Terrica Talk – Page 8 – St. Simons Wedding Planner

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We Likey: Troy Jensen

Terrica Talk

Troy is one word: fabulous.

Working everything from fashion to beauty and makeup to photography, his talent is truly limitless. He creates awesome looks for celebrities and breaks it down product by product, giving you a recipe for gorgeousness. I’ve been so impressed by his skill and even have a list of new looks and brands to try out soon. What is even better is that Troy interacts with his readers—so don’t be surprised if you see him in the comments section!

Visit Troy Jensen’s blog!

Saint Simons and Jekyll Island Wedding Pros on Twitter

St Simons & Jekyll Island Weddings, Terrica Talk

If you are a member of Twitter, you have probably become addicted like most—but did you know some of Saint Simons and Jekyll Island’s wedding professionals are on Twitter, too? That’s right—now you can keep up with your favorite wedding photographers, wedding cake bakers, florists, and wedding ceremony and reception venues. Get to know them, learn about great tips for your wedding or happenings in the area. Being between such beautiful and unique cities like Savannah and Jacksonville, I’ve included some great wedding professionals that are in that area, too!

Follow Chris Moncus of Chris Moncus Photography

Follow Scott Seckinger of Serendipity Bakery

Follow Griffin Bufkin of Southern Soul Barbecue

Follow Dan and Sheila Zynda of Mobile Music

Follow Donna Von Bruening of Donna Von Bruening Photography

Follow The Beachview Club of The Beachview Club

Follow Caroline Carter of Events by Caroline

Follow Beachview Tent Rentals of Beachview Tent Rentals

Follow Morgan Gallo of Morgan Gallo Events

Follow Bradford and Melanie Watson of La Dolce Vita Studio

Follow Cassandra Cherneski of Flaire Weddings

Follow Teresa Earnest of Memories N’ More

Follow Scarlett Lillian of Scarlett Lillian

Follow Tricia Huddas of Tricia Huddas & Co.

Follow Christina LeMarr of Sentimental Visions

Follow Trevor Jenkins of 98 Productions

Follow Kara Pennington of Kara Pennington Photography

Follow Heather Burge of Bleu Belle Bridal Salon

Follow Agnes Lopez of Agnes Lopez Photography

Follow Jekyll Island of Jekyll Island

Follow Anna and Spencer of Anna and Spencer Photography

And of course, don’t forget about us! Follow Terrica from Cocktails + Details on Twitter.

Hot 5 under $75: Overnight Bags

Terrica Talk

With fabulous couples flocking to Saint Simons Island and Jekyll Island for their destination weddings, at times it requires a few visits to the area to meet with their wedding planner, finalize their menu and have a tasting, or research other wedding vendors. Or perhaps you’re the `These quick trips require functional bags that allow you to travel light—but fabulously, of course. Here are some hot overnight bags:

Dakine Overnight Bag in Fall Stripe :: $69

Sydney Love Vintage Hotel Sleep Over Bag :: $50

Diane Von Furstenberg Catwalk Satchel :: $74.99

SR Squared by Sandra Roberts Snakeskin Woven Overnighter :: $58.27

Baby Phat BP Unzip Overnight Bag :: $74.70

More Lies: “Ssshhhh….Don’t Tell Them It’s A Wedding!”

Terrica Talk, Wedding Advice

Somebody’s going to be mad.

I’ve heard it all at this point. There are a lot of “arrognorant” (the lethal mix of arrogance and ignorance plaguing the world) advice going around now that it is wedding season. Once again, I feel it is prevalent because of the horrible economic tides we are trying to tame as well as the overall lack of public trust in any practically any business (Thanks, AIG, Freddie, Fannie, Madoff and countless others! You’re a swell bunch).

What’s (the lie) going around now is that it’s smarter to tell your vendors that you are planning a “big party!” rather than a wedding, because everyone knows that entertainment/event vendors are out to rip everyone off the minute they say “The W word”. So to combat that, and to make sure you protect what’s left of your 401K, you decide to lie to everyone.

It’s like going to the doctor, tell the staff that you have a terrible stomach ache. Once you’ve been whisked back into the doctor’s examining room, you reveal “Just kidding. I’m really pregnant and in labor right now. I know when you guys hear the word ‘maternity’, the prices double”.

Great way to start a relationship. (That was sarcasm)

Trust is a two way street. Your wedding vendors are trusting that you will pay them on time. So that, in turn, they can pay their staff, mortgages and gas and electric bills on time. They are also trusting that you will keep your date and follow-through with an actual event. More likely than not,they have turned down other events so that they could show you exemplary client service and attention. When you lie to them from the beginning (because they will find out that it’s an actual wedding, and not some “big party”), they have no incentive to trust you, let alone like you. It will make your vendor feel as if you questioned their integrity without communicating any concerns, and decided to deceive them for your own benefit (a little pot calling the kettle black, eh?).

In case this piece of info isn’t printed in anyone’s wedding magazine or allowed to run rampant on a wedding message board, I’ll say it here: wedding vendors are a tight community. If you feel the need to try to get over on any of your wedding vendors with lies and deception, you had better believe that other wedding vendors will hear about it, too. It could make it a lot harder for you to find other vendors that will want to work with you once they have heard about your antics. A wedding is not just a big party. It’s your wedding. Don’t take anything away from that by calling it something that it isn’t. If it were really just “one big party”, then why not go to the courthouse and rock out at Chuck E. Cheese? There very well may be some unscrupulous vendors out there who mark their prices up because it’s a wedding, and some may feel warranted in doing so due to the expectations and other details they will have to deal with. For the rest of us that run our businesses honestly, we have set our prices for the amount of work we do. As a wedding planner, it is my job to make sure that brides and grooms get what they are looking for and that any wedding day related charges are services are legitimate. If you run into several mark ups with venues or vendors that you have dreamt of using, it may be time to find vendors you can actually afford to use. If you find someone who is less than honest about their fees—do not book them!

But remember, a stomach ache is not the same thing as being in labor 😉

I’m sure my other wedding planner and vendor friends will be able to offer so much more insight, so let’s keep the conversation going.

:: Photo ~ Bjorn de Leeuw ::

Miss Fixit: Morton’s Salt

Terrica Talk

Another trick from the pageant days!

If you wear pantyhose, for whatever reason—you can preserve them with salt! Having a run in your hose is completely bogus. To make them less prone to runs and snags, first, hand wash them and allow them to drip dry. Get a gallon of water and two cups of Morton’s salt. Soak for three hours and rinse. Allow to drip dry and your fabulous hose will be run-resistant!

The Lie the Wedding Magazine Told You…

Featured, Terrica Talk, Wedding Advice

I’m not the Oxy Clean guy.

There is never a “But WAIT! There’s MORE!” moment with me.

There is no “but if you call right now, we’ll double the offer” moment.

Ever.

Just to clarify, I’m not this guy either:

I sell provide a service that includes my creativity and expertise. It does not consist of discounts.

While that’s not the “lie” that they told you outright, I feel that we should clear up a tragic misconception. This misconception has been flagrant in the economic climate where the funds that were once set aside for your wedding have been diminished and depleted. Everyone is looking to save money. I don’t blame you.

So, the thing that really molds my lip gloss is when the glossies and some blogs perpetuate the role of a wedding planner as a walking talking coupon code or Entertainment Book (remember how you had to sell those in school?). I believe they say things like “A good wedding planner will save you money with her vendor relationships, who in turn will provide you with discounts”.

Oh, really? No. Not quite.

Let me tell you what a good wedding planner will do:

A good wedding planner will never publicly or privately purport to you that she can get you exorbitant discounts. This is something that is never guaranteed. Unless, she is discounting her own service and pricing.
A good wedding planner will save you money by matching you with vendors that fit against his/her stringent wedding budget and event vision criteria. S/he already knows who to go to—s/he knows which vendors to go to for what it is you need that will be in your price range and maximize your dollar for your event vision. By doing the footwork of research, preliminary and sample orders for you, s/he has saved you time. Which is almost the same as saving you money.
A good wedding planner will always pass along any professional courtesies to his/her clients and refrain from taking kickbacks or markups on the client’s order.
A good wedding planner understands that to get “the best deal” or price is relative to each particular client. The best “deal” may be a completely non-traditional workup of the menu that the caterer does not typically do, or a service or product upgrade.
A good wedding planner has worked years for his/her vendor relationships, and continues to do so; s/he does not violate, abuse, or manipulate them in such a casual manner,as some of the antiquated wedding advice columns perceive. S/he knows, not only as a creative professional, but a business owner, the enumerable costs of overhead, taxes, staff salaries, etc. that factors into a vendor’s pricing. S/he appreciates when discounts are given to her clients, but knows that they are always at the vendor’s discretion, and never guaranteed.

A good wedding planner will tell you this.

A good client will not rely on potential discounts, but can plan their wedding on a budget they can actually afford. They understand the ??less is more” concept, understanding that if budget is truly an issue, the guest list may need to be cut, or the vision may need to be scaled back.

Check out other wedding planning myths you can’t afford to believe.

We Likey: Crystallized

Terrica Talk, Wedding Sugar

crystalized

Gorgeous jewelry and components from Swarovski. Perfect for bridesmaids’ or mothers’ gifts or wedding day jewelry.

www.crystallized.com :: The crystallized store

A Good Wedding Planner is Like….

Terrica Talk

vs.

…foundation

I was looking to find a foundation to replicate the stunning coverage I received when I spoke at Eventology earlier this month. I was uber excited to find that one of my favorite makeup artists, Kevyn Aucoin, had a new liquid airbrush foundation line out. I love everything Kevyn, but did not want to drop $45 online since I don’t have a local Sephora in my area to actually test the shade I thought I needed. But, it did spark a very thoughtful moment.

A good wedding planner is like foundation.

A great foundation helps you cover imperfections, hide flaws, enhances what you already have and makes you look better. A wedding planner can do the same things. S/he can help you cover all of the things that aren’t quite perfect or unexpected mistakes (at times without you knowing!). But additionally, instead of recreating your event vision, s/he will take what you want and have, enhance it and make it better.

On that same token, it’s imperative that you find the right match. Your foundation has to be the right match for your skin type, skin tone and does what it wants to you to do (matte finish, medium coverage, etc.). If you don’t—it makes you look bad, can cast that ghastly makeup shadow or mask and can work against what you already have (skin type, shade, etc.). The same thing goes for your wedding planner. A planner’s lack of experience or work process can make you and your event look disorganized and poorly designed. It can also take away from everything you have planned and make what was to be a focal point or special attraction, an eyesore.

Let’s talk money, now. Look at the above, we have the Kevyn Aucoin liquid foundation which retails for $45. The Cover Girl retails for $11.49. Sometimes the 11.49 will carry you over, but on your wedding day, you don’t want to be just “carried over”. You want to be flawless. There are also times when the $11.49 is all you can afford, because $45 is a lot of money to pay if a.) it’s not what you want or b.) it doesn’t work the way you want or how you need it to. However, with the $45 foundation, you are getting premium ingredients that will work in a system to provide premium results. Sometimes you have to know and see the difference in value and service between someone providing, let’s say a day-of-coordination for $300 and another providing it for $1000.

Think about it 🙂

Eventology 2009

Company News, Terrica Talk

Photo :: JK Photography

I had the best time! I was honored and humbled to speak at Eventology this year in Indianapolis, IN. Planned by Katasha Butler of K. Sherrie + Co, I was able to speak alongside two women who I am so proud to call colleagues, but also lovingly call them friends: Saundra Hadley of Planning…Forever Events and Liene Stevens of The Smart Planner. It was really great to see Katasha’s vision come to fruition and to see so many planners and professionals reap the benefit of that vision in so many different ways.

Photo by JK Photography

It was really great to come face to face with so many people that I have interacted with for literally years. To wrap your arms around some brilliant colleagues that you have laughed, cried and vented with was awesome. Bill from Fabulous Events designed beautiful tables in some of my favorite colors—hot pink, tangerine and black, with the help of Deborah of A Bride’s Florist.?? Eventology was special because of the mutual respect of all the attendees for each other and the speakers. It was great to get instant feedback, stories, and experiences of others during our time together. Having attendees that came from across the country, it was interesting to see different methods of action, experiences and ideas. Even as a speaker, I had an opportunity to learn so much from and through everyone, and am grateful to all of those that attended.

We were treated to a cocktail hour at the Omni Severin and a party at Club Six’s Milk Bar. I didn’t get to stay long at the Milk Bar, as I wanted to be bright eyed and bushy-tailed to speak the following day, but the atmosphere was gorgeous. Big snaps to la trabajadora, Eliana of By Your Side Events, who was able to get us some Nuvo for the party at Club Six.

There are great pictures every where on the net—the event’s official photographer, Jennifer Badalamenti of JK photography shared hers here, a recap from my fellow speaker, wedding planner sales genius (and friend) Saundra Hadley, Latrice of Opulent Events shared her experience, as did Aletha of Pearls Events, i do Signature Events, April Foster (finally, so happy to meet another glamazon like myself!) recapped, Amanda from Bliss Events was gracious enough to do a recap as well.

And of course…here are my not so official pictures…you know, where the party really is…

Precious (I SO heart her) of Precious Nuptials and Destinations with Charles Penn of Le’ Penn Designs

Le’Trice and Charles Penn of Le’Penn Designs

Precious & Charles

Candice of Jubilee Events, Eliana (la trabajadora) of By Your Side Events, Kelly of Weddings By Socialites (rear) and Nicole Scott-Tate of Your Champagne Wishes (far right)

Candice & Eliana

Sukai of Dreamy Gelato (looking in her bag…her chocolates are so good,they should be illegal),Andria of Andria Lewis Events (in grey), Kay of Howerton-Wooten Events,

My two home skillets: Jennifer of A Regal Affair and Saundra

LaKendra of Affairs of Elegance, Jeannine of Favor Events and Ami of Elizabeth Anne Designs

Le’Trice and my Engage!09 roomate, Monica of The White Box

Liene of The Smart Planner playing dress up. This was fun.

Everyone’s fabulous shoes—and me with my new couture line for the Spring a la “Huck Finn”. In other words, I’m the one with the bare foot.

Liene and Ali Phillips (I SO heart her) of Engaging Events by Ali

We found a greasy spoon to eat at….Somebody bring me something deep friend and smothered in chocolate!

On the escalator after dinner

A big fat bowl of icing from Cinnabon. I believe that is all that needs to be said. Let us bask in its glory.

We were all taking bets on whether the flowers on the balcony were real.

Liene and Monica

Jen, me, Andria, Kelly, Saundra, and Katasha of K. Sherrie + Co., and also the innovator of Eventology.

Saundra being an OG. Katasha, visibly impressed.

Kelly tells the BEST stories. Period.

As you can see, we had an AWESOME time! I can’t thank all of the attendees for listening to us and teaching us as well! I truly look forward to see what opportunities and experiences open up for Eventology next year!

Next Up—Engage 09 in Grand Cayman in June!!

Overheard at Your Wedding: “I’m Bored”

Terrica Talk, Wedding Advice

Ugh, I know. It’s tragic.

You’ve spent all of this money on food, entertainment and decor—yet, your guests are looking at their watches, pleading with their eyes for you to cut the cake so they can get out of Dodge. Why? Well, for several reasons. But the one blaring is that they are bored senseless. As a destination wedding planner in a beautiful area, I always encourage my couples to really make the party as fun as possible. You have a lot of guests that have traveled a long way to celebrate. To be bored while attending an event they have spent heavily on is sacrilege.

Here are some suggestions for to avoid the “zzz’s factor” during your reception:

Don’t front load—Unless your timeline specifically calls for it and cannot be rearranged, avoid piling everything at the beginning of your reception. Some couples think it’s best to get “everything out of the way” by doing the first dance, father-daughter dance, mother-son dance and cake cutting all at the same time. It doesn’t have the same effect that you think it will. For example, your father-daughter dance will seem endearing for the first few moments, but will lose its meaning when piled together with other events. Think of doing your first dance as soon as you are announced, and then move to dinner. By keeping your guests intrigued and interested in the events to come, you can keep their attention. Otherwise, you risk performing for guests and having them sit through it, instead of enjoying it with you.
Choose music that everyone will like—Once you receive your response cards, take a look at your guests. You know their likes and dislikes. Keep your must-play list balanced and try not to cater to one portion of your guest list. For example, we had a great reception with a few older guests, but a majority were young and excited about being at the reception. The couple and their parents requested that certain music not be played, out of respect for the older guests. The only problem is that the younger guests were bored out of their minds and were turned away each time they made requests with the DJ.
Get people involved– If you have traditions to your culture or family, definitely include your guests! At one of our weddings, the groom and his brother performed the dabke to traditional Palestinian music. Even though they were the only two of their culture at the entire wedding, they had every single guest on the dance floor with them, learning and performing the dance. If you don’t have or know a traditional dance—learn one, and teach it to your guests! It truly beats YMCA or The Chicken Dance.
Keep people moving, but together– Think about having different locations for your cocktail hour and reception. This is perfect if you are having your wedding on some interesting and aesthetic grounds. Allow your guests to explore different areas and not be confined to one spot. The same can be achieved on a smaller scale with bars and stations. Keep your guests moving and increase their mingling ratio. Be sure to keep them together, though. Guests can feel slighted if they are, or even feel, like they are, separated from the rest of the party. Be sure to take this into account when considering the logistics and floor plan of your day.