Hi All,

Yes I know it has been eons since I blogged.  But we are fixing that today with some great info.  

I am sure that this has happened to everyone...you announce your engagement and suddenly everyone you know, knows a guy who does weddings.  It could be a photographer, DJ, caterer, florist...anything, and you have an inbox full of random names and contact information.

These people are what we call Friendors..and you should run far, far away.  A Friendor is someone who may do some family photography at Christmas and now wants to photograph your wedding.  A Friendor is someone who loves to cook and loves you so they want to "gift" you the catering for your wedding.  A Friendor is someone who loves music, has a huge Itunes collection and wants to DJ your wedding.  

All of these people have two things in common:

1.  They are somehow your friend, a family friend or relative.

2.  None of these people make their living in the wedding or event industry.

Please trust only professionals to handle your wedding.   We have seen relationships ruined by the hiring of a Friendor and then the Friendor is unable to perform properly, the quality of the finished product is poor and feelings are hurt on both sides.

Tell your Friendors - that "I would much rather you enjoy our special day and be in the moment and celebrate with us."  You can give them jobs such as readings, handing out programs, helping people find their seats at dinner, helping with the rehearsal dinner and so much more.

You have one chance on your wedding day to get amazing photos, eat spectacular food, keep the crowd on the dance floor. Don't take a chance.  If you hire amateurs you will get amateur results.

Keep Friendors as your friends!

Until next week,

Remember...You Deserve a Fabuluxe Day!

Jen, Mandi, Amelia and Jan

Hi All,  So I am very confused on something related to our industry.  Maybe you all can shed some light...

Recently we have had a couple of instances where more than one venue has told a client that they don't need a wedding planner that they can handle everything for the couple to help plan the wedding.  When the first two instances happened earlier this year, I blew it off.  Even though we have worked with both venues and had great results.

So today, I got a call from a new client.  He said that the very high-end venue he was working with told him...oh no you don't need a wedding planner I can help with everything...he then told me that he hasn't been able to get the venue coordinator on the phone for almost a week and is now sure he and his fiance need a planner.  They are both busy and don't want anything to fall through the cracks.

I also polled the other wedding professionals we work with to see how they felt about working with a wedding planner versus not having a wedding planner.  Here are their thoughts:

When there is not a wedding planner, there always seems to be more emergencies as most brides aren't aware of all the intricacies of what needs to be in play, the constant interruptions, timelines, and how to prevent those "oh no!" moments (the moments when something goes terribly wrong or something is forgotten).  Running late, emergencies, and constant interruptions can definitely negatively affect the photography...not the photographer, but what can be documented.  There is a tremendous difference between an experienced wedding planner versus a friend just helping out.  The wedding planner truly is there for the singular purpose of making the bride's day stress free and wedding perfect.  "Friendors" don't have the experience to handle all the situations that may arise and are also too heavily emotionally invested, and can sometimes create more problems than solve problems. - Stephanie Emindee Images

A wedding planner helps me as a makeup artist to be a liaison between the bride & photographer to discuss valuable details and iron out the timeline for the wedding day. I love working with a bride who has a wedding planner, the entire day seems more organized (including the bride!) - Christie Lopez Christie Lopez Make Up

My business continues to grow based on being hired or referred by wedding planners and planners of other types of events. - Elliott Weiss Eventz Photobooth

For me it’s a big help to have a planner. I can have such a better picture of the client, what their needs are and their budget.  Sometimes clients are a little wishy-washy about how much they want to spend but a planner can give me an accurate idea of what we are working with and the full event concept so everything really ties together. I always try to service the clients of my planners that are regular planners that work with me. I know I have the support system of the planner to help go over things with the client if they are not clearly understanding the process. - Kerry Milhiser  Kerry's Papery

Having a skilled wedding planner hired for a wedding is key to a smooth day. I have seen time and time again, where a couple skimps on a planner and the couple looses out. The key is punctuality. First, that a proper and realistic timeline is created. Then, the day of, a skilled planner will keep the timeline in check so that everything runs on time. Once things start to run behind, it acts as a domino effect. By the end of the day, the client will end up loosing parts of their day or paying for all of their vendors to stay longer because they day ran late.  - Mary Angelini Key Moment Films

Ok so you guys help tremendously during weddings. Everyone knows where they are supposed to be and when they are supposed to be there. You guys take a ton of added stress off of all the other vendors by making sure your go over every detail with every vendor so everyone is on the same page as well. I personally hate weddings without you guys.Yes, when you bring me a referral I automatically know we will be a great fit for each other. You know me and my business well enough to know who would be a good match for me.  Not to make it sound like I just put all the headache on you guys but seriously, you guys make my job so much easier and it helps me to focus on my craft as well. So you guys are definitely an asset I wish all my brides had for sure.  - Chris Kruger Chris Kruger Photography

When I have worked with a wedding planner I can absolutely tell the difference, especially when it is a GOOD wedding planner! As the photographer, instead of being the one to have to try and keep everyone on schedule so there's time for portraits later, it is so wonderful to work alongside a great planner & the days goes sooo much more smoothly! Also it doesn't end up being all on me pre-wedding to help the bride figure out her timeline (she's never done this before!), but a wedding planner would know approximate time required for everything from hair & makeup, to family photos & bridal party photos! If I know the planner well & have worked with them I would definitely automatically assume that they would be sending clients over that are a good match and fit for me personality-wise & my style of photography. I look forward to those type of referrals! Jillian Tree Jillian Tree Photography

We definitely don't want to cause any conflicts...in fact our goal is to build relationships with the venue coordinator and help them make the day smoother.  What do you all think?  We would love feedback!

Fabuluxe Events - Fabulous Luxury for your Special Event!

Jen, Mandi, Amelia and Jan

jennifer@fabuluxeevents.com

561-254-2041

Hello everyone!  Wow, I am so not liking this whole winter situation. For my friends and colleagues up North...I don't know how you do it.  This Florida girl is done with cold.  I have worn my boots and leggings and am now ready for my flip flops again. 

So today, I thought I would add to last week's blog about budgeting and share some common mistakes that are made when budgeting for your wedding.

1.  When looking at pricing...especially catering and venue...make sure you factor in a service charge of anywhere from 18-22% of the total and sales tax.  These numbers add up.

2. When looking at any vendor pricing ask about pick up and delivery fees, sales tax or other charges.  

3.  For invitations, postage is expensive and adds up...Plus the postage rate is about to go up again. Try to stay with standard sizes and don't forget that you have to put postate on the RSVP card envelope.

4.  Those little things that you see when you are on Etsy or at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, kill your budget.  Because $50 here and $20 there and $100 here are suddenly $1,000 and you have no idea what you got for $1,000.  

5. Don't forget to budget for your officiant.  The person marrying you gets paid too.  

6.  Tips - always have cash on the night of the wedding to tip your vendors.  My general rule is to tip anyone you think did an exceptional job for you.  This includes photographer, videographer, DJ, band, valet, officiant, etc.  You can add extra tip to your catering bill as well. You won't believe how much your vendors appreciate you tipping them.

7.  DIY can sometimes be more expensive than hiring someone to do the work.  Especially, if you are not crafty and don't budget enough time to do all of your DIY projects. 

So be informed, don't forget the small things and remember EVERYONE has a budget.  It is the size of your budget that you need to remember and be smart to stay within your budget.

Have a great week!  We will be at PGA National this week for Alexa and Brett's spectacular, blinged out wedding.

Jen