How an Events Planner can help

I have been deciding on where to spend my advertising dollars for the next 1/4.  Should it be on Bridal Shows, Brochures, Advertising in Bridal Magazines?  Let’s look at the bridal magazines first, how many brides actaully use any of the vendors in the magazines, what are you really looking at in the magazines?  The dresses, venues, food, flowers, or just the entire expereince of standing in a magazine store browsing through bridal magazines?  I did an experiment the other day… I stood at the bridal magazine section at a local large book store here in Barrie and as a “potential bride” came to view the magazines I asked her what catches your eye with all of the magazines?  The front pictures, articles, the name of the magazine help me !  Well it wnt like this

1/10 brides ages 22- 28 look at the cover of the magazine - the actual picture draws them to purchase that bridal magazine,

5/10 brides ages 22-28 flip through the book to see how many advertisers there are and the pictures of destination weddings and actual weddings – so they can get ideas.

4/10 brides ages 22-28 go for the name of the magazine, no matter what is on the cover or inside.

I asked them if any of them used any vendors that advertised- NO unless someone recommended them or they used them for something else.

So that helps me with my advertising dollars.  This year NO to advertising in a magazine.

What do you look at when you go out to buy a wedding/ bridal magazine?

I have uploaded a video onto youtube that was taken of Dreams Resort & Spa in Punta Cana Dominican Republic this February 2010.  It shows the grounds and the area where you can have your ceremony.  The interior of the resorts rooms are all the same with a couple of upgrade exceptions.. jacuzzi on the balcony overlooking the pool area. www.youtube.com fresh occasion Coordination take a look and tell me what you think.  Would you like to have your wedding there?

I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time! 

Why do you ask?  I was in Phoenix Arizona over Christmas and  was able to participate in a course which covered the following – tableware where did it come from? Basic table manners, when to use a finger bowl and how to make sure the water does not spalsh out, and overall table  Etiquette.  Stay tuned for more as the weeks follow I will be giving out tips of what not to do at your next informal or formal dinner party!

If you’ve recently decided to tie the knot, you may have asked yourself some difficult questions, such as, “How do I celebrate such an all-consuming event without a lot of consuming – and polluting?” And “How can I feel good about this day, without feeling that I’ve simply added to the climate and other environmental impacts that will be felt by future generations?”

The solution,- have a low carbon wedding – a wedding with fewer net emissions. The first step involves reducing your greenhouse gas emissions, and in many cases this fits well with  your goals to make as small an environmental footprint as possible.

After  researching for information about sustainable, low-emission wedding ideas, it became clear that there were numerous ways to lower the emissions from our event – everything from organic flowers to choosing recycled gold wedding bands.

Air travel and greenhouse gas emissions

Like many couples, the biggest hurdle was the fact that you are asking  family members and friends to travel along way – some hundreds or thousands – of kilometres for your big day. Air  travel  is by far one of the most environmentally detrimental things you can do. Think  about taking the train or carpolling to the event.  

Making your wedding celebration low-carbon is really no different than budgeting for details like flowers or a wedding cake. You can choose to focus on one area of high impact, like air travel emissions, or you can try to calculate the emissions from the entire event. Like many couples you’ll probably be surprised by how interested your guests are in your efforts, and how supportive they are.

Fresh Occasion Coordination is always involved in making sure we keep our carbon footprint to a minimum.  If you are interested in creating a green wedding day, please contact us via email and we would be happy to help you with your plans.

PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the Color of the Year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

In many cultures, Turquoise is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that to many people, Turquoise represents an escape, taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting – even if it is only a fantasy.

Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens. from the pantone website www.pantone.com

To me this color represents a small blue box of jewellery from the “Tiffany” store.  What about you?

Big Buzz Word – Destination Wedding- do you know what it really is?  How do you go about planning one?  Where can I go?  Who has the best deals? 

Destination is “the  place set for the end of a journey” and Wedding is “the social event by which a ceremony of marriage is performed”  from webster’s dictionary!  A destination can be any where but where you currently reside.  There is a couple who are getting married in Ontario and live in B.C. that could be considered a destination, the couple who lives in Ontario and flies to Jamaica and stays at a  resort is a destination.  No matter what the weather, or how you get there it is where you spend your ’special day’

How do you plan a destination wedding?  Well the first thing you do is hire a certified destination wedding coordinator.  Then decide on what country you want to get married in?  Who to invite, where to stay, and make sure the details are all taken care of.  Your DWC can do this for you including your marriage requirements in that specific country!

As far as where can you go to get married, the skies are the limit –  as long as you follow the countries marriage requirements-  and who has the best deals” That you will have to ask your coordinator as different resorts offer different  ’deals’ all year round andyou will need someone to research your request before making a decision.

We did it again! The Fresh Occasion Crew put together another great Bridal Fashion show on Saturday at the Kozlov Centre here in Barrie. Me as the M.C. and the 7 females and 2 male (all of them were everyday people too) models had fun, even though it is very stressful putting on corset style Bridal wear and then quickly taking it off for your next turn down the runway! The crew behind the scenes was fabulous and of course the show could never have been as succesful as it was without them! Thanks everyone for a great show.. If you are looking for a great crew for your next fashion show call upon Fresh Occasion with our models and expereince we make you look great! Thanks to our professional team too Brad from BradQphotography, Kerri and Katrina from Finishing Touches Hair and Make up and Paul from Timpano formalwear for the Tuxedos and of course Angela and Ray from Unique Bridal at the Kozlov for their dresses, and trust in Fresh Occasion to make them look great!
Pictures will be posted on the Fresh Occasion Website as soon as we can get them up!

When doing the timing for your “Day of” always remember your guests.  Some may have travelled a distance to be part of your day, so think of them when organizing your timing between ceremony and reception, and think about your budgets.  What will the guest be doing ?  Enjoying cocktail hour, or “Cocktail HOURS“ .  Be courteous so that guests are not standing around for long periods of time while the wedding party is having their photos done,  if you do have more than 3 hours between your ceremony and reception make sure you have a place for your travelling guests to relax and freshen up!

Tips will be posted bi-monthly if you have done something that saves time or money send it to me, to post for everyone!

I would like to get some ideas from you my readers so, tell me about where the event or wedding was, why is it memorable to you? Describe in detail colors, flowers, decor, music.. you get the idea! I will start..