I Do Monday Morning

Weducation Wednesday - Amy Wright of theorie

I was a fan of theorie (photography) even before I met Amy & Maurice Wright.  I didn't realize at first that theorie had evolved from Weddings by Amy!  I had their new brochure sent to me and I was intrigued--I clicked on just about every page of their website and blog.  Their pictures had personality!  I loved it and made it a point to meet them at my next opportunity.  I have to say I was not disappointed. They both were incredibly sweet and nice.  

Amy and I had coffee and talked about everything from books to politics to of course, weddings.  

I Do Monday Morning: What is your hometown?

Amy Wright: Oil City, Pennsylvania.  It's the American birthplace of oil and they are celebrating their 150th birthday!

IDMM: What is your favorite website of the moment?

AW: CNN.com

 

IDMMg: What is your favorite blog of the moment?

AW: Urban Outfitters - love the store, everything they've got, home decor, fashion, etc.

IDMM: What's a little known fact about you?

AW: I used to be a cheerleader.  We were the Oilers and wore short skirts and sweaters!

IDMM: What's a new trend you see in your industry?

AW: Cupcakes which happen to be our favorite treat at the moment.  We take mini-date cupcake breaks.

 

An engagement photo by theorie - so cute!

IDMM: What's one tip you like to give couples?

AW: Don't worry if your dress gets dirty.  I also teach brides how to look like they're sitting on the ground without actually sitting.

IDMM: If you had to do your wedding over again, who's one San Diego vendor that you would use?

AW: ChileCo Catering. Their food rocks, Chef Scotty is a hoot and we'd have a killer vegetarian, organic feast!

 

IDMM: What's your favorite thing to do when you're not working?

AW: Play with Lou and Izzie, my Italian Greyhounds

IDMM: What's new with you and thorie?

AW: Our "Giving is Awesome" participation.  

IDMM: The winner will be announced in January, there's still time to nominate someone!

When I discovered I needed a headshot, I knew I wanted them to shoot it.  I already had a headshot--me in a studio in a black suit, but I wanted one that was not so serious.  I am very self conscious about taking solo photos, but they both made me feel completely relaxed about it.  I was very happy with the photos and one is used here on my "About" page and on Facebook. If you ever need a headshot, be sure to give them a call.

Proposal at the Holiday Bowl

"Tis the season for proposals.  Tonight at the Holiday Bowl we saw one on the score board:

We were waiting to see if they would show Michele & Andy on the screen or some sort of follow up, but didn't see anything.  Does anyone have the outcome?

The game was fun and the Duck mascot even came up into the stands!

Part of the fireworks show.

It was definitely a great game with final score: University of Oregon Ducks 42 - Oklahoma State University Cowboys 31.  A great way to end the season.  Go Ducks!!!

After-Holiday Sales Good for the Wallet

A good friend of mine got engaged and had a large guest list that couldn't be cut down.  She decided on a winter wedding and having it off season, smart planning, some heavy internet research along with DIY projects allowed her to have a really beautiful wedding and still accommodate all their guests.

We went shopping after the holidays to pick up some items that could be used as decor and incorporated into her floral arrangements.  Here's some of the items purchased:

Here's shots of a couple of the arrangements at the wedding. . .

These tall vases were bought from another bride here in San Diego off The Knot's message board. There's the bells that were purchased from Pier 1 Imports.

The silver containers were purchased from Target for $1 each.  You can't beat that!!!

One thing of note is that she found a florist that was willing to work with her in providing the containers and dropping the price of the arrangements accordingly.  My friend didn't have a definite idea of what she wanted, but her ideas started to form on what she could find and she and her florist Floral Event Outlet worked together to create something great.

Mele Kalikimaka!

I waited & waited but unfortunately the man by the tree didn't move.  Oh well, it makes for an appropriate Hawaiian Christmas - shorts & all!  I absolutely love this tree!  This photo was taken last year at a hotel I worked at in Hawaii, the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa.  Every year, many, many boxes of tree parts & decorations were taken out of storage so the tree could go up as quickly as possible after Thanksgiving.  As you can imagine, it was quite a job with any available staff being called on to help "fluff" branches.  There was always something new every year with the design by super talented Grayson Pacheco who, at other times of the year was a server in one of the restaurants! 

One year the tree was delayed going up while Blue Crush the surf movie with Kate Bosworth was being filmed.  There couldn't be any Christmas decorations up as it would interfere with the storyline.  

Here's some photos taken while the movie was being filmed:

The hotel was called "Lanakai" in the movie.  There's generally a large custom-made koa wood table in the lobby that was removed for filming. 

The casting crew was great & tried to use a lot of the actual hotel staff as extras.  That's my former colleague Dawn on the left, who I think played a greeter at the luau.

There's Rene on the right who was a "football wife."  She had a necklace on that said "foxy" and I used to tease her about it.

Mele Kalikimaka everyone.  

 

Weducation Wednesday - Katherine Lohlein Farley of KLF Floral

Katherine Farley of KLF Floral first caught my eye at a fabulous wedding in Coronado earlier this year.  I thought that she was able to make the simplest arrangements look so fabulous and really pulled the look together. 

Years ago, Katherine decided the corporate life wasn't for her and went to work for a popular florist in Chicago and then later New York City.  Not surprisingly, she missed San Diego and moved back just a year ago and launched KLF Floral.  Since then, she's been delighting couples with her talents and big city background.

I Do Monday Morning: What's your hometown?

Katherine Farley: San Diego, (Coronado) California.

I Do Monday Morning: What's your favorite website of the moment?

Katherine Farley: Domino Magazine.

I Do Monday Morning: What's your favorite blog of the moment?

Katherine Farley: Snippet and Ink.

I Do Monday Morning: What's a little known fact about you?

Katherine Farley: I'm obsessed with flea markets for finding all kinds of things, especially interesting containers for my flowers!

I Do Monday Morning: What's one floral/wedding trend you wish would just go away?

Katherine Farley: Crystals - I'm over the bling with the flowers!

I Do Monday Morning: What do you see as something new in your industry?

Katherine Farley: I definitely see the use of more color coming back.

I Do Monday Morning: What's one of the best tips you give couples?

Katherine Farley: The wedding may seem like it's the most important thing, but really, it's a fun party--enjoy it!

I Do Monday Morning: If you were to get married again, who's one San Diego vendor you'd use?

Katherine Farley: I'd definitely use Amanda McPhail of Creative Events by Amanda as my wedding coordinator!

Katherine & her hubby at Coney Island

I Do Monday Morning: What's your favorite thing to do when you're not working?

Katherine Farley: I love to hang out with my husband and friends and making each other laugh!

I Do Monday Morning: What's new with you & KLF Floral?

Katherine Farley: Getting more exposure in the new year.

Any of you couples out there would be lucky to have Katherine as your florist!  

2009 Projections

I saw the following information about budget-conscious weddings in The Wedding Report, a great resource for statistics and news about the industry.   I know that local San Diego vendors have already seen this trend happening.  What I've been hearing from these vendors is that the number of bookings for next year has been steady compared to 2008, but it's definitely been the economy that has really been behind a lot of these belt-tightening decisions.  

Posted with permission from The Wedding Report:

2009 Market Forecast

In 2009, the number of couples getting married will remain steady overall at about 2.2 million. If the economy begins to recover, we may see a slight increase; however, if we see more economic turmoil the number of weddings will decline in 2009 as couples wait for the economy to recover. Spending will follow the same trend, except that overall spending will be down 10% over 2008, which is already seeing a decline of 20-30%. In 2009, we estimate the average wedding cost to be between $21,000 and $25,000.

2009 Trends

Most trends in 2009 will relate to saving money with the exception of a few. We expect other money saving trends to emerge.

• Smaller weddings with fewer guests
• Destination weddings or destination type weddings closer to home
• Accent colors on dresses and cakes with the most popular being greens and blues
• Increased reliance on family and friends to help plan, pay, and provide some of the services
• Increased use of green and echo friendly products and services
• Simplified decorations, centerpieces and wedding invitations
• Increased use of online RSVP’s vs. traditional mail-in RSVPs
• Off-peak weddings; Mornings, Afternoons, Fridays, Sundays, October becomes the new June
• Buffet meals, Hors d’oeuvre, and cocktail receptions
• Cheesecakes, cupcakes and miniature cakes
• All-inclusive packages     

Earlier this year, a friend forwarded me a post on from JD Roth's Get Rich Slowly.  This post was about Roth overhearing some wedding vendors discussing their rates; they were open to lowering their prices if asked.  I know this to be true locally, depending on your flexibility, the date and budget, among other factors. (On a side note, I feel the information JD Roth has on his site is excellent and I've been a follower ever since.)

Another post I'd like to mention is Ramit Sethi's "The 28,000 Question: Why Are We All Hypocrites About Weddings?" In Stephane Grenier's awesome new book Blog Blazers, Sethi said this was one of his most popular posts to date and I can definitely see why.  Weddings touch so many people whether it's your own, your friend's or your kid's.  However, I don't think that people really realize how much weddings cost until they are directly involved with the planning.  

Nobody wants to see the couple go into debt with their wedding even if the vendor is trying to make a living.  One General Manager I worked for said he didn't feel it was appropriate to push and upsell young couples starting out in life, paying for their own wedding.  I thought that was very admirable considering that the hotel was a business first and foremost. That being said, we just weren't the hotel for everyone's budget.  Sometimes we'd get calls from someone saying "but we really want to have our wedding there." and give us a budget for their Saturday night dinner reception that wasn't enough to cover a weekday lunch. To underscore what Sethi said, people need to be realistic about their spending and saving and what they can appropriately afford.  

What trends have you seen emerging for 2009 weddings?

San Diego Photographers Give Back

This has been a crazy year with the recession in full force--layoffs & cutbacks wherever you look.  It's great to see when people are there trying to help other people, especially when times are tough.  Several San Diego photographers have offered their services as part of "Giving is Awesome" to someone in need.

The services, deadlines and guidelines are slightly different, but they are all giving with big hearts.  If you know of someone who is very deserving and could use a smile, please forward this information, or nominate them!   

This post is republished with permission from The Theorie.

We are so incredibly excited and blessed to be part of Giving is Awesome, a world-wide effort by photographers to give back to their communities. Here's the 411...

You know someone. You know someone who's experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can't afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family's spirit, love, and beauty.

You know someone. I guarantee it.

We want to know who they are, and we want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography -- $2000 worth, to be exact. The person we choose will get a free photography session with us in a setting of our choosing, and they'll walk away with a collection of amazing images, including a beautiful 16x24 wall portrait, one 8x10 print, three 5x7 prints, 24 wallets to share and enjoy, and the low resolution CD with all of their images.

Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a $250 print credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?

The rules:

* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing our services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)

* The nominee must reside in California and be willing and able to travel to San Diego for their session. Tell us who you know, what they're experiencing, and why they deserve to win. 

* You must e-mail us the full story to amy@thetheorie.com. If possible include a photo of your nominee (and their family). Include contact information for both yourself and the nominee. And, please comment here (on this blog entry) to let us know you've entered and to help ensure receipt of your email entry.

The winner will be announced sometime in January -- we'll update the exact announcement date soon, stay tuned -- so get nominating! We can't wait to read all of your entries!

Open your heart to someone this holiday season -- and thanks for giving us the opportunity to open ours.

With love,

Amy & Maurice

Other San Diego Photographers participating in Giving is Awesome:

1. Leigh Miller Photography

2. Melissa Koehler Photography

Be sure to go directly to the respective blogs to nominate someone.  If there are other photographers participating in Giving is Awesome or other San Diego wedding vendors participating in another sort of philanthropy, let me know and I'll add them to the post!  

Tink's Creative Cakes

I recently was invited to a baby shower & couldn't make the shower, but later saw photos of it & saw the cutest shower cake!  The parents to be also raved how it was super delicious!  This wasn't the exact cake, but it's similar and so adorable!

    

I went to her Sarah's website & saw this fabulous cake designed to look like a Burberry bag!  I worked part-time at Burberry so I definitely have an affinity for that famous plaid!

 

Here's another adorable cake!

Sarah also does wedding cakes.

 

If you are looking for a great cake for your wedding, engagement party, bridal shower or bachelorette party (yes, she does the naughty cakes too) and don't want to break the bank, check out Tink's Creative Cakes.  You gotta love her motto: Eat Cake.  Be Happy.

Weducation Wednesday - Peggy Jewell of Jewell Entertainment

I had heard Peggy's name of Jewell Entertainment but never had the pleasure of working directly with her.  I got to know her a little better and she is extremely knowledgeable not only about her main business as an entertainment agent, but she has trained with a very well known wedding planner, did her own planning and at one time was president of Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) and is now a founding sponsor of the Wedding Industry Professionals Association (WIPA).  A huge thing coming up for Peggy is The Special Event 2009 - The Wedding Lunch where she is one of the co-chairs.  This lunch at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego on January 28 with speaker Carley Roney of The Knot is one you do not want to miss.  Early (discounted) sign-ups through December 22.

One thing that I really like about Peggy is that she is very passionate about her entertainers and their well-being so that they may perform to their potential for you.  Her mark-up on entertainment is incredibly low, which really surprised me.  She said her reason is that she feels the majority of the money should go to the talent and not her.  

The morning we met, Peggy was awakened by a call at 5:00AM by a client wanting someone to sing the Star-Spangled Banner that morning at a meeting at 8:00AM.  Peggy did her magic and the singer was there.  

I Do Monday Morning: What is your hometown?

Peggy Jewell: San Diego, CA (East County).

I Do Monday Morning: What is your favorite website of the moment?

Peggy Jewell: Either One.org or The Knot.

I Do Monday Morning: What is your favorite blog of the moment?

Peggy Jewell: The Henley Company.

I Do Monday Morning: What's a little known fact about you?

Peggy Jewell: I used to be a voice-over artist.

I Do Monday Morning: What's one of the best tips you give your couples?

Peggy Jewell: If possible, seeing the band live is important in deciding if they're the right band for you.

I Do Monday Morning: If you could get married again, who's the one San Diego vendor you'd use?

Peggy Jewell: Rabbi Ian Adler - I'm not Jewish, but he does inter-faith services and is fantastic.

I Do Monday Morning: What's a new trend you see in your industry?

Peggy Jewell: Interesting cocktail hours - you can really show who you are during this time.

I Do Monday Morning: What's one trend you wish would just go away?

Peggy Jewell: The use of iPods as wedding reception entertainment.  I've never seen this work successfully - there's something missing without at DJ or a band.  I've never seen music off an iPod get a wedding crowd up & dancing.  Also a Master of Ceremony is one of the most important and under-appreciated parts of a successful wedding reception.

I Do Monday Morning: What do you like to do in your free time?

Peggy Jewell: Be with my husband and two teenage step-daughters.

I Do Monday Morning: What's new with you Jewell Entertainment?

Peggy Jewell: I'll continue to honor the entertainer and deliver great customized service to all my couples, including offering good options.

Budgeting - Don't Forget Taxes & Service Charges

When budgeting for your wedding, you'll most definitely need to add some sort of cushion for those unexpected charges.  You should pay close attention to service charges and taxes.  They will add up quickly and not planning wisely may hurt you in the end.

Hotels in San Diego generally charge a service fee of, on average 20 - 22% and most times you are not locked into a particular service charge.  At the time of booking, you may want to see if you can lock in that current rate as 1% can make a difference in the end.  Taxes, of course, are not negotiable.

20% service charge:

120 guests x $100 per person = $12,000

20% service = $2,400

7.75% tax = $1,116.00

Grand Total: $15,516.00

21% service charge

120 guests x $100 per person = $12,000

21% service = $2,520

7.75% tax = $1,125.30

Grand Total: $15,645.30

The difference is $129.30.  That's $1 more per person that could be used toward your favors, or your bridemaids' gifts, wedding day lingerie or for that wedding day purse you may use just once.

Notice also that tax is added to the service charge.  The reason for that is that much of the service charge goes toward staff wages, which are taxed and that charge is passed on to you.

Another thing you may want to think about is taxes on your hotel (sleeping) rooms if you are paying for additional nights at the hotel or for certain guests.  Currently in San Diego, the transient occupancy tax is 10.5% and the tourism marketing district assessment is 2%.