Gearing up for Engagement Season

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, Christmas is definitely right around the corner . . . and with it comes the beginning of what I call Engagement Season.  From Christmas Day through Valentine’s Day more couples get engaged than during any other time of the year.  What a great way to warm up those cold winter nights!

If this season brings a little something sparkly to your left ring finger, may I be the first to say “CONGRATULATIONS”!  What an exciting time  . . . and what a wonderful way to start off the new year.  As you begin to wade your way through the planning process, I know you may feel a little overwhelmed, so I offer some of my best tips for getting your Big Day Underway . . .

1.  Don’t Jump Into Choosing Your Date!!!

When you start planning, the best thing to do is have a specific month or time of year in mind for your wedding date.  Then start looking at venues.  This gives you so many more options when booking a site . . . and helps you take advantage of specials or discounts that venues may offer for weekdays or off-season dates.  The more flexible your date is, the more likely it is you can get the best deal possible on the wedding venue of your dreams!

2.  Book the Site and then Buy Your Dress – it is all downhill from there

The wedding venue and your wedding gown are the 2 things you want to take care of the furthest in advance.  Popular venues book up about 9 months in advance and wedding gowns typically take 4-6 months to special order.  Checking these 2 items off the list first not only ensures that you stay on track with your timeline, but they also are the 2 elements that most directly influence the style and feeling of your wedding.  It is much easier to make floral, decor and party decisions when the 2 biggest elements are already in hand.

3.  Don’t let another Vendor talk you OUT of hiring a Wedding Planner

I love working with other dedicated wedding professionals, and the best vendors all understand the value that a Wedding Planner can bring to your special day.  That said, be wary of vendors who try to talk you out of hiring a Wedding Planner.  This is especially popular with venue event managers.  They love to tell Brides that they can take the place of a Wedding Planner or Day-Of Coordinator, and that is just not true.  They will set the site to your specifications and make sure that the food goes out on time, and they will even tear down at the end of the night . . . but that does not even come CLOSE to what a Dedicated Wedding Planner will give you.  A Wedding Planner will work with you from Day 1 on EVERY element of your day . . . your dress, the invitations, collecting groomsmen measurements, helping out of town guests make travel arrangements and ensuring that you and your family are able to truly sit back and ENJOY your wedding day.  Planning a wedding involves so much more than just deciding where the cake table should sit and what time the toasts should start . . . it means getting involved and creating a relationship with a Bride and Groom, creating a style that is unique and executing a wedding day that is everything the Bride & Groom could hope for.

4.  Visit the January Bridal Shows to collect ideas and vendor information

I love Bridal Shows – they are my favorite way meet new Brides.  As a Bride, this is your great opportunity to see what the wedding professionals have to offer and to start collecting ideas for your own day.  Plus, many vendors offer specials if you book from a Bridal Show . . . I know I do! You get the chance to meet vendors in person and then decide if you want to pursue a consultation . . . and you will also get to register for prizes.  It’s a fun and inexpensive way to get the planning process started.

Hopefully, these few simple tips put you on the road to the wedding of your dreams.  Remember, As You Wish Events is here to continue to guide you down the path to wedded bliss, and we would LOVE to meet with you one-on-one to start creating you perfect day.  Give us a call today, or stop by and see us at the Colorado Bridal Show on January 16th, 2011 – where we will be previewing 4 great new wedding table styles!  We hope to see you there!

PS.  We are giving away a free Day-Of Wedding Coordination package to anyone who registers at our booth at the show!  So make sure you come by!

A Great Review

Nothing feels quite as good as getting a great review from a Bride and Groom!  Knowing that we were able to give them the perfect day is what we aim for, and we were excited to get this quote from a recent couple:

 

“The day went better than we could have ever imagined. Brooke was a god send and made our dreams a reality. She was a pleasure to work with and brought a lot to the table for a couple who had no idea what to do. She had great ideas and took care of everything making the process easier than we anticipated. We thought we were doomed when we couldn’t find our centerpieces, and low and behold Brooke found the perfect ones after i’m sure a long time of searching online just for us. That shows she is dedicated and would go above and beyond. She is exactly the type of person you want to help with one of the biggest days of your life. Thank you so much for all that you did for us Brooke, we could not have done any of it without you!”

Thanks again Brooke! We wish you all the best,

Love,

Zee and Levi

Free Class for Brides!!

Beginning this month, we are going to start offering a free monthly class for brides!  This month the class will focus on How to Plan and Style your Wedding and will take place on Thursday, April 29th at 7 PM.  Space is limited and this will be a fun, informative class and will last about an hour.  To register, email us at info@asyouwishco.com

The Top 7 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner

Your Time Is Valuable

Time is a precious thing, and at As You Wish Events, we understand that you want to spend your time wisely.  By hiring us, you are getting a dedicated professional to help you with every detail of your day – taking the strain off of you and your loved ones.   We will research, plan and present everything to you along the way, saving you time and energy.  You make all the decisions . . . we just make it easy!

You Want to Spend Your Money Wisely

As You Wish Events is a professional firm with an eye on the market.  We know how to help you plan a budget and how to help you stick to it.  We have the inside track – we know where the good deals are and will help you take advantage of them.  We can work with ANY budget!  Let us show you how we can save you money!

Your Wedding is an Event to be Enjoyed

On your wedding day you want to be able to relax and truly enjoy the day as it unfolds.  As You Wish Events will take the stress out of your day – our organization and professionalism will ensure that each detail is as you want it to be.  We THRIVE on perfection and will hand each detail of your event with care and dedication– so that you can truly sit back and enjoy!

You Want an Advocate on your side when you deal with other Vendors

When meeting with Vendors, it is imperative to have someone on your side who knows the industry lingo and norms, how to work within them and sometimes, around them.  As You Wish Events will help you determine which questions to ask so that you get the most out of your interviews and make informed decisions about which vendors will work best for your wedding.  We will work with the vendors from the day you sign with them and will continue to be on your side throughout the process.

You Want an Industry Professional to give you the Inside Tips

We keep up on the latest styles and trends in the wedding industry.  We know what’s hot and how to use it!

You Want Creative, Personal Touches at your Wedding

Each wedding is distinct.  As You Wish Events will help you create a full scale design for your wedding that captures the elements and feeling you are looking for and brings it to life with all the care and creativity we can muster.  It’s your day – and you should have it your way!

You Want a Wedding Planner who works with you to create the Wedding of your Dreams

When you work with As You Wish Events, it is YOUR wedding that we are planning.  We have no agenda and will not push our style on you.  We want to create YOUR style, and give you the wedding of your dreams – whatever that may be!

Engagement Season is Upon Us!

We spent yesterday a the Colorado Bridal Show meeting with some of Denver’s newly (and not so newly) engaged couples.  The time between Christmas and Valentine’s Day is the busiest time of year for engagements – and also the best time of year to book Vendors!

We are scheduling free consulations for brides & grooms all this month and would love to meet you and show you how working with As You Wish Events can bring value to your wedding.  We can help you with everything for your big day – budget, style & decor, vendor selection – you name it, we can help you put it together!

Give us a call today and see how working with our World Class Event Specialists can make your wedding day a dream come true!

Thanksgiving Traditions

I love Thanksgiving . . . the food, the family and the traditions.  In my family that means lasagne with our turkey!  Yes, I am rather sentimental, and I enjoy celebrating traditions.  I also enjoy incorporating traditions into special events.  Serve that favorite holiday meal for your wedding, go around the table at a dinner party and say what you are thankful for – celebrate those things which make you who you are!  These are the little details that folks will remember long after your event has ended.

In the spirit of saying thanks, I would like to thank each of you for taking the time to read my blog and to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Now . . . where is that lasagne! (:

Favorable Favors

One of the most often overlooked items on a party table are the guest favors.  I love favors – they are a fun and personal way to say “thanks for celebrating with us,” and they can really showcase your tastes and personality.  Whether you are looking for favors for your wedding, or just a simple idea for a holiday dinner party, get creative and your guests will be wowed!

Do you enjoy backyard BBQs?  How about small jars of spice rub with a fun custom label will get your guests in the grillin mood!

Winter Wedding?  Customized Christmas tree ornaments with your wedding details will sparkle on your guests’ trees!

Holiday Dinner Party?  Decorate small pine cones to look like tiny christmas trees – they look great on your table and your guests’ alike!

 

Let As You Wish Events help you put together favorable favors for any occasion!  Contact us today at asyouwishevents@hotmail.com

Falling into Rich Wedding Palates

As I am sitting writing this, I am looking out my window at the beautiful gold leaves barely clinging to the trees.  Fall is a beautiful time of year and it always gets me to thinking about weddings that warm me up . . . rich colors, elegant soups and those great fall touches that bring the beauty of the outdoors in.

Here are some of my favorite suggestions for fall weddings:

Use those rich fall colors – True golds, deep reds, dark purples, rich oranges – when paired with any neutral, these colors come alive and the presentation is both elegant and truly captures the season.  Pair them with champagne or ivory to add a touch of class, or use a contrasting bright such as fuchsia, yellow or bright orange to bring things up a notch.

Put some fall favorites on the table – Skip the salad and go for a wonderful squash soup course.  Keep it warm on the table with hot multi-grain rolls in baskets complete with heart-shaped warming stones.  Serve a signature tea or apple cider to your guests.  Don’t forget desert!  Go for the pumpkin spice wedding cake with cream cheese frosting.

Bring the best of the outside in for your guests – Custom leaf seating cards. cornucopia centerpieces with fall blooms and candy apples are all simple ideas that celebrate the season.

For more beautiful fall wedding tips, contact As You Wish Events!  Where your every occasion is a dream come true!

And so it begins . . .

And so it begins!  Thanks to some great advice from the Wedding MBA Conference I attended in Las Vegas, I have decided to join the world of the blogger!  Each entry will be different – my musings on planning events, fun trends in the business, great tips for DIYers – a myriad of subjects to peruse!

Since this is Blog #1, I will start with ME!

I fell in love with weddings at the tender age of 12 when I danced the night away at my cousin Shellea’s wedding.  The flowers, the dresses, the guests, OH MY!   So many little things that work together to create a beatiful day!  I realized then that I enjoy a good production, and even more that I wanted to BE in a good production!

So I set out to learn how to put on a good production and graduated with a degree in theatre from Colorado State.  Then reality set in and I realized that unless I was willing to move to New York or LA (I wasn’t) I would probably never make much money doing theatre.

I worked a couple of “jobs” – things to get me by until I figured out what I wanted to be when I grew up, and eventually ended up as a Logistics Coordinator for a Low Voltage Subcontractor (fancy way of saying they install smart home system).  What I found there was that I excel at all things that involve planning and organization.  I enjoy putting things together and seeing them come out well. Then the economy pushed me into unemployment and I decided it was time to get into something I truly LOVED doing.  So, with the help of my dear friend and business partner, Terri, I decided to combine my love of weddings, production coordination and planning together and Plan Weddings!

And here we are!  As You Wish Events was born and has already handled a couple of events!  You can check us out on the web – asyouwishco.com.  We handle Weddings and any other type of occasion that you might need help planning. So, check us out, give us a call and let us help you make your occasion a dream come true!