Posts Tagged ‘blog’

More Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner or Wedding Coordinator

 

Reason #852 to Hire a Wedding Planner:

Last weekend I provided day-of wedding coordination services to a darling couple who were married at Mission Inn Resort. Bride and Groom were both in the the military and had planned their wedding from Afghanistan with the help of the Mission Inn’s Wedding Catering Manager, Tammy. For all intents and purposes you could classify theirs as a destination wedding since most of the guests were from Georgia and Colorado.

Everything was going super smoothly the morning of the wedding, except that a number of guests seemed to be running late. After a few phone calls, the party was located but we soon realized that they would be in transit for at least :45 minutes longer. The couple was upset that the ceremony was being delayed, but in this case, it just didn’t seem right to start the ceremony before the lost guests arrived – after all, everyone had traveled such a great distance.

Quick! What should you do? What can you do? As the wedding coordinator I was looking straight on at an hour delay, and needed to improvise an alternative plan ASAP! I approached the Groom and suggested that the time waiting would be better spent taking photos with his lovely wife-to-be and my counterpart Tammy agreed. Tammy and I approached the bride to suggest a “private reveal” photo session for the couple. All at once we’re checking with the photographer, notifying the banquet captain, okaying plans with the Minister and so on. In a few minutes time, we had changed the course of events.

I sincerely believe that this couple’s day could have been ruined had I not been present. And I must share credit with the entire team: I was fortunate to be working with seasoned pros – all of whom were focused on making this day the best it could be for the couple. In the end, it worked out like it was planned that way from the beginning.

This is a small example… nothing earth shattering, but when you get right down to it, do you want to be crying anything other than tears of joy on your wedding day? I didn’t want our bride walking down the aisle angry or upset because her guests were not present; nor was it worth hurting family by starting without them. (Remember, this is supposed to be a celebration!)

For more insight into the benefits of hiring a wedding planner, be sure to read “Do you REALLY Need a Wedding Planner {Wedding Advice from a Caterer}” and “Things to Consider When Hiring a Wedding Planner

I would also like to recommend Leila Khalil’s recent article which appeared on HuffingtonPost.com, “Hire A Wedding Planner…. Or Else“… And I encourage you to read the comments as well.

MORE Free Tips to Make Your Website Standout!

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Welcome to 2010!  A whole year has elapsed since I last blogged about the importance of keeping your website content fresh and relevant.  My previous post – Website Tune-Up – focused on strategies to keep your website current and favorable to the search engines.  Today, I hope to share some equally important tips to optimize your website and online presence this year.

1.  Make the most of social media. Over the last twelve months I’ve enjoyed a significant increase in traffic to my website and blog as a result of social media.  Active participation in Facebook and Twitter has reinforced our web presence and generated many new leads and relationships.  If you have social media profiles, be sure to link those profiles to your website.

2.  Blog! Blogging offers great benefits due to easy to index regular content. Add a few basic SEO skills and you’re ready to go! Take your blog a step further: Host your blog on your own website instead of using a free hosted blog. Why? When you host your own blog your blog posts supplement the content of your website, thus increasing the quality and vibrancy of your site. RSSbuttonAdding an RSS feed button to both your website and blog will make it easy for readers to subscribe to your feed and keep up with your posts. Additionally, RSS features can help make your online (internet) marketing strategies more effective.

3.  Don’t be anonymous. One of the primary goals of your website is to build trust and credibility. Does your website give potential customers the information they need? Is your name, photo and contact information prominently displayed? If you are a service provider you should make every effort to make a personal connection with your visitors.

under construction-fix website4. Never underestimate the power of a well designed website. If your website is more than two years old, a revamp alone could boost your SEO ranking. HTML and CSS are the most common technologies used in making web pages, but there are also other ways to go. Flash is known for it’s excellent multimedia capabilities but is generally believed to be less search engine friendly than CSS. Some businesses have even abandoned traditional websites in favor of blog-based sites.

5. Use high quality images. Website images should be carefully selected; ideally they should represent your own work and style to help you connect with your audience (target market). Some vendors may use stock photography as part of their start-up promotions, but in the wedding and event industry I’d advise moving away from this option as quickly as possible (or risk possible damage to your reputation). By the same token, amateur photos will not adequately show even your best work – so select images with a discerning eye.

webdesign-youtube5.5 Upgrade to Video! If a picture is worth a thousand words than video is worth a million. Video is fast-rising as the newest ‘must-have’ feature because it helps build brand, it’s more engaging than static, printed text, and it’s easier to effectively demonstrate your product or service.

There is virtually no cost associated with these tips – especially if you have the ability or capability to edit your own website. Many resources and tutorials are available online if you need additional information. Otherwise, consider hiring someone to assist with migrating your blog or updating the look of your website – it will be money well spent.

© 2010 E. Delgardio All Rights Reserved

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02 2010

A Little Black Book of The Best Kind!

Today I have an exciting announcement!

I’m thrilled to share the news that A Flair for Affairs has been added to Style Me Pretty’s “Little Black Book of The Best Wedding Vendors”!

Style Me Pretty relies on recommendations from industry insiders, trusted LBB vendors and Style Me Pretty readers to identify outstanding service providers. Each invitation to participate is followed up with a personal interview to assure that vendors meet SMP’s high standards! Clearly this is a huge honor and I’m elated to be included among the country’s top wedding vendors!

The exclusive nature of the directory allows for only a few vendors to be showcased in each region. For example, there are only three event planners featured in Central Florida and I’m absolutely delighted to be the only wedding and event planner based in Orlando!

Little Black Book 2009

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A Flair for Affairs listing in Little Black Book

You may also be interested to know that in addition to the legendary Style Me Pretty blog, there is The Little Black Book Blog. In SMP’s own words, it’s described as “our official vendor blog…dedicated to showcasing the work of the vendors we love. It’s eye candy like you wouldn’t believe!”

I urge you to check it out on a regular basis because it’s incredibly inspiring!

PS: Is A Flair for Affairs in your little black book?

Blogging In Style!

WELCOME to the new and improved weditorial(tm) blog!  

I’ve taken the plunge and upgraded the blog to a format which will allow me to take full control over my content and ultimately make weditorial(tm) even more appealing and engaging. 

I must give credit where credit is due: The team at Z to A Creative made the transition incredibly simple.  Truly I think they saved me six months of work and aggravation! 

Now it’s time for me to put the finishing touches on a few posts that have been waiting in the wings and get them posted here!

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08 2009
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