Planning a wedding from A to Z
The dos, don’ts and wedding day advice from the experts
Writer’s note: The following interviews were completed in November 2009 when I had an online column as the Chicago Relationships Examiner. This post has been repurposed and edited as needed. View the original post here for pages 1, 2 and 3.
You may have planned a birthday party, a Halloween party or even been the host of a Christmas dinner party, but you've never had to plan something as big as a wedding. Now you're the most important person in the wedding: the bride.
Here are some tips from wedding professionals and wedding planners in the Chicago area about how to make your wedding the best wedding it can possibly be from A-Z.
Accessories and Decorations
“How do I find wedding accessories items that fit my personality?”
"One of the things I do is customize wedding accessories — that is the African-American jumping broom, the ring pillows, flower girl baskets. Brides want the colors of their weddings, very vibrant colors. I take a swatch of what they have or some other item to create customized items. I use cowry shells, very beautiful ornate type of beading, fringe, anything that really catches my eye."
-Leeta Liddell, owner of Diamonds & Lace EventScaping
Bridal Shower/Makeup Party
“What are good gift ideas to thank my bridal party for their work or good bridal shower ideas?”
"Upon booking us, the Makeup Bar of Chicago is a mobile makeup party. We bring out the professional makeup artists, the bartenders, as well as the photographers. We definitely want them to come away thinking this is something I'd like to do around the holidays or for me and my girlfriends."
-Relana Johnson, Creative Director of Diamonds & Lace EventScaping, principal instructor and owner of Good Gyrri®
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Cash Bar at Reception
“Should I or shouldn't I make my guests pay?”
*The videographers will kill me, but sometimes if you're working with a $5,000 or $10,000 budget, maybe you should not get a videographer. Maybe you should devote that money from your videographer to your food and alcohol so you don't have to have a cash bar. Cash bars are a breach of etiquette. It's like inviting somebody to your house and saying, 'You want a drink? Give me $5.' People do it anyway, but it's a breach of etiquette."
-Geralyn Hopson, owner and principal event designer of Red Carpet Events
Guest List
“I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings by not inviting them so how do I manage my guest list?”
"If you have a $5,000 budget and 200 guests, that's too many guests for your budget. When you start thinking about paying for a cake, paying for a photographer, paying for all the vendors related to a wedding, you don't have enough money for 200 guests."
-Geralyn Hopson, owner and principal event designer of Red Carpet Events
Recommended Read: “Should you get wedding insurance? ~ Rob Nuccio of WedSure: 'Change of Heart' wedding insurance, insurance fraud”
Makeup Artist for the Wedding Day
“How do I make myself a beautiful bride without overdoing the makeup?”
"It all starts with the hair and the fashion. Regardless of race, skin tone or culture, every face has a natural look for them as a person, as a woman. A lot of times, in the beginning, I had clients who were very apprehensive. [Clients asked] 'Can you make me look beautiful?' 'Can you make me look natural?' Once that first client left my chair, everybody else was ready. The challenge was to make that woman look her best regardless of whatever fad or contemporary look was out.”
-Kimberly Pleasant, makeup artist, photographer and owner of A Pleasant Face
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Money for the Wedding Planner
“What is the minimum for hiring a wedding planner?”
"I've known people who have had $5,000 budgets and hired a wedding planner for the day of. There are people that prefer to have a wedding planner on the day of because they want their parents and friends to enjoy the wedding. And a wedding planner is a neutral person. If you have Drunk Uncle Sam, I'll manage Uncle Sam. Mommy might not want to say anything because that's her brother, and she knows he's a drunk. I think a planner is a personal preference. I think if you have a smaller budget, then you should be looking at a day-of [wedding] coordinator and not a full-service [wedding] coordinator. The minimum that I would consider being a day-of wedding coordinator is $800, and that's depending on the size of the wedding, whether it's all going to be in the same place or are you going to have to go to a different venue. I have a staff of 10 people that work with me."
-Geralyn Hopson, owner and principal event designer of Red Carpet Events
Photographs
“How do I get the best wedding shots or couples' shots?”
"I would ask [the wedding couple] what wardrobe they look best in. Bring pieces that describe who they are, whether it be two or three of their alter egos or the person they're trying to portray. I would encourage them to do what they know will relax them in front of the camera. I don't believe in poses. I don't believe in traditional compositions of a photo. I'd rather take them somewhere where they can laugh and be free. I laugh with them. I get them to talk back. I find those shots that do the trick."
-Kimberly Pleasant, makeup artist, photographer and owner of A Pleasant Face
Recommended Read: “Do you want your dog to be in your wedding? ~ 5 tips to make sure your playful dog doesn't destroy the dress, eat the food”
Time Management
“I have a lot to do on the day of my wedding. How do I fit it all in and be punctual?”
"When I tell you get there at four o'clock, that doesn't mean five o' clock. Get there on time. Those churches and those venues: They've allowed you to have your wedding there. You might be paying them some little stipend to say ‘thank you,’ but the fact is sometimes they have weddings booked behind you. We've got to get through your ceremony and get the place cleaned up so the next wedding can go on. And some people get angry and say 'It's my wedding day.' It is your wedding day, but you were told that you had this amount of time to use this facility. It's disrespectful to everyone around, and it's imposing to the people behind you if you feel like showing up when you want to because it's your wedding day."
-Geralyn Hopson, owner and principal event designer of Red Carpet Events
Recommended Read: “13 steps to make your wedding more economical ~ Weddings can be memorable and elegant without breaking the bank”
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Wedding Planners
“What is the difference in responsibility for the day-of wedding planner versus the full-service wedding planner?”
“The full planner starts from scratch, from 'I'm getting engaged. I want somebody to plan my wedding.' The day-of planner is really kind of a misnomer. In my case, I like to get started at least two months ahead of time. We manage the rehearsal, as well as the wedding day. We manage the rehearsal: What are they supposed to do? Where are they supposed to be? Everybody gets a timeline of the day's activities for the rehearsal, as well as the wedding day. You contact all the vendors about what the wedding day plan is. The industry calls it 'day of.’ Some people use the term ‘month of’ because the bride has planned out her wedding, and she just wants you to manage it."
-Geralyn Hopson, owner and principal event designer of Red Carpet Events
Recommended Read: “Bridezillas and Groomzillas may or may not appear ... But should wedding insurance be purchased regardless?”
Wedding Planner Relationship
“My wedding planner is acting like she's the bride. How do I get her to plan my wedding and remember that it's mine?”
“Some clients think that since they're coming to you that they can't say no. They get reticent, and they want to hesitate. It's OK to say no to your wedding planner. You may not like every idea that I come up with, and that's fine. I worked with a young couple that I just loved. They were like an old married couple and had been together since high school. They were forthright. They were honest. The day of the wedding when you see all the work that you've done come together, when you see those flowers on the table, when you see those favors in place, when you see that couple walk down that aisle and say, 'I do,' when you see the whole thing, everything just come into place, there's nothing like it."
-Geralyn Hopson, owner and principal event designer of Red Carpet Events
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