Social Networking Conference- May 15th @ The Parlor in Bellevue

I am currently in the process of planning a Social Networking Conference with Joe Kennedy, publisher of the Bellevue Business Journal (formerly the Eastside Business Journal), on Friday, May 15th, and want to invite everyone to come!

It is going to be in Bellevue at The Parlor, located in Lincoln Square. The conference is from 1:00-4:00pm with networking afterwards.

We have a great program set up for everyone. The times are changing and business need to be more creative than ever to continue success. You will learn what the social web means for business and how to use web 2.0 applications. Speakers from the Parnussus Group will tell you everything you need to know.

You will hear about the benefits of social networking and how to get started with everything. Learn the ins and outs of social networking and how to brand your business through it. We will cover Twitter, Facebook, Blogging and how to use them to your advantage.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the Event's website at http://www.newbellevue.com/

My New Picture!

I have been meaning to tell everyone about my new profile picture for a while now and am just now getting the chance!

One of my good friends, Julian Michael, shot them for me on a nice sunny day a few months ago in Seattle. He does some great work! I have never had my picture professionally taken before, so it was all new to me. He was fun to work with and helped me relax and get some great shots.

We are also in the process of creating something that I am very excited about. I will have more updates soon so keep checking back!

Take a look at Julian's website www.julian-michael.com.

My Week of Event Planning in Bellevue, WA

Hello Everyone! I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything in an entire week! I have been crazy busy here and just haven't had a chance! Part of the problem is that my laptop, which I use at home, is currently out of operation until mid-May. The other part is that I have been on an event all week! So, I thought I would share with you what I have been up to this week.

We all know that the economy is bad right now (hopefully not for too much longer!) and the national and international corporate events that normally have a large budget, have been cut across the board. So certain events that have, in the past, flown people in from all over the world, no longer have the ability to do so. We still need people from other countries to hear and know the information being exchanged, but we can no longer bring them over and have in-person meetings. Well, how do we solve the issue?

We have virtual events!!! Yes, that's right, we do web casting and live meetings with the people in other countries that do not have the ability to be there in person.

And that is what I have been doing all week. We had a three-day virtual meeting with countries from all over the world. It was definitely an opportunity for me to learn something new, and try out new technology. There were some bumps along the way, but for the most part it turned out great!

So, where do I go from here? I think I am going to start researching what it takes to run live meetings myself and try my hand at it. Instead of paying some other company to run them for me and my client, I am going to learn how to do it myself! Good idea, huh?

Wedding Budget 101: The Top Saving Tip for Your Wedding

Tip #10: Hire A Wedding Planner

I'm not just saying this because I am a Wedding Planner, I am saying this because it is the truth. The best way to save money on your wedding is to hire a planner.

Yes, you will save money if you hire a wedding planner! Planners have long-standing relationships with many different wedding vendors, which allows the couple to get major discounts from the vendors if they are working with that planner.

I have relationships with many different ceremony and reception venues, photographers, florists, jewelry makers, wedding cake shops, décor companies, videographers etc. Because of these relationships, I can negotiate prices down, and receive discounts or value-adds from these vendors for you. If a couple plans the wedding themselves, they will not receive these kinds of discounts that I can offer them.

Recently, I just saved a couple my entire planning fee on just the room rental alone! Not to mention all the other discounts I have gotten them (a free dance floor and sound system, discounts on flowers, décor, table linens, and food & beverage). This was because of my relationship with the venue, florist and décor company. They give couples a certain discount for working with me.

Therefore, when you see the price for hiring a wedding planner, don’t think of it as an extra expense. You will be saving that amount in all the discounts you get. PLUS, you will have security knowing that everything is being taken care of, and you won’t be so stressed out during the planning process. You and your family will actually get to enjoy your day, which is the most important part.

Wedding Budget 101

Sorry that I missed yesterday! I was at an all-day event without my computer. Please forgive me!

Tip #9: Switch the Season!

The most popular months to get married in WA are the summer months (June, July, August). Therefore, they are the most expensive months to get married in as well. If you consider changing the date to another month, you can save a lot of money because you aren't in the prime wedding season and vendors are likely to drop their prices!

(pic via google images)

Wedding Buget 101

Tip #8: Switch the Day!

Because the most popular day to get married on is a Saturday, you can expect your room rental and even your food and beverage minimums to be a lot higher. Venues usually increase the cost by at least $1,000 for a Saturday evening wedding.

To reduce your cost, consider getting married on a Friday evening or a Sunday. It will save you a lot of money that can be better spent elsewhere.

Weding Budget 101

Tip #7: Save on Your Dress!

Yes, you can save on your dress! You don't have to spend thousands of dollars on a dress you will wear one time. And no, you daughter is not going to wear it for her wedding! Fashion will change and she will want a dress in her own style.

Check out the fabulous wedding collection at J. Crew. From casual to formal they have it all:

They also have super cute bridesmaids dresses that they might actually want to wear again!

Wedding Budget 101

Tip #6: Cut Down on Your Printing Costs

As far as your invitations go, you can save a ton of money if you tweak just a few things. For one, choose only one ink color. Three colors might look nice, but it will add on costs that aren't necessary. Choose a colored paper instead and it will add more drama.


Next, consider combining the "Save the Date" cards with your invitations. You don't have to send out the Save the Date cards separately anymore. If you choose to forgo them, and just do invitations, send them out a little bit earlier, and save a lot of money on envelops, stamps, paper and ink.


Also, choose the shape of the invitation carefully. A square invitation might look cool, but will cost extra. Use one that can fit in a regular sized envelope. This way, you don't have to spend more on customized ones.

Wedding Budget 101

Tip #5: Save on Your Cake

Most people don't know they can save a ton of money on their cakes by making just a few small changes.

If you want a big, tiered cake with many levels, have the top one or two levels be real cake, and the rest of the levels just for show. Have the whole thing covered in frosting and decorations, so the entire cake looks real. You can do the cake cutting in front of your guests, with the second or top layer. Then, have a few sheet cakes in the back ready to be cut up to bring out to your guests. Sheet cakes are a lot less expensive and you will save a lot of money.

Next, skip the fancy details. Forgo the hand-made sugar flowers, which are very time consuming, and a lot more expensive, and put real ones that match your wedding bouquet instead. For more flair, you can add ribbon along the tiers. Also, choose butter cream frosting instead of fondant (it tastes better anyways).

Remember, cupcakes are always a fun and inexpensive option too!

Wedding Budget 101

Tip #4: Substitute Your Flowers

Most brides choose to have a lot of flowers at their wedding. They have their own bouquet, the bridesmaids bouquets, groom and groomsmen boutonnieres, corsages for the mothers, the table centerpieces, the flowers in the ceremony (at the altar, along the isle, along the walls, on the chairs, etc) and petals for the flower girls. All of this adds up REALLY fast. Especially if you are choosing more expensive flowers.

To reduce the cost of your flowers, try choosing flowers that are in season and locally grown. If they are flowers that have been flown in from another region, the costs go way up.

For example, if you exchange Black Magic roses for more reasonably priced, deeply colored dahlias in all your bouquets and table arrangements, you'll save about $4 a stem. If you were planning on having five roses per bouquet and 10 per centerpiece and have a wedding party of five gals and guest list of 150 people, you could save $700.

Black Magic Roses

Deep Red Dahlias

(both via google images)

You can even make carnations, which are really really cheap, look expensive and fun!

(via budgetdreamweddings.com)

Wedding Budget 101: Tip #3

Tip #3: Simplify Your Menu

If you just can't cut down your guest list, try simplifying your menu. Your guests don't need to be stuffed after eating dinner, so you can definitely cut down the number of courses you have.

A plated dinner is usually more expensive than a buffet, so think about that too. Most of your guests might event prefer a buffet because it gives them the opportunity to decided what they do or don't want to eat.

Another option is to just serve appetizers, cocktails and dessert. Try having more of a cocktail-style reception where you have high bistro tables and little cocktail rounds for guests to mingle at. Not all guests will have a chair and table to sit down at, but that's okay! It promotes mingling, dancing, and it will cut down linen and centerpieces costs too!

You can also move your reception back a couple hours and have an evening cocktail and dessert party. If you start at 8:00pm, guests will know to eat dinner beforehand, and wont expect to have a full-on dinner. They can sip cocktails and nibble on dessert during the reception and be completely happy.

So as you can see, there are plenty of ways to cut down on your food bill. Do whatever works best for you!

Wedding Budget 101

#2: Reduce Your Guest List

When it comes down to it, this is one of the reasons why most weddings are so expensive. You need to find a venue that can hold a large number of guests, and then you have to wine and dine them all. Its adds up so fast you will be shocked! Especially with today's F&B minimums that you must hit.

Lets say you have an Saturday wedding and reception. You have invited 200 guests and the venue is charging you an $80 food and beverage minimum per guest. Well if you do the math, it adds up to $16,000 without tax and gratuity!!! That doesn't even include the cost for the room rental, your dress, the photographer, and flowers!

Now you see how fast the costs can add up if you have a big guest list. My suggestion to you is to cut the guest list and have a smaller wedding with only your closest family and friends. Again, this is only a suggestion and only one of the options you have to save money on your big day.

Stay tuned for more tips to follow!!

Tip of the Day Series: Wedding Budget 101

For the next ten days, I am going to do a series of posts, one per day, for everything related to your wedding budget. Get excited because I have some good ones coming up!

#1: Decide What's Most Important

Pick the top three items that are most important to you and plan on investing extra money into them (This could be your dress, flowers, and photographer for example). Build them into your budget from the beginning, and you won't have to settle for the next best thing, you will know you can afford it the way you want. Also, this allows for you to know how much money you have left over for everything else, and you wont be unhappy with your decisions.