We're Having a DIY Wedding Sale

We're cleaning out our storage units!  We've partnered with Signature Florals and we're selling off tons of wedding decor to make room for new splendid items.  Stop by and see if there's anything that you can use at your wedding (or just around your house!).

Friday April 8 from 3pm-7pm and Saturday April 9 from 10am-2pm

We pretty much expect it to be the best indoor yard sale ever!

Thousands of décor and details to browse and buy: 

Vases - Crystals-Silk flowers - Tablecloths - Runners - Chargers - Candle holders - Candles - Lanterns - Stationery - Cake stands - Ribbon - Favors -Candy Buffet - Unique table decor And much more!

The sale will take place at 

The Resort at Marina Village

5971 Silver King Blvd 

Cape Coral, FL

Head to the Hope Ballroom

Free to Shop!

"Like" us on facebook (DIY Wedding Sale) to claim your Swag Bag

Friday April 8 3pm-7pm

Saturday April 9 10am-2pm

10% of our proceeds will be donated to Wish Upon a Wedding

For more info attending as a Bride, vendor, or general shopper please call 239.540.9029

or e-mail info@kellymcwilliams.com

Budget is not a bad word.

Don't be afraid to use it. In fact, do the opposite and say it out loud. Even put it in writing. Here's the thing, wedding vendors want you to hire them for your wedding. No surprise to anyone. They also want to give you everything you want. Believe me, most wedding pros would love to offer every bride the world because that means we get to use all of our craft and talents and experience to the hilt! However, everything you want may not be what is actually a plausible. And this {deep sigh}, this is equally as disappointing to us as it is to you to find out that it was never a possibility.
If you've done your homework and researched the professionals you're considering, you can feel good about trusting that they only want to maintain the good reputations they've earned. So keep this in mind when they ask you what you want to spend or what you can spend. It's okay (and best) to be honest.

Here are a couple good examples of presenting your budget:

Example one: Bride "Chloe" is sitting down with floral designer "Jack". Bride says, "Jack, Here are some images I've collected that I'm really drawn to, and I'd like to do something similar. Here is the list of things I think that I need from you, and my budget is $$$$. Is this something you think we can do?"

When it comes to professionals who offer packages (such as photographers), you can do the same, but asking them to just lower a package price to fit into your budget isn't the appropriate thing to do, and quite frankly, it can be somewhat insulting. Not that anyone means to be insulting. And believe me- professionals know that is not your intention. So from the get go, be honest.

Example two" "Photographer Jack, I understand that your packages begin at $$$$. My budget is $$$$. I am flexible, and was wondering if you can offer any custom packages that might be available to me in my budget?"

Will everyone be able to say yes? No, not everyone can. However, being straight forward will help you get you where you need to go in the quickest most pleasant way possible!
*Keep in mind that vendors who can't meet your budget requirements may be able to lead you in the direction of someone who is. It doesn't hurt to ask.

fine print: My friend Jody of Good Taste events reminded me of something very important. The word budget doesn't exist in standard shopping situations. You know, in case there are grooms or husbands reading this post.

Preferred Vendor Lists

Recently I was meeting with one of my clients, reviewing all the plans for her wedding. When we got to the videography tab in my planning binder, I asked a few basic questions and her answers lead me to realize that she had hired this company without doing research. I cringed. She had selected them simply because they were on the venues preferred vendor list. She hadn't seen one of their wedding videos or even a wedding clip, She didn't know what her tangible product would be or what options she would have, or how this compared to other vendors who charged the same amount. This isn't the first time I've heard this from clients.

You wouldn't choose your venue ONLY because you saw it in your favorite magazine, so don't take this path with any other part of your plans.

You'd consider the costs, the location, the menus available, the atmosphere, the contract terms, what you get for your dollar, etc.
The good thing is that you can trust that preferred vendors are well versed on the property. Most of the time (please note that I did not say always), its okay to trust that the professionals on venue lists are quality, dependable wedding vendors. But this is not always the case, and there's much more to consider than this.

A few things to keep in mind when you start your vendor planning:
1. Realize that some venues charge vendors to be on their venue list or pay a commission every time they work there.
2. Realize that there may be many other reputable high quality vendors that are better for your event, better suited for your personality, offer better services/products.
3. Invest the time to compare. Get samples of each professionals work that applies to what you are asking for, and compare to other professionals.
4. Don't rule out vendor lists, but don't make them your play book either.
5. Get referrals from everyone, other vendors and previous brides (recent brides, married in the last 16 weeks).
6. Check out wedding planners blogs. Wedding planners are notorious for only highlighting good professionals because these are vendors who are good to their clients.
7. Remember that price is not everything and that great marketing is just that- great marketing (look deeper).
8. Look for experience and talent.

A few wedding planner-bloggers who highlight great wedding pros (and there are many many more (check out "My Friends say" on the right sidebar):
www.blog.emilieduncan.net
www.perfectpartysolutions.blogspot.com
www.weddify.com
www.greenweddingshoes.blogspot.com
http://www.stellaeventdesign.com/blog/

Spreading the holiday cheer Captiva, Sanibel, Naples, Ft Myers Wedding Venues & Vendors

This week we did our annual holiday cheer deliveries to a few of our favorite venues and vendors we worked with this year.
{This year we made gifts of a baby Rosemary Christmas tree, baguettes from Panera, Olive Oil & Balsalmic Vinegar, and a dipping bowl with a super cheesy holiday card I designed. I don't think Hallmark will be hiring me anytime soon}
Here we are at our first stop: Floral Artistry. Beth was gone for the day and Yanna was tied up on the phone. From there we headed out to South Seas. Kind of a drive- so we played a game of iphone Name that Tune. That Shazam app is so cool!
I thought, "You know what, maybe our clients and readers might like to see some of the people we're always talking about!" So here's the ones we were able to catch on camera:The Sales and Catering Team from South Seas Island Resort
Kathi & Sarah from Talent! The Agency of Choice

Lynn Alexander from LaPlaya Beach ResortThe Sales & Catering Team from Casa Ybel Resort
Rob & AnnMarie Epple of AMC Video

We also made deliveries at Grandezza (Sean Hynes), Miromar Beach Club (Lesley O'Quinn), Sanibel Harbour Resort (Kristin Lawrence)and the Ritz Carlton Naples Beach (Nicola Long)...but they were all tied up getting ready for weddings. Hope you're having fabulous ones!
A huge thank you to all of you for being part of another year of so many great weddings!

A smart woman once said

Isis, (who is a dear friend and absolutely fantastic wedding planner) at Posh Events in New Jersey put this so well, I had to share. For those who may be on the fence about hiring or at least consulting with a professional about their wedding...read this.

Pictures go a long way

Back to that whole inspiration post...
When you meet with your wedding planner, florist, cake baker, venue coordinator, etc. Bring clippings, swatches, and photos. Anything that will help you better explain the wedding you are envisioning. You don't need to be tied down to these photos though. Take them as a starting point, and let the vendors build off of them. If you're working with true professionals they'll be able to help you develop a wedding that's truly unique to you using the things you've brought as a foundation.
Just be sure to be clear about things that might be unclear. For instance, let's say you whip out a clipping from Grace Ormonde Wedding Style and its a photo of a reception where all the chairs are covered. You say to her, "I love this look" If you don't tell the florist you aren't covering the chairs at your reception- she might miss the opportunity to suggest that you tie a ribbon with an orchid to each chair.

"Your job is so cool" Warning: Long Post.

I giggle a little when people say this to me. I do love what I do; I love planning weddings. You couldn't possibly convince me that there's a better job out there. However, when people say this to me its either at the wedding, when they see me smiling off to the side(dancing just a little cause the band rocks!) or crying tears of joy. Or during wedding venue tours, when we're going to all these fabulous locations looking at beaches, tasting food, and eating cake. That part of being a wedding planner is so beyond great- who wouldn't want to do that?
But I giggle because never do wedding guests or clients see me in my office, with 2 computers, a fax machine, 3 phones, bookshelves full of client binders, and filing cabinets full of vendor and resource information. On my typical day I am tied to the office for 9 hours. I get 15-20 emails per hour. Most of my 8-10 phone calls take at least 15 minutes. I wish it was just my brides calling me; because I love talking to them, but I have to actually plan their weddings, and that means talking to all their vendors too. Most weddings have about 20 contracts of some sort. I have to take care of all that. Cool right?
If I have to give up some of that office time for meetings, I'm in the office on the weekend, in the evenings, and sometimes before dawn. And that's after the usual weekend meetings with clients. Because, I meet with clients when they aren't working their jobs! Then there's the calendar on the wall. Right now there are 17 weddings on that calendar (between now and next April 2008). I am a multi-tasking master. So, what it comes down to is that my job might be fairly similar to any other project-manager-office-job most of the time. Cool right?
Then there's wedding week. Adrenaline takes over big time. No matter what, there will be fires to put out, chaos to control, and a mess to clean up. No matter what, I always end up working at least 20 hours straight 3 days in a row, I might get to eat one meal (which is cold, while standing up, in a corner, in the dark), and there's no such thing as a bathroom break. Cool right?
Truly, my friends think I am insane for doing what I do. My husband thinks I work too much. My kids, they seem to get it (kids are cool like that). My dad- he didn't think I was running a real business until he read an article about me in a magazine; and this was just a few months ago (I've been in business for years!).

My job is cool- for me. Again, I love it, and there are some seriously fun parts. But it is not for everyone, thats for sure. I'll post about the fun parts later, but right now I have 17 weddings to plan. Hee Hee.

CRAZY wedding story

Here is one of the craziest wedding stories I have ever heard- and somehow, I was slightly, yet indirectly involved. On the day of a recent wedding on which I was providing partial services (meaning I didn't recommend and book all the vendors or locations), I rcvd a call from the limo driver, asking if it was okay if he was a half hour late. I quickly said "no, that would not be okay, I confirmed all the times and locations twice in the last week, and nothing can be changed at this point. A delay would be breaking the contract as it affects the timing of the entire wedding." His response, "I have to pick up another wedding party in Lehigh (2 cities away), bring them to their hotel, nearly in Sanibel (way far south -I'd say a city and a half), and then I'll come get yours (again, a city and a half). I'm going to go get them now (it's 1pm). My clients were to be picked up at 2pm. What happened after that is nothing you want to hear about, and nothing any bride needs to experience. One of those conversations that wedding planners have all the time for our clients; and quite frankly, they aren't pretty. By the time I was done, there was another limo on the way to get my wedding party. No way was my bride going to wait.
Brings me to last night. I attended a mock wedding at a great resort on Ft Myers Beach. Tell ya all about it on another post. Anyhoo- I'm seated next to the florist, who says, "Did you hear about my wedding a few weeks ago?" So he begins to tell me that the limo driver pulls up to the house, doesn't get out of the car, doesn't open doors, instead honks the horn. "WHAT!?!" is my reaction. That right there was enough to make my blood boil. The limo is filthy and reeks of smoke. The brother of the bride is following the limo and notices that its all over the road. The driver is drunk! So the brother does everything he can to get the guy to pull over, and eventually he does. Of course, they are at the busiest intersection in Ft Myers. The limo driver gets out of the car and throws all the luggage into the street! Then he tries to strangle the brother. So the bride takes off down the block, in her wedding dress, to ABC liquor to call the police. She comes back to find that now the driver has a knife to her brother. The police are pulling up, and so the driver takes off in the limo. Yep, police chase. Eventually they got him, not sure how. But they had to cuff him to a light pole in the median.
So I ask what limo co. it was. Don't you know it was the limo driver (also the company owner) who called me and was supposed to be picking up my clients that very same day?
Never ever have I been so happy that a vendor called and made me whip out the "don't you even think about messing with me" It's so rare that I have to do it as strongly as I did in this instance, but boy- this proves that there are times that it is absolutely necessary.

Goodness! I can't believe I haven't made an entry since Memorial Day! It really is amazing how time flies by; whether its because you're having fun, or working so much that you don't notice the sun coming up and going back down again.
When it comes to your wedding, time is not always on your side. So being prepared is crucial. What's the best way to manage your time and everything else for your wedding day? (Besides having a wedding planner of course) Create a timeline. Start with 1 hour increments and fill in the blanks. Ceremony start time, reception end time, limo pick up time, when the photographer is arriving, your hair appointment, etc. As you start filling in the blanks you'll be able to break it into a more detailed timeline like the one above. On your timeline, make columns so you can put notes in, contact info, and be sure to leave space to add things that you "almost forgot". Once your timeline is complete, you'll have a really great document to keep you calm and cool when you think everything is going wrong. You'll know exactly who is where and when and what they're doing. Most importantly, make your schedule reasonable. You can't get your hair done at 3pm and expect to be walking down the aisle 20 minutes later. be forwarned, it takes time to build a good timeline. My wedding timelines are usually 3 to 4 pages long, have every wedding detail noted, all vendors contact information, and take me 4 to 6 hours to create.
Todays tip: Buy bins with lids to fill as you're planning your wedding. One for the reception, one for the ceremony, one for the rehearsal dinner, etc. As you purchase items, put them in the box and keep an inventory sheet on top. That way when wedding day comes you won't have to sort through everything. You can deliver each box to the appropriate location and not worry that something is missing!
Todays Link: http://www.floridacasinonights.com/ These people know how to turn a rehearsal dinner into a PARTY! I finally got to attend one of their events as a guest and I was totally shocked by how great a time I had. I'm not a poker playing kind of gal- but for some reason when there's no real cash to lose, it is just so much fun!

Usually the first item on a to-do list when planning a wedding is the budget. Having a budget from the get go will enable you to put money in categories that are a priority to you, ensures that you're calling on vendors and venues that are right for your wedding (high quality, reputable, and in your budgeted price range) , and that you're going to have enough money at the end (2 weeks prior to the wedding) to pay for them all. So what's the 1st thing brides & grooms usually cut? Videography. What's my 1st response to this, "I suggest we hold off on removing that category for now". Here's why:
Out of all my weddings, the couples who do get videography, tell me it is the one thing that they are most glad they did. Why? They didn't get to see everyone "oohh and aaahh" at the 1st site of the reception. " The whole thing was a blur, it was over so quickly"
Out of all my weddings, the couples who did NOT get videography, tell me it is the one thing that they wish they did. " I wish I could have seen my nephew walk down the aisle, he was so excited" "I heard my 90 year old Aunt Dottie was dancing to Eminem, I wish I could have seen that" "I wish I could hear my best mans speech one more time"
A professional wedding video is not the same as cousin Joe's. That is unless cousin Joe has 2 cameras, a wireless lapel mcrophone, capability and 40+ hours to edit 12 hours of video down to 2, and add your favorite music, and won't mind working through your entire wedding ceremony and reception rather than enjoying it. Oh, and you'll be sure to forgive him for missing your 1st dance while he got a drink at the bar.
Tip: provide your videographer with everything they need to provide you with an awesome document of your big day BEFORE the wedding. This includes your song choices, your invitation, the wedding day timeline & floorplans, photgraphers name, and details/notes sheets.
Todays photo: This is the cover of Bonita Living. It's the annual wedding issue of a regional magazine here in SWFL. Many regional magazines and publications do wedding issues in May & June. They can be a great resource, so check your local newstands. Weddings by Socialites was featured in this issue (click to read: www.esocialites.com/Press.html )!
Todays links: www.AMCvideo.com See what wedding videography is these days. Also growing in popularity, wedding cinematography www.lifestoriesny.com