DIY or Not?

One or two generations before us, families pitched in to help the happy couple put on a beautiful, yet simple (compared to today's celebrations) wedding and reception. Brides purchased gowns or dresses that they could wear again for special occasions, and passed them to their daughters. Wedding flowers were plucked from the mom's garden earlier in the day. At the reception, guests were served wedding cake and punch — made by a family member. For most weddings, the only professionals were the pastor from the church, the organist/pianist and the photographer. Everything else was done by family and friends.

Today expectations are much higher for weddings and receptions. Extensive arrangements are made for the events, and there are wide choices of wedding professionals who have years of experience creating beautiful celebrations. Their experience can save the couple lots of headaches and money!

What to consider when DIY:

• What is your time commitment and what are the costs involved? What are you expecting? If you or your friends are not experts, typically it will take more time and possibly cost more than you anticipated.
• If you want to hold your wedding or reception at a home, remember that you will need to rent everything (tables, chairs, linens, etc.). Someone needs to set-up and take-down all of it. Someone needs to prepare the home and yard for a large crowd. Home bathrooms and parking areas are generally not suited for large crowds. You may have to rent porta-potties or buses to transport people. In the end, it may cost less to rent a full-service facility.

When to DIY:

• If you, a family member or friend have an expertise in a field that relates to your wedding / reception, consider asking them to take care of it for you.  First, see samples of their work. Set your parameters. Offer to pay for their supplies / costs or give them a gift for their time / services. Always write a thank-you note.
• If your budget constraints require DIY, research costs of supplies, borrow what you can, shop at thrift stores, and find someone to do it for you — preferably not a member of the wedding party or a family member — they want to enjoy your special day.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional member Paula R. Lowe, publisher, South Sound Wedding & Event Magazine.  She is also the producer of the South Sound Wedding Shows.

Heirloom Brooches enhance Wedding Flowers

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Heirloom Brooches enhance Wedding Flowers

As a hopeless romantic, I think there isn't much on earth as beautiful as flowers, except perhaps, gorgeously crafted heirloom jewelry.

So when Juliet met with me, and revealed her fondest desire for a vintage, romantic wedding in Tacoma's beloved historic, Gothic-style Holy Rosary Catholic Church, I just had to ask:  "Do you have any heirloom brooches in your family?"

Juliet's maternal grandmother left behind some lovely things, including a nice variety of pretty brooches.  Selecting a clear rhinestone brooch and matching earring set, I adorned the peony, dahlia and garden rose bridal bouquet, and then added a pink tourmaline brooch to contrast with its ivory organza handle.

Juliet wanted some eclectic design in her wedding as well, so I styled unique combination bouquets for each attendant.  I still remember trying those five different brooches with the array of bouquets, finally deciding to contrast the jewels with the flowers, so they would be more visible and memorable features of the wedding.

These photos, by Gash Photography, give an idea of how heirloom jewelry can enhance a wedding.  And the intangible benefit in this case was Grandma's presence with this family on Juliet's wedding day.

                             Look closely and you can see the brooches in these bouquets.

              Each bridesmaid carried a different bouquet, all adorned with a family heirloom.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Member: Julia Miller of Julia’s Floral

Why You Should Not Plan Your Wedding Online!

What??  Well, not entirely, that is!  If you are interested in truly getting the best deals, the best information and have your questions answered in real time by someone who isn't anonymous or unknown to you, you must meet vendors face to face!  It's hard as millennials to get comfortable with this concept.  This is uncomfortable for a lot of individuals, but particularly in this age group.

It feels like I am online almost constantly, but as a Wedding Coordinator, I know all too well that you cannot get the very best information for planning a wedding online.  You will only get the best prices and advice by talking to people who are in the business and have relationships with real people who specialize in their particular area pertaining to weddings.

It's easy to sit at the computer, and it's actually a ton of fun to see all that is available out there to customize a wedding.  However, planning a wedding isn't all about what it will look like or just picking vendors without really getting to know them.  How do you know what questions to ask a vendor?  How do you know if you are seeing the warning signs or not?  How do you know if you are even going to like them?  Do you really want to get advice from other brides on how to plan a wedding versus people who know what the realities are to every detail of a wedding?  Do you know what you should ask before signing any contracts with a particular venue or vendor.  Do you know why things costs what they do for your wedding, i.e. catering vs. a nice dinner out or why you might not be saving money getting your wine or champagne at the big box stores?  Do you know why you're going to pay more for a particular type of flower at certain times of the year?  Do you know what the laws are in your particular state as compared to advice you get online?  How will you know if you have all the bases covered without getting an education first on the essentials of planning a wedding spoken from proven professionals?

What you don't know can hurt you!  As a bride, you would have no way of knowing how many venues and vendors are hoping for Wedding Coordinators to conduct workshops to teach brides about the wedding industry.  It's a concept that would prove to help brides and also make wedding vendors and venues be able to serve their clients much more efficiently which saves money for everyone in the long run.  So why mention all of this?  If this was not true, you would not be hearing more about venues requiring that a bride hire an independent Wedding Consultant in order to book a wedding at their venue.

For the benefit of all brides out there planning weddings, you must look for opportunities to learn in real live situations, workshops and stop limiting your advice only to websites, forums and yes....blogs!  You have to get out in the real world to save yourself a lot of time and money. Hey, wouldn't it be cool to have a shorter engagement?  Now that can save you a LOT of money!  One example of how you can do that is to go to www.bridal4-1-1workshops.com and take a look at what you're not taking advantage of.  For every 10 hours  (maybe more) you spend on the computer filtering through information about planning your wedding, you could find more information from a workshop or a Wedding Coordinator in just 2 hours.

So it depends on how much you trust information online to be reliable as compared to a professional who makes it their livelihood and truly has a passion for what they do.  If they didn't have passion for what they do and the greatest desire to help brides, they would probably choose another line of work.  Their jobs require long hours before and after the wedding, weekends away from home and family, and a phenomenal amount of time marketing for the number of clients they might receive.
I absolutely love being online and I wouldn't have a business without it, but brides and wedding vendors alike, we have to get out in the real world to really know what is going on in the world of weddings.  No matter what we would prefer, there is no substitute.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Janis of Greatest of Days Wedding & Event Planning.

Wedding Traditions (4-1-1)

Earlier today I was skimming through various wedding related articles and found one from ‘The Knot’ about wedding traditions.  This one was of particular interest in regards to your wedding day photography.

Old School: You shouldn't see each other until the ceremony

New Rule: Schedule a "first look" photo shoot (you and your groom meet with just the photographer before the ceremony). This frees up more time after the ceremony so you can actually enjoy your cocktail hour, and it also lets you spend a few precious moments with your soon-to-be spouse before all the wedding craziness sets in. (Trust us; it will!)

You can see the entire article by clicking on this link:  The Knot – 10 Wedding Traditions.

                       (Photo found online – Queen Alexandra in her wedding dress and veil) 

Many of the couples who hire us, opt to do their photos before the wedding and having a reveal – in front of the camera or in private.  There are still a few who tell me “It’s bad luck” and wait until after the ceremony – we work with YOUR schedule!  However, I still want to share how this tradition came about.

Long ago – back in the day of pre-arranged marriages, the bride and groom more often than not, never saw each other before the wedding ceremony.  The bride wore veils covering her face during the ceremony until that first kiss sealing their marriage.  If a groom were to see the bride and not show up, this often caused a war between the families, nations, etc.  This is why it was deemed as ‘bad luck’ for the couple to see each before the wedding!  Not really the most romantic thought knowing that it was because of fear that if the groom would see his bride, not like the looks of her and then bolt!

 Even when couples were acquainted before they married, it was still considered bad luck for the groom to glimpse the bride pre-ceremony, as she would not be pure and new. Nor was the bride  to see herself as it was believed that if she saw her reflection she would leave some of herself behind in the mirror. 

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional, Monica of Family Affair Photography

A bride’s best accessory is …

… a beautiful headpiece?  Fabulous jewelry?  Nope.  A bride’s best accessory is a well dressed groom!

You’ve gotten the perfect dress, but what is your man going to wear so he doesn’t look like the bartender at the reception instead of the groom?

If you’re wearing a short or tea length dress a tuxedo or dark very classy suit worn with an elegant tie would be a nice compliment to your outfit.  Your groom could opt for a standard length tuxedo in a variety of colors if your gown has either a cathedral, chapel or sweep train.  A shirt, vest and tie in the same color as your dress has a distinctly “groomish” look.  Maybe it’s time for him to learn how to tie a bowtie.  Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Kanye West all wear them.  A cathedral train can also be worn with tails.  A tailcoat, properly fitted makes a man appear taller and slimmer.

Whatever look you settle on a good fit and an elegant style are always in fashion.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Member Barb of Top Hat Formal Wear

Six Reasons Your Clients Might Not Take a Vendor's Advice on Hiring a Wedding Coordinator.

We've all been there when we have a client who says they have a friend who is caterer or a DJ, their brother has his own band, or someone they know will be really good at taking their pictures.  With Day-of Coordinations this is more typical.  You get what you get when it comes to the bride's mixture of vendors.  Nothing is likely to change even though you see the recipe for a disaster and warnings often fall on deaf ears.  (Put this in your contract!)

I cringe when I know there isn't going to be a professional DJ to work with as well as other professionals.  I hear from the professionals all the time that they have told their client that they need a wedding coordinator.  When I recently asked a very talented DJ how often they had a wedding where there was a professional Wedding Coordinator, he said it was about 1 in 10.  He said that usually a mother will take care of all the planning.  These wedding professionals love having a professional Wedding Coordinator as much as we love working with other professionals.  It helps all of us do our jobs the way we prefer to do them and stay within our areas of expertise.  We all want to make each other look good!

So, this is what I get from all of this.  Wedding Coordinators must find ways to help these vendors who know what they're talking about, change their client's mindset to ever be comfortable enough to hire a wedding coordinator.  I see that this task is one that Wedding Coordinators must take on to help other vendors who want to refer us.

I would love it if anyone would add to my list of ideas to help vendors promote a Wedding Coordinator or a list of reasons you believe a wedding coordinator is such a hard concept to "sell".

Possible myths they will run into:

1.  Wedding Coordinators are only for "rich" people.

2.  Wedding Coordinators are snobs!

3.  Wedding Coordinators are just like the ones you see in the movies.

4.  Wedding Coordinators take over your whole wedding.

5.  The person at the venue is taking care of everything.  

6.  You can find all of your vendors at a show.  (Maybe if all vendors participated in every show and you really got to know them in that type of environment.)  What if a bride hates crowds?  

Possible answers to those myths and misconceptions:

1.  Wedding Coordinators save by way of passing on discounts to clients that the vendors give to them knowing that their job is going to be easier than if they didn't have a coordinator.  Coordinators save vendors time!

2.  Most Wedding Coordinators do what they do because they love to help people.

3.  Being a Wedding Coordinator is a lot of really hard work.  There's nothing glamorous about finding out that the city employee didn't open up the restrooms, graffiti appeared overnight, you're going over the floor with a lint roller to pick up confetti or glitter so that the client gets their deposit back.  Like in the movies?  Hardly!

4.  A good Wedding Coordinator will listen above all else to what a bride envisions no matter how hard it is for her to convey her dream wedding.  Wedding Coordinators are thrilled when they hear the words, "This is just the way I saw it in my mind, but I just didn't know how to make it happen!"

5.  People at a venue even like it when a professional Wedding Coordinator is onsite so they can take care of their staff and venue responsibilities.  The venue contact person cannot read a client or be counted to catch the bride's glance in their direction every time she needs something.  If brides only knew how busy these venue coordinators and their staff were for an event, they would understand.

6.  A Wedding Coordinator spends a lot of time getting to know vendors and the quality of their work.  The same is true for studying venues.  We want to know what will match the bride's style, personality and budget.

Most Wedding Coordinators give at least some amount of time in the form of a free consultation.

I never have a consultation without hearing a bride, groom or their family members say, "I never would have thought about that!"  What pains me the most, is knowing that I could be helping people have a much less painful, less time-consuming role in planning their wedding and not be completely tired out on their wedding day, along with their family and friends!

As always, wishing you the greatest of days!

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Member Janis Flagg of Greatest of Days Event & Wedding Planning.

A Week in the Life of a Venue Manager

A day in the life of a venue manager just won’t give you the full picture of everything we do – so here’s a picture of a week!

I spend the first part of the week putting together “the packet”. The packet consists of Banquet Event Orders – the paperwork that details menu selections, start and end time, setup, audio-visual, etc., for each event we have coming the following week. The packet varies from one page to forty pages, depending on the number of events and their complexity. Along with the packet, I create an Excel spreadsheet each week that lists all of the events and monetary details so the rest of the building is aware of what business will be coming in and where the events are located.

In between the packet and the spreadsheet, I am welcoming the clients whose event is onsite that day, answering questions for the staff, and answering the phones when the front desk cannot. (As we are a hotel, I serve a few more functions than just a venue salesperson would.) My role allows me to wear many hats; if an event also has group rooms, I take care of the booking and contracting of the rooms and the event. I often do tours upstairs of the sleeping rooms in addition to our banquet/meeting space. I also manage the changes to events where the packet has already gone out – whether that is a change in count for meals, the client needs to change setup, etc. Sometimes I work from home at night if I receive pertinent emails after hours to ensure the client’s needs are taken care of.

All week, I answer inquiry phone calls and emails about future events. We receive leads and inquiries from multiple sources, so I often have several events that I am bidding on or filling out a proposal for. Sometimes I’m needed by the staff to assist in setup or service at an event. I check in with them several times a day to see how everything is going, and run interference if a client has a question or billing issue. I try to be onsite for our major events, first to initially greet the client, and then to be present for the duration of the event to ensure they are comfortable and everything goes smoothly. I have a fantastic staff that I never have to worry about, but the client often feels better just seeing me. J

Thursdays are typically spent mostly in meetings. I have a meeting with the Chef and the Banquet Captain. It’s their chance to ask questions or give me feedback on the last week’s events, as well as review the upcoming events. After the Food and Beverage department meeting, we have our weekly staff meeting. The managers of each department meet once a week to go over any issues that have arisen, upcoming projects, upcoming events, maintenance needs, etc. Upon the completion of this meeting, the Sales Department (again, I wear multiple hats), meets to talk about strategy, groups we are bidding on, and sales activities we are planning on participating in. By the time I am out of meetings for the day, I usually have just enough time to respond to emails and voicemails, and then it’s time to go home!

Fridays are catchup and project day. Our newsletter and media projects are typically done on Fridays, along with any other items left until the end of the week.

Saturdays are almost always spent with clients, doing site visits and planning, and events! I am off Sundays and Mondays so I can work Saturdays, the most popular day for social events (weddings, auctions, anniversary parties, etc.)

By the end of Saturday I’m ready for my weekend, so I can start all over again!

Contributed by Puget Sound Member Kati Wright, The INN at Gig Harbor

Convertible Wedding Dresses

One thing I’ve heard several brides complain about is how difficult it is to dance in the long flowing wedding gowns – even when bustled.  The option has been to buy a second gown/dress for the reception.  With the costs involved in a wedding many can’t afford the two dress option.

The new trend is ‘convertible wedding dresses’, which gives you the classic wedding gown for the ceremony and then when it’s time to party, with a quick adjustment you are now free to dance the night away!

                                                       David Tutera for Faviana

                                                                Martina Liana

                                                          Morgan Boszilkove

Would you consider a convertible wedding dress or do you want to stick with a traditional dress or even have two dresses?  Please feel free to leave your opinion/thoughts below in the comment section.

Simple and Sentimental Solutions to Wedding Problems

I had a bride who wanted an outdoor ceremony and she did get just that and the weather was beautiful.  This bride hired me very late in the game and I needed to find out as much as possible about her dream wedding and do it very quickly.  I soon learned that they wanted a program placed on all of the chairs.  Are you thinking the same thing that I thought at that moment?  Outdoor wedding, programs on chairs.  Hmmmm.  I saw programs flying all over the place with any gust of wind.

Since I knew that this bride was very much into doing what was "green" for her wedding, I suggested that they put nature into the wedding ceremony to solve the potential problem.  I explained to them some of the ways a rock ceremony can be a part of a wedding.  I was also thinking that rocks could hold those programs securely in the chairs!  This bride was very creative and turned it into a very sentimental part of their ceremony.  Her family had property on a beautiful lake with a type of stones on its shore that were flat.  This lake had special meaning for many family members as you can only imagine all the good times they had together, probably tossing these types of stones into the lake as kids.

After the ceremony, all of the guests who had been instructed to hold the rock and make a good wish for the bride and groom and place the rocks into a special box.  I love the picture of the bride and groom walking through a meadow with the groom carrying the box filled with good wishes.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional member Janis Flagg, Greatest of Days

Planning for Wedding Shows

Are you planning for your wedding?  Wedding shows are one of the best ways for a future bride to get to know the latest fashions, meet wedding vendors and get dozens of tips.

Are you planning for your wedding? 

Wedding shows are one of the best ways for a future bride to get to know the latest fashions, meet wedding vendors and get free consultations on just about anything that you would require for your big day whether it is the bridal gown, the wedding venue, the wedding cake, the floral arrangements, the bridal bouquet and the list goes on. Whatever it is you might be looking for, you are sure to find it and much more at a wedding show.

The best reason for attending wedding shows is that you can compare the various wedding vendors all under one roof while you would have to rush from one place to another otherwise. It is basically a place for you to know what your options are and to get familiar with the wedding vendors so you can decide on whether you want them to be part of your wedding day or not. You can make appointments with those wedding vendors that you might be interested in. This will save you a lot of time and effort.

Before you go to a wedding show, arm yourself with a little notebook and pen.  There will be plenty of things for you to write down. It would be a good idea not to carry a handbag but to put the cash and other things you require in your front pockets in case you leave it somewhere or have it stolen. When you enter the wedding show you are generally greeted by a somebody with a bag filled with all kinds of brochures inside. This is just right to collect all the extra information that the wedding vendors are more than willing to give you.

At wedding shows, you will find a lot of wedding vendors including bakeries to provide you the wedding cake, bands to provide you music, designers for your wedding dress, vendors selling you wedding venues, caterers for your wedding buffet and many more. Many vendors offer free or discounted coupons so make sure you don’t pass up these offers. Make sure you take a look at every booth at the Expo unless of course you have already placed your order for the item they are dealing with elsewhere.                                                                                   

Generally there is a fashion show; here they will showcase the latest wedding gowns as well as other fashion accessories and jewelry including wedding bands. There almost always is some entertainment so the entry fee that you pay covers that. Make sure you know the timings of the important events that you are interested in when you visit a wedding show.

Contributed by Puget Sound Wedding Professional Brad Buckles of Bridesclub and the Bridesclub Wedding Expos.

DJ Interview

We’ve been given the opportunity to share a few snippets from the following interview on our blog.  To view the entire interview please check out Red Letter Events “Behind the Veil". 

RLE: What is the biggest misconception that brides have before they meet with you for the first time?

Ollie of Gen X Productions: The biggest misconception that we run into is the difference between a DJ playing music at their wedding or having a professional DJ company that helps with planning, day-of coordination of the Ceremony and Reception, keeping the flow and being very professional. DJ’s have an incredible amount of control at a wedding and can really affect its overall outcome and success. Lots of our clients are amazed as we walk them through our planners at the amount of details that weddings can have.

RLE: What are some questions that brides should ask when interviewing DJs?

Ollie of Gen X Productions: There are many but here are some of the most important ones that are asked when meeting a Professional DJ Company:

• Are you the DJ that will be at my wedding? If not, will I be able to meet them before I book with your company?
• How long have you been in business and could I read some recommendations of some of your past clients?
• Do you have a contract or agreement; are you insured and do you have a business license?
• Are there any extra costs with equipment and meetings of what we have gone over?
• Do you drink or take smoke breaks at weddings? (We never do)
• Do you provide both MC & DJ services? (They should)
• Do you have backups in place for unforeseen circumstances? (Most companies don’t like this question)
• Do you use professional grade equipment, microphones and speakers? (Just gage how they respond, if they are confident,then you’re OK)
• Do you charge for setup & take-down and how early do you show up on the day of the wedding? (No charge & 1-1.5 hours is recommended)
• What do you wear at weddings and are there any options?

There are many more questions but these are the most common.

Contributed by Puget Sound Members Generation X Productions and Red Letter Events.

Becoming a Wedding Photographer

Often times we, as wedding vendors hear from people stating that they want to become a wedding photographer, DJ, florist, wedding planner and so on.  Over the next several months we will feature entries on becoming a wedding _______ (florist, DJ, etc.) written by current professionals in the field . We will start this series with ‘Becoming a Wedding Photographer’, contributed by Monica of Family Affair Photography.

    ______________________________________________________________________________

Many times I get the impression that those wanting to get into wedding photography think it’s an easy way to make big money and that it’s going to be one big party.  Before I go into ‘becoming a wedding photographer’ I’m going to share how I ‘fell’ into this profession.  It actually started with an offer to photograph my nieces wedding.  I refused several times, they repeatedly offered and finally sweetened the deal and I said yes. 

Immediately, I started reading everything I could get my hands on about wedding photography, and I also spent a considerable amount of time studying the work of other wedding photographers.   The exhilaration, the adrenalin rush of the wedding day is what inspired and motivated me into starting my own business.  I think to this day that it was my sheer eagerness and JOY of the field that propelled me and not aspirations of making big money or parties.  When I talk to other successful wedding photographers I often hear the same thing, this is a career that brings them joy and often times the first weddings were those of friends or family.

Since that first wedding, I have learned a lot from experience and from talking to other wedding professionals who were willing to offer some guidance.

Let’s get this out there:  Great camera’s don’t make great photographers!  Learn photography before anything else.  A wedding photographer is responsible for capturing the most precious moments in life, and a wedding is NOT the place to learn photography!  As a wedding photographer you are expected to know your camera intimately, to be a master of your chosen craft.  Unfortunately having a new camera doesn’t automatically make you an efficient and reliable photographer.  Learn composition and develop your artistic vision. 

Things don’t end once you’ve photographed a wedding.  In fact it’s after the wedding that the work starts.  I’ve heard from several photographers who have said that for every hour shooting at a wedding it will require about 2 additional hours in post production work.  This means learning and mastering digital workflow, processing the RAW images, file management, image correction, color management and enhancement.  Even great images often need a little something more. It’s pretty much expected you’ll be doing some correction. Don’t think you can shoot and burn and get a reputation for great work.

LOVE photography more than anything else.  Don’t come into the wedding photography field filled with aspirations of making BIG money.  While it’s true, there are many successful wedding photographers that make a lot of money.  Many of those photographers are also successful speakers, teachers, mentors, etc. to other wedding photographers.  According to the Professional Photographers of America, the average photographer in America makes about $24,000.00 a year. 

When you start photographing a wedding learn to focus on QUALITY vs. quantity.  Is there really a need to take 2000 photos per hour?  No bride is going to want the quantity, they much rather have the heartfelt and beautiful images.  Think about your shots, look for the special moments.  Keep your eyes and heart open to capture the unique and beautiful moments that naturally occur during the day.  Remember that long after you have moved on, your photographs will last forever and will someday be viewed by future generations of that family. 

During the wedding day, keep moving even if your tired of being on your feet for 8 plus hours, you need to be ready and alert what is happening around you.  There is a fine line you need to learn as to when you hide and become ninja like and when you get out and interact with the guests.  Knowing this will produce some wonderful images of the day.  Experience is going to be your best instructor on this.  Starting off as an assistant for a photographer would give you an edge on this, you can learn by observing the pro and by asking them questions after the event.

There is an old rule for the successful photographer and it’s one I admit that I still struggle with to this day.  The rule is “80% business, 20% photography”  Sometimes it feels like it’s 90% business and only 10% photography.  Unfortunately if you want to make photography your business you have to be much more than a photographer while still excelling at offering your customers great images.  If you want to get hired you need to sell yourself, make your customers happy and promote your abilities.  Being a great photographer is much more than clicking that shutter!  If you aren’t ready to handle the business end of photography, you can always work with other photographers.

Lastly learn something new everyday by taking classes, reading or getting out with your camera.  Join different photography groups.  There are many professional photography organizations that offer different levels of membership based on your skills and knowledge.  Some worth checking out:  Professional Photographers of America (PPA), and Wedding Portrait Professionals International (WPPI).  Attend their workshops, seminars, and meetings.  Learn and share tips, techniques from other professionals in the industry.  Never stop learning. Always practice, observe and study.

There is so much to share when talking about becoming a wedding photographer.  It IS a joyous and rewarding career.  If you decide to pursue wedding photography, always remember that as a wedding photographer you’re in a service business.  Always serve your clients with care and attention to detail that you would expect on your own wedding day or daily life for that matter!