Perfect Planning

Have you ever noticed that no matter how hard we try we can never quite predict the weather?  We kind of assume that if the wedding is in the summer, it shouldn’t rain…well unfortunately that is not always true.  No matter what day we choose, weather is unpredictable, especially in Portland!  That being said, a back up plan is so important!  When you pick a venue, ask about what kind of options they have for unexpected weather.  If the venue doesn’t provide an alternative option, you will have to do some research on how to come up with something on your own.  The easiest and most common rain plan for an outdoor wedding is a tent.  Tents can usually be placed on hold at event rental companies for a small deposit and won’t be charged in full until about 3-7 days prior to your event.  That way you will have a lot better idea on whether you will need the tent or not.  Another thing to thing about, when using a tent, is whether or not the ceremony and reception will now have to be in the same spot.  If so, you will need to make sure you have extra helpers for the flip and somewhere covered for the guests to go while they wait for the reception area to be ready.  No one wants to stand in the rain while the tables and chairs are being moved and set up!

Beyond the rain plan, the weather canalso be a problem on the opposite spectrum…Sun, sun and more sun!  While, a beautiful sunny day may be exactly what you are hoping for on your wedding day, the sun can also cause some obstacles for your guests.  Some ideas to think about for a hot, summer wedding may be getting hand-held fans for your guests, having chilled water and lemonade available when they arrive, and some sort of tent or covered area for shade.  When people are hot, they can get dehydrated and easily irritated.  The best way to prevent that extra stress on your special day is providing these fun and simple amenities to avoid the frustration all together!

One of the biggest questions you will face in regards to your guest list will be whether or not kids will be invited to the wedding.  There is no right or wrong way to solve this question at hand, but it ultimately is up to the Bride and Groom and what they feel best suits the occasion.  Below is a list of pros and cons for including kids at wedding, so you can get a good feel for what the differences are.

Pros:

• Family affair: if you are wanting a more casual and comfortable feel to your wedding, kids are often a fun addition to the mix of generations at the biggest celebration of your life
• Say cheese: Kids can add a lot of depth and/or silliness to photos
• The “awe” factor:  plain and simple kids can be adorable!!

Cons:

• Budget: Each person at your wedding will cost a certain amount of money, take into account whether that number is worth it to you or not
• Noise:  With kids will come certain levels of noise and chaos.  Whether we like it or not, kids will be kids, and they are not always easy to control.  Although activities and babysitters help keep the kids entertained and out of trouble, the things kids will do are still unpredictable.
• Level of formality:  Weddings without children can create a definite sense of formality.  It gives the event an adult like essence, whichmany guests find relaxing and freeing.
• Supervision:  Need for a hired sitter, or for parents to have to be distracted by caring for their children

I think most people would agree that insurance is a good idea to ensure your protection no matter the unexpected event.  Homeowner’s insurance, car insurance, health insurance, most of us find valuable, but one thing that is often overlooked is jewelers insurance.   Most homeowner’s insurance policies only cover jewelry for up to $1,500 -2,500.  For most engagement rings alone, this is not enough, never the less the rest of your jewelry collection. 

Recently, a woman house was robbed and over $18,000 of jewelry was taken.  She was unaware of the fact that having jewelry insurance was a necessity given her costly collection, so not only could she not get back the sentiments and exact jewelry pieces she owned, she couldn’t get the money they were worth back either.  It was very unfortunate to hear how this poor lady who had gone trough enough tragedy already and was not able to even have the money back to try and replace them.

If you have recently been engaged or have a large amount of highly valued jewels, please strongly consider exploring your options in jewelers insurance.  Many jewelers offer you insurance at the time of purchase, you can increase the amount connected to your Homeowner’s insurance, or you can get entirely separate insurance for your jewelry.  For more information on jewelry insurance, please visit http://www.jewelersmutual.com/

Don’t let your valuables go uninsured!

A site coordinator being the same thing as a wedding coordinator is a very common, and dangerous misconception.  To clarify all confusion, take a look at the brief descriptions of each type of coordinator.

Site Coordinator:  A site coordinator works for a venue.  They are usually the main contact you will work with throughout your planning process, but depending on how big the venue is or how it is managerially organized, this could mean working with a few different people throughout the process.   A site coordinator is a very loose term, so you must be sure to double check exactly what that means to each company.

Sometimes the site coordinator is just the person who makes the arrangements for you to rent the space and is there to answer any questions you have.  They will give guidelines and rules to their venue and go over details they validate important to know when using their space.   They can often times give you tips on how to use the space, what’s been done before and a general idea of what to expect when you get there for the rehearsal and day of.

Other venues may provide you with a site coordinator that will act as a person who keeps you in schedule and is in charge of all the vendors on the day of.  They help with the flow and be sure to make this day run as smoothly as possible.

Some venues also provide ceremony site coordinators as well.  This type of site coordinator is there to run your rehearsal and the day of.  Telling the bridal party exactly when and where to go.  This is a nice feature, but certainly not always provided

Wedding Planer:  A wedding planner is generally a separate and individually owned company solely devoted to helping you planning your wedding day.  They are there to hold your hand throughout the whole process.  They can help give you strong recommendations for vendors, set up appointments, ask the questions you wouldn’t know to ask, help you sit down and figure out exactly what needs to be done and the time frame to do it, and they are there for the set up, through the event, and tear down.  The list could go on for quite a few pages on what exactly a wedding coordinator can do to help you along your wedding day, but this is just a brief concept on what they do.

The best alternative would be to have both a venue site coordinator and a wedding planner, but be sure to ask exactly what your venue provides and what their responsibilities are.  The mistake is when you assume the site coordinator has it covered and they knew nothing about it.  A wedding coordinator can give you much more extensive and one-on-one help and can save you a lot of wasted time and confusion.

Geranium Lake is one of the most trusted and tremendous florists in town.  They never cease to produce fabulous floral arrangements and commendable service.  This new year they reflected on some of their most memorable events of the year.  They came up with their top 10 favorite weddings they worked.  One of our August Brides made the top 10 list, as their arrangements were unique, luxurious, and beautiful!  Take a look at Kylie and Jim’s floral by Geranium Lake!

Photography by: Evrim Icoz