I know the mastermind behind Sage Wedding Pros, Michelle Loretta, through Twitter and have always loved reading her blog – it is full of great information for wedding professionals of all kinds.  When Michelle emailed me and asked me to contribute to a series for the new vendors in the industry – I was thrilled!  She asked me for the top ten things that I wanted new planners to know – the things that no one tells you when you are first starting out.

I get SO MANY emails from girls who want to be planners and are looking for internships or part time positions with Emilie Duncan Event Planning or want advice on getting started.  Quite honestly, I get so many emails and phone calls that I don’t have time to answer all of them so the chance to get this kind of information out there was appealing to me.  Based on the comments, it hit a nerve with other planners both new and experienced – I hope that is opens some eyes and thanks again for Michelle for the opportunity!

Click here to read my 10 Lessons for New Wedding Planners

Wowsa, this is a fun one – Crate and Barrel and Daily Candy are giving away the ultimate wedding to one lucky couple worth $100,000!  Click on the picture above for all the details on how to enter and what you’ll win – you can also check out your competition!  You have until March 31 to enter so get moving!

And if you do enter, be sure to comment here so people can vote for you!

I got a phone call from Heather from Bloomtastic a while ago asking me if I wanted to be part of the “What to do before you say I do” seminar.  I was thrilled to say the least and jumped on the chance!  Heather and I, along with Alice’s Piece of Cake, Cameron Mitchell Catering, So Inviting Designs, Team DJ, The Venue at Smith Brothers and DK Photographic will all on hand giving tips on how to choose the best vendor, what to look for when hiring a wedding pro and tips to make your planning process as smooth as possible!

February 7th at
The Loft at Smith Brothers
12-3pm

To get more information or to RSVP, send an email to RSVP

Please share this with anyone you know how may benefit from event planning assistance. It isn’t just about brides… Bar & Bat Mitzvahs, Graduation parties, anniversary parties… the list goes on and on. For so many events in life, this information will be incredibly helpful! Hope you will join us and if you do, please make sure to say hello!

If you aren’t familiar with Groupon.com it is a really cool website that offers daily deals on local restaurants, salons, activities, events, etc.  They offer a new one every day and as long as a certain number of people buy it, the deal is good!  I have seen 75% off photo sessions, super cheap pizza and I was really excited when I caught 50% off for the salon I happen to already go to!  Today’s deal is great for all your brides and grooms or maybe brides and dads:

Today – January 19, 2010 ONLY – they are offering a super deal on dance lessons at the Columbus Dance Centre.  For just $25, you get four group classes (normally $15 per class), entry into four practice dance parties (free with group classes), and one private lesson ($89 value) at Columbus Dance Centre, a $149 total value.

Use the 4 group lessons to get the basics and the private lesson to nail down your own spectacular first dance routine – your guests will be wowed!  You’ll need to buy two – one for you and one for your dance partner but it is still a crazy good deal!

Click here for all the details and to snag the deal!

Looking for a rehearsal dinner location or just need a break from wedding planning?  Take your husband or wife to be on a date this week and support a great cause at the same time!  You’ll enjoy a 3 course menu from $15 to $35 at some of the area’s best restaurants:

Under $20:
Bel Lago Bistro
Columbus Brewing Company
Columbus Fish Market
Figlio Wood Fired Pizza
Level
Luce Enoteca
Matt The Miller’s Tavern
The Lost Shepherd
Tucci’s Wood Fired Bistro

$20 – $30:
Bexley Monk
Cameron’s American Bistro
Cimi’s Bistro
Haiku
Hyde Park
Kogen’s
Mezzo Italian Kitchen & Wine
Mia Cucina
Moretti’s of Arlington
Polaris Grill
Shish Kebab Mediterranean Grill
Spagio
Sushi Rock
Trattoria Roma
Vino Vino Restaurant & Winebar
Vittoria Ristorante

$30 and up:
Barcelona
Black Creek Bistro
G. Michael’s Bistro & Bar
Lindey’s
M a Cameron Mitchell Restaurant
Melting Pot
Mitchell’s Steakhouse
Refectory Restaurant & Bistro
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Sage American Bistro
Smith & Wollensky
The Top Steak House

Visit the Restaurant Week Website to see all the menus and enjoy!

The official numbers say that nearly 40% of engagements take place between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day – that is a lot of yeses, happy tears, puppies with rings around their necks and diamonds!  Congratulations to all the newly engaged couples and welcome to the wonderful world of wedding planning!

If you are like most newly minted brides and grooms to be, you are probably feeling at least a touch overwhelmed and unsure of what to do first.  Don’t panic, that is completely normal and beyond common.  So besides the obvious first step -  calling (614.678.6320) or emailing (emilie {at} emilieduncan {dot} com) me – there are some definite do’s and do not’s when it comes to the first steps.  This is actually a collection of posts from this past summer called First Things First:

A is for Attendants
B is for Budget
C is for Contracts
D is for Date
E is for Eating
F is for Formality
G is for Gowns
H is for Hair
I is for Inspiration
J is for Jewelry
K is for Keepsakes
L is for License
M is for Mailing List
N is for NCAA, NBA, NFL, NHL and MBA
O is for Old
P is for Priorities
Q is for Questions
R is for Relatives
S is for Size
T is for Theme
U is for Unfortunate Monograms
V is for Vendors
W is for Wedding Planner
X is for eXercise
Y is for You
Z is for Zzzzzzzzs

And if you aren’t in the mood to open 26 different pages, here is the whole category in just one: First Things First.

Good luck and congratulations again – I look forward to hearing from you and helping you get started!

On a separate note, a very special congratulations to my lovely friend Michele and her groom to be, Billy, who just got engaged on Thursday night. Love you guys!

The Story (of the PIRATE wedding!)

Maggie was a fan of David’s work before she fell in love with David himself – she will be the first to admit that she was a ‘fan girl.’  David writes an online comic strip and Maggie started reading it when she was still living in California.  They met in person and the rest is history: they had their first official date on a September 19, Maggie moved across the country to Columbus, David proposed to Maggie on September 19, 2008 and they were married on September 19, 2009.  Why is September 19 such an important date to note for this couple?  Because it is International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Maggie worked for Pixar when she lived in Cali and David is obviously a pretty creative guy as well.  When Maggie and I first met and she showed me all the different details for their Pirate themed wedding, I was blown away.  So much thought went into every single detail and nuance that I was thrilled to be involved.  I am not usually a theme wedding person but this one promised to be a ton of fun and it certainly was!

The guests got their first inkling that Maggie and David were not doing a traditional wedding from the invitations – Maggie created scrolls written in pirate-ease, burned the edges and spritzed them with olive oil to resemble old documents – seriously time consuming and the result was pretty darn cool!  These were mailed to the guests in bottles and asked the guests to “Arrrr”SVP.  A great way to clue in guests to the theme of the wedding.

Maggie and David had their first glimpse at the Statehouse before the wedding.  The bride’s gown was white with gold accents and she wore a tri-corner hat while her girls wore black corsets and burgundy skirts.  The groom wore a waist coat, tri-corner hat and sword as did his groomsmen.  Yes, the groom and all his guys wore real swords!  Shockingly the state troopers at the Statehouse never even questioned the swords even when the bridal party was walking around inside – the only time they got upset with the bridal party was when they climbed on top of the canons at the corners of the Statehouse for pictures.  Guess they weren’t worried about 5 pirates taking over state government.

The ceremony was held on the Santa Maria – a working 15th century ship docked at Batelle Park in downtown Columbus.  Being that the wedding was held on Talk like a Pirate Day, there was a pirate troop that took over the ship for the weekend.  While most of them went off to plunder the city (okay, they really just headed to R bar to drink) several of them joined us for the wedding – one actually objected to the union but was quickly dispensed with (shot) and dragged away by the others.  The wedding itself was performed mainly in pirate speak by the bride’s uncle and the union was capped off by actual canon fire from the pirate troop as well.  David created the ceremony program in comic strip style introducing each of the bridal party members.  It was incredibly unique and really cool – how many programs have you seen that were hand drawn by the groom?

From the Santa Maria, the wedding moved to The Claddaugh in Powell.  This particular location has a room with stone walls, wrought iron chandeliers and stained glass windows – it really gives off a gothic vibe and fit the pirate theme perfectly!  The staff of the Claddaugh even dressed up in pirate garb as did almost all the wedding guests!  The tables were dressed with simple arrangements of treasure chests and pewter goblets along with lanterns and rum barrels.  Maggie and David’s ‘Captain’s Table’ was dressed with a ship’s wheel with garlands underneath a pirate flag.  The TVs in the area all had old black and white pirate movies playing on them to help set the mood.  Maggie and David were led into the reception by a bagpiper who actually just happened to be hanging out in the bar area of the restaurant – excellent timing!

One of my favorite parts of the wedding was the Maid of Honor’s toast – she said that she loved David because he made Maggie smile quite often and as anyone who knows her knows, her smile is one of the greatest things in the world.  I think that face is quite evident from the pictures.  The couple and their guests danced the night away (to non-pirate music) and a jolly time was had by all.

It was a truly unique wedding and one that I had a lot of fun being part of – thanks to Maggie and David for allowing me to be part of their fleet for the day!

The Elements
Planner:  Emilie Duncan Event Planning
Photographer: Fenstermacher Photography
Florist: Manor House Flowers
Ceremony Site: The Santa Maria
Reception Site: The Claddaugh
Cake: Alice’s Piece of Cake
Reception Music: Team DJ

The Pictures
Click here to see lots of pirate pictures!

Sorry for the last week of silence here on the blog!  My web host decided to migrate servers and blocked everyone from making any changes on their sites.  It took about a whole week and it drove me crazy!

I have some fun posts coming up including recap and pictures from Maggie and David’s pirate wedding plus recaps from Aimee and Ryan’s and Jennifer and Kurt’s weddings and some holiday related posts as well.  Thanks for your patience and watch for new posts from me this week!

I got so many great, great items from photographers that I am splitting them into two posts – before you book & planning and wedding day & after.

Without further ado, here are some Things that your Photographer wishes you knew: before you book & planning.

*Please do your research.  Anyone can buy a nice looking camera and photoshop, put an ad on Craigslist and say they are a photographer.  But do they know how to USE that camera?  Do they know how to USE photoshop?  Just because someone says they do, doesn’t mean that is the reality.  Look closely at their pictures, ask to see more than one wedding, ask for references and make sure that you get a good vibe from them and they are telling the whole truth. Everyone started somewhere and was new once but do you really want to be this person’s guinea pig?

*Both bride and groom should attend the photographer interviews.  Even if the groom says he doesn’t care who you book, once the wedding is over and the pictures are all that is left, he WILL care.  On top of the end result, the photographer is going to be with you alllllll day long and if personalities clash, that is going to show in the pictures!  The best way to prevent that is to make sure that you click before you book.

*If I don’t respond to your email within 12 hours, please don’t freak out.  I often have on-location shoots that take me out of the office.  Sometimes I might even take a day off!  If you email over the weekend, don’t be shocked if it takes until Tuesday for me to respond – I am probably shooting over the weekend and then may take Monday off since I worked Friday/Saturday/Sunday.

*We charge what we charge for a reason – it is based on what we provide, our experience and how much work we put in processing your images and more.  Please don’t schedule an appointment with us if our lowest package is equal to your whole wedding budget and expect to negotiate us down.  It isn’t going to happen.  And please don’t say that “so and so studio” will do the ‘same thing’ for $1000 less and ask us to match – trust me, they ARE NOT doing the ‘same thing’ as we do.

*Trust your gut.  If you love a photographer’s pictures so much that you want to steal their sample books and show them to everyone you know, fair chance you will love your own pictures.  Go with someone you LOVE and trust they will create pictures for you that someone else will want to steal and show to everyone too.

*We love to hear that you like our work and that you want to book with us but until you have signed the contract and paid the booking fee those are just words.  Often we get multiple inquiries for the same date so if you really do like our work and want to book with us, please book with us now, not in a month.  On a similar note, if you do wait please don’t get angry or nasty with us that your date is no longer available because another couple booked it.  You made your choice to wait, they didn’t – simple as that.

*Please, please, please read your contract in full.  Don’t skip reading because it bores you because if you sign it, we WILL hold you to the clauses within.  Just because you didn’t read it all, doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply to you!

*Please hire a professional planner.  Don’t trust this once in a lifetime day and all that money to a friend or family member who ‘loves to plan events.’  Again, Craigslist is probably not the best place to look for a true professional unless you relish being a guinea pig.  Having the help of a planner will make your life, my life and all your other vendor’s lives so much easier before, during and even after the wedding.  Even if you can only afford an hour or two of their time, having someone get you on the right path is so very valuable and will really make the planning process so much easier.

*Plan your wedding with purpose – from the dress to the details to the vendors your choose, make sure that there is meaning behind each decision you make.  It will make looking at those amazing pictures that I am going to take for you that much more special in 20/30/40 years.

Check back tomorrow for Things that your Photographer wishes you knew: Wedding Day and After.

I love candy buffets at weddings – they give the guests something sweet to munch on during the evening and to take home and look very cute, colorful and coordinated.  But I have done a ton of them at weddings over the years and I think that might be the problem – I have done a TON of them over the years and I am ready for something new!  Here are some suggestions for alternatives to the ever so popular candy buffet – all with a local Columbus twist!

Jeni’s Ice Cream -  Jeni’s ice Cream is a local Columbus favorite – local ingredients crafted into unique flavors handmade in small batches right here in Columbus.  They have a cart they can bring out to weddings and events which is always a HUGE hit with guests!  Their on site minimum is $800 – that includes 4 flavors of ice cream, a Jeni’s staff person to set up and serve the ice cream, dishes and spoons.  That covers up to 125 people and each additional person is $4.  It would be a great addition to any wedding but especially a summer wedding with an outdoor element – nothing like a dish of Salty Caramel on a warm summer night under the stars.  Give their Kitchen a call at 614.488.3224 – they’ll take great care of you!

Al’s Delicious Popcorn – How about a popcorn buffet instead of a candy buffet?  Another local favorite, Al’s Delicious Popcorn has been around since 1985.  They handcraft over 60 flavors of popcorn right here in Columbus.  They have flavors that range from the traditional (butter, cheddar and caramel) to the more unique (bacon & cheese, watermelon and Kahula).  The set up would be the same as a candy buffet – large jars labeled with the flavors and bags or boxes for the guests to select their favorites!  Al’s 1 gallon bags of popcorn range from $2.75 for original popcorn up to $8.25 for their cheese and sweet flavors – comparable to what candy would cost in the long run.  You can try all the different flavors at their Bethel Road location – a fun date for you and the fiance!

Brezel – Instead of a buffet of some kind, you can always incorporate treats in the form of a late night snack.  I have seen cookies and milk, pizza, sliders and donuts but right now I am loving the idea of big, hand rolled, flavored pretzels.  Brezel is a local Columbus company that makes ridiculously good, hand rolled soft pretzels.  Their specialty flavors include jalapeno and apple cinnamon in addition to original.  I asked the owners Marie and Brittany about custom flavors for weddings and this is what they had to say:

We’re happy to work with the bride and groom to create a custom pretzel flavor. Our prices for this type of work depends mostly on the cost of specialty ingredients and packaging considerations, but we do offer some adjusted pricing on bulk orders. We are very flexible. All of our pretzels are handmade. If a couple can dream it… we’ll try our best to create it!

Any of these would be delicious additions to your wedding reception and I love that they all support local Columbus businesses.  Enjoy!