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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Random Wedding Funny #723
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It's funny how a six-year old kid can effortlessly destroy a one-in-a-lifetime picture perfect moment. Priceless.
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Ashley Rath | Wedding Pro
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One of our favorite parts about being in the wedding industry is getting to meet some of the most fabulously talented people who make wedding events divine, beautiful and truly unforgettable. One of those special individuals is Ashley Rath from Dishy Events, and we're totally thrilled to have Ashley as our newest BrideTide Wedding PRO! Keep an eye out for her expert advice and opinion in our Total Wedding Planning category. Welcome aboard Ashley!
Hello BrideTide readers! I’m happy to be here and joining this wonderful and extremely talented community of bridal bloggers! It seems like a long time coming, but in reality I’ve only been doing this on my own for about two months now. Can you believe that?! 2010 has been a life changing experience for me thus far and now I’m ready to share everything I know and learn with the wedding blogosphere!
But first a little about me – I’m a Kansas City, Missouri native who migrated to St. Louis after I finished my Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. I went on to complete my MBA in 2009 and I married my best friend (a.k.a. the love of my life), Robin, in October of last year. We live just outside St. Louis with our 100lb Weimaraner, Tycho, one of the largest wannabe lap dogs around! I have a passion for planning and organizing events AND things – one look at my closet and you’d think I have OCD, which I actually might.
I am a lover of all things wedding related and I have been since I was a little girl, not to mention I’ve probably cried at every single one I’ve been to! And now lately, there is nothing I love talking about more than weddings. Why is that? Two months ago, I decided to take shot and start my own event planning company in St. Louis, Dishy Events! Even though I had been working with a local planner for the last five years, it was always my dream to make it a reality for myself and on my own! With Dishy Events, came the excitement of a new web site and of course, my Dishy blog! In fact, my blog and Twitter are what led me to the BrideTide community and allowed me to take the step toward becoming a Pro Wedding Blogger.
I’m looking forward to helping all of you make your wedding dreams come true – one piece of advice at a time! Happy planning and happy reading! Cheers!
Follow Ashley on Twitter
Hello BrideTide readers! I’m happy to be here and joining this wonderful and extremely talented community of bridal bloggers! It seems like a long time coming, but in reality I’ve only been doing this on my own for about two months now. Can you believe that?! 2010 has been a life changing experience for me thus far and now I’m ready to share everything I know and learn with the wedding blogosphere!But first a little about me – I’m a Kansas City, Missouri native who migrated to St. Louis after I finished my Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri. I went on to complete my MBA in 2009 and I married my best friend (a.k.a. the love of my life), Robin, in October of last year. We live just outside St. Louis with our 100lb Weimaraner, Tycho, one of the largest wannabe lap dogs around! I have a passion for planning and organizing events AND things – one look at my closet and you’d think I have OCD, which I actually might.
I am a lover of all things wedding related and I have been since I was a little girl, not to mention I’ve probably cried at every single one I’ve been to! And now lately, there is nothing I love talking about more than weddings. Why is that? Two months ago, I decided to take shot and start my own event planning company in St. Louis, Dishy Events! Even though I had been working with a local planner for the last five years, it was always my dream to make it a reality for myself and on my own! With Dishy Events, came the excitement of a new web site and of course, my Dishy blog! In fact, my blog and Twitter are what led me to the BrideTide community and allowed me to take the step toward becoming a Pro Wedding Blogger.
I’m looking forward to helping all of you make your wedding dreams come true – one piece of advice at a time! Happy planning and happy reading! Cheers!
Follow Ashley on Twitter
Monday, March 8, 2010
POLL: Is Twitter Good For Your Wedding Business?
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This week's BrideTide poll asks wedding professionals:
This week's BrideTide poll asks wedding professionals:
Has using Twitter increased the number of bridal clients for your wedding business?
Click here to place your vote and see the results!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Look who just entered the wedding business: Urban Outfitters
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It's recently been reported that Urban Outfitters is about to enter the $60 billion dollar wedding industry by launching a new line of bridal wear made under the Anthropologie label. Be on the look out for bridesmaid dresses, shoes, jewelry and bridal accessories too.
Rumors are circulating that this side of their business could be up and running by Valentine's Day 2011. (details)
It's recently been reported that Urban Outfitters is about to enter the $60 billion dollar wedding industry by launching a new line of bridal wear made under the Anthropologie label. Be on the look out for bridesmaid dresses, shoes, jewelry and bridal accessories too.
Rumors are circulating that this side of their business could be up and running by Valentine's Day 2011. (details)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Some Wedding Planners Lie
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I want to first preface this post by clearly stating that I am not a professional wedding planner, by any stretch of the definition. I've never planned a wedding (besides my own) and I have no desire to learn all the ins and outs of becoming a professional coordinator. In my opinion, I honestly don't think I have what it takes to become one. I often stand in awe of the magnificent feats of design and inspiration that wedding planners engineer on a regular basis, and while I would love to be able to create such nuptial masterpieces for a client, I respect the fact that I just don't have the creative insight in me to do so. Most people don't. Great wedding planners are a special breed. They don't just "see" the "big picture", they systematically break it down to the purest level: form and function. It's this one element that that truly helps distinguish the difference between a professional wedding planner and a wedding planner.
Professional wedding planners don't create events, they create atmosphere.
With that being said, this brings me back to the main reason I was inspired to write this blog post. The other day, I was chatting with a fellow wedding industry insider about the saturation of wedding coordinators and planners in the current bridal marketplace. We both agreed that everywhere a bride turns, someone with a pretty website or business card is marketing themselves as a "professional" wedding planner. One interesting question that arose was: What qualifications does a person have to have to establish themselves as a "professional" planner? Does a certification from a wedding course or organization instantaneously transform someone into a pro? Is is the total number of events that they have helped coordinate over the years? Is it the total amount of years they have been part of the bridal scene? Is it the volume of awards and accolades they've received from their peers in the industry? We were both perplexed. Both of us just sat silently sipping our drinks wondering how a person decides take it upon themselves to begin distinguishing themselves a "professional" event planner. We finished our drinks, parted ways and both felt an uneasy feeling inside for not coming to an agreed conclusion. I was truly bothered by not knowing the answer.
The next day, I took it upon myself to proactively contact a few fresh faces in the wedding planning world and ask them if they considered themselves a professional planner or not. I was surprised how quickly EVERY single one of them answered a resounding "Yes" or "Of course" when approached. I then proceeded to ask them why they thought so, and they answers provided were quite alarming:
"... because my last three events went smooth and there were no big disasters".
"... because my pricing is probably higher than most competitors".
"... because my wedding planning blog gets of 100K of visits per month".
"... because I have a ton of positive ratings on WeddingWire".
"... because every single bride has sent me a thank you note after her big day".
"... because my mother was an event planner and therefore I'm a pro".
My heart quickly sank. Is this what the newcomers in the wedding industry actually feel makes a competent event planner? Are we basing the integrity of the entire coordinator service off of pricing and thank you notes?
So instead of letting that topic of conversation end, I decided to take the most common sense approach: I'd consult others directly in the industry.
So my question to all you wedding planners, eventistas, coordinators and consultants is: How long have YOU been a "professional" wedding planner and what minimum qualifications do you think a person should have before attaching that elusive "professional" label to their title? Not only is it a viable question, but I feel it's start to creating a soft standard that others in the event business should qualify themselves against before calling themselves a professional wedding planner. Being a wedding professional is an earned privilege, not a right. It's time to stop lying to your brides... and to yourself.
Together, we can advance the wedding industry.
Professional wedding planners don't create events, they create atmosphere.
With that being said, this brings me back to the main reason I was inspired to write this blog post. The other day, I was chatting with a fellow wedding industry insider about the saturation of wedding coordinators and planners in the current bridal marketplace. We both agreed that everywhere a bride turns, someone with a pretty website or business card is marketing themselves as a "professional" wedding planner. One interesting question that arose was: What qualifications does a person have to have to establish themselves as a "professional" planner? Does a certification from a wedding course or organization instantaneously transform someone into a pro? Is is the total number of events that they have helped coordinate over the years? Is it the total amount of years they have been part of the bridal scene? Is it the volume of awards and accolades they've received from their peers in the industry? We were both perplexed. Both of us just sat silently sipping our drinks wondering how a person decides take it upon themselves to begin distinguishing themselves a "professional" event planner. We finished our drinks, parted ways and both felt an uneasy feeling inside for not coming to an agreed conclusion. I was truly bothered by not knowing the answer.
The next day, I took it upon myself to proactively contact a few fresh faces in the wedding planning world and ask them if they considered themselves a professional planner or not. I was surprised how quickly EVERY single one of them answered a resounding "Yes" or "Of course" when approached. I then proceeded to ask them why they thought so, and they answers provided were quite alarming:
"... because my last three events went smooth and there were no big disasters".
"... because my pricing is probably higher than most competitors".
"... because my wedding planning blog gets of 100K of visits per month".
"... because I have a ton of positive ratings on WeddingWire".
"... because every single bride has sent me a thank you note after her big day".
"... because my mother was an event planner and therefore I'm a pro".
My heart quickly sank. Is this what the newcomers in the wedding industry actually feel makes a competent event planner? Are we basing the integrity of the entire coordinator service off of pricing and thank you notes?
So instead of letting that topic of conversation end, I decided to take the most common sense approach: I'd consult others directly in the industry.
So my question to all you wedding planners, eventistas, coordinators and consultants is: How long have YOU been a "professional" wedding planner and what minimum qualifications do you think a person should have before attaching that elusive "professional" label to their title? Not only is it a viable question, but I feel it's start to creating a soft standard that others in the event business should qualify themselves against before calling themselves a professional wedding planner. Being a wedding professional is an earned privilege, not a right. It's time to stop lying to your brides... and to yourself.
Together, we can advance the wedding industry.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Ben The Groom | Wedding PRO
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Hey everyone! We are excited to introduce one of our new BrideTide PROS to all of our readers so you can begin putting a name with a face. Today's wedding PRO is Ben from BenTheGroom.com and he'll be a regular guest blogger from the Groom Room. Everyone give a warm welcome to Ben!
Hi, I'm Ben from www.benthegroom.com. I'm excited to welcome you all into my life on the guys side of wedding planning!
I asked my beautiful fiancé to marry me this past January and immediately my life changed. Soon, I was reading 'Real Simple Weddings 09' from cover to cover, and after getting the big picture I started searching for helpful groom information. As you may know, there are few online resources dedicated to grooms, which is why I created Ben The Groom.
I was born and raised a preacher's kid, graduated with a communication degree, found myself in marketing, and surprisingly, this wedding has become the focal point my life! Just 2 months ago I was busy playing hockey but now it seems each weekend if filled with vendor visits and guest list analysis.
I was in Norway during grade school, studied abroad in China, and competed in the Baja 1000 off-road race. I'm no wedding expert, but that’s exactly what gives my groom's perspective a whole new look at weddings! I care enough to learn how to best play the role of a groom, but am oblivious enough to give real guy advice.
My site offers style, advice, real stories, and some entertainment all dedicated to the groom. Each day I diary my experience, looking for ways guys can get more involved, while studying bride’s blogs to find out what they really want from us. I look forward to continuing to be a voice for the grooms…we want to be involved, we're just not that great at it yet!
Follow Ben on Twitter
Hi, I'm Ben from www.benthegroom.com. I'm excited to welcome you all into my life on the guys side of wedding planning!I asked my beautiful fiancé to marry me this past January and immediately my life changed. Soon, I was reading 'Real Simple Weddings 09' from cover to cover, and after getting the big picture I started searching for helpful groom information. As you may know, there are few online resources dedicated to grooms, which is why I created Ben The Groom.
I was born and raised a preacher's kid, graduated with a communication degree, found myself in marketing, and surprisingly, this wedding has become the focal point my life! Just 2 months ago I was busy playing hockey but now it seems each weekend if filled with vendor visits and guest list analysis.
I was in Norway during grade school, studied abroad in China, and competed in the Baja 1000 off-road race. I'm no wedding expert, but that’s exactly what gives my groom's perspective a whole new look at weddings! I care enough to learn how to best play the role of a groom, but am oblivious enough to give real guy advice.
My site offers style, advice, real stories, and some entertainment all dedicated to the groom. Each day I diary my experience, looking for ways guys can get more involved, while studying bride’s blogs to find out what they really want from us. I look forward to continuing to be a voice for the grooms…we want to be involved, we're just not that great at it yet!
Follow Ben on Twitter
Monday, March 1, 2010
Wedding Tip #7
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Hey brides, make sure your photographer takes plenty of pictures of your reception site before your guest arrive, while everything is still in place and photo perfect!
Hey brides, make sure your photographer takes plenty of pictures of your reception site before your guest arrive, while everything is still in place and photo perfect!
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