We’re feeling the love here at Blush & Bashful and we want to share it with you!

If you book a Day Chic! Wedding Day Coordination Package with us for the 2009 calendar year by Valentine’s Day, we’d love to give you a sweet little bonus. After the booking process is complete, you can choose one of two treats; an additional consulting meeting with your coordinator, or our preferred vendor list at no extra charge.

What do you think about that?

When I first saw the name of this new tv show, “Party Monsters Cabo,” I had no idea what it could be about. I thought that maybe it was another show about Spring Break Gone Wrong! It turns out to be a party planning competition show similar to Project Runway and Top Design or Top Chef or Top Model (Wow, there are a lot of these shows!) Maybe they should have stuck with the “Top” naming strategy…”Top Party Planners”? It’s much more clear. But, I digress.

In the episode I watched tonight, the planners threw P. Diddy a party themed “The Art of Entertaining.” It didn’t come together so well and I couldn’t help but think that every single party planner watching the show–myself included–wanted to know why they were having such a hard time getting set up for P. Diddy’s guests. There were about ten planners and a staff of caterers. What was the problem?!

Anyway, when the expert planners were talking to the three contestants that were up for dismissal from the show they said something that made me feel so happy and validated. Afrika Lander, Director of Bad Boy Worldwide, said, “It’s all about the client. When they are walking, you should be running. If they are running, you should be sprinting…” I love it! Guests and Clients always notice that we Blush & Bashful girls walk quickly and hustle around on the wedding day. Maybe that is why we would have been greeting Diddy with a smile and a beverage at the door when the limo rolled up, instead of panicking and fighting.

The Blush and Bashful offices will be closed from Tuesday, October 28, 2008 until Monday, November 10, 2008 while I’m on vacation with my hubby in Aruba soaking up the sun.

If you need to contact us for any reason, please email me: meg(at)blushandbashfulevents.com, as I’ll be checking email periodically and responding to anything urgent. If you are inquiring about new wedding planning or coordinating services, don’t worry because you’ll have priority.

I will have no access to phone or voicemail while I’m gone, so I’ll return any calls after the 10th of November.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!
Meghann

Ahhhh…I can feel myself relaxing already!

As we discussed in the previous post, we’re all trying to save money these days. I tried to give a few ideas about what to do to save big bucks on your wedding celebration. Now, here’s what NOT to do…

1) Don’t put your wedding on a credit card, unless you have a detailed plan for how you are going to quickly pay it off. The average Chicago wedding costs well over $50,000. That is a HUGE amount of money to put on the plastic without thinking it through.

2) Don’t assume that you’ll get anything from your guests as a gift. Yes, I know this is a taboo subject! But, I’ve seen it time and time again where couples go overboard thinking that they will “make it back” from their guests in cash gifts. Although there is an etiquette rule that tells guests to give a gift that covers the cost of their meal at the reception, most guests have no idea about this rule or how much their meal costs! You’ll be incredibly lucky to get even a quarter of your money “back.”

3) Don’t register for things you don’t need. Yes, the $500 print from Pottery Barn is beautiful and the perfect thing to put over your bed. However, if someone is hugely generous and gives you the $500 print when you really could use something else (like cash), you’ll be kicking yourself later.

4)  Don’t assume that you’ll be able to negotiate with your vendors on their price. Please remember that each of your vendors has to pay the bills, too! If you do try to negotiate, be fair. Ask for things like a small amount of additional time or a free set of prints that doesn’t cut into the vendor’s bottom line as much. Don’t come to them pleading, “I only budgeted $400 for your service. Can you match that?” That can be offensive!

5) Don’t forget to factor in “hidden” costs. Yes, you may be able to afford to rent a venue for $6,000 for your celebration. But, look closely at the contract to see what that cost includes. Often, you are simply renting the space without tables and chairs and often for an amount of time that may be too short for your event. Be sure to ask plenty of questions before signing the contract.

6) Don’t be afraid to back out of your contract. If something happens like job loss or home foreclosure, it is often better to cut your losses and see if you can cancel your elaborate wedding reception. Yes, there will be financial penalties for doing so. However, it’s better to lose $5,000 than to spend $75,000 you don’t have. Keep the date at the church and get married. But, lose the expensive reception. It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all…

7) Don’t jump into signing a contract that you are uncomfortable with. If the price is too high, but you just love the vendor, think it through! Talk to more vendors and see if there is anyone else who comes close. Talk to that vendor about other options. They may have smaller packages to better suit your needs.

Now that I officially feel like Debbie Downer,  I’ll repeat my message from the previous post. BE SMART about how you spend your wedding budget and you’ll be fine. Be happy! You are marrying your best friend.

I was checking my hotmail account a few weeks ago and I saw this article on msn.  I’ve cut-and-pasted my favorite part here. I hear this sentiment repeated time and time again when I talk to clients whose friends or family members had wedding-day drama.

Take a look…and then contact us right away!

Biggest Wedding Regrets

Brides reveal their ’shoulda, coulda, woulda’ moments.

By Charli Penn

What bride doesn’t want her wedding day to go exactly as she planned with a minimal amount of drama? The truth is you can plan your heart out, but things may not always work the way you hoped they would. We asked newly married brides to be up-front and honest about their biggest preparation regrets so others could learn from their mistakes. Here’s what they had to say…

“I would have hired a day-of coordinator. It got irritating when people would ask questions like, ‘Where should I put the extra programs?’ after the ceremony.”

Tip: The one thing most brides don’t get on their wedding day is a break. If you want to enjoy individual moments more and deal with questions and disasters less, hiring day-of help should be a high priority on your to-do list. The quality time you’ll gain is well worth the fee.