putting down a deposit—then what will the service be like once you are committed to working with that vendor? It’s your wedding day, and you deserve to work with vendors who communicate with you and value your business!

I received a phone call recently from a bride who had an excellent question, and one I think a lot of other brides could probably use the answer to as well. She was considering hosting her wedding on a piece of family property, and wanted to know what things she should consider when deciding between her property, and an actual reception venue/building.

The key to creating a tented wedding on your own property (or even a rented space), is keeping in mind all of the rental costs you are going to incur. While a tented wedding may seem like the budget-friendly option, let’s take a look at how the numbers break down in comparison to a local venue that has a flat $2800 rental fee:

I am not by any means saying you shouldn’t get married in a backyard or on a beautiful piece of family property—that can be a very meaningful and beautiful option for your wedding location—the thing you have to consider is if you are choosing that option only because it seems like the cheaper way to go.  Because in most cases, bringing in all of those rental items will cost you much more than renting a venue (not to mention all of the extra work for you and your family), and that’s something you should realistically consider when choosing between a tented wedding on private property, versus a reception venue.

Besides the actual cost, you also need to consider logistical issues like where everyone will park, if your music will effect neighbors or cause the police to be called, and what you will do in the case of inclement weather (ie. renting heaters), etc.! If a tented wedding on private property is something that is definitely the right choice for you, you can take a lot of stress off of yourself and your family, by hiring a wedding planner. A professional and experienced wedding planner will be able to ensure you aren’t forgetting or overlooking any of the key elements needed to make your tented wedding a success, and will help you and your family to actually enjoy your beautiful wedding day!

(Invitations by Earthly Affair)

You may not realize all of the paper used in the process of your wedding. Save the dates, invitations, response cards, menu cards, place cards, escort cards, table numbers, programs, wedding announcements, thank you cards and all of those envelopes can add up to a huge tower of paper that will go to waste after the wedding.

Here are a few suggestions to lighten the paper load of your wedding:

Save the Dates::Send out a postcard-style Save the Date so you can ditch the envelopes

Invitations::If you make your invitations you have a whole array of earth friendly products available to you from partially recycled papers to 100% recycled! If you’re purchasing, use an earth-friendly company such as Earthly Affair who uses recycled materials and has green business practices! Set up a personal wedding website where guests can rsvp online and you’ll cut down on fuel usage by cutting out the mail drop for that RSVP card!

Place Cards::Use alternatives to paper such as beach glass, river stones or reclaimed wood with guests names! This isn’t only earth-friendly, but also unique and beautiful!

Programs::You can make a big dent in your paper pile by cutting out programs all together!

Planning::You can use a huge amount of paper just in preparation for your wedding. We’ve all seen a bride with a 4 inch thick binder of printed materials! If you’re thinking about printing it, save it instead! Think twice before printing out pictures, emails or spreadsheets and make sure everything is a final copy before it hits the printer!

Have your own green wedding tips? Share them by leaving a comment below!

LEARN MORE AT BRIDE2BE  UNIVERSITY:

Class: Green Weddings 210::Creating an Eco-Friendly Wedding

Class Description: Planning a “green” wedding doesn’t have to mean growing your own flowers or wearing a gunny sack dress. We’ll go over creative, chic AND realistic ways to make your wedding day more eco-friendly, and it’s easier than you think! Class will include an additional 15-30 minute Q+A portion!

How to Register: Visit the Bride2Be University website, and click RSVP!

Last week I had a really fun and productive 2 hour consultation with a 2010 bride and her mom. She and her mom were feeling overwhelmed with wedding planning and wanted to sit down and talk over some things to help get them on track! We had a great conversation and covered topics ranging from the flow of the day and menu ideas to invitation wording and room layouts!

The bride and her mom left feeling back on track and relieved, and I loved that I got to help them relax and offer them professional planning advice. I know there are a lot of people out there that need help getting started, or a little guidance as they plan, and for those brides we’re offering a special 2 hour consultation for only $125, now through January 30th. The only hitch is that your consultation must take place Sunday-Friday (evening appointments are available M-F) at our St. Joseph studio! You can use your 2 hours to discuss anything, and we can help you get your planning on track! So come into our studio, enjoy a glass of wine or hot cocoa, and fire away—we’re looking forward to answering your questions and helping you to get your wedding planning on track for 2010!

If you’re interested in setting up a 2 hour consultation at this special price, email jessica@stellaeventdesign.com.

The Save the Dates pictured below were designed by our September ‘09 clients, Brittany+Hachem, and were the first glimpse guests got into the modern destination wedding they planned on the shore of Lake Michigan!

What are Save the Dates?
Save the Dates (or STD’s) are used to give guests extra time to prepare for your wedding. They allow guests to mark the date on their calendar, get extra time off of work and make travel accommodations. They are also the very first glimpse of your wedding your guests may receive!

Who Should Send out Save the Dates?
Save the Date cards should be sent out if you are hosting a wedding on a holiday weekend, or are planning a destination wedding.  You do not need to send out Save the Dates if you are hosting a wedding in your local area on a Saturday. Save the Dates should be utilized in situations where your wedding may require guests to take extra time off of work (ie. a Friday or Sunday wedding) or make travel or hotel accommodations. But, if you’re having a wedding on a Saturday and are staying local, feel free to send out Save the Dates if you would like to give your guests an early heads up…there’s no harm in sharing your excitement with your guests a little early!

When Should Save the Dates be Sent?
Save the Dates should be sent approximately 6 months prior to the wedding date for weddings being held on a holiday weekend or a non-Saturday. For destination weddings requiring guests to travel (especially if airfare is required), Save the Dates should be sent out 9-12 months prior!

If you’re recently engaged, you may already be realizing how much is involved in planning a wedding! The average wedding takes over 250 hours to plan—that’s like another full time job for over 6 weeks—so between your normal work , family and social obligations, some people can become overwhelmed with how they can plan their wedding and enjoy it!

So if you’re considering using a professional wedding planner, or would like more information on if a wedding planner could be right for you, how a wedding planner can help you enjoy planning your wedding, when you should hire them, and more—then check out our “5 W’s of Wedding Planning” series!

The 5 W’s of Wedding Planning

• WHAT does a Professional Wedding Planner Do?
• WHO needs a wedding planner?
• WHEN should I Reach out For Help?
• WHY you should hire a professional
• WHERE you will and won’t find help

Last week I had a really fun and productive 2 hour consultation with a 2010 bride and her mom. She and her mom were feeling overwhelmed with wedding planning and wanted to sit down and talk over some things to help get them on track! We had a great conversation and covered topics ranging from the flow of the day and menu ideas to invitation wording and room layouts!

The bride and her mom left feeling back on track and relieved, and I loved that I got to help them relax and offer them professional planning advice.  I know there are a lot of people out there that need help getting started, or a little guidance as they plan, and for those brides we’re offering a special 2 hour consultation for only $125, now through January 30th. The only hitch is that your consultation must take place Sunday-Friday (evening appointments are available M-F) at our St. Joseph studio! You can use your 2 hours to discuss anything, and we can help you get your planning on track! So come into our studio, enjoy a glass of wine or hot cocoa, and fire away—we’re looking forward to answering your questions and helping you to get your wedding planning on track for 2010!

If you’re interested in setting up a 2 hour consultation at this special price, email jessica@stellaeventdesign.com.

You’re engaged! You have some very exciting months ahead of you, so start your planning on the right foot by establishing a budget! If you know you’ll be footing the bill, then you’re all set, but if you expect contributions may come from your parents or future in-laws, then the first thing you need to do is sit down and have “the budget talk.” While it may be uncomfortable, sitting down with your parents to determine any contributions is key to getting started! There is nothing worse than assuming someone will be contributing $20,000 to your wedding, and finding out later down the road that the contribution they are able to make is much less!

You’ll also want to determine how monetary contributions will be made. Will the money be put in an account specifically for the wedding? Will certain parties be paying for certain portions of the wedding (ie., mom and dad pay for catering, bride and groom pay for photography, future in-laws pay for beverages & alcohol) Will the money be paid directly to you and your fiance? Knowing how the finances will be handled up front will make your planning a whole lot easier down the road!

Once you’ve established the overall amount of money you have to spend on your wedding, you can sit down and decide what your ideal guest count will be, determine how much you have to spend on your wedding venues, and begin finding the perfect vendors that fit within your budget!

Stay tuned for more “wedding 101″ posts which will help get you started on your wedding planning!

When choosing your bridal party, you probably have a long roster to choose from: high school friends, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers, co-workers, cousins, siblings, soon-to-be-siblings….your list may be daunting!  So what is the ideal size for your bridal party? The truth is, there is no magic number—your bridal party should be the right size for you and your wedding style and location.

A smaller bridal party may suit you best if you are having a destination wedding or are on a limited budget. Are you getting married in a location with limited altar space? If so, perhaps a smaller party is the best choice for you. Are you having trouble choosing between your friends, sisters and co-workers? Perhaps choosing only family members will make the choice easier for you.

If you’re having an outdoor wedding or a non-traditional ceremony, then perhaps a large bridal party is a great option for you! When considering how your bridal party size will affect your wedding, consider the cost of bridal party gifts, transportation costs (if you will be renting a limo or shuttle) and the size/placement of your head table, if you’ll have one!

Photo of the large (and fabulous) 2008 bridal party of Tracy+David, by JK Photography