Arizona Wedding Budget: Part 1- Realistic Wedding Budget Expectations /  by Laurie Cohen

"WOW! I had NO IDEA how much a wedding was going to cost!"

At Sip and Twirl, we plan and coordinate weddings almost every weekend of the year.  Each new season brings with it big changes.  New engagements, hot new color palettes, innovative wedding design trends and new variations on faithful old classics.  One thing that does not seem to change,however, is the frequency of the exclamation, “We had NO IDEA how much a weddng was going to cost!”.

So...here we go...over the next series of delicious little blog posts,  I set out to prepare you. You will love me, you will hate me, you will laugh, you may cry...but I promise to be honest and share my experience. 

Don’t let me scare you...yet.  Yes, our new clients are often surprised at how budget items can add up. It’s not that we sit down with our clients and shock them with a whole bunch of extra zeroes, it's just that there are a LOT of moving parts to your upcoming wedding.  Your wedding is a going to be bigggg party.  And this party, (no pressure) happens to be one that occurs once in a lifetime and includes most of your family and friends. I bet you have a bunch of ideas.  You may have thoughts about how elegant, glamorous and memorable you want your wedding and reception to be. You may have an idea about what flowers you want, what you want your dress to be like or where you would like to get married.   But I’d be willing to bet (warning: it’s not a fair bet, I have asked and I know the answer) that exactly zero percent have priced out their favorite photographer, linens, crystal, caterer and venue.  So when you get to the budgeting and quoting stage of the planning process, sometimes the math is….not so friendly.  Not to worry! Wedding planners are friendly and Sip and Twirl is particularly so!  We will help you plan in advance so there are fewer surprises.

Over the next few weeks we will dig into some nitty gritty details regarding what you can expect to spend on different vendors for your big day.  We will provide you with rock bottom to high end estimates so you have a wedding budget range to consider.  But let's start with the framework....your Guest Count.  

Stay tuned for Wedding Guest Count

Delicious Engagement Shoot: Downtown Phoenix Wedding /  by Laurie Cohen

What a task it must be to meet a couple and then in short order create an engagement shoot that captures the love a couple shares while reflecting their unique personalities. As planners, we have a year to get to know our couples, photographers sometimes have to dive into engagement photography immediately after booking their clients.  Brittany Janelle Photography masterfully did just that with this shoot.   Kristie and Brandy are a darling, colorful, hard working and dedicated couple that we are having so much fun planning with.  Now, Sip and Twirl is tasked with delivering a wedding day that depicts the fabulousness of these gals as well as this engagement shoot has. 

The Low-Down on High-Tech: How it can improve your wedding planning experience /  by Laurie Cohen

We have all grown familiar with social media and how it has changed the way we communicate with others, be it friends, family, or businesses.  But did you know that it has also re-shaped the way you can plan your wedding? There are some incredible devices right at your fingertips, making the planning process more fun and manageable. 

Here are four of our favorite tech tools for wedding planning:

 Pinterest: A great and super efficient way to communicate your design visions to your planner, day or night. Brides loving pinning beautiful wedding details, and as planners, we often find ourselves immersed in all of the beauty and uniqueness the site provides. At Sip and Twirl, one of the ways we leverage technology in the design process is with Pinterest. We collaborate with our clients to develop a cohesive and authentic design. Note: We keep your board private so all of the gorgeousness can be debuted on the wedding day, and not showcased to your Pinterest friends beforehand.

Instagram: Not just a place for flattering, filtered pictures (although we love that feature!). Instagram is an awesome place to capture all of your photos from different guests, in one place. Whether it is your bachelorette, bridal shower or actual wedding day, as a couple you can come up with a hash tag and ask guests to use it when posting. We are partial to the really unique, fun ones (think "jenandmitchgethitched" or "thebrownssayido").

Include the hash tag on your save the date, wedding invitation, and even on a sign at the wedding (by the entrance or the bar are good locations).

Voxer: Haven’t heard of it? Neither had we until recently, but now it has become an essential part of our planning process! Voxer is a free app that serves as a place to leave short voice messages back and forth with someone (or multiple people). Think of a walkie-talkie without the annoying static. Voxer is great for couples to use with each other or with their planner to express ideas that may come to them at an inopportune time to call the planner (middle of the night). Especially toward the end of the planning process, a bride will often times have fleeting ideas or concerns. To verbalize them in a convenient, direct way to the wedding planner is important and Voxer has proven to be our favorite way to do so.

Our own streamlined S&T planning software: We give each couple/planner an account with tools for scheduling, budget, online RSVP, client and vendor collaboration, electronic signature collection for contracts and ceremony/reception layout mapping. It's a wedding portal where we can all find and refine the details of your big day. Other cool features include a calendaring system complete with reminders and a message board to communicate with your planner and vendors.

Getting Started: How to Choose Your Venue /  by Kate Baskauskas

While basking in the glow of your engagement and anticipating your upcoming wedding day, one of the first major items on the “to do” list is to choose your venue.  While some couples have been eyeing a certain venue for years, others may need more time to choose a location that can live up to all of their expectations.  Booking a venue in advance is important – many will book up quickly, and once the location is secured, it will allow you and your planner to start in on the details!

 

Here are some tips to help you narrow down your options:

1. What time of year do you envision having your wedding?

            There are several factors that can contribute to this answer.  Do you already have a color scheme in mind? If so, those colors may correspond best with a certain season.  Are you set on having an outdoor wedding?  If so, maybe spring/summer is your best bet. Although your big day IS about you, it’s important to think about your guests as well. Is a certain time of year easier for your family/young ones to travel to your wedding?  Choosing the season to have your wedding will guide you one step closer to your venue because it will rule out certain locations (for example, if you are having a winter wedding, you may stray away from outdoor-only venues) AND having a date set will make sure that you get on the venue’s calendar before they book up!

2. Is holding the ceremony in a place of worship a “must” for you?

            If so, having a venue with a church/temple/etc. on site will be a defining factor for you. Holding your ceremony in a place of worship and shuttling the guests to a nearby reception is another option.  A tip: Check out schools/colleges! Often, private schools have a beautiful church or temple on campus and sometimes will have a nearby hall to rent out for your reception. Having your wedding at your or your partner’s alma mater could be a fun, nostalgic choice!

 

3. What kind of ambiance do you want for your big day?

            Clean and modern? Rustic chic? Romantic fairytale? There are a number of ways you can go as far as the style of your wedding. Make sure you and your partner sit down and talk about what you would like the overall “feel” for your day to be.  Here in Arizona, we are lucky to have a variety of different wedding atmospheres, from the gorgeous red rocks of Sedona, to ultra modern loft space in downtown Phoenix.

 

At Sip and Twirl, we have gotten the chance to work at some amazing venues!  Here are three of our favorites. We are confident that every couple can find something for them within these three great choices. Which one is most alluring to you?

 

monOrchid: Located in the heart of the art district in downtown Phoenix, this beautifully re-constructed warehouse is a place of collaboration, creativity and celebration.  Your wedding is sure to be a unique event when held in this gorgeous art gallery with endless options for décor and personalization.

 

Desert Foothills: Rustic chic at its best! Desert Foothills is truly a hidden gem, located in Scottsdale. With plenty of outdoor space available and its seriously stunning barn, you won’t find a better place to hold your Arizonan wedding.

 

Montelucia Resort: One of the most romantic and interesting resorts in the Scottsdale area, the Montelucia is the perfect place to hold your wedding, year-round. The grounds are impeccable and the service is stellar. Plus, your guests can stay on site!

 

Stay tuned for a post on the differences between your “venue coordinator” and your “wedding planner”!