Wedding Planning and Where to Start: 5 Things to Do Right Away

As a wedding pro, you understand what a perfectly perfected vendor dance would mean. It means that the planner has taken the time to coordinate all the vendors, get their day-of timeline needs, and understand each vendor’s role in orchestrating the smooth event. This by no means is an easy task and it is very time-consuming, to say the least.

I recently coordinated a wedding where every vendor had worked together previously.
You could tell the moment another vendor walked in the room the relationships that had been built and how they seamlessly were able to weave in and out of each other’s way to bring every moment to life. For a moment, I thought we were headed for a train wreck with one seeming to be in the other’s way, but like magic, they just knew the ebb and flow of how the other worked, and viola the dance began. Linking this perfecting of the dance to their past relationships was definitely one connection, but taking the time to keep everyone on the same page and in the know with the timeline was definitely another.

As both a planner and a virtual assistant for wedding professionals, I cherish my relationships with the vendors that know what it takes to bring a couples day to life. Ensuring that every vendor does their part is one of the most important aspects of the day, outside of getting the couple to the ceremony on time. The time that goes into coordinating the vendors alone is something that accounts for many hours of the planning process.

What can you do as a pro to get some of that time back? Below are three steps you can do to get back some of those precious planning hours:

1. Outsource Vendor Coordination to a Virtual Assistant
2. Clearly define what role you want the virtual assistant to play
3. Pour that glass of wine, or whatever celebratory drink you would have because you just gained some creative time with your client.

Before hiring a virtual assistant, make sure that they are familiar with the wedding industry. Your wedding business deserves to have someone that understands what it takes to walk in your shoes. Someone that has built relationships with vendors, has been successful in planning weddings and has an overall understanding of the pressure you are under to make a couple’s day perfect.

If you would like to learn more about how Blessed Magnolia Creative Management can help you with your virtual assistant needs, contact us today to schedule a call.

photography credit: Katelyn Virginia Photography, Ocala, FL

catering: Mojo Grill and Catering, Ocala, FL

We recently were hosting a couple of friends over for dinner and I wanted to make it special.  However, cooking was not something that I wanted to do and ordered from one of our local favorites.  Doing this made me feel like I am still supporting them but keeping myself comfortable with the choice to stay home. 

In order to make it special I wanted to set the table with elegance and softness. So I put on the linen, dressed the table with pretty tableware and placed the candles on the table. I stepped back and realized there was still something missing. I originally had clear wine glasses on the table and changed them out to the colored goblets. What a difference that made. Instead of the normal utensils, I found my set of gold utensils which really set off the colored goblets. I stepped back once again to realize something was still missing. The napkins with the new flower rings I had just purchased were perfect. However, there was still something missing. I walked outside to my mother’s magnolia tree and pulled a few branches to place around the candlesticks. Wow, there it was, a finished product.

Do you have everything to dress a table or make a moment more special? If not, call Blessed Magnolia today to see how we can set the table pretty, and make your moment more than you thought it could be.

Intimate home weddings are becoming a more normal scene for couples trying to get married this spring and summer. So many couples have had to decide whether to delay their big moment, or take it all in stride and focus on the smaller more intimate event. There is no doubt many vendors have had to reimagine the event and help those couples find the beauty and wonder in something on a much smaller scale. I will say that couples have found them to be truly extraordinary and way above their expectations. Below are just five (5) ways you can make your moment more than you expected when you have to make the hard choice to scale it down.

1. Do you have an amazing wall, fireplace or special corner in your home that would make an amazing backdrop to your sweetheart table? Use this area to house your small table and decorate it as if you were in the big hall. Make that area just as beautiful as you were hoping it would be. If you don’t have this special area, create it with pipe and draping.
2. If you have an amazing backyard or garden area, use this area for the ceremony. Use your garden seating for your family that is attending and watch how this beautiful area comes to life with very subtle touches.
3. Bring in a small tent to cover an area where you could easily put two or three tables to keep your guests in attendance comfortable, yet socially distant respecting the recommended guidelines.
4. Set up food stations throughout your home and outside. This way your guests will not have to stand in line and be able to float throughout.
5. Hire a wedding planner to ensure that everything is handled. This is a beautiful moment for you and your family, no matter the choice you have to make with regards to size. Enjoy each and every minute and leave the details and the work to a planner.

No matter the reason you may have to scale down your big day, know that there are always options to make it everything you dreamed it would be. If Blessed Magnolia can help you in anyway when you are making these hard choices, please let us know. We are here to ensure that every family has the special moments that they dream of and make sure that all the details come together.

During this time of social distancing and staying at home, it is very important as Non-Profits that we stay in contact with our donors. Taking the time to share stories about what is happening with your organization will help them to feel connected.

~Contact your donors

Continue to email your donors about what is happening inside your organization. Social media posting and good news stories or ways you are coping with this pandemic will allow them to have insight about what is happening with the non-profit that they are invested in.

You have all of your donor contact information, make a point to pick up the phone and call them. Let them know you are thinking of them and making sure that they are doing ok. See if there is anything you can do for them during this time. Imagine the relationship building you are doing by taking just 5 minutes to pick up the phone and connect with donors this way.

~Share your success stories or your fears

Have you been able to make a difference in the life of those you served? Share with your donors through emails or letters or phone calls exactly what you have been able to do. Sharing this type of success and making a point to tell them that it was because of their support in the past that you have been able to do these things.

You have fears about your organization and those your serve, but your faithful donors have been there for you every step of the the way. Share your fears, hopes and aspirations. This will help deepen the relationships that you have with these supporters, as they may be feeling the same things but too afraid to express them. It is ok to be fearful of what may come, but still have a positive outlook on the future.

~Create clever ways for your clients to still support you

Invite your donors to help you with a initiative that you are working on. Don’t be afraid to ask for support that your organization may need, it is important for them to understand that you still have funding needs and asking them to help is not wrong. It may actually be the outlet that they were looking to place their support in during this time.

Ensure that any assistance you receive from donors during this time get the same attention that they would get during normal operation. Write the thank you note within 48 hours or receiving the gift. Make it even greater, have more than one person in your organization write a note. Remember, you should always find a way to thank a donor seven times for a gift. Making this a priority practice during these times will only help you when we do get back to some sense of normalcy.

Continue to foster your relationships with all of your constituents. Relationship building is ongoing and should never stop. It is how you take the time to do this that your donors will remember. Reach out to a supporter today.

During this time of social distancing and staying at home, it is very important that as business owners we stay in contact with our clients. Taking the time to share stories from your daily life will help them feel as if they are still connected and staying in the know.

~Contact your clients

There are a number of means to stay in contact with your clients; Social media, online meetings or email marketing.

For your repeat clients, you have their contact information, pick up the phone call them and check on them. Imagine what that would mean for your future business-client relationship to know that you made a direct phone call to them during the pandemic.

Let them know what is happening with your business during this time. Did you have to shut down due to non-essential services or are you an essential service that was able to stay open?

~Share your success stories or your fears

If you have had some success stories share them with your clients. Maybe you had to close-down but were able to help your local community with a fundraising effort or took things into your own hands and did something that did not get any local attention. Your clients may be looking for new ways to help the community as well and this would be something they could get involved in.

You have fears about your business and your faithful clients have been there for you along the way. Share your fears, hopes and aspirations. This will help deepen the relationships that you have with your clients, as they may be feeling the same things but too afraid to express them. It is ok to be fearful of what may come, but still have a positive outlook on the future.

~Create clever ways for your clients to still support you

Share the ways you are helping your local community as a business owner and invite them to do the same.

Create hours that you are open for business but in clever and safe ways. Do drive-up pre-order sales, schedule the time for your client to pick up their order, take payment online or over the phone. Social Media can become a best friend to any business during this time when we are not allowed to be in direct contact with anyone.

During these very uncertain times, like you, I am ready to get back to work and have meaningful conversations with my clients. We are ready to open our doors and welcome them back in with a smile and ask about their families. Don’t let this time of social distancing stop you from doing those things. As business owners we have to find new ways to open the door with a smile. Pick up the phone, send an email or message on social media to see how your clients are doing. Make an impression that will last far beyond this pandemic and help secure your business for the future.

Even though we are only a week into this pandemic, it is no doubt that the Coronavirus has put a big dent in non-profit fundraising all over the United States. Non-profits that are hosting Spring Gala’s are forced to cancel these annual events and scramble to consider how they are going to raise the funds necessary to cover many different projects that these events support. As a former Advancement Director I understand the anxiety that these non-profits must be feeling. While adhering to the social distancing that our local, state and national government is asking us all to do it has truly given me time to think about how non-profits may be able to make lemonade from the lemons that are being handed to them with this pandemic.

Don’t cancel your spring gala, just re-invent it. Make it something new, something that your attendees have never seen before. The best event you never went to! Is your non-profit already doing mobile bidding? Make this gala a get a drink whenever you want, have the meal you want in the comfort of your own home, wear your pajamas if you want and competitively bid for a great cause. Take some time to make this fun for your attendees that were going to attend and make it a social media event. Bring in your Advancement Office, do a Facebook live displaying all your silent and live auction items. Close the bidding on silent auction as you would during the event and come back on to Facebook live when it is time for the live auction to start. Get your auctioneer in on the fun, have them do their best auctioneering live as they watch the bids come in and get the excitement building. While it will not be the same as the fun lively crowds that you get in a room full of supporters, it is a great way to rethink the spring gala during a time that is very uncertain.

All other vendors don’t worry, the party will go on at a later time in the year. You have already paid the deposit for that venue, that caterer, that decor, that entertainment; work out the rescheduling of the event but instead of a fundraiser let it become the after event party celebrating what you were able to do in uncertain times.

Our non-profits still need us all during this time, they support many different sectors of our society and we must still assist them and know that their fundraising needs do not change just because we are in the middle of something so uncommon. If you have sponsored an event or purchased a ticket to an event, support a possible change that could be coming to the spring Gala….

Engagement season is in full swing.  You said “yes” and now begin to think about everything that will be happening in the coming months.  For some, this is very overwhelming and make a decision to hire a wedding planner/coordinator.  When you make this decision you should research local planners and meet with them to make sure that you both click.  This is a very important part of the process and ensures that you have hired the right person for this very important day.

There are four main questions you should have in your mind when you meet with a planner for the first time:

1. Do they offer a free consultation to meet with them?

2. Do they offer a questionnaire prior to your meeting, so they can get some background and a little bit more about your wants and desires prior to meeting?

3. When you met how did the planner make you feel? Did he/she really listen and pay attention to your wants and desires?

4. Do they offer different levels of planning or coordination? Examples, Full Planning, Partial Planning or Day-of-Coordination

This is a big decision and a planner will become a close partner that you will work with from the day you said “Yes” until the day you say “I Do”. Make sure that you feel comfortable and able to be open about all of your dreams and desires on your big day. Don’t feel like you are unable to voice what you do not want or work with someone that does not listen to you and continues to drive you in another direction.

Hiring the right wedding planner will allow you to make the most of your engagement experience. Enjoy every moment during this time and relax and work with someone that will make it the best time of your life.

Blessed Magnolia is here to help all brides with full service wedding planning, partial wedding planning or day-of coordination. Working and listening to our clients is what we take pride in. We understand that you are excited, nervous, stressed and unsure of what is the direction you should be going in your planning. Sit back and let us take the stress out of this time and help you to enjoy the moment.

Every Wish, Every Dream, Every Vision fulfilled from beginning to end!

Spring is just around the corner and so are the fundraising galas and community events.  These are highlight events for many non-profits in our community, to help raise awareness and support for their cause.  Below you will find a list of some upcoming events that Blessed Magnolia is proud to handle the coordination.

2nd Annual Farm to Table – This event supports the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation. The event will be held on February 8th at Castle Gate Farm. For sponsorship opportunities and tickets purchases click here.

Trinity Catholic Winter Carnival – Enjoy a fun family day riding rides and playing games on the midway. This year you will be able to purchase an armband every day. Pre-sale armbands are on sale now for $25. For more information about this year’s event click here.

CF Night at the Farm – Come out for an evening of great food and craft beer tastings at the College of Central Florida Vintage Farm Campus. For more information about ticket sales click here.

For more great fundraisers to support in our community, visit the Community Foundation of Marion County calendar. There are so many wonderful non-profits that do a tremendous amount of good in our community. Find your passion and support a great cause.

With every new year comes a time of celebration and reflection on what was and what could be. We do this in both our personal and business lives. As a business owner, I take the time to celebrate the successes that I had over the past year and look forward to the new year with much anticipation. Celebrating my customers is easy to do during the holiday season, but how many of us take the time to celebrate them throughout the year?

What type of customer appreciation events are you hosting during the year? Do you save those celebrations for the holiday season? How do our customers know that we appreciate them all year long? These are questions that we should all be asking ourselves when planning for the upcoming year. I came up with a list of seven things to do to show your clients or employees how they can feel appreciated throughout the year.

1. If you sell something or are service driven, offer a customer incentive for those that have supported you time and time again. This could be done by giving a special discount to your client or offering a referral reward for sending new clients.

2. Say “thank you” in an unexpected way. Think outside the box! For example, the company Sweetwater Music always sends a bag of candy with your order, no matter the purchase. This is their unexpected way of saying “thank you” to their customers for ordering. These small gestures make a significant difference, so sit down with your team and think of your own way to thank your customers.

3. Keep your employees excited to come to work every day. Find ways to surprise your employees by leaving notes of encouragement or thanks on their desks or work boxes. Host monthly or quarterly luncheons. This does not have to be a large meal, something as small as sandwiches and chips goes a long way when trying to show your appreciation.

4. Host appreciation celebrations with your employees and customers. Maybe you reached that sales goal you wanted to obtain, or maybe this month is the anniversary of opening your business. Have a cake, cupcakes, cookies or something fun to celebrate your success!

5. Celebrate the family! Don’t forget to celebrate your employees’ families or your clients’ families and friends. Host a friends and family day sale for your clients, or a picnic with games and other activities. The family members of your employee are just as important to their happiness at work as their work environment is. This will help you connect to your employees and their families while showing your appreciation for their support.

6. Let them have input. Both your clients and your employees want to feel like their opinions hold some value. Although you are the boss and you will ultimately make the decisions on what is best for your company, you may be missing out on some great ideas. Host a quarterly idea meeting or town hall forum.

7. Write personal thank you notes. While email marketing is great and gives you the opportunity to reach many people with one written note and the click of a button, it cannot replace a handwritten note. Take time every day to write at least one thank you note to an employee or customer. Read the newspaper every day and write a note of encouragement, gratitude or congratulations for something that you read about for someone you may or may not know.

Finding ways to make your clients and employees feel appreciated helps you continue to foster your relationships with them. When your relationships grow, referrals grow and employee loyalty grows. Did you know that when a donor gives money to a non-profit you should thank them seven times in seven different ways? This is so that they feel appreciated for their gift, no matter the size, and to show that it is truly making a difference. By incorporating the seven items listed above in your planning of this upcoming year, you will be celebrating your successes all year.

We all know how the saying goes: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. As a bride these are the words that we live by. Finding the right items to represent these words is an important search for many. Each represents something special to every bride. Ask any bride and they can tell you exactly what each item was and their meaning.

When my daughter was married, together we thought about the items and carefully selected each one. There were two items that were so special to me and they both represented the something old. The first item was my grandmother’s crystals that I actually wore at my wedding and the other item was my grandmother’s veil, both from her wedding in 1926. After my mother’s passing in 1999, I had not seen the red box that held my grandmother’s wedding garments. These garments included her dress, shoes and veil. After talking with my brother, he indicated that he had the box and brought the veil to me. Upon inspection, it was in need of restoration. While it was not in terrible shape, it had some oxidation spots and really had yellowed over the years.

I was on a mission to determine how I could restore this antique. Of course I researched this and finally found a company all the way across the country to make it look brand new. I remember putting the veil in the box and shipped it across the country. My nerves got the best of me and I could not wait until I got the signed receipt that it was received. I had placed the greatest something old from our family in a box and shipped it all the way across the country. The company stayed in contact with me during the whole process and showed me pictures along the way. Then the veil was on its journey back to me. Once I opened the box, my grandmother’s veil was packaged so beautifully and in a cotton garment bag to store until the big day arrived. I could not believe how beautiful it was, back to its original state.

On my daughter’s wedding day she was stunning. To have such a beautiful family heirloom as part of her wedding attire was truly an honor and something I will always cherish. After the wedding, I was able to determine that the veil had a long history of wear in our family. My grandmother was the first to wear it, followed by her oldest daughter, my Aunt Palma, then by Palma’s daughter, my cousin Jean, then by my sister-in-law Tina and then again by my very own daughter. I am now the official keeper of the veil in the family and could not be more proud that I have been tasked with this responsibility. In eight short years, the veil will be 100 years old. I hope you enjoy the photos of the veil.

So on your wedding day, when you are thinking about the something old, find something that truly means a lot to your family. The memories and joy that you will give to your family on that special day are more than you could every imagine.