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What is A Wedding Planner: One Month Before the Wedding

  Around one month before the wedding, the real work gets started.  This is when we start doing the stuff that every bride needs help with...the backbone of coordinating the wedding.   At this time, we will visit the venue and put all the eliminates that we've been spending months preparing together.  The first thing we'll do is go over your vendors and make sure I have the correct contact information.  The next item on the list is to create a wedding day agenda.  I have an example of one below.  It typically begins the day before the wedding, we'll then go through your pre-wedding beauty preparations, your vendor arrival times, pre-ceremony photography schedule, your ceremony details, and finally the flow of your reception.
   We then will take a little walk around the venue and discuss set-up and floor plan.  A week after this meeting takes place, I will send over a tentative copy of your agenda, your floor plan, and your set-up checklist.  It is then the bride's task to make sure that I have a completed copy of these documents one week from the wedding date at the latest.

Vela/Pence Final Agenda

Friday, May 10, 2013: 

10:00am-         Bridal Party arrives at Allure for mani’s and pedi’s

                        Afterwards they head to The Grove for lunch

12:00pm-         Rentals arrive at Stonewall Ranch by this time

3:30pm-           Participants arrive at Driftwood Estates Winery (4001 Elder Hill Road, 78619)

                        Chris collects final vendor payments

4:00pm-          Rehearsal begins

5:00pm-           Rehearsal is complete

                        The Fairytale Effect staff set-up for rehearsal dinner at Stonewall Ranch (Rachel

collects rentals and décor for wedding)

6:00pm-          Salt Lick catering arrives at Stonewall Ranch to set-up food

7:00pm-          Guests arrive for the rehearsal dinner at Stonewall Ranch (10301 Wagon Road

West, 78736)

Saturday, May11, 2013:

2:30pm-           Bride and bridesmaids arrive at Driftwood Estates to relax and get ready for the

day

2:45pm-           Cassie Speck arrives at the venue to fix the bride’s hair

                       

3:00pm-           The Fairytale Effect staff arrive at the venue and check in with bridal party before

setting-up.  Set-up begins with cake table.

                        DJ RJ with Music for Life arrives on site and begins setting-up sound for

ceremony music

3:30pm-           Sweet Treats arrives and sets-up the cupcakes

4:00pm-          Groom and groomsmen arrive and begin getting ready

Becky with Bouquets of Austin arrives to set-up florals

Tyler Schmidtt arrives

4:30pm-           The Fairytale Effect staff begins pinning boutonnières

                        Bride Sarah is dressed and ready for first glance

4:45pm-           Bride and Groom first glance in the vineyard

5:00pm-           Bridesmaids are dressed and ready for photos

5:15pm-            Family members arrive at the venue and The Fairytale Effect staff pins flowers

5:20pm-           Bridal party photos

5:40pm-           Family photos

6:00pm-          Full wedding photos

                        Flores arrives and sets-up the buffet

6:10pm-           Grooms party photos

                        Sarah returns to the bridal suite to relax before the ceremony

6:15pm             Cody Vela and Regi Huber arrive at the ceremony site to run through sound

check and set-up for ceremony music

6:30pm-           Photos are complete

                        Prelude music begins for early guests

                        Rick and Anderson are stationed at the ceremony entrance to escort guests

and handout programs.  Amanda Reedy is stationed at the sign-in table.

                        Judge Rex Baker arrives at the venue

                        Flores arrives to set-up the buffet

6:50pm-           Participants line-up for the processional in this order:

1)    Grandmother of the Groom, Margie Anderson ushered by Dana Smith

2)    Step Mother of the Groom, Sonya Pence ushered by Dana Smith

                                      Followed by Father of the Groom, Bert Pence

3)    Mother of the Groom, Serene ushered by Rick Shirley

4)   Grandmother of the Bride, Erica Vela ushered by Justin Hillhouse

5)    Judge Rex Baker followed by Groom, Hunter Pence

6)   Bridal Party

Chelsea Wilson escorted by Zac Morgan

Lindsey Orlando escorted by Justin Hillhouse

Lenae Shirley escorted by Rick Shirley

Royale Price escorted by Anderson Price

Laura Nienkerk escorted by Dana Smith

Maid of Honor, Sara Betts escorted by Best Man, Chris Betts

7)   Flower Girl, Sienna Shirley

8)   Bride, Sarah escorted by Grandfather of the Bride, Eddie and Father

of the Bride, Harry

7:00pm-          Processional begins:

                                    ___________________________________ plays for the wedding party

                                    ___________________________________ plays for the entrance of the bride

7:30pm-           Ceremony is complete

                        “Walking on Sunshine/Halo” plays for the recessional

                        Guest are invited into the reception area for drinks and hors d'oeuvres

                        The Fairytale Effect staff moves chairs over to the reception area

                        The Fairytale Effect Staff delivers bride and groom meals for the private dinner

Couple eats dinner

7:45pm-           Guests are invited to buffet

8:00pm-          Bride and Groom are in place and ready to be introduced

8:05pm-           Guests are directed their attention to the tasting room as Bride and

Groom are introduced to the dance floor as:

Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Pence

                   “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (Ingrid Michaelson) is played for the first dance

                        “What a Wonderful World” is played for the father/daughter dance:

                                    Sarah dances with Harry

                                    Sarah dances with Eddie

                        _______________________________________________ is played for the mother/son dance:

                                    Hunter dances with Serene

                                    Hunter dances with Sonya

8:30pm            Hunter and Sarah thank the guests

                        Toasts are given by Bert, Chris and Sara

                        “The Way I am Plays” plays for the cake cutting

8:40pm            Anniversary dance

                        “I Gotta Feelin’” plays for the wedding party dance

                        Open Dancing- Hunter and Sarah greet the tables

10:15pm-          Bouquet and Garter toss

10:45pm-         “Don’t Stop Believing” plays for last dance

10:50pm-         Line-up for the send-off.  Bird seed is passed out by Sara Betts, Laura Nienkerk

and Lindsey Olsen 

11:00pm-          Send-off with birdseed

                        Clean up begins

12:00am           All vendors are off site

As Seen On Thumbtack

Since I've finished this semester at school, I've been taking a little time to launch The Fairytale Effect.  One of the sites I've just registered for is Thumbtack.  Go ahead and clink on the link to check the site out.  Former brides, while your there, you can leave a review.  Seems like a pretty cool site to get some honest reviews.

Sarah and Hunter

This weekend, we were out at the beautiful Driftwood Estates Winery managing an equally beautiful wedding.  Sarah and Hunter were truly one of the sweetest couples I have had the pleasure to work with.  Sarah was such a laid back bride and she created a fun festive atmosphere for her special day.

Wedding Ingredients:

Venue- Driftwood Estates Winery

Photography- Tyler Schmitt, The Mill Photography Studio

Cupcakes- Sweet Treet Bakery

Flowers- Bouquets of Austin, Becky

DJ- Music 4 Life, DJ RJ

Rentals- Austin's World of Rentals

Catering- Flores

Coordinator- The Fairytale Effect, Rachel Stepanov

What is a Wedding Planner: The Details Part Three

Now Excepting Candidates for FREE Wedding Planninsg Services.  Please call or email: 512.657.7209 or thefairytaleeffect@gmail.com

Today we're going to continue our look at planning services provided by your wedding planner.  

1)     Delivery of Welcome Baskets

When there are many out of town guest, its nice for them to receive a little welcome gift waiting for them in their hotel rooms.  Seeing as a lot of the guests will be arriving when the bride and the families are their busiest, its logical for the wedding planner to deliver these to the hotels.  I will deliver to up to three hotels.  For an additional fee, your wedding planner can assemble the welcome baskets for you as long as you provide what all the basket entails.  

2)    Complete Planning of the Subsequent Parties

Your wedding planner can also plan the other parties associated with your wedding.  This includes engagement parties, bridal showers, and the rehearsal dinner.  A planner would do the same services that she would preform for a wedding; assistants with hiring vendors, assistants with rentals, creating a party agenda, and executing that agenda, set-up and clean-up. 

3)     Arrangement of Group Transportation

Not one of my favorite add-on services, but it is popular. Group transportation is needed particularly when their are a lot of out of town guests and when the wedding venue is in a more remote location.  Your wedding planner can arrange all of the group transportation for you, making sure to find a company that meets all your requirements and is in your price range.

4)     Wedding Gown Shopping

Your wedding planner can help you find that perfect dress.  I have a little bit of an insight on this particular add-on, seeing as I got my start in the wedding industry as a wedding gown consultant for David's Bridal.  For three separate bridal gown boutiques, your wedding planner will schedule shopping appointments, help you select your gowns to try on, help you get dressed in your gowns (if you would like), teach you the proper way to wear the gown (yes there is a proper way), and help to pick out accessories to complement the look you are trying to achieve.

5)     Assembling Wedding Items

There is a lot of assembly required to pull off a wedding.  If you need someone to put together your send-off items, your guest favors, your invitations, your welcome baskets, your programs, or anything else, your wedding planner can accomplish this task.  She can also address your invitations for you.

The Fairytale Effect can add any of these services to your wedding planning package and if you have something specific in mind that isn't listed, just ask....we can probably do it for you!  

What is a Wedding Planner: The Details Part Two

 Now accepting candidates for free wedding planning services.  Please call or email: 512.657.7209, thefairytaleeffect@gmail.com

 A wedding planner might be a little bit more involved in the planning process depending on the bride.  There are many different reasons why a bride would hire a planner for more detailed services, but there are two main reasons that I've come across; 1) the bride is from out of town and she is doing the planning remotely and 2) the bride is too busy to do the planning on her own.  Either way, all of the final decisions are made by the bride, the planner is just executing and adding to the bride's vision of her wedding day.
  Below you will find some of the other services a wedding planner can provide followed by a brief description of those services:

1)    Vendor Meetings

For this service, your wedding planner will  act as your secretary and will book your vendor meetings.  I include meetings with three of the same vendor, so if you were to hire me for your photographer meetings I would book three photographers for us to meet with.  Once at the meeting I would take notes, offer feedback, and negotiate pricing.  After the meeting I would type and send you the notes.  Once we've met with all the photographers, I would type up and give you a comparison of all three and then I would tell the vendors of your selection so that you would not have to have an awkward conversation with those that you did not select.
I offer a different option for my brides, as well.  Its kind of an in-between option in which I do all the leg work for the bride.  I research all vendors in a particular category to find which vendors meet the bride's specific needs and I then call to make sure that they are available for the wedding date.  After that, I present the bride with my research (along with reviews of wedding professionals that have used this particular vendor) and from there the bride will tell me which vendors she would like to meet.  I would setup the appointments, but I would not attend the meetings.  Afterwards, I would let the vendor know of the bride's decision.


2)     Additional Consultant Meetings

Some examples of these meetings would be to order rentals, visit venues, work on the budget, arrange transportation, attend a tasting, or to attend another vendor's meeting.

3)     Budget Tracking

This is a continuous budget that begins when the planner is hired.  The budgeted amount is determined by what a bride is willing to spend extra on and what a bride is wanting to save on.  Once the vendor is hired the planner will adjust the entire budget to reflect the costs.  If more is spent than what is budgeted, costs will be taken from another vendor to offset the amount.

4)     Returning of Rentals

This a popular add on service.  After the wedding is complete, there are many items that need to be returned.  First there is the obvious; the items from the rental company (which includes tables, linens, place settings, etc), but there are also less obvious rentals such as the cake stand and (even though is not a rental) the left over alcohol.  Instead of finding a friend or family member to do this, your wedding planner can do this for you.

5)     Maintenance of RSVPs

This is nice little add-on.  Instead of having RSVPs sent to the bride (or family) they can be sent to the wedding planner.  She will then keep track of all the RSVPs on a spreadsheet, update the bride with the guest count and then before the head count is due she will call non-responsive guests (if provided with the guest list and contact information).

Stay tuned for details of services provided by a wedding planner.

What is a Wedding Planner: The Details Part One

Now Taking Candidates for Free Wedding Planning Services.
Call 512.657.7209 or email austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com

 

After you hire a wedding planner, the planning begins.  How involved your wedding planner is in planning is dependent upon you, the services you've decided to purchase, and how much of the wedding you've already planned.  No matter what, all Fairytale brides do receive a little bit of help with the planning that is remaining after we've been hired.  Each bride receives a personalized preferred vendors list with suggestions on what particular vendors they should hire.  When going through the initial consultation, the planner will ask preferences on different vendors; do you like rich or light and fluffy cakes, what type photography style do you prefer?  The way you answer these questions along with your budget are how your preferred vendors are determined.  This information is golden!  Because of a wedding planner's experience with multiple vendors, she will be able to provide with you a perfect match effortlessly, saving you time and money.
  Another tool all Fairytale brides receive is a personalized checklist.  This helps to keep the bride on task and get all the planning details taken care of in a timely manner.  Depending on how much help is needed, the bride can also ask for monthly reminders.
  The last thing that all Fairytale brides receive no matter how much planning services they require is access to the wedding planner.  If there is ever any issues or questions, your planner is there for you.  This is another experience perk.  Most people don't have the luxury of planning hundreds of wedding, but your wedding planner does.  Through experience, she is able to help you with logistics, etiquette, traditions, trouble shooting, you name it, she's probably seen it.  All Fairytale brides have access to their wedding planner from 8am until 8pm without any other limitations.  If your planner doesn't answer right away, she will get back to you within twenty-four hours (most of the time sooner).
  These are just the minimal planning details that your wedding planner preforms.  Stay tuned next time for The Details Part Two, in which we will talk about specialized planning services.

What's in a Name: The Fairytale Effect

 

 I came up with the name The Fairytale Effect as a way to describe what I would like to achieve with this project.  The name came to me when I considered the Butterfly Effect.  Most people know of the movie, but as a summary, the Butterfly Effect is an example used to explain the sensitivity dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory.  Basically the theoretical theory states that a hurricane can be formed by a butterfly flapping its wings several weeks before the storm.  So another way of explaining it, a seemingly minor event (butterfly flapping its wings) can lead to something of greater significance (a hurricane). Now how did I apply this theory to weddings and fairytales?  I wanted to inspire and encourage all couples to live the fairytale 'Happily Ever After' by finding couples that are an inspiration for many and creating their fairytale wedding.  I wanted not only the couple, but also all their guests to be changed by their story and their Happily Ever After.  So, again, a seemingly minor event  (attending a wedding) can lead to something of greater significance (being inspired to live your Happily Ever After).
  If you believe that you are or if you know of a well deserving, inspiring, loving couple with a budget of $5,000 or less and live in the Austin/Central Texas area, please email me at austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or call 512.657.7209.

Changes

  

  I'm sorry its been so long since my last post, but, as you can see, there have been a few changes.  The new name (same web address) of the blog is only the beginning of the changes yet to come.  As I slowly dip my toe back into the wedding industry, I decided to put together a plan that's been brewing since my very early days of wedding planning; The Fairytale Effect.  This new endeavor has multi-level phases, but the first phase is what I want to focus on for this post.
  The idea of The Fairytale Effect came from watching Live with (at the time) Regis and Kelly.  Every year around Valentine's Day, they would throw a wedding for a loving, well deserving couple.  Being a giving person, I decided I wanted to contribute this idea with my wedding planning.  I also happen to be a big dreamer with grandiose ideas and imagined a worldwide effort complete with an ABC reality TV show (don't know what I was thinking!).  My first attempt at this project was a total disaster! (And I'd be happy to tell anyone about the fiasco; just send over an email to austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com.)  It was so much so that not only did it discourage me from continuing anything like this, but it also made me reconsider my career choice.  It has taken me a long time to move on from this failure and it is still very emotional for me to even think about it, but after a lot of growth and development, I realized that this hurt was only holding me back.  This was a defining experience in my life and I had the choice of letting it define me in two different ways.  I could allow the situation to control me by forcing me out of a career that I loved and that I am extremely good at.  There are so many people out there that are stuck in careers that make them miserable and in which their talents are wasted.  When I was first dealing with this turning point, I decided that I could find another career.  I could be great at something else.  But then, through the relationships that I've developed recently, I realized that the way I am treating this situation is wrong.  When asked why I would never get back into wedding planning I would respond with, "I believe that God is shutting this door in my life," followed up by a summary of the doomed charity project and how my meager attempts to reestablish myself in the industry had failed. And then I thought to myself, is it God that is behind my failed attempts or am I letting the hurt define my life?  Am I unconsciously sabotaging my attempts out of fear?  The answer was a big YES.  So I decided that I could take back control of the situation and instead of letting the failure define me as that, a failure, I am going to turn into a success and do it the right way.

  In that revelation, I decided to come back to The Fairytale Effect, but to do it the right way.  Phase One of The Fairytale Effect is to find loving, well deserving couples that are pillars in the community and have a limited wedding budget ($5,000 and lower).  Pillars in the community is to be defined as socially and spiritually offering encouragement, support, and love to all individuals that they meet.  As is the same way as good deeds won't get you to heaven, good deeds will not get you a free wedding planner.  This is the mistake that I made the first time around.  I learned that just because a person looks good on paper, it doesn't mean that that is a good person.  Please contact me if you are interested in this project (austinweddingplanner@gmail.com) and we will sit down and meet.  I will tell you about my qualifications and guidelines and then after we meet, I will conduct a background check to make sure everything is as it seems.  If you are selected, you will receive a free wedding planning package.  I do ask one thing in return, if you are satisfied with the work I do (and you will be), please tell everyone you know and everyone you don't know.  A fair price, I think, for free wedding planning.  I know that there are good people out there, deserving people that are a positive influence to everyone they meet. I want to find you and I want to hear your story!  Let me create your Fairytale Effect.