While never one to really focus on planning from the perspective of “fear”, there are a few pitfalls that can be avoided during the wedding planning. I, along with a few other amazing colleagues, were so lucky to share a few of our own pointers with In Style Magazine this week. Here’s just a few of my favorites to ensure your planning gets off on the right track. If you’re looking for more, check out the original post with all the goods here. 

 DIY PROJECTS GONE WRONG

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SET YOUR BUDGET // Right out of the gate, determine how much you have to spend based on your families contributions as well as your own.

BUILDING THE TEAM // In the first 10 weeks of wedding planning, focus on building the team for your big day. First, you should book vendors based on who can’t take more than one wedding in a day. Think photographers, caterers, bands, venues, etc. Those are typically the vendors that book up the quickest, especially in peak wedding seasons.

Photo by Docuvitae from Lindsay & James’ Wedding

THE DRESS // Aim for 9 Months in advance of your wedding to get your dress. This will allow for enough time for alterations and ensure you can avoid rush fees.

Photo by: Steve Steinhardt from Ali & Ryan’s Wedding

SAVE THE DATES // Typically, save the dates should go out 6 to 9 months in advance to give guests enough time to plan any necessary travel and make sure they don’t commit to other things on your wedding weekend.

Photo by Steve Steinhardt from Ali & Ryan’s Wedding

BRIDAL PARTY // Give your favorite people notice 6 to 8 months in advance so they can help plan the Bachelorette/Bachelor party, bridal shower and get their wedding attire without added stress or rush fees.

Photo by Braedon Photography from Melody & Charlie’s Wedding

DESIGN // Depending on how far in advance you are planning your wedding, we recommend that you have a solid design concept 6 Months in advance. This will give you time to find the perfect vendors including florists, linens, etc. and allow for some trial and error, small tweaks and changes which may be necessary due to budgeting.

Photo by Docuvitae from Lindsay & James’s Wedding

CAKE TASTING // 6 Months will give you ample time to taste enough cakes to find and book the right one!

Photo by Steve Steinhardt from Brian & Chad’s Wedding

WEDDING RINGS // Aim to pick out your wedding bands 3 Months prior.

Photo by Lauren and Abby from Lauren & Samira’s Wedding

INVITATIONS // Invitations should be sent 6-8 Weeks before the wedding.

Photo by Steve Steinhardt from Sydney & Ray’s Wedding

HAIR & MAKEUP TRIALS // 2 Months before the wedding is when we recommend that you do your hair and makeup trial. Just try not to get any major hair cuts or color in between your trial and wedding day. Tip: if you don’t like the results of the trial, don’t be afraid to ask them to change or alter it until you like it. That’s what the trial is for!

Photo by: Steve Steinhardt from Ali & Ryan’s Wedding

MARRIAGE LICENSE // 1 Month prior to the wedding, set aside some time for you and your soon-to-be to visit the courthouse.

RSVP DEADLINE // 2-3 Weeks before your wedding date is when you should have received all RSVP’s from your guests.

Happy Planning!

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For those of you who don’t know, we have a sister company called The Good Beginning that I couldn’t be prouder of. The Good Beginning is an online registry where couples can choose to register for donations to charitable organizations throughout the world in lieu of or in addition to that toaster or salad bowl one might normally ask for. We’ve been up and running for about 2 years now and have raised over $350,000 for charities throughout the world. See our little graphic below for more fun little stats.

Not only is the registry beautiful, easy to use and a great spot to streamline the giving process for your wedding day, but the site is also filled with beautiful inspiration from socially conscious contributors throughout the wedding industry, influencers in the blogging and Instagram community and more. So, even if you’re not sure the registry is the right fit for you, I assure you there are lots and lots of ideas coming your way of how to be socially responsible throughout the wedding journey, designing your first home together or even just some great ideas for a fun date night that also happens to give back.

I hope you’ll spend some time checking it out and sharing it with everyone you know. And, if you have any interest in contributing or featuring The Good Beginning in some way, please email hello@thegoodbeginning.com.

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ASK ABOUT THE CATERER’S FOOD PRODUCT

Get the caterer talking about their products. The latest catch phrases have caught. Everyone says things like “organic, sustainable, and local”. If you’re hearing “local”, ask them specifically what farms they work with. You want to know if their meats are “prime”, natural meats, or if they’re “select” and pumped with growth hormone. You want to know if their fish is fresh and wild, or frozen and farmed. You want a caterer that is as passionate about their salt (maldon please) as they are about their steak—so get them talking. No one is going to tell you “our proteins are pumped with hormones and our fish is right out of the freezer!” So just ask a nebulous, “tell me about your products.” If nothing is offered in terms of their product, odds are it’s not a “selling point” for them, which will tell you a lot about the quality of product.

ASK HOW THE CATERER APPROACHES PREPARATION

In terms of preparation there is a wide spectrum. On one extreme there will be caterers that make literally everything “in house” down to the pickles on your slider. On the other extreme, (sadly) there will be caterers that order pre-made hors d’oeuvres from catering wholesalers and re-heat on site. Get them talking to you about their chef. Find out about the chef’s background. As goes the chef, so goes the kitchen, so you want to know as much as possible about the chef. His T.V. credits matters much less than his training and experience in cooking—so be wary if the first thing you hear was: “our chef was just on the show_____”.

ASK WHICH WINES WILL BE SERVED

If you’re ordering wines with the caterer, ask which wines will be served and how they decide on selections. Wine and food go together, period. A great meal becomes a complete meal when paired with good wine. Often times wine pairing isn’t even considered when wines are selected. Remember, flavors either really work together, or really don’t . Don’t do the “how much wine can I get for five hundred bucks?” Ask them to suggest what varietals will work well the menu you’ve selected. If you’ve got a brunch format featuring eggs Florentine, and they’re proposing Cabernet, you might want to move on.

The post WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CATERER : PART II appeared first on Beth Helmstetter Blog.

Designed by: Janet Pae & Hannah Steinhardt

Coordinated by: my very own angel, Madeline Hunter

Venue: The Hart and The Hunter at the PaliHotel

Photography by: Steve Steinhardt

Tabletop by: Casa de Perrin

Florals by: Holly Flora

Linens by: La Tavola Linens

Calligraphy by: Calligraphy Katrina

Stationery by: Maude Press

Lighting by: Barker Decor Services

Cake by: Pat Tabassi who doesn’t actually make cakes for a living but absolutely should

Desserts by: Sweet & Saucy Shop

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Over the years we’ve continuously received the same feedback from prospective clients after navigating the “sales call” conversation with them. The feedback? “That was so informative!”

One of the safe assumptions we make when people inquire about our services is that we are one of several companies they’ve contacted. But more times than not, it’s the first time people have hired a caterer—so there’s the lay of land: “Lots of options, first time I’ve done this.”

We realize that hiring a caterer is usually a big decision, with big dollars, big expectations, and big unknowns (unless you crash someone’s wedding, how do you really know how a caterer will approach their services on event day?).

Branding matters, and says a lot in distinguishing the different options—but when you’re looking at 5 different catering proposals and 20 different menus, (to borrow Seth Godin’s phrase) everything can begin to “taste like chicken”. So… if all the catering proposals “taste like chicken” how can you distinguish between Jidori and Zacky farms?

Here’s some help:

If your caterer isn’t inspired or excited from a culinary or hospitality standpoint—odds are your event cuisine and service, are going to be equally blah. Part of the reason catering can be notoriously underwhelming is that often times catering companies think first of logistics, then try to spice-up whatever menu will work with the event logistics. You want to work with a company that flips that equation on its head—and cracks logistical codes to accomplish its culinary vision, as opposed to coming up with a culinary vision that will fit within the logistics. Logistics matter, but they should always follow inspiration.

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If you follow us in Instagram, you may have already heard my little spiel on the number one thing to ask for when searching for a wedding photographer. But just in case you missed it, please please always ask your pending photographers to see a link or five from full weddings they’ve covered. This should be a link, dropbox file or whatever format they use of the exact deliverables turned over to past clients following the weddings. A pretty leather album doesn’t count, nor does a highlight reel covered by your favorite wedding blog, nor does that one stellar shot you just can’t get over on their social media. It MUST be a full wedding as turned over to a client. No exceptions. And here’s the reason: Any person with a great camera and 8 hours spent on a wedding day can come up with a great shot or two for the gram or even 10 good enough shots to add it to their portfolio on their website, however you are looking for more than 1, 2 or even 10 amazing shots. You are looking for someone who can tell the full story of your wedding day through their images. You should look through these full weddings for things like getting ready images, family portraits, amazing couple’s portraits, candid images of guests enjoying the day, details you’ve obsessed over, landscape shots of the area and overviews of things like the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. Also, we always look for things like the ceremony kiss and those never get back again moments like you dancing with your dad, the tears in your best friend’s eyes when she gives her maid of honor toast and those silly cake cutting shots as well. If a photographer can’t show you a full days work in it’s entirety or even worse can show you one but there’s only a handful of decent images, then I highly suggest you consider another direction.

The image above is from Sydney & Ray’s Ojai wedding as captured by one of our all time favorite photographers, Steve Steinhardt. In this one shot he caught the couple, the first dance, the twinkle in the groom’s eyes, the comfort in the bride’s, the guests swooning and the overall design of the dance floor and ceiling installation. This is the sort of thing you should expect your photographer to capture and so much more.

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1. Allow guests to enjoy their vacation. While they are there to celebrate your union, there is also a part of each guest that is looking forward to some down time. Because of this, don’t feel obligated to plan every minute for them. Give guests enough to do to get a good feel for your destination and why you’ve chosen it, but also allow them have enough time to relax and plan activities on their own.

2. Use the culture of your destination to shape events. Your guests will want to explore the activities that can only be done at the destination of your choice. Take your guests to a wine tour rather than a traditional rehearsal dinner when in Napa, or introduce them to the Caribbean with a welcome party consisting of Mojitos, steel drums and a sunset sail. If in Italy, treat them to a feast of pastas, gelato and wine and so on and so on.

3. Create an itinerary and list of recommended activities. Outline for your guests the events they are invited to, as well as some additional activities that they may enjoy. A map is always lovely to include as well. Don’t forget to send the itinerary with your invitations, put on your website or they can be sent separately one month before traveling to allow your guests to plan their down time. Don’t forget to put another copy in their welcome bag.

4. Don’t feel obligated to pay for activities. Beyond the welcome party, wedding and farewell brunch, it’s okay to ask guests to pay for the optional excursions. For activities that you would like to arrange but not host, put out an “optional” invite letting them know the expense affiliated should they decide to go. If you choose an activity that the guests were likely going to do on their own anyway (ie, luau when in Maui, snorkeling if in Mexico, etc), then you should expect most guests to join in.

5. Have all of your guests stay in the same area (or same hotel) if possible. The beauty of a destination wedding is it allows you and your fiancé’s families to come together for an entire week. If everyone is staying all over the island or city you are in, your guests won’t have as much opportunity to get to know each other. On the other hand, planning accommodations for all your guests can be a logistical nightmare. Solve this by providing accommodation information and/or room block information on your website or in your save-the-dates. Include information only on accommodations that will keep your guests near the party.

6. Don’t take everything on yourself. Planning a destination wedding weekned alone can take a lot of time and research. Depend on the professionals within your reach like your wedding planner, travel agent or even the concierge at the hotel you will be staying at to organize events and activities for you and your guests.

The image above is from Lauren & Abby of Olivia & Freddy’s destination wedding in weekend. You can see all six events here:

Family Pizza Party // Movie Night on the Beach // Welcome Party // Poolside Luncheon // Rehearsal Dinner // And, of course, the wedding.

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WELCOME DRINKS // Greet your guests with welcome drinks or water at the ceremony. Lavender Lemonade and F’rose are some of my favs! If you’re in a destination, use the region to inspire the drink, such as a Bellini when in Italy like we had at Olivia & Freddy’s Sardinia Wedding.

CONSIDER THE SUN // If you’re ceremony is outdoors, providing parasols or even custom sunnies can be a great touch. Your guests will appreciate the sentiment and when displayed properly they can also be part of the decor much like Samira Wiley & Lauren Morelli’s Palm Springs wedding where we had vintage french umbrellas in every shade of confetti.

WILL IT BE HOT? // Another element to consider if you’re having an outdoor ceremony is the heat. Beyond water and parasols, why not consider a handheld fan so guests can feel that much more pampered and stay cool while they’re at it. For Rachel & John’s wedding in Santa Susana, we had pretty rice paper fans in every shade of pink to compliment her Bougainvillea inspired wedding design.

HEATERS // When in doubt, rent a couple of extra heaters if your wedding is outdoors. My tip: don’t put the heaters out until the temperature drops. That way you won’t see bulky heaters in the photos of your beautiful reception. If you can tell it’s getting nippy, ask your planner or caterer to roll a few of them out before guests even realize they’re getting cold.

DANCING SHOES // Put a basket of comfy shoes in various sizes next to your dance floor. Both men and women love them and will thank you for saving their feet! We’ve done moccasins when in Wyoming, Flip Flops in Southern California and Huaraches in Mexico. You can have your planning team pass them around the dance floor or put on display for guest’s to help themselves.

VALET // I genuinely believe in the more the merrier when it comes to valet attendants. There’s nothing worse than a long valet line when you’re trying to rush to make it to the ceremony. And, when guests are ready to leave, the last thing they want to do is wait 20 minutes for their car. Tip: place one of your heaters by the valet stand to help guests stay toasty while they wait for their car. And, if a bit of a wait is unavoidable, this is the perfect spot to pass out late night snacks.

WHEN IT COMES TO RESTROOMS, GO LUXURY // Much to many couple’s surprise, a lot of venues require you to bring in portable restrooms for the celebration. If you only take one piece of my advice, make it this: DO NOT skimp on the type or restroom. Guests are already iffy about using these restrooms, and the price difference vs. value received in the levels of trailers available is huge. When possible, even go one step further by adding an amenity basket with band-aids, mints, etc or even create a chic little waiting area with lounge furniture, a vanity mirror counter and a full length mirror. And never forget the candles.

CATERING & BAR STAFFING // Invest in having extra bartenders and servers for the night. This will ensure guests aren’t waiting too long in lines at the bar, always have a full glass of wine with dinner and receive their food efficiently. You can never have too many people ready and waiting to serve your guests.

LATE NIGHT SNACKS // I shared a whole devotional to my love of the late night snack here, but I just want to reiterate what a nice touch this can be. Not only is it a place to be creative and fun, but who doesn’t want a few doughnuts like Hillary and Jonathan had at their Colony Palm’s wedding after having a night of cocktails and dancing. Late night snacks are great tray passed at the dance floor, staged near the bars and lounges or left on the passenger seat of the guest’s car by the valet attendants.

If you want to learn more about our philosophy behind guest experience design, take a peek at Beth’s recent Vlog covering this topic in more detail. It’s truly the little things that can make the celebration enjoyable for both you and your guests.

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