Wacky Wedding Planner

Announcing Two New Packages

  I am happy to announce the introduction of two new wedding planning offerings at Fete Perfection.  Our hope is these packages will appeal to a broader range of couples from those who enjoy and receive satisfaction from Do-It-Yourself planning to the Luxury Market Bride who enjoys pampering and wants to conduct her planning in style.  Here are the details as outlined in our Services Section of Fete Perfection.

DIY Planning:

If you have considered the services of a wedding planner, but don’t have a few thousand dollars sitting around…no worries – Do-It-Yourself Planning might just be your new best friend.

Let the experienced staff at Fête Perfection provide expert advice, personalized planning programs, venue suggestions, expert vendor recommendations, room diagrams, etiquette advice and budget tips to help guide you through the endless hours and confusion that can overwhelm you and take the fun out of wedding planning.

We will provide a one hour face-to-face consultation in our cool new design studio to get you started. We will then be available to assist you by phone or email throughout the remaining months of wedding planning, which can save you thousands of dollars but still offer the assurance that your wedding plans are proceeding on a tasteful, timely basis. You will have the services of friendly, experienced wedding planners working with you, offering objective suggestions and guidance throughout your planning and if you decide to hire us for Day of Coordination on your wedding day, that service can be arranged for an additional fee.

DIY Planning for up to 6 months is $500 – DIY Planning for up to 12 months is $750. DIY Planning for over 12 months is $1,000.

C’est Magnifique Luxury Package ~ Imagine being picked up by your own chauffeur driven limousine with coffee, muffins or mimosa’s for a morning or afternoon of luxury wedding venue tours. Your private wedding consultant will arrange and join you in tours of up to five hand-selected venues scheduled at your convenience. Sit back, relax and enjoy one of the most important parts of wedding planning in luxury and style. C’est Magnifique Luxury Package is a full service package which starts at $5500.

Give us a call at 952-929-4281 or send us an email at amy@feteperfection.com to learn more about the various services of Fete Perfection.  We would love to help you save time, money and stress while planning your wedding.  In fact. we would love to help you enjoy yourself in the process!

Love is a Cure

As a member of Twin City Bridal Association I am happy to give a shout out for the Love is a Cure Breast Cancer Benefit giving women living with breast cancer hope.  Partnering with Open Arms of Minnesota, 100% of the proceeds goes towards providing home meal deliveries to those living with breast cancer.

Last year Love is a Cure Cancer Benefit raised over $30,000 which provided meals to thousands of women and their families.

This will be my first year offering a silent auction donation - Day of Wedding Coordination by Fete Perfection, services valued at $2,000. 

This event is Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in the Grand Ballroom.  The event starts at Noon and tickets are $25 - you will have a chance to bid on vacations by NWA World Vacations valued at over $4,000 - a chance to stay in the WOW suite at the W Minneapolis valued at over $4,500 - great photography packages by several wedding photographers - Photo Booth offerings - Hotel Packages and numerous other wedding discounts and offerings.

Please stop by to enjoy a Champagne Brunch, Fashion Show and of course the Silent Auction.  This is one of the largest collaborations of Twin City Wedding Professionals giving thanks and giving back to community.

Bridal Shows???

As a new member of Perfect Wedding Guide I have been asked to participate in their upcoming Bridal Show, The Perfect Wedding Show on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at International Market Square.  If I were a new bride, I would entertain the idea of going, especially if I was in the early stages of planning.  Most couples do not have expert wedding vendors at their fingertips and unless friends offered recommendations, newly engaged couples are pretty much in the dark about these matters.

Bridal Shows offer dozens of professionals in one location so the show will save couples time searching and meeting potential vendors, however does exhibiting at a Bridal Show guarantee quality and expertise on the part of the vendor.  No, it does not.  It simply means the vendor had the means to pay the exhibition fee to be part of the show.  In many cases, these fees can cost in the thousands.

So how does one carefully choose a wedding professional they may meet at a Bridal Show?  First of all, they should not sign a contract on the spot.  High-pressure sales tactics like those used in timeshare sales are not professional and, in fact, should send up red flags.  Any deals the vendor offers on the day of the Bridal Show should be available up to 30 days after the show. 

Couples should check the reliability and references of all vendors before signing on the dotted line.  Although friends and family may not have experience with potential professionals, other wedding professionals will.  Check with your venue or caterer for their feedback.  If you've hired a wedding consultant chances are very good he or she has experience with your potential vendor so ask.

Fete Perfection, my company will be there,  so please stop by.  We would love to visit with you and see how one of our customized packages can fit your needs.  But don't forget to check us out too. 

Look for linens from La Tavola, one of my favorite rental companies in all the world.  They rent from Napa to Napoli and every place in between.  The photos posted here are a couple of my favorites from their fabulous gala in Beverly Hills commorating their new studio opening last fall.  La Tavola created these awesome tablescapes and Square Root provided stunning florals.

Paulina Ulloa

    This past week I had the great pleasure and honor to work with one of the finest photographer's I've ever met.  Paulina Ulloa is renowned in Puerto Vallarta, but I have to say in all of Mexico.  She is without a doubt on par with New York fashion photographers.  I can't wait to see her approach to Peter and Laura's wedding which was shot over three days.

She started by shooting the welcome reception at La Palapa on Saturday evening.  The setting reminds me of Rick's Cafe Americian in Casablanca.  Guests enjoyed a four-course meal just feet from the ocean's edge and under endless stars.  The sunset ceremony at the Westin was stunning and Monday completed the festivities with Laura and Peter once again donning wedding garb for a two hour adventure into some of Puerto Vallarta's edgiest spots.  These are just a few samples from her website:

Playa Fiesta

I love it when I find perfect new settings for my destination couples.  I just toured Playa Fiesta in Puerto Vallarta and think it's a great find and a great value.  The owners Lindsey and Adam are young, charming and clearly loving what they do.  Adam runs the property and manages the business, while Lindsey plans and coordinates the weddings.  They seem to have done everything right, because they're booked into January 2010.

What a small world...while touring their property I met a couple who is getting married there this upcoming weekend.  When I introduced myself as a wedding planner from Minneapolis they said they too live there.  Small world indeed.

Photos don't do this charming boutique hotel justice and neither does their website.  Seeing is truly believing.

Great time to leave

With high temps well below zero in most of Minnesota, Laura, Peter and I found the perfect time to head off to Puerto Vallarta.  I've been helping plan their destination wedding for many months now and boy did we luck out.

We left the Twin Cities the morning after Monday's significant snow and just before the sub-zero temps rolled in.  We'll be here until mid-week next week but if the weather doesn't improve we may just "accidentally on purpose" miss our flight home.

It's funny though, temperatures are relative...folks around here are complaining how cold it is.  Rather than normal highs of mid to upper 80's its upper 70's to lower 80's...sheesh - I tell them about our cold and they look at me like I'm growing lobsters out of my ears.

Guests are arriving over the next few days so as the week progresses the excitement builds to Sunday, their wedding day.  The Westin in Puerto Vallarta is hosting two other weddings this weekend, both Friday and Saturday so Laura and Peter are marrying Sunday.  But as I always say..."when you're on vacation, every day is Saturday" so it doesnt really matter what day you marry.

Some of the unofficial events unfolding the rest of the week include whale watching and a tour of Banderas Bay on a pirate ship complete with the wildest bunch of pirates you'll ever see, fireworks, dinner and drinks. Check out their website Marigalante Pirates.

I'll post photos of all the fun and frivolity later - To all my Minnesota friends,stay warm and stay safe.

Spotlight on The Smart Planner

I have been asked why I chose to name this blog Wacky Wedding Planner - the simple truth is the wedding and event business can make a person wacky at times.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It simply means that varied schedules, demands on your time, the ability to armchair psycho-analyze and the challenge of creating unique and completely customized weddings and events takes a certain wacky personality to do it well and to continue to love this business.

Of course, having fun with my blog is one of my main goals.  While I take my job and the client's I work for seriously, I don't take myself too seriously.  I have great people skills, I love to make light of stressful situations and with twelve years of planning experience I feel confident there isn't a problem I can't solve, a budget I can't manage or a bridezilla I can't win over.

We are working with some wonderful couples and their families this year and look forward to working with you too.  Btw, congratulations to all the newly engaged couples and have fun planning.  But remember, your wedding day is just one day in your lifetime together.

I understand how nervous "everyone" is with all the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenarios being played out in the media.  I'm not mocking this - the economy is bad, people are losing their jobs and leaders and institutions we have come to rely on have deceived investors and betrayed our trust.  The blame is endless and it seems so are the reactions to these desperate times.

On a positive note this shaky economy will weed out the hobbyists who think they're a wedding photographer, for example, because they own a camera and are called upon to shoot at family gatherings.  Take a look at Craig's List under weddings.  You will see hundreds of local ads for photographers, DJ's or other wedding vendors who have decided to set-up shop and work for themselves.  The same goes for the bride-turned-wedding-planner. 

There are many planners out there charging ridiculously low fees to plan and coordinate weddings.  They do this to gain experience and build a portfolio.  I understand the desire to get into wedding planning, I do it and love it, but desire alone isn't justification nor is it qualification to become a planner.

Great planners gain experience over several years and in a variety of ways through education, networking, associations and hands on work experience.  I'm sorry ladies - but planning your own wedding doesn't meet this criteria.

So my point is, for all you newly engaged brides, do your homework, meet with several experienced wedding consultants, see if you make a connection.  Do they understand your vision?  Do they let you talk or do they take over the conversation and not let you get a word in? Hint hint, whose wedding will they really be planning, yours or theirs?  Are they committed to your budget or do they immediately dismiss it?  As a footnote, if a budget is unrealistic given the expectations and guest count, an ethical consultant will tell you the problems you will encounter and gently educate you in the finer points of wedding budgets.

Lastly, request a written proposal and check for thoroughness and accuracy of details. Does the proposal make sense?  Does it cover the planning you discussed at a fair price? Do you like her and will you enjoy working with her over the next year or more? If so, hire her. 

Back to my title - "Desperate Actions in a Desperate Economy"  be on the lookout for wedding professionals offering goods or services for free.  While I understand the need to market and create business opportunities that set them apart, giving their services away is fraught with problems and I think short-sighted.

I just don't see how this is smart business for either the couple or the business owner.  I'll address my reasons in Part 2 this week.

Why Wacky Wedding Planner?

I have been asked why I chose to name this blog Wacky Wedding Planner - the simple truth is the wedding and event business can make a person wacky at times.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing.  It simply means that varied schedules, demands on your time, the ability to armchair psycho-analyze and the challenge of creating unique and completely customized weddings and events takes a certain wacky personality to do it well and to continue to love this business.

Of course, having fun with my blog is one of my main goals.  While I take my job and the client's I work for seriously, I don't take myself too seriously.  I have great people skills, I love to make light of stressful situations and with twelve years of planning experience I feel confident there isn't a problem I can't solve, a budget I can't manage or a bridezilla I can't win over.

We are working with some wonderful couples and their families this year and look forward to working with you too.  Btw, congratulations to all the newly engaged couples and have fun planning.  But remember, your wedding day is just one day in your lifetime together.

Desperate Actions in a Desperate Economy

I understand how nervous "everyone" is with all the end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenarios being played out in the media.  I'm not mocking this - the economy is bad, people are losing their jobs and leaders and institutions we have come to rely on have deceived investors and betrayed our trust.  The blame is endless and it seems so are the reactions to these desperate times.

On a positive note this shaky economy will weed out the hobbyists who think they're a wedding photographer, for example, because they own a camera and are called upon to shoot at family gatherings.  Take a look at Craig's List under weddings.  You will see hundreds of local ads for photographers, DJ's or other wedding vendors who have decided to set-up shop and work for themselves.  The same goes for the bride-turned-wedding-planner. 

There are many planners out there charging ridiculously low fees to plan and coordinate weddings.  They do this to gain experience and build a portfolio.  I understand the desire to get into wedding planning, I do it and love it, but desire alone isn't justification nor is it qualification to become a planner.

Great planners gain experience over several years and in a variety of ways through education, networking, associations and hands on work experience.  I'm sorry ladies - but planning your own wedding doesn't meet this criteria.

So my point is, for all you newly engaged brides, do your homework, meet with several experienced wedding consultants, see if you make a connection.  Do they understand your vision?  Do they let you talk or do they take over the conversation and not let you get a word in? Hint hint, whose wedding will they really be planning, yours or theirs?  Are they committed to your budget or do they immediately dismiss it?  As a footnote, if a budget is unrealistic given the expectations and guest count, an ethical consultant will tell you the problems you will encounter and gently educate you in the finer points of wedding budgets.

Lastly, request a written proposal and check for thoroughness and accuracy of details. Does the proposal make sense?  Does it cover the planning you discussed at a fair price? Do you like her and will you enjoy working with her over the next year or more? If so, hire her. 

Back to my title - "Desperate Actions in a Desperate Economy"  be on the lookout for wedding professionals offering goods or services for free.  While I understand the need to market and create business opportunities that set them apart, giving their services away is fraught with problems and I think short-sighted.

I just don't see how this is smart business for either the couple or the business owner.  I'll address my reasons in Part 2 this week.