Friday, November 12, 2010

7 Costly Mistakes made by brides & how to avoid them

This week I'm so excited to share some great news about what is going on in my life and with A Memory Lane Event with all of you! 

Not only have I started training some great new interns that want to learn through hands on experience in the hospitality industry which is my fav, but we've developed some fantastic new products that we will be sharing with all of you starting in January. 

work every day with my super talented mother and daughter
My 19 year old daughter while still working with us, is in college following her dream to be a director of a child care center and my mother, is finally working with us as of June this year.  I'm so thrilled to be able to work every day with my super talented mother and daughter.  It's like a dream come true. This just doubled the amount of great talent that you had in A Memory Lane Event luxury planning, coordinating, custom decor & floral design. I can hardly wait to start 2011's event & wedding season! 

Great Country Clubs in Colorado
We were at the Garden of the God's Country Club this past week for their bridal show. Such a great location, the possibilities are endless there to really create an amazing completely customized event or wedding & I love working with Country Clubs especially since it's in the Country Clubs where I did the bulk of my training.  

Luxury Wedding Dresses for the Voluptuous
We've have teamed up with a custom luxury wedding dress designer in Colorado Springs for our voluptuous brides.  It's such a blessing .... I've always felt disappointed when we have had to in the past settle and send away for a dress that our bride can't try on because bridal stores don't carry a dress in their size.  Let's face it...not all of us can be a size 2, but we're all still beautiful.

P.S.  This January we will be launching our quarterly Wedding Planning 101 class.  This class is for the couple that feels that they want to plan the entire wedding on their own and knows that they need some help from the professionals or feels that they can't afford the planning & coordinating team of their dreams and still wants to have access to their knowledge. 

You'll be able to sign up for this 5 hour crash course to get the information on what to look for, what to avoid and how to truly customize your wedding within your budget with group and one on one access to me.  What other professional luxury wedding planner do you know with 21 years of hands on experience and 80,000 custom luxury events and weddings successfully executed that is willing to give you the secrets that you need to truly make your wedding of your dreams at a price you can afford?   You'll have the time to be able ask all of the questions that you're struggling with and get the answers you need. 

Better yet, you can afford it because with this group class, you get 5 hours of professional assistance for only $34.99 per person! This not just a  deal....it's a steal!   To hold the class, we need 20 overwhelmed and struggling brides just like you because with this # of brides, what you may not have thought of as a question yet, someone else may already be struggling with.  This means that as a group you'll get more information than you would on your own.  Class will be held on 1/8/2011 in the Denver Metro Area.  Make sure that you Register now

P.S.S. Our Military Wedding Giveaway Contest entry period is almost over.  There's only 3 weeks left to get registered to win a wedding valued at $58,000 where everything from the dress and rings through the honey moon is provided to our winning service person and their finance. A Memory Lane Event and 30 other luxury vendors across Denver want to say a big Thank You to those serving and this is the best way we could think of accomplishing that. 

Entering is easy....just record a 1-3 minute video as to what attributes from your grandparents marriage you want to have apparent in your own or what attributes do you feel will ensure a long marriage and of course why you deserve to win, put the video up on U-Tube then go to our website and fill in the application and cut & paste your video's URL.  The contest is open to all military personnel desiring to wed on President’s Day, February 21, 2011 in Denver CO immediately followed by a Colorado mountain honeymoon.   Enter the contest here.


Where can you find A Memory Lane Event? Of course you can find us in and throughout  Denver we're at several networking events through out the month. 
We keep our Google calender visible so you can see where we are.







For your wedding....

·        Do you want a high quality, completely customized event or wedding that has been designed in every way to you?
·        Have you already started planning your event or wedding and now feel stuck?
·        Are you overwhelmed, frustrated and confused trying to find the best reputable vendors that fit your personality, style and budget?
·        Are you concerned that without professional assistance some important details will be missed or that you’ll be taken advantage of?
·        Do you desire to free yourself from endless hours of planning and free your family to be able to enjoy the day with you?
·        Are you a college student or professional too busy to plan your dream event or wedding?
·        Do you want an impressive event or wedding and still want more bang for your buck?
elegant ceiling decor


What makes A Memory Lane Event different from other Event & Wedding Planners & Coordinators?

We not only completely plan your event or wedding with you as a team, listening to you and your vision for the day, but our custom designers will assist you in making sure that you are reflected in every element of the day.  Isn’t that what you’re dreaming of…an event or wedding that is completely customized to you?  We’re also a multi-generational family owned and operated company in Denver Colorado serving all of Colorado and any US or International destination.

What does this mean to you, we have three generations assisting you with ideas and concepts for every age of your guests.
Jennifer started planning events at a mid-range restaurant as the night manager at the age of 16.  While still in high school she also attended and excelled at Red Rocks in their interior design classes.  At the age of 18 Jennifer started working in one of Denver’s premier Country Clubs in the catering department.  In this position she really honed in on her skills and knowledge of how long it really takes to set up or turn a room for an amazing event, how long it takes to plate up a buffet or sit down dinner, what it takes to serve a group of guests, space requirements, décor elements and install and so much more.   Within a couple years, she was promoted to assistant to the head of the catering and sales departments in the Country Club.  In this position she learned sales for the location, developed relationships with high quality vendors in Denver and throughout Colorado, staffing needs, scheduling, time lines, organizing and how to really listen to a client.  As well as assisting in planning and coordinating thousands of high end events and weddings, many times several hundred at a time with multiple occurring on the same day and time.  Jennifer has planned and coordinated high style custom events and weddings for Denver’s elite such as the Broncos, both John and Janet Elway, the Av’s and many more in their homes and in hot spots across the US and Internationally.  She’s experienced in everything from small intimate gatherings of 6 people to a few thousand of your closest friends.  She and her team have successfully executed custom and quality golf tournaments, fundraisers, corporate events, haunted houses, elaborate weddings and more to the tune of 80,000 over the last 21 years.
Fall and rose themed wedding table

What’s does this mean for you?
Jennifer decided that she really wanted to be able to offer more custom and personalized service to her clients and as a result decided to go back to school to become a professional trained and certified domestic and international planner and coordinator with décor and floral design.  Opening her own company A Memory Lane Event, LLC that specializes in quality custom designed Simply Sensational Memorable Events. What does this mean to you?  Hiring Jennifer and her company, A Memory Lane Event…
1.      “Frees you” to be able to enjoy the planning experience knowing that you have one of the youngest, highly experienced professionals, in the industry in your corner listening to your dream and helping you to achieve your vision for your day.
2.      “Frees your family and friends” from working your fabulous event or wedding and allows them to be able to enjoy the day with you.  You’ll have a team of experts and professional staff to handle the details on the day of so you and your family can relax and have fun.
3.       With 21 years of hands on experience in this industry we know the secrets to “assist you in getting more bang for your buck.”
4.       We “know the quality, reputable vendors that fit your personality, style and budget, helping you to go from overwhelmed to overjoyed.”  That’s what you’re paying us for.
5.      “You get to make all final decisions and never lose control of your event or wedding.”  We work with you as a team, not take over.  We take the bulk of the 1200 hours it takes to successfully plan your so you can spend that time doing the things that make you happy.
6.      “You have a professional in your corner that knows the tricks and truths about vendors, locations and watches out for you with knowledge, 21 years of hands on experience and by reading the fine print.”
7.       You have a “professional designer to assist you in the quality and design of your sensational and memorable décor and floral for your event that will reflect you, your finance or your company.  Completely customized to you.”
No matter if you are envisioning an intimate affair for 6 or a blow out for a few thousand of your closet friends at home of another amazing location, we can assist you to realize the dream event you’ve been envisioning.

7 costly mistakes made by brides when planning their custom wedding & how to avoid them

1.  Not realizing that every one person that is invited to your wedding increases the cost of the wedding by an average of $150.

2.  Not reading the fine print such as when payments are due to the location and vendors, if and how much insurance is needed to use a facility.  Read the fine print, if this isn't your strong point, hire someone who has this attribute as a strong point.

3. Not true to yourself and trying to make everyone else happy ...ultimately sacrificing their happiness.  It's your wedding, you and your finance should be the focal point,it's more of a challenge when parents and grandparents are kicking in funds, and it's totally possible to have your wedding reflect the two of you and still be able to make those close to you feel involved.

4. Having too big of a bridal party .  You pay for everyone's flowers and food, then there's the gift for being in your wedding party.   A bouquet for a wedding on average is $75 ea.  For every 50 guests you should have an attendant.We know it's sometimes difficult to narrow down who will serve in your bridal party and you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, however being aware in advance what the costs are before picking your bridal party is helpful.

5. Backyard verses a hall or wedding venue .  Backyard weddings aren't always cost saving...why you have to bring in & rent tables, chairs, tablecloths, dance floor, lighting if it's at night than there is delivery and staff to set up and take down, rental of plates, glass and flat ware, it all adds and in most cases halls and venues, throw these in with the room rental.  The bottom line, is that it's not always less expensive to have the back yard wedding, in some cases, it's more expensive.

6. Skimping on the food.   Yes food is a big cost.  Buffet or station style wedding doesn't mean your guests should be rationed portions of food. Nothing left for second helpings? Time to re-think the menu.

What it'll cost you: If you think your future mother-in-law can be a little unpleasant now, just wait until you see her on an empty stomach. Being short on food is a big etiquette no-no. Buffet style dinners are fine, but you need to make sure there is enough food, plates, and napkins to go around.  I've been told before by the brides parents that they feel that thefood is costing more than it should and they cut down on the food, only to run out and haveupset guests and fights and arguments on the day of the wedding.

How to avoid it: Work with your caterer ahead of time to make sure you have a menu that's within your budget but still allows you to have enough food for everyone. There's no excuse for adding filet mignon if it means you'll have a limited portion. Food is one place where it's best not to cut corners. Instead, try saving in other ways, like by throwing your wedding on a Sunday (cheaper than Saturday) or simply trimming down your guest list.

7. Doing Everything Yourself
High glamour wedding table
You've started planning a year ahead of time, so you'll definitely have time to do the bouquets, programs, seating cards, invitations, favors, welcome baskets, centerpieces, and guest book sounds plausible.

What it'll cost you: Slow down there super woman! Wanting to be involved -- really involved -- in planning your wedding is a great idea. Still, you'll want to keep yourself at least a little sane, and you may be surprised at how quickly those months can pass. You don't need the stress of pulling all-nighters the week before the wedding to finish too many projects. Then those projects that aren't done and must be done, that you take to the professionals at the last minute ... cost you double as a rush.

How to avoid it: It's simple: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Pick and choose your projects wisely, and be honest with yourself about how much time you have to devote to them. For instance, if you work a 40-hour workweek and want some free time on the weekends, do you really have the discipline to come home every night and work on a few projects? Keep a few DIY projects and leave the rest to the professionals from the beginning.


There's so many more things that can cost you dearly, these are just a few.


Jennifer Lane, A Memory Lane Event






Visit our website for more information as to how A Memory Lane Event & Wedding can assist you in having the event or wedding of your dreams.

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