The Blog of a Burlington Wedding & Event Planner
Posts Tagged ‘Saving’
Keeping Your Wedding $$$ Safe from Bankrupt Vendors
Thursday, August 20th, 2009Recently, a new client brought a newspaper article to my attention. It was about a Toronto-based planning and decorating company, Affairs with Flair, who have recently gone bankrupt, leaving many couples with no refund and no promised services. Logically, this made my client nervous.
Today’s crazy economy and the thought of something like this happening to you on your wedding day are enough to make anyone worry. But it got me to thinking – How do couples protect themselves from something like this?
1. First and foremost – Make sure you have a contract. A contact with dates, details, responsibilities, payments, etc. signed by you and your potential wedding planner. Make sure their information – address, web site, GST number, etc., is included on the contract.
2. Make sure they are a real business. Not just doing this as a hobby or a part time basis. They should have a business license, GST number, etc. Are they part of the Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, etc.? Do they have a real web site? Real businesses have to spend money to make money. Look for clues like how much advertising they are doing, how active they are, etc.
3. Ask for references. And actually contact the references. Ask questions – were they on time? Did they meet all obligations? Would they hire them again? Were there any surprises? You get the idea.
4. Go with your gut. If it feels fishy, it probably is. Listen to your instincts.
5. Ask how long they’ve been doing this. Experience speaks volumes. Those who have gone to school and have learned all about how to hypothetically handle wedding planning may not fair as well financially in the long run as those who have actual experience dealing with the highs and lows of real wedding planning.
I hope this helps. Its a horrible thing to have to worry about, especially on your wedding day!
By the way, I’ve been doing this for more than 10 years, have a GST number and belong to the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, in case you were wondering.
Part Seven – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009Here is the last of seven tips of what to cut from your wedding budget that is unnecessary:
7. Saving The Top Layer of Your Wedding Cake for X… – The top layer of they wedding cake has traditionally been saved and not served to your guests. ‘Saved for what?’ you ask – well, it depends who you ask but its usually stuck in the freezer for at least a year. Often saved for your first wedding anniversary, or birth of your first baby, or their baptism. This tradition started a long time ago when cakes were make from fruit cake and had a glimmer of possibly, maybe surviving the long year.
Nowadays, not many people would not even consider fruit cake and often, the year old cake, certainly stale and likely freezer-burned taste pretty gross. So why do it? Why pay for that top layer so you can wrap it up, seal it in 3 ziplock freezer bags and a tupperware container only to throw it out in a year? Heres a better idea. Save the money and when the occasion comes around (first anniversary, first baby’s birth, etc.) make a special trip back to you baker and get a small replica make of your cake that you can enjoy while still fresh?
Hope these tips help! Happy planning!
Part Six – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Here is the sixth part of the series of budget tips of things to cut from you wedding that no one will notice.
6. Bathroom Guest Baskets – this is something I never really understood. I mean it’s a nice sentiment, but having a basket with mouthwash, extra nylons, tums, a sewing kit is a nice to have, not a need to have. And can be pretty expensive. And besides, if you have a good wedding planner worth his or her salt, that all that kind of stuff will already be on hand in his or her on-site emergency kit.
Happy planning!
Part Four – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009Here is the next idea of what you can cut from your wedding that hardly anyone will notice or care about…
4. Champagne – The fact is it’s expensive and most people don’t really like champagne. You likely already have wine on the tables – cha-ching. Have some sort of bar – cha-ching. And now you want to open and pay for more alcohol for each guest to have a glass to raise to you, shout out ‘cheers’ (substitute here what ever your family traditional uses – ‘prost’, ‘valo’, ‘mazaltof’, etc.) so they can take a sip and thats it? Why not just use the wine already on the table, or the drinks they already have from the bar? Think about it!
Stand by for more ideas to keep your budget in check!
Good luck and happy wedding planning!
Wedding Cake Trends – Move Over Fondant, Here Comes Buttercream!
Monday, June 1st, 2009By Sarah Bogle
This year has marked a turning point in wedding cakes — buttercream icing is in, fondant icing is out! Abandoning their dreams of beautiful cakes devoid of taste, brides are choosing wedding cakes that showcase taste as well as style. Bakers have seen the rise in requests for buttercream frosting with a smooth iced finish.
For me, this is a trend long overdue! An avid lover of all types of cakes (and yes, my waistline does show it a bit), I have been disappointed with most wedding cakes in the last few years. I will never forget the excitement I felt while admiring the most beautiful cake I had ever seen. The bride’s cake was a replica of a stunning European cathedral — complete with bell tower, stained glass windows, and baptistery. All the guests circled the cake table in admiration of the meticulously detailed fondant cake. None of the guests could wait to dig in!
But to all our dismay, the fondant was as as crispy and dry as melba toast. The flavorless cake was devoid of taste and lacked moisture. We drank our beverages to add enough liquid to swallow our first bite, then set our plates aside with disappointment. Plate after plate of uneaten wedding cake covered the dining tables. It was then that I realized it wasn’t enough for a cake to beautiful…it had to be edible and tasty too!
Don’t let this happen to you. In these tight economic times, save your money on intricately detailed cakes in favor of one whose taste is impressively delicious. Embrace traditional buttercream icings and preserve fillings. Ask your baker for their top flavor offerings. And, don’t underestimate the love everyone has for a moist white cake with buttercream frosting. After all, who doesn’t love a simple but freshly made cake?
Sarah Bogle is a wedding style expert and published author. After months of searching for unique & personalized wedding favors for her own wedding, she was disappointed by the lackluster options on the market. So with an entrepreneurial spirit, she formed her own artisan soap company to fill the void. Over a decade later, the Artisan Soap Shoppe LLC continues to provide truly custom wedding favors and bridal party gifts at a cost competitive price point.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Bogle
Part Two – Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009Ready for some more ideas on how to cut frivolous stuff from your wedding? Here’s part two!
2. Most Guest Favours – Who wants a 2×3 picture frame or a pair of candles shaped like a heart? How about a keychain with your names and wedding date engraved on it? Really anything with your names and wedding date on it will be pretty much not be appreciated. Think about all the time you spend planning, and then, the money these little ‘gifts’ end up costing you to buy and often assemble, only be let on the table for the hotel staff to…yes, throw out. If you want to give your guests a small token of thanks, make sure its something that they will like and notice. And if you can’t think of anything that would fit that bill, then make a donation in each of your guest’s names to a charity that is close to your heart. Then just leave a small card at each place setting informing them of this donation. And no, you should not tell them how much you donated.
Stay tuned for more next week when I will give you part three…
Seven Things to Cut From Your Wedding & Save Your Budget
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009Each week, over the next few weeks I will give you my take on things that many couple provide/do at their wedding that will completely be either unnecessary, unappreciated or not even noticed.
1. The Fancy Cake Cutting Knife and Serving Set – Forget these. No one but your mom and maybe the caterer will even see these. ‘But what about in the pictures?’ you ask. Well considering that the picture will be taken as you cut the cake, you won’t even see it. Either your hand will cover them as you cut or they will be covering in icing from the cake. You caterer should have a decent set. Go with theirs. They’re free!
Stay tuned for more ideas next week! And feel free to share your ideas of the unnecessary, unappreciated or unnoticed…
Good luck and happy wedding planning!
