Hello! I'm back from my 2 weeks in Hawaii - and we had a blast. It was the best trip ever, and it came at the perfect time. A great end to a crazy year.
I learned some things that I thought might be helpful for other brides:
If you are going somewhere that requires more than a 4 or 5 hour flight, try to upgrade any way you can. If you have frequent flier miles with a specific carrier, start saving them up. For instance, on United, you can buy a coach ticket and then use only 15,000 miles to upgrade to first class. (If you try to purchase a first class ticket with miles, it will cost you 50,000.) My point is that you don't want to be uncomfortable for 10 hours on a plane. Not on your honeymoon. This may be the best/most expensive/longest/most fun trip you'll ever take in your whole life. Enjoy it as much as possible.
Don't book early flights home. All you have to do is get home, right? You probably won't be in a hurry to get back at the end of your honeymoon, so try not to book a 6am flight, k?
Leave a day between getting home from your trip and going back to work. Fly home on a Saturday and use Sunday to decompress, unpack, and get settled back into your normal life.
Look into the resort you're staying at before you stay there. Find out what it's close to, what kind of restaurants they have, how spread out it is. Make sure it's the place for you, especially if you'll be spending most of your time there.
If you are going to an island country, such as Jamaica or the Dominican Republic, be sure that you are staying in a safe place. I have friends who went to the DR and loved their hotel, but they couldn't leave it all week because the neighborhood was dangerous. You don't want to feel trapped on your honeymoon.
If you can, go to a convenience store nearby and get snacks for your room. If you plan to spend a lot of time lounging around, room service and the minibar will get awfully pricey. A bottle of water in my hotel room was $6.50!
Bring a laptop and do your own research. If you plan on leaving your hotel and participating in outside activities, look up tours and companies yourself. The concierge at your hotel may only recommend companies that offer kickbacks, or she may be drunk and not have a clue what she's talking about (yeah, that happened). Also, you may be able to find coupons online if you research things yourself.
Budget more than you normally would. Like I said, this is your honeymoon. You'll want to do things you don't usually do at home or on vacation, and you'll find yourself saying things like, "Oh well, it's our honeymoon!" or, "Once in a lifetime opportunity!" Start early with a jar on your counter or a bank account, and know exactly what you have to spend on your trip.
Have a great time and enjoy every moment!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Planner's First Wedding
Get it? Like Baby's First Christmas? Anyway.
Hi! I'm sitting by the pool in Hawaii - don't hate me too much. This is my last hurrah... the end of 2009 and the busiest, most life-altering year of my life. In a few days I'll be back to normal and able to actually contribute to what Carolyn has been building the past few months - the budding AELO business.
Anywho, I'm sure you're all dying to hear about my experience interning with a wedding coordinator a few weeks ago. It was December 12th, actually - quite cold for a wedding, but it was lovely. The bride was gorgeous, the reception site (Salvatore's) was decorated really well, and all the guests were friendly and appreciative. It was a great experience. Here are some things I learned!
If you're getting married in the winter, don't ask your bridesmaids to wear strapless cocktail dresses. Or, if you must - get them a cardigan or something. My friend Lexy got married in November, and she asked her bridesmaids to get any black and white dress. But for part of their gift, she gave them cardigans in the accent color of the wedding, which looked nice and also kept them warm, and therefore not cranky. I had some cranky bridesmaids at this wedding. The bride had a mink shawl, so she was fine, of course.
When you're not the lead coordinator on a wedding, you don't know any more than you "need" to. This is somewhat frustrating. Because I was the intern and, as far as they were concerned, didn't really know what I was doing (understandable assumption, as you don't have to audition for this internship or anything), I didn't have a whole lot to do. They basically said, "Stand by the card table and don't let anyone take a place card." Oh, ok. So I dutifully stood by the card table for an hour. Guests were asking me ALL KINDS of questions that I didn't know the answer to, because I was not well informed. It was frustrating because I knew I could have been more helpful if I had been trusted with more information. Of course, when Carolyn and I do weddings, we'll clearly know every single detail and be able to pass them along when necessary.
Wedding guests are awesome. This couple had some really great friends and family members, and I enjoyed meeting all of them. They were so friendly and happy to be there - I had a great time with them.
Carolyn is correct - walkie talkies are a must. I didn't like the one I had to wear at the internship because I had to stick a little bud in my ear, which is somewhat unpleasant. I also felt like I was talking way too loud, because one ear was plugged! I wanted a Britney Spears style one. You know, with the headset and the microphone that curves around your face? That's hardcore.
Somewhere out there, there is a perfect Wedding Coordinator outfit. Something classy and professional, but comfortable, with pockets. And the shoes...I wore flats and I was totally fine, but there's something about wearing heels, you know? They make you feel more confident and more...important, I guess. I felt a bit out of place in my little ballet flats. Carolyn and I will be shopping up a storm in a few weeks!
You will get hit on. At every wedding there is some guy who came without a guest in order to hit on girls at the reception. I had a pushy one, and I had to professionally and pleasantly get him to go away without being rude. That's hard work for me, man.
You can't eat the food. Whether your day starts at 7am or noon, you're going to be busy and occupied allll day. There's no time to grab lunch - you probably won't even think about eating until the reception. The bride may or may not arrange for a vendor meal for you, and that's her choice. But if she doesn't, you can't eat the food. This lovely little man with a tray of meatballs just KEPT walking by me and offering them to me, and I had to keep declining. You're blending in with the background, helping the flow of things but not drawing attention to yourself. So you can't grab a meatball with a toothpick and stealthily chew it up. It's not happening.
Even as the intern, I found myself desperately wanting to help the bride in any way I could. I was flitting around fixing dresses and hair, digging hairspray and clear nail polish out of bags, finding bridesmaid's boyfriends in the lobby, organizing the bride's stuff in the limo so she could find it easily - anything to make things go more smoothly. And I wasn't thinking "I have to do this I have to do this," it was just automatic. As soon as I walked into the hotel in the morning, I wanted to HELP. I think that's a good sign.
I promise not to neglect you all anymore! I'm working on my next blog - Honeymoon Tips! :) Happy New Year!
Amy
Hi! I'm sitting by the pool in Hawaii - don't hate me too much. This is my last hurrah... the end of 2009 and the busiest, most life-altering year of my life. In a few days I'll be back to normal and able to actually contribute to what Carolyn has been building the past few months - the budding AELO business.
Anywho, I'm sure you're all dying to hear about my experience interning with a wedding coordinator a few weeks ago. It was December 12th, actually - quite cold for a wedding, but it was lovely. The bride was gorgeous, the reception site (Salvatore's) was decorated really well, and all the guests were friendly and appreciative. It was a great experience. Here are some things I learned!
If you're getting married in the winter, don't ask your bridesmaids to wear strapless cocktail dresses. Or, if you must - get them a cardigan or something. My friend Lexy got married in November, and she asked her bridesmaids to get any black and white dress. But for part of their gift, she gave them cardigans in the accent color of the wedding, which looked nice and also kept them warm, and therefore not cranky. I had some cranky bridesmaids at this wedding. The bride had a mink shawl, so she was fine, of course.
When you're not the lead coordinator on a wedding, you don't know any more than you "need" to. This is somewhat frustrating. Because I was the intern and, as far as they were concerned, didn't really know what I was doing (understandable assumption, as you don't have to audition for this internship or anything), I didn't have a whole lot to do. They basically said, "Stand by the card table and don't let anyone take a place card." Oh, ok. So I dutifully stood by the card table for an hour. Guests were asking me ALL KINDS of questions that I didn't know the answer to, because I was not well informed. It was frustrating because I knew I could have been more helpful if I had been trusted with more information. Of course, when Carolyn and I do weddings, we'll clearly know every single detail and be able to pass them along when necessary.
Wedding guests are awesome. This couple had some really great friends and family members, and I enjoyed meeting all of them. They were so friendly and happy to be there - I had a great time with them.
Carolyn is correct - walkie talkies are a must. I didn't like the one I had to wear at the internship because I had to stick a little bud in my ear, which is somewhat unpleasant. I also felt like I was talking way too loud, because one ear was plugged! I wanted a Britney Spears style one. You know, with the headset and the microphone that curves around your face? That's hardcore.
Somewhere out there, there is a perfect Wedding Coordinator outfit. Something classy and professional, but comfortable, with pockets. And the shoes...I wore flats and I was totally fine, but there's something about wearing heels, you know? They make you feel more confident and more...important, I guess. I felt a bit out of place in my little ballet flats. Carolyn and I will be shopping up a storm in a few weeks!
You will get hit on. At every wedding there is some guy who came without a guest in order to hit on girls at the reception. I had a pushy one, and I had to professionally and pleasantly get him to go away without being rude. That's hard work for me, man.
You can't eat the food. Whether your day starts at 7am or noon, you're going to be busy and occupied allll day. There's no time to grab lunch - you probably won't even think about eating until the reception. The bride may or may not arrange for a vendor meal for you, and that's her choice. But if she doesn't, you can't eat the food. This lovely little man with a tray of meatballs just KEPT walking by me and offering them to me, and I had to keep declining. You're blending in with the background, helping the flow of things but not drawing attention to yourself. So you can't grab a meatball with a toothpick and stealthily chew it up. It's not happening.
Even as the intern, I found myself desperately wanting to help the bride in any way I could. I was flitting around fixing dresses and hair, digging hairspray and clear nail polish out of bags, finding bridesmaid's boyfriends in the lobby, organizing the bride's stuff in the limo so she could find it easily - anything to make things go more smoothly. And I wasn't thinking "I have to do this I have to do this," it was just automatic. As soon as I walked into the hotel in the morning, I wanted to HELP. I think that's a good sign.
I promise not to neglect you all anymore! I'm working on my next blog - Honeymoon Tips! :) Happy New Year!
Amy
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Happy Holidays!
I'm. so. excited. It's Christmas on Friday and I get to go home for a great weekend of family and friends. Amy's on her honeymoon in Hawaii (JEALOUS, it's sleeting here!) and will be back in January.
We are so stoked for 2010. And we want to send a giant thank you to the amazing brides and grooms that have taken a chance on AELO. We are so so excited to be a part of your weddings, we know we'll make your wedding day less stressful for you, and we couldn't be more thankful for the chances we've been given. Starting a business isn't easy, and it's so wonderful that our couples have taken leaps of faith for us.
Thank you thank you thank you. Have a lovely Christmas, if that's what you celebrate, and a glorious new year.
Pretty sure we will.
care
We are so stoked for 2010. And we want to send a giant thank you to the amazing brides and grooms that have taken a chance on AELO. We are so so excited to be a part of your weddings, we know we'll make your wedding day less stressful for you, and we couldn't be more thankful for the chances we've been given. Starting a business isn't easy, and it's so wonderful that our couples have taken leaps of faith for us.
Thank you thank you thank you. Have a lovely Christmas, if that's what you celebrate, and a glorious new year.
Pretty sure we will.
care
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
39 Days!
Here we go folks! We met Meghan, her fiancee Ryan, their moms and all of her vendors for a walk through of her venue, Salvage One. She is on TOP of it!
And, basically, Salvage One is the coolest place to get married I've ever seen. Ever. If you've been following the blog, you know I generally lean towards the non-traditional. And this place is about as far from tradition as you can get (besides, you know, sky-diving or something). Check out their website, it's...so stunningly cool.
Dear Future Fiancee, Please understand this is where we will be tying the knot. Love, Care.
Anyway! Their wedding is January 16th, and it's fast approaching! Once we get on the other side of Amy's honeymoon and the Christmas hols, we will be in FULL swing. We are so excited to write itineraries it borders on embarrassing...
Stay tuned for Amy's blog about the wedding she coordinated on Saturday!
And as always,
stay fab,
carolyn
And, basically, Salvage One is the coolest place to get married I've ever seen. Ever. If you've been following the blog, you know I generally lean towards the non-traditional. And this place is about as far from tradition as you can get (besides, you know, sky-diving or something). Check out their website, it's...so stunningly cool.
Dear Future Fiancee, Please understand this is where we will be tying the knot. Love, Care.
Anyway! Their wedding is January 16th, and it's fast approaching! Once we get on the other side of Amy's honeymoon and the Christmas hols, we will be in FULL swing. We are so excited to write itineraries it borders on embarrassing...
Stay tuned for Amy's blog about the wedding she coordinated on Saturday!
And as always,
stay fab,
carolyn
Friday, December 11, 2009
A peek.
Here's a peek into our super-profesh AELO life. Amy and I gchat as much as possible (and give ourselves lots of panic attacks...the to-do list is LONG). Today, she was free to make calls and email and do a number of other things while I had to...work at work. We discussed. When she was through:
And that, my faithful readers, is why we work so well together.
stay fab,
carolyn
Amy: ok, is there anything else you need me to do?
Carolyn: coffee. and pick up my dry cleaning. and get the president on the phone, post haste!
Amy: ha. i'm not Grace Ferrell. that was very Daddy Warbucks of you.
Carolyn: omgthat'sexactlywhatiwasthinking!
Carolyn: coffee. and pick up my dry cleaning. and get the president on the phone, post haste!
Amy: ha. i'm not Grace Ferrell. that was very Daddy Warbucks of you.
Carolyn: omgthat'sexactl
And that, my faithful readers, is why we work so well together.
stay fab,
carolyn
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Amazement.
Last night, I met with Anna and Eric (Amy teleconferenced from the burbs due to inclement weather). They are getting married in 2010, and we're doing their day-of coordination. Anna is almost DONE planning already, she has almost all her vendors! Kudos to that!
She and Eric were also nice enough to send along their engagement photos done by Caroline Tran. They. Are. Amazing. First of all, let me say how stunning all (four!) of our brides are. And then I want you to look at this gorgeousness...
(A familiar background for me, I spent two and a half years working at the Board of Trade!)
No go here and see the rest of the photos...I can't wait to see the kind of shots Caroline gets of the wedding!
Also...it looks like our first wedding is going to be a LOT sooner than we thought! Further details as events warrant!
Stay fab,
carolyn
She and Eric were also nice enough to send along their engagement photos done by Caroline Tran. They. Are. Amazing. First of all, let me say how stunning all (four!) of our brides are. And then I want you to look at this gorgeousness...
(A familiar background for me, I spent two and a half years working at the Board of Trade!)No go here and see the rest of the photos...I can't wait to see the kind of shots Caroline gets of the wedding!
Also...it looks like our first wedding is going to be a LOT sooner than we thought! Further details as events warrant!
Stay fab,
carolyn
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
It's time!
It's time to look at how pretty my wedding was. Hey, you're reading the blog. That means you must care, right?
I'm only going to say this once, because if I don't limit myself, I'll say it 1,000 more times. Colin Lyons is a brilliant photographer. He created all of this magic - and I worship him. Ok I'm done. Here's my bridal party! It was raining, and the perfectionist in me was FLIPPING out, but it ended up being totally fine and made for really beautiful photos.
Our ceremony at the Sofitel, by Richard Remiard. I worship him, too.
Our escort card table (also Richard Remiard, the most genius florist ever.)
Our cake, made by the Sofitel caterers (flavors chosen by our moms).
Aaand...we're married!
Thanks for viewing! The next wedding we blog about will be that of a bride who has hired us to coordinate her wedding, and I feel pretty great about that.
Amy
I'm only going to say this once, because if I don't limit myself, I'll say it 1,000 more times. Colin Lyons is a brilliant photographer. He created all of this magic - and I worship him. Ok I'm done. Here's my bridal party! It was raining, and the perfectionist in me was FLIPPING out, but it ended up being totally fine and made for really beautiful photos.
Our ceremony at the Sofitel, by Richard Remiard. I worship him, too.
Our escort card table (also Richard Remiard, the most genius florist ever.)
Our cake, made by the Sofitel caterers (flavors chosen by our moms).
Aaand...we're married!
Thanks for viewing! The next wedding we blog about will be that of a bride who has hired us to coordinate her wedding, and I feel pretty great about that.
Amy
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
'Tis the Season!
For booking brides, that is! We've got two more consultations in the next couple of weeks and a bunch more inquiries in our inbox! Tis the season of engagement...
And all we're doing is advertising on Craigslist...I suppose if we ever start actually marketing ourselves, we'll get even more response. Perhaps we'll have an office sooner than we thought! I'm dreaming of it now...instead of this sprawling desk at this investment firm, a lovely, cozy little office with file cabinets and a coffee pot and a hyper-organized office supply closet...
Sigh. A girl can dream.
stay fab,
carolyn
And all we're doing is advertising on Craigslist...I suppose if we ever start actually marketing ourselves, we'll get even more response. Perhaps we'll have an office sooner than we thought! I'm dreaming of it now...instead of this sprawling desk at this investment firm, a lovely, cozy little office with file cabinets and a coffee pot and a hyper-organized office supply closet...
Sigh. A girl can dream.
stay fab,
carolyn
Friday, December 4, 2009
A What Less Ordinary?
You may be wondering where our business name came from. Or maybe you're not, but I've decided to tell you anyway. :)
A movie was made in 1997 called "A Life Less Ordinary," starting Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, and Holly Hunter. It has absolutely nothing to do with wedding planning, but it does have to do with falling in love, so that's good enough. Mostly I just love the movie, and the name is pretty cool....so we borrowed it. And now, in homage:
The Trailer
A funny clip where my Scottish love, Ewan McGregor, doesn't really know what he's doing when he kidnaps Cameron Diaz.
Another clip where Cameron's dad hires Holly Hunter to get her back. She's brilliant.
You really should rent it and watch the whole thing. It's worth it.
There you have it, the birth of An Event Less Ordinary.
Oh, hi!
Remember me? I'm apparently the silent partner in this lil business here. Someday, it will be 2010. Someday very soon. And when that day comes, my life will get a bit less nutty and I can actually do my part to get AELO off the ground, instead of forcing Carolyn to do all the work! ;)
(Brides, don't get married and buy a house in the same week. Just don't do it. And don't start a new job 2 weeks later, either. Okthanks.)
But regardless of how busy we've both been, and how....seemingly unprepared we are for this (in terms of starting a business, that is), we ARE off the ground. And we haven't even started advertising yet! Ladies and gentlemen, the beauty of Craigslist.
Thank you Angel, Lisa, and Tacy for having faith that our lack of experience does NOT equal a lack of talent, and trusting us with the most important days of your lives. We are throwing ourselves into this head on, and you won't regret your decisions to hire us!
Stay tuned for website updates, my wedding photos, vendor spotlights, pictures of our pretty new debit cards (cause you'll totally want to see that), and more about our journey. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
AELO is becoming...a real live business! We now have three weddings for 2010 (hi, Tacy and Zach!) and a checking account (complete with checks, debit cards and money in it!). Corporate Creations will be working on the licensing/making our business a business thing.
In the technology department (that I pretend to understand), Jesse is working on completing the website and it is GORGEOUS. Go take a gander and let us know what you think! Also, my mom is a genius and designed our logo. I'm in love with it (but I can't make it fit on the blog, Jesssss...) and it's exactly what we wanted. It is now on all the contracts and documents that AELO uses!
We also created a Facebook fan page, so become a fan if you're on the FB! Things are really taking off for us. 2010 should prove to be a very good year!
stay fab,
care
In the technology department (that I pretend to understand), Jesse is working on completing the website and it is GORGEOUS. Go take a gander and let us know what you think! Also, my mom is a genius and designed our logo. I'm in love with it (but I can't make it fit on the blog, Jesssss...) and it's exactly what we wanted. It is now on all the contracts and documents that AELO uses!
We also created a Facebook fan page, so become a fan if you're on the FB! Things are really taking off for us. 2010 should prove to be a very good year!
stay fab,
care
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