Wedding Insurance

Besides hiring a wedding planner, the biggest decision you can make to ensure you're going to have a perfect wedding day is to take out Wedding Insurance. We all know about the local wedding photo/video/DJ company that recently closed up shop and disappeared, leaving dozens of brides with no vendors for their wedding and no sign of the return of any of their money. This is a tragic situation for any bride, but with Wedding Insurance you could be covered for this kind of thing. Or what about a horrific story I heard from one of my photographer friends who was working a wedding last year where someone stole the gift envelopes from the reception, taking all of the money and gifts that were intended to go to the bride and groom. You may think this kind of thing would never happen but it does, and Wedding Insurance can help cover you for this loss.

I know that the thought of an added wedding expense does not seem appealing to any couple, but I happen to know a very knowledgeable and handsome insurance professional (my brother!) who can write a policy for couples for as little as $170. With the average cost of weddings nearing $30,000 taking out a simple policy for less than $200 seems like a totally worthwhile expense.

Here are some of the things that can be covered in a Wedding Insurance policy:

The cancellation or postponement of your wedding (including change of heart coverage)
Photography and video
Gifts
Rented property
Special attire
Jewelry
Loss of deposits
Professional counseling
Personal liability and medical expense
Liquor liability

Here are some examples of how Wedding Insurance can prove to be invaluable:

Extreme weather rolls in on your wedding day making it impossible to hold your event
Hired vendors go out of business before your big day and you are out your deposits and payments
Unforseen medical issues cause the wedding to be postponed
No-show vendors
Theft
Wedding dress ruined at the reception
Damage to the property at a rented venue


In addition to the many benefits of having insurance for loss, many couples rent venues that require you provide your own insurance to cover the liability of your event. The National Museum of Dance, the Canfield Casino, the Pruyn House, and many other such venues require this and a Wedding Insurance policy can include all of the coverage your venue requires.

You have insurance to cover the value of your home, your apartment, your vehincles, and all of your other prized possessions, so why wouldn't you consider insuring your wedding? With the cots of your wedding probably exceeding the cost of your car there is really no reason not to.

Any questions or inquiries on Wedding Insurance can be directed to my brother - Brian Whitney - who is an insurance professional with the Associates of Glens Falls. He can be reached at 518-793-3444. Tell him his big sis says hi! ;)

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY??

There are a few things brides dread on their wedding day and rain is definitely one of them.

Most pray for sun allowing for beautiful images outdoors with their new hubby, family and close friends. And if they’re planning for an outdoor ceremony and reception their prayers for a sunny day are even greater. Unfortunately when it comes to weather, there’s no guarantee.

With all the rain we’ve seen over the past few weeks it got us to thinking... Is rain on your wedding day really such a bad thing? Of course it never hurts to have a Plan B, such as a tent or alternate indoor venue when your Plan A is an open air outdoor space in case the clouds appear, but when it comes to your pictures rain can make for some fun and really unique photos if you’re willing.

Chicago based photographer Kenny Kim had this to say about photographing couples in the rain -

There is an old saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." At every wedding, there is going to be a surprise waiting us around the corner. Regardless of what that surprise might be, we as wedding photographers try to make the best of all the situations. Inevitably, we are going to have days where Mother Nature will try to hinder the day. Instead of being discouraged by the situation, I think of it as an opportunity to get creative with photos. A wedding day is not about the weather but it is a celebration of a couple's commitment to spend the rest of their lives together. Capturing their emotion is more important than having nice weather. When humans lose one of their senses, the other senses heighten. As a photographer, when we are faced with limited options, our creativity gets heightened and often times we tend to see things that we did not notice before. Some of my favorite photos from weddings have come from days when it rained.

So why not go with it? Don’t let the rain ruin your wedding day! Find some fun rain boots, colorful umbrellas, and show the rain who’s boss. And last but not least, remember the Italian saying “Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata” which literally translates to “Wet Bride, Lucky Bride”. Traditionally, if it rains on your wedding day you will have a very fortunate marriage. The rain symbolizes abundance and good luck which will spill over onto the new family.

Photo Credits: Braedon Photography

How Sweet is This??

There is a bride getting married in 2012 who has been in contact with me about assisting her with her planning. She was a guest at one of my weddings this past fall so I was able to meet her then but a few e-mails and a brief conversation at that event are as far as we've gotten. I just found that she has her own wedding planning blog and as I read through some past posts I see she has written about me!! It's good stuff and I just had to share. How sweet is she??? :)

Let It Be Known...

Let it be known that 6 months before I was proposed to, I referred MY WEDDING PLANNER to another bride... and got laughed at by her groom in the process. Let me rewind and tell you how it all came about.

So most of my friends know that I started planning my wedding when I was 20. I'm 32 now so I've had years of planning and I know exactly what I want for most things. I also knew very quickly into our relationship that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Shawn. For me, it was natural to start planning my wedding with him long before he proposed to me. I think it was a very good sign that he knew I was planning our wedding and didn't go into a full panic about it.

So had we been getting married in the Mid-Hudson Valley, I wouldn't need a Wedding Planner. I spent my whole life there and knew the area like the back of my hand. As a new transplant to the Capital District, I need help. Help that a groom cannot provide. You might be asking, but what about your bridesmaids? Well half of them have spent their entire lives in the area and I am working with them for ideas. However, this is my vision and I wanted to put all of my ducks in a row on the vision itself before asking for help. Sometimes your closest friends and family can provide influence away from your own tastes. I needed to make sure I had a clear picture of what I wanted exactly and whether I could facilitate it before reaching out to them.

So, I started looking for wedding planners and came across several. However, I always go with my gut. My gut told me to go with Wedding Planning Plus. So I sent an email and got an immediate reply back from Shannon Whitney. She is super helpful and her willingness to answer my questions, even though I wasn't even engaged yet was helpful, and thoughtful of her. I went through some trouble figuring out a potential venue (due to my Celiac, I have to be very careful of who is selected for food preparation). I had sent out a series of emails and gotten no replies.

I happened to mention this to Shannon, that I felt like I was being ignored because I wasn't engaged yet. She reached out to her friend Erin at Birch Hill and to my surprise, it was technical issues with their contact form which caused the lack of response and Erin was more than willing to work with me in advance of Shawn's proposing. Shannon showed she was worth her weight in gold and I didn't even have a ring on my finger yet.

Shannon and I continued to email and low and behold, my friend ran into trouble with her venue with weeks left to spare before her wedding. She was so stressed she was ill and the venue had been so cruel to her that a single email had her dissolving into tears. I didn't hesitate for a second to recommend Shannon to her.

They went in to meet with Shannon and she told them "So, you were referred to me by one of my brides?" and the groom's comment was something along the lines of "but Shawn hasn't even proposed to her!" Anyway...

Shannon saved the day! She worked with her and helped her get through the final weeks leading up to her fabulous wedding to make them pain-free for the bride. On the day of the wedding, Shannon coordinated the whole thing flawlessly. She was even so helpful as to assist an old friend of the bride's in staging a gift basket in the Bridal Suite.

I have a lot of worries about my wedding (mostly around food), but knowing that Shannon is behind me, with her endless knowledge, caring and attention to details, I can breathe a sigh of relief that everything is going to be allright.

Wedding Planners in Action!

Here's another post of some pics of me from past weddings. This wedding was photographed by the lovely Tracey Buyce at Glen Sanders Mansion back in October 2009. Tracey happened to catch me in the photo of getting the bride in her dress and also of me helping keep her train clean as she walked outside for her first sighting photos. The bottom two pics have my 2009 intern Laura in them, and were taken in the back of Glen Sanders right on the shores of the Mohawk River. This was such a great event, and these pics still bring a smile to my face!

Toasts

Photo by Niki Rossi

Toasts are standard at every wedding. Typically the best man raises a glass, says some kind words about the happy couple, and everyone says cheers and takes a sip in their honor. Some toasts are memorable for the right reasons, some are memorable for very different reasons. Have you ever been to a wedding where something inappropriate is said during a toast? Or what about toasts that go on for what seems like forever plus a day? Or those terribly awkward toasts where the person at the mic clearly thought they could wing it without writing anything down just to find out that they became a sweating stammering mutterer as soon as they stood in front of all those guests. Oh boy.


Photo by Tracey Buyce


I get asked by couples what is standard when it comes to toasts and here is what I tell them:

• Traditionally the best man gives a toast at the wedding reception and says something nice about the couple, maybe tells a funny story about something stupid the groom did as he was pursuing his bride, and then finishes by wishing them the best that life has to offer them. The maid or matron of honor can also speak, and it is almost commonplace now for both of these two to give toasts during the reception. The maid of honor's speech is usually something more emotional, and if she is a childhood friend of the bride her toast usually has some sort of silly story about what the bride was like growing up. She then wishes the couple all the best and finishing by asking everyone to raise a glass in the couple's honor. It doesn't really matter who goes first, but if you know one is going to be more emotional you may want to leave that one for last.

Photo by Elario Photography

• Because parents of the bride and groom often host the wedding (aka pay for all or most of the event) they often want an opportunity to say something to the guests, as well. I usually put this directly before the best man and maid of honor's toasts and suggest that the parent(s) use that time to welcome guests to their child's wedding and thank everyone for coming. They can go off from there in whatever direction they would like but the welcome and the thank you are pretty much the foundation of what they should be delivering.

Photo by Tracey Buyce

• So if you have parents speaking, a best man giving and toast, and a maid or matron of honor toasting, you really don't want many more captive microphone moments than that. I was at a wedding once where virtually everyone in the bridal party got up to say something and I lost interest after minute 2 1/2. It's lovely for your attendants to want to wish you well but the bridal shower or the rehearsal dinner makes for a much better suited place for these kinds of moments.
• If you are giving a toast or a speech have a clear idea of what you want to say before you go up there. I can't count the number of times I hear a best man say that he totally forgot to mention all the good stuff because he got up there and got nervous and thrown off. It's ok to write things down - in fact I encourage it! Just jot a few basic notes to give yourself a reminder of the topics you want to cover. Trust me when I tell you that this will make for a much more relaxed and well received delivery and sounds a lot better than "Uhhh", "Ummm", and "Soooo".
  
• And lastly, don't forget that whoever is giving a toast will be a point if interest for the photographer and videographer. Make sure the guys have their jackets on! And ladies keep those heels on until after this Kodak moment. And please for the love of all things holy please remember to have a glass of champagne or sparkling water with you so that when you ask guests to raise their glass you can raise yours, too. And lastly, and probably most importantly, everyone is nervous when they give a toast. Don't use the cocktail hour as your personal effort to get as much liquid courage in you as you can. A sober nervous speech wins over a slurred sloppy one every single time.

Above all anyone who is asked to give a toast should feel incredibly honored to have been given such an important role. Keep your toast succinct and interject your personality into it. Stay calm and have fun. At least you get to finish with a swig of some bubbly!



Photo by Out of the Ordinary Photography

Happy Mother's Day!

I am what I am and am able to do what I do because of this woman right here. Happy Mother's Day to the greatest woman I've ever known. I love you mom!

Altamont Manor Open House - June 5th

Mark your calendars! There is a free open house at the Altamont Manor where you can meet wedding vendors, sample food from Elegant Touch and Nicole's Catering, and tour through the facility and the beautiful rose gardens. I will be there so if you want to come just to meet me that's fine, too! :)

You're invited to
The Altamont Manor
Open House
Sunday, June 5th
Noon to 4:00 pm.

A gracious 1894 restored Victorian home, the Altamont Manor is one of the area's most unique and
elegant settings for enchanted wedding receptions.
We offer a secluded setting, formal gardens, spacious landscaped surroundings and a 30 mile view.

Come meet many of the areas finest wedding professionals, stroll the gardens, relax on the veranda and enter the drawings for valuable prizes that will enhance your wedding.

Make your reservation soon for this limited event.

Call 518-861-8176 to register

See you tonight?

Come spend a little Cinco de Mayo action with your favorite wedding friends! I will be at the New York Wedding Boutique's 1st Anniversary Party tonight at Pat's Barn in Troy. Vendors, brides and grooms, and guests are all invited to attend and share in the celebration. This is a great chance for couples to mingle with some of the area's hottest wedding vendors, sample food from Nicole's Catering, and to see what a party looks like a great wedding venue. I will be there early so stop by and say hello!

Pat's Barn - Defreest Rd in Troy, NY
6:00-9:00

Parent Dance Songs

I posted a blog a few months ago listing some of the most popular first dance songs at my past weddings, and I thought it would be fun to also list some of the top parent dance songs. These always tend to be tough choices for most couples because you want to make your moms and dads happy but you don't want to be stuck swaying along to some horrible 5 minute tune. Maybe you and your 'rents have a song already lined up, but if not maybe you could consider one of these little ditties:




Photo by Heather Bohm-Tallman


Father/Daughter dance songs:

Forever Young - Bob Dylan
I loved her First - Heartland
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle
My Girl - Temptations
Wonderful World - Louie Armstrong
Father and Daughter - Paul Simon
Cinderella - Steven Curtis Chapman
The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra
Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder
In My Daughter's Eyes - Martina McBride
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole



Photo by Tracey Buyce


Mother/Son dance songs:

Raise Me Up - Westlife
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
The Rose - Bette Midler, Highland Heartbeat
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
All to You - DJ Keo
Stand by Me - Ben E. King
I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
Your Song - Garth Brooks
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart
In My Life - The Beatles
Child of Mine - Carole King

How to Assemble Your Invitations

Summer wedding invitations are going out, fall wedding couples are ordering and assembling as we speak. No matter who you order your invitations through and regardless of how many enclosures and fancy elements there are to your invitations, there is a specific way that they need to be assembled to fit with tradition and etiquette.

Before we get started here is a list of possible items in your invitation. If you don't have some of these pieces just skip that part in the process listed below:

• Main invitation card (single card or folded card)
• Inner and outer envelopes
• Response card and response card envelope
• Reception card (listing the site and address of your reception if your reception is in a separate location from your ceremony)
• Directions card/map card
  
• Accommodations card
• Tissue paper (not seen as often in modern times)
  

Before you do anything you should deal with all of your envelopes. This way you won't make any marks or indentations on the inner cards and you won't forget that important response card envelope stamp. The outer envelope is what gets the full formal address with words like "street" and "road" being spelled out formally. For guests' names it's customary to list John and Jill Jones and their children as "Mr. and Mrs. John Jones and family", although if that feels too formal for you and your event you have the choice to list your names more casually. You have an inner envelope that can be addressed as well, and if you are sticking with a formal feel then it is customary to address this envelope. To do so you would list the specific people being invited, so in the example of the Jones family the inner envelope would say Mr. and Mrs. John Jones, and the list of children would be written below that in age order. If you are having an adults only wedding then this would be the place that specific invitees would be listed. For example just Mr. and Mrs. John Jones and no children named below. If you are going with a more casual feel then the inner envelope doesn't need to be addressed at all. Now for the stamping of these envelopes, the inner envelope will never be processed by the postal service so that requires no stamp. The response card envelope will be what guests send their response cards back to you in and it is polite to affix a standard stamp to that envelope for the ease of your guests. It should also have your return address printed on it so that guests can just pop it as is into the mail to send back to you. Now for the outer envelope, that is what your entire invitation and enclosures are being mailed in so it needs not only to be stamped but to have the proper postage for the size and weight of the entire piece. Because of all of the enclosures wedding invitations almost always are heavier than a standard piece of mail, and if your invitation is square or oversized then you also have the added charge of mailing a larger sized item. The best thing you can do is bring your invitation fully assembled (so that is has all of the enclosures, envelopes, etc) and have the post office weigh it for you. They can tell you how much each one will cost to mail, and offer you options for pretty specialty stamps that cover that fee.

Ok now for the assembly! First is your main invitation card. That goes in to your inner envelope with the text facing the flap. If your invitation is a single card then everything else I'm going to talk about goes in front of it; If your card is folded then everything else goes inside of it. Next, your response card gets tucked under the flap of the response card envelope facing out (tucked under the flap but not placed inside the envelope). This response card/envelope duo get placed inside the inner envelope in front of the invitation so that the card and the flap are facing out. If you have a reception card that goes in between the response card/response card envelope and the main invitation. Any other enclosures like directions cards, accommodations cards, etc go in front of the response card/response card envelope. And if you are using tissue paper then the paper goes directly on the main invitation to protect it from all of the enclosure cards sitting on top of it. Now all of these cards should be in your inner envelope which you leave untucked and unsealed. The inner envelope goes into the outer envelope with the guests' names facing out (so that the outer and inner envelopes essentially are facing opposite directions. Then you seal the outer envelope, make sure you have the proper postage, and away they go!

Assembling wedding invitations can be a tedious process so I always recommend couples order their invitations with plenty of time to put them all together. As far as when to mail them, the standard is 8-10 weeks before the event date, with your RSVP date being 4 weeks from the event. So this means you should be ordering your invitations at least 3 to 4 months before your wedding date to get them out on time, and earlier than that if possible so you can have time for revisions, printing, shipping, and of course the assembly!

I hope this information has been helpful! As a reminder, we sell tons of different styles of invitations so if you want personal guidance through all of this feel free to contact us for a complimentary invitation consultation.
Shannon@WeddingPlanningPlus.net.