You can!!!

Here’s the page link (conveniently located in the top left bar of this website. on tv!

Even though this is something that I have been doing since August 2006, we’ve lost a lot of past episodes. Although I did scrape some of them and put them on the official pfe YouTube Channel.

Just let me say, I prefer looking at myself NOT in HD … that High Definition is noooooot your friend.

Enjoy!

Your choices on how much to invest in each area of your wedding is primarily based on personal importance and what you deem is worthy for your investment.

less experienced vendors:

Often less experienced vendors will offer a lower price point when compared to a more seasoned wedding veteran. And it’s understandable to lean towards these vendors because you can save money. The DJ that has great equipment, but really never worked at a wedding. The planner that is earnest, but has no previous experience, nor resources. The photographer that does really great portrait shots, but has never shot a wedding.

It’s your money and it’s your wedding. But before you sign on that dotted line, please take this into consideration.

Sometimes what may seem to be saving you money, may cost your more in the end. We’ve seen it happen too many times over the ten years we have been planning. We watch our brides grow frustrated at the lack of returned phone calls or emails. We watch them be concerned at whether or not this newer vendor will perform what they have promised.

We receive the 2 am emails from our brides…

It takes all the restraint in the world to not answer, “Why did you hire them in the first place?”

Sure you may save $500 or $1,000 or whatever dollars. What is it worth to you in having peace of mind? 

hiring friends as your vendors:

We were just chatting with a 2012 bride this weekend. Her exact words to us were:

It happens all the time. A friend is a friend, and it’s hard to mix business with pleasure. Especially if there are problems to discuss.

photographer: amy shepherd photography

how to blog

It took a long time to find my voice. I look back at some of the old posts and I was so stiff. I wrote what a “proper wedding planner” would say. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Snooze Fest.

The key to having anything be successful (blog, business, career, personal relationships, et al) is to BE yourself and be TRUE to yourself. I have a little sarcasm to me. I know, I know … you’re shocked, dear reader. Well if you read this blog, you’re probably not. I like to poke fun (at myself first and then others). And I love to teach. This is why this blog doesn’t have 1,328 style boards for you to review. Others do that so much better. We like to use (for the most part) our real clients at their real weddings for eye candy in a blog post. But more importantly, we like to give real, straight-up, walk out of the room and use immediately, useful tips.

highlights over the past years

We’ve had a lot of “series” on this blog. Some have been very successful at going viral.

seeing each other before the ceremony

what wedding traditions should you keep?

love your wedding vendor

on the job with a wedding planner (this one was SUPER fun)

don’t box your wedding vendors in   (personal favorite, blog posts are STILL picked up by other vendors and promoted from this 2009 series)

how to choose a wedding vendor series

the real behind-the-scenes story to my most VIRAL post

Hands down, my absolute FAVORITE blog post of all time was the open letter to wedding church coordinators . This post was truly from the heart (with a little humor) because it was so personal. You see my father died on a Thursday and we had TWO weddings on that Saturday. I had to be at the wedding, no question. There was a local church (which I will not name) whose church coordinator was so mean and downright ugly to me that everyone noticed. The vendors, the wedding party, the family … they were all shocked at her actions. My team went above and beyond and no matter what we did she sat there with a scrunched up face in the back corner and would murmur ugly things. Even though I took the time to meet with her TWICE before the wedding to assure her everything would be great. Hmph. After the wedding, I was done and was full of her bad behavior. I approached her and her husband to let them know that this was unacceptable, I nor my team did not do any actions to warrant this type of treatment and shame on them for acting like that in a House of God. I’ve never publically told this story, but enough years have passed that I’m going to. I honored my Dad that day, by respectfully telling this person that her bad behavior would not be tolerated.

This blog post was also LOVED by many wedding planners because we often do have inter-personal issues with church coordinators. I see both sides to it, I really do and addressed it, I think, with humor and truth in the blog post. The wedding industry liked it SO MUCH that a little florist/coordinator in Texas copied my blog post (in its entirety) and posted it on a national newspaper website as the author. In other words, she stole it (and many other well-known blogger posts). Consequently, she was fired from that newspaper job. I still giggle about this. I mean, I felt NeNe Leakes, “I’ve arrived, hoooney, and the spotlight’s on ME!”

thank you, dear reader

More importantly on this birthday, we’d like to thank you for reading. Now one of the reasons this blog had some dust bunnies last year is because sometimes, we kinda get a block on what to write about. Between blogging and coming up with creative ideas for the Local 7 Lifestyles TV Segment, it can sometimes stump you. That’s why this year we started the Wedding Sayings Worth Pinning every Friday. Cute little phrases that may make you go Aha! and share with someone (or pin).

So .. is there something that you would like to have addressed or answered? What struggles are you having with your wedding that we could blog about to help you and others? If you don’t want to ask here openly, please email us at staff {at} planningforever.com