Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a wedding planner?   I was definitely curious so that is why I went out to lunch with some of my favorite wedding planners in the San Francisco Bay Area and ask them these questions.  I have worked with them on a special event this year and they are probably one of the most professional and organized people I know!  During our lunch, they told me some interesting stories and insights and oh, I guess I don’t mind sharing them with you too.

Photo courtesy of Ron Shoshoni

Photo courtesy of Frabuleuse

Arlene Marcos, Ah…New Beginnings  www.ahnewbeginnings.com

Eileen Chiu, Enchanting Events   www.enchantingevents.biz

Why do you want to become a wedding planner?

Arlene: “I love weddings and I want to be able to give this gift to the couples to be their guests at their wedding days.”

Eileen: “I want to help people at the wedding day by executing their wedding of their dreams.”

What was the most interesting event that you have coordinated?

Arlene: “For one of my weddings, the groom actually called the bride a bridezilla.  The bride was disorganized and forgot to bring all the items for the wedding.  She was late and didn’t get to her own wedding until 10 minutes before the ceremony.  When the bride got to the venue, I had to use my own CD for the ceremony because the bride fired the first DJ and did not communicate to the new DJ the specific songs that she wanted for her wedding.  Besides having a DJ, she also hired a singer for the wedding but the singer only sang one out of the two songs that she requested because the sound system didn’t work at the venue so people couldn’t hear the singer.  So instead of asking the singer to sing the other song, she had no choice but to ask the harpist to play a different song since no one could hear the singer.  She blamed me for the problem because she had to pay an unforeseen expense for the harpist to play the second song.  In the future, I want to stress the importance of communication with all vendors and finalize things one month prior to the wedding.”

Eileen:  “One of my couples hired me to be their wedding planner but three months after we talked, they broke up so the wedding was called off.  Fast forward six months later, the bride got back with me and wanted to get marry in three months.  But instead of marrying the same person, she actually found a different man and was ready to get married!  We ended up using a couple of the same vendors because of short notice.  This was my first cancellation but I was happy that she was able to find another groom this fast.”

What do you like most about being a wedding planner?

Arlene:  “To help the bride and groom to be the guest of the wedding.  It’s a joy.”

Eileen: “It is very rewarding to see that the couple is very happy and not stressed about their wedding.  I want to be part of the most important day of their lives.”

What is the most challenging part of being a wedding planner?

Arlene:  “Working with vendors that the clients hired because not all vendors are professional.”

Eileen: “Communication – both with the couple and with the vendors.  Some couple will change their minds often and I have to make sure that everyone is on the same page.”

What kind of preparation is needed before the day of any event?

Arlene:

-     Meet with the bride and groom at least 2 months prior.

-     Gather all of the information from the couple.

-     Collect vendor information and contact them.

-     1 month before the wedding, I send out the timeline to everyone.  It’s a work in progress timeline and I send out a finalized version a week before the wedding.

-     Call all the vendors and volunteers the week of the wedding to follow up on the timeline.

Eileen:

-     Meet with the bride and groom 4 – 6 weeks before the wedding.

-     Work on the timeline.

-     Constantly revise the timeline draft.

-     Email the final timeline the week of the wedding.

Do you have any tips for those who are looking to hire a planner for their next event?

Arlene:  “Couples can do all the wedding planning, but it’s important to have a planner for the day of the wedding.  That way, they can really enjoy, have fun, and not be stressed out.”

Eileen:  “Couples should be educated on what planners do.  Don’t expect a good planner to show up the day of any event.  They should work with the planner a couple months ahead.  Be more proactive in this process and communicate more often.  Don’t worry that the planner will take over your vision of the wedding.”

Lindsey Lohan and Emanuel Ungaro collaboration – Spring 2010 runway show

Celebrity collections are either a hit or miss.  There are many successful endeavors like Gwen Stefani’s L.A.M.B and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Elizabeth and James.  But consumers are getting tired of seeing celebrities jumping into the designing scenes especially when the recession hits, and many celebrity’s collections have either downsized or shut down completely.  Jennifer Lopez announced earlier this year that she’s shutting down her high end contemporary line Sweetface as well as Mandy Moore’s Mblem.

On the left:  Elizabeth and James “Alexandra” Blouse, Shopbop, $295

On the right: L.A.M.B. Embossed Vertical Tote, Nordstrom, $495

Don’t expect the celebrity collections going away anytime soon.  Nicole Richie will launch her new contemporary line Winter Kate in spring 2010 and Selena Gomez will launch her first fashion brand Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez in fall 2010.  Nicole Richie already has her fashion accessories brand called House of Harlow 1960 and a maternity collection called Nicole for A Pea in the Pod.  This new line will include mostly tops, vests, and bed jackets.  I’m personally not a big fan of the bohemian chic but it has been a fashion trend for many years.  It will be interesting to see how the collection will turn out.

On the left: 3/4 sleeve button detail maternity blouse, Nicole for Pea in the Pod, $88

On the right: 6 strand bracelet, House of Harlow, Piperlime, $75

Selena Gomez is currently in the works for creating Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez.  According to WWD, Selena will launch a full RTW collection that includes dresses, tops, jeans, skirts, jackets, and some accessories with a focus on eco-friendly fabrics for the clothes.  As an up and coming young teen star, she will be joining her peers like Miley Cyrus as a teen celebrity designer.

It’s actually exciting see that many new fashion lines are launching next year including my first bridesmaid dress collection called ju.Lee.  Certainly, the recession is not slowing us down.

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