8 Questions You Must Ask a Wedding Professional Before Booking Them

Hiring the right team is critical to planning your dream wedding…and it can also be quite stressful.

How do you find the right match for you?  How do you know who to trust?  Where do you go for advice?

First of all, this is not an easy task and it’s totally normal for couples to feel overwhelmed, frustrated or confused.

It’s not like you plan a wedding every day!  This is all probably brand new to you, so be patient with yourself.

A few tips to finding the right ones for you…

• Do Your Homework. You’ll get much more out of a meeting or conversation with a wedding professional if you do a little background homework first.

Spend some time on the internet or talking to friends who’ve recently been married.  Find out the average prices in your area and what services are available.  Get an idea of what you like and don’t like.  Wedding websites and chat rooms can be a great resource.  This way when you meet with a wedding professional you’ll be able to ask better questions and have an idea of what to look out for.

• Meet With Them. An in person meeting is the best way to interview a potential wedding vendor.  It lets you get the full experience of their personality, style and professionalism.  If that’s not possible, have a phone conversation.

• Ask Questions. There are no stupid questions!  Make sure you get clear, specific answers to your questions. If you aren’t sure what something means, ask them to clarify. Keep asking questions until you completely understand.

If a wedding vendor has a problem with you asking questions, they probably aren’t the one for you.  The best wedding professionals are patient, understanding and take the time to help you make the best choices for your wedding.

• Listen. Don’t just hear the words they say, really listen.  Watch the vendor’s body language.  Are they confident and comfortable with their response?  Do they look and sound nervous?  Do you get a “funny feeling” about them?  Take all the sights, sounds and feelings into account along with their responses; if your gut tells you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t.
• Check References. Portfolios are hand-picked to show off the best work, but they may not represent the “average” wedding performance.  Videos are edited for the optimum presentation.  But real referrals from satisfied clients are hard to fake.

Call up both client and professional references.  Ask questions and use those listening skills.  Even if they give a rave review, you’ll often be able to “read between the lines” if there were any issues or problems.

Ask around and search the internet for reviews.  Check the Better Business Bureau for any outstanding complaints against the business.  Weigh all of this information into your choices.

Here are 8 Must Ask Questions to ask ALL your potential wedding professionals before booking:

1. How many weddings do you do per year?  How much experience do you have?

This is an extremely important question.  Ideally, your wedding professional should have ample experience specifically with weddings.  Not only will they be more skilled in their craft, this also makes them a valuable source of information and ensures that your wedding day goes smoothly.

2.     How much do you cost?

Price is often relative, especially when you factor in experience, reputation and expert skill.  Generally, the most talented professionals have a higher price tag because they are worth it.

3. How much is the deposit?

4.     What specifically is included in that cost?

Because packages often vary, it’s likely that you won’t be able to compare one vendor exactly to the next without doing a little figuring.  The lowest cost isn’t necessarily the best deal; some higher quotes include services that you have to pay extra for in other packages.  Make sure you take this into account.

5.     What happens if I cancel?  What happens if you cancel?

Find out if your deposit is refundable under any conditions.  Does the wedding professional have a back up plan if something happens to them?

6.     Do you use a contract?

If the answer is No, RUN!  A contract is designed to protect both you and the wedding professional.  Don’t settle for a verbal agreement that won’t hold up in court.

7.     Are there any additional fees?

Taxes, service charges and travel fees can add up quickly.  Make sure you understand exactly what is included and if there are any other fees you’ll have to pay.  This should be clearly defined in your contract.

8.     Do you carry liability insurance?

The answer you’re looking for here is Yes.  This protects you in case an unfortunate accident should occur on your wedding day.  It’s also a sign that this is a reputable business, since most “fly by night” operations don’t invest in insurance.

If chosen wisely, with the right wedding vendors you get expert help and advice…for free!

Thanks to Stephanie & Jeff Padovani for this wonderful article

www.BookMoreBrides.com

Re-submitted by Unique Invitations by Deborah Burman Carasso

Weddings: Shared taxi between two strangers leads to a shared life together

• 
  Ryan and Laura on their wedding day in September 2009

By Sarah Rainey
Friday Mar 18 2011

A chance meeting on a night out led to a romance that neither partner could have imagined.

Laura McSherry had no idea she was about to meet the love of her life as she got into a taxi in Belfast one evening in April 2005.

Four years later Laura and Ryan Rodrigues got married, and the pair say they have never looked back.

“He was out with a load of his friends and asked if we wanted to share a taxi, so we all hopped in together,” Laura said.

“I remember Ryan chatting me up in the back of the taxi and in the queue outside a club — he was really good fun.”

Laura (31), a nurse from Ardglass in Co Down, and Ryan (33), a pharmacist from east Belfast, went on their first date just two days later.

“He took me out for a meal and it went from there,” said Laura. “I really liked him and we had a good laugh together.”

After dating for nearly three years, Ryan proposed to Laura during a romantic dinner at Castle Murray House in Co Donegal.

“I won’t say it was unexpected — I had been torturing him to do it for a long time,” Laura joked.

“I’d even picked my ring in advance. I left the style and number for a ring from Lunn’s on his computer and left it up to him.”

The couple wed in a traditional ceremony at the Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Rossglass, Co Down.

Laura said getting married in a 250-year-old church in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains was “a dream come true”.

“There were over 200 people at the wedding and that was just family and friends.”

There was also a special guest at the couple’s big day in September 2009.

Ryan’s uncle, Father Favio Rodrigues, flew nearly 5,000 miles from Goa in India to conduct the ceremony.

“He’s quite old, so it meant a lot to him to marry us and get together with all the family,” said Laura. “It made the day all the more special.”

After a Celtic-themed reception in the Burrendale Hotel in Newcastle, Ryan whisked Laura away for a dream honeymoon cruise.

The couple flew to Los Angeles and spent the next few weeks visiting South America, Aruba and the Caribbean.

One year on and the couple, who live off the Castlereagh Road in Belfast, are happily enjoying married life.

“We’ve a wee girl now, Nina, who is just five months old,” said Laura.

“Our wedding and honeymoon were once in a lifetime experiences, but she’s our priority now.

“I would have said my wedding day was the best day of my life — until the day I had her.”

– By Sarah Rainey

Belfast Telegraph Woman

Reposted by Unique Invitations by Deborah Burman Carasso

12 Things to know about your wedding guests

Fact: They’ll like the wedding that you like

The best weddings are the ones where the bride and groom did it their way. Formal and ritzy? Great. Casual and festive? Also great. Do what you want. Your guests won’t judge.

Okay, some will. But remember what you learned in kindergarten: If they judge you by your cake display, they’re not your real friends anyway.
Fact: They want you to register

You will have many difficult decisions in life. (How many kids? Rent or buy? Public or private school? Ground or whole-bean coffee?) Opting for a gift registry is not one of the hard decisions. Trust us. Your guests want it.

By registering, you get exactly what you wish — no duplicate gravy boats — and spare your guests confusion. Easy call.

Plus, it’s easier than ever before: You can now use your iPhone as a scan gun, sip champagne if you’re registering in store (you can do that at home, too, but it’s free at the store) and put anything, a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g on your wish list as long as it’s sold somewhere on the Internet.

As for the coffee, you’re on your own.

Fact: They’ll think whatever you do is adorable

Stressed about your vows? Worried you’ll cry too much? Relax.

Here’s the secret truth about weddings: It’s basically impossible to screw up. By definition, whatever you say or do will be greeted by a chorus of “Awwwwwwww!!!!!” and women dabbing their eyes.

Fact: They want to watch the Super Bowl

And the World Series. And the Final Four.

You know what else they want to do? Spend Christmas with their families. Ditto for New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving and all the other first-tier holidays.

Yes, it’s your big day, but you will court resentment if you muscle them into ditching their vacation. Let them live their lives. Don’t be That Couple.

Fact: Most won’t RSVP on time

Just face it, accept it and don’t lose sleep about it. You’ll be wrangling and hounding and tracking down your guests — especially the guys — because when it comes down to it, at heart people are just lazy.

Also? For you, your wedding is the most important thing since the invention of TiVo. For your guests, the RSVP is just one of 37 tasks they need to tackle. So don’t be surprised when replies trickle in late. This will happen. (It always happens.)

Fact: They like to dance

Disclosure: This love of dance isn’t entirely true. To be more precise, women like to dance, and men like to impress women, so they pretend they like to dance, even though they hate it.

Regardless, your guests need dancing. Make it happen. Your first dance should be more than just a token waltz; enlist your groomsmen and bridesmaids to cajole others and get the party started on the dance floor.

Fact: They like free booze

Many of your guests are buying plane tickets, renting cars and paying for hotel rooms. Throw them a bone. Provide an open bar.

There’s nothing more awkward than having your guests whip out their wallets and argue over who buys whom a drink. Complete buzzkill.

You don’t have to spring for Johnnie Walker Blue Label, but you should give them something — basic beer, wine and bubbly for the toast are enough — to keep the party lubricated.

Fact: If they don’t give you a gift, it doesn’t mean they hate your guts

Nongifters, skipping the gift is impolite and bad form. But some people just aren’t wired for decorum.

It doesn’t mean they’re trying to snub you or hold a grudge. It only means they’re flaky or do not fully comprehend the holy maxim of thou must get a gift. Cut them some slack and don’t let it poison your friendship.

Fact: They don’t go to bed at 8 p.m.

Look, they’ve blocked out their day for you. They’ve hired babysitters, turned down dates, skipped football games, and they don’t have any other plans.

So if you end the festivities too early, they’ll awkwardly look at their watches and wonder what to do next. Have a plan.

There’s no need to splurge on a reception that rages until midnight. But have a designated venue — a friend’s house or a bar, say — for an after-party.

Fact: They want to eat cake

For the first time in the history of weddings, we’re going to compare wedding cake to the plot of Rocky V.

Stay with us: The film’s writers decided to mix things up by having Rocky not fight for the heavyweight championship but street brawl in a gutter instead. A disaster. They avoided a cliche but left us disappointed.

Likewise, your guests don’t want scones or something you think is out-of-the-box — except for cake lollipops, apple pie or brownies, which are totally fine.

Don’t stray from a formula that works: Give them wedding cake. Give them Rocky in the ring.

Fact: They like music that doesn’t suck

Love, togetherness, matrimony, family — forget all that for a second.

Let’s be honest. At the end of the day, your wedding is a party. People want to have a good time. Do your homework and get a competent wedding DJ or wedding band.

Read: This is not the place to cut corners.

Fact: They’ll get hungry after dinner

The best way to score points with your guests? Surprise them.

This is your coup de grace: a light “bonus meal” that’s served hours after the dessert. (Think: hamburger sliders, pizza, late-night munchies.) It absorbs the alcohol and fuels them for dancing. Works every time.

© 2011 The Knot Inc. All rights reserved.

— Jeff Wilser

Resubmitted by Unique Invitations by Deborah Burman Carasso

Royal wedding: charitable gifts, not presents

(AP) – 1 day agoLONDON (AP) — What to get the couple who has everything? How about a donation to a rhino sanctuary — or an offer of help for earthquake victims in New Zealand.

Prince William and Kate Middleton on Wednesday requested charitable gifts in lieu of wedding presents, seeking to pre-empt the tide of extravagant — and unusual — offerings that typically flood in for a royal engagement.

The palace said the couple was “touched by the goodwill shown them,” and selected 26 charities to benefit from a special charity gift fund.

Their decision to forego toasters, gravy boats and candlesticks sets William and Middleton apart from other soon-to-be newlyweds and even the prince’s parents, whose use of a wedding gift registry, replete with items such as a gourmet barbecue set and pair of Cockatoos, was slammed by the press as “a vulgar, middle-class custom.”

While Charles and Diana did get some gifts in the form of charitable donations, William and his bride-to-be are said to be determined to make sure their April 29 wedding is not seen as overly ostentatious at a time when the British economy is hurting.

The charities they have selected — including some based in Canada, Australia and New Zealand — represent a range of issues, from support for army widows to local community foundations and the arts.

The list does not include any charities focused on relief efforts around last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. William and Middleton are “obviously very shocked and saddened by the events in Japan,” but the list of charities has been in the works for weeks and is focused on countries the prince has visited, a spokeswoman for his office said. She spoke on condition of anonymity under palace rules.

“They are charities that have a particular resonance with Prince William and Miss Middleton and reflect issues in which the couple have been particularly interested in their lives to date,” the palace said in a statement.

The couple were engaged while on holiday in Kenya, and the prince’s affinity for causes on the continent is represented in charities focusing on wildlife conservation in Africa and beyond.

William’s dedication to military service is also apparent — he and Middleton chose to support the Army Widows’ Association, a group dedicated to alleviating the symptoms of combat stress and financial support for veterans.

The Army Widows’ Association had been selected and chairwoman Christine Gemmell said it came as “a complete surprise.” She learned of the decision a few weeks ago and said that it was hard keeping it a secret from her fellow volunteers until the official announcement.

“It’s a recognition of the work that we do,” Gemmell said. “It shows that (William) understands, being a member of the forces himself.”

Children’s charity ACT said the gift would help raise awareness about children with terminal or life-threatening conditions.

“This charitable gift fund is such a thoughtful and generous gesture from the couple and I am absolutely thrilled that ACT is one of the chosen charities,” said ACT Chief Executive Lizzie Edwards.

Speculation that the couple would focus on charity organizations was rife following news of their engagement and one of their first official wedding gifts built on the philanthropic bent.

St. Andrew’s University — where William and Middleton met and fell in love — bestowed a scholarship for underprivileged students worth 70,000 pounds ($113,000).

Still, other presents have been more personal, with the British ambassador to Israel promising to deliver a Jewish-style marriage contract from Michael Horton, a British-born Israeli, who has designed an intricately illustrated, custom-made contract in Hebrew and English for the couple.

While William and Middleton are the first British royals to ask solely for donations, if past weddings are any indication, the young couple can still expect some offbeat presents.

Diana and Charles received a ton of locally grown peat from a council in Somerset, and the Canadian government reportedly sent them are room full of antique 18th and 19th century furniture — including a four-poster bed and drop-leaf desk.

On the Net:

• Royal Wedding website: http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/
• Resubmitted by Unique Invitations by Deborah Burman Carasso

Addressing Online

I have exciting news…joining Carlson Craft, McPherson’s and Checkerboard, Birchcraft Studios, as of today, is now doing addressing of their invitation envelopes!!!  This is a great time saver and looks fabulous with the matching ink color and font.

Contact me today for more information!

Deborah Carasso, Unique Invitations