We were thrilled to be a part of Brooke and Cory's wedding at The Mansion at Tuckahoe.  These two lovebirds have been together since high school.  Their wedding was filled with personal touches and special memories.  Look for the nods to baseball and the University of Miami, Brooke's first look with her dad (not a dry eye anywhere) and the desserts - OMG!

We wish Brooke and Cory a liftetime of love and baseball.

A special thank you to:

Chris Kruger Photography

The Mansion at Tuckahoe

Anchor Weddings

Kenny Mondo DJ

Giordano Floral Creations

Renaissance Catering

Sensational Sips

All in Fun Rentals

Ryan Michael Owens

Publix Greenwise

Cheers,

The Fabuluxe Team

Hey Y'All..

You have lots of family and friends coming from out of town for your wedding and they need a place to stay...or you are having a destination wedding and everyone is staying at the same hotel.  How the heck do you set up a hotel room block for your guests?

Here are some quick tips to make this process a whole lot easier:

1.  If possible have hotels in two price points...a bit higher and a bit more affordable.

2.  Contact the hotel where you wish to set up the block and speak with the group sales manager.

3.  Don't overestimate the number of rooms you will need...unless every single guest is coming from out of town...a number such as 10 rooms is a good place to start.  (Your college friends may be sharing up to 4 in a room, etc).

4.  Get the information in writing for the:

Room Rate

What dates that rate is available

(many hotels will give your guests the group rate a fews prior and a few days after your event)

What is the deadline for reserving a room in your group rate block?

(after your deadline the hotel will release un-reserved rooms back in the pool for the general public to reserve)

Is there a code or website link to use when your guests reserve their rooms?

5.  This is a biggie:  DO YOU HAVE TO GUARANTEE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF ROOMS IN YOUR BLOCK WILL BE RESERVED

Many room block contracts require a guarantee of up to 80% of the rooms to be booked.  This means if you reserve 10 rooms, 8 of them have to be reserved.  If only 5 are reserved you will have to pay the cost of 3 rooms to = 8 rooms.  

The guarantee is the hardest thing for people to understand and can cost you a lot of money if you don't understand it correctly.The guarantee numbers can be negotiated depending on several factors:  

How busy is the hotel during your room block dates

Is is the prime season for your hotel

Are you spending a large amount of money on food and beverage at your hotel?

6.  If you have hotel points make sure to ask if you get meeting planner points added to your account.

Just like anything else when planning your wedding, read the contract thoroughly and ask questions.  Don't sign or agree to anything until you fully understand the entire document.

Having all of your guests stay in one location is a blast.  So many impromptu get togethers happen, people reconnect by the pool or over breakfast.  It is such a great way to make your guests feel welcome and have fun!

We suggest looking at boutique hotels and hotels that are unique to your location.  That way your guests get to enjoy the local atmosphere.

Have fun and happy planning!

Jen, Mandi, Karlee and Jan

jennifer@fabuluxeevents.com

Hey there! It's almost Friday.  Hope everyone has spectacular weekend plans!

So you are chugging away with wedding planning and every time you bring it up the groom-to-be disappears.   How can you get him to be interested and help with the planning.

1.  Remember to talk about things other than wedding planning.  It is important to keep perspective, you are spending the rest of your life with him and that lasts much longer than one day.

2.  Find out what things are interesting to him with regard to the wedding.  A lot of grooms are interested in the food, the bar, the music...but make them look at 150 bridesmaid dresses and you may have a mutiny on your hands.  It is ok if he doesn't want to be involved in every single aspect of planning.

3.  Narrow choices to the top 3 in a category.  Do the research first and then ask his opinion on your top 3 choices. This works well for venue, invitations, favors, and color palettes.

4.  If your groom does have to go to an appointment with you, have a plan for after the appointment..Go to his favorite restaurant, promise to watch a ballgame with him, encourage him to have a guy night.  After all, you will be practicing the art of compromise for the rest of your life.

5.  Plan date nights and promise not to talk about wedding planning during your date.  

6.  Set aside time to talk about the wedding plans with no distractions.  You will get more done in less time and won't lose his attention.

7. Go back to number #1.

As always, stay true to yourself and true to the two of you as a couple.  

Best,

Jen, Mandi and Amelia
jennifer@fabuluxeevents.com
561-254-2041

Hi All,  This summer has been absolutely crazy. We had an amazing family vacation in New York. I got to see the Kleinfeld and Pronovias salons, which were spectacular!

While on planes, trains and automobiles I was thinking a lot about Day of Wedding Coordination, or what we call Month of Wedding Coordination. This type of planning package is what many, many brides choose.  It is a wonderful solution for the bride who is very "hands on" in planning but doesn't want to stress about the actual day of the wedding.

By the same token, it is important to understand what is involved for the planner. We can't just show up the day of the wedding and execute your vision.  It would be impossible.  We will book this package for you as far in advance as you want. And honestly it can give a sense of peace during the process to know that you have someone for your big day.  We are happy to provide a list of preferred vendors and even answer questions along the way.

We start to get super involved in the last 4-6 weeks before your wedding. This is also the time when the stress levels tend to peak for our brides..everyone is getting involved and sharing their opinions.  We can be a neutral 3rd party for you.  This is the time when we will sit down with you and go over your vision for the day. We want to really understand what you see happening on your wedding day.  We will also review all of your contracts with you and start creating your wedding day timeline.  Any gaps or holes in the planning will be identified and solutions presented.  We like to do a final walk through with the venue and photographer to make sure we are all on the same page.

Then we turn our attention to the rehearsal.  We will be there for a maximum of 2 hours for rehearsal coverage and guidance.  Usually it takes 45 minutes at the most.  At rehearsal time (or prior) we like to collect all of the items for the wedding day, such as toasting flutes, cake cutting set, favors, place cards, menus, programs and more. This way you don't have to remember to bring anything on the wedding day.

After all of this, then we get to the wedding day.  We are the first to arrive and last to depart on your wedding day.  We coordinate all of the set up, take down, anything that happens during the day. We gather up all of your special treasures and get them to the right person to take home.  Sometimes we have had to re-do your hair or the bridesmaid hair. We have had to tape and pin girls into their dresses. We make sure you get some of your awesome appetizers while you are taking photos.  We bring your comfy shoes to you so that you can dance the night away.  We make sure people are not on their cell phones during your ceremony.  We keep everyone on time and focused.  And so much more.

It is such a thrill to see it all come together and see the happiness on your face.  Just remember that it is much more than showing up on the day of the wedding.

Remember, you deserve a Fabuluxe Day!
Jen, Mandi and Amelia
www.fabuluxeevents.com
jennifer@fabuluxevents.com
561-254-2041

Hey everyone,  I hope you are all well and have enjoyed this beautiful South Florida weather we have been having.  Wow!  So glad I don't live up north anymore.  I don't think I could handle temps below zero.  

Everyone always asks what does a wedding planner do and why do I need one?  So today, I thought I would share with you a typical wedding day for us at Fabuluxe Events.

Usually our wedding ceremonies start around 5 - 6pm.  So for us that means arriving at the venue around 12:00 PM.  We are there making sure that all of the wedding pros you have hired are arriving and performing as per their contract.  Sometimes, we do a lot of the set up ourselves.  We have had to move 120 chairs across a busy road and onto the beach and then back again at the end of the night.  

We have run through rain storms and gotten hair dryers and dried your dress when sunny South Florida isn't so sunny.

We have put the linens on all of the tables and then placed the centerpieces.  

Many times we are handling things that you, the bride, are not aware of.  For example not having the bouquets delivered for Junior Bridesmaids.  We made them out of left over flowers.  

We are constantly checking in with you to make sure that hair and make up are going well and that you have had something to eat.  Recently, Mandi had to completely re-do a bride's hair and 4 of the 5 bridesmaids as well.

We set up ceremony sites and make sure that your unity candle (sand bottles, etc) makes it your table during dinner.  Ask me abou the time I fell carrying the unity candle..but the flame never went out.  :)

All the while we are answering a bazillion, yes that is my word, questions from the caterer - who gets vegetarian meals, the photographer - when are they going to be ready for photos, the venue - where does this table go - the mother of the bride - what can I do to help - the answer is nothing...go enjoy and relax.  

We keep you on time and get you ready to walk down the aisle.  We line you all up and send everyone down at the appropriate times.  Then we help go to the righ place after the ceremony for your photos.  After the ceremony we guide the guests to cocktails and make sure no one is lost along the way.  Then we help get everyone to dinner.  We help everyone find their placecards and their seats (sometimes there are 100 people yelling out names to us at the same time..yikes).  

Then we get you all lined up again and ready for your grand entrance and the first dance.  We make sure the DJ has his schedule for the evening and keeps the party flowing.  We make sure your plate is full and your drink is never empty and do the same for your parents.

We find lost purses (that a typsy girl put at the wrong table- true story). We go back to your hotel and pick p the marriage license that was left lying on a desk.  

When we see that the stress is ovewhelming to you, we take you to a quiet room and give you 5 minutes of peace and quiet (and a beverage, if you want).  

We make sure that all of your gifts, cards, keepsakes and treasures are given to the appropriate person at the end of the night.

Sometimes we deliver payments to your vendors and make sure that they are all taken care of on the day of the wedding.

After you and your guests leave the reception, we make sure that nothing was left behind.  We clean up the venue and make sure that all is back the way we found it so you don't get charged anything extra.

Most of all, we take care of everything so that you don't have to worry.  When I crawl in bed after a beautiful wedding (usually around 1-2am), it is the most satisfying feeling in the world.  We know that we were a part of magic that day and can't wait to do it all again!

So remember, a wedding planner is like a general contractor.  We organize, plan it, execute it and troubleshoot, all so you don't have to on your day!

Remember, You Deserve a Fabuluxe Day!

Jen, Mandi, Amelia
561-254-2041
jennifer@fabuluxeevents.com