Tips on Tuesday: Choosing Your Vendors

What a beautiful Tuesday it is....70 degrees in November...after a snow storm two weeks ago! Weather can be so unpredictable and we can't control it. What we do have control over is picking the perfect vendor for your occasion!

You have to do your research! Yes your friend may have told you about this amazing band she saw and you trust her so you booked them right away thinking it'll be fine right? Wrong!! Not everyone has the same taste in music and that is ok. If you want a band, check out their showcase to see them perform. If you are looking into a DJ, have them show you a video of one of their events so you can see how crowded the dance floor was. Ask them about their playlists. You want to make sure that you get someone that can offer a variety of music you are interested in.

When meeting your vendors, come with a list of questions. For instance, when meeting a photographer, ask them about places they have taken their bride and groom for outside pictures. Have a place in mind already, ask them about it. Having this dialogue will allow you to easily figure out if you and the photographer will have the same vision for your day. And don't forget to look at their albums. This is something you are going to look back on year after year.

Read their reviews. If you do not know anyone who has used them before or you do not have a wedding planner that recommended some great vendors, read what others said about them. This will give you a great feel for them too.

Don't get caught up in the price. Yes it is very important to look at a vendor within your budget if you have allotted one. But sometimes the expensive choice isn't always the smartest choice. You can get an excellent vendor without breaking the bank.

Trust your instincts. Many couples that we speak to all say the same thing: "I knew I wanted them within the first 5 minutes....". You know who you are comfortable with. If you are second guessing a lot of things, then clearly they may not be the right vendor for you.

Remember, you have been preparing for your event for a long time and you want only the best to make it everything you had dreamed of. When you follow your instincts, you can never go wrong! And if you need some reassurance or recommendations, we are always glad to help!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

The Wedding Coordinator vs The Venue Coordinator

We have been seeing a lot of blog posts lately on this subject and we wanted to share our insights on the subject. We have heard it before: "Why do I need a wedding coordinator when my venue already has a coordinator". As great as they are and very helpful to the bride and us wedding planners, the conception of how much they help the bride is a little misleading. Here is a breakdown:

Don't get me wrong, venue coordinators can be very informative to the bride and we love working with them. Like we said they are extremely helpful to us. But we have to remind a bride that the venue coordinator works for the venue not you. They deal with things like making sure there is appropriate staff, the food, setup, etc. Also what a bride needs to keep in mind is that even though they have talked with the venue coordinator when they booked the venue, it doesn't mean that they will be there on your wedding day. Many times the venue coordinator will staff the maitre de that will be working with you on that day and you may not even meet them until you walk in as husband and wife.

A wedding coordinator is there for YOU throughout the whole day. Yes we will oversee the setup at the venue and making sure it meets your vision but we will also be in constant communication throughout the night. We will make sure your photographer took the pictures you requested, that the cake cutting and bouquet toss happen in a timely manner, that your entertainment played your favorite song. Our work isn't done until all your guests leave!

A wedding coordinator will contact all your vendors prior to the event to make sure they have everything they need, confirm arrival times and create a timeline that will be distributed to them that night.

Planning a wedding is a lot of work and can be very stressful. The help of both the venue and wedding coordinators is a nice reliever of that stress. We are not downplaying the venue coordinator at all. We are simply just stating the differences between the two so that you know the importance and benefit of possibly having both.

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

"Work of AART" Real Wedding: Marisa & Rob

Last week one of my dearest friends married the love of her life and I had the privilage of being apart of the wedding as well as helping design her menu cards and candy buffet. So since I was in the wedding, I actually took off from my normal wedding working duties and enjoyed myself. And that means I don't have all the best pictures to show off. But I hope you enjoy what I do have and look out for professional pictures soon!

Marisa had a very beautiful wedding and gorgeous weather to match! How adorable are the two pumpkins painted with the words "I DO" on them! A great fall touch to this fall themed wedding. And how can anyone forget about the family pet. The family dog in her little white dress was just too cute for words!

Look at that dress! So beautiful and amazing beading and crystals on the bodice, bottom of the skirt and train. And that cathedral length veil....simply stunning!

Here is a look of Marisa's bridal party, one picture with her "sisters" and the other with her newly extended family (doesn't the first girl on the left in the first picture look familiar? LOL). She chose Bill Levkoff dresses in a cranberry color with an ivory sash. Perfect for her fall color scheme.

Marisa's sister in law served as one of her Matron's of Honors. She wore a different dress in a slightly darker hue to accommodate that beautiful baby bump.

Following the ceremony which was held at Our Lady of the Assumption in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, guests went to enjoy cocktail hour at The Valley Regency in Clifton, New Jersey. The exquisite ballroom was set up for her 180 guests and the lighting throughout the room set the romantic room. Following the couple's first dance as husband and wife to the Bon Jovi song "All About Loving You", came the parent dances. The most heart warming dance was the groom's dance with his sister to Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me". I can say there was not a dry eye in the house and I was no exception!

Next it was on to dinner, drinks and dancing and boy did everyone have a great time....especially with a special guest, well actually 2, for the night (their band consisted of the Queen of Freestyle Judy Torres and the brides uncle is famous for his Elvis impersonation!). Topped off with the wedding cake and our candy buffet display and it was the perfect end to a great wedding.

The best part of our jobs is seeing the love and happiness between two people and being allowed to be apart of it. It's even more special when you ahve seen that love grow and grow throughout the years. We are so happy for you Marisa and Rob and we wish you a lifetime of happiness!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Tips on Tuesday: Making Your Event Memorable

After a great response from last week's Tips on Tuesday's blog, I'm feeling the pressure this week lol. I hope I've made you proud!

Let's face it, everyone wants their event to be memorable and unique, especially a wedding, but not everyone knows how to do it without it still feeling like it's "been there done that". To pull this off is really easy, and stems back to last weeks Tips on Tuesday's blog Figuring your Wedding Style.

Last week when I wrote about having your wedding style be representative of you and your fiance, the same would apply here to making your event memorable. Sure having a great band play at your wedding or having a little late night snack handed out to your guests as they leave is a great idea. But when you add those unique touches that are personal and mean something to you and your fiance, that's what get your guests talking about your event for years to come!

Our very own Rachael had kept the petals her husband had given her through the years & bottled & handed them out as favors for their wedding with an adorable saying: "We give to you a part of our past, to thank you for celebrating the beginning of our future"

Photo courtesy of AART Designs

Are you and your fiance a movie buff? A cute idea would be to use a DVD case of your favorite movies as your table number display.

Maybe you are a wine lover, like so many of us are. Making your own wine and handing them out as your favors is a great personal touch to say Thank You!

And what if you are a couple that loves to travel. Design each table of the different places you have been together and add luminaries with pictures of you at these places.

Photo courtesy of AART Designs

Anything can make your event wonderful but the personal touches are what makes your even memorable! Plus, it's touches like this that Wedding magazines love to see and gives you a chance at being published!

Did you do something unique that is still making your event the talk of the town? We'd love to hear about it as well as seeing those pictures!

In the middle of planning your event and have come to a roadblock? Contact us and we'd love to help!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Friday's Featured Business: Ambiance Video

Wow can you believe that it is Friday already! This week just flew by. So we are looking forward to the weekend, a relaxing one, and to tell you about today's featured business Ambiance Video.

I used Ambiance Video for my own wedding 6 years ago and still till this day, I watch my video every year (and I make my husband sit through it at every anniversary lol)! So you can just imagine how excited I was to bring in our bride to see them yesterday.

Mike Nebbia, the owner, has been in the industry for 20 years. Ambiance specializes in weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, sweet 15/16's and corporate events. Mike and his team are true professionals. They do a great job of "capturing the moments" without being obtrusive. Everything is filmed in HD and the turn around time is incredible and Mike even does all of the editing right there in their studio.

They have several packages and really work with you to make sure that you get exactly what you want. They can even do a small recap of the day and have it played for you later during the event! And if you are looking for photo booths, they now have that too! It is no wonder why they are considered one of the most popular studios in North Jersey!

Take a look at one of their same day edit videos below!

We look forward to working with them again.

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

True Love Story: Couple married 72 years dies holding hands

Ok, so I was supposed to post yesterday for Wedding Wednesday so I'm a little late lol. And yes technically this isn't a story about anything to do with weddings but it is a story about true love.

After a beautiful wedding this past Saturday (look for that post in next week's Wedding Wednesday blog!) we are still basking in happily ever after. And those who know me very well, know that one of my favorite movies is The Notebook and hearing about this couple yesterday, I just couldn't resist doing a little post about them.

Gordon and Norma Yeager were an elderly Iowa couple that really put the word Love in true love. After an unfortunate car accident, where Gordon pulled in front of an oncoming car, the couple were taken to an Iowa hospital. The nurses had put them together in the same intensive care unit and pulled their beds together.

Gordon died at 3:38 p.m. while holding his wife's hand and family members surrounding them. "It was really strange, they were holding hands, and dad stopped breathing but I couldn't figure out what was going on because the heart monitor was still going," said Dennis Yeager, youngest of the couple's four children. "But we were like, he isn't breathing. How does he still have a heart beat? The nurse checked and said 'that's because they were holding hands and it's going through them.' Her heart was beating through him and picking it up." At 4:38 p.m., exactly an hour after Gordon's death, Norma had passed away.

It was their strong love for each other that the family decided at their funeral on Tuesday to have them in one casket holding hands and then cremated and have their ashes mixed together.

Even though I have no connection to this couple or their family, I can feel the powerful love that Gordon and Norma had for each other. A love and marriage for everyone to aspire to have. Even me....which now means I will be pestering my husband about how much does he love me lol.

Click here to read the full article of Gordon and Norma Yeager.

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael

Tips on Tuesday: Figuring Your Wedding Style

As wedding planners, it is very important for us to know what our couple's style is. This helps immensely when coming up with a design concept for the big day as well as allowing us to know what our couple's likes and dislikes are. And if you have an idea of what your wedding style is, that will help you tackle the big decisions from deciding on a venue to flowers to your wedding dress and more.

Not exactly sure how to figure out your wedding style? Just look at yourselves and your lifestyle.

Do you love old romantic movies and let's face it, all things romance? Than maybe Vintage is your style.

Photo courtesy of MPW Media Group Photo courtesy of Bubbly Bride

Are you and your fiance a lover of the outdoors? Are you always going on hikes, camping or perhaps picnicking in the park? It's probably safe to say that a Rustic style outdoor wedding (maybe by a barn) would be a dream wedding for you.

Inspiration board via Inside Weddings

Were you one of the millions that tuned in to Kim Kardashian's wedding and kept finding yourself saying, "I love that"! Well then it's not hard to see that Glamorous is your style.

(Of course since we mentioned her wedding we had to add a picture of the details!!)

But maybe you are completely opposite and like simplicity? Then I would suggest a Modern look would be perfect for you.

The list could go on and on but the best way to figure out your wedding style is, like we mentioned before, look at your own lifestyle. What do you wear? What are your hobbies? Do you have a favorite season or holiday? Try not to get caught up with what everyone else feels the wedding should be like. Your favorite celebrity couple may have had a beautiful wedding on the beach but if you are not a fan of the ocean, then I would say this is not a wedding for you! Your wedding should reflect you and your fiance. If you remember that, than you can't go wrong. And your wedding will be absolutely fabulous!! Still feel like you need help deciding on exactly what your wedding style is? Then hire us! We'll help you figure it and create a beautiful wedding that reflects you throughout the whole planning process!!

XOXO,

Aelicia & Rachael