Friday, June 1, 2012

8 Ways to Make your DREAM Wedding Affordable


A fact stated by Richard Markel, president of the Associations for Wedding Professionals International, is that the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is now between $21,000 and $24,000.  This is a general figure, due to the fact that costs will varie GREATLY from region to region.  He notes that in the elegant suburbs of Long Island, NY, the tab routinely reaches $40,000 to $50,000, while you can have the same wedding in Wilmont, Arkansas for $12,000. 

Not to worry, there is hope for your dream wedding without breaking the bank.  Trimming costs does not mean you have to go from the Plaza Hotel to Grandma's backyard.  There are simple ways to nip and tuck the fat in your wedding budget without your guests and family being any the wiser.

Here are 8 tips offered by SMARTMONEY.COM


1.  Avoid the High Season
In case you haven't noticed, the majority of weddings take place from May through October. So you could save across the board on limos, photographers and caterers, etc., by getting married during one of the quieter months, such as January or March, says Carley Roney, editor-in-chief of TheKnot.com, a Web site focused on weddings.

2. Daylight Savings

Wedding consultants all agree: Reception halls charge the highest fees for 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Any other time is guaranteed to be a bargain. "I always encourage brides to consider Sunday brunch," says Mimi Doke, owner of The Wedding Specialist in Arizona. "Or, if late-night drinking is important, then go for Friday evening."
3. Bond With Other Brides
Doke also suggests her clients network with other brides to divvy up the decorating costs at catering halls. "Talk to the bride who is getting married immediately before or after to see if you have similar ideas for decorations," she says. "If so, you might be able to split the cost." Experts say reception halls usually recycle the decorations, but charge every bride for them anyway.
4. Cut the Cake
Another unnecessary reception budget-breaker: overloading on sweets. "People really overspend on desserts," says Marcia French of Stardust Celebrations in Dallas. "They'll get a three-tiered bridal cake, plus a chocolate one for the groom, and have a full tray of desserts at the reception." She points out that after a long evening of eating, drinking and dancing, many guests will forego dessert altogether. For smaller weddings, she recommends using a faux bottom for the lower two tiers of the bridal cake: "It will look good for the pictures, and that's really what matters," she says.

And for bigger weddings, here's another trick: Choose a smaller version of your dream wedding cake and then get sheet cake (in the same flavor as the wedding cake) that can be cut in back and served to guests. They'll never notice!
5. Greens Are Good
And how many of the guests know what kind of flowers are in season at any given time of year? "Stay with what's in season, use more greens and fewer blooms," advises Carol Koch Waldmann, a wedding consultant in Natick, Mass. "No one will ever notice." Roses are always available, but brides should steer clear of floral-intensive holidays such as Mother's Day, when high demand will drive up costs. Another flower tip from Regina Tate of Regina's in Nederland, Texas: Don't feel the need to adorn the church with fresh flowers for the ceremony. "People expect churches to be less ornate, and they'll spend a lot more time at the reception," she says.
6. Dress Down the Gown
Assuming that no one at the wedding will be checking out the tags on your bridal gown, the dress can be another good place to economize. Tate says that cheaper fabrics are almost always available for every dress design, and that using a lower-end satin can cut the cost by almost two-thirds. Sample sales and outlet stores are other good bets, and remember, the gown doesn't need to fit like a glove right away: having a too-large dress fitted will still be cheaper than buying one that's custom-made. For those who favor less complicated designs, consider using this trick from Erin Smith, a bride-to-be in Boston. "I went to a bridal shop and picked out one of their bridesmaid dresses, ordered it in white, and voila simple wedding dress," she says.
7. Do Yourself a Favor
According to Markel, the average number of wedding guests is 157, which means that overspending on seemingly inexpensive items such as invites and party favors can add up to a big hit on your checkbook. "If you use candy kisses in the favor instead of truffles, you'll save about $3 per bag," French says. Other experts recommend letting place cards double as favors, or incorporating the favors into a creative table centerpiece of chocolates or candles. One bride French knows used assortments of giant, colorful seashells for her centerpieces; guests loved it. Ann Rinke put a small bowl filled with smooth rocks and a live goldfish on each table when she got married last November. The guests were given plastic bags to take the fish home.
8. Save a Tree

Waldmann, who estimates that most brides end up overshooting their initial budget by about 15%, encourages her clients to think twice before spending hundreds of dollars on a seven-piece hand-engraved invite. The invitation liner is completely unnecessary, she says, as are separate enclosure cards. Keeping it to a single sheet, she notes, saves on the costs of both paper and postage.

Of course, talk to wedding consultants, and you'll hear that the No. 1 must-do savings tip is...hire a wedding consultant. In theory, the consultant will do all the legwork for you, shop around for the best bargains, and use their network of vendors to get insider deals. But with some of these pros charging up to 15% of the total wedding budget, we'll leave you to determine if that's a cost-cutting move you want to make.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Wedding Invitations, Printing Options


One of the first impressions your guests will get of your wedding is the invitation.  Written correspondence dates back to between the 13th and 15th centuries.  The “Victorian” era is most commonly associated with the modern sense of stationary in that it has made the wedding invitation reply card an important part of good social etiquette. 

The purpose of the invitation is to inform the guests about the tone and level of formality of the ceremony and the reception to follow.  There are many kinds of stationary, design, wording and printing options to choose from.  Before you make any decisions on your invitation, you should familiarize yourself with some terms on the printing options that you will be seeing throughout the selection process. Wording and Addressing guests will be discussed in a later entry.

The classic, traditional invitation is the most popular.  They are made in embassy size (5 ½ x 7 ½ inch) with black engraving on heavy white or ivory paper.  In today’s trends, this is not your only option to stay traditional.

Other types of traditional printing options are defined as:

v  Engraved invitations are created through a process of pressing the paper onto a metal plate, leaving an indentation on the paper.  The indentations are then filled with ink leaving a slightly raised appearance.  Engraved invitations are the most formal, traditional, and expensive style.  They also take time.  Allow at least six to eight weeks for delivery of the order. 

v  Embossing  is a technique that is used to create a raised surface in the converted paper stock.  The process relies upon matted dies that press the paper into a shape that can be observed on both the front and back surfaces.

v  Thermography is an option that can look like embossing, however they are made by writing out the words in an ink that remains wet and then dusted with a powdered polymer that adheres to the ink.  The paper is then heated, binding the polymer and wet ink giving a raised print surface.

v  Calligraphy is only recommended for a small wedding.  This type of style is an italic script that is done by hand.  If you are interested in incorporating Calligraphy into your invitations, a suggestion for a large wedding would be to have the envelopes addressed in this style. 

Of course there are many more printing options, but the above four are the main traditional types you will come across while making your decision.  It is important to understand the differences in order to make an informed decision on your preference.  All of the above offer a sense of elegance and are accommodating to all budgets.  Invitations should not stress you out, have fun with them.  After all, they are the main focus of your wedding until you as the bride walk down the aisle!!!! 

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Who Pays for What?


The most popular question that arises while planning a wedding is “Who Pays for What?” 

Here are the traditional payment arrangements:
Bride: Groom’s wedding ring, Groom’s wedding gift, Bridal attendants’ gifts, Personal stationary, Medical exam and blood test (if required), Accommodations for out of town attendants.

Groom:  Bride’s rings (engagement and wedding), Bride’s wedding gift, Gifts for the best man and ushers, Bride’s bouquet, Mother’s Corsages, Boutonniere’s for attendants and fathers, Medical exam and blood test (if required), Marriage License, Officiant’s fee, Honeymoon, Accommodations for out of town attendants.

Bride’s Family:  Ceremony Costs – location, music, rentals, etc./Reception costs – food, beverages, music, rentals, decorations, cake/Bride’s wedding attire and accessories, Wedding invitations and postage, Bridesmaids’ bouquets, Transportation for the bridal party,  Bridesmaid luncheon, Photography, Floral decorations.
Grooms Family:  Rehearsal dinner, Wedding night Suite.
The good news?  Today there is no set standard as to who pays for what.  There are many ways to divide wedding costs to give you the wedding of your dreams.  Here are a few different ways to divide expenses.
Bride and groom pay for the entire wedding – Many couples, especially older couples, decide to pay for their wedding themselves.  Some second marriages also pay for their weddings.
Expenses are shared by all – Another alternative for older, more established couples is to split the entire cost of the wedding (all elements listed in previous sections) into thirds – the bride and groom pay one-third, her family pays a third and his family pays the final third.  This arrangement may work well if the families share similar income levels and expectations for the wedding.

Expenses are split between the bride and groom’s families – In this arrangement, expenses that are traditionally paid by either family are pooled and then split evenly between the two families.  The bride and groom still pay their own expenses (as listed previously).

Each family pays for their own guests – This arrangement helps minimized awkward feelings about the guest list.  Sometimes one family has a much larger group of friends and family members that they wish to invite, while the other family may want to keep the guest list small to minimize costs.  In this case, the families might add together all of the expenses for the ceremony and reception and divide it by the expected number of guests.  Each family (and the bride and groom) then pays that per-guest cost for each person they wish to include.
Bride or Groom’s family pays for the entire wedding – This may occur if there is a large disparity in income between the two families.

Monday, May 28, 2012

After Yes, Before I Do, and EVERYTHING in Between!

So many ideas, colors, trends, designers, etc.....how do you make the final decision?  Follow my three easy steps to keeping organized throughout your wedding planning process and your day is guaranteed to run smoothly!

1.  Keep a binder with ALL of your contacts (vendors and venues). Make a note each time you speak with them, along with EVERY contract that you sign your name too.  Keeping track of your papers will 100% keep your day on track.

2.  UTILIZE your bridal party.  That is what they are there for.  It's ok to ask your Maid of Honor to pick up your shoes from the bridal shop and to ask your mom to pick up postage and send out your invitations. These are all expected duties of the bridal party so the second they say "YES, we will be in your wedding," they sign up to help!

3.  Pick a theme and stick to it!  Never use more than 3 colors in your scheme.  Generally, your first instinct is always going to be your last.  Make sure that your theme is carried out throughout...from decor, to bridal gown.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

About Sterling Occasions Event Design & Coordination

Certified in Event & Wedding Planning, we specialize in wedding/event consultation and coordination. We will work with you on every aspect of your wedding/special event, and can customize our services to fit your event. From finding a venue, to choosing a caterer, to recommending and hiring vendors, you can count on us. And on the big day, we will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly.


Together, we will evaluate your expectations and budget so that we have a clear understanding of your vision. We will work with you to choose and customize the best Level of Service to suit your individual needs. We want you to feel comfortable and satisfied.
Serving the East End of Long Island, North & South Shores!


Our Commitment
Planning any event can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. We have experience planning events of all types and together we will acheive an event that will live up to your expectations and beyond. With our help, you can focus on the things that matter, like spending time with your family and friends during these momentous occasions.


Why do you need an Event Planner?
*Hiring an event planner saves time and energy.
*You can count on the event planner while the party is going on, so you don't have to worry.
*No set pricing, events tend to work around YOUR budget.
*Event planners make sure things are running smoothly from making sure the DJ has enough records to spin, to making sure the bartender has enough ice, and to making sure that the ushers have their boutonnieres correct.
*A responsible event planner will help you create an affordable budget, review all contracts, and make sure that your expectations are met.
*Saves you hours of hassle.
*Event planners have established relationships with different vendors, which on its own, saves you time and money from making arrangements (with food, light, entertainment, etc.)
*Makes you feel like a guest at your own party, without having to worry about how things are running.