In this post, I am going to discuss something near and dear to my heart … event planner software. I know having this level of emotion for something so mundane and inert may sound a bit crazy, but bear with me. I have been building and marketing wedding planning software and event planner software for the last year or so. With that said, it probably makes more sense as to my level of feelings for the topic.
This short post is directed at the wedding consultants and event planners out there who are looking for tools to help them serve their clients better and be more efficient and organized. Although many of you might think that being a wedding professional or event planner might be a breeze, think again. Your job is to please your clients and deliver the event of their dreams, and usually this is no small order. To accomplish this, you have to coordinate lots of vendors and hundreds of details while juggling multiple events at the same time. It’s a tough job, and only those with a passion for it do it well.
With that said, any tools or resources that can help planners become more efficient is a godsend. And event planner software is such a tool, so when considering this software, planners need to remember a few things.
1. Look for tools that work with your existing setup – There’s no need to go out and buy a computer to fit the software, as there are plenty of software options that are compatible with PCs and/or Macs.
2. Look for tools that help you with both events and your business – Calendars, guest/attendee list managers, venue managers and other tools for managing an event are great, but it’s also very helpful to have tools for managing your business details, including proposals, invoices, finances, budgets, contact and vendor lists, etc.
3. Look for tools that can grow with your business – Some software programs might work great right now, but will they expand as your business grows? Make sure the software you use can expand as your needs grow.
4. Pay for something that’s good – There are certain things you save money on, but business software isn’t one of them. It’s better to buy what you need and what will help you than to go cheap and discover that it won’t do half of what you want. Plus, a good piece of software can actually save you time and money, so it’s worth the investment.
5. Make sure the software has customer support – You never know when you might need some help or when the software develops a bug or two (all software has bugs now and then), so make sure the software you buy is backed by customer support.
P.S. Now that we’re talking about software, I wanted to recommend a nifty little piece of email software called Atomic Mail … very affordable and capable email software for marketing your products and services.
Getting your wedding decor just right can make all the difference in transforming your venue into a wedding wonderland, and flowers are often at the center of wedding decor. Beautiful floral arrangements can not only embellish your ceremony venue but also give your reception venue a breath of life and vibrancy.
If you’re anything like me, what I know about flowers is what my mom and grandmother told me as a child when I was being roped into weeding their flowerbeds. I can tell a rose from a mum from a tulip, but that’s probably the extent of my flower knowledge. With that said, it’s critical to hire a flower shop to give you the direction and guidance you need to make the right choices for your wedding.
To prep for your visits to your area flower shops, it’s best to have at least a general idea about your wedding colors. In fact, I would recommend that you don’t nail down your wedding colors until you talk to a florist or two, because the ideas and recommendations they may have can help you form a better opinion about your wedding colors and how flowers can bring those colors to the fore.
Also, when scouting out florists, make sure they have wedding experience, because preparing and delivering wedding flowers has its own set of demands and requirements. You should definitely ask for quotes based on your budget and even have them provide several options to you so that you have some choice among types of flowers and arrangements. The one nice thing about flowers is that this aspect of your wedding is entirely customizable, meaning that you can have any kind of flowers arranged in any way you want, so it’s always smart to have several meetings with a florist to confirm what you want and what will be delivered (and, again, make sure you get it all in writing and only put down a deposit of no more than half of the entire cost … and pay the other half upon delivery).
Finally, inquire if your flower shop is using flower shop software to keep them on track and organized. Flower shop software / florist software isn’t always used by shops, but those who use it may be able to provide you with more services (such as the ability to manage your account online, view delivery schedules and share ideas and photos with your florist via the flower shop software program). This isn’t a must, but it might give you additional confidence in hiring the flower shop that’s right for you.
It probably comes as no surprise that couples spend the biggest chunk of their wedding budget on their reception, but did you know that they spend the second largest chunk of their budget on their photography and videography? When you thing about it, this makes sense, because most brides and grooms first want to have a memorable occasion with lots of great food, drink and dancing, but they also want to preserve these memories so that they can relive the experience via pictures and videos.
I must admit that we completely cheated at our wedding and didn’t hire either a photographer or videographer, instead opting for putting digital cameras on everyone’s tables and having them all snap photos as the night went on (with my wife’s cousin doing the more formal wedding photos). However, hiring a professional photographer is a great move if you want someone at the wedding dedicated to capturing the night on film and who is great at what they do.
With that said, here are a few things to look out for when making a decision on photography for your big day.
1. Experience – Look for photographers who not only have a decent book of business but who have also shot weddings before. There are lots of rookies out there, and although they may be talented, there’s no substitute for experience.
2. A viable business – Would you feel more comfortable hiring an established photography studio that’s a stable, ongoing business or a freelancer/part-timer who operates out of their basement? Put it this way … I’d feel more comfortable that the established photography studio will still be in business on my wedding day than a fly-by-night operation.
3. A style that fits you – Some wedding photographers excel at more formal portraiture and poses. Other photographers are great at documentary/photojournalistic style. Still others have a certain way of shooting or whimsy that might fit what you’re looking for. Make sure to review a photographer’s book and see if there’s anything that catches your eye, and if there’s isn’t ask them if they can accomplish what you are looking for.
4. Excellence at a fair price – Bargain shopping for decorations or a dress is fine, but you shouldn’t be bargain shopping if you want decent photography for your wedding. With photography, you get what you pay for, and you only have once chance to get this right, so make sure you hire a talented, accomplished photographer who will capture your big day like you want.
5. The right personality – Your photographer will be all over your wedding – in the aisle of your ceremony, in front of your families, dealing with kids and adults, talking with people at the reception, etc. – so you want them to have the right personality that gels with you and your guests.
These are some good tips for getting started in your search. In addition, some photographers use photography studio management software to help manage all their details. This photography studio software can help them keep their business completely organized and manage all their details much more easily. Some photographers also use photography management software to manage all their photos as well as their business. Something you can keep you eye out for is a photographer that uses such photography studio management software tools to help them better coordinate and collaborate with you, keep you in the loop and provide you with online tools to help you better plan the photography for your big day.
You’re getting married. You’re the groom. Then your bride tells you to prepare the rehearsal dinner while she is charge of wedding party gifts for everyone. You have no idea what a rehearsal dinner even is. It’s your first time to get married and hopeful that it’s your last time as well. Now you’re thinking of running to friends. And the best people to approach are your groomsmen. So now you, the groom, and your groomsmen are starting to plan the wedding rehearsal dinner. How exactly are you going to do it?
The wedding rehearsal dinner may be unfamiliar to some but it’s actually one of the best ways to make sure that your wedding will be as special as you expect it to be. It’s not necessary for everyone but it’s really a good way to have each other’s friends and loved ones come together and make them involved in the wedding. It is also a perfect time to hand out groomsmen gifts to your wedding party and Best Man. To plan it, you may need your groomsmen to reserve the place and invite the guests there. They can take charge of the logistics and just coordinate with you.
As the groom, what you have to plan the most for the rehearsal dinner is the flow. Usually, what takes place in this event are toasts and moments of thanking people. They say you can never over thank a person. In this dinner, it would be good to really thank those who helped in the wedding in any way they did. You can also be specific thanking people according what they have contributed to the wedding. Make it an intimate gathering since the wedding reception won’t have that much intimacy. Careful with the flow though. You don’t want the wedding rehearsal dinner to be so systematized that it would seem to be a stiff program. What you need to create is a relaxing atmosphere with not much of an agenda set.
For the groomsmen, they need not look for a sophisticated venue for the rehearsal dinner. It can actually be done at a friend’s house. It doesn’t really matter if it’s simple. The goal is to have people enjoy a time together and a place where your future wife can bond with her friends and dish out her great bridesmaid gifts. Perhaps simple dinner could be served or a much more prepared dinner if the couple has more budget for this evening. Planning it may sound absurd because there’s not much to plan but making sure the venue and food are ready matters a lot. Other than that, the night can stand on its own. The couple will take their time interacting with guests and thank them personally.
Today we have a guest post from the very kind people over at EngravedGiftCreations.com…
You may have been appointed as one of the groomsmen already at least once in your life but until now you still don’t know what your role is. Well, you have roles and that’s for sure, and not you’re not there to simply collect groomsmen gifts and party. Even though that is a part of it. But most of the time you think your role is limited to the wedding itself. It’s a common misconception that the role of the groomsmen only takes place during the wedding. If you really think about it, groomsmen have roles to play even before and after the wedding.
As groomsmen, the primary role you have is to make sure that there’s a bachelor or stag party. This party must be a surprise for the groom. Well, the groom will be very busy with the wedding planning and thinking about what personalized groomsmen gifts to buy so this task is left to the groomsmen. Not a lot of groomsmen know about this role that’s why some grooms have stag parties go boring instead. The best man most likely will spearhead this event. But in times when the best man is arriving only days before the wedding, the groomsmen should take over.
Before the wedding, it would be good to also assist the groom in wedding planning for the groomsmen to help reserving locations. The groom might need someone to be with while buying his tuxedo or his suit. All these logistics and others will require some hands and, yes, moral support from buddies or the so-called groomsmen. You’ll be one of the useful groomsmen if you do these things. Remember, wedding planning is a very time-consuming thing. He would really need some assistance from people who understand the most.
During the wedding rehearsals, groomsmen play an important role. You are to make sure that you are present at the rehearsals. Not only that, your presence there is not just for the rehearsals alone but you’re there to assist. If possible you can also coordinate with everyone part of the rehearsals making sure they’re there also. Some have rehearsal dinners. In this part, you ought to really involve in executing the rehearsals. Your assistance will definitely take out stress from the groom’s wedding planning process.
As groomsmen, you’re not given just a space in the wedding invitations to wait for personalized flasks as a gift. Your name is there because the groom trusts you to be part of those who could not just give moral support but real help as well. If you’re distant before the wedding, it may be good to financially assist your buddy.
Been a while since I last posted, but no time like the present to dole out some advice on reception music.
Groomasaurus Gal and I decided to forego any DJ or band and use mixes that we put together and play them via our iPod. This is an excellent choice for those brides and grooms who are music aficionados and want to control the flow of music themselves. (Just a side note … instead of making mixes on the iPod itself, I used professional DJ management software called Traktor to mix all my music beforehand). However, a few things to be aware of when taking this route.
Create several types of mixes – The mood of the party may change, so you need to have mixes for every mood and vibe and be able to change these out on the fly.
Create enough music for twice the allotted time you have – To ensure you have enough tunes, make sure you have at least twice what you need. So if your dinner lasts 2 hours, have enough dinner music for 4. If your reception dance time is 3 hours, have enough music for 6.
Choose music that you and your guests both like – Ideally you want everyone at your wedding to enjoy the music, so try to find music that everyone will respond to. And if musical tastes vary to the extreme, try to find some middle ground or even devote certain times of the evening to certain types of music.
If you don’t want to deal with selecting music and want to leave this to the professional, hiring a DJ is a great idea, and here are a few things to find out when you’re screening and hiring a professional DJ.
1) Do they have a specialty in weddings? Some DJs are great at playing clubs but don’t quite have the presence for weddings. Make sure your DJ has wedding experience and the presence to pull off a wedding.
2) Do they have the right equipment (and does it gel with your venue)? Ask about their equipment and their setup, and see if it is feasible for your venue.
3) Will they accommodate to your style of music and needs? Whatever style of music you want to have played (rock, country, pop, dance, etc.), find out if the DJ can play that style. Also, if you have any special requests or activities, ask if they can handle those.
4) Can they act as the emcee for the reception? Some DJs only play music, so if you need the DJ to serve as the emcee and announce the wedding party, make announcements throughout the night, etc, make this a requirement.
5) How do they charge and when does the clock start running? Many DJs will charge a flat fee for a setup and a certain number of hours. Also, find out what any overage/extra hours charges in case the party goes longer than expected.
6) Find out about deposits and cancellations – Ask if they require a deposit and if it is refundable. Also, find out if they allow cancellations and how late you can cancel.
7) Will they play your CDs? If you have specially requested music you want them to play, find out if they will play it or if they stick to their own program.
What will they be wearing? Your DJ is going to be front and center, so they need to dress the part. Learn about what they will wear and let them know about any special attire requests you may have.
That’s enough to get your started. Finally, if your a DJ and need help managing your business, here’s a site that describes DJ booking software and DJ management software products.
