WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, has just announced that Sweet I Do’s is officially WeddingWire Rated 2010! WeddingWire created the annual Rated program to honor wedding professionals, like Sweet I Do’s for their excellence and to help brides and grooms easily find the right wedding professionals to match their needs.
“We are excited to unveil WeddingWire Rated 2010, now in its fourth year. With hundreds of thousands of reviews, WeddingWire has made it easy for engaged couples to find the nation’s very best wedding professionals,” according to Sonny Ganguly, WeddingWire’s Chief Marketing Officer. “WeddingWire Rated is an excellent way for businesses to showcase their continued success in the wedding industry.”
Sweet I Do’s has 5 reviews with an average of a 5.0 rating, making us eligible to hold the Rated title on the WeddingWire Network. Each review has been written by our former clients and includes detailed ratings and insightful descriptions of their experiences with our services. These reviews not only enhance our credibility, but also help differentiate our business within the WeddingWire Network.
Sweet I Do’s would like to thank our past brides and grooms for taking the time to review our services on WeddingWire.
If you are a past client of Sweet I Do’s and have yet to provide us with your feedback, visit reviews.weddingwire.com and review our services today.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Difference is Clear - Not! Just what is a wedding planner, coordinator and designer...
There have recently been a number of discussions on various wedding professional boards about the differences between a wedding planner, coordinator and designer. Many professionals state that they have no idea what the true differences are, which makes it hard to explain to clients and prospective clients just what they may need and why. I think that the differences are obvious, but since it is my profession, I guess I do have a tad bit of insider information. That being said, here is what I think each of these "job descriptions" are and what type of client may want to look at hiring them.
Wedding Planner
A wedding planner is a person that is instrumental to an event where the couple has no time or frankly no inclination to deal with all of the details that are needed to put together a wedding - whether it is for 25 people or 300 people. Couples that hire wedding planners want someone else to take care of the planning of the wedding with input from the couple at the crucial points in the process. Wedding and event planners provide vendor and venue recommendations and may be involved in the selection process as well as being the point of contact for all questions, decisions and issues. They help the couple select colors and or themes for the wedding. Wedding planners create and maintain timelines, budgets and some even handle the guest list, RSVP tracking and thank you cards, as well as seating charts, Save The Dates and invitations. They are detail oriented, can think outside of the box and know all the tips, tricks and traditions surrounding an event. They are there to make your vision a reality while keeping it real. True, professional wedding planners charge either flat fees based on the time required to achieve the perfect event, or they charge a percentage of the total wedding budget. While this may seem like a large amount of money to spend on an intangible, what you are truly paying for is this person's ability to remove obstacles, create opportunities, save you time and money through their knowledge, experience and contacts, but most importantly this person will allow you to truly enjoy all the aspects of getting married with little or no stress, worry or aggravation.
Wedding Coordinators
A wedding coordinator is very different from a wedding planner. Wedding coordinators are critical for the couple that wants to be involved in the nuts and bolts, every meeting, every detail wedding, but then want to hand over the final product so they can enjoy the fruits of their labors. Coordinators are not involved in the selection process of the vendors and venue, but they will contact and coordinate all the parties involved to ensure that the couple is receiving every thing that they have contracted and paid for from the vendors and venue. They work with a pre-established timeline created by the couple. Coordinators do not usually have anything to do with the selection of colors, themes, decor, budget, guest list or any of the actual decisions regarding the event. They are there to safeguard the couples thoughts, wishes, dreams and desires. Coordinators take the details and make sure that they happen within the parameters of the couples thoughts and the vendor's and venue's contractual obligations. Coordinators do not plan events, they execute the plans that have been created. Coordinators usually charge a flat rate based on the number of hours they are needed. Again, paying someone for an intangible seems like a waste, but you are paying for peace of mind, experience and a network of vendors that are able and willing to step in at a moments notice to take care of anything that may have gotten overlooked, broken or maybe to replace the vendor that may not show up. Allowing a professional to coordinate your event ensures that all of your guests and family, as well as yourself get to enjoy all the hard work you put into making your event all you.
Wedding Designers
A wedding designer is the person that helps with the actual design of the event. These individuals have nothing to do with the planning or coordination of the wedding, but have everything to do with creating the vision of the couple. They work with the couple and wedding planner regarding theme, color and texture. Designers work closely with the couple to make the vision real and a good designer will be able to stay within budget while still creating a masterpiece. Knowledge of alternative selections to keep the event on budget is crucial to being a wedding designer. Designers are extremely creative and detail oriented. Couples that are non-DIY hire designers to take their dreams and translate them into something tangible. A wedding designer is perfect for the couple that knows what they want but may not have the knowledge or time to make it happen. A true designer is able to take all of the elements of a wedding and create a cohesive, seamless event from beginning to end - including the stationery products, paper products, floral and centerpieces, lighting, music, attire, linens, favors, etc. Wedding designers charge for their time and talents either in a flat rate arrangement or hourly. Hiring someone to design and create all of the details that will make your event truly you and truly unique help to create all of the once in a lifetime moments you've dreamed about. The best designers will save you money by telling you what can and can't be done, but more importantly they keep you from wasting money on ideas that can be created with more cost-friendly alternatives. Designers also help with the DIY gone bad that we all have seen, but can't seem to bring ourselves to stop - hundreds of dollars and tons of time have been wasted. And once they are gone, there is no getting them back.
A great wedding planner is worth their weight in gold. They can save you time and money with their experience, connections and knowledge. The goal of every planner is to make sure the couple never knows they are there. And that if there is an issue, it is a non-issue by the time the couple finds out about it.
A true coordinator relives all of the stress and worry associated with any major event. Taking everything in stride, the most amazing coordinators can handle all of the details with ease and still keep the big picture in mind.
Designers are the people you trust to take the vision in your mind and make it real. Obsessive over the details, great designers make sure that all of the elements of your event showcase the story you want to tell, the picture that you want to paint.
A business can provide all of these services, or may just focus on one. Schedule a meeting with your prospective vendors and discuss in detail what you are looking for and what they can provide. And make sure to get everything in writing.
In my humble opinion...
There are tons of well meaning friends and relatives that claim to be able to "plan" a wedding, "coordinate" an event, or "design" the elements of a wedding. Reality is, they can't. They do not have the time, experience, or network to be able to create, translate and produce a truly memorable, once in a lifetime wedding or event. Time, talent, knowledge, experience, education and training all have their place in the repertoire of a true professional. Hire a professional, sit back and watch as they take everything you have ever wanted, ever dreamed of and make it real and let your friends and relatives sit back and enjoy your wedding without having to work and stress over all the details.
Wedding Planner
A wedding planner is a person that is instrumental to an event where the couple has no time or frankly no inclination to deal with all of the details that are needed to put together a wedding - whether it is for 25 people or 300 people. Couples that hire wedding planners want someone else to take care of the planning of the wedding with input from the couple at the crucial points in the process. Wedding and event planners provide vendor and venue recommendations and may be involved in the selection process as well as being the point of contact for all questions, decisions and issues. They help the couple select colors and or themes for the wedding. Wedding planners create and maintain timelines, budgets and some even handle the guest list, RSVP tracking and thank you cards, as well as seating charts, Save The Dates and invitations. They are detail oriented, can think outside of the box and know all the tips, tricks and traditions surrounding an event. They are there to make your vision a reality while keeping it real. True, professional wedding planners charge either flat fees based on the time required to achieve the perfect event, or they charge a percentage of the total wedding budget. While this may seem like a large amount of money to spend on an intangible, what you are truly paying for is this person's ability to remove obstacles, create opportunities, save you time and money through their knowledge, experience and contacts, but most importantly this person will allow you to truly enjoy all the aspects of getting married with little or no stress, worry or aggravation.
Wedding Coordinators
A wedding coordinator is very different from a wedding planner. Wedding coordinators are critical for the couple that wants to be involved in the nuts and bolts, every meeting, every detail wedding, but then want to hand over the final product so they can enjoy the fruits of their labors. Coordinators are not involved in the selection process of the vendors and venue, but they will contact and coordinate all the parties involved to ensure that the couple is receiving every thing that they have contracted and paid for from the vendors and venue. They work with a pre-established timeline created by the couple. Coordinators do not usually have anything to do with the selection of colors, themes, decor, budget, guest list or any of the actual decisions regarding the event. They are there to safeguard the couples thoughts, wishes, dreams and desires. Coordinators take the details and make sure that they happen within the parameters of the couples thoughts and the vendor's and venue's contractual obligations. Coordinators do not plan events, they execute the plans that have been created. Coordinators usually charge a flat rate based on the number of hours they are needed. Again, paying someone for an intangible seems like a waste, but you are paying for peace of mind, experience and a network of vendors that are able and willing to step in at a moments notice to take care of anything that may have gotten overlooked, broken or maybe to replace the vendor that may not show up. Allowing a professional to coordinate your event ensures that all of your guests and family, as well as yourself get to enjoy all the hard work you put into making your event all you.
Wedding Designers
A wedding designer is the person that helps with the actual design of the event. These individuals have nothing to do with the planning or coordination of the wedding, but have everything to do with creating the vision of the couple. They work with the couple and wedding planner regarding theme, color and texture. Designers work closely with the couple to make the vision real and a good designer will be able to stay within budget while still creating a masterpiece. Knowledge of alternative selections to keep the event on budget is crucial to being a wedding designer. Designers are extremely creative and detail oriented. Couples that are non-DIY hire designers to take their dreams and translate them into something tangible. A wedding designer is perfect for the couple that knows what they want but may not have the knowledge or time to make it happen. A true designer is able to take all of the elements of a wedding and create a cohesive, seamless event from beginning to end - including the stationery products, paper products, floral and centerpieces, lighting, music, attire, linens, favors, etc. Wedding designers charge for their time and talents either in a flat rate arrangement or hourly. Hiring someone to design and create all of the details that will make your event truly you and truly unique help to create all of the once in a lifetime moments you've dreamed about. The best designers will save you money by telling you what can and can't be done, but more importantly they keep you from wasting money on ideas that can be created with more cost-friendly alternatives. Designers also help with the DIY gone bad that we all have seen, but can't seem to bring ourselves to stop - hundreds of dollars and tons of time have been wasted. And once they are gone, there is no getting them back.
A great wedding planner is worth their weight in gold. They can save you time and money with their experience, connections and knowledge. The goal of every planner is to make sure the couple never knows they are there. And that if there is an issue, it is a non-issue by the time the couple finds out about it.
A true coordinator relives all of the stress and worry associated with any major event. Taking everything in stride, the most amazing coordinators can handle all of the details with ease and still keep the big picture in mind.
Designers are the people you trust to take the vision in your mind and make it real. Obsessive over the details, great designers make sure that all of the elements of your event showcase the story you want to tell, the picture that you want to paint.
A business can provide all of these services, or may just focus on one. Schedule a meeting with your prospective vendors and discuss in detail what you are looking for and what they can provide. And make sure to get everything in writing.
In my humble opinion...
There are tons of well meaning friends and relatives that claim to be able to "plan" a wedding, "coordinate" an event, or "design" the elements of a wedding. Reality is, they can't. They do not have the time, experience, or network to be able to create, translate and produce a truly memorable, once in a lifetime wedding or event. Time, talent, knowledge, experience, education and training all have their place in the repertoire of a true professional. Hire a professional, sit back and watch as they take everything you have ever wanted, ever dreamed of and make it real and let your friends and relatives sit back and enjoy your wedding without having to work and stress over all the details.
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