TLCBN

On September 15, The new Loucountry Business Network had it launch party at the Vendue in and A Charleston Event was there to help setup and welcome local businesses to an awesome turnout of events. Over 250 people came out to show their support for this new and wonderfully exciting way to grow your business.

Spearheaded by networking guru Ellen Stebbins, business leaders from all categories showed up for the launch. At one point so many people showed up that people ran out of business cards. That didn't stop business owners from borrowing pens and jotting down names and contact information.

A Charleston Event provided the decor and setup for the event and GIVING BACK CHEER was the recipient of a 50/50 raffle which raised $160. Over $2,000 worth of products of local businesses were also raffled off.

Someone asked me why someone in the events industry would be interested in such a generic network of businesses. My answer was simple. Networking is a necessity in today's survival of business. Word of mouth is paramount to reaching new clients and meeting people in all walks of business and life itself is essential ti achieving your goals. Because our work is based on events, both small and large, both simple and elaborate and both small budget and high-end value, its a no brainer to me why someone would NOT want to be involved. We met people from the financial, insurance, web and media, contracting services, public relations, marketing, restaurant, real estate and even catering industries at the launch. We met people who we didn't even know were in Charleston. Now THAT'S a successful networking event.

For more information on contacting The Lowcountry Business Network, CLICK HERE

Wedding / Event Planner Scams

Normally I wouldn't post negative articles on our blog, but this story just hit a cord with us and it deserves to have front page attention everywhere so couples can do their research and not get sucked in by scam artists.

CBS News covered this story about a poor unsuspecting Arizona couple who decided on a destination wedding in Utah. They hired a local planner and 'thought' they'd done their homework until the day before their wedding, they realized they'd been scammed out of all their money. PLEASE watch this article: CBS NEWS CLIP

My colleague and I were discussing this and when she asked me 'why on earth I would publicize this', my reaction was simple. To protect other unsuspecting couples from going through the same thing. To take it one step further, here's our advice for some simple steps when hiring a wedding planner:

1. When we supply references, they are verifiable references of clients AND vendors. How do you tell the difference? Simple. Not only will the client references that are supplied, come with email and telephone numbers, the brides should be happy to provide you with photos of their recent wedding. Most brides would LOVE to share these online. Also, call vendors in the city you are having your wedding. Ask about the planner. A good planner should have great contacts with tried and true vendors. We are all only as good as the professionals we associate ourselves with and vendors are usually pretty honest about referring planners. Hotels, caterers, cake bakers,etc. Ask about the company you are looking to work with.
   
2. Make sure your wedding planner and ALL your wedding vendors are licensed and insured. This simple easy step is important. With the economy, so many people have lost their jobs and wedding planning appears to be a simple job that someone can do from home on their spare time. WRONG. Weddings are big business and warrant experience you can trust. You wouldn't take your car to a part-time mechanic who just works a couple of hours of week from his/her apartment complex, would you? Would you go to a part-time medical student to be treated for an infection or ailment? I think not. So why would you not hire a wedding planner with credentials, experience, business license and insurance to ensure you're protected? Ask to see their business license and insurance certificate. If a company has a problem supplying these, then I'd ask why?
   
3. Get it all in writing! Contracts are made for a reason. Make sure everything is spelled out and do not, I REPEAT, do not take no for an answer. Contracts are meant for the protection of all involved. Not only the clients, but the planner as well. You should look for things like 'cancellation policy', 'in the event that a planner cannot provide the services listed below due to...etc.'. Ensure that a planner is prepared to oversee every contract for every vendor working on your wedding.
4. How will billing and payments be handled? Our company has an internal billing structure and our clients get updates on all payments and cash flow accounts for in and outflow. They get confirmation each month on which vendors were paid and they also have the option of paying directly themselves if preferred. Be specific about payment terms. Make payment terms up front and stick to them. Ask for receipts.
   
5. Have a direct line of communication with ALL your vendors. A good planner will copy you on all correspondence and you should be able to contact your caterer, site planner, entertainment company anytime you wish. You've hired a planner to work on your behalf, but never should you feel you cannot contact a vendor directly. A Charleston Event have a policy to include our clients in all correspondence and involve them in line of communication. There are exceptions, but do make sure you completely agree and understand these exceptions up front.
6. Arrange your payment terms up front and send amounts that are tracked on a regular basis. Its all fine and dandy to tell you to put the entire amount on credit cards, but lets face it, $30K,$50K, $100K on a credit card can accumulate a very high rate of interest. Paying as you go along and tracking your payments will give you 'peace of mind'.
7. A lot of establishments and catering companies will require you to leave a credit card number as a guarantee in case of incidentals or add-ons. I do not know of one facility that will allow our clients to book an event without having a credit card on file for guarantee booking. This applies to hotel accommodations as well.
   

Hiring a professional planner can still be the best bet when planning a wedding, especially a destination wedding. Just do your homework and you'll be sure to still have that happily ever after ending. So sorry for this poor couple who found out too late.

Who pays?

As a professional planning service, one of the first topics that most couples are concerned about is proper etiquette. Going further from there, proper etiquette relating to who pays for what. Nowadays, there are so many couples that pay for the complete wedding themselves or have a sponsor (family member) offer to help towards the expenses. I still swear by the old fashioned rule of thumb that is written in the 'Emily Post Book of Etiquette' but the following site bullet points the basics IF you are thinking of sharing the costs. Costs should be discussed with everyone present and agreed upon in advance. NEVER assume this just happens.

Traditional Breakdown of Expenses Printable version - click here Wedding Gown, Headpiece & Accessories The Bride's Family Wedding Ring for Bride The Groom Wedding Ring for Groom The Bride Wedding Gift for Groom The Bride Wedding Gift for Bride The Groom Bridesmaid Gifts The Bride Groomsmen/Usher Gifts The Groom Bride's Bouquet The Groom Bridesmaid Bouquets The Bride's Family Mother's Corsages The Groom Grandmother Corsages The Bride's Family Groom's Boutonniere The Groom Groomsmen Boutonnieres The Groom Usher's Boutonnieres The Groom Ceremony/Reception Flowers The Bride's Family Altar Baskets/Arches The Bride's Family Canopy/Carpet The Bride's Family Kneeling Bench/Candleabrahs The Bride's Family Rented Items for Wedding The Bride's Family Rented Items for Reception The Bride's Family Invitations/Announcements The Bride's Family Wedding Programs The Bride's Family Napkins/Matches/Printed Items The Bride's Family Marriage License The Groom Medical Visit for Bride The Bride Medical Visit for Groom The Groom Church Fee The Bride's Family Clergyman/Officiant Fee The Groom Musician/Soloist The Bride's Family Church Janitor The Bride's Family Reception Hall Fee The Bride's Family Catered Reception/Professional Services The Bride's Family Wedding Photography The Bride's Family Video Photography The Bride's Family Orchestra/Band/DJ The Bride's Family Wedding Cake The Bride's Family Wedding Favors The Bride's Family Groom's Cake The Groom's Family Rice Bags The Bride's Family Rehearsal Dinner The Grooms Family Bridesmaid Luncheon The Bride Bachelor Party Best Man/Groom's Attendants Wedding Breakfast The Bride's Family Bridal Brunch The Bride's Family Bridesmaid's Gowns Bridesmaid's Maid of Honor Gown Maid of Honor Matron of Honor Gown Matron of Honor Best Man Formal Wear Best Man Usher's Formal Wear Ushers Groomsmen's Formal Wear Groomsmen Gloves/Ties/Ascots for Attendants The Groom Father of Bride Formal Wear Bride's Family Father of Groom Formal Wear Groom's Family Children's Formal Wear The Children's Parents Limousine Service The Groom Honeymoon Arrangements The Groom Travel Expenses to the Wedding The Out-of-town Attendant or Family Member Accommodations for out-of town Guests The Bride Gifts for the Couple Guest, Attendants and Family

Traditional Guest Books ~vs~ New Ideas

Elizabeth and Brian's wedding on September 5 was beautiful. It had a lay-back feel with Family Games and a light, easy feel to the day. There was no doubt that a wedding was taking place, but after the small intimate and touching ceremony, everyone made their way over to the cocktail area and enjoyed refreshments, passed hors d'oeuvres, Bocce Ball and other lawn games.

There was a section of the site dedicated though to "Words of Wisdom" or better known as A Charleston Event's Guest Book area. This couple were nature lovers and loved the simplicity of river rock. So....we created that element just for them. Guests signed individual rocks and placed them into a bowl that the newlyweds will adorn their home. They will remember their wedding day fondly when they see the rocks each day.Old fashioned, more traditional guest books are small books with pages of well wishes that usually get tucked away into a closet and forgotten about. Today's savvy brides are thinking up clever ideas of making sure their book gets viewed and memories stay alive. This photo envelope book above offered by Target, allows photos to be taken, and the guest to write a message to insert into the book. These books come in an array of colors as well.

Probably one of my own personal favorites is the personalized 'Memories" guest book. The above book is created by Richard Bell Photography and their company actually include a book in your photography package. Nothing is more precious than the love you have for each other. When you book your photographer, ask him/her if they do engagement sessions. This serves two purposes, (1) it allows you to get to know your photographer before the wedding day and visa versa. You'll be old friends by the time the day comes along and its fun to share the memories of just the two of you together in a casual setting and (2) You'll receive some of the most beautiful photos of the two of you right before the wedding that no one else has viewed. If your photographer does not create these wonderful little books, do it yourself easily online. (Be sure to get copyright releases from your photography company prior to publishing any photos). Have your favorites from the session put into a guest book style (you can do this through shutterfly.com or mypublisher.com). You can even combine these photos with the two of you growing up, photos of family and friends or just create blank pages for messages. The choice it yours. Once your guests sign the blank areas with messages, I promise, this will become a tabletop book you'll cherish for years to come.

Other ideas for guest wishes include

• Signing Photo Mat
• Signing Ceramic Platter
• Etching Silver Platter
  
• Quilt Patches
• Messages in a bottle (to be placed in a time capsule)
• Hardcover book on the wedding Destination Location
• Puzzles

Here's some other helpful sites to get ideas:

MyWedding.Com

MarthaStewart.Com

TheKnot.Com