Send them packing

How about a simple thanks for coming send away gift for your destination wedding guests: A small bag with a starbucks via, a bottle of water, sugar, creamer, and a disposable coffee cup. Super easy and sweet.
Add a nice note to really say thanks.

Southern Weddings Volume IISo worth the wait.

It might take 5 visits to 5 different newsstands, but I can assure you its worth it.
This second issue of Southern Weddings magazine...wow. After the last issue being an innovation in the wedding magazine world, I knew the next would be phenomenal.
What I find fantastic about Southern Weddings is that its quite honestly just about weddings and how amazing they are. When I read it, I felt like each and every page was a celebration that was all completely realistic. How thrilled was I that I didn't have to look at yet another 5 page spread of gorgeous wedding dresses on a model with something like an actual birds nest with live birds in her hair, while she was eating a lobster and standing on a log floating down the river? Insanely thrilled. Sounds corny, I know- but when you live in the wedding world (temporarily as a bride or permanently as a professional)...real is what you ache for: gorgeous pictures, plenty of advice and tips (look for mine on page 117), great shopping resources and finds, and candid comments.
Now, Lara, when can I get volume III; because my current copy is already on read thru #8.

Meet Michelle. Wedding-a-holic #2

I met my match when Michelle came to WBS. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to truly love weddings anywhere near as much as I do. She proved me wrong. She's an avid wedding blog and magazine reader, and is ridiculous on wedding research- she can find anything. Needless to say, we are 2 peas in a pod. The only thing Michelle has failed at is teaching me spanish. Last time I tried, a spanish speaking attendant laughed at me and said, "What?" in english. Oh that was a laugh!
Over the last nearly 2 years, Michelle has been more than my right arm, she's the one that always knows exactly what direction I'm coming from and where it is I want to get to. She knows and appreciates the standards I hold and she cares for our clients as much as I do. I am so grateful for Michelle.
Michelle on Twitter: @wbsMichelle

Recommended-Preferred-Favorite- call it what you will.

What you'd notice if you were to sift through all the weddings I have had the opportunity to plan is that quite frequently you're going to come across the same professionals. As a wedding planner it is my responsibility to present my clients with options that are best for them and the events that they are planning. So when a client asks for my recommendations to book their vendors, my list is full of people I love to work with. Are they favorites? I suppose you could look at it that way. You could also look at preferred or recommended professionals from the same perspective as I:

They've proven that they're consistently dependable, high quality & fair;
They've exceeded my expectations & more importantly, exceeded my clients expectation;
They're a pleasure to work with from the 1st meeting through the wedding day (and beyond when it comes to photographers & videographers).
It also means that:
They're more than knowledgeable of their product/service;
That they know the locations, rules and restrictions of venues we frequently work at;
And that they work well with other wedding professionals.

Side note: If you have a team of professionals who love working together- you get a better wedding. There is no denying this. Just like your job- when you have awesome co-workers, the results are always better because the "workplace" is just a better place to be. It's great when I can call up a florist and say, "so&so is going to be making the cake for this wedding", and the florist gets incredibly excited. Why? Because she knows that she's going to be decorating a masterpiece (and a masterpiece that will arrive on time at that).

So what to do if you don't have a planner to give you a great list of exceptional professionals who love to work together? Ask your vendors who they love to work with. They'll be honest because they want to work with them too.

In the photos: Just a small few of the SW Florida wedding pros who love weddings, love to work together, and to celebrate each others successes and accomplishments. There are many many more, but it would make this post 15 pages long.

Meet Ericka. She’s tiny but mighty.

Ericka knocks out a to do list like nobody’s business. Somehow she has the magic ability to get our clients to respond in record time.  Since she’s only had one wedding with us, so she’s still in that shock and awe stage of wedding planning.  It only takes about 3 weddings though to realize how consistently crazy destination weddings really are behind the scenes.   Ericka is also the only one who sings out loud with me in the car when we’re going to meetings.  Thank you for singing with me Ericka.  Like Whitney, she graduates from school next year; so I think I’ll just give her a 6000 item to do list so that she has to stay longer.

Ericka on Twitter: @wbsEricka