Keeping Your Vendors Happy
When budgeting for a wedding brides and grooms often overlook feeding their vendors. And for those of your who want to save money by not feeding them, don’t do it! Your vendors (photographer, videographer, planner & band) work their butts off for you. Most of your vendors will put in at least a 10 hour day to make your wedding day perfect. So don’t forget them when it comes to dinner time! Luckily most venues & caterers supply vendor meals at a lower cost than your menu price. A nice buffet is all you need. And please, make it a hot meal, unless you are having a lunchtime wedding.
We all need fuel to keep the party going!
Mimosa Mornings
Are you looking to spoil your bridesmaids on the big day before everything gets crazy?
One of the most fun and yummy ways to do this is with a mimosa bar the morning of the wedding!
Kick back with your girls one more time before tying the knot at brunch and enjoy some delicious mimosas! After all, what girl doesn’t love a champagne drink?!
You can make these so cute and include trendy mimosa drinks such as “pomosas” with pomegranate juice. We know from experience that those are totally delicious!
Cheers!
When is the Right Time to Book Your Wedding?
What’s more important, getting your date or scoring a good rate? If you’ve always dreamt of getting married in a specific month on a particular date, then book your venue at least a year in advance.
Negotiating Tip: When booking a year or more in advance minimums and menu prices are subject to increase. This is pretty much an industry standard. When negotiating a year in advance try to get your Event Manager to lock in current rates for your wedding even though it won’t happen till the following year.
If you could care less about the time of year and are willing to hold off and book your wedding 3-6 months out you can score some really great deals. When calling the hotel ask what their need dates are as these are the dates when you can negotiate the best discount. Know that a hotel may not cut prices left and right as they all still need to be profitable, but you can most likely walk away paying less than the published rates.
Determine what’s most important to you and book accordingly.
Pamper Your Gals on Your Wedding Day – Tips from the Peabody Orlando’s Spa Director
Bridesmaids— the wonderful women who waited patiently as you tried on every wedding dress, had a fresh cosmo ready before you finished the one in your hand at your bachelorette party, and who will stand by your side on your wedding day. As your truest of friends, these gals deserve pampering too. Hotel spas & salons such as The Spa at the Peabody in Orlando, Fla. are offering customizable packages guaranteeing relaxation and rejuvenation.
“It’s all about creating an enjoyable environment where the bride and her bridesmaids can relax and have fun before getting dressed up for the ceremony,” explains Bill Toth, spa director at The Spa at the Peabody.
Toth recommends asking spas about customizable packages to match your wedding’s unique look and style. For the more traditional brides and bridal party, The Spa’s Bridal Beauty package includes event hairstyle, makeup application, classic manicure and pedicure – covering all the essentials.
One of The Spa’s new packages adds a little something different to the mix. “We see many brides who want to work out their nervous energy, so we offer mix-and-match services that include everything from Pilates to pedicures,” said Toth.
“One of the biggest advantages to utilizing the hotel spa for your pre-wedding preparation is the convenient location,” adds Toth. “Instead of hurrying around town from one beauty stop to the next, you could be having a glass of champagne in the relaxation lounge and all beauty treatments in one place. Whether you smudged your nail polish or have stressed shoulders in need of a Tension Tamer massage, quick fixes are a breeze when you are already on-site.”
You can even cross bridesmaids’ gifts off your to-do list at hotel spas. Expert associates at The Spa can create unique and memorable gifts with products from your visit together, as there’s nothing better than giving the gift of looking and feeling fabulous!
However, you decide to spend the day before your “I Do’s,” remember to treasure each bridesmaid in a special way, as they’ll be by your side at the altar treasuring you, on your special day.
The Peabody Orlando is recognized as a premier Central Florida venue on The Knot’s Best of Weddings 2013 and honored with the 2013 Bride’s Choice Award from Wedding Wire. The Peabody Orlando is the nation’s largest Forbes Travel Guide Four Star and AAA Four Diamond rated non-gaming resort with a 22,000-square-foot full-service spa, salon and fitness center. To learn more about Weddings at The Peabody Orlando, please visit their website.
Setting Up For Your Wedding
Some weddings take longer to set-up than others. Are you carpeting, draping and have tons of rentals? Then you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of time to set-up so you and vendors aren’t stressing at crunch time.
Many times vendors will want to start loading in the day before or in the early a.m. the day of your wedding. If you don’t have a planner, it’s up to you to check in with each vendor and find out how much time they’ll need to set-up. You’ll also want to check-in with your Events Manager to see how early you can start setting up in the room.
Sometimes there are events booked the night before or a breakfast the day of in your event space. If you ask to load-in the day before too far out from your wedding date, they will either say no or there will be a rental fee. The trick here is to wait till you get closer to your wedding date to confirm load in the day before. Another idea: Ask the hotel to hold the room for set-up the day prior and if someone wants to book the space, have them call you. At this point you can decide if you are willing to pay a rental for the room or you can just load in later.
If no events are booked in your event space 1-2 weeks prior, the hotel most likely won’t book the room by then and you may be able to start set-up the night before at no cost. Most hotels are great about accommodating set-up early morning on your wedding day, but some hotels book multiple weddings a day, so you’ll want to confirm an early set-up ahead of time or have it noted in your contract.
Photos: Laurel & Party Events
