At Event Design, we LOVE out of town brides and, even moreso, working with the mother’s of our beautiful brides!  Brooke’s mother, Debbie, contacted us seeking guidance as she worked to plan her daughters wedding from (at first) Texas and (then) Australia! Her globe-trotting was taking a toll on her ability to keep all the balls in the are and she came to Event Design to help.  We are SO glad she did!

Brooke’s Southern class and timeless sensibility came together at the ever-gorgeous Vinoy Grand Ballroom and featured the floral stylings of the incomparable Dana Dineen Floral Design.  From her classic lace gown to the elegant sweeping centerpieces, this event was every ounce of wonderful!

Venue: The Vinoy Grand Ballroom
Photography: Carrie Wildes, Carrie Wildes Photography
Draping, Lighting and Chairs: Us!
Coordination: Beth Carrick, Flawless Occasions

There aren’t enough good things to say about the team at Voila! Take a peek at their website and you will instantly see why they are one of the most sought-after videographers in Tampa Bay – and beyond! Through their work, Voila not only documents your wedding day – they tell the story of your journey together…

Name: Jocelyn and Alex
Business Name: Voila Cinematic
Hails from: Union, Kentucky
How long have you served the Tampa Bay Market? 6 years

How long have you been a videographer? My husband Alex and I started the business 6 years ago. Alex has been fascinated with film since he was a teenager. He has a degree in Television Production from USF and a degree in film directing from Princeton University. My background is in public relations and entertainment, so we combined forces to form Voila Cinematic.

What attracted you to the wedding industry, specifically? We love the opportunity to make personal connections with our clients centered on such a personal special day- their wedding day. We enjoy getting to know each couple’s unique story so that we can transform that story into a sophisticated film that perfectly captures their love story.

What was your most memorable wedding? I would have to say our own wedding; was our most memorable- but as far as one we have shot, we had the amazing opportunity to shoot at the Biltmore in North Carolina recently. Shooting at such a beautiful location amidst such a grand setting was incredible. The couple really recognized the importance of film so they made sure they spent the time with us necessary to be able to capture their beautiful story. They were also incredibly sweet- which always makes for a great day!

What would you say sets you apart? We believe that we offer a wonderful blend of artistic ability and customer service. It’s a rare thing to find a company that is able to do both well, but we truly desire for each couple we work with to feel like our only client and their film to be unique to their own personal love story and not a cookie-cutter wedding film.

If you could offer one piece of advice to every bride, what would it be? Take the time to meet with your videographers. Do your homework to make sure that your filmmakers are trained in their art and know how to handle stressful situations when they arise. Also, by allowing the filmmakers to get to know you, we are much more able to create a film that truly exemplifies your love and the nuances of your relationship.

Why do you love working with Event Design? We love working with Event Design because they are perfectly able to combine all of the elements of design and coordination to make the day extraordinary for the couple. Event Design always goes the extra mile to make sure both the clients and the vendors are well taken care of and well prepared for the event. They are wonderful people with great integrity and we always know that our clients are in great hands when working with Event Design.

This is part of a multi-part series.  If you haven’t read Part 2, you may want to start there!

 So, you have established your budget as indicated in Part 1, you have stuck to your budget thus far (as instructed in Part 2) and now you are likely wondering to yourself: “Now What”?

So often a bride and groom (or even their families!) will sit across the table from me in a consultation and say: ” We have been experiencing sticker shock a bit since we started planning”.  As a consumer, the key to putting yourself in the power seat when it comes to Event Planning is to know what you have to spend and work to MEET or BEAT your budget.  This can actually be fun!  Going into a meeting with a vendor (whether that vendor be a designer, a DJ, a baker or a caterer) and having “no idea what things cost” is considered a reactive approach to the process and will keep you on your heels.

The smartest thing you can do in advance of ALL vendor meetings is to determine the maximum “out the door” cost you are willing to spend on each area of your budget.  How? Easy!

There have been many a-study conducted on bridal planning and the following is a formula pretty widely used industry-wide.

Item	Percentage
The Reception	48%-50%
The Ceremony	2%-3%
The Attire	8%-10%
The Flowers	8%-10%
The Music	8%-10%
The Photography	10%-12%
The Stationery	2%-3%
The Wedding Rings	2%-3%
The Parking and Transportation	2%-3%
The Gifts	2%-3%
The Rest	8%

If something is very important to you, keep it on the “high” end of the percentage.  If something is less important, perhaps you will allocate the lesser percentage.  Next steps?  Do the math!

To illustrate the concept and how it’s applicable, we will give you the example of Jack+Jill.

Jack+Jill are planning their dream wedding.  They were smart enough to read Part I of this series (see what I did there?) and determined that their overall wedding budget is $12,000.  They sit down one evening in advance of their vendor meetings and use the above formula to determine their budget in each category.

They start with their Food/Beverage budget.  They love good food, but they and their guests are not regularly submitting to Bon Apetit magazine – so, they determine that food is important, but not the “end all be all” of their event: $12,000 (their Overall budget) and multiply by their agreed upon percentage (49% = 0.49) to establish their food and beverage budget.  Shown another way: $12,000 x 0.49 = $5,880.00.

“Well, that was painless,” they say to themselves, and decide to move right along!

The ceremony allocation is a bit more involved since “The Ceremony” will need to include the officiant’s fees and all decor associated with the event.  Jack+Jill determine that they aren’t overly concerned with elements ceremony and decide to allocate 2% of the budget to their ceremony.  ($12,000 x 0.02 = $240).

“Great!,” they think to themselves, “let’s keep going!”

Attire … ooooo… this is that ever important moment of setting a budget for the bride’s wedding dress, shoes, necklace, earrings… pretty much any article of clothing she might wear the big day (even her garter!)… and let’s not leave out the groom!  His tux and all things clothing related will be included in this budget as well.  They both want to look their best, so they decide this will be an area where they take the highest percentage: 10% ($12,000 x 0.10 = $1,200)

Feeling confident in their high-school-learned math skills, they fill out the balance of their wedding budget – confident that they have (at the very least) a starting point from which they can begin to engage vendors in conversation with confidence and expediency.   In less than 10 minutes, they arrive at the following:

Item	Percentage
The Reception	$5,880.00
The Ceremony	$240.00
The Attire	$1,200
The Flowers	$1,200
The Music	$960
The Photography	$1,440
The Stationery	$240
The Wedding Rings	$360
The Parking and Transportation	$240
The Gifts	$240
The Rest	$960

Jack+Jill add it all up: $12,960 – WHAT? How am I nearly $1,000 over budget!?  This bring us to a very important note:

Not everything can be a “top priority”.  Jack+Jill marked a few of their items as “very important” – but allocating the higher percentages in multiple categories, the percentages added up to more than 100%.  It will be important to pick one category as “very important”, allocate the higher percentage to that category” and keep the remaining items on the lower end.

Once you have completed this exercise, you have a solid foundation from which to begin planning your wedding in collaboration with your vendors.  “Sticker Shock” is now a thing of the past!  You can go into your meetings with confidence that you know what you can afford.

In future installments, we will discuss how to use this information in your vendor meetings – and how to use your budget to negotiate on your behalf!

The wedding weekend of Natalie and Vishal was a beautiful celebration filled with vibrant colors and vibrant families! We were fortunate enough to assist this couple with the design and planning for their 2 day Indian fusion wedding celebration beginning with a traditional sangeet held at the home of the Bride and Groom.

The following day, bright florals by Dana Dineen Floral Designs coupled with our luxurious fabric and lighting in pops of fuchsia, orange and timeless gold accented the gorgeous backdrop of the Ca D’Zan on Sarasota Bay. Sarah with Limelight Photography truly capture the essence and energy of this fabulous celebration.

Despite a record breaking windy day, forcing us to move the reception to a tent, the couple forged on in utter happiness and joy over their union and had a blast with their family and friends that night! Guests were treated to an authentic dohl player, amazing DJ entertainment, cigar rolling, a cappuccino cart, photobooth entertainment and spectacular cake artistry by Pastries By Design, and more!

Working with this couple throughout the planning and design process was inspiring and truly a gift! A couple focused on bringing elements from both of their history and family personalized the day in more than words can say.

Check out the photos below and enjoy!

Event Decor, Design & Coordination: Event Design
Wedding Venue: Ringling Ca D’Zan
Henna Creations
Photography: Limelight – Sarah
Videography: Assunta from The Hub Sarasota
Ceremony Officiant/Priest: Vishnu Sharma
Ceremony & Reception Music: Dohl Player – Mitul Ghandi
Catering: Tandoor Indian Resturant
DJ Neikko w/ Cirque USA
Dessert (Cake Pops – Sangeet, Wedding Cake): Pastries by Design
Florals: Dana Dineen Floral Design
Hair: The Gallery Salon
Bridal Hair: Assunta
Photobooth: K2 Photobooth
Transportation: Crown Limo
Cappucino Cart – Cafe Ala Carte

Event Design is the proud design partner for The Regent in Brandon. Come! See this beautiful property and sample some deliciousness (courtesy of 3C’s Catering).  Whether you are a planning a wedding, social or corporate event, the Regent has you covered! This beautiful space can accommodate any event – from 10 guests to 400+!  We can’t wait to see you there!

This is part of a multi-part series.  If you haven’t read Part I, you may want to start there!

In last month’s blog entry, we took a practical look at your income vs. your expenses and determined the amount of income you have available each month to set aside for your dream wedding.  Congrats! The hardest part is over – ok…I’m lying.  The HARDEST part about a budget is actually sticking to it.  So, before I get into how to use this new-found information a few words about living on a budget:

1) If you say you are going to put it aside, actually put it aside.  Most people don’t have their finances meticulously managed to the point where they can put everything in one account and NEVER succumb to temptation to spend a little of what’s in there.  Many couples find it helpful to open a separate account and having money either directly deposited each paycheck (through direct deposit) or by autotransfer through their online banking.

2) Pretend the money isn’t there.  As you see the thousands accumulate in this account, it will be tempting to dip into this account.  “It’s just a sandwich”, “It’s only $60.00”, “I’ll replace it later”… remember, you already know EXACTLY how much money you expect over the next X-number of months.  If you aren’t expecting an extra $60.00, for example, the $60.00 you are taking now will NOT be replaced.  Which brings us to point 3…

3) Remember, money doesn’t grow on trees.  If you spend it, it’s gone.  Things happen, emergencies pop up, cars breakdown, friends come into town unexpectedly and want to spend a week with you at Disney World.  If you are prone to these sorts of shenanigans, we would recommend you go back to Part 1 and set a fixed amount of money in your “Fixed Monthly Expenses” to account for an “emergency” or “didn’t see that coming” fund.  Putting $50 or $100 aside each month for “EEK!!!” situations will make your planning a lot less stressful financially.

In next month’s blog, we will talk about how to use your budget; We will allocate your budget to vendor categories and teach you how to USE this information to shop for vendors.

Stacy’s sassy vision came to life in this one-of-a-kind wedding held at Nova535 in St. Petersburg. Stacy was seeking an “all white” theme for her ceremony which was held in the venue’s majestic bamboo garden. Stacy processed down our beautiful white aisle runner – white hydrangea hung from hot pink satin ribbon along the aisle – and, finally, she and her fiancé, Omar, married under a crystal chandelier archway (tres chic!)

But don’t let this elegant ceremony fool you! The couple switched from “sugar to sass” when guests entered Nova535 to find hot pink was the theme of the evening. Hot pink and baby green hydrangea were set in glass vessels lined with river rocks and “kicked up a notch” with white LED submersible lights. South Beach-inspired crystal chandeliers were suspended over tables to accentuate the venue’s ceiling height and give guests a real eye-full!

Venue: Nova535
Photographer: Jason Mize
Ceremony Décor and Chairs: Us!
Reception Decor and Drape: Us!
Floral: Us!

I have always been fascinated by social and cultural shifts that occur over time.  While I do not count myself a socio-economical authority by ANY stretch of the imagination, I am nevertheless captivated by articles which refer to changes in group dynamics with each generation. The shift from Generation X to Generation Y is one such shift in culture which has been particularly interesting to watch – but from a practical standpoint, Gen Y brings with it new and unique challenges as a wedding industry professional insofar as the couple’s budget.  Specifically – they don’t have one.

The challenge of Budgeting/Financial Planning for this new generation of bride is a bit “chicken or the egg”.  Many bridal magazines and websites advocate that brides establish a budget and may offer a standard breakdown of the most common divisions of many bridal categories to help give brides an idea of what % of their budget to set aside for key items (such as photography, food/beverage, or attire).  Is this helpful – yes! Of course! You can take all the help you can get!

But from where I sit (and where many of our industry partners sit, too, I might add), bridal magazines and web resources put the cart before the horse: They share with you the importance of setting (and sticking to) a budget – but how do you determine what you can afford to spend?

By establishing a reasonable and practical wedding budget that is within the limits of what you can earn; a budget which is established after all your monthly expenses have been paid, means that you can plan your wedding with financial confidence. It means that when the wedding is over, you are left with memories of a beautiful day, a partner in matrimony AND you didn’t have to take out loan equivalent to a year’s college tuition.

So – you may be asking yourself: How does one properly determine their wedding budget?

Well fasten your safety belts, people! We are off to the races in budgeting 101!

1. Determine your net take-home pay.  This is the amount of money that you and your fiance bring home each month after taxes and pre-tax deductions (such as health insurance, HSA contributions, etc).  Basically, what is the amount of money you expect you deposit every single month?  If you work a full-time job and a paid a salary, this should be very simple for you – each of your deposits is likely to be a fixed amount each check.  But, if you work in a sales or commission environment, this will be more difficult.  It would be best, in this case, to take your income over the last 12 months and establish your average monthly income based on a year’s performance.  Don’t get lazy and just do the last three months – IT WILL bite you in the tail later.  By taking a full year’s performance, you take into account “slow months” and “stellar” months.

2.  Be honest with yourself: What does it take to live each month.  If you haven’t established what your monthly “nut” is (that is: the amount of money it takes to run your life each month), now is the time to do it.  Add up ALL of your expenses each month: Rent, Car Payments, Insurance Payments, Credit Card Payments, Cable, Electric – everything.  Don’t go deciding what you can live without just yet – we will get to that in a minute.  Here, it’s best to OVER estimate rather than UNDER estimate.  For example, if your Cable bill is $196 a month, round up to $200.  If your car payment is $245 a month, round up to $250.  When it comes to variable expenses (like your cell phone bill, electric bill, etc.), it’s best to take a 12-month average.  If you are planning your January wedding in March when it’s comfortable and you aren’t running an AC all that much, you may find yourself scrambling when your heating costs start kicking in mid-October, for example.  Add these items all together to determine what your Fixed Monthly Expenses are.

Oh – and if you and the Fiance like to eat out – be sure to include it your budget.  This is the single most common place budgets get thrown out of whack! Date nights, vacations, ice cream on a warm day… all of it comes from the same pool of money – so be practical and honest with yourself about how much you spend on “miscellaneous” expenses.

3.  Do the math.  On a piece of paper (or if you are really fancy, in Excel!), enter your Total Net Income.  On the line below it, enter your Fixed Monthly Expenses.  Subtract your Fixed Monthly Expenses from your Total Net Income.  This will tell you what your available disposable income is for the month. Woah! Fancy words! “Disposable Income” means “Money you can live without” … or, more specifically: “Money you have available to put toward your dream wedding”.

6. Establish the Budget.  Ready for it?  Ready to understand the great mystery in creating a budget that will work for you??  Take the figure you obtained in Step 4: Do the Math and times it by the number of months you have between now and the big day.  If you want to be NICE to yourself, shave one month off.

Voila!! You now have a REAL figure on the amount of money you will have to spend on your wedding.

This figure is a real number you can take to the bank – or in this case, take FROM the bank without sweating bullets you won’t make rent in order to pay for your wedding shoes, will have to file for bankruptcy in order to get the veil you love or sell your first born child in order to make that open bar a reality.

In next month’s blog, we will talk about how to stick to the budget you’ve set.  After all, the best budgets are the ones that can be kept!

Can’t wait for next month’s entry?  Dying to know more?  Call us! We’ll give you the inside scoop!

We had the distinct privilege of working Natalie and Bertrand on their May 25th wedding at the beautiful Sandpearl Resort.  As you can see in these images captured by Jeff at K&K Photography, Natalie’s signature style echoes simplicity and femininity.  Perhaps it’s her European lifestyle (she is a professional Opera Singer in Switzerland)!

The day was filled with special and personal touches.  During their St. Paul’s Church ceremony, Natalie sang Ave Maria during communion; her Maid of Honor’s lyric soprano filled the sanctuary as she sang “Amazing Grace”.

It was a beautiful day – and one of the most enjoyable for us as planners as this outgoing family warmly invited us to their unit for one magical day!  Thank you, Natalie (and her wonderful mother, Linda!) for allowing us to be a part of this exceptional event!

Day-of Coordination: Us!
Photography: Jeff at K&K Photography
Venue: Sandpearl Resort – Hunter Ballroom
Chairs, Chargers, Drape and Lighting: Us!
Flowers: The Bride’s Bouquet
Bride’s Hair: Shear Art Salon
Transportation: Ambassador Limousine Services and Embassy Limousine Services
Band: The Bay Kings Band