Photo courtesy of True Photography Weddings

Our very own members were featured recently for the nuptials of Meghan and Cheyne, the amazing race winners! They selected the Hard Rock Hotel’s Legends Ballroom to celebrate the Big Day Reception on May 7, 2011. Sweet Cheeks Baking Co. was more than thrilled to feed their party delicious cake and cupcakes, and Concepts Event Design created the personalized dance floor. For more details of their wedding be sure to visit People Magazine online…

The Westin treated our members and guests to a fabulous luncheon meeting to close April. Kudos to Sheri Karpinski and her banquet staff for fantastic service and a delicious lunch. The Westin is a fabulous choice for your next business meeting, corporate holiday party or that perfect, rocking, urban wedding.

WoD drifted this month from its normal monthly meeting agenda. WoD staged an informative and highly group engaging forum focusing on marketing, creative advertising and, basically, ideas on what to do when the phone is not ringing as much as it should be. Keynote speakers were President Bob Brichmann & Treasurer Merrylin Brichmann, Artistic Productions, Vice-President Ann Strobel, Ann’s Plans, David Wasserman from Joes On The Nose, and photographer Kristina Chartier. Member participation was very spirited and creative advice was flying about the room. Everyone surely took home at least one good idea from this meeting to help themselves and their business.

Typical monthly Board business was shared. New member coordinator Krista Murphy from Definitive Events was welcomed into the group. Raffles prizes were awarded. New member brochures are ready to go to print. We’ll see you next month (5/25) at the Sheraton Carlsbad!

The Weddings of Distinction 2010 Board:

President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans; Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions; Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons; Membership, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park; Secretary, Diane Wilson from Silverwood Music Ensemble; Marketing, Lisa Gisczinski, elle.g photography.

Committee Members:
Shannon Henry, photographer from Studio Carre.

Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special events. They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities. The group’s goal is building professional relationships and networking to give clients the best advice and services to choose from.

It’s important to remember that it’s your wedding. It’s your florist’s job to enhance your personal style by translating it into the floral designs that will become your bouquets, ceremony decorations, and reception centerpieces, among other details.

The more you know about yourself and what you are hoping to see, the better your florist will be able to guide you and make recommendations that are perfectly suited to your tastes! It’s true that couples often come in the door with partial ideas and leave with a much clearer vision for their wedding day, simply because the flowers tie everything together. From the dresses to the favors – your wedding design develops through your planning with your florist.

With this in mind, these are the key things to do before appearing at your florist’s door:

1) Know your colors.
Even if the shades change from dark to light or earthy to spring fresh, the general color scheme is a major force of guidance.

2) Know your budget.
Your florist can help you maximize the amount you prefer to spend if he/she knows from the start how much there is to work with.

3) Explore your options!
Look online at all the many, many blogs/magazines/websites with pictures of real weddings to help inspire you and show you the creative options available to personalize your day.

written by Paula Anderson of Rae Florae

San Diego Weddings of Distinction was invited to La Jolla Cove Suites, www.lajollacove.com, for their August luncheon meeting. With LJ Cove Suites celebrating its 50th year, our host and former member, Senior Sales Associate Joy Richards welcomed us to their stunning rooftop venue.

Several members contributed to the beauty and culinary delights for the day’s meeting. Lois Mathews, www.loismathews.com, provided floral centerpieces. Showcaser Katrina Lacape from Magical Party Rentals, www.magicalpartyrentals.com, offered incredibly colorful linens for the table décor. Our other showcaser, who actually provided food and beverage on the day, was Authentic Flavors Catering, www.sdauthenticflavors.com.

Director of Catering, Carrie Esparza, introduced a delicious menu for the day that included scrumptious appetizers and tasty beverages to greet guests as they arrived. Also visiting us were the newest owners of Authentic, Mark Vogel and Justin Fitzgerald.

After being dazzled by Katrina’s linens and Carrie’s crew for lunch, Cheli Madrid from St. Tropez Specialty Cakes & Desserts, offered up an incredible dessert to close the afternoon. St.Tropez and Authentic are subsidiaries within the same company.

Board business was briefly shared with the masses. Exciting news from member Krista Murphy – baby Kaylin Grace Murphy was born 8/20/09. Some incredible raffle prizes were doled out including a night’s stay at the LJ Cove Suites, won by member Elaine Ardizzone, www.sweetcheeksbaking.com, and box seats to the Del Mar Races, courtesy of Katrina Lacape, and won by florist Paula Rae, www.raeflorae.com.

Dozens of referrals were exchanged. People bonded. Another prospective member – coffee man David Wassermann, www.joesonthenose.com, paid us a visit. Fun and sun were had by all!

We’ll see you next month at the Baumann Estate in Point Loma with our own member Continental Catering, www.continentalcateringsd.com, providing culinary delights.

The Weddings of Distinction 2009 Board:
President, Bob Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions (www.artistic-productions.com)
Vice-President, Ann Strobel, Coordinator from Ann’s Plans (www.annsplans.com)
Treasurer, Merrylin Brichmann, DJ & Emcee from Artistic Productions (www.artistic-productions.com)
Founding President, Susan Ashley from Romantic Honeymoons, (www.romantichoneymoonsbysusan.com)
Membership, Carrie Esparza from San Diego Authentic Flavors Custom Catering (www.sdauthenticflavors.com)
Secretary, Andrea Pena from The Prado at Balboa Park (www.balboaparkweddings.com)

Committee Members:
Marketing: Lisa Gisczinski, wedding photographer from Elle G Photography (www.ellegphotography.com); Shannon Henry, wedding photographer from Studio Carre (www.studiocarre.com)

San Diego Weddings of Distinction is a non-profit networking group specializing in weddings and special events (www.sandiegoweddingsofdistinction.com). They meet monthly at various San Diego County hotels, resorts and special event facilities.

In fact, your wedding is just weeks away and most every detail – from the veil to the venue – has been arranged and paid for. Now, you’re wondering if there are ways to defray some of the mounting costs.

The pro: Cynthia Zatkin, owner of Cynthia Zatkin Events, Signature Weddings & Celebrations

How far into planning can you change things?

It depends on the flexibility of the contract you signed. When it comes to food and beverage at a hotel, that is pretty inflexible. Couples need to consider this when signing that contract, because it is something that is truly set in stone.

But many vendors, if you go to them with financial concerns, will be pretty flexible. A linen specialist, rental company or florist won’t need a finalized contract or final counts until about two weeks before the wedding.

Linen specialist?

One thing a couple can do is increase their table size. By choosing a 72-inch round instead of a 60-inch round, more guests can be seated at fewer tables. A larger table means fewer linens.

Table linens are somewhere around $40 apiece. If you take out a couple of tables, that’s an easy way to whittle some costs.

And flowers?

Centerpieces can cost in the realm of $75 to $300 each, depending on what you are doing. That definitely adds up.

Downsize your flowers. If you thought maybe you wanted a $300 centerpiece, ask your florist what can be done for $100 a centerpiece. Most florists are pretty willing to negotiate.

The way to do that is to say, “This is how much I have to spend. What can you create?”

Are there other ways to economize?

Cut off an hour from the event. This can save you in alcohol, DJ or band, and photography costs.

Wedding receptions don’t need to go more than five hours, and you can shorten it a bit if you want. If you host an open bar, shaving an hour off the event can save significantly. Consider your alcohol cost is essentially $5 per person per hour. If you have 300 guests, you could save nearly $2,000 by losing that last hour.

With the photographer, you don’t need more than six hours. Have the photographer start two hours before the wedding to get the portraits and beautiful shots of the bride and friends while their makeup is still perfect. These are the shots people frame and keep forever, the memory photos.

As a wedding coordinator, I just stack all the events that need to be photographed toward the beginning of the reception. I make sure the cake cutting, bouquet and garter toss, money dance, etc. are all done before the photographer leaves.

A good photographer is $500 an hour. You can save $1,000 by shaving a couple of hours from your photography time.

Any other cost-cutters to consider?

I’m a big fan of using nice chairs, but they can be $8 to $20 a chair. A couple on a budget could use chair covers instead. There are some good companies out there with chair covers renting from $2 to $3.50 a chair.

Downsize the musicians. Instead of having a quartet at $500 an hour, choose a duo for $200 an hour.

Downsize the tiered wedding cake. Wedding cakes range up to $15 a slice depending on the pastry chef. If you do a tiny cake for the ceremony with sheet cakes for serving, it can be $2 to $4 a slice.

Eliminate any kind of “night of” transportation, like a limo or trolley. I’ve seen couples have just as much fun driving their own transportation decorated by the groomsmen. Or, if they are going to be drinking, enlist a friend with a nice car.

I’ve also seen family and friends network to borrow great cars like a red convertible for the getaway car or a big Chevy Suburban to transfer family and friends between church and reception site. There are ways to get creative with transportation without having to pay for it.

Written by Caroline Dipping for the San Diego Union Tribune

Elbow Room
Think comfort and elbow room; this will help facilitate a celebratory atmosphere. When you visit a potential wedding or reception location, picture where everyone will be situated and how you and your guests will feel. For the ceremony, there should be enough room for the bride and groom, the wedding party, the supporting cast (officiant, musicians), and the total number of guests you invited. For the reception, there should be ample space for the guests, the activities you have planned (dancing, band, activities), and the amenities (gift table, food tables, cake / dessert table).

Ambiance
Before choosing a location, you should attempt to visit the wedding and reception location at exactly the same time of day as your event, to make sure there are no surprises. If it’s a private venue, perhaps you can attend prior to its start. On rare occasions, your venue might be in a more public area allowing for viewing while an event is in progress. It is, though, inappropriate to “crash” another person’s private affair.
• Look at the lighting and shadows. Is it too light or too dark? If the weather is raining or overcast will that make a big difference in the lighting? If outdoors, what is the contingency for inclement weather?
• Look at the colors. Will your wedding colors and theme go with the room? If you add your own personal touches of candles or unique centerpieces will they coordinate with the room?
• Listen to the sound. Is there an echo or are sounds muted? With microphones, music, and speaking will everyone be able to hear well?
KEY QUESTION – Ask the location vendor what options they have for incorporating your own unique touches – color, special items (e.g. candles), and music.

Private or Public
Decide if you want absolute privacy, a public environment, or a combination of both. Having the general public in your area can be either fun or a nuisance, depending on how you view it.
KEY QUESTION – Ask the location vendor what the public vehicle and foot traffic is like during the time of your event. If you want privacy, ask if there are any controls of the public that they can facilitate. If you want the public involved, ask how you can include everyone!.

Transportation and Parking
Make it easy for you and your guests to get to and from the location. Plan how you and guests will get to, from, and between the wedding and reception sites. Everyone should be focused on you and your day, not anxious about getting lost or having their car towed. There should be close and safe parking where it’s legal to park. If parking is a problem, alternative solutions like shuttles, limos, and trolleys can be delightfully memorable.
KEY QUESTION – Ask the location vendor what transportation and parking alternatives are available.

Combination Sites
Couples can simplify the wedding planning process by choosing a location that offers both a wedding ceremony and wedding reception site. Not only will this make things easy on you, but it will also save time and money. Combining wedding ceremony and reception sites:
• Saves time and money
• Decreases planning and coordination issues
• Allows for a seamless transition from ceremony to celebration
• Eliminates driving and parking stressors for guests unfamiliar with the area

Guest Lodging
Venues that offer guest lodging may also offer discounts towards the venue cost. Your guests will enjoy the convenience of going to their rooms after the reception has concluded. By choosing a wedding location with lodging options, you will:
• Maximize the time that you have with your family and friends
• Add fun and excitement to your wedding weekend
• Ensure that your guests will arrive on time for your special day
• Allows a safe option for guests who drink a bit too much at the reception

May you find the location that matches your special theme and style, to make your wedding amazing.