October 02, 2020

COVID: To begin planning or not, that is your current dilemma.

October 02, 2020/ Ashley Douglass

You have anxiety about planning your wedding right now in this new world. Questions are overflowing in your mind. ‘Will we have to reschedule and with less favorable terms than we began with?’ ‘What if we have to reduce the guest list to under 50 and why does this feel next to impossible?’ ‘What if we have to move the wedding outside and our current date is during the winter months?’ ‘What if rescheduling costs us additional fees?’ ‘What if someone in our families gets sick before the big day?’ ‘Will a socially distanced wedding even be fun?’

At the same time, not planning a wedding may be giving you as much anxiety as actually planning a wedding. To delay moving forward with your wedding may feel like you are disrespecting yourselves. Perhaps you find yourselves angry, yet there is no one to really be angry at! You are not alone; this is how many couple’s are feeling.

During a time of many unknowns it can be crucial to have a skilled planner by your side. You need a planner who is going to set you up for both safety and success so you can comfortably move forward with your much-anticipated wedding day.

Yes, given the atmosphere of our world, there are some parameters we must plan ahead for. For one, you may want to air on the side of a smaller wedding so that if you do have to limit your guest count, you will not have to uninvite as many guests. Alternatively, you may want to send Save the Dates to your first 50-60 closest friends and family and save the other Save the Dates to mail in early 2021.

Perhaps the biggest fear persuading you not to begin planning is costs. Will you be charged more should you have to move your wedding to another date? Will you be charged the same amount should your guest count need to drastically drop? These are valid concerns and we understand your desire to respect your money. However, these are not all barriers to begin planning. Given the current climate, the initial leg work to find the right vendors for you both may take a bit longer and you may not want to sign up for your first choice because of their COVID related terms. We can walk you through this process and ensure you select the best vendors for YOU.

Most noteworthy, we have had three events in COVID times and they all were beautiful, fun and safe. The guests and vendors did get tested before coming into the area and then were tested again right before the big day. Had someone tested positive prior to the wedding, they would have been unable to attend the in-person events. The staff was tested at two of these events and at the another we knew they were tested within that week. The staff members also took extra precautions to distance themselves when they could and the menu and service was slightly altered for the event where the staff wasn’t tested the day before.

Personally, we feared the smaller weddings being awkward but for our events it was quite the opposite. We do believe the main reason why these COVID friendly events were not awkward was because we laid out the laws of the land to guests before they arrived and also because everyone was tested. Guests knew what to expect and they respected the wishes of the host and the current laws in the area. When guests don't know what to expect it makes for far more anxiety. `

If you are not a candidate for a full planner but want assistance with the start of planning so that you can begin confidently during these uncertain times, we are offering alternatives to our traditional full planning packages.

Couples may bring us on hourly or with a package rate to help with the following:

Securing a wedding venue with the best possible terms allowed
Securing vendors who are best suited to your budget, location and comfort level.
Prior planning your Covid related details and parameters.
Setting you up on a planning timeline for the year ahead.
Educational sessions on all things planning: venues, paper, timelines, hotels, decor, etc.

We assure you if you choose your date and book your venue, you will relax more.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions! We look forward to working with couples planning their special days during these uncertain times and helping to execute, intimate, fun and beautiful weddings.

Happy Planning,

Ashley + Team

September 24, 2020

6 common misconceptions about wedding planning

September 24, 2020/ Ashley Douglass

At first glance, wedding planning can look easy and fun, spending time putting together Pinterest boards and looking at floral samples. Yes, planning a wedding is all of the above and more, but under the surface planning a wedding is hard simply because most have not done it before. There is a level of stress that comes with the time, energy and unknowns that come with planning. The benefit to bringing a planner on board is that they have a wealth of knowledge about the intricacies of planning and can work with you to ease any stress or uncertainty to ultimately make planning your wedding a fun and exciting process.

Certainly, you have your own work lives, skills and strengths that will help lead you to make logical assumptions about how a certain vendor or piece to the process works. Often times these assumptions, however logical they may seem, can be misleading. We have found that, despite some common similarities, every industry is not the same. Setting up a tent is not the same as constructing a building and designing a wedding is not exactly the same as designing a home. A planner will guide you through the elements of planning that may seem unfamiliar and fight for your wedding vision from start to finish.

Below we share 6 common misconceptions about wedding planning.

ONE: It is less costly to host your wedding at home.

Yes, at first glance hosting your wedding in your backyard may appear less expensive, but when you boil down all of the costs in 90% of cases hosting your wedding at home will end up costing you more than a venue. When comparing wedding venues, it is important to know all of the underlying costs associated with each option, and a planner can help you uncover those costs.

Unless your alternative venue is a tented event site that charges a site fee and does not come with a tent nor anything else, hosting at home may make more sense for you both. You will also have fewer parameters to adhere to planning at home. If you are in fact considering a wedding at home take the following into account. If 150 people come together for a dollar meal and need cocktails, wine, soft drinks, plates, utensils, a chair or two, and a wait staff to serve that meal, it is going to cost more than you may think. Planning at home does not have to be daunting if you understand what to account for and the steps to take in order to make for a beautiful celebration. Weddings at private residences are some of our favorite.

TWO: Substituting candles for florals may lower your floral bill.

Contrary to popular belief, candles can actually be quite expensive. Unless you are blanketing your wedding with candles in glass cylinders from the dollar store and your distant cousin is prepping them, putting them out and cleaning them up afterwards, adding more candles won’t put as large a dent in your floral bill than most expect. Candles, especially pillar candles, cost a pretty penny. And the vessels or lanterns they go in will add to that cost. Replacing the majority of your florals with candles is tricky because most of the time when a wedding begins it is not dark enough for the candles to even have any effect on the ambiance. However, there is certainly a way to design your wedding to include both candles and floral elements that is true to your vision. Putting costs aside, we love a ton of candles in conversation pieces and incorporated into focal points.

THREE: Booking your vendors is the bulk of planning.

Actually, booking your vendors is only the start of planning, there is much more that comes down the line once your vendors are booked. Many couples feel that once they’ve booked all of their vendors they have done most everything already and only need a planner to bring all of the pieces together. This is what planners hear all the time and it could not be further from the truth. Planners have a lot to offer you in regard to insight during the process of booking your vendors and negotiating their contracts. You may find yourselves booking vendors while not necessarily knowing what is ahead in the process and what other costs may arise depending upon which vendors you booked. When you book a vendor, in any category, their work is not done once you’ve signed the contract with them. For instance, when you book your florist, your entire design is not final when you are presented with your contract to sign. You will likely meet with your florist several times over the course of the planning process and revise your design after each meeting, until you have a design you are completely comfortable with. Some florists really don’t design but focus just on the flowers and its your planner that makes sure all the elements of your wedding are taken into consideration, are cohesive and true to your own vision. Booking your vendors is really just the start to the process and bringing everything together is the bulk of planning a well-executed, beautiful event.

FOUR: A casual wedding will cost me less

Quality and volume influence the cost of your wedding more than the type of ambiance you are trying to create. Every detail has to be accounted for whether a wedding’s dress code is black tie or cocktail attire, or even more casual with guests in their summer whites and sandals.

FIVE: You can wait on the rain plan tent.

If you know you will need a plan for rain, address that early in the planning process. Waiting until the last minute to secure a rain plan is a scary idea for a planner. We have been down this road in the past and learned our lesson. That’s why you hired us - lessons already learned! All tenting companies are not made the same and tenting companies only have so many staff members, let alone tents. Next year, and perhaps the year after, tent companies are going to be busier than ever with many people planning outdoor weddings that otherwise may have been indoors. They may have tents left in their warehouses, but they need their trained staff to install them, run the event and conduct breakdown in a timely fashion. When you add a rain plan tent you are reserving the company’s time along with the tent itself. A planner will walk through the intricacies of a rain plan with you to help determine your the best course of action.

SIX: You can hold off on booking a videographer since it does not matter as much as a photographer.

If you know you want a videographer at your wedding, then you should plan to book them at the start of planning and perhaps in tandem with your photographer. You may, however, not want a videographer, which is just fine and common enough for our clients but contracting a videographer that is not of the same quality and professionalism as your photographer is the wrong way to go. We have countless examples between our own weddings, and weddings done by friends in the industry, in which videographers were contracted in the last hour and got in the way of the photographer, planner and the couple as well.If you want a videographer, we recommend asking your photographer and planner for recommendations at the start. It pains a planner to have a client who regrets any one of their vendors.

There are many misconceptions that come with planning a wedding that only become evident once you get into the height of planning. As planners we have seen our fair share of weddings and will be able to work with you to address these misconceptions from the start and make for an enjoyable planning process and seamless wedding day. Weddings are expensive no matter your budget. Spend wisely and hire a planner.

Happy Planning,

Ashley + Team

March 31, 2020

Wiener-Oran Celebration

March 31, 2020/ Ashley Douglass

Photos by Lauren Larsen Studio

Weekend weddings are a labor of love. In many cases, both families come together to participate in the planning stages of the weekend. The anticipation and expectations for a weekend full of celebration and family is high when all parties are involved. Minor details that seemed small at the start of planning become all the more important when guest experience is a focus of the weekend.

It was very important to this couple to get married in a place that they felt was reflective of their personalities. In particular, they were looking for a venue that had both a relaxed atmosphere and a high level of luxury. The aesthetic and picturesque quality of Troutbeck very much spoke to the couple. The bride especially loved the historical significance that Troutbeck offers. In the end, they choose Troubeck because of these qualities, regardless of the fact that their ideal dates were not available.

The first weekend of November is liable to have any kind of weather. It may be unusually warm, like an early September day, or bitterly cold like it’s the dead of winter. The week before Kait and Greg’s wedding was beautiful and warm until the forecast turned and brought snow, hail and low temperatures. We ordered a ton of cozy blankets, tented the ceremony space and brought in lots of heat for both the rehearsal dinner site, which was Troutbeck’s pole barn, and also the ceremony tent in the back walled garden of the venue. In short, we made it work like a charm.

It’s a rare thing when a cozy wintery wedding gets to also enjoy the natural beauty of the outdoors. Additionally, with many couples hosting their weddings during the warmer months of the summer, having a wedding not in the heart of the summer is a fun and welcomed break from everyone’s work lives.

Kait and Greg met in college at Cornell, so they share a load of friends. The entire bridal party and immediate families stayed at Troutbeck for the full weekend and enjoyed each meal together, with no one in a rush to go anywhere. Conversations by the fireplace, s’mores, late night chats over a bottle of wine, chess and pool games were enjoyed by all.

The couple elected to have some minor details repeated between the rehearsal dinner on Friday and wedding day Saturday such as the fonts on the invites and paper details. Besides a few minor details, overall both days were very distinct. For the rehearsal dinner we worked with the mother of the Groom and planned the wedding day with mother of the Bride and the couple. The couple did spend a bit of time helping to plan the rehearsal dinner as well, making sure the spread of food across both days was plentiful and diverse enough. However, they really placed the majority of their focus on the wedding day while still remaining involved in their busy careers.

Both the Bride and Groom left work on Wednesday so they could place the majority of their focus on the forthcoming weekend of celebration. Ultimately, their wedding week was a joyous, and inspired vacation with friends and family.

Troutbeck is one of those venues that speaks to a weekend long wedding because of their ability to provide the following details:

Pool & cafe
Tennis courts
Spa & gym
Hiking trails
Good food
Multiple event spaces to break up a weekend of celebrating
Ceremony rain back up location(s)
Outside Ceremony locations
Enough overnight accommodation for most bridal parties and immediate families
Two hotels nearby to host other guests
Metro North and Amtrak Train Stations nearby

Many thanks go out to the team of vendors who helped make this wedding weekend a huge success.

And lastly, thank you to both families that were so fun, collaborative and appreciative.

Ashley + team

For more photos and information on this wedding:

Kait + Greg's Troutbeck Rehearsal Dinner

Kair + Greg's Troutbeck Wedding Day

The Power of Choice

March 23, 2020/ Ashley Douglass

These times are not easy and its absolutely not at all easy to shift our attention to anything but the uncertainly of the present moment but we all need each other to do so. We all need ourselves and each other to keep life moving forward.

Life keeps moving forward whether you are ready for it or not, whether you want it to or not. Resistance always reveals itself to be the only pain.

Everything does happen for a reason. The current moment would not have happened if the previous moment did not take place. We merely do not always know what caused the current moment but something did.

The only way to be in alignment with our best selves in the present moment is to have not resisted the previous one. Pain leads to happiness and happiness will lead to pain, or discomfort, over and over again. That is the nature of life.

If you give yourself a chance, some time to try again and again, you may find yourself engrossed in some task that makes you feel better. Get your attention off yourself and focus on something that will effect your future, that will effect our future.

I am so grateful for our clients with future events. Events we are currently assuming won’t be cancelled. They immediately take our minds into the future and keep them in the reality that this too shall pass. There may be a new normal but life will continue.

I am grateful for the added time I currently have to work on some long term projects that I had previously been battling time to complete.

I am grateful that I can be accountable to my own time. I still do have the power of choice and the power to choose my thoughts.

I am grateful for my health.

I am grateful that I took that plunge ten years ago to work for myself.

I am so grateful for my partner who is lovingly putting up with me and vise versa. Who meditates with me each morning, cooks with me and takes yoga with me.

I am grateful that I have discipline that I attribute in large part to having been a performer and a ballet dancer as a child. Its coming in way handy now.

I am grateful to my clients that are so appreciative of the time I am giving them during these odd times.

I am grateful for the fresh food I still have in the fridge.

I am grateful for everything that wedding planning has taught me, and event planning too. God, it teaches a ton. And working for yourself teaches you a ton. It makes you stronger than you ever thought you could be.

I am grateful for the work I have done on myself to get me to this moment because it makes these times far easier and there is still room for joy.

I hope....

In the long run I hope these times make us less judgmental, more grateful, more simple, less petty, more creative, more down to earth and connected as we now know how to better focus on what matters most.

Ashley

P.S. Don’t judge my poor grammar please. :-)

Weddings in Madrid, Spain

January 18, 2020/ Ashley Douglass

Recently, we have found that there is an increase in couples who are looking to plan destination weddings. You could explain this increase by saying that destination weddings are ‘on trend’, but we would argue that there is another reason that destination weddings have become so popular. Couples want to escape the feeling that their wedding is a performance and to feel less pressure to conform to what others do. Just the notion of getting away from it all relaxes you. Shouldn’t one of the best days of your life be better than vacation? We think so!

Many of the popular places for destination weddings, such as Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast, are also becoming popular tourist destinations as well. With stunning views, beautiful store lined streets and good food to boot, who would not want to visit these places? I do think finding a place that is relatively easy for guests to travel to is important when considering destination wedding venues. With the right destination wedding, hopping overseas can sometimes be easier than a wedding destination in the states that requires a long drive and is far from local transportation.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to travel in and around Madrid to scope out a few venues for a client’s intimate 2021 wedding. I could write an entire blog about all of the incredible food I was able to eat throughout the week, but what stood out to me the most were the citizens I interacted with. They are all so incredibly nice and joyful. They don’t take life too seriously and have a remarkable love for food and art.

Below are the venues I was lucky enough to visit. Some of these venues are more accustomed to weddings, while others operate like tented sites or off-site catering facilities where you bring everything in, which is totally doable for a destination location! We hope you enjoy reading about the venues and are happy to answer any questions you have about venue logistics (or the many meals we had!)

Finca Castillo de Monteviejo

Website: https://www.castillodemonteviejo.com/

Drive time: 30-40 minutes outside of Madrid

Capacity: 200-400 people in the Salon