Wacky Wedding Planner

Do You Have What it Takes?

I've been following Alison Events blog for quite some time now enjoying her travels scouting new and exciting locations for weddings. You see  Alison Events specializes in Destination Weddings as we do at Fete Perfection.  While I would love to travel for the sake of travel, I usually have a purpose for my trips which is to attend educational conferences or scout new locations or if I am especially lucky, both at the same time.

Alison recently posted "Are you Destined for a Destination Wedding?" and I think it deserves re-posting so here goes for those couples on the fence about a destination wedding...

Are You Destined For A Destination Wedding Quiz:


When it comes to travel:
a) I can take it or leave it; I usually just travel for work or fly home to visit my parents.
b) It’s a lot of trouble, but it’s almost always worth it.
c) I’ll go anywhere, anytime: What’s life if not an adventure?

When it comes to my wedding, I want:
a) Perfection over adventure; everything should go off without a hitch.
b) Something more unique, even if it means sacrificing control.
c) An event that people will remember forever—a real adventure!

When I picture who will be at my wedding:
a) It’s my special day, and I want to be surrounded by tons of friends, family, and co-workers.
b) I have a list of must-have guests, and the rest are just icing on the wedding cake.
c) I want a small, intimate wedding with a select group of people we’re closest to.

My family and my fiancé’s family:
a) Get along great and live in the same state or even town.
b) Have met before and live in the same approximate part of the country.
c) Don’t really know each other and live a million miles apart.

Which of the following describes your feelings:
a) It’s important to follow tradition if you want your wedding to be meaningful.
b) It’s important to strike the right balance of respecting tradition while doing your own thing.
c) It’s important to be unique if you want your wedding to be memorable.

I want my wedding to be:
a) A one- or two-day event where I can visit with people at the reception, then get on with my honeymoon.
b) A several-day event where I can have more than one opportunity to visit with my guests.
c) A group vacation where everyone can really get to know each other and I can spend quality time with everyone.

For my honeymoon, I’d rather:
a) Sneak away where no one has any idea where we are or how to find us.
b) Have the option of seeing other people if we want.
c) Hang out with my friends and family and still be able to sneak off at the end of the day.

My guest list is made up of people who:
a) Are elderly, don’t like to travel, are on a fixed income, and have to be there or my day will be ruined.
b) A lot of friends, but also a lot of people whose feelings I don’t want to hurt.
c) People who will come no matter where I have the wedding.

When things go wrong:
a) It ruins everything, including my day.
b) I’m pretty good at rolling with the punches.
c) I think, “This will make a great story someday!”


There are no right or wrong answers, but, generally speaking, if you have:

Mostly A’s:

Proceed with caution. Odds are, you’re inspired more by a particular location than just the idea of a destination wedding. To pull it off, you might have to make some sacrifices; this book can help you decide whether the rewards will outweigh the drawbacks.

Mostly B’s:

There’s a good chance you’ll love having a destination wedding. There might be a couple of trade-offs, but in the end, it will be absolutely worthwhile.


Mostly C’s:

Start packing! You’re the perfect candidate for a destination wedding!


By the way, the book she references is her own recent publication called "Destination Weddings; The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Wedding from Afar" - looks like a new book I'll be purchasing for my own library.  Thank you Alison for this informative and insightful tool.

Wedding Cakes

I love wedding cakes and judging by the time spent considering options, my couples do too.  One of the "perks" of my job is the opportunity to meet with very talented bakers and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Several times each month I join one of my couples as we eat our way through the cities sampling delectable cakes, frosting's and fillings that eventually become the finished product...the wedding cake!

I have my favorites,  but that doesn't matter, what does is how happy my couple is with the samples provided during their tasting.  It seems that grooms are very engaged in the cake tasting aspect of planning and often are quite opinionated, which is great.  I love to see them asking questions and making suggestions.

So here are my suggestions for making the most out of your cake tasting:

1.  Bring photos of cakes you like.  It doesn't matter if you have 15 photos, bring them all.  Be ready to narrow down your selection to your top five and from there your top three.  Try to determine three things you like most about your top three.  For example is it the shape of the cake - is it the height - or is it the designs.  Whatever is drawing you to the cake, single it out if you can and be ready to explain the attraction to the baker.

2. Go hungry - do not go after you just had a full meal.  By the time you have finished sampling close to 25 different cakes you will be ready for a nap and you may never want to look at another piece of cake again.

3. Determine where cake is on your priority list.  If it's high, choose the cake and the baker that exceeded your expectations in every way, even if the cake exceeds your budget.  You can take dollars from another area with lower priority if needed. If on the other hand you view cake as a necessity and feel that all the cakes you tasted were wonderful and you truly cannot make a decision, chose the one that offers the most value.  Cakes range in price from about $3.25 per slice to $10 per slice and a Sylvia Weinstock cake can run in excess of $15,000.

4. Try to limit the tasting to you two, but if mom and dad hold the purse strings, the polite thing to do is invite them along.  One word of caution, the more bodies at a tasting, the more opinions you'll receive. As if tasting approximately 25 different cakes isn't bad enough, trying to get a consensuses among the 4 is torture.  Well it can be...I've seen it.

5. Take notes.  It's virtually impossible to remember all the little details and options discussed during a tasting so make notes of what you liked and didn't like.  Make notes about pricing, delivery fees, deposits and final payments.  If you have a wedding planner, check to see if they will attend and take notes for you. 

6. Finally, enjoy the experience.  Cake tastings can be a lot of fun and once the decision has been finalized you will feel ready to move onto your next task.

7.  Get to the gym as quickly as possible...you'll feel so much better.

Not Wedding Related

Download Rollercoaster 1Well maybe this could be...my brother in Ohio sent me photos of the newest and probably most frightening roller coaster making it's debut there this summer.  Initially I thought this isn't wedding related, however knowing people as I do, I expect some thrill-seekers will want to tie the knot on board.  I can only imagine what kind of fees a planner would have to charge to accommodate this request.  Can you imagine a million dollars?  I don't think I could at any price...Download Rollercoaster 2 Download Rollercoaster 3

Download Rollercoaster 4 Download Rollercoaster 5 Download Rollercoaster 6

Eventology 2009

Education and networking are very high on my priority list for things to do this year.  I just tackled both with one quick trip to Indianapolis to attend Eventology 2009 an intimate, collaborative and intensive business conference designed especially for wedding planners.  This conference was organized by K Sherrie + Company and was a perfect balance of education and networking as I had hoped.

Three exceptional speakers shared their knowledge and expertise, quips and tips to the audience of 80 plus planners from around the country.  Liene Stevens, founder and owner of Blue Orchid Designs and The Smart Planner spoke about Marketing Your Wedding Business in Today's Market and as usual Liene didn't disappoint. I'm a huge fan of Liene's and thought my diligent devotion to reading her blogs has kept me sharp and informed, but I learned I have a lot more to learn and learning from Liene is just the way to do it.

Saundra Hadley of planning...forever events offered an amusing and animated session on How to Close the Deal; Sales Methods for the Wedding Industry.  Saundra is one of those people you like the first time you meet.  Her presentation was clear and concise yet had everyone roaring or as my friend, Kelly McWilliams of Weddings by Socialites says, ROFLMAO.

Our last speaker of the day Terrica Skaggs of Fabuluxe discussed How to Turn Brides into Fans: Nurturing Your Relationships with Clients. Terrica provided invaluable perspective on what brides want in this very competitive market without losing yourself, your family and keeping boundries between them.  More importantly she offered suggestions on exceeding brides expectations without working 24/7.

Since this was the first ever Eventology, Katasha and her team at K Sherrie + Company have a huge problem on their hands...how to raise the bar next time.  Congratulations Katasha and everyone involved in making Eventology a "must attend event" for planners who are serious about taking their business to the next level.

Botched Wedding Proposal

Hot off the press or actually NBC news service, a New York man meticulously planned his proposal to his long time girlfriend but what makes this story interesting is his proposal took place on the pedestrian walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge. What happened next is quite unbelievable and fortunately has a happy ending...spoiler alert!