Portland Wedding Coordinator

Summer weddings and bugs!

A version of this article ran on Portland Wedding Coordinator in August 2011.

 Can you believe, it's the end of May and the outdoor summer weddings in Portland and Lake Oswego are here. If you are getting married at one of the outdoor gardens, waterfront or riverfront parks or venues you are probably wondering what to do about the possibility of bugs.

Bug-off spray is a must at outdoor weddings, but here are a few  tips to make you the perfect wedding host:

- Avoid DEET-based sprays that can irritate skin. Lemongrass and geranium oil-based repellents are available and they smell much nicer.

- Transfer the insect repellent spray into nicer glass bottles before setting them out at your event. Empty glass spray bottles can usually be found in the bulk beauty aisle (lotions and soaps) of natural grocery stores such as Whole Foods and New Seasons. Wrap the bottle in a ribbon to match your scheme, and then it will be guest-book-table worthy.

(Vintage atomizers could be fun too!)

image from Polyvore

- Burning lemongrass torches or candles can keep bugs down in the immediate vicinity. Having gently-blowing oscillating fans can also help.

- If the area seems to be uncontrollably buggy, consider applying non-toxic lawn or yard insect treatments (some examples here and here) several hours or days prior to the wedding (get the permission of the venue owner first).

 

Lovely wedding photos at McMenamins Edgefield by Fritz Photo

A while back, Shutterbug Magazine featured a photographer we've been working with for a very long time: Fritz Liedtke of Fritz Photo. We were super happy for him, and additionally thrilled that the magazine chose a photo from one of our own clients, whose wedding was held at McMenamins Edgefield.

Here are a few more photos from this lovely Edgefield wedding that took place at Edgefield's Blackberry Meadow and adjoining Hall. A full blog post about the wedding is on Fritz's blog here. Enjoy!

Floral by Punch.

Make it a White Friday instead, and set your wedding planning intentions

Photo by tshein on flickr, used with Creative Commons License.

Wait! Before you make one more Black Friday purchase, stop for a minute! If you're recently engaged and hoping to have your wedding in 2012, why not take a little time this holiday weekend to set your intentions around what's really important for your celebration? A little pre-planning before the plunge of wedding shopping can go a long way.

1. Have your families met yet? Ideally, your families will meet before the wedding day. FIgure out a way to make this happen if it hasn't already.

2. Have you set your budget yet? There are many budget planning tools online, or you can email me with the subject line "I read your 11/25 blog" and I'll send you the one I use for my full-service clients -- free!

3. Have you started on your guest list? Your budget will give you an idea of how many guests you can have. It's not a perfect rule of thumb, but just to get you started, consider on the casual end (in the Portland, Oregon area), a budget of $50-100 per person; then, a more elaborate celebration will have a budget from $100-500 per person. Reducing your guest list is the easiest way to reduce your budget.

(Of course, all you really need is your intended and the witnesses, but these guidelines should work for anyone hoping to host a celebration with more than a dinner-party number of guests and some kind of food, drink, and entertainment.)

Another way to think about budget is to consider a favorite restaurant whose food you would love to have at your wedding. What did you pay per person the last time you went there on a date and had appetizers, dinner, and a few drinks? Take that number and double it (in order to budget 50% on catering and 50% on the other things like planning, venue rental, entertainment, documentation, printing, etc) and that can be a rough budget for you.

4. Have you discussed your shared vision with your fiance(e)? On The 2000 Dollar Wedding Blog, Sara Cotner discusses how she and her fiance "started with the end in mind". No matter what your wedding budget might be, this is great advice.

So take a few moments during this holiday weekend to be thankful for this exciting time, and to set your intentions and get your wedding planning started right. Who knows--maybe eliminating one Black Friday impulse purchase will allow you to get something you really hoped for for the wedding.

A version of this article originally ran on The Portland Wedding Coordinator on November 27, 2009.

{ Working with Caterers } The Service Gap, or, "If I Didn't Bring It, I Won't Touch It"

Image by Jihan Abdalla Photography via WeddingChicks.com

Food carts, onsite pizza ovens, Texas barbecue, "the guy who brings a giant paella pan to your house" -- the trend in wedding catering is to use interesting, untraditional caterers for your wedding or rehearsal dinner. It's wonderful to have so many choices, but what about you and your guests' expectations about what a caterer does? Here's a list of a few questions you must ask your caterer, especially if they don't bill themselves as a full-service caterer or one that specializes in weddings.

- Do you set up and take down ceremony chairs? What about the tables and chairs that guests will sit at to eat?

- Will you lay down the linens/tablecloths and/or set the table with silverware, napkins, and the glassware that we rent?

- Do your waiters bus the tables? (You'd be surprised how many caterers do not include picking up dirty dishes, taking them to a busing station, scraping and putting away -- as one of their duties. Especially if they did not rent or bring the dishes.)

- Do you remove the trash and recycling from the site? Do you recycle bottles and cans? What about liquid waste such as ice and unfinished drinks? (Venues don't appreciate these items being tossed in the bushes or on the lawn.)

- If you provide a bartender, is that person licensed and legal to serve at our wedding venue? Will that person be prepared to serve all of the drinks that we bring? (Now is a good time to let your bartender know if you were planning on having an appletini, mojito, or other specialized drink. I have had so-called bartenders show up who did not even know how to open champagne!)

The divide between what your caterer does and what you expect to have happen is called the service gap, and the time to figure out what resources you need to fill that gap is well before your wedding. Find out about wedding coordinators; waiter, bartender, and janitorial services EARLY, and what they can do to make sure that everything happens the way you envision.

BarStocker - the iPhone app that calculates liquor needs for your party or wedding

Many of our clients are in turnkey venues where they can provide their own caterer and bar. But figuring out how much liquor, beer, and wine to order is always a challenge. Order too much and it's a bit of a waste. Order too little and you risk running out during the event, and having to send a wedding party member to the nearest 7-11.

EJP Events is pleased to unveil our own iPhone app to tackle this continuing problem. Based on an algorithm developed over our 13 years in the event planning, catering, hotel, and wedding planning businesses, BarStocker will save you time and prevent a waste of money or alcohol by helping you figure the perfect amount to order.

 

 

Customize your order based on length of party in hours, time of year, types of alcohol being served, and how much your guests like to party :-)  It's available right now on the iTunes store. Please let me know what you think!

A big Thanks to our readers and reviewers!

We wanted to express our gratitude to those of you out there who keep continuing to review and rate our services on the various networks. It only takes a minute, but it really helps us stay in front of the community of folks getting married, and helps the new couples to find us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! again and again and again. I can't say it enough.

If you're a past client stumbling across this post, and you haven't reviewed us yet, won't you take a moment to do so? There are lots of places you can let your feelings be known: Yelp.com, Weddingwire.com, and Citysearch.com, to name just a few.

We'd also like to thank some of these sites for putting us at the forefront due to our large number of positive reviews. Momentville.com placed us on their 2011 Hot List, and for the second year in a row, Weddingwire.com placed us in the Bride's Choice Awards.

Now, back to working on weddings so we can keep making all of you so happy!

{Wedding Planning Tips} Five commonly-forgotten items at the wedding

No, not the marriage license or rings, but still there are a few items that people always seem to forget. Take care of these now and make your life a lot easier.

1. A place to put cards that are given as gifts. Whether you use a customized cardbox, or just a nice glass fishbowl, have a secure place for guests to put their cards so they don't fall under the gift table or blow away.

2. A good guest book pen. Make sure it does not smear easily and has acid-free, archival quality ink.

3.  Someone to handle final payments and tips or gratiuities. Most payments are due before the day of your wedding, but there may be last minute changes, overtime, or just a tip for the hairstylist that would be best if payment is given the day of. Don't be in charge of this though -- hand this task over to the best man or the wedding planner.

4.  A vase or vases to display the bride's and bridesmaids' bouquets.

5.  To go boxes for leftover food and cake. Many counties have health department restrictions on food that can be taken away after it has been left out for a period of time, so check with your caterer about what happens to leftovers and whether or not you will need to provide the containers.

Have you been the member of a wedding party? Can you think of any items you forgot or wish you had? Please post your comments below for the Portland Wedding Coordinator.

{Portland Wedding Planning} Tips for attending a bridal show

Since we posted a wedding show calendar yesterday, I thought I'd share a few tips with you on how to get the most out of the price of your ticket and how to avoid "bridal show overload". Read on for more details...

Gear Up!

First things first, make sure to have a good breakfast or lunch before attending the show if it doesn't have a food function offered. Many times samples of cake or even champagne are offered, and these can wreak havoc on an empty stomach. Bring a water bottle so you stay hydrated while you're walking around. Sometimes all that air-conditioned, recycled air can dry you out and leave you feeling fatigued. Finally, make sure to wear comfortable shoes since you'll be doing lots of walking.

Be Prepared!

Use your show time efficiently! Make a few sheets of labels with your name, address, email, and wedding date if you want to avoid standing in lines to enter drawings or raffles. At the same time, remember that if you provide personal information, you'll probably receive mail and email from those vendors. If you provide a wedding date , most vendors will stop contacting you once your date has passed. Understand the show timeline. Is there a seated food function, or seminars to sign up for? What time should you arrive in order to get a seat for the fashion show? Make sure you take a look at the program offerings; that way you get the most out of your admission fee. Make a list of items you still need from your wedding checklist, and target those booths first. Otherwise you could spend precious time wandering the aisles! Also, bring notes or pictures to help your planning along -- for example, if you're looking for jewelry and accessories, bring a picture or swatch of your attire. If you plan on hitting the gown sales, avoid wearing heavy foundation or lipstick, as products are bound to smear. You can always stop by one of the beauty vendors for a touch-up once you're done shopping!

Finally, Enjoy Yourself!

You'll probably receive lots of brochures and business cards. Try to sort through them as you go through the show, otherwise you could wind up with a heavy bag that just gets recycled! In the end, be sure to have fun and enjoy yourself! Don't be overwhelmed by the choices; in the end you'll be sure to find some great ideas and hopefully, put together a winning team for your wedding day.

{Portland Bridal Shows} Upcoming wedding showcases in Portland

The bridal show season kicked off in earnest for 2010 with last month's Art of Weddings, Seattle Wedding Show, Central Oregon Wedding Showcase, and Portland Bridal Show.

Bridal show season is not over yet, though. Today we're at the Bravo! Wedding Affair at the Embassy Suites Portland Downtown which continues until 4 o'clock today. Come on down and see the loveliness!  Here's a shot from The Bridal Loft-sponsored vintage-Hollywood vignette in the Queen Marie Ballroom, entitled "Gentlemen Prefer Brides".

More informative and useful bridal shows to visit in the Portland Area:

Weddings at the Beach - also Today!February 20, 2010 - Seaside Convention Center

NW Wedding Scoop - Saturday, Feb 20th @ Salem Conference Center;
Saturday, Feb 27th @ Portland City Center Courtyard Marriott.
EJP Events will be moderating the "Attire and Beauty" panel.

Bridgeport Village Bridal Show - Bridgeport Village Shopping Center - Sunday, February 28, 2010

NW Vintage Bridal Show: Beautiful and Sustainable - Queen Anne Victorian Mansion - February 27 & 28, 2010 

Greater Vancouver WA Bridal Show - The Hilton Vancouver Hotel - Saturday, March 13, 2010

Perfect Wedding Guide Show - The Heathman Hotel Portland - Saturday, March 20, 2010

Tomorrow, we'll be posting a roundup of tips for attending these bridal shows, so stay tuned!

{Weddings in the Columbia Gorge} - The Columbia Gorge Hotel reopens under new ownership

We recently had the opportunity to tour the newly-reopened Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon...

via www.columbiagorgehotel.com

We braved the icy roads of I-84 to meet with Kim Bosch, Director of Sales, of the newly-reopened Columbia Gorge Hotel. As many of you may know, the hotel closed last fall due to financial problems. The hotel has now been acquired by new owners, and brought in North Pacific Management to run the hotel. Midge Dobbs, CMP, Regional Sales Manager for North Pacific, is a long-time colleague of mine from my Meeting Professionals International days, so, between her and Kim, I know the hotel is now in great hands.

Kim toured us throughout the 39 upscale sleeping rooms and let me know about some of the upcoming renovations in store.