Wednesday, June 27, 2012

The Wedding Planning Process - From an Event Planner/Bride's Point of View

Part 2 - Venue Selection - So many pretty spaces to choose from!

Before you can think about a venue, you really need to sit down and figure out approximately how many guests you would like to invite to your wedding.  I know some couples who have picked a venue first and then have had to decrease or even increase their guest coin tot make the venue work.  This is fine if you think you have a flexible guest list and if you're open to "cutting" guests (much easier to add guests usually, assuming you have the budget).  I personally think that it is best to sit down with both families and begin the discussion about the size of the wedding and guest lists for each party before even thinking about the venue.  


In smaller areas (basically most areas outside of NYC) you often need to book your venue a year or so ahead of time.  Saratoga, where I chose to host my wedding, is one of those areas.  After I had decided to host my wedding in Saratoga Springs, it became time to pick the perfect venue and I was in a rush to beat all of the other brides for dates the following Spring!


Luckily, I already had a few venues in mind at the time that Joe proposed (this is what happens when you're a wedding planner and also when you've been with your fiancé for 7 years, you have lots of ideas for your wedding before you even receive your ring, haha).


Venue #1 - Hall of Springs 

Since I had worked for an outside caterer while up in Albany, I had never had the chance to work an event at Hall of Springs, but had viewed many photos on local wedding blogs and found it to be absolutely beautiful and a very clean, classic space.  Joe and I live in a loft in Brooklyn Heights, all white, modern, high ceilings, if this gives you an idea of our style aesthetic ;-) Hall of Springs seemed like the perfect option.  









Venue #2 - Canfield Casino  

When working in Albany before moving to NYC, I had planned several weddings at this venue.  I made an appointment to go take another look, this time as a bride, and brought my fiancé and parents with me.  




From the outside, looks like a Brooklyn brownstone, perfect for two Brooklynites like Joe and I.  Best part about Canfield, this is the outside.... and then this is the inside.... not exactly what you would expect from the outside!






Decision

Prior to my venue visits, I would have told you that I wanted to have my wedding at The Hall of Springs.  Being an event planner/designer, I wanted a clean and classic space so that the focus would be on the decor.  After viewing both venues I was very torn, I kept going back and forth that weekend until I couldn't sleep one night because design schemes were running through my head!  After some thought, I had figured out a way to make Canfield Casino feel "less formal" and more "us" (more on this later in a blog about my wedding decor/design).  


Moral of the story...go in with an open mind!  

You may have a specific type of venue in your head as your perfect venue, but that can change.  Take a look at tons of photos and even bring a designer with you, the venue is the frame for your wedding, but there's a lot you can do with decor to make a venue fit you and your personality.  



Thursday, June 14, 2012

The Wedding Planning Process - From an Event Planner/Bride's Point of View

As some of you may know, I recently got married.  Throughout this series of blog entries I will discuss going through the wedding planning process as an event planner/bride. 


After planning weddings for so many couples over the past ten years, it was my turn to plan my own wedding.  Joe and I got engaged January 2011 and the process began almost immediately as I wanted to aim for a Spring 2012 wedding in Upstate New York.  Follow along and hear about the planning process and advice for future, new and current brides and grooms!






Part 1 - Location Location Location


Determining the location for your wedding is probably the most important decision you need to make when planning your wedding (well I guess this is second to who you're going to marry, haha).  


Do you want a destination wedding? a local wedding? a "local destination" wedding?


Is having your wedding in your hometown important to you (or your family)? or do you prefer to have your wedding in the city you met?  or a favorite vacation spot?


So many questions to be answered and so many options available!  My best advice is to discuss the available options with your fiancé and both of your families to determine what type of wedding you would like to have and then begin discussing possible cities, towns, islands, etc.  It's important to think about your guests and who can and will travel and it's also important to begin discussing budget as the price point for each location may vary greatly.


After discussing our options, Joe and I decided that we wanted a "local destination wedding", we wanted the feel of a destination wedding without asking our guests to travel too far.  My parents had expressed during our discussions that the tradition of having the wedding near the bride's hometown was of importance to them so we began looking at areas in Upstate New York and The Berkshires.  Saratoga Springs quickly became the leading location.  


Saratoga is a really pretty town known for it's mineral springs, lake activities and horse racing.  I had spent summers heading up to the lake, the races and concerts in the park.  Since many of our guests live in New York City, we wanted something that felt different from the city and also wanted everything to be within reach for our guests.  The nice thing about a small town wedding is that with everyone staying in hotels on Broadway (the main street in Saratoga) our guests were able to walk around and explore the town during the day, no need for cars which pleased a lot of the New Yorkers!  Although I was in my suite all day getting ready for my wedding, I heard if you walked around town that day you were guaranteed to run into friends and family attending the wedding!


Broadway, Saratoga Springs, New York





ONCE YOU PICK YOUR WEDDING LOCATION - ON TO WEDDING VENUES.....