Recommended Vendors - A Word of Caution

Next time someone other than a friend or your planner offers to give you recommendations on what vendors you should use for your wedding, listen politely and then ask questions. Why do they recommend this vendor? Have they personally worked with them, do they know what they offer, what they charge? Why would this vendor be a good match for you? If they are on a “preferred list” how were they chosen for that list?

What a lot of engaged couples don’t understand about the wedding business is that it is a business. And as a business, many vendors are searching for extra ways to increase income. This leads to a dirty little secret known in the business as a “kick back”. Some vendors offer fellow vendors payment for any referrals sent to them, as in “I’ll give you $100 for every referral you send me that I book”, some offer a “preferred vendor list” that a vendor can be placed on for a price. Everyone has seen a preferred list given out by a site. Did you know that those vendors sometime can buy their way onto those lists?

Not every vendor recommendation is part of a “kick back” scheme; there are vendors that will recommend other really good vendors just to help you out. Not every vendor on a preferred list are bad vendors. Some preferred lists are just that, preferred excellent vendors. (I’m on some myself.) But before you spend your money you just need to make sure the recommendation is the right one for you.

Ask questions when you get a referral and then do your homework, ask for references on any vendor you consider using and check them out. A good vendor will offer you references from both wedding couples and other vendors they have worked with. You want to know if the couple was happy with the vendor and if other vendors enjoyed working with them. Nothing helps your wedding to run smoothly more than a team of happy vendors.

Jessica and Sam's Wedding

Willrich was very excited and privileged to be a part of the beautiful wedding of Jessica and Sam that took place on Friday. Jessica, her mother Ann and I had been working together for over a year to plan the perfect event. As you can see from the pictures, all the hard planning was worth it. Jessica and Sam ended up with an event that was just perfect for them.

Here you see Jessica and the groomsmen posing for pictures before the ceremony. You can see the pew markers that Jessica's creative mom designed.

The new Mr. and Mrs. as they come down the aisle at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church.

As guests entered the lobby of the Holly Tree Country Club for the reception we had pictures from both Sam and Jessica's parents and grandparents weddings spread through out, even on the table on the stair landing. The guests loved looking at them and it added a touch that made Sam and Jessica's wedding their own.

The ballroom at Holly Tree Country Club was a wedding dream of pinks and white. The overlays on the tables and the beautiful hatbox arrangements by Dave McMillan of Memories by McMillan added just the right amount of WOW factor to the room. Guests were just blown away by how it looked.

Jessica wanted a candy bar for her favors, so we contacted Lori at Candy Catering and she did an outstanding job as usual. What a huge hit with the guests, children and adults alike.

Each table was set with menus letting the guests know what treats awaited them. The monogram on the menu was just one more touch of personalization

Jessica and Sam were one of those great couples who had a choreographed first dance. It was a huge hit with the guests.

The cake by Kathy and Company was also highlighted with the couples monogram. It was the perfection that Kathy is famous for.

As always Fraser, with The Party Machine, had everyone up and dancing.

It was a beautiful wedding and a really sweet couple. The family was great to work with and I enjoyed every minute of all the planning and getting to know the family. Weddings like this are the reason I love my job!

Ideas to Help Personalize Your Wedding

I was reading the newest issue of InStyle Weddings and came across two really cool ideas to personalize your wedding. At Willrich Bridal, we have always suggested that brides' personalize their weddings using pictures of their parents’ weddings and their grandparents’ weddings. But Instyle Weddings suggest taking this a step farther and recreating the mother's or grandmother's bouquet and placing it in front of the picture. During the evening you could present it to the mother. While this might be a tad costly, can you imagine how touched she would be to have such a reminder of her wedding at her son or daughter’s?

The second idea, I just loved, was why not contact your guests and ask them to suggest a favorite song to play at your reception. Talk about making your guests feel special and a part of the wedding. What a great idea.

Best Wedding Toast Ever

Have you seen this video yet? If not, take the time to watch it. Amy must have the best friends ever.


Best Wedding Toast Ever!!!! (Amy's Song) - video powered by Metacafe

Just a reminder, always be nice to your future mother in-law.

What do Guests Remember....

Ok, don’t be the bride that makes the mistake of using a large portion of her budget on the wedding dress and has to skimp on the rest of the wedding. I know it is easy to get caught up in the red carpet, fairy tale drama of the moment. Yes, this is your big day, but do you want the guests to remember a fabulous wedding or remember “yeah she spent a fortune on that dress and then we had to pay for our own alcohol at the reception, tacky, tacky, tacky”.

The secret to having a wonderful wedding that your guests won't soon forget is to put your guests first. See your wedding through your guests' eyes. Cut back on that dress budget and add a little more to what the guests will really enjoy.

Not Your Ordinary Wedding Venue

The view of downtown Greenville from The Loft at Soby's

Ever wonder where in Greenville, SC you can have your ceremony or reception that is not the standard, church, hotel, or country club? Actually there are quite a few places and today I had the chance to talk with Amanda Hollifield of Table 301 about just that.

Amanda and I discussing ceremony ideas for the patio area

For those of you who are not aware what Table 301 is, it is the name of the group that owns, Soby’s, Restaurant O, Devereaux’s, The Lazy Goat, Soby’s On the Side, Table 301 catering and The Loft at Soby’s. Each one of these restaurants are available for you to rent part or the entire restaurant for your wedding ceremony and reception. If you are looking for the perfect idea for your rehearsal dinner, bridesmaid’s luncheon or a morning after brunch you will want to check out their options.

Restaurants make wonderful venues for brides and grooms to whom food is really important. They offer easy planning, great menus and lots of visual appeal that can save tons on your décor budget. Rentals are normally minimal with extras like votive candles available at little or no extra charge. The only drawback to using a restaurant as your venue is this normally only works for a small to medium size guest list.

While meeting with Amanda and going over all the details of what they have to offer, we did take a tour of The Loft at Soby’s. I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures.

The Loft cocktail area

The Loft has seating for up to 20 guests, cocktails up to 70

Bar area in The Loft

The Loft also has a living room area, 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths perfect for your bachlorette party.

More Favorite Reads

Another favorite read of mine is Simple Stunning Weddings by Karen Bussen. So many of the wedding books out there are beautiful yes, with awe inspiring designs, but practical for most of today’s brides, no. This book is. The ideas are beautiful and easily achievable.


The book’s chapters are based on the possible different locations a bride may choose. There are ideas for a restaurant wedding, a private club, a country inn and so on. The pictures are beautiful and it’s written for a bride with a real budget, not a platinum one. Pick it up early in your planning and I promise you will refer to it often.

My Favorite Reads

Running Willrich Bridal means I constantly need to stay ahead of the game on wedding trends, ideas, etiquette and logistical planning. I do this by reading every wedding magazine and book that I can get my hands on, not to mention the endless list of wedding blogs I review each day. Just like on any subject, some of the material out there is great and some is not so good. I thought, as a future bride, you might be interested in what I would recommend you investing your time and tightly stretched wedding dollars in.


My first choice is Mindy Weiss’ The Wedding Book . For those of you that don’t know, Mindy Weiss is one of the top planners in America. This book covers everything and I do mean everything you will need to know. It is not for the faint of heart. I had college textbooks that were not this big. But if you have the time and the dedication to wanting to know everything you need to plan your wedding, this is the book for you. This is not a picture book, it is a book filled with directions, suggestions and facts that you will need to know to plan your wedding.

How To Choose Your Wedding Planner

Cathy of Willrich Bridal keeping an eye on the timeline.

You know lately, I’m seeing more and more wedding planner horror stories online. I have to ask myself how does this happen? How can things go so terribly wrong that brides have to fire their planner or worst yet suffer through stressful wedding planning or a wedding day with a planner that turns out to be nothing like they hoped for.

My first thought is a lack of communication on everybody’s part. When choosing your planner, she should be up front about exactly what she will do for you. You should have it in writing. Vague promises of “I will provide you a beautiful wedding” are not enough. You need to know exactly how she will go about providing this wedding. The same thing goes for the bride. She needs to be upfront about exactly what she expects from the planner. Hiring a day of planner and then wondering why you aren’t hearing from her 5 months before the wedding, is lack of communication on both your parts. Don’t take a planner’s cheapest package and then expect full package service. It’s only going to end with you and the planner unhappy.

Next do your homework. Just like everything else in life, you are going to get what you pay for. Before choosing the planner with the cheapest price, ask a few questions. Make sure when you are comparing planners you are comparing apples to apples. How long has she been doing this? Ask to see pictures of weddings she has done, make sure they are her weddings, not weddings just pulled off the internet. Everyone has to start somewhere and I see no problem with hiring someone new to the business if you are aware of exactly what you are getting.

Find out if she is insured, does she have a business license? Is she a member of area bridal associations? This will help you know she is serious about this business. Too many people have planned their own or a friends wedding and suddenly decide to hang out a shingle, to see what happens. You need someone who is invested in their business and brings more to the table than just a love of weddings.

What will she actually provide on your wedding day, how many assistants will be with her, how many hours will she actually be working? Think about it, if she is going to be there for everything you need, have assistants helping out (no planner can do a good job alone) and only charging you $400 dollars, something is wrong. This can not possibly be a business for her.

Coming up with décor plans, themes and colors are fun and the more glamorous side of wedding planning, but the help you will really need on the wedding day is the hard, tedious work that also goes along with planning; the setting up, handling logistics, working with the other vendors, and cleaning up. Make sure you and your planner are on the same page about this day.

When choosing your planner, start with a clear idea of what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. Communicate and make sure you and the planner both get what you are working towards.

Vera Wang On Weddings

Are you in to all things Vera? Well Vera Wang has just the website for you. Debuting this June, the website will let you register, give you helpful tips for your wedding and even help you discover if you are a traditional, romantic or modern couple. According to an article in US Weekly, you won’t be able to order dresses online, but you will be able to check out beautiful photographs.

If you go to the site now you can register to join her mailing list.

Having Your Dream Wedding Without Breaking The Bank (Part 2)

Your guests will enjoy a mid afternoon cake and ice cream reception and you will save money.

Saving money in today’s world is tough and getting tougher by the gas tank. Saving money on your wedding is no small challenge, but it can be done. Early in the game decide what is important to you and just where you want to spend your hard earned dollars. Make a plan and stick to it. Too many brides and grooms get distracted with the “bling” as they start their planning. If you have a firm budget in mind and an eye on your priorities it will certainly make things easier for you.

Keep in mind that your reception alone will probably account for 50% of your budget (at least) with the other 50% covering your flowers, dress, invitation and everything else that is not food or alcohol. So as we discussed earlier, your guest list is a key factor in controlling your budget.

When meeting with vendors, never be afraid to start the conversation, with “this is what I hope to spend” and give them a dollar amount. You will save you and your vendor a lot of time and effort if you are upfront and straight with them about your budget. Contrary to what a lot of magazines and forums would have you believe the majority of vendors (at least in my experience) are not out to “get you”. They want to work with you and provided an event that works budget wise for both you and them. Most vendors will have excellent ideas for giving you the most for your dollars or if your budget won’t work with them, they will tell you and you can move on.

Flexibility is another money saving advantage. Can you get married on a Friday or Sunday, instead of Saturday? Most event sites offer discounts for weddings not on Saturday. Same goes for the time of day. If you can go with a morning or afternoon wedding, there are savings available not only for your event space, but in your menu. A midmorning brunch or late afternoon cake and dessert reception can be very elegant but cost a great deal less.

Be flexible with your dates too. Weddings held April through September, in the upstate area, are going to be popular dates causing vendors to be less eager to do any negotiation. Pick a date September through March and you will have a much better selection of vendors at more affordable prices. That being said, avoid your holidays such as Christmas and Valentines, since some vendors charge premiums for holidays.

I know you have heard this before but, your alcohol bill will eat up a large portion of your budget, so be flexible here too. Offer your guests beer and wine, one or two signature cocktails and skip the open bar. No one will be offended and you will save a lot. I’m not a fan of the cash bar; you do not invite guests to your home and then charge them for a drink. The same should be true of your wedding. Offer the guests what you can afford. If you have to, go with hosting beer and wine, and making alcohol only cash. Just make sure your guests are aware ahead of time, so they bring money with them. Be sure to place a sign on the bar stating what you are doing. And skip the champagne toast; it is nothing but wasted money. We have seen it over and over again, full glasses or half empty bottles left on the tables. Let your guests toast with whatever they are drinking. No one will complain.

Save money on your flower budget. There is always the option of doing the flowers yourself, but unless you are a florist or work for a florist, this is a recipe for disaster. I’ve seen it go wrong too many times. Instead, hire the florist but do things like skip the pew markers in the church, or mark only the family section. Reuse bridesmaids’ bouquets on guest tables or cocktail tables. Bring your arrangements from the church to the reception (if your church approves). They can easily be slipped into the reception area during the cocktail hour without guests even being aware. You may have to pay a small delivery fee to your florist, but it’s a lot less than a buying a new arrangement. Again, be upfront with your florist about what you want to spend and let him tell you what will give you the most bang for your buck. Be flexible. Candles can make great centerpieces, just check with the rules of your site and see what they allow. Simple flowers in a glass vase can give a very modern vibe to your event but at the same time be very cost effective. And speaking of sites, see what your reception venue has to offer in the way of centerpieces. Your florist can take the simple hurricane lamp your site may include for free, add a few flowers and turn it into something amazing.

Save on invitations, buy the kits available in stores and print them yourselves. Search online for printable invitations or make your own from scratch. Do your own addressing or print with a calligraphy font on your computer (straight on to the envelope, not onto a label). Be creative, something your guests will appreciate more than expensive typeset and heavy papers. If you are just not the creative type, shop around and order the traditional invitation without all the bells and whistles. I hate to say it, but they are eventually going to end up in the trash anyway. No one but you and your Mom are going to save them.

Print programs and menus yourself. There are tons of ideas and templates available on the web. Pick a nice paper stock and do it yourself. It’s cheaper and adds your personal touch to the items.

Skip the costly picture frame and key chain favors and go with something to eat. Candy or cookies are inexpensive and guest will not leave them behind.


These are only a few of the money saving ideas, you and your planner can use to make your dream wedding affordable. I know its tough having to make hard decisions about your wedding. But if you are smart about the decisions you make, you can still have the wedding of your dreams or one close to it, even in this expensive world.

Having Your Dream Wedding Without Breaking The Bank

Erin Patrice O'Brien for TIME; Origami Roses by Tony Cheng / Origami USA

Time Magazine recently did an article on Downsizing your Wedding. Articles like this are popping up everywhere. I know everyone is worried about how to stretch that already thin dollar to cover the “dream” wedding they have always wanted. I find that even with my brides with the larger budgets, cutting back is becoming more of a concern. “How do I have my dream wedding, without dream wedding pricing?” is a question I hear a lot.

Now, I am nothing if not a bargain shopper and I love saving money as much as the next guy, so let me give you a few tips that I share with my brides.

First off I know you are thinking, “Hey if I skip the wedding planner, I can save a bundle”. Ok, I know I’m a planner, so my answer may be somewhat biased, but skipping the planner is not the answer. A planner, besides knowing all the logistics to make your wedding work, knows the people behind the scenes. She can save you from hours of stress and tanks of gas used searching for and meeting with vendors that aren’t quite right for you. She knows the questions to ask the vendors upfront to save you from expenses later on. Remember, you don’t bring a vendor return business, you will be his customer once, but a planner will bring him people over and over. He wants to please that planner and this ultimately pleases you. A planner knows how to get you the bang for your buck.

Ok, for the biggest money saver of all, cut down on your guest list. Remember every guest requires an invitation, a RSVP card, a thank you note and three stamps, a chair (if you are renting or a chair cover if the site’s chairs are awful), and every table of 8-10 guests require some sort of centerpiece. Not to mention there are drinks for each person, a meal and a slice of cake. This adds up quickly. Cut your guest list and save big money.

Cut your attendant list and save more money. See above, plus there are bouquets and boutonnières, attendant gifts, transportation, and quite possibly hotel rooms. Before you ask all 10 of your sorority sisters to be in your wedding, give this some thought.

Choose your site carefully. Maybe that outdoor wedding is your dream, but with every dream comes a price. Remember the less the site offers, in terms of chairs, linens, bad weather options, etc. the more you will ultimately have to pay. Maybe you can rent that park garden for practically nothing, but you are going to need to rent a tent (or at least have one on hold), chairs, tables, heating or air conditioning, linens, security on top of all the normal rentals. Not a money saver plan. Keep looking; maybe you can locate an outdoor area at a country club or hotel that includes all the necessary rentals in the price. Not only will you most likely save money, but you will save a lot of gas and time you won’t have to use trying to arrange all the details you will need for a site that includes nothing but a view. Again, I say choose your site carefully.

More money saving tips tomorrow…

The Photo Montage at the Wedding

Photo montages are a special way to make your wedding reception, just a little more personal. For those of you that don’t know what a montage is, a montage is when you take pictures of the bride and groom growing up, dating, engagement shots, etc and put them all together in a slide show. Normally it is done to music. You can have them professionally done or do them pretty easily yourself. Check out Microsoft Photo Story 3 for Windows.

Some of my planner buddies and I have been discussing just when is the right time to play the photo montage for your guests. Personally, I believe the best time is during the cocktail hour. A close second would be to show them during dinner, once your guests are seated. I prefer the cocktail hour because this gives your guests something to do (watch) and talk about (“weren’t they just the cutest babies”). The guests are also free to move on if they are bored. Another possible time is as a backdrop to your first dance, or the cake cutting if there is a drop down screen available at your site.

The secret to the photo montage is to keep it short. Remember only you; your mom and hopefully your fiancé are really that in to seeing your baby pictures. One more tip, be sure you have your photographers ok to use engagement photos unless you purchased the rights to them.