A Note of Thanks....

We just received this note from one of our previous brides. This is why we do what we do and love every minute!

"Hey Shawn,

Hope you are doing well. Mom had said that she mentioned to you that I have taken some interest in planning and directing weddings here in Hickory. I had my second one this past weekend and I love it!!!! I thought of you all weekend. I have a total different perspective on what you did for my wedding. Thank you so much!! YOU were a blessing!!! When you are on the other side (not the Bride caught in the moment) you realize what all it takes to have a successful wedding day!!! It has been a year and a half now since mine, and way too late, but Thank You!! Can't wait to get another myself!!

Thanks,Ashley Reynolds"

Check us out!

How exciting it is to be a contributor for one of our local publications. We hope you will take a moment to read our article in the December issue of Cary Magazine!

How to Host a Dinner Party

Contributed By Shawn Schindler, of Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events

Imagine the expressions on the faces of your friends and family as they enter your home and take in the surroundings that you have created especially for them. Your creation may be an elegant holiday dining affair or an eccentric coffeehouse-styled leisurely evening. You may be thinking, “I can’t pull something off like that!” With my tips, you will be able to create a memorable occasion.

Let’s start with eliminating the thought that entertaining in your home is going to require gross amounts of money, an abundance of decorations and countless hours. If you follow these helpful hints that I have gathered in my many years as an event planner, you will learn the ropes of home entertaining.

Be a Good Host

The first and foremost element to discuss is you, the host or hostess. You need to be able to enjoy your own event. You could be the executive producer of your production or the author of your own confusion. One key rule of thumb here is a stressed host or hostess will leave a lasting impression, and not the kind you are trying to make! Even a novice can be the executive by being organized, detailed and exact in executing the perfect production, no matter how small and intimate or grand and lavish.

Pick a Theme & Budget

To begin, you need to establish a theme, not in terms of a 40th birthday party or Super Bowl party, which are both fun atmospheres, but in establishing your style, color palette, food and drinks to serve and what budget you want to work with to complete your event. Everyone has a budget, regardless if it is $200 or $2,000. Remember, overspending will not impress your guests!

Set a Date & Invite

After you determine your theme, set a date in advance, allowing your invitations to arrive to your guests by mail … yes, the kind with a stamp! As is it convenient to send an Evite, an invitation received in the mail will set the personalized tone for your gathering and show that you have a sense of social etiquette that many have forgotten.

Decide Your Menu

The next and potentially most important element of your actual production is the food and drinks. This can be accomplished with your own talents or those of a professional chef, which is a huge trend right now. A personal and professional chef can simply deliver the food or prepare it on-site, serve it in your dishes and clean up while you enjoy your guests. If you have a few special dishes but need a more balanced menu, improvise and call a caterer for your needs or go to your local gourmet grocery store.

Choose Your Spirits

Now that you have your food taken care of, let’s think drinks. I highly recommend hiring a professional bartender if you are serving a variety of alcoholic beverages. Not only do professional bartenders serve your guests, but they have knowledge of a large array of beverage recipes. For the small investment of $25–$50 per hour, you are releasing yourself of some of the hosting responsibilities, allowing you to further enjoy your guests.

Set a Time Line

As a professional event planner, I cannot stress enough the importance of preparing a time line for the days leading up to your party as well as the day of. You need to make sure you schedule time for shopping, cleaning, food preparation, and don’t forget to allow a few minutes for relaxation prior to greeting your first guest. Remember what we discussed earlier: A stressed host or hostess will leave a lasting impression, and not the kind you are trying to make!

Conjure Up Your Decor

Theme, food, drinks, time lines — now the décor! This element is going to completely depend on your theme. Let your creativity kick in and showcase your style. Place your decorations as accents to your evening not to steal the show. Instead, let your moments with your guests create memories that make the show. If you need help with decor, there are plenty of professional decorators and florists who can help.

Go to Plan B

Lastly, if you still feel overwhelmed and you just want to test your hosting skills, consider having your event at a restaurant. There are many excellent places in our area that offer private dining facilities. You can add your personal touch with linens, florals and print stationery.

If you would love to create this special moment for your family and friends but don’t think you are up to the challenge, special event planners can design and execute your party on your behalf, and no one has to know. A planner can take you from start to finish or can even provide you with hourly consultations to get you moving in the right direction and build your confidence. Special event planners have the resources you need at their fingertips, which will save you time and money, bringing vendors that will reflect your particular style.


Shawn Schindler is owner of Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events in Raleigh. For more information, call (919) 662-7816 or visit www.makingyourdayspecial.com.

Carly, Travis and Shea

Carly and Travis were married at the RTP Hilton on Saturday, August 28th. I had worked closely with Carly during the planning process but just met Travis the weekend of the wedding. Watching this couple together and with their daughter Shea totally warmed my heart.

From the moment of the "First Look" photo, until the end of the reception you could feel the love and committment they share.

 
JAM Photography did a wonderful job capturing the happiness of the day.
 
 
 

Kisses....Look Closely!!

 

I love this collage of photos from the day...

As always, it was a pleasure working with Sweet Memories for the cake, CE Rentals for the linens and Brides and Bouquets for the flowers.  Thanks to our new DJ friend, Kevin with KMDJ Company, who provided the ceremony and reception music.

I can't resist sharing this photo....the heart of it all, Shea. 

The Most Incredible Night

Last Saturday night, I attended the 2009-2010 Esprit Awards Gala. The Esprit Awards program is an opportunity to celebrate excellence in our industry, honor individuals and teams who set the highest stands of performance and professionalism, and showcase the incredible experiences that are being created all over the world. Nomination for an ISES Award is one of the highest honors a special events professional can receive.

On August 7, Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events was an Esprit Award Nominee. Although we did not win, we are so extremely honored to have been nominated for this prestigious award. To see our name projected on the screens with the other nominees was completely overwhelming.

I was told I needed to prepare a speech, just in case. Although I did not get to share these words on the stage, I feel they still need to be heard.



"Ten years ago when I began my journey in this crazy event industry, I never aspired to own my own company. Four years ago, I started Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events, yet never dreamed I would stand in front of our industries leading professionals accepting this award.

I want to recognize a few who have played a key role in our company’s success.

David Casteel and Bill Allen, Mitchell’s Catering, thank you for your unwavering support, guidance and encouragement.

Lyn Graves, Fresh Affairs, for encouraging me to get involved in ISES and for his extraordinary floral design talents on Ethereal Elegance.

Thank you to the 12 vendors, 10 of which were ISES members, who helped make the vision come alive and Christobal Perez, Azul Photography, for visually documenting Sandra and Luciano’s wedding.

To my family, our staff and clients…there are not words to tell you how much I appreciate your love and support.

One last person…Tracy Adams, Adams and Events, thank you for attending the Gala and for always being willing to “play in the sand box with me”.

Thank you ISES for giving us a platform to showcase our passion."

As I stated earlier, the program said, “Nomination for an ISES Award is one of the highest honors a special events professional can receive”. I agree, it is a high honor and I would love to have the award on my desk, but my association and relationships with those mentioned above far exceeds any award!

Weddings, Parties and Celebrations...Don't just happen!

Weddings, Parties and Celebrations…don’t just happen! A lot goes on behind the scenes.  Enjoy a few photos of Shawn and Emily in action at Kristin and Todd's wedding in Statesville, North Carolina.  We had the pleasure of working with Brian Mullins Photography for this wedding.   Your Special Day has always admired Brian's work but this was our first time actually working together.  I promise it will not be the last!

Emily is taking the bride's ring to the maid of honor.  Although it is a huge responsibility for our company to accept the rings from our couples, we like the comfort of knowing the rings actually arrive at the ceremony site and make it down the aisle.

Kristin's dad wanted her to wear her baby ring, bought on the day she was born, on her wedding day.  What an honor to share such a special memory with our bride.

   

Pinning flowers on our groom, Todd, and the rest of the guys in the wedding party. 

I love this photo...children attendants can add so much to the overall feel of the ceremony.  After this little guy's dad went down the aisle, he decided he wanted to go with dad...not wait for his turn.  We always tell our couples we are experienced with children and if there are issues prior to sending them down the aisle, we will take care of them.  After trying to get this little one to wait his turn and sending the wedding party down the aisle at the same time, I can honestly say I am out of practice with 18 month old "wiggle worms" and very thankful for my assistant!

What a unique signature board....you actually etch the signatures in the matting with a special pen.  We take these items from our clients weeks prior to the event so they don't have to worry about them.

Cutting the cake...this is not normally the responsibility of the our staff.  However, we always do whatever it takes to make the event a wonderful experience for all.  Kristin had asked her aunts to cut the cake and they were nervous about not knowing the proper way to cut a wedding cake so that you get the number of serving needed.  So, give us some gloves and we will take care of it!

We are constantly learning and sharping our skills. Thanks to Mrs. Veda, one of our favorite alterations specialist, for sharing this interesting technique for lifting the hem of the gown when the bride changes into flats!

I have said it before...we love what we do and have fun doing it.  Thanks to Brian Mullins and Ginger for such great photos and helping us make Kristin and Todd's wedding....Special!

Met Emily Stepp, Consultant for Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events

This blog post is long overdue...I want to introduce you to a fabulous planner, Emily Stepp.  We are so fortunate to have Emily working with the Your Special Day clients.  Emily has been a professional planner for over 5 years, more years of experience than most planners in the Raleigh wedding community.  Having her experience and expertise serving our clients allows us to connect with a diverse range of couples as well as the luxury of knowing Your Special Day has the trained staff to execute the most complicated event with ease!

"I unofficially began my career in the wedding industry while in college. I worked for Savvi Formalwear and found a passion for helping the couples that came in plan the perfect look for their wedding party. After realizing my enthusiasm and talent for the event planning circuit, I joined an event planning business where I learned the tools of the trade from Shawn. I appreciate that a wedding day is the most important day of a couple’s life and I am honored to be an integral part of bringing their dreams to life. It is a very hectic and fast paced industry but that is what keeps my work exciting! No two couples are alike and they constantly keep me on my toes."

Newbie "Wedding Planners"

I recently read an article in Special Events Magazine and felt it was worthy to share on our blog. Our consultants are constantly learning of the "newbies" in our market. Any one with the finances to participate in a wedding show, purchase advertising or build a website are calling themselves a "professional planner." Many boast of years of experience, yet the seasoned professionals have never heard of them.

We encourage our clients to check vendor and client references on the wedding vendors you are considering hiring, search the Internet but dig for the true facts. Find out if the planner you are considering hiring is in fact a professional or assisted one of her sorority sisters with their wedding or just planned their own wedding, enjoyed it then decide to become a "wedding planner".  Both of these things are honorable, but do not make for a professional planner.

Interview your planner.  Some questions to ask:

How many weddings have you done?
How extensive is your vendor base?  How do you develop your vendor base?
Is this a full-time career or something you do on the side?
Tell me about your first wedding?
Tell me about your most challenging wedding?
Tell me about the weddings represented on your website/Facebook/ blog?

Additionally, if you are comparing several planners and one is providing you with a proposal that is much lower than the others, this is a red flag. Not only do you want a qualified professional to execute your plans, but you want some one that demonstrates knowledge of his or her industry.

Enjoy the insert from the article...let us know what you think!!

Newbie "Wedding Planners" Plague the Professionals
by Lisa Hurley

Along with price-shopping brides who haggle over every penny in the wedding budget, veteran wedding professionals face another headache these days: the newbie wedding planner. Often armed with little experience—other than their own wedding—the newbies drive down fees and taint the value of experienced wedding pros, many in the business say.

Newbies are not a recent phenomenon, explains Joyce Scardina Becker, president of San Francisco-based Events of Distinction and founding president of the Wedding Industry Professionals Association. "However, they do come in waves," she says, "and right now it feels like a tidal wave!"

The San Francisco Bay area sees "at least one newbie a week," says Jenne Hohn, founder of Napa, Calif.-based Jenne Hohn Events. Although the recession has pushed the newly jobless to try to break into weddings ("I've heard of corporate planners who said they would never touch weddings now seeking advice on how to plan them," Hohn says), she thinks the problem started while the economy was still healthy. Many planners and vendors "saw that the wedding planners were doing well and decided to add planning to their repertoire a way to get a piece of the pie."

DAY-OF DILEMMA
One of the most galling trends, Scardina Becker says, is the low-cost, "day of" wedding coordination service many newbies offer.

"I'm not sure how the term 'day of' coordination originated, but it is a term that needs to be eradicated from the vocabulary of the wedding industry," she says. "No wedding planner of sound mind, experience and education would simply show up on the day of a wedding, wave their arms in the air like a symphony conductor and expect everything to flow flawlessly." Instead, she says, a professional wedding planner would spend from 30 to 45 hours a month out from the wedding date, making sure all plans are in place.

To read more please visit this link:  http://specialevents.com/weddings/newbie-wedding-planners-plague-the-professionals/index.html

Join TCWE and ISES for exclusive Sasha Souza luncheon

Raleigh, N.C. – The Triangle Consultants for Weddings and Events (TCWE) together with the Greater Triangle North Carolina Chapter of ISES (International Special Events Society) will convene for an exclusive book signing, intimate lunch and conversation with national wedding designer Sasha Souza at 11:30 a.m. April 27 at 18 Seaboard of Raleigh.

Seating for the event is limited and open to the first 18 respondents. Attendees, including top Triangle event planners, will be able to engage in an intimate, roundtable discussion with Souza as well as take home a copy of Souza’s “Magnificent Wedding Designs” book.

Contact Shawn Schindler, TCWE president, via shawn@makingyourdayspecial.com for more information on the luncheon.

Souza is one of only a handful of wedding designers who have been named a Master Bridal Consultant, the highest designation given by the Association of Bridal Consultants. Souza is the recipient of numerous awards including the Special Events Magazine Gala Award winner for “Best Dining Tabletop Design”, Event Solutions Magazine “Designer of the Year” and three ISES Westie Awards.

Later that evening, Souza will speak at the ISES meeting, making her available to those who could not attend the exclusive luncheon. For further information or to register for the ISES meeting, please visit www.regonline.com/isesgtemergingtrends

About TCWE
TCWE was introduced to the Triangle area in 2005, by a group of wedding consultants and event planners. They shared a vision to provide the social and corporate communities with an Association of special event professionals, trained and disciplined, to safeguard the hospitality industry’s high standard of excellence. TCWE members are required to have a minimum of three years wedding and event planning experience. Members must provide references from a facility/site, vendor/purveyor and client, each from a separate event that was planned and coordinated. For more information on TCWE please contact TCWE president Shawn Schindler of Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events, shawn@makingyourdayspecial.com.

Image Source: www.sashasouzaevents.com

Meet Allyson and Archie

I initially met with Allyson and Archie back in August 2009.

Allyson had booked several meetings with wedding planners to narrow the list down to one; however, after our meeting, Allyson jokingly - but seriously said, "Do I really have to meet with other planners?"

The connection was instaneous, allowing us to accomplish so much in the amount of time we had before Allyson joined Archie in January where he is currently a dentist in the Air Force stationed in England.

Because of our connection and our ability to see eye-to-eye, almost all details of the planning process for Allyson and Archie's October 2nd wedding at Barclay Villa are complete!

Warren McCormack's engagment session photographs, shot in Wilmington, truly captured Allyson and Archie's essence.

Your Special Day Weddings and Special Events, and the Greater Triangle ISES Chapter is "going green"

The "Popcork" Experience Gone 'Green'

Exploring 'Green' Food and Wine Pairing

"Going Green" is not a trend - it is a lifestyle.

Industry veteran and noted food and wine educator, Sharon Charny, will bring her unique food and wine pairing experience in this highly entertaining and interactive seminar.

Using a neutral flavored medium - popcorn - Charny will lead attendees through a tasting of four different wines, featuring specific grape varietals, along with different flavors of popcorn - lemon, salt, sugar and spice. As each wine is tasted with each flavor, participants will discuss what the flavor represents in a menu or recipe, while discovering which flavors enhance the wines (or not)!

This seminar will open up the palate to ways that certain food flavors can change the way the wine and food taste together - all with an eye toward meeting increasing consumer demand for organic options. Also learn and discuss common misperceptions about "organic" or "green" wines and what actually constitutes a "certified organic wine."

We invite you to join us at one of Raleigh's newest venues "7" on March 16, 2010 at 5:30pm.

For information visit http://www.ises-gt.org/

Sweet and Intimate: Caroline and Tim

A Wedding I will never forget...

Kristen Trexler, Consultant

Caroline met with us in a few months prior to her wedding. I could tell she was a little overwhelmed with all the planning that goes into a wedding and needed some help. This was my first wedding that I would be executing, so I was excited/nervous/thankful all at the same time. It wasn’t until the two weeks before, during my final consultation with Caroline and Tim, that I was surely confident in my abilities to take on this wedding. During our 3-hour final consultation, I helped the couple work out a few tweaks, fixed a few timing issues, and researched the plan she had in her mind for that weekend with no hesitation at all. Walking into that consultation I could see the worry and stress on her face, but walking out the door I saw a soon to be bride that was completely relaxed, excited, and at ease with her wedding.

The beautiful fall wedding was absolutely perfect. After parking their cars at the 2nd Empire (reception site), the guest were taken through downtown by the Raleigh Trolley to St. Mark’s Chapel at Mordecai Historic Park. After the intimate ceremony was over, the guest boarded the Trolley again and headed back to the reception site. We would like to thank Reverend Cheryl Quaid, NC Strings, Emory Lane Photography, Flowers on Broad Street, Sweet Julia’s Bakery, and White Horse for making this a truly special time for the amazing couple.

 

I would like to thank St. Marks Chapel at Mordecai Park, Reverend Cheryl Quaid, NC Strings, 2nd Empire, Emory Lane Photography, Sweet Julia's Bakery, and Raleigh Parks and Recreation Trolley for making this such a special day for Caroline and Tim. They were truely blessed with their dream wedding!

Towards the end of the night Tim pulled me aside

and gave me something.  I will always cherish…. a red Swiss Army Knife. He handed it to me and said “you are definitely the swiss army of all weddings”.

Looking Back...

I recently had the opportunity to go back through tons of photos from previous weddings.  The memories were wonderful, bringing smiles and a few tears.  So, I thought I would share.

 Megan and Brandon came to Your Special Day two years after we coordinated Megan's brother's wedding. Words can not express how honored we feel to work with families over and over again.

I love fall weddings especially when you work with the natural colors of the season.   FreshAffairs did an amazing job with the flowers for this event.

 

Ms. Mia was the most precious flower girl ever!  This little angel walked the aisle like it was her wedding. 

Can you tell where our couple when to school?  Megan was a cheerleader at NCSU...go PACK!!  Brandon graduated from UNC.  I wonder what game day is like at their house?

Thanks for Walters and Walters for the beautiful photographs taken at Prestonwood Country Club!

Announcing Exciting News!!

Your Special Day just learned that we have been chosen to receive the Bride's Choice Awards 2010 from the WeddingWire.  This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism.

The Bride's Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through extensive surveys, which means our past clients have spoken on our behalf and selected us to receive this honor. 

This is the second award Your Special Day has received in recent months.  It is completely overwhelming to us that our clients, both brides and vendors, take the time to nominate us. 

Our sincere thanks to all who allow us to do what we love!! 

The Wedding Show....January 2010

The Wedding Show, produced by Forever Bridal Productions, was two days of wedding planner heaven! We love meeting new couples and sharing in the excitement of their engagement and wedding plans.

When designing our booth this year, we wanted to do something different, something that made people stop and notice.

The design concept "Relax and Enjoy the Ride" came to me several months ago after talking with a friend that is a Harley Davidson lover.  You can enjoy the entire process of planning your wedding and stay focused on the "destination"...your marriage.  Even though I personally do not own a Harley, I understand the experience of the ride is part of the joy of owning a Harley. 

Honestly, I was not sure if the idea would go over well but one day while talking with a vendor I learned that one of our October 2010 brides (love you Allyson) had said that she was hesitating on purchasing "the dress" because she thought finding it so quickly was too easy. That is when I knew the "concept" would work!  When you work with Your Special Day, we want your decisions to be easy and want you to enjoy the experience of planning your wedding!

So today we have booked new weddings and scheduled consultations with new prospects.  What a wonderful start to 2010!

Here are a few photos from our booth thanks to the fabulous Christobal Perez with Azul Photography.


Thank you to Chris for the use of his bike and my boys for the load-in assistance. 

A huge thanks to all that made the show a success for Your Special Day, Swank Photo Studio, CE Rentals, Classic Party Rentals, Invitation-Creations, Sasser Studios, Expressions of Love Florist and Jeff Simpson for our lighting.

We also need to thank our "honorary" consultant....Sandra.  Sandra worked the booth with us on Saturday.  You can not buy that kind of advertisement!  Sandra is one of our favorite brides from 2009...more importantly, she is a friend!