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.

About Me: Rachel Stepanov

 

Now booking weddings for December and 2013.  For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209.  Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

   My husband and I were engaged in 2004 after two years of dating, and thus started my wedding career.  I loved every part about planning my wedding, working on every detail, and dreaming about the day to come. It was actually my husband that had planted the idea of me becoming a wedding planner, and after initial stipulation that idea took on roots and grew.

  I did things a bit backwards; before I had any experience as a wedding planner, I educated myself and became certified by Penn Foster University.  A few months went by, my wedding took place and I then became a "wedding consultant" for David's Bridal.  While at David's, I began an internship at one of the top wedding planning companies here in Austin.  After about six months, I was then hired as a wedding planner for another top Austin company and worked as a company owned wedding planner for a year and half.  

  After that, I went into business for myself, and became more successful than I could have imagined.  After not even being in business for a complete year, I was named The Best of The Knot; a coveted award voted by past clients.  Not only do you have to be voted, but you have receive multiple votes.

  In September of 2010, against all odds, I became pregnant with triplets and decided to sell my business to take care of my unique pregnancy.  I became a mother on April 1st, 2011 and have been enjoying the experience of raising triplets ever since.  As mentioned before, I decided to exclusively return to the wedding industry on accordance to God's will and inspired by Proverbs 31:10-31, the story of the Virtuous Wife.

Five Easy Ways to Save on Your Wedding

Now booking weddings for December and 2013.  For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209.  Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

In times like these we are all cutting back. But when it comes to your wedding how can you save without looking cheap? Here are five great tips for brides with champagne tastes on a beer budget.

1. Schedule your wedding during an off peak season, day of the week, or time:

Many vendors (venues especially) will give discounts to brides willing to schedule during slower times. Think its a funny idea to have a wedding on a Sunday? Well, that is actually the traditional time to perform wedding ceremonies. So you're set on having a Saturday event...Look into having one in the afternoon instead of the evening; you'll also find major savings during this time and you can think about serving a brunch (even more savings). If you're willing to be flexible with your date and time, it just might make the difference in actually having your wedding at the perfect venue.

2. Select a city owned venue:

In Austin, we are fortunate to have MANY beautiful city owned parks and recreation centers. A lot of the times these venues are a great steal. One thing to watch out for is that these sites are usually bare bone packages. It might take you (or your coordinator) a little more work in the end, but, if done correctly, you can select all your own (perfect) vendors instead of the venue selecting them for you, save a lot of money, and have a great and memorable party that is uniquely yours.

3. Pass on the traditional champagne toast:

So you spend all this money, pour all this champagne, and nine out of ten of the guests take two sips and then leave the rest. You would be astonished with how cost affective it is to just have the guests toast with what they are drinking. Not only do you save money on the bubbly, but your caterer can cut back on servers, saving you even more.

4. Skip the grooms cake:

Okay, so maybe my bakers don't like this idea, but did you know that having a groom's cake is totally a southern tradition? If you ask a bride in California what flavor her groom's cake is, she would look at you like you just sprouted antennas. If you're set on having two different flavored cakes, try having two different layers on your wedding cake.

5. Hire a wedding planner:

Many people know that a wedding planner will save you time, but did you know that a good wedding planner will also save you money. Many times other vendors will actually seek out a wedding planner and offer them savings to pass on to their brides. In the past, I was able to offer one bride a videography package for free. Not only did that eliminate the cost of my services, but it also left her with some extra money in her pocket.

Something that I tell my brides that they might not want to completely save on is music. Either your DJ or you band have complete control of the entire reception. I guarantee that your guest will not remember the flowers that you had, but they will remember if they had a blast. The best way to assure a good time is to have a professional in charge of your music.

For other great tips, schedule your free initial consultation (FREE- a word that is not heard too often in today's economy.)

Why You Need a Wedding Planner

It used to be that wedding planners were only for the wealthy and famous, but with the typical wedding becoming more and more elaborate and with more couples paying for their own weddings while working a full time job, the necessity for wedding planners has boomed. Not only are planners helping to pull all the details together, they can also be a valuable resource for finding the right vendor for the right price....Many times, vendors will even give the brides a discount, just for using a wedding planner.
Don't take my word for it. Recently, I stumbled across this article:

Leslie Ramos & Jason Carmona
The key to Leslie and Jason’s flawless Texas wedding is simple—hiring a day-of wedding planner to ensure every detail went just right on their big day. While the couple planned the majority of the wedding, hiring Buon Affare Events relieved unnecessary stress during the wedding. “Rachel [our wedding planner] was the key to our wedding being a success. She ensured that the day flowed perfectly and that all issues were handled without it interrupting our evening. If anything went wrong, we certainly didn’t notice!” says the couple.

To share their vegan ethics with guests, Leslie and Jason not only perfected their reception menu, featuring pear-walnut empanadas and green apple and jicama stew, but also handed out Farm Sanctuary glasses to guests as favors, igniting many powerful conversations about the sanctuary and veganism after the celebration.

As unforgettable as the ceremony was, Leslie and Jason say they’ll never forget their honeymoon, sponsored by family and friends, which included a music tour of the UK, as well as a food tour of Amsterdam. “To this day and forever, we still find ourselves daydreaming of our three-week European honeymoon,” say Leslie and Jason.

The couple were an ordinary, everyday couple, that were busy with their careers and didn't have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on a wedding planner, but decided to have somebody in charge so that they and their family could enjoy the celebration.
*Article written by By Melissa Feineman for Vegan Weddings,http://www.vegnews.com/web/articles/page.do?pageId=2252&catId=6

Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Now booking weddings for December and 2013.  For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209.  Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

(Note: This is not the actual kit I put together, forgot to take pictures of that one, butound this at http://mymojuba.com just so you can get the idea)

Below is an example of what I put in my wedding day emergency kit:

Agenda (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Allergy medication (first aid kit)

Anti-Diarrheal (first aid Kit)

Baby powder (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Black socks-men’s (shoulder bag-main pocket)

Bobby Pins (bead case)

Bubbles for send-off back-up (main case)

Bug Spray (main case)

Cake cutting set (main case)

Chap Stick (shoulder bag-lipstick pocket)

Clear nail polish (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Clothes Pins (shoulder bag- back pocket)

ContactSolution/case(main bag)

Corsage Pins (bead case)

Cotton balls (bead case)

Deodorant (main case)

Dryer Sheets-for static cling (main case)

Ear ring backs (bead case)

Emery board (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Energy Drink-5 Hour Energy (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Extension cord (main case)

Eye drops (first aid kit)

Eye Hook (shoulder bag- inside flap)

Eyelashes/Eyelash Glue (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Fake rings (bead case)

Fingernail Clippers (bead case)

Fingernail polish remover (main case)

Fingernails (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

First Aid Kit (main case)

French tip nail pen (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Garter (main case)

Gas Relief (first aid kit)

Gloves-for cake (bead box)

Glue Stick-great for sticking material to skin (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Goldfish Crackers (main case)

Hair ties (bead case)

Hair brush/comb (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Hairspray (main kit)

Hand Sanitizer (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Itch relief (first aid kit)

Lighters2-long necked (shoulder bag- front pocket & inside)

Lint Roller (main kit)

Lotion (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Mints (shoulder bag- front pocket)

Mirror (main case)

Pads/Pantiliners  (main case)

Pain reliever (first aid kit)

Pens (shoulder bag-inside flap)

Peptobismol (first aid kit)

Push pins (bead case)

Q-tips (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Razors (main kit)

Reserved Signs (main case)

Ribbon (bead case)

Safety Pins (bead case)

Scissors3 (shoulder bag-front & back pocket)

Sewing kit (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Sharpie (shoulder bag-inside flap)

Snacks-Kashi granola bars (main case)

Spot Remover (shoulder bag-back pocket)

Straws (shoulder bag-front main pocket)

Sunblock (shoulder bag-back inside pocket

Super Glue (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Tampons (main bag)

Tape-double side (shoulder bag-back inside pocket)

Tissues (shoulder bag-front pocket)

Tooth picks (bead case)

Toothbrush/Paste (shoulder bag-front main pocket)

Tweezers (shoulder bag-front inside pocket)

Urinary pain relief (first aid kit)

Water (main case)

As Seen On Style Me Pretty: Ann and Daniel

Now booking weddings for December and 2013.  For a free initial consultation email or call, austinbudgetweddingplanner@gmail.com or 512-657-7209.  Wedding planning services no higher than $750!!

  This was one of my all time favorite weddings, but I have to admit, it was a challenge.  I had to be in charge of a Vietnamese tradition in which the couple visits every guest.  With limited time, it definitely tested my timing skills, but all worked out well and the couple even were able to get in a private dinner!  See more of Ann and Daniel's wedding on Style Me Pretty.

Here is what Ann had to say about me:

"Rachel was my lifesaver.  Her and her staff did a great job in helping us plan the flow & timing of the wedding (we received many compliments on how nicely everything flowed), they set the ballroom up nicer than I could have imagined, they took all my stress away on the actual day... we both agree it's the best money we spent!  I highly highly recommend Rachel and her team!  We wouldn't have had as great of a wedding without her."

Modern Austin Wedding by Table4Photography

May 3rd. 2011 by A. Blaire | Filed Under | 12 comments

• 71

As much as I gush day after day about the big day’s design, I am a huge sucker for the ceremony. It’s where the magic happens.  This darling duo celebrated with two and started their day off with a traditional (and emotional) Vietnamese ceremony. The images from Table4Photography just tell the story so perfectly – these two love each other so much! So much so, they take the plunge literally at the end of the night and jump in the pool! So brave! Would you do that? See even more in the full gallery!

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Photography By / Table4Photography

Wedding Planner 2.0

  Here I am, a mother of 19 month old triplets, thinking that I left weddings in my past to start a new life as a stay at home mother.  So why am I returning?  As a mother we always look for ways to become the best we can be at the most important job there is. That thinking led me to a group called MOPs (mothers of preschoolers).  At MOPs  the kids go and play while the moms listen to a guest speaker among other things.
  At one meeting we listen to this phenomenal speaker talk about budget and our role as wives and mothers. She mentioned something that hit a chord to me....It is every women's job to contribute in her own way to the budget.  Now that might mean different things to different women depending on what you can offer.  You can do it by saving at the grocery store, clipping coupons, our making bows to sell on Etsy.  Its about finding what you can do to contribute no matter how large or small your contribution is.  Well, I don't have time to clip coupons and I'm just not crafty enough to sell on Etsy, so I thought of what I could do....Wedding planning!
  Here's my plan; I'm simplifying wedding planning...No advertising, no wedding shows, no website, only 'month of services', and only one wedding a month.  So, what does that mean for my brides.  First of all, they only find me by word of mouth or they stumble upon this blog.  It also means that my brides get an amazing deal. Having my services set-up this way allows me to charge at the most $750.
  Here's what goes into the $750:
- One initial consultation (no obligation and completely free of charge)
- Eight hours on the day of the wedding (with one assistant)
- One hour rehearsal
- One two hour venue meeting
- Construction of Wedding Day Agenda
- Construction of floor plan
- Construction of set-up checklist
- Use of wedding emergency kit
  Looks good?  So how can you get a hold of me.  You can email me at austinweddingbudgetplanner@gmail.com or you can call me at 512-657-7209.  Hoping to hear from you soon!