With wedding season among us, many brides for 2010 have done most of their planning, but may be trying to decide whether hiring a month of coordinator would be worth it. Being wedding planners, we, of course would say, “YES! Don’t hesitate! Hire a professional wedding coordinator to ensure your wedding plans are taken care of the day of so you, your friends and family can relax and enjoy!” Make sure to find the right personality match to work with you on your wedding day! Here’s an article that we posted a few months ago about the different types of coordinators that’ll be a part of your wedding day to help you decide if hiring a Month of [Day of] coordinator is right for you! Enjoy and if you have any questions- please don’t hesitate to ask!

With the title “coordinator” used so often in the wedding and event industry, it’s no surprise that the duties of these different people can get a bit confusing. We were talking about this recently with other vendors, and it is clear that people have a lot of questions about the different types of coordinators that might work with them on their wedding day. We’ll unravel these different terms for you!

Catering Coordinator: This person works for your catering company or as a manager at a venue that offers catering.
Your catering coordinator will make sure:
      o your menu selections have been made
      o plans for your bar and beverages has been arranged
      o receive and maintain your payments for the catering
Many catering companies offer rental items such as dinnerware, linens, and glassware. Your catering coordinator may assist you in selecting those items. On the day of your wedding, the catering coordinator manages the timeline for food preparation and food service. The catering coordinator will also oversee the serving staff.

Venue Coordinator: This person is employed by the venue, and knows the inner-workings of the space. Your venue coordinator will most often do a walk-through with you and point out typical layouts for your floor plan.
Your venue coordinator will know answers to questions, such as:
      o “what time can our vendors start setting up?”
      o “Where are the power outlets in the building?”
      o “How many chairs and tables do you have, and do you provide linens?”
      o “Am I allowed to use candles?”
      o “Where can vendors park for loading and unloading?”
      o “When is our final payment due?”
Some venue coordinators are on-site during your wedding day for part of all of the day. Make sure you ask them what their role with be on the day of.

Church Coordinator: If you are marrying in a church, you might have a church coordinator.
Your church coordinator will:
      o schedule your rehearsal time
      o advise you on etiquette of that specific church as well as its rules
      o run your rehearsal (for example, tell you how you should line up/walk into the church)
      o refer cantors or musicians through the parish
      o your church coordinator will be there on your wedding day to guide you down the aisle

Wedding Coordinator: A wedding coordinator/consultant/planner is one and the same.  A wedding coordinator differs from the afore mentioned coordinators because he/she is hired directly by the bride/groom/family which means their first and foremost job description is to provide to you the services that you need to make your wedding planning experience enjoyable. He/she can not only answer questions about your venue, rentals, catering, and church customs, but can also aid you with subjects such as design, budgeting, vendor selection, timelines, and etiquette. A perk is that most wedding coordinators receive discounts with vendors that get passed on to the client as a savings, rather than marking them up and costing the client more money. This comes from the experience that a professional wedding coordinator has, as well as the extensive research and networking that he/she maintains on a regular basis to continue to learn about the vendors that are available to their clients.
Most wedding coordinators offer day-of coordination in their list of services. When hiring a Day-of Coordinator they manage the details of your wedding day for you.
This includes, but not limited to:
      o preparing a timeline and ceremony processional/recessional sheet
      o organizing day of information details
      o communicating details between all vendors making sure they are on the same page
      o running the rehearsal or assist officiant and church coordinator
      o set up and clean up
      o trouble-shooting any and all situations throughout the day
Many day-of coordinators offer packages that include meetings to prepare for the wedding day and more.

If you have a coordinator at your venue, church or catering company that uses the title wedding planner/ wedding coordinator/ wedding consultant please inquire about all of the different things that they plan to do for you on your wedding day, as well as throughout your planning timeframe, so you are not left disappointed on your wedding day. We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Every company is different, so some coordinators may vary from the above description.

Happy planning!

Cheers,
Mandi, Rachelle and the Champagne team

Local event:
Eco-friendly wedding event! Portland:
Monday, June 28
6:00- 8:00 pm
New Beginning Salon Spa
503-645-2950
http://www.nbsalonspa.com

You’ve heard us say their names, but they have yet to be introduced! Danielle and Amanda are two of our wonderful lead wedding and event planners! All four of us sleep, dream, live wedding and event planning thoughts! I can’t remember the last time I went somewhere and I didn’t think about whether or not it had event space potential! haha! With wedding season in full swing, we wanted to help you get to know Danielle and Amanda a little better! Enjoy…

Meet Danielle:

Dayna Schroeder Photography

How did you decide you wanted to get into wedding & event planning?
Danielle: I decided to get into wedding and event planning at a very young age, if my friends Barbie and Ken doll wanted to get married, I was the one they would bring them to. I would beg my mom to buy me wedding magazines even before I could read! Wedding planning has always been my dream job and I am so blessed to be doing it!

What do you love about weddings?
Danielle: What I love about weddings is the magic that fills the venue and the groom’s eyes when the bride walks down the aisle, seeing a couple’s vision turn into the wedding of their dreams. I love every planning moment from a blank piece of paper with a bride spilling her ideas to the moment when the last guest has left…and of course cake : )

How would you describe your dream wedding?
Danielle: My dream wedding would be a winter wedding in Banff on Lake Louise with sleigh rides and a hot cocoa bar.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Danielle: In my free time I like to read, kayak, do yoga, and try new restaurants with my boyfriend.

Fun tidbit:
Danielle: I only eat Kraft mac and cheese if the noodles are shaped like characters.

Meet Amanda:

Dayna Schroeder Photography

How did you decide you wanted to get into wedding & event planning?
Amanda: After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, I got a job working for couture bridal designer, Monique Lhuillier in Los Angeles. Hearing the brides talk about their engagement and planning the details, I became infatuated with weddings! To me, it’s not a job, I look at it as hobby. I have so much passion about each wedding or event I am involved in.

What do you love about weddings?
Amanda: What’s not to love about weddings!! I would say the number one thing I love the most is the first step the bride takes down the aisle. It’s the big moment we both have worked so hard towards for the last several months.

How would you describe your dream wedding?
Amanda: My prince charming hasn’t road in on his white horse yet : ) but when he does my dream wedding would be candlelit at this beautiful church in Bel Air, CA. It’s on top of a hill that over looks all of Los Angeles and is absolutely breathtaking. For the reception, I would love to have it in a indoor/outdoor venue in Santa Monica or Malibu. Photos on the beach are always amazing and so peaceful.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Amanda: I love staying active by hiking or going to a pilates class as well as spending time with my family.

Share a unique/fun fact or two about yourself:
Amanda: I have my own jewelry line that I hand make, Simply Jo Designs and I have an obsession with Christian Louboutin shoes.

You’ll love working with Danielle, Amanda and the rest of our staff! We are so excited for wedding season to be in full swing and to be a part of your special day!!

Cheers,

Mandi, Rachelle and the Champagne team

The best things in life are free? I think it’s most definitely true! That is why we offer a no obligation, complimentary initial consultation where you are able to get to know us and tell us more about your wedding plans, as well as learn if hiring a wedding planner is right for you! We offer packages from day of to full service planning! Planning your wedding day should be as fun and enjoyable as you always imagined it! [We also have special packages for the bride who is planning from a far or the destination bride] We look forward to hearing from you!

I’m so excited to share this post with you! You’ve heard about Rachelle and I, possibly a little too much and we’ve been dying to tell you more about the rest of the Champagne team. Although our team is continuously growing, we wanted you to get a glimpse into our world! In a couple weeks I’ll be posting more information about each of the individual girls, but I wanted to share a few photos from a recent photo shoot we did with Dayna and Clete Schroeder of Dayna Schroeder Photography. We had such a blast spending the afternoon with them! Dayna and Clete recently moved here from Chicago and although they are new to Portland, they are definitely not new to the industry! They are so extremely talented and we can’t wait for the opportunity to work with them again! For the photo shoot, we were lucky enough to have the talented Face Body Beauty do our hair and make up!! Thank you Jennifer Rand Walker and team for helping us glow!  Boy, is there a lot of talent in this post! Sorry for the over use of the word, but I can’t help it if it’s true!

Welcome our team of talented and beautiful ladies:

Left to right: [Rachelle, Patty, Amanda, Andrea, Racheal, Debbie, Allison, Danielle, Katie, Mandi]

We are known for our red shoes…so we thought, we should all have a pair!

We are all so excited for this summer and look forward to working with you!! Thank you for stopping by! Please contact us to set up your free, no obligation, consultation! Again, a huge huge thank you to Dayna and Clete of Dayna Schroeder Photography and Jennifer Rand Walker of Face Body Beauty and team! We had so much fun working with you all! More about the Champagne team will be coming soon to the blog!

Cheers,

Mandi, Rachelle & the Champagne team

Come hang out at the Perfect Wedding Guide Wedding Show next Saturday, March 20th from 12-4pm at The Downtown Portland Heathman where you’ll be entered to win a pair of diamond earrings [Joseph K Jewelers], a wedding dress [AniA Collection], and many more prizes announced every half hour! If you haven’t already, make sure to stop by 105.1 The Buzz website and enter to win a Month of Package from Champagne [That’s us!]! We look forward to meeting you next weekend!

Each day of this 30 day blog adventure I have been reminded how many wonderful, energetic, fun, inspiring, creative, passionate and caring vendors we know! Alice with Mosca Photo is someone that instantly makes you smile when she enters the room. She truly brightens your day. Alice and Josh compliment each other creating the dream team. This summer I have two weddings lined up with Mosca Photo and I’m excited Mosca Photo is sharing in this post a few photos from [Amber & Ben] and [Lacey & Jonathan] engagement sessions. They are both such amazing couples and are so lucky to have Alice and Josh as their wedding photographers. I am looking forward to blogging about their wedding’s later this year! But for now… Get to know Mosca Photo here…

Champagne: When did you know you wanted to be a professional photographer?

Alice: Oh wow. Great question. I have to credit my father for introducing me to professional Nikon photographic equipment at a very early age. As world travelers, my parents had to have a great way to document every trip and every culture they had the pleasure to visit and live in. Photography was the way. He put a camera in my hands when I was a young teen and I have been hooked ever since! I started off with film, obviously, and dark room developing at home. When professional digital cameras started appearing, I jumped on them and they are now what I use for our wedding photography business. I trained josh to use professional cameras and to express his artistic eye with this awesome medium. The rest is history! I have been a professional wedding photographer for the past 6 years straight and alongside Josh; we work hard, capturing our couples’ wedding day’s essence. We simply LOVE it!

[Meet Amber & Ben]

Champagne: How would you describe your style?

Alice: We are very casual. Very relaxed and fun people. This is reflected in our photography very well, I think. Not much setting up and propping and directing is ever needed when we are on a shoot… the couples who hire us all seem to share our same views and ideas when it comes to photography. We always help people with slight directions if we see a bit of confusion or shyness, but after about 10 minutes with us, everyone always relaxes and opens up! We capture the details, the smiles, the beauty and emotion of our subjects. Casually, unobtrusively and in detail. It seems like the most common comment about us is not being aware of us being around at all, until the guests see the photos! I like that!

Champagne: What’s your favorite part about engagement sessions?

Alice: Oh, we LOVE engagement sessions! They allow us to get to know the couple [and allow the couple to get to know us] way before the wedding comes around. It’s a great way to feel even more comfortable around us when the big day comes! Plus, the cool guest books and save-the-date cards I design from the sessions allow me to stay busy and creative with photography even in the slower months of the winter seasons. We literally miss the busy summer seasons! It’s always a nice feeling being inspired and alert and working on something new and getting to know new people year round!

Champagne: How did you pick how to structure your packages?

Alice: Our “packages” are a flexible starting point for our clients. Based on all of our years of experience in the business, we put together the most commonly asked for options everyone seems to want for sure. Then, we have a rather extensive list of products anyone can add or substitute. We want to make sure, first and foremost, that couples have us shooting for the appropriate amount of time during a wedding. In order for the wedding story to be full of detail and complete, we need a minimum of 5 hours, that is standard for us, though we’d prefer more time, based on those minimum 5 hours of shooting, albums and prints and thank you cards and dvds, etc… are subjective. we welcome all ideas!

[Meet Lacey & Jonathan]

Champagne: What do you think couples should know when picking a wedding photographer?

Alice: Well, I truly feel, unbiased, that photography is the most important part of a wedding. Of course great food and a beautiful dress tops the cake, so to speak, but photography by an inspiring and talented and professional photographer, is the only everlasting part of the day. Albums and prints will be enjoyed for generations to come. Once this notion is assured of, picking a photographer becomes a very subjective endeavor. The professionalism, the experience, the attitude and charisma of the photographer all weigh in equally. A couple needs to fall in love with the photographer’s style, then, upon meeting in person, a couple needs to feel at ease and comfortable with him/her/them. No room for reservations and second guessing and annoyances. Literally, as has been our experience, the couple needs to feel like the photographer[s] are their new best friend

Champagne: What do you do when you’re not doing what you do?

Alice: Haha! Well, we literally do photography full time. It’s not all about shooting; it’s also the back-end stuff. The editing, the social networking, the creating albums, blog posts, new edits and materials to always keep our business fresh and alive. When we don’t shoot weddings, we mostly do two things: we travel so we can photograph new places, and we go to concerts so we can photograph music, musicians and live shows! We are avid music lovers and request photo and press passes to music shows around the Pacific Northwest. We take our cameras, get in the photo pits and shoot away! We have a huge collection of our music/concert photography on our dedicated blog we call “our passions” accessible via our web site. We do love food too! We are self-proclaimed foodies and enjoy great new restaurants or enjoy experimenting at home in our own kitchen. We have two big dogs that keep up company when we hang out at home cooking and relaxing!

Champagne: Having a personality match is part of selecting your photographer, how would you describe your personality?

Alice: I think I may have already mentioned this above, however, I’ll add this: yes, personalities need to match between photographer and client and the way I describe my and josh’s personality is this way: laid-back, organized, fun, creative, funny, supportive, assertive if need be with those guests who need direction during group shots, detail oriented, aware, young and open minded. Would we want to have dinner at a cool restaurant over a glass of wine with the couple we are photographing? If the answer is yes, then they’re the couple for us! A friendly rapport is key.

Champagne: Thank you, Alice for telling us more about Mosca Photo! We are looking forward to working with you later this year! Make sure to check out Mosca Photo’s website and blog!

Check out previous posts from our 30 days of vendors:
Day 5 of 30: Vibrant Table Flowers
Day 4 of 30: Premiere Catering
Day 3 of 30: Paul Rich Studio
Day 2 of 30: Bon Moment Inivitations
Day 1 of 30: Bryan Hoybook Photography
See what the 30 days of vendors is all about!

Cheers,
Mandi & Rachelle

Make sure you don’t miss our current promotion! Book your wedding or event coordination before January 30th, 2010 and receive 5% off your package!* Dates are booking quickly!

Don’t forget, we offer free consultations so you can learn if hiring a wedding planner would benefit you and if we’re the right match! We’d love to learn more about you, your fiance and your upcoming wedding plans!

*Not valid on previously booked packages. Contract and deposit must be returned by January 30th, 2010.

Today I’m writing from in front of a beautiful fireplace in the Fireside room at Sunriver Resort [Gorgeous wedding venue] while the brides are enjoying the fashion show at the Bravo! Central Oregon Showcase. We are having so much fun meeting new vendors and wonderful couples!

Day 3 brings us to Paul Rich Studio... We have worked with Paul many many times and every time we are impressed by his ability to combine a modern and traditional style to create timeless images! Paul is engaging and makes you feel at ease, helping you feel natural… He takes pride in connecting with his clients and truly getting to know them. Introducing… Paul Rich Studio...

Champagne: How did you decide to get into photography?

Paul: When I was 13, my next door neighbor was a wedding photographer.  He hired me to assist him in the studio.  This was back in the day when we were sorting negatives and shooting film.  I had the opportunity to assist him on some weddings and by the time I was 18, I was photographing weddings on my own.  Photography has always been a part of my life and in 1998 I graduated from Bard College in NY with a degree in photography.

Champagne: How would you describe your style?

Paul:  I like to put my couples at ease.  There is so much preparation and excitement on the day of the wedding.  I want my couples to be able to take it all in and enjoy the day that they have worked so hard to make possible.  I look for those candid moments and unique details that best tell the story of the day.  My approach is loose, candid and fun and my goal is to produce work that will be enjoyed for many generations.  It is photojournalism mixed with creative artistry.

Champagne: What would be your dream person/event to photograph?

Paul: I am a certified scuba diver and I would love the opportunity to photograph a wedding that takes place under water.

Champagne: What’s your favorite part about your job?

Paul: I absolutely cherish the relationships that I have created with each of my clients.  Wedding photographers receive a very unique opportunity to share in one of the most amazing days in a newlywed couple’s life.  The bond that is created from that experience is what makes me absolutely love the work that I do.

[Champagne’s Rachelle Bell]

Champagne: To you, what is key to creating a successful event?

Paul: Effective communication amongst the vendors is absolutely important.  For the florist to know when and where the flowers need to be delivered so that they can be included in the formal pictures.  For the proper timing of toasts, cake cutting, and the first dance so that guests are entertained and aware of each event as it unfolds.  Communication that occurs prior to the wedding and most certainly on the day of the wedding—this is absolutely critical to creating a successful event.  I document over 30 weddings every year and the ones that flow the best are without a doubt those that are handled in conjunction with an experienced wedding planner.  Having the details handled and the questions answered by someone else, frees up the bride and groom to spend more time together.  They invariably look more relaxed in their photos too!

Champagne: What do you do when you’re not doing what you do?

Paul: Photography is a passion of mine that extends beyond weddings.  Whether it is working on a creative project, visiting galleries and museums or collaborating with other artists, I am constantly thinking about photography.  One of the benefits of being a wedding photographer is that the work is very seasonal.  While I am extremely busy in the summer months, the winter months afford me the ability to travel and ski—two of my other passions in life.

Champagne: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Paul: We are taking on an increasing number of destination weddings each year.  This year, we had the opportunity to document weddings in upstate New York and on Martha’s Vineyard.  We even had the opportunity to travel as far as St Lucia.  Whatever your destination, know that we have cameras and love to travel!

Champagne: Thank you, Paul, for telling us more about you and your work! We look forward to working with you again soon! Make sure you to check out Paul Rich Studio‘s website and blog for Paul’s latest happenings!

Check out previous posts from our 30 days of vendors:
Day 2 of 30: Bon Moment Inivitations
Day 1 of 30: Bryan Hoybook Photography
30 days of vendors

Cheers,
Mandi & Rachelle

Make sure you don’t miss our current promotion! Book your wedding or event coordination before January 30th, 2010 and receive 5% off your package!* Dates are booking quickly!

Don’t forget, we offer free consultations so you can learn if hiring a wedding planner would benefit you and if we’re the right match! We’d love to learn more about you, your fiance and your upcoming wedding plans!

*Not valid on previously booked packages. Contract and deposit must be returned by January 30th, 2010.