Wedding Planner Heads Overseas for Wedding Day Preparation PART 2…..

  THE SITE VISIT

On Thursday, January 5, 2017 I left the United States at 9am, for the start of my trip to Jamaica for the site visit to the resort for my client’s 2017 Destination Wedding! I arrived in Montego Bay Jamaica at about 1:30pm.  When I arrived the first thing I felt after getting off the plane was the warm air!  Here in the US, everyone was preparing for a snow storm and here I was in Jamaica were the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!

 

After we arrived to the resort I almost immediately went to work, introducing myself to the staff, etc.  I also got to meet the Groom for the first time!  It was lovely seeing my clients together.  They looked like to kids in love.

 

Prior to arriving to Jamaica, I had already contacted the resort and a meeting was set to begin the next day with the Manager of the property.  The Piper’s Cove Resort was beautiful!!  The resort is a family owned business, a little different from an All-Inclusive resort.  It was like being on a mini retreat.  The staff was very attentive and the food that the resort prepared for me was delicious.  Rice & Peas, Jerk Chicken, Curry Shrimp & Curry Goat, you name it and they fixed it!  I was very impressed with all the food selection for the meals.

 

On the date of the meeting and official site visit, I met with the manager of the Resort that afternoon and we began work on the Brown & Davis Destination Wedding!  With this destination wedding all vendors except the catering company had to be brought onto the resort.  The Officiant, the florist, the cake vendor, the music and the decoration, if you wanted more than what the resort had to offer.

After we looked at the ceremony and reception space for the wedding, I was then able to get all the vendor contacts from the Manager that I would need to carry out the Brown and Davis Wedding!  I was able to get in contact with the officiant to perform the wedding ceremony, the Cake vendor to make the wedding cake, the florist to provide flowers for the bride & groom and floral arrangements for the reception and the DJ to provide music for the event.  To my surprise, I was able to set up a “Cake Tasting”  for my clients and myself with the cake vendor prior to leaving Jamaica.  Every vendor had been contacted and we were all set!!

As a wedding planner, I know that it is important to make sure that certain vendors are in place months and days prior to the wedding taking place and I wanted to insure that prior to me leaving Jamaica, all vendors for this wedding were accounted for.

With planning this destination wedding I knew that I needed to get a Travel Agent on board to take care of the guests that plan to attend the wedding.  My client wanted to insure that her guests received the best experience possible!

I left the country of Jamaica feeling much better than I did when I arrived.  I was able to take care of the wedding plans for my client’s destination wedding and I was also able to get a little relaxation in by the pool.  Come July 15, 2017, we will be back in Jamaica for the Brown & Davis Wedding!

 

Stephanie White

Your Wedding Planner Guru

 

 

 

 

Wedding Planner heads Oversees for Wedding Day Preparation..

(Part 1….Trip & Site Visit Preparation)

Before the BIG DAY, it’s always important that the Wedding Planner plans and coordinates a SITE VISIT to the Ceremony & Reception site of the Wedding and if possible to any of the surrounding locations, where guests will reside during their stay.

When planning for a Destination Wedding Site Visit overseas, there are 3 things that you need to do in order to have a successful Site Visit Trip!  Item #1 the Planner must not leave home without their PASSPORT.  A passport will grant you access to the destination wedding location overseas and will grant you access back into the country in which you reside.  Be sure to put your PASSPORT in a safe place where you can access it easily, throughout your trip.

Item #2 The Wedding Planner needs to book their flight or have their client book their flight for the trip.  Keep in mind your site visit plans and appointments, making sure that your flight arrives way before your site visit itinerary begins.   Also it is important that transportation to and from the Airport and Resort are taking care of as well.

Item #3 The Wedding Planner needs to be in touch with the Wedding Venue way before the Planner’s arrival for the site visit.  The Wedding Planner needs to put together a complete check list of items that will need to be checked out and seen prior to the Wedding Day event.  This check list should be thorough and NO DETAIL should be left untouched.  See list below for IMPORTANT Site Visit Check List items!

• Ceremony Site
• Reception Site
• Cocktail Hour Site
• Wedding Photo Site
• Bridal Suite/Waiting area for Bride and bridesmaids prior to wedding
• Waiting Area for Groom and Groomsmen prior to wedding
• Area to store personals for Wedding
• Wedding Rehearsal location (may differ from ceremony location)
•  Rehearsal Dinner location for after Wedding Rehearsal
• See guests rooms & other resort accommodations
• Check out options for Wedding Day Florist
• Check out options for Wedding Cakes for Wedding
• Check out options for Wedding Day Photographer
• Check out the centerpiece options for the wedding reception and cocktail hour

Any other items that you feel may be important to your Client’s Wedding Day can be added to this list!!

Collaborate to Create GREATNESS …TORA DC…Part 3…

“A MULTITUDE of FLAVOR”

When opportunity knocks you have to know when to move or when to BE STILL.  I ran when this opportunity came!  I saw it as an opportunity for me to market myself and to network and meet new people and contacts.  Over the years I have basically worked “SOLO” on my projects and events, hiring and bringing on help as needed, so to be working side-by-side with another entity was great!  I never thought in a MILLION YEARS, that I would be working with the multitude of people and business owners that I was privileged to work with on this event.  The experience was  ASTRONOMICAL!!!

The Taste of the Runway Washington DC had a multitude of GREAT TALENT.  This event incorporated everything from great designers, great fashion, awesome models, delicious food, great vendors, good music, an AWESOME show producer and a EXCELLENT Fashion Show Coordinator!!   The TORA DC show had an amazing host of Special Guests; BRAVO’s Real Housewives of Potomac’s Gizelle Bryant, Comedian & Actor Rodney Perry and DC’s own Style Speaks Fashion blogger Ronald Byrd.

To feel the energy of this event you would had to have been there!  Located in the Nation’s Capital, TORA DC brings to our Nation’s Capital a Multitude of FLAVOR and I am sure that it will be around for a long time!  For more on Stephanie White Events check out our site at http://www.stephaniewhiteevents.com.

 

Collaborate to Create GREATNESS …TORA DC…Part 2…

“3 Things to Keep in Mind when Collaborating w/ Others”

When collaborating with others the 1st thing that you must always do is ASK QUESTIONS about the event itself.  Where do you plan to have this event? How accessible is the venue to your guests? What is your expectations for your event?  What is your vision for this event?  How many people are you anticipating will attend your event?  The answers to these questions will allow you to begin your process of planning.  In my case of TASTE OF THE RUNWAY, it was my job to CREATE the BRIDAL SUITE for this event.  This has never been done at the TORA DC event, so as a first timer, I wanted the bridal suite to come together beautifully.

After asking questions about the event, the 2nd thing that you NEED to keep in mind when collaborating and working with others is LISTEN to what is being said.  Listen to what the producer wants and envisions for their event. Listen to what the producer says about the location, the set-up and the ambiance that they want to create for their event.

Some key items that stuck out to me in creating the BRIDAL SUITE for this show, was the location, the Washington Convention Center, which is a central location and also located in the Nation’s Capital. Another thing that stuck out to me, was the fact that my name, “Stephanie White Events” is on this event so, with that being said I wanted to pull out some of my “preferred vendors” to help me transform and create the bridal suite space at this event.  Ultimately at the end of the day, I want people to know that when “Stephanie White Events” plans an event for you, she brings plenty of FLAVOR, ELEGANCE and CLASS to her events!  In the case of TORA, the producer of the show gave me plenty of lead-way in terms of how I could create the bridal suite, what vendors I brought in and how the suite would be set-up.  This lead-way allowed me to be as creative as I wanted to be.  As a Coordinator, I am a visual person and things that are BOLD catch the eye, so that is what I wanted to bring to the BRIDAL SUITE!!!

The 3rd thing that you must keep in mind when collaborating and working with others is always EXECUTE!!  The worst thing that a person can do is do all the work and research for an event and on the day of the event, everything becomes a BIG FLOP!!!!  Planning and coordinating events can be very stressful, so I always make sure that on the day of the event, I have 1-2 people to help with the set-up and break-down of the event space.  If your lucky, the producer of the show will have “Event Volunteers” on the day of the event to help with the event.  On the day of the TORA show I had 1 event volunteer and my Assistant to help with the set-up of the bridal suite and with the execution of the Bridal Fashion Show Segment of the Taste of the Runway Washington, DC event; which I was in charge of solidifying the Bridal Gown Vendor (Cherry Blossom Bridal) for the bridal fashion show segment and the models to model the “Bridal Gowns” which were all picked from the Model Casting event for the show.  As a whole, because of my ability to ASK QUESTIONS, LISTEN to what is being said and because of my ability to EXECUTE plans,  I was able to bring a wonderfully, elegant and sophisticated bridal scene to the Taste of the Runway Washington DC Event!!  

 

Collaborate to Create GREATNESS …TORA DC…Part 1 “The Opportunity”

 

Stephanie White Events and Taste of the Runway Washington, DC July 17, 2016!  *My 1st experience was a GREAT experience!!*

Back in April of this year, after a very successful March  Bridal Expo & Fashion Show, I was approached by the Producer of Taste of the Runway.  I was asked if I was interested in being a sponsor of the bridal suite for their Taste of the Runway Washington, DC show in July 2016.  After a nice lengthy conversation about the elements of the show with the producer, I knew that this was not an opportunity that I should miss!  This opportunity to me felt like an opportunity that would take my business, Stephanie White Events to the next level!  So without a doubt I said YES to this great opportunity!

In all the years of planning events I have never worked in the capacity to where I  collaborated on an event for another organization, this was new to me but also very exciting!!

My job as the Sponsor for the Taste of the Runway BRIDAL SUITE was to bring together Wedding Vendors for this event.  It was my job to create and bring the space to life!  I brought in 7 of my PREFERRED VENDORS for this event!  Breasia Productions, Creative Floral Designs, Cherry Blossom Bridal, Cup Cakes On My Mind, The Napoleon Complex Project, Camillion Event Rentals and Plant Farm Rentals!   I was very excited and pleased when I began to see all of my hard work come together for this event.  The PINK event lighting from Breasia Productions helped bring the space to LIFE!  The pipes and drapes helped create the type of BRIDAL SUITE space I had envisioned.  Not only was the producer of the show content with the outcome of the Bridal Suite, but the guests were also very impressed with the suite.  After it was all said and done, I was amazed by the responses that I received from the Bridal Suite!  I connected with a lot of wonderful new vendors and contacts.  I can say that working with this organization was definitely a great experience for me!

 

GREAT SPACE for Weddings & LIVE Music!

*Site Visit to the Music Center @ Strathmore on Saturday, July 9, 2016* If you live in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and you are looking for a great wedding venue or looking for LIVE Concert…

Source: GREAT SPACE for Weddings & LIVE Music!

GREAT SPACE for Weddings & LIVE Music!

*Site Visit to the Music Center @ Strathmore on Saturday, July 9, 2016*

If you live in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and you are looking for a great wedding venue or looking for LIVE Concert performances then the Music Center at Stathmore is where you want to be!  Located in the HEART of Rockville, MD the Music Center @ Strathmore is home to LIVE Concerts by Patti Labelle, Brian McKnight and UB40 to name a few.  This venue is also the host for “Afternoon Tea” events and Weddings!!  

 

On this past Saturday, July 9, 2016,  my 2017 Client and I had the chance to check out this lovely venue located off of Rockville Pike in Rockville, MD and some of what was very unique about the space was the WIDE OPENNESS of the Space, the Massive amount of BEAUTIFUL Natural Light and the Exquisite Structure of the building inside and outside!

 

As an event coordinator, I immediately noticed the great potential that this space offers.  The wide openness of the space allows  one, the flexibility with both the decor for the ceremony & reception space.  The natural light adds to the ambiance of the space and can be beautifully coupled with candle lighting.  For more information on the Music Center @ Strathmore see https://www.strathmore.org/ and for more on Stephanie White Events see http://www.stephaniewhiteevents.com