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!

featured on www.mrswhyknot.com December 22, 2014

The 2014 Wedding Season was an exciting time for us! We worked with a wonderful contrast of people, ideas and concepts that provided us with unique opportunities as well as challenges to navigate. We want to highlight some of those challenges to help spark a thought about your wedding. Part of planning and designing a wedding includes identifying and overcoming challenges, working with what you have (or don’t have), and accommodating a wide range of people and their needs, which can be interesting and tricky at times.

Here are just a few of our 2014 events which had unique and interesting challenges, which we overcame to create beautiful, fun experiences for our clients.

Valerie and James – A sunset wedding on the NYC Harbor

Louis Valentino Park is hidden behind old abandoned warehouses on the NYC Harbor with stunning views of the Statue of Liberty and the setting summer sun! This fabulous site presented two challenges to planning a perfect ceremony.

Steady breeze off the harbor
Bright glare from the sun

To take advantage of this natural breeze, we created a flowing shabby-chic backdrop by sourcing vintage-feel fabrics in champagne, ivory, coral, and glittery gold to tie the bridesmaids’ dresses to the shimmering harbor during sunset. We turned the fabric into strips, which danced in the harbor breeze during the ceremony, creating a sense of romance and calm. To work WITH the sunlight, we decided to rotate the orientation of the entire site so the sun was behind the guests. Doing this we eliminated the glare from the guests view, and bathed the entire ceremony in the best light for outdoor photos.

photography by Beulah of www.wilhelminaweddings.com

Annie and Chris - An evening Gala for a very fun couple in a Pre-War building just beyond the bustling and boisterous Times Square!

The loft boasts original wide-plank floors, built-in book shelves, enormous skylights, grand windows, and private access to the roof which sits just below the Empire State Building. Everything in the loft is painted white, which creates a blank space to do anything you want! The couple wanted to have a big dance-all-night party that was not the typical seated formal affair. Wanting to include everyone they loved, the layout of the loft and the couple’s wishes required some creative thinking!

Wide age-range of the guests
One big room to meet many needs

The bride and groom were caught between what they wanted and what the realities of combining family and friends into one party means. The couple’s wish to have a cocktails and dance party meant they did not want a sit-down assigned seating event. They wanted everyone dancing all night!

We created four areas within the one space that would cater to all needs.

For the traditional wedding experience, we set dining tables near the buffet for the “VIP” guests. The bar and dance floor were assembled at the opposite end of the space to keep the party going all night. The space between the tables and dance floor was set with cocktail tables for those who wanted to dance the night away, and preferred to eat dinner at a cocktail table between their favorite songs!

Courtney and Tim – An autumn wedding on the family farm
The bride decided from the very beginning she did not want the traditional flower centerpieces, and did not want to assign seating. The couple wanted to create a relaxing fun family time on the groom’s family farm.

No flowers
No assigned seating
Last minute surprise for the bride from her sister

Since this wedding was to take place on a farm in the fall, we decided to go with wheat and organic English and French lavender (technically an herb!) for the rustic hand-tied bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces. Working in some farm-grown gourds and pumpkins with burlap accents and pops of orange and yellow against a base of blues, a truly romantic scene was set.

Allowing your guests to choose their own seats can be a thoughtful gesture, but once the first few groups sit with their “besties”, you’ll inevitably have one or two empty seats between those groups and the last few people to walk in (who will also want to sit together) wont have any seats to do so. To solve this problem, we suggest setting extra tables with at least 15% more seats than rsvp’d guests (ie: you expect 100 guests, provide seating for at least 115).

lavender and wheat bouquets and boutonnieres by eventsbysb

Lastly, two days before the wedding, the bride’s sister asked us to work an 11 minute photo montage into the reception. After dozens of phone calls and emails, we secured a projector and screen rental, reworked the layout of the reception, and updated the timeline for the DJ and the caterer. Timing is everything!

We believe your wedding day should be one of the happiest, most perfect days of your lives together. At SB Events, that belief is at the core of what we do, and we work tirelessly to overcome every challenge, clear every roadblock, free up every snag, and smooth every potential crease that may arise leading up to or during your big day, to keep it as perfect as possible. Even when your event is expertly planned and designed, someone must be assigned the job of “coordinator” to handle the inevitable issues that will arise on the day of your wedding. This includes handling any seating issues, vendor management questions, timing implementation, and of course, those last minute surprises that your bridal party may want to provide for you.

We’re here to handle it all, and love every minute of our jobs! As you’re planning your event, don’t forget the crucial step of selecting a coordinator who you can trust to handle any challenge that’s thrown their way. At SB Events, it’s what we do, and we love doing it!

XO & Happy Planning!

Top 11 Concerns/Questions Answered for the Newly Engaged!

Looking Back on a Great 2014 Wedding Season: Selected Wedding Highlights