WPIC

Event Graffiti for Your Clients

By: Tracey ManailescuAttention GTA Wedding Coordinators:

Your clients look to you for guidance, creativity and something different.  Check out Event Graffiti. 

Event Graffiti is very thin pieces of vinyl that look painted when applied to most smooth surfaces.  It is simple to use and will quickly personalize your clients special day in a very classy way.  They have great prices and add that special touch.

Event Graffiti is not only easy to apply, it is just as easy to remove without harming underlying surfaces, even the not so skilled and  coordinated could apply it.

Where can you apply Event Graffiti?  It can be applied to the dance floor, reception area wall, behind the head table, along the front of the bar, the possibilities are endless.  Large or small, practically  anything can be customized to continue the look and
theme of your event.

They do vinyl work, print custom backdrops, seating charts and can also print custom favour stickers and labels. 

*All photos were taken by Corrie & Norm Oliveira of Event Graffiti

Wedding Ring Tattoos

by Tracey Manailescu

Source

This is one of our most viewed blogs (2009), so I wanted to repost it.

Lately, I have to admit, I have been oddly fascinated by the growing trend of wedding band tattoos.  I decided to read up on them, and share my findings with you.

Tattooing your wedding ring onto your finger is a way to show your enduring love for your partner, forever.  It cannot be taken off during an argument, or put in a pocket while out-on-the-town for a night with friends. :) 

Apparently, this is not a new trend.  In fact, it started about 5000 years ago, in ancient Egypt when the pyramids were being built, Egyptians would tattoo their wrists and fingers to ward away illness.  In Scotland and Ireland tattooing your wedding finger has been popular for many years.  One of the designs that is most popular in North America stems from these two countries: the Celtic ring. The Celtic ring symbolizes “never ending love and devotion’, so what better symbol to be permanently etched into your finger. 

Wedding ring tattoos will cost you about $100 each.  The top half of your finger’s tattoo will last a lifetime, but the underside, or the palm side, tends to fade and blur rather quickly.  This results in having to do touch ups every few years, or you have the option of only getting a half ring done.

In the US, it is illegal in some States to get tattoos below the ankles, wrists, or above the neck, so check it out first if you are going there to get them.  It is said to be very painful, as there is no fatty tissue to block the pain.  It can even result in hairline fractures, if not done properly, or done by a professional. 75% of UK people, who have gotten wedding ring tattoos, regret it. (Sorry, I could not find any statistics in N. America).

Some famous people that have had it done for the exchange of their wedding rings, and have lived to regret it are:

• Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee (divorced after 5 years, she changed "Tommy" to "Mommy")
• Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock (separated after only 4 months of marriage)
• Kathy Griffin and Matt Moline (married for only 5 years)

There are only a few ways to have the tattoo removed from your finger, and none of them are pretty.

1. Laser removal: An extreme amount of heat in the form of a beam is lasered into the tattoo; it will then break up the tattoo into pieces.  The skin will ingest these pieces and slowly make it disappear after several treatments.
2. Dermabrasion: The top layer of skin is sanded away.
3. Excision: The tattoo is cut out and the skin is sewn back together.

What I have found just by reading up on it, is that I do not want to get wedding ring tattoos any time soon.  If you or any of your couples do, please consider the serious repercussions of being unique or different.  

Love can last a lifetime, but I will stick to my eternity band, thank you very much.

Wedding Gifts and the Etiquette of it all...

By: Tracey Manailescu

Photo by: Oliver Schwarzwald 

Should you advise your clients about the risks of having gifts brought to the wedding reception? Theft, broken china, not enough room in the vehicles to transport it, just who is going to transport the gifts back to the parents home, who is receiving the gifts and manning the gift table, etc?

Believe it or not, there is Etiquette about just this sort of thing...

Gifts are supposed to be delivered to the bride's parents home. Yup, you read this right!

Etiquette is all about easing through situations, and to create a standard that eveyone can follow. Etiquette also says that guests have one year to give a gift, as the couple are technically, honeymooners for a year's time. So there is no need for the guests to lug it all with them to the Wedding Reception. It can be delivered beforehand, or afterwards.

When large and/or expensive gifts are brought to a reception, it creates all sorts of drama. Who is going to watch the gift table? Should security be hired, just in case? Who is going to load up the vehicles with gifts? Does the venue have a designated room to store the gifts until such time?

Now, of course we realize that if guests are going to bring a gift, they are going to bring it no matter what. Hence the need for a money box and a gift table, regardless.

What if, you as the professional Wedding Coordinator, could plant this little tidbit in the couples ear, so it trickles down through the family, and word gets passed through the mothers, etc? Makes sense doesn't it?

Happy planning!

A Magical Evening with Preston Bailey

“A Magical Evening with Preston Bailey”

By: WPIC Instructor, Monica Hill of Aisle Plan Your Day

When we first read about Preston Bailey coming to Edmonton, AB on Twitter, we registered our fabulous WPIC instructor, Monica Hill ASAP to represent and share her experience with all of us. Below is her recap of the night.On Saturday, October 1/ 2011 I had the pleasure of attending a “Magical Evening with Preston Bailey” presented by the Edmonton Bridal Expo in Edmonton, Alberta with several WPIC members.

 
The evening started out with a champagne cocktail reception at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald.  It was here that I had the opportunity to meet with Preston Bailey face to face… and what an amazing experience it was! Preston Bailey is truly a down-to-earth person who seems genuinely interested in what you have to say. He asked about the market in Edmonton and surrounding Alberta … and proceeded to ask about our current rates on planning packages for clients. He is a very intriguing individual and it was certainly hard not to get “star-struck” when speaking with him. He ended our conversation with a hug as we exchanged business cards.

Upon conclusion of the cocktail reception, we proceeded to our reserved table front and center for Preston Bailey’s presentation.  The evening started out with a decadent array of food for our plated dinner.

  Our dinner menu for the evening included: 

• Woodland Mushroom Bisque with White Truffle Oil drizzle
• Pan-seared Snow Crab Cake with Black Bean and Roasted Corn salad, Organic pea shoots w/lemon zest aioli
• Organic “Diamond Willow” Beef Tenderloin w/ Red Wine jus, Mascarpone and Red Beet mashed potatoes
• Dessert trio of: Classic Creme Brulee, miniature Apple Pie bite & rich Chocolate Pate

Upon conclusion of dinner service, Preston Bailey took the stage and within minutes, had the entire room laughing. Preston shared some rather personal facts with the group about his claim to fame and offered some great advice on how to be successful. His advice consisted of 3 main points:

1. “Determine what makes you different and what sets you apart from the competition”
2. “Always say Yes”  to clients
3. “You have to trust in yourself & your surroundings”

Preston then proceeded to share some of his current projects he is working on and highlighted some of the best moments of his career, including planning Oprah Winfrey’s 50^th Birthday and working closely with numerous clients such as Jennifer Hudson, Donald Trump and Royal Families across the globe.

Preston made a point to mention how truly lucky we are to be working within such a wonderful industry. He discussed the difference between social vs corporate clients and emphasized his passion for weddings. Preston also provided some insight into the different design concepts he provides to his clients, and that he always creates 3 completely different concepts for his clients to choose from. He works with an amazing team of designers out of his office in New York and said his true love for designing is in India as they are familiar with the various textures and textiles and he loves the fact that they party for a week!  Preston even showed us a picture of his personal bedroom in New York City showing crystals and florals on a 4 poster bed and explained; “I wake up every morning and want to have a party”.

Upon conclusion of the presentation, Preston Bailey proceeded to take pictures with every person that attended the gala and sign his book for anyone that had copies with them. If I had to describe my evening at The Preston Bailey Gala, I could sum it up by saying I was completely star-struck by such an amazing person who made every person in that room laugh and smile throughout the entire presentation. I feel truly honored to have been able to attend an event with a true icon in our industry!

Preston Bailet and WPIC Instructor, Monica Hill

"Feeling Good" Chronicles of a Wedding Coordinator

By: Tracey Manaielscu

I asked our WPIC Alumni recently to share some of their most rewarding memories from weddings they have coordinated. We will be sharing these memories with you, our readers over the next few months.

Mary Swaffield of Lavish - Wedding Planning & Design in Calgary, AB sent us this :

Photo credit: As I See It Photography

"One of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a Planner occurred last summer at Chateau Lake Louise. The bride had scheduled her 5 bridesmaids (most of whom had just flown in from Japan for the wedding) to have their hair done at the hotel salon. However, the morning of the wedding, when they went to the salon for their appointment, they found it locked up. The bride contacted me and my team went to work trying to find out what the explanation was. As it turned out, the stylist who had been scheduled to do their hair had been rushed into surgery back in Calgary and would not be able to make it. The back-up stylist for the salon was unreachable.

The bride was devestated and asked me what could be done. Her bridesmaids were panicking and upset. Surely we could do something...

I remember leaving the set-up of the reception area to sit down and brainstorm. Lake Louise is not exactly a bustling metropolis - there was no-where to call, no salons that we could contact. Banff was hours away, and it was a Saturday in June - undoubtably, every stylist in the Rockies was probably booked solid.

Suddenly, it came to me!

The day prior, we had visited the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was to be hosted. The manager had taken the time to show us around and give us the history of the unique restaurant. During this time, she talked quite a bit about her own history... which included working as a hair stylist for a decade.

BINGO! I grabbed my phone and called the restaurant. No answer. I hit re-dial over and over again for about 15 minutes straight, until I finally reached someone. I asked for the manager, and they told me she was unavailable. I expressed my urgency and they promised to find her and have her call me. In the meantime, I was fielding calls from the tearful bride, who felt that she had let her friends down and ruined their experience. Please oh please couldn't I help? I crossed my fingers and waited for the phone to ring.

Finally - the manager called me back. I explained the situation and said that I needed someone to do their hair. She said, "there isn't really anyone in the area". I said "well, there kind of is, actually". Silence. "OH," she exclaimed - "you want ME to do their hair!".

Amazingly, she agreed, and after finding someone to take her place at the restaurant, she made it to the Chateau in no time flat, and managed to get all 5 of the bridesmaids done, just in time for the ceremony.

The bride was beyond pleased - everyone looked beautiful, and the bridesmaids each came up and expressed their gratitude to us for solving their hair dilemma!

This was one of the first few weddings of my career, and I remember feeling elated that the team had been able to come up with such a creative (and lucky) solution to what could have been a no-win situation. This wedding had many, many other issues, and my team was able to handle each and every one of them calmly and creatively. Many, MANY lessons were learned that day, and to this day it remains one of my favourite weddings, not because everything went smoothly, but because very little of it went smoothly, but the guests and the bride and groom had virtually no idea and were able to enjoy what seemed to be a perfect day!"

Mary Swaffield, Calgary AB
Lavish - Wedding Planning & Design
www.lavisheventdesign.com

Vendor Spotlight: The Wedding Decorators Inc.

Interviewed by: Tracey Manailescu

Recently, we had the pleasure of working with Sherisse Bhimani, WPICC of The Wedding Decorators Inc. Every time we work with The Wedding Decorators we forget what talent comes out of this husband and wife team, and are blown away at the style, combinations and heart and soul that goes into their work. Nevermind, that Sherisse is an absolute doll!

 
Photo credit: Luis Enriquez of LouE. Photo

Tell us a bit about The Wedding Decorators: The Wedding Decorators started out small just myself from home offering clients mostly centrepieces, favours & head table decor, we then grew as a company into our first showroom in Downtown Brampton our clientele quickly grew from there taking on an intern & Ali coming on full time we started offering full decor, linens & centrepieces to our clients, from there we are now in our 3rd showroom location & we have a large clientele including brides, corporate businesses & other wedding industry professionals we are offering full service decor, fresh flowers & linens.  Over the years we took into consideration feedback from our clients & based that on the services we now provide.  We are always looking for ways to grow, improve & market our business.  We look forward to a bright future. 

What have been some of your best accomplishments?

We are proud to say that we were able to grow our business through many of our accomplishments like being featured on Slice T.V.'s Party Mamas, being interviewed by Jennifer Goulden, from The Wedding Ring & having a wonderful review posted on their website, Winning best Tabletop Design in 2009 at The Wedding Professionals International Conference, all of our happy clients & starting our Wedding Decor & Floral Class teaching our profession.  All these accomplishments have lead to our success.

How do you adapt to working and a new beautiful baby girl to the mixture?

 This has been a challenge but we are so happy to have her in our lives she will be the future of our business. 

If you could pick the perfect wedding clients, what would they want
from you, and what would you do for them theme and idea wise? 

 My ideal clients would be open minded & willing to hand over full creative control to us! my ideal clients would also let us create their entire event from top to bottom.  Based on the type of event we would create an amazing, unique experience in design from the florals to the lighting to the draping to the overall theme & experience for their guests.

Photo credit: Barry Cardoso

How has your company changed over the past 3 years?

 The Wedding Decorators has changed in many ways over the years by offering new & complete services for our clients based on their feedback & the ever changing wedding industry. 

What kind of trends are you noticing with couples in decor this year?

 Each of our clients are looking for a unique way to celebrate their event, I think more & more they would like to stay away from the "traditional" wedding decor/flowers.  Clients want different ideas for their colour schemes/themes, different ways to design & set-up their ceremony's & receptions, they are looking for more non-traditional ways to "wow" their guests by having luxury linens/chair covers, looking for ways to make all the small details unique.  Major colour trend for this year I would have to say is Aubergine most used colour combo is black & white, crystal everything is also big this year & anything with a damask print.  Flower trends this year I would have to say would be gerber daisy's & roses.  

Photo credit: Barry Cardoso

Tell us a bit about your training classes for Decor & Florals: Our training classes offer students the opportunity to learn our business in every way.  We teach our students how to start their own decor, floral, rental business, how to deal with clients, ways to advertise, do's & don't in the industry, how to design weddings using draping & flowers, different techniques, supplier resources, an opportunity to connect with all students from past classes once the class is over & ongoing support from us.  We have so many students that are running successful businesses & we continue to teach our trade.  There is an overwhelming demand for training in our field so we continue to have our classes twice a year in March & November.    

Kim Kardashian's Limited Edition Wedding Perfume

Written by: Tracey Manailescu

Okay, I must admit that I am intrigued...I have watched a few episodes of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" and I watched Khloe get married... Now I want to see more of the details of just how Kim made her wedding stand out this past Saturday. A signature perfume was a good start!

*The ceremony will be televised as a two-part special on E! in October.

"LOVE by Kim Kardashian" is a limited edition Wedding Perfume made up of sparkling red currant, pink freesia, star jasmine, Egyptian tuberose, and musk for a romantic and fresh scent.

Packaged in a blinged-out bottle, this perfume bottle is adorned with 450-platinum rock crystals and is sure to impress. Will the scent though?

This collection of perfume started selling at the beginning of August at the official site KimKardashianFragrance.com.

Let your clients know that they could be wearing Kim's signature perfume for their wedding, but they'd better be quick! They made ​​only 1,000 bottles. One for Kim, which she wore on her wedding day just 2 days ago, 200 for a bridal shower and the rest, 799 for sale.

 

Awesome Las Vegas Wedding Locations

By: Tracey Manailescu

Las Vegas is on my mind this week, as Danielle and I are preparing our seminar on Destination Weddings and booth display for the Wedding MBA Convention. I have been researching some locations that I want to see this time around, as we try to see something different each time we go.

Vegas has this reputation as a drive by Wedding hotspot with more cheese than a Cheese Shop. What many do not realize, is that there are some gorgeous venues and stunning ceremony spots that need recognition. There are also some very cool and different places around the city to WOW you!

Las Vegas was the very first DESTINATION WEDDING I coordinated many years ago. It was a priority of the couple to find a fun and popular wedding chapel, so I found them Graceland Wedding Chapel. While it was a ton of fun, and the couple was thrilled, there are so many other options then the obvious draw of Vegas.

Here are just three of the ones that caught my eye that fall into the cool and different type:

 
Photo source:www.las-vegas.cc 

 
Photo source: www.lasvegaslogue.com

Mandalay Bay -Shark Reef Ceremony has 15 different types of sharks swim around you encased in a glass aquarium while you exchange vows.

Photo source: gregandvonswedding.co.uk

 
Photo source:www.linternaute.com 

Bellagio's Terrazza Di Sogno -Marble-floored patios right out of Great Expectations. A patio wedding and reception with the famous Bellagio Lago Di Como and Fountains as your backdrop would impress even the Mr. Non-Romanticin the crowd, LOL! One of the greatest elements to this location is that you can have the fountain choreographed to the song for your first dance.

 
Photo source: www.MaverickHelicoptors.com

 
Photo souce: www.perfectoutdoorweddings.com

Maverick Helicopters This is flipping fantastic!  Imagine being flown right to a cliff to say your vows and have breathtaking photos like no other? You descend 3,500 feet below the rim of the Grand Canyon, to an exclusive landing spot where your ceremony will take place.

WPIC Planner of The Month:

 

Amira Harris owns Posh Productions - a wedding and event production company in Calgary, Alberta.  Amira became a member of the WPIC Alumni in 2007 after learning that there were no other organizations offering programs like the WPIC Course. After being certified for 4 years, Amira still looks for ways to improve through continuing education by attending seminars, conferences, and by purchasing literature to keep current on trends.

Photo by: Shandro Photo

Before wedding planning Amira had worked in a variety of positions for different companies from Oil & Gas, Brokerage Houses to Telecommunications.  Amira quit her corporate world career and set out to pursue her love for wedding and event planning.  From day one Posh Productions has been a full time venture.  Amira's background in finance, customer service and project management has provided her with a wealth of knowledge and experience to apply to Posh Productions every day. 

Photo by: Samantha Ellen Photography

When first starting out, Amira tried everything to promote her business.  Print and online advertising along with networking was the way she got the word out.  Amira tries to help out newcomers to the industry by offering them guidance, tips, lessons learned or opportunities to work with Posh Productions because she remembers what it was like just starting out. 

Being such a large industry, there are many professionals for one to look up to.  Amira loves that she has such a great family of support within the WPIC Alumni Association. 

 

In a few months, Posh Productions will be going into its 5th year of business.  Over those years Amira has learned so much about how to run a successful business.  In those 5 years, Amira has put together a "Posh Team" that she wouldn't be able to live without.  Her entire staff is WPIC Certified and she is always employing new WPIC Planners who are looking for expereience because she remembers how it felt to be just starting out. 

 
Over the years, Amira has worked with so many couples to create their dream wedding!  Each wedding is so unique and personalized to the couple and she has many favourites.  Some of the best details that stick out in Amira's mind are:

• A Traditional Indonesian Wedding Ceremony: A couple got married in Fiji and wanted to have a reception for guests who couldn't make it.  They had another ceremony/reception and incorporated the same vows and attire from their destination wedding in Fiji
• A groom wanted to do his speech to the bride in her native language and learned to do his speech in Portuguese.  The bride and her family were touched and so surprised!  
• A bride and groom surprised their guests by singing 3 songs at the reception.  She sang and he played guitar.

Photo by: Chris + Lynn Photographers

In August 2010, Posh Productions launched its travel division.  This was a major business decision that Amira decided to take on since she was planning so many destination weddings and using a third party to arrange all the travel needs.  Instead of relying on an agent, Amira decided it would be a great fit in the business and would make the entire planning process seamless for her couples. 

In 2011 and early 2012 you can bet you will be seeing a lot of great things coming from Posh Productions.  They will continue to provide an exceptional level of service to their clients.  Amira expects a significant growth in planning and booking destination weddings as the trend continues to grow.  Another division of Posh Productions will be launching this fall, a new and improved website and a few other surprises Amira is hiding and waiting to reveal! 

Photo by: SK Photography

Modernize Your Bridal Party With Gorgeous Clutches

By: Tracey Manailescu

We all know the fear and jokes of the taffeta dresses and dyed shoes of the past. There is just no excuse for that to enter weddings anymore...EVER!

Let's keep going...

How about a great clutch instead of a bouquet which I am happy to say, is making it's way into 2011 weddings!

Wedding Bee Gallery

Instring

Valentino

StyleCaster

You can pair these with some matching blinged out rings, shoes & hair accessories etc.

Have some fun!  Your Bridal party will thank you!