By Mrs. Amy Bacon
Division Head Wedding Planning and Consulting

Do you need a Wedding Planner? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Be realistic about the time you really have to devote to putting together the sort of wedding you want. If you have lots of spare time, you may be able to pull it off. Interesting enough, most Brides simply don’t think they can afford a planner (silly Brides!), and it’s the one vendor they WISH they’d spent a portion of their budget on.
Ask a recent bride, she’ll tell you the same!

Here are some good reasons we believe that tell the story of why you should hire a wedding planner:

You’re planning your wedding in another city or state.

You have special needs, such as finding a place of worship that will accommodate a mixed- religion ceremony, or would like to track down a caterer who can prepare a diabetic-friendly, or vegan/vegetarian menu.

Both you and your fiancé work long hours and/or travel frequently for business, and you want a big, blow out event; but who can make the time for all the detail work AND end up a nice woman, when it’s all said and done?

You don’t particularly like hassling with little details; you’re a “big picture” person.

You want someone else to do the leg work for you! As an example: your coordinator/planner, after spending time with you knows what your budget and needs are and sets appointments with vendors they think will be a good match. You don’t waste your time looking for vendors by going on appointments that are a total waste of time based on price points, or your budget/vision.

You’d like to be able to purely enjoy your day with no worries regarding any issues that will undoubtedly transpire.

A wedding planner can actually SAVE you money – Most planners will be able to get you discounts with different vendors that they work with on a regular basis (baker for your cake or cupcakes, catering, photography, flowers, videographer, officiates, and even at venues)!

Brides: You need a “Day-Of” coordinator; you just don’t realize it!

Why? Well firstly, you're hosting the biggest party of your life! (How many people can you imagine would throw a formal, sit-down party for over 50 people and not hire help? Exactly!). Secondly, we know how perfect you’d like everything to be and we know after years of experience, a Bride cannot sanely be in 8 places at one time and truly enjoy her day. Thirdly, your choice of reception site may have a Catering Manager, but it’s really not her job to be sure you stay on schedule or to wrangle!

Our “Day-Of” Wedding Consulting Service will afford you a sense of control and ease, allowing you the opportunity to relax, enjoy and be in the moment:

Complete oversight for your Rehearsal and Wedding Day

On-site meetings prior to the Wedding to ensure placement of flowers, gift books, etc

We'll keep you completely on Schedule the Day-Of

We'll make sure each attendant knows their role for the ceremony

Ring Bearer and Flower Girl Tutoring

We communicate with every contracted Vendor prior and the day of, ensuring all requirements are met. They will know exactly where to be and what the bride’s and grooms expectations are.

We'll make sure your photographer and videographer get the Photos and Reel from your Shot Lists, etc.

Cuing the music, the procession and more.

Why Hiring a Wedding Planner is imperative…

While you may not need someone to assist with the menu or your dress or color choices or any number of your dream desires for your wedding day, we strongly advise hiring a “Day-Of” coordinator, who at the very least will assist you for some months prior to and the Day-Of; we’re here to assist and as much or little as you like!

What is a “Day-Of” Coordinator? For example: a month out we will meet with you, help finalize contracts and your desires for placement and decoration; the time line on your wedding day and so much more. We make all the follow up phone calls, we do all the organizing so that on the Day-Of your wedding, you’ll have one or two main people (depending upon the size of your wedding), to answer any and all questions, maintain the day’s flow and to be sure you and your groom really enjoy your day.

If you’re thinking you can handle all this yourself; consider that it may sound easy; certainly seems like something you can handle and it very well may be, but if you want people running up to you the whole day asking:

"What time will the limo be here?"

"Aunt Jo and Uncle Charles from NYC are lost; how do they get here?"

"Little Eric, where’s the ring pillow?"

"When are we supposed to line up?"

"Where’s Tiffany; your Mom, your Cousin Ilene, the Catering Manager?"

"What time are you going to throw the bouquet?"

"Should we ask Earl (who drank too much and is disrupting guests) to leave?"

...and more; then by all means, run your wedding day yourself!

If, however, you'd like to be kept out of this mix, free to spend time with your attendants, your guests and your new husband, then please reconsider. Even if you're the "Anti-Bride", there are still lots of things you'll really want help with and with the cost of an average “Day-Of” coordinator being typically less than approximately 10% of your overall budget; it’s really affordable. We can save you money, too! Ask us how.

We will be sure everything runs smoothly, that you are insulated from the stress that transpires on your Wedding day; when it's all about you, not about everyone and everything else.

You will find Mrs. Hancock's Wedding Planners and Consultants, kind, professional, knowledgeable, helpful and excited to be of service. We won’t break your budget either! Please contact our office at 602.234.1200 or call Mrs. Amy Bacons cell at 602.762.1174 and speak with Mrs. Hancock and Mrs. Bacon for a free consultation. We can’t wait to be with you on your special day!

We thought a quick 'hit list' in a few varying areas might help. Read and enjoy!

1). As adults, we have a choice in our reactions in any given moment. Take the high road, do the adult thing; choose not to be offended, rude, petty, etc. If you’re concerned about something that was said, ask what that person may have meant if you’d like, but always stay in your power. Confident behavior is adult behavior and is very attractive to others.

2). Always be supportive of your Husband (or Boyfriend) in public.

3). Please treat service employees with respect. To do otherwise speaks volumes about you.

We find networking can be fun, but it can also be tedious. Especially when there are people in the room who really only want to meet and greet those they already know. That's fine. You certainly have the right to stay in your comfort zone, but how boring. A recent event found me in the immediate company of a woman I've met several times. She never makes an effort to say "Hello!", nor does she seem willing to make eye contact. I wonder? What's she thinking? Has she decided she doesn't like me? That can't be; she doesn't know me (and as I always stay in 'my power'); I've decided this is her problem and I move on. I do feel I've given her plenty of opportunities to 'make nice'. So that being said, I'm not sure what's going on in her brain, but what I do know: I'll never refer her. She's not open and in our way of thinking, if she's not willing to build a relationship with me, who else will she cold-shoulder out of the way.

By Bruce Buschel of the New York Times

Herewith is a modest list of dos and don’ts for servers at the seafood restaurant I am building. Veteran waiters, moonlighting actresses, libertarians and baristas will no doubt protest some or most of what follows. They will claim it homogenizes them or stifles their true nature. And yet, if 100 different actors play Hamlet, hitting all the same marks, reciting all the same lines, cannot each one bring something unique to that role?

I grew up in a Military family and many years we did not have the pleasure of seeing relatives during the Holidays (when we lived on Okinawa, for example!). Some years had us living in the States and we got to travel to mix and mingle with various relatives, some of whom we’d never met before. It was fun, but honestly a little frightening to get kisses from people that in some cases were almost complete strangers to us.

Sitting in view of my desk is a pile of all the wedding invitations I’ve ever received. They’re beautiful reminders of friends whose lives I’m honored to be a part of, as well as keepsakes from the terrific weddings I’ve attended! Many are heavy with the weight of fine paper and assorted enclosures; some have ribbons or appliqués. All of them display the great thought and care that went into their selection. Invitations should convey a sense of what the event will be like, and nowadays, they also tend to reflect a couple’s style and personality. By thinking about which traditions are important to you, and what part of yourselves you would like to express, your invitation can be the first glimpse your guests receive of your journey to the altar.