gearing up and into creative mode for the floral arrangements we are crafting for our event this evening!
Top 11 Concerns/Questions Answered for the Newly Engaged!
featured on www.mrswhyknot.com on January 26, 2015
Maybe you got engaged on a holiday. Maybe you or your other half popped the big question at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Maybe it just happened recently at a place and time that was meaningful to you. Whatever your story, November-January is the most popular time to get engaged and known throughout the industry as “engagement season”. January-February is our favorite time of year. As wedding planners, coordinators, and designers, we love being introduced to new couples who are happy, enthusiastic, and ready to embark on the journey toward their dream wedding.
If you’re planning your big day without the help of a planner, have no fear! We’ve put together a list of the top 11** questions we get from newly engaged couples – and we’ve answered each one, so you can stop worrying, and start getting the most out of this exciting time in your life!
#1. What do I say when people keep asking me what kind of wedding I want? I have no idea!
You don’t have to know right away! Simply say, “We are just enjoying being engaged right now and we’re not rushing anything. We are thinking we’ll start planning in (insert timeframe here).” You can say 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 months, or whatever feels right.
#2. What is the best time of year to get married?
Wedding season is typically March-November, but there aren’t any rules! Fall is becoming popular for weddings, and of course Spring & Summer are always beautiful. Winter weddings are special in their own way, so you really can’t go wrong any time of year!
#3. What comes first? Where do I start?
You’ll need to come up with your guest list first. Once you understand how many people you want to celebrate with, the process will be much easier to navigate. Having a guest list enables you to select venues that work for your guest list, and rule out those that don’t.
#4. How much is this going to cost?
Depending on what you want, you can make your wedding fun and enjoyable without breaking the bank. In New York, we’ve worked with budgets of $10K or less, all the way up to opulent events that cost $250K+. Decide what you’re comfortable with, and go from there.
#5. Can I ask my family and friends to help me plan?
If they’ve offered, of course! Ask them to help research, come up with ideas, and even craft with you. If you want to make sure you’re not asking too much first, say something like, “Since you’ve offered, I could really use help with XYZ. Would that be something you’d enjoy & have time for?”
#6. How do I ask my family and friends to STOP helping me plan?
Simply say, “I really love that you want to help – and I want this process to be enjoyable for everyone involved. Can you give me some time and space to figure out what I need the most help with?” Then, when you’re ready, refer to question #5 to enlist their help.
#7. Do I have to pick a color scheme that goes with the season of my wedding?
Not at all! When it’s done right, you can make any color work with any season. If you’re hiring an event designer, they’ll make it work for you!
#8. Do I have to invite everyone I know?
In short, no. In general, people understand that weddings tend to be expensive affairs, and many couples are planning and paying for their big day on their own without help from parents. “We’re keeping it small, mostly just family,” is all you have to say.
#9. I want a small wedding. How do I tell my big family?
You can simply say, “We would love to celebrate with everyone, but with the size of our families, that’s tough to do. What we want is a stress-free day for all involved, and while we’d love to invite everyone, we’d prefer to keep it small & intimate.” If it’s important to your extended family to be involved, you can invite them to the ceremony, or promise to post a wedding video online soon after the wedding.
#10. How long does it really take to plan a wedding?
We’ve planned weddings in as little as 3 months, and others in as long as 2 years. Whatever timeline is right for you, it’s totally possible! Wedding planners often make events with short timelines possible – they’re pros that can help coordinate everything for you, quickly! If your timeline is fairly short, that would be a great route to explore.
#11. How do I know when to book all my vendors and services?
It’s tricky to know the order of operations for wedding planning, but we have a great timeline tool that’s helpful! If you’d like a freebie PDF of it emailed to you, simply reach out to us at Nicole@EventsBySB.com orJohn@EventsBySB.com. We’ll send you one right away!
Whatever you’re planning, just try to keep yourself de-stressed and excited. Remember – being engaged is one of the best times of your life. Soak it up, enjoy it, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Happy Planning!
XOXO
Nicole & John
**Why 11 questions? Why not just a typical top 10? Well, we’re not your typical wedding planners. First of all, 11 is a lucky number for us and second of all, we’re just the type who like to go above and beyond. So, you get 10+1 from us!
CYA (Cover Your Ass): Ask the Right Questions of Your Venue
featured on www.mrswhyknot.com July 23, 2014
When planning your wedding at a Catering Hall, their list of inclusions often seems all-inclusive, but you’ll want to be sure that what they’re providing is in line with what you need for your specific event.
As wedding and event planners, we visit new venues all the time, and ask dozens of questions about their capabilities, requirements, guidelines, offerings, and general approach toward events.
If you’re planning your event on your own, you probably already have an idea of the questions you will be asking (how much everything costs, whether you can have your ceremony onsite, how many guests can fit) but here is a quick list of top questions to ask, that you may not have thought of, to make sure you have all the information you need to plan your event:
- Maximum Seated Capacity – It’s important to ask this question, but you’ll also need to ask “what is the maximum seated capacity, when a dance floor is set up?” Sometimes, caterers give you a number, but because you didn’t know to ask about the dance floor, your expectations of capacity might be different from theirs. Make sure you ask both questions.
- Size of dance floor – It’s also important to know how much space the dance floor will have - we’ve all been to the wedding where the dance floor was too small to accommodate all who wanted to give their twinkle-toes a little spin on the dance floor, and similarly, you don’t want the dance floor to be too big either. You want a nice balance of enough room for everyone, while not making the dance floor look empty by having it be too large for your party. The general rule of thumb when it comes to sizing your dance floor is to ensure that you have 3 square feet per dancing guest. This allows enough breathing room for all who like to boogie down, and won’t eat up too much of your reception space.
- Are Linens included? – Ask this question, and don’t forget to also ask their colors and whether there are any upcharges for certain colors. Sometimes, catering halls keep certain colors stocked (standards like black, white and ivory), but need to rent out any other colors that you’d like. Make sure you know what colors you want to use, and whether or not they will charge you more if you ask for a color that they don’t have in storage.
- What do the chairs look like? – It’s important to see, and sit in the chairs as well. Find out how comfortable they are, and how they look (will they need chair cushions or covers?) to make sure they’re perfect for your guests. And if you determine that you’d like chair covers, find out if chair covers can be provided by the venue, and whether they come at an extra cost (ask about colors on these too!)
- Is Up-Lighting included? – A big trend in weddings lately has been to utilize lighting instead of additional decor to brighten up the room and give it a color that would look great for your event. Some venues offer this for free; others can rent lighting equipment for you (or you can rent it on your own). Find out if there is a charge associated with them providing this for you, as it can really save you a lot of money with decor.
- Pin Spots – You’re already going to be spending time and money on obtaining beautiful centerpieces for your guests’ tables - make sure that your venue can help to highlight those with pin-spots. These are tiny spotlights that can be adjusted to point directly at your centerpieces, to give them a nice glow. It also produces great ambiance within the room.
- Audio / Visual Equipment – Many couples choose to display a photomontage or short video at their weddings. Make sure your venue has the equipment to support this for you, and find out if you need to hire an A/V professional to handle this for you. Your wedding coordinator may be able to manage it, or someone at the venue may be willing to do it for you!
- Tip Jars at the Bars – This is a matter of preference. Some venues allow tip jars to be on the bars at your event. Others ask for you to provide gratuities to your bar servers. Either way, it’s important to know which approach your venue takes, and whether you’ll need to budget a little extra for bar service gratuities.
- Valet Parking – Does your venue provide it? Does it cost the guest anything? Or is it an extra charge for you?
- Preferred or Required Vendors – Some venues have strict rules about the florists, lighting vendors, and other wedding professionals that they’ll allow into their venue. Find this out upfront, to determine if your preferred vendors are on the list, or if there is flexibility in who they’ll allow to work with them.
- Vendor Meals – Don’t forget about your other wedding professionals - your DJ, Photographer, Videographer, Coordinator etc., all need to be fed at your wedding. Find out what your venue charges you for vendor meal pricing. They will often offer a price break on these meals for you!
- Location of restrooms and whether they are shared with other events onsite – It’s important to know whether you’ll have to share restrooms with other events. The venue may provide small baskets of toiletries and amenities to guests, or they may ask if you’d like to do it yourself. Find out if you’re sharing the restroom with another event that evening – perhaps the other couple would like to split the cost of these items for you, if you’re sharing the space!
- Can they accommodate pre-cocktail hour arrivals – If you’re planning on taking photos between the ceremony and the reception, you’ve probably allocated a bit of a time gap in between those two events. Your guests may use this time to check into their hotels, explore the local area… or even just show up early to the cocktail hour! Find out if your venue can accommodate early arrivals by offering them champagne, bottled water, soft drinks, or anything like that. For some venues, they will of course accommodate. Others may not be able to. It’s important to know what to expect here!
- Deliveries / storage before event – Find out if your venue can take and store any décor items for you, before the event.
- Overtime charges – At the end of the party, you may possibly find that some of your guests are having too good of a time to end the night! Find out if your venue is flexible with the end-time of the event, and if so, what those overtime charges might be. Better to be prepared and offer your guests a little extra time, if they want it!
To make it easy to remember, here’s a short recap list of the items that you can print and bring along with you to the venue:
- Maximum Seated Capacity
- Size of dance floor
- Are Linens included?
- What do the chairs look like?
- Is Up-Lighting included?
- Pin Spots
- Audio / Visual Equipment
- Tip Jars at the Bars
- Valet Parking
- Preferred or Required Vendors
- Vendor Meals
- Location of restrooms and whether they are shared with other events onsite
- Can they accommodate pre-cocktail hour arrivals
- Deliveries / storage before event
- Overtime charges
Happy Planning!
SNEAK PEEK! Private Tour of Westchester County's Newest Coastal Wedding Mansion!
featured on www.mrswhyknot.com April 7, 2014
Something Blue was recently given a private tour and exclusive planning rights to a brand-new wedding venue in Westchester – which we are excited to begin planning events in! This venue is so brand-new, the name and location have both yet to be announced – but Something Blue has the exclusive inside scoop on all it has to offer, including the very first photos and details of the venue, the grounds and the breathtaking views!
Located on the water, this stunning vintage mansion is sure to be the newest and most sought-after wedding destination for those who would like an intimate, private event with a rustic and hidden-away feel, yet prefer the convenience and accessibility that venues in lower Westchester offer.
Just steps away from the water and tucked away in a private wooded area, the house is not only full of its original charm, but the owners have done an amazing job reviving the entire space, both inside and out, for the most discerning of guests. Not a detail has been missed, including restoring the original woodwork and light fixtures throughout the house, which gives this classic yet updated venue its own unique identity.
There is truly nothing else like it in Westchester.
The abundance of windows bathe the rooms in light, and the wrap-around porch allows for guests to not only enjoy the beauty and comfort of the inside of the house, but also the beauty and splendor of the surrounding area outside.
Not only is it a perfect venue for a wedding, rehearsal dinner or private event, it also has 8 bedrooms which are available for overnight accommodations for hosts and guests.
An Anniversary Party with a twist!
featured on www.mrswhyknot.com February 18, 2014
What better way to celebrate 30 years of marriage, than with a personalized party that incorporates your love for each other, fun family gatherings, and FOOTBALL?
That’s the fun and unique task that Something Blue Events was given when asked to plan a combined 30th Anniversary / Super Bowl Party for one of the most fun-loving couples we’ve worked with to date! Their anniversary fell very close to this years’ Super Bowl, which was held at MetLife Stadium on 2/2. Being the fun and charismatic couple that they are, they wanted their Anniversary Party to not only reflect them, but to also reflect their love for entertaining… and football!
So we planned them a party to be remembered for years to come.
When asked what they wanted for cuisine, they replied, “It’s the big game! Wings! Can we do that?”
Of course we could!
In addition to having the event catered, we included a surprise for the partygoers: a pre-game tailgate party outside of the event venue, catered by a local food truck! There was no shortage of game day nosh, as they served up 2 hours of pre-game munchies to satisfy even the biggest of appetites. From burgers, dogs, french fries and onion rings to a sweet treat of fried Oreos, guests got their choice of pre-game grub before the big event began!
The surprises didn’t stop there. Once inside the event venue, The Waveny House – a mansion and popular wedding venue in New Canaan, CT – guests were greeted with 4 oversized HD flat-screens to view the Big Game. The décor of the space incorporated everything the couple wanted, and Something Blue’s Creative Director made sure they got just that! From a handcrafted aisle runner made of turf, to centerpieces created with NFL-licensed footballs with hand-tied white rose bridal bouquets, right down to the linens which were coordinated with the colors of the opposing teams, guests were treated with a one-of-a-kind game-day twist on a traditional anniversary event.
From there, the delicious chow continued to be served up. We tailored a catering menu that not only incorporated some game-day faves like wings and dips, but also traditional wedding-fare that had been transformed into finger-foods like lamb chop “lollipops” and mini beef-wellingtons. Two of the most unique items were the Taco&Tequila bites (mini fish tacos paired with shot-sized bottles of Patron) and the Burger&Beer (sliders served w/ a shot-sized beer)! What is a football party without the Burgers&Beer!? These small but important details gave guests a taste of “Big Game” cuisine with a classy and upscale twist.
Half-time was Dessert Time! Our dessert caterer created an incredible cake replica of MetLife stadium along with enough cinnamon and sugar soft pretzels for all the guests to enjoy as late-night snacks.
When it comes to the logistics of planning an event like this, it’s important to recognize all the moving parts – not only were there multiple vendors moving in, setting up, and cooking in various locations, there was also a lot of overlap that needed to be addressed. This is where Something Blue Events shines – no matter what type of party you want, or how complicated it may be to execute, leaving the details to us is the best way to make sure it’s “off your shoulders, but never out of your hands!” That’s our motto, and the details of this event speak to how easily Something Blue can create the event that you want, while you maintain complete control over the experience that you want. Even if your favorite football team disappoints, your favorite events team will always come through!
Catering: www.eventsbyjoni.com
Venue: The Waveny House www.newcanaan.info