Create Designated Workspaces 

At the beginning of the shut down we were all over the place! Zoom calling from the kitchen table, the dining room, the couch… anywhere really! We spent some time in August defining work zones. Our kids selected items to put in the workspace on their own. They picked out their desk, chairs, and even organized their shelves and cubbies to make it work for them! By each of us having our own workspace, we are free from distracting each other and can really focus to be productive throughout the day! 

Set Realistic Schedules

This is incredibly important not only as a planner but also as a mother. Keeping our kids on a regular schedule with bedtimes and meal times really helps keep the sanity! The kids still need to have a “school schedule” even if they are not going to school in person these days. Also my husband and I set our own work schedules so that we can effectively do our jobs and work together to maintain the house and kids. This often means doing calls or Zoom meets with clients in the evenings or weekends.  The key we found is bringing back the paper calendars! We print out our daily schedules and tape them to the walls around our workspace. This is a visual cue that even the youngest can follow! Too much technology can overwhelm us all! 

Take a Break 

Sometimes we need a break and that is okay. Whether it is letting my kids have extra play breaks from the constant computer time with schooling or making the trek out to grab a pizza on a Friday night, you have to create some sort of “normalcy” to keep you going. For me taking a trip to the store to pickup my grocery order means often sitting in my car sipping coffee alone for a few…this is my mental break. Taking walks with my husband daily gives us some time to decompress from the kids, work, share stories or just chat about anything or nothing at all. 

When this pandemic is all over I am sure our lives will return to the daily grind of school drop off lines, missed flight connections for my husband, soccer and gymnastic meets at the same time, and wedding planning galore. While our hustle today looks more like survival, I know my kids are watching every move I make. I hope they look back on this time and see what a team we were….We were all in this together.

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Dalay Ket Murray, Owner of Dalay Ket Event Designs   photo: Kismet Visuals

We met about five years ago as we were working to collaborate on a beautiful color bursting event at The Ohio Statehouse. When I first met Dalay I immediately knew she and I were going to do some great things together. 

One trait that I deeply value about Dalay is that she takes great care in listening to clients and vendors. During the brainstorming phase of design, she does am excellent job of helping clients verbally and visually convey their vision. When working on your wedding design and florals, it can be a bit overwhelming for brides. Dalay is able to streamline visions by learning more about the couple and their personal taste. From this consultation, she is able to carefully curate beautiful and authentic floral designs. She truly is the magic maker. 

Dalay has designed florals for hundred of events from intimate dinner parties to galas. Her work ethic and product is unmatched. A true gem in the wedding and events industry here in Columbus, having Dalay design florals for our weddings is the icing on the cake! 

Here are some fun facts about Dalay:

1) She was a competitive figure skater for many years!

2) Dalay loves to travel to eat, although she doesn’t eat any fruits or veggies.

3) She is Cambodian with sprinkles of Thai and Chinese. She is incredibly proud of her culture and it is a heavy influence in all aspects of her life. 

4) Dalay is a Buckeye, an Ohio State Alumna with a degree in Interior Design (told you she was the real deal)

5) She resides in Dublin with her husband and their most adorable little son! 

To see more of Dalay’s beautiful work check out her website at Dalay Ket Event Design Her floral skills are exhibited in many of our client galleries as well!  If you are still looking for a floral designer for your wedding or special event, give her a ring! 

The post Vendor Love: Dalay Ket Event Design appeared first on The Finer Things Event Planning.

photo: Simon Yao Studios

Are you team trend or team traditional when it comes to planning your wedding? I am going to break down some of the trend forecast for 2021 weddings and what we can expect!

Whether you want to talk about COVID or not, it certainly is making big waves in the way we plan events. This alone will impact and create many trends. Some we love and some we don’t.

Here are some basic trends you can expect to see in 2021:

Good Bye Buffets. In my opinion plated dinners were always the answer. COVID restrictions vary greatly from state to state however I think it is safe to say, we are all in a place where buffets are on the not happening list. While buffets can be safe, they can be served by catering professionals, the amount of extra equipment set up, maintaining social distancing in line etc. can be a bit much. Also contrary to popular belief, buffet is not always the least expensive option! I encourage you  to talk with your event caterer and think outside the box on ways to make your served dinner more interesting! Amuse- bouche course here we come! 

Assigned Seating. So many couples often think assigning seats is too formal for their wedding. The thought of organizing couples, families, friend groups can be overwhelming. However, there is no better time to start assigning seats! This really allows guest to feel a bit more comfortable as we transition out of our COVID bubbles into social events in the future. As a planner… give me all the organization! We are definitely team assigned seats plus let those creative juices flow for a super fun seating chart display!

Live Streaming of Events. Not just for 2020 but in 2021 as we crawl out of this pandemic, we definitely should forward think to offering another way for family and friends to be a part of your wedding. Maybe it is mailing packets with your wedding ceremony program, a box of goodies or a mini champagne so they can toast you from afar. Streaming your event is something you should definitely add to your planning list! 

The Great Outdoors. In 2020, we were able to creatively move many of our events to outdoor locations or locations that offered open air options. I see this being a big trend in 2021. If you have the opportunity to have guests in an outdoor element, take advantage of that. This as we know does certainly help guests feel a bit more at ease with COVID concerns and safety. However as with any outdoor venue, we always have to consider back up plans. Be sure to have those tents ordered early this year and Mother Nature…please be kind to these couples, they have already been through enough! 

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photo: Kimberly Potterf Photography

Like many of you, I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we have been dealing with this COVID pandemic for almost an entire year! This time last year, I was doing the final detailing of a February 28th wedding. Never in my absolute wildest dreams could have braced us for what was about to happen a few short weeks later! Looking back I can remember my first call, then my second, and third and so on from Spring 2020 couples looking to me for the answers. What is happening? What do we do? Will our wedding happen? Confession time… I had no idea. I can remember sobbing day after day throughout the spring as couples had to make the difficult decision to postpone or cancel their wedding plans. I was devastated for them, for their families and for all of us small businesses.

After a few rough months in the beginning, I looked long and hard in the mirror and said NO… I am not going to pivot, I am not going to get a new dream… my dream is to make dreams happen and that is what I am going to do.  So thus we began our journey… love in the time of COVID.

We rolled up our sleeves and started to think safety first and outside the box. What will these new weddings look like. Helping our couples scale down the size of their big day without sacrificing their vision was key. We did have to move a few couples to new venues to take advantage of open air spaces (if you have not checked out The Fives Columbus…what are you waiting for- go now!)  

We were able to keep the designs we had worked so hard on in tact, adapt to using real time guest messaging and communication tools, and most importantly follow the guidelines and mandates set by our Governor. What did we learn? Weddings can happen, and they can happen safely.

We had a lot of couple opt to get married on their original wedding date celebrating alongside parents and siblings. I hate the new industry coined term micro-wedding. A wedding is the ceremony between two people so to me, it has always been micro. Am I right? When I look back at the photos from these ceremonies, all I see is happiness, perseverance, and most of all… Love in the time of COVID.

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                                 Kimberly Potterf Photography

“WOW! You’re an event planner, that must be so exciting and fun.” Well you are right, it is exciting and it is so much fun! I have a dream job…my dream job. Taking visions and turning them into reality! Curating hundreds of events over the past twelve years sure has taught me lots of things especially one prevailing lesson… if you think it is expensive to hire a professional, just wait until you hire an amateur. 

Hiring an event planner while once thought to be a luxury is an absolute necessity in today’s world. Not only has COVID put our world upside down, but now more than ever hiring someone that can lead you through countless decisions all while helping you maintain your bottom line, your vision and keep your sanity is more important than ever before.

So what do I do? What does a planner do? Here are our top three reasons to consider when choosing your planner.

A Subject Matter Expert

Your planner spends the majority of his or her time working alongside industry professionals. A planner should guide you through every step of the decision making process. They should always be up to date not only with trends, but be able to help you build the perfect fit team of vendors to nail your event vision. Planners will know exactly how vendors work through the process, their work style, service fees to fit your budget, etc. Helping you build your dream team starts with your planner.

Master of Timelines 

A seasoned planner knows how to build a fool proof timeline of events. A seasoned planner also knows how to create back up plans on back up plans. This means having vendors on stand by because you know… life happens sometimes. One of the most important aspects of building a solid timeline for your event begins with communication. It is of upmost importance that your planner work closely with every vendor on your team to build the perfect day. By understanding the needs of each vendor not only does your day flow better, but it fully allows each vendor to be able to focus on delivering the best services possible to your event! 

Your Mind Matters

The countless hours of planning, decision making, research, balancing careers, your engagement, and everyone’s opinions can be a lot. Your mind matters. Having a planner is like having an extra Maid of Honor… but one who is the subject matter expert (see paragraph 1) Being a shoulder to lean on is part of what we do. We are always listening and providing solutions. Helping you find that balance so that you and your fiancé can be present… be present through the whole process. I always say preparing for the marriage should be your number one priority. 

Remember planning a wedding is not about spending the most or the least amount of money, it is about making your day exactly that… everything you have dreamed of and more. 

XO,

Jennifer Kontomerkos

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The Finer Things Event Planning Owner, Jennifer Kontomerkos

The Finer Things Event Planning has always been and will always be a boutique event planning company. Bringing visions to life and executing events that are deeply personal not only to my clients but to me. The Finer Things Event Planning was born. A idea and a vision to passionately curate events that truly reflected my brand… the finer things.
I am beyond thrilled to have enlisted the help of the talented ladies with With Grace and Gold to guide me through the bold steps of a rebrand. 12 years in the making, we have had the opportunity to plan and design events for hundred of clients. From intimate dinner parties to galas and everything in between, it has been an honor to plan and execute these celebrations!

When reflecting on our new brand, I wanted to create something that truly connected and resonated with our clients.
Throughout our new website you will get a glimpse into some of our beautiful work. We are so grateful for the amazing photographers and videographers that have captured these moments. Spending hundreds of hours planning every detail of our client’s milestone events is a journey and one that I for one am so blessed to get to be a part of.
Here’s to all of you… my vendors turned friendors, my clients turned family.
Thank you for celebrating this moment with me and here’s to another 12 years filled with lots of love, laughter and happily ever after!

XO,
Jennifer Kontomerkos

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