I have always been an independent thinker, one who didn’t follow the crowd; someone who could always see the other side of the coin and understand what the customer wanted.

For many years, I held managerial positions in the hospitality industry; an industry that is very consumer and service oriented.

Being in these positions taught me the day-to-day business operations: inventory, quality control, purchasing, human resources, menu planning, marketing, etc. I could even forecast a budget and understand a P& L statement.

Pretty good, huh?

I became adept at catering and planning events at several of the facilities that I operated. In fact, it is how I learned the event planning and catering segment of the hospitality industry.

When I left the industry and started my own wedding planning and event business, I thought I knew what it took to have a successful catering, wedding and event planning business.

I had on going clients and my business grew rapidly by word of mouth. Because I was growing so fast, I didn’t think about the business process and the essential tools that I needed to have in place. All I knew was that I had a talent, I was passionate about my work, and I wanted to meet my client’s needs. And not to forget, I loved being a business owner.

Sound familiar? I think many of us have been there, yes?

You start to realize something is amiss when you are growing too fast, and you don’t have the infrastructure in place to support your growth. What do you do? And what happens when your business slows or stops, and you don’t have the foggiest idea how to get it back on track?

I realized that if I wanted to continue in business and provide my clients with great services, I needed to have a strong business structure in place.  This meant that I had to have business and marketing plans, legal contracts, and I needed to surround myself with a team of individuals – an Attorney, Bookkeeper, CPA, and a Business Mentor, who had the knowledge and business skills that would be instrumental to the growth and success of my wedding and event planning business.

So was it a stretch from walking on shifting sand to standing on solid ground? Yes, it has been. But now that I’ve taken the time to build a foundation that not only sustains my business, I am able to focus and become creative in the areas of my business that need to grow. And it has allowed me to be a more confident and savvy wedding and event planner – a planner whose purpose is creating quality events that support the needs and visions of my clients.

How Are You Treating Your Business?

1. Are you the obstacle to your success by not putting in place the business essentials that will give you a good foundation and help you succeed?
2.  Are you working in your business instead of working on your business?

Setting Your Self Up And Your Business For Success!

Identifying the obstacles that are impeding your business growth is critical. Although I thought I knew what was limiting my success, by enlisting the advise of a small business mentor, like Lynn Hawkins of Sky Hawk Enterprises and using S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time based tool), we were able to take a deeper look at my business and get it back on track.

You Can’t Do It Alone – It Takes A Team

The Nigerian Proverb – It Takes A Village To Raise A Child says it all.

Although many us think we can do it alone, it really takes a team to help us along our business journey. And by team, I mean, enlisting the following business experts to support you and your business.

• A Well Rounded Business Mentor
• A mentor in the wedding and event industry
• An attorney that specializes and understands the special needs of a small business owner
• Bookkeeper and CPA – You Need both of them
• Bank Professional – Building a relationship with your bank is critical
• Marketing Specialist and Social Media Expert

What Are Your Obstacles – Lack Of Information?

If it is a lack of knowledge or information, there are many resources available such as SCORE- a non-profit organization dedicated to helping small business owners start or grow their business with their free mentoring or workshop events. The SBA – Small Business Administration also provides a wealth of information that can assist you with the foundational information that will set the stage for your business growth.

Want to Learn and Get More Insight About Growing Your Wedding & Event Planning  Business?

Join us on October  13, 2012 for  “Wedding & Event Biz 101: 8 Essentials To Take Your Business To The Top”  at the Los Altos Hills Golf & Country Club, where you will have the opportunity to network and learn from dedicated industry & business professionals who will inspire and guide you to your business success.

Here’s To Your Success!

So What Are These 10 Business Essentials?

1. Assessing your business and creating a “niche identity”
2. Developing Your Business Plan-the key to your business foundation
3. Determining your business entity- whether you will operate as a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC or Corporation.
4. Using your personal name or creating a DBA-Doing Business As identity
5. Learning and using contracts to protect your clients and your business
6. Enlisting the services of a bookkeeper and CPA
7. Creating an Effective Marketing Plan
8. Implementing an Effective Social Media Campaign
9. Becoming a Expert
10.Networking and joining industry organizations such as: ISES and  Nace,

Although we don’t want an emergency – they occur sometimes – when you least expect them: at your wedding. From our experience, we have found that it’s best to be prepared for those little annoyances that may pop up!

Whether you put together your own emergency wedding survival kit or you purchase  it, make sure it is easily accessible, and  someone  knows where it’s located.  We suggest these  “Must Haves” in your emergency kit.

Wedding Day Emergency Survial Kit

What is your time worth to you? Do you have XX amount of hours per week to devote to planning your event? Think of it in dollars. How much do you earn hourly at work? Now, multiply that with the two hundred hours or more you’ll need to spend researching, planning, and working to make your event happen. It adds up, and it will likely be a high enough figure to enlist a wedding or event professional to plan your wedding or event, so you can spend those hours enjoying your time with family and friends.

Professional event planners have planned weddings and events over and over. It’s their profession, and it’s what they do best. They know the best vendors in the area that will meet your vision and your budget. Therefore, it will take them far less time to research and gather information, plan and create an event that will match your vision.

Emotional stress is impossible to escape when you’re planning an important occasion all on your own. You have to juggle a lot of balls, all at once, while managing everything else in your life. However, when you hire an event planner – they take all those balls from you, so you can focus on your job, your family, or whatever else you may have going on in your life. This allows you to be calmer, happier, focused, and able to really enjoy your wedding or event when it finally arrives.

10 Reasons Why Hiring A Wedding Or An Event Planner Can Add To The Success Of Your Event

1. Save Time
2. Save Money
3. Reduce Stress
4. Saves Emotional and Physical Energy
5. Assist with Wedding or Event Designs
6. Gain Access to Vendors Who Normally Would Not Be Available to You
7. Negotiate with Vendors on Your Behalf
8. Explore Options That You May Have Not Considered-thus saving you money
9. Help Navigate and Diffuse Family Issues
10.Guide You Through the Art and Etiquette of Planning Your Wedding or Special Event

With All That It Takes To Plan Your Wedding Or Event, Would Hiring A Wedding Or Event Planner Prove Beneficial To You?

One of the most important things with working with an event and party rental company is to have a clear vision of your event. This means the look and feel that you want to acquire. Provide a photo of the look that you envision is very helpful to the rental company.

We all have great ideas and visions about our event, however one thing that will drive getting the look and feel of your event is your budget. You need to set a realistic budget for rentals. If you don’t know the costs, give your rental company a call to get to get an idea about costs. This way you can plan your budget,and you’re not surprised when you receive your invoice.

In talking with Steve from A Party Place, he shared some additional tips that will not only you help get the look and feel that you envision for your event, but will also the rental company provide you with a great customer experience.

They are:

• Create a budget for each category for your event
• Provide venue location and time.
• Provide a floor plan.
• Make the rental company aware if there are stairs.
• Name and telephone number of contact person on site.
• Provide delivery and pick up time.There maybe an additional charge for same day or next day pick-up, especially on holidays and weekends.
• Provide guest count.
• Provide information for special equipment needs.
• Have someone on site to check in rentals when delivered and picked up.
• Always allot for damages in your budget-it will occur.

And above all send “A Thank You” note to your rental company. This is so appropriate, especially if you have received exceptional service.

Santa Barbara – Terra Bella 

Perched on top of a majestic bluff overlooking the beautiful Pacific in the tony residential area of Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara, this amazing gated 10 room 14,00 sq. ft  Tuscany designed villa is perfect for the couple who thinks elegance and Italy!

With its vegetable garden, small vineyard, train and children’s play area, this magnificent destination venue is perfect to host wedding events from your rehearsal dinner to a stunning ceremony and celebration around the azure blue tiled pool, to it’s many cozy hide  a ways, perfect for that romantic time alone-just the two of you! This is by far my favorite place for a couple to Tie the Knot.

Word of caution: be prepared to be amazed and breathless with this amazing Italian beauty along the Santa Barbara Riviera Coast.

Georis Winery – Carmel Valley

What a quaint and fun venue! After touring one of my favorite wedding sites, in the Carmel Valley, my husband and I stopped in at the Corkscrew restaurant to grab a bite to eat.  Although it was our first time there, there was something very familiar about it. Of course, it was the sister restaurant to the romantic Cassonova in Carmel by the Sea!  I knew at once we were going to have a great lunch.

While we waited for our pizza, the venue’s whimsical décor lured me down the brick-lined path where I encountered a cute adobe tasting room Georis Winery. As I looked around and explored more, I thought: this location has it all -perfect for a romantic Carmel wedding:

a wonderful restaurant,  a winery  that offers excellent wines, a spacious garden with exotic plants and flowers, a bubbling fountain and eclectic sculptured gates-that welcome your guests with flair.

My favorites? The old weathered doors. These shabby antiqued chic doors are a photographer’s dream backdrop for picture perfect wedding portraits.

What’s so special about Georis? It’s fun, whimsical peaceful and very romantic.

Does your wedding vision include elegance at an Italian Villa on the Santa Barbara Rivera or is it fun, whimsical and romantic in the Carmel Valley?

Bride at the Georis Art Center

Art Center Wedding Reception

]]> http://avsoevents.com/avsoeventsblog/from-santa-barbara-to-the-san-francisco-bay-area-my-favorite-venues-to-tie-the-knot/feed/ 2 http://avsoevents.com/avsoeventsblog/understanding-the-costs-of-your-wedding-flowers/ http://avsoevents.com/avsoeventsblog/understanding-the-costs-of-your-wedding-flowers/#comments Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:04:37 +0000 avso http://avsoevents.com/avsoeventsblog/?p=855

It’s wedding season and besides thinking about the a bride’s budget, the venue, theme and all the details that go along with planning a

wedding, what immediately comes to mind are flowers for the wedding. Flowers bring joy, beauty and life to any event, especially a wedding

So what’s behind the costs of nature’s beauties that become exquisite works of art on a bride’s special day?

Speaking with Leila Simms of Half Moon Flowers in Princeton by the Sea, she shared with me some of the behind the scene details of creating beautiful bouquets and centerpieces for weddings and events.

Leila says there are several steps it takes in creating bridal bouquets and centerpieces.

After spending several hours at the San Francisco Flower Market, Leila processes the flowers by stripping and cleaning them of excess foliage and debris and placing them in florist pails of water for a few hours prior to designing her client’s flowers.

Depending on the size of the wedding and floral designs, creating beautiful floral arts varies in the time that it takes to create a bouquet, boutonnière, centerpiece or other theme or mood floral décor.

Consider, a simple hand tied bridal bouquet may take only 45 minutes; while a bouquet that has wire and florists’ tape could command 2 hours or more.

Depending on the design, each centerpiece could take 45 minutes or more. Leila and her assistants try to complete 3-4 centerpieces an hour.

Other factors that could increase the floral costs are the origin of the flowers; whether they are local or imported, and if they are seasonal.  For example, a winter bride requesting peonies in January may expect to spend $200 or more for her signature bouquet. While spring and summer brides maybe thrilled to find a variety of flowers in an abundance of colors that will compliment their vision.

And lastly, Leila notes that all personal flowers, centerpieces and additional floral arts that enhance the wedding or event are time and labor intensive.

Now that you have a glimpse of what it takes to create flowers for your wedding or event, you may want to check in with me as I share some tips that will help you get the look and feel you want with your flowers, while staying within your budget.

Sounds great? Well it can be. However, here are some important tips to planning your destination wedding. Keep these in mind along your way.

1. Decide the feel, look and location where you would like to share your union and celebration with other.
2. Determine what time of year and weather conditions is right for you. The time of year and weather could play an important part in planning a destination wedding. For example, August and September temperatures in Cabo San Lucas could reach above the 100 degree mark. You may meet sunny and rainy weather from late summer to fall in Costa Rica.
3. Determine Your Guest List.
4. Define a Budget and plan for every detail that will be a part of your wedding.
5. Enlist the services of a wedding planner, especially a planner who has knowledge about destination weddings.
6. Evaluate transportation: Your travel, and if you are paying for bridal party travel and accommodations.
7. If you are planning to bring your own photographer or other vendors, remember to consider their fees, travel and accommodations in your budget.
8. Remember, if you enlist the services of your own vendors, you may be charged additional fees for not using a venue’s approved vendors.
9. Plan your accommodations: Your own, family, friends and vendors.
10. Create a vision or Inspiration Board: Creating an Inspiration Board will help communicate your vision with your planner and all destination-wedding professionals.
11. Establish a wedding website and list your activities. Update it frequently with your wedding details. It will keep your guests in the loop as you progress with your wedding plans.
12. Design, mail or email  “Save the Dates” as soon as you can. This gives your guests the opportunity to plan ahead for travel and make necessary arrangements.
13. Honor your guests traveling from afar with a “Welcome” reception to give everyone a chance to get to know each other before the happy day.
14. If your wedding is in a remote area, plan to engage shuttle services to transport guests; remember to include the costs in your budget.
15. Plan bridal and bridal party transportation to and from venue, if your ceremony and reception is not at your hotel.
16. If you have found the perfect villa or location, make sure there is easy  is transportation accessibility for your guests.
17. Flowers, linens and rentals: Keep in mind that not all colors of flowers; decor and rental items are available at many destination venues.
18. Remember that there maybe a language and communication barrier. Although email is wonderful, be sure to communicate verbally by telephone. This will help avert any communication issues, and prevent or minimize wedding day mishaps and disappointments.
19. Enlist the services of a local, recommended wedding professional coordinator/planner to assist with all coordination. They will know who are the local wedding professionals and may act as a liaison with your wedding planner.
20. Get clear communication as to what services the destination coordinator provides.
21. Guests’ welcome baskets and favors: It maybe better to work with the onsite coordinator in creating  favors and welcome baskets that are indigenous to the area, interesting, fun and useful!  This is a wonderful way to welcome and honor your guests, who have traveled  a great distance to celebrate your special day!
22. Make sure there are activities that everyone will enjoy. This will make for a memorable wedding and mini-vacation for everyone.
23. If you are getting married outside of the United States, consult with the country’s local authorities regarding their legal requirements.
24. Remember life is not perfect and things do not always go as planned. So, even if the flowers are not the exact color of pink that you envisioned -enjoy your special day. Yes, it is your day, however you are also the hosts and your mood will determine whether your guests will have a wonderful time. Relax, enjoy and be happy!

So, now that you have tips that will help you plan a fabulous wedding? What’s your destination? Italy, Paris, Mexico, Jamaica?

With the myriad of bridal gowns vying for today’s bride, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for you, the excited bride- to -be, to easily select your wedding dress. There is so much to consider: style, haute couture, custom made, off the rack, and of course the most important-will it fit your budget! These factors play an important part in choosing that dream bridal gown for your wedding day.

Some brides-to-be fail to be more selective when it comes to choosing their bridal gown. On your weekend quest for the perfect dress, you may not always come away with that “wow” dress that makes you feel absolutely beautiful! This could be due to too many opinions, mom is bankrolling the purchase, or you might become enamored with a look and style, and not ask yourself whether the dress is the perfect style, fit and look for you. So many brides to be, leave with a dress that is just so, so. A bride-to-be should never have a just so, so dress. Your wedding gown should fit you; your vision and your budget. You should feel absolutely comfortable and beautiful as you walk down the aisle on your wedding day.

So how do you, the bride-to-be get the dress of your dreams, a dress that is perfect in every way: fit, style, comfort and budget?

• Determine the  dollar amount you are willing to spend.
• If you find the perfect dress, and it is not in your budget, is there a dollar amount that you feel comfortable spending beyond your budget?
• Check out magazines for the latest fashions.
• Determine your style.  Is it vintage, glamorous, contemporary or elegant?
• Be adventurous-try on several styles; not only the gowns you have in mind, but styles that you may have not considered. Don’t settle for the first dress you try on.
• Create an inspiration board: An inspiration board will help focus your total vision, and it will save you time and confusion in expressing your vision to friends, family and wedding professionals.
• Does your  dress match the  atmosphere of the ceremony and venue?
• Take photos when you are trying on bridal gowns.
• Have a family member or a few trusted friends accompany you on your search.
• Most of all- relax and have fun!