What is The Most Beautiful?

The Most Beautiful is Simply Beautiful’s Exclusive Couture Planning. This is the ultimate in customer satisfaction and service. Our Most Beautiful Brides receive so much more than wedding planning. Some exclusive services include:

• Pre/Post Wedding Event planning – Professional planning and coordination of up to 5 separate events such as Bridal Shower, Bachelor/ette Party, Luncheons, Engagement Party, Birthday Party, even a Holiday party.
• Customized Web Presence to include professional, customized website/blog.
• Planning Sessions at your own remote office. Have vendors come to you in a professional setting.
• Everything is completely customizable based on your needs.

Here’s the official description:

Exclusive Planning. Big Ideas, Big Plans and Big Budgets require our Biggest Package Ever! You will get exclusive, undivided attention for your wedding from our professional staff.

Visit The Most Beautiful page on our website to view all the services included in this Exclusive package.

Here’s your reality check:

Do people actually get this package? Yes, it has been purchased. Here are a few factors that would make purchasing The Most Beautiful Package a good idea:

• You are having more than 1 ceremony, reception, function during the week of your wedding. This most typically arises with couples who incorporate religious and/or cultural traditions along with a traditional western/Christian ceremony and reception.
• You are having more than 350 guests.
• Your budget is over $400,000.00.
• You are having more 200 or more guests travel to a destination wedding.

If you want to find out more about The Most Beautiful Exclusive Package, please visit Simply Beautiful Concepts on the web or give us a call at 240.565.5103.

What is Simply Classic?

Simply Classic is our Full Planning package. Everything wedding planning is supposed to be from Budget Formulation & Management to Vendor Meetings to Etiquette Advice to Guest Concierge. This is planning at its best and most Classic.

Here’s the official description:

You’ve gotten engaged and may have an idea that the task at hand will need a professional to guide you from start to finish. You and your fiancée work full time may have familial obligations and your time is a commodity you’d rather not squander, this is Classic wedding planning at its best.

Visit the Simply Classic page on our website to view all the services included in the Classic package.

Here’s your reality check:

If either you or anyone who would assist you in planning your wedding have not done so in the past 5-10 years, you would be very smart to hire a professional who is current on trends, costs, etiquette and recommendations.

Things are very different and little details make all the difference. Very rarely can a family member pull off a catering job for a large number of guests and sometimes items look a lot nicer on the internet than they do in person.

If you want to find out more about our Simply Classic Full Planning Package, please visit Simply Beautiful Concepts on the web or give us a call at 240.565.5103.

What is Simply Lovely?

Simply Lovely is our Partial Planning package. Sounds a bit strange to partially plan, but it is a very accurate description for the majority of brides and grooms. Couples who have either the majority of their vendors contracted or 1 or 2 of the major vendors (ceremony/reception venue, caterer) and need help finishing up, this is the planning package for them.

Here’s the official description:

You have secured some of your vendors and now desire a professional planner to guide you through the remaining affairs, offer advice and coordinate the logistics of your wedding day.

Visit the Simply Lovely page on our website to view all the services included in the Lovely package.

Here’s your reality check:

Some couples have the luxury of having a family church and/or officiant. Some had the foresight to decide on their location or caterer or photographer well in advance of their engagement. Those things were no brainers for them. Because of these things, they thought they were well on top of their planning. That was until…they realized there were a lot more services/vendors and details that they had no clue about.

Having a professional wedding planner/consultant on hand to step in make your planning path smooth when it becomes rocky is pure peace of mind.

If you want to find out more about our Simply Lovely Partial Planning Package, please visit Simply Beautiful Concepts on the web or give us a call at 240.565.5103.

What is Simply Perfect?

Simply Perfect is our Month of Coordination Package. Some commonly refer to this type of service as “Day of Coordination.” In our package, coordinating the day of your wedding is most definitely included, however, for logistical, practical and professional reasons; Simply Beautiful begins working with our Brides 30 days prior to their wedding.

Here is the official description:

You are planning your wedding on your own and/or with the assistance of friends and family, yet want to enjoy the fruits of your labor without the pressure of handling the logistics.

Visit the Simply Perfect page on our website to view all the services included in the Perfect package.

Here’s your reality check:

I implore you, at the very, very least HIRE A COORDINATOR. Day of, month of…whatever it is called, hire a PROFESSIONAL coordinator. Why? A few brief reasons:

Don’ts

• · You DO NOT want to be scrabbling around for phone numbers and you’re cell phone to try to find out what is going on at the reception venue.
• · You DO NOT want to find out at the last minute that no one really knows how to pin a boutonniere on without ruining the flower.

Do’s

• · You DO want to enjoy your day, your love, your family and your friends.
• · You DO want to see the labor of your work unfold just as you had planned.

For the average Day of/Month of Coordination package, pricing is well worth every penny and more. If you want to find out more about our Simply Perfect Month of Coordination Package, please visit Simply Beautiful Concepts on the web or give us a call at 240.565.5103.

What are Simply Beautiful Concepts?

Oftentimes, the question arises, “Why did you name your company, Simply Beautiful Concepts?” or “What is Simply Beautiful Concepts?”

The first question is easy to answer…and is partially answered on the About page of Simply Beautiful Concepts’ website.

My mother owned her own beauty salon in Baltimore, MD during most of my childhood, it was called Simply Beautiful. I always knew I was going to own my own business. And through my brainstorming years I KNEW I would name it Simply Beautiful something.

Now the second question, that too is easy to answer. Most wedding planners/consultants either have their name as their business’s name or use words in their business name that clearly states “Wedding” or “Event” or “Party.” The word Concepts doesn’t really scream any of those things. I also ALWAYS KNEW that whatever I created and built would evolve. Therefore “Concepts” was my self-fulfilling prophecy of the evolution of myself and my businesses.

I feel it could also be helpful for my readers, brides, colleagues, friends and family to understand my “Concept” for this Wedding & Event Planning company.

As overwhelming and detail oriented as planning an event, such as a wedding, can be, I believe that is can be done, Simply and Beautifully.

Simply by no stretch of imagination is meant to be simple but Flawless and Effortless. This is what planning and coordination with me will provide. Less fuss, more fabulous.

Whether the idea for your event is traditional, contemporary, funky, alternative, futuristic, themed or romantic…the adjective Beautiful often accompanies guests’ description. The details, the joy, the emotion and yes even the decor can exude the Beautiful feeling.

For me, the whole process revolves around Concepts. The concept of marriage, the concept of a wedding, the concept of tradition, the concept of Love, the concept and vision for the event. To me it is so much more than the design or the party.

So now you have it, the whole philosophy and reasoning behind Simply Beautiful Concepts.

Want to know more? Tune in all this week to find out about our services, packages and the Simply Beautiful approach.

When the Money Runs Out! Part IV: Postponement

The economy was NOT supposed to affect your wedding and ultimate passage into marital bliss. How could you have planned around something that is completely not under your control? But it has. Now what?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are aware that the “economy” is in bad shape. Simply Beautiful will break it down in a series to give you advice on, When the Money Runs Out.

If you and your fiancé find yourselves in a situation where you must take a timeout from the wedding plans to seriously assess your finances and the question has come up as to whether or not you can still have a wedding, you are not alone.

When cancelling the wedding is too much of a loss/penalty and raising funds is not possible a postponement may fit.

Simply Beautiful has had the experience of ceremony and reception venues willing to work with the couple and change the date of their wedding. Be cautioned when taking this approach that you may not have a say in what date, day or time your wedding will take place. If the venue is willing to do this without penalty, thank you lucky stars. Ask for 3 possible dates from your main venue and work everything else around those 3 initial dates.

Before committing to a new date, contact all of the vendors you’ve already booked to inquire if they will be able to accommodate the new date. If all vendors are a go…you’ve got yourself a postponement. This can give a few months or almost a year to re-group financially.

With any cancellation, postponement or significant change in wedding plans there are items of etiquette that should be handled delicately and tactfully.

1. Inform your guests as soon as possible.

2. Inform your vendors.

3. Discuss the topic of refunds and deposits sympathetically and not confrontationally.

4. Gifts should be returned if the wedding will not take place within a year.

5. Compensate your wedding party for their expenses if the wedding will not be taking place or they are no longer able to be in the wedding due to the change.

6. Consider enlisting the services of a professional wedding planner to help you develop a realistic budget and keep track of spending if you decide to give the planning another go.

One of the very first, most important parts of the wedding planning process is to determine your budget. Your wedding planner will most definitely help you research and create a budget with you for your wedding. There are also tips and tools to help your figure out a working budget.

Check out these Simply Beautiful posts for more budget advice: Wedding Costs, Financial Cold Feet, Realistic Wedding Budgets.

When the Money Runs Out! Part III: Raising Funds

The economy was NOT supposed to affect your wedding and ultimate passage into marital bliss. How could you have planned around something that is completely not under your control? But it has. Now what?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are aware that the “economy” is in bad shape. Simply Beautiful will break it down in a series to give you advice on, When the Money Runs Out.

If you and your fiancé find yourselves in a situation where you must take a timeout from the wedding plans to seriously assess your finances and the question has come up as to whether or not you can still have a wedding, you are not alone.

Raising funds to assist with wedding costs is an option that many couples in today’s society hadn’t thought of. With the growing trend of couples financing their own weddings, re-marriages and blended families, the traditional days of the bride’s parents footing the bill is not always the norm. Yet, some families still have a nostalgic way of thinking of weddings and marriages. They just may be happy to help and feel a big part of your wedding.

Once a close friend or relative has agreed to assist you financially, it’s time to be frank, or Bob or John. Whoever will be upfront and honest about what your needs are and how this generous person can help. Come to the table with your wedding audit from Part I and the ramifications of Part II. Some people would much rather commit to a specific expense than blindly writing a blank check to “help you with your wedding.” After the financial discussions and thank you’s have been had, re-visit your audit and see where you stand.

Raising funds will also, and should most certainly, include additional funds that you and your fiancé are contributing. Based on your wedding audit, you should be able to figure out how much additional money you will need per month to meet your wedding obligations. Once you have this figure, the work of raising funds is up to you. This should be by way of second jobs, yard sales, downgrading, sacrifices and compromises. These are the things that will be involved if you want to have the wedding you’ve planned WHEN you’ve planned it. Cutting out Starbucks and trips to the movie theater every week should be worth it.

So what do you do?

Cancel the Wedding

Raise more Funds

Postpone the Wedding

Check out these Simply Beautiful posts for more budget advice: Wedding Costs, Financial Cold Feet, Realistic Wedding Budgets.

When the Money Runs Out! Part II: Cancel the Wedding

The economy was NOT supposed to affect your wedding and ultimate passage into marital bliss. How could you have planned around something that is completely not under your control? But it has. Now what? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are aware that the “economy” is in bad shape. Simply Beautiful will break it down in a series to give you advice on, When the Money Runs Out.

If you and your fiancé find yourselves in a situation where you must take a timeout from the wedding plans to seriously assess your finances and the question has come up as to whether or not you can still have a wedding, you are not alone.

Cancelling the wedding seems so harsh. It is. Not to mention the shear emotional feelings associated with “cancelling” the wedding, even if it’s the couple’s decision for financial reasons or other reasons.

Yet, if the potential savings is tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands compared to a minimal percentage you will lose. Cancelling the wedding may provide some financial relief, especially when there are other mitigating circumstances that require your full financial resources immediately.

However, cancelling the wedding may not give you the financial holiday you may think.

Deposits, retainers and some purchases are usually non-refundable or returnable. Those items would be a complete loss. Also, many larger contracts, such as ceremony and reception venues have cancellation fees. These fees can range from 25-100% of the balance due depending on how far out you cancel.

After all is said and done, you may end up paying 50-100% of the cost of the wedding that you’ve decided not to have. In these instances, it’s probably best to explore options other than cancelling the wedding.

The best thing to do is to compare the cost of cancelling the wedding to the current cost of continuing with the wedding plans as they are. This will usually help you make the decision if it is advantageous financially to cancel or explore other options

So what do you do?

Cancel the Wedding

Raise more Funds

Postpone the Wedding

Check out these Simply Beautiful posts for more budget advice: Wedding Costs, Financial Cold Feet, Realistic Wedding Budgets.

Why Hire a Professional Photographer?

Simply Beautiful Words has created this blog series, “Why Hire?” to help you understand what to expect from services, highlight their value and give you some pointers to use in your consultations. I’ll touch base on a few on the most questioned vendors/services.

We started of our Why Hire? series, with a look at a wedding professional that is near and dear to our heart…Wedding Planners.

Now we move on to our next wedding professional, Photographers.

Why Hire a Professional Photographer?

MEMORIES

The main reason is quite simple, besides your marriage and new family, your photographs will be the only tangible thing left of your wedding. After all the planning, all the expenses, all the stress and all the details if your photographs do not expertly and accurately capture the day, you will be sorely disappointed.

SBC: I am not advocating for every couple to spend their entire budget on a high end photographer that is out of their price point. However, I certainly support couples who allocate a portion of their budget that is significant to them on photography.

(and seriously, none of this has to do with the fact that my hubby, DigitalPharaoh, is a professional photographer/artist)

PROFESSIONALISM & QUALITY

Yes, I believe you when you say your cousin, uncle, sister are take amazing photos with their high end DLSR. But have they had the most recent training in the digital technique? Do they know how to work around poor indoor lighting? Poor outdoor lighting?

Unless your friend or family member is a professional photographer with professional equipment and the ability to process your photographs, please consider a professional photographer.

SBC: You can find a professional photographer for every budget and every style. A wedding planner will have a number of photographer referrals to meet your needs that is provided with some wedding planning package or as an a la carte service.

Well, what is a professional photographer? Not every Joe Blow with a website and a camera is a professional photographer…or even a decent one. To help you navigate through the process, here is how Simply Beautiful Concepts guides its clients:

1. Research photography styles that you like. Search far and wide through that wonderful thing called the internet. Don’t worry about price or location, find photographs and styles that appeal to you.

2. Research photographers in your area. Match area photographers with the styles you gathered in step one.

3. Create a list of 3-5 Photographers. Contact them and conduct a phone interview of basic questions. You can find some advice here from Blue Orchid Designs.

4. Eliminate 1-2 Photographers. Set up interviews/consultations with the remaining photographers.

5. Book Your Professional Wedding Photographer. If steps 1-4 don’t yield in a successful selection, repeat.

Happy Planning

Next in our “Why Hire?” series:   Your little brother and his friends DJ/have a band and play at parties every weekend.  They seem to have a lot of equipment and music and wouldn’t cost a dime so “Why Hire a DJ/Band/Entertainment?”

Congratulations to the WINNER of our First Giveaway!

In November, Simply Beautiful Concepts announced their very First Giveaway in honor of our NEW 2009 WEBSITE!

While the contest may have gotten off to a bumpy start with too many technicalities which made me revert back to a more Simple structure, it was a great success.

Without further ado….the winner of our contest is…

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

1

Timestamp: 2009-01-01 00:43:03 UTC

(So I had to wish my family and friends a Happy New Year, kiss my husband and kids and sing Happy Birthday to my daughter before I hit the button, it’s still midnight-ish)

CONGRATULATIONS CHEZIA QUARTERMAN!

You have WON Simply Classic, our Full Planning Package! Contact us via email at blog{@}simplybeautifulconcepts.com to claim your prize and start 2009 off with great planning!