Vineyard Wedding

Congratulations to one of our favorite couples, Jacqui and Eric.  The vineyard setting was perfect for their eco-friendly wedding.  Guests were able to enjoy a glass of wine before wandering out into the vineyard for a memorable ceremony.  Surrounded by the  joyous friends and family, they became husband and wife underneath the arch that Eric built himself.

We worked hard to eliminate as much wasteful products at this wedding as we could.  We will be sharing how soon.  Once again congratulations Mr & Mrs. Fettig, and thank you for letting ESTOccasions be part of your day.

estoPrints

I'm thrilled to introduce you all to Jess Enos...she is one of our talented creators at estoPrints (our printed embellishment department of ESTOccasions).  When it comes to invitations, you have to have a passion for it, and needless to say Jess has it.  She has a creative outlook on creating something for everyone, even our clients on a budget.  We've been working to add to our vintage, nature, modern and classic collections.  If there is a piece of art you love, or a color combo but you can't locate the best match for your invitation, come see us.  estoPrints will be at our CT Bridal Event & the Spring Bridal Event.

Weddings, Birthdays, Events and more, estoPrints will have you covered.  Let us show you the best match for your event and your budget.  Consider joining us on Facebook and checking out more photos on their too. prints@estoccasions.com

The Hunt for the Perfect Wedding Professional

You’ve found the perfect venue.  It gives you the space for a cocktail hour, breath taking reception room, and the perfect size dance floor.  You find yourself looking through the venue’s pamphlet and you notice their preferred vendor list. It is important to ask if these vendors are preferred because of their talent, professionalism, and knowledge of the location or due to the fact that they have paid to be included on the list.  If they have paid to be on the list, this doesn’t mean that they won’t provide you with excellent service, but it is important to be aware of why they are being recommended. 

When working with one vendor, and recommendations are made for a photographer, cake designer, florist, or any other wedding professional, always ask what the relationship is between the vendors.  Ask if they offer a discount, or a referral fee, because these are important to consider.  (As a planner, we do not accept or offer referral fees, since we base our recommended vendors on their skills, passion, talent and professionalism. Plus, we do not feel that it would be honest to accept payment from a client and from a vendor.  This is why it’s one of the policies of ESTOccasions.)

When meeting with a vendor, consider it an interview process for you both.  It isn’t appropriate to arrive more than 10 minutes early or more than 10 minutes late for either party.  Make sure you connect with your vendor; you should feel relaxed and informed at the same time. If you have a planner, and want them to be there, make sure your vendor knows they will be meeting with your planner also. Ask them to bring along a copy of a contract to view.  Don’t be pressured into signing the contract, but do ask if you can have 24 hours to consider their offer and then sign.  If you take longer to consider the offer, it may expire and the vendor may have already moved on to another client. If you love the offer, don’t let the vendor get away. Also, if you know from the start that their packages aren’t in your budget, don’t waste your own time or theirs.  This is where working with a planner can help you find the right vendor for your vision and your budget, without wasting any time.  It is also not appropriate to make numerous requests for information from a vendor if you do not retain them.  Vendors are not free consultants; they are professionals that make their living providing services and advice. 

There are plenty of great wedding professionals and with some effort, time and research you can find the perfect match for you.

Fight or Flight

A few weeks ago, a bride friend of ours came to us with an issue.  The best man will soon be related to her and he also happens to hate her.  What to do?  How do we keep this issue from ruining the wedding day?  It is common to see old family issues and new ones arise during a planning process, and no matter who you are in the wedding it is important to remember that a wedding is no place to start an argument. 

For our bride, we told her to first discuss this issue with her fiance, and explain why it is important to sit down with her soon-to-be brother-in-law and have a conversation.  We don't recommend doing this the week prior to the wedding because it is important to put out the fire sooner rather than later.  Always remain calm and even if you can't be friends, then just find a middle ground and some peace to whatever the issue may be.  Maybe bringing some light to the issue will help resolve it.


Another bride has an issue, two of her four bridesmaids hate each other.  The simple solution is once again to explain to each other how important each of them are.  How important it is for them to get along, not cause extra stress and how you don't expect them to be best friends when all is said and done.  If they can't learn to deal with each other, then maybe they shouldn't be in the wedding.  Sometimes it is a hard choice to make but in the end it might be just what you needed to do for your special day.  Being honest right from the start is the best thing.

No matter what issue you may have with someone in the wedding party, or a  guest, a wedding is not the place to air dirty laundry. Consider the fact that you would never want someone to ruin an important day for you, so give that same respect to your friends and family. Always be the bigger person, don't fall for making a scene, and just smile and walk away if someone attempts to start a fight. 

It can be difficult, but in the end you will be pleased with yourself.

Friendly Contract

We've all been there:  a close family friend, childhood neighbor, co-worker who also happens to have a talent (DJ,  photography, baking cakes, creating invitations), and offers their services for your event.  As an added bonus, it is budget friendly...so what do you do now?? 


Okay, if you aren't interested in their services and are looking for the right way to handle the situation, just let them know that you have already booked the service.  Another way to handle it is if the person is attending the event, let them know that you would rather they enjoy the party instead of working it and thank them for such a kind offer.

Now, if you happen to be interested in the offer, here are some important things to remember.

~Will they give you the professional feeling you were looking for?  If you are thinking that your friend can take photographs of your special day, will they know the tricks of the trade, lighting issues, and how to catch those spontaneous moments that can't be captured in a reshoot?  Or, if you friend happens to know how to bundle flowers, will they be able to create the arrangements you have been dreaming about your entire life?  These are honest questions you need to ask yourself.

~Can you honestly interact with a friend or co-worker about their service?  As a perfect example, the bride went for her hair trial and hated it.  HATED it, but didn't feel that she could be honest because this was a family friend who had been doing her hair forever and this was a gift.  The last thing the bride wanted was to sound ungrateful, but she hated the hairdo.

~Ask for a contract!  Yes I said it, ask for a contract between you and the friend who is providing the service.  This is to protect both of you in the end, and shouldn't be looked upon as a bad thing.  There is a reason why all of us professionals have contracts and would never enter into an agreement without one.   Remember to state everything that is agreed upon, and that it is clear and easy to understand what trade will be happening.  This way, if your friend ends up agreeing to create 65  wedding invitations for free and you add an additional 20 guests to your list, you clearly understand that you will need to pay for this. 

These are just a few simple things to remember when planning an event and dealing with offers from your friends and family.  There are times that with an important event, sticking to professionals and having your friends and family enjoy the event with you might be the way to go!

Talk about fun!

My morning started with rushing around to get to Coventry on time for a carpool trip to the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate with Diane from Parsons Photography. Dresses were packed along with other goodies and boom we were off.   Of course we had to do a quick stop over at Dunkin Donuts which is not my favorite, but I needed coffee and can't be picky in the middle of Coventry.  I got the worlds largest bagel twist by the way too. I was thinking it would be smaller and not so dumb-bell shaped. 

This place was amazing and everything that came together was just amazing, too.  Parsons Photography was open to being creative, working with different angles, and making the place and everyone shine.  Peter from After Hours DJ Entertainment might have thought he was coming by for a quick couple of photos, but was willing to help us finish up some looks we needed.  The best part was that he brought music for us to listen to and I swear next time I'm bringing fans so when Diane yells "work with me" it will feel like we are on a fancy tv show. She honestly only yelled it because I asked her.   Jessica was a blast; every time I was taking different shots just for fun she always had the best facial expressions.  The rest of the time I think she was attempting to blind me with the flash set up.  Victoria had put together a sweet fake cake for us.  My favorite part besides all the times we were laughing was when she allowed me to toss it to the ground in front of the doors.  The funniest part was that two service people walked out right when I let the cake fall and they had no clue what was going on.  I almost wish we would have photographed their faces.  Our model Nora Morales Lawrence completed the destroyed cake photo.  Anyway, it was a great way to spend the day and I'm thankful to have been a part of it. 

Boca Wedding

Spent a week in Florida enjoying the town of Boca Raton and finishing up the final wedding details.  During this time, I figured out I really am a New England type of girl.  While I had a fantastic time, coming back to gray skies with spring blooming was wonderful. 

Wedding day was one of the first really beautiful weekend days in a long time.  When I arrived in the morning for set up, I saw the red warning flags on the beach confirming high winds.  Now I found that high winds meant that a few lanterns lost their battles and were RIPPED off the hangers and that putting out table clothes wasn’t going to be an easy task.  I also found out that my hair never had a chance to be anything but in a simple ponytail. The wind did solve one issue of concern, the temperature.  88 degrees is a bit warm for many but a sustained breeze kept everyone refreshed during this daytime wedding.  

We were all able to enjoy an amazing ceremony and then a cocktail reception with a beautiful wedding cake, which tasted great too. That was a nice perk to the event.  There were little children running around, laughing guests and of course the happy couple which made the wedding a success.
 

As always I love to see the happy couple really enjoy their day.  There was no doubt about the love felt between the bride and groom and all the guests.  Anyways I wish them countless years of happiness, and I’m thankful that we were able to be a part of their day.