Fall Wedding Planning Special!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! Hope all your wedding planning is going well. I am a wedding and event planner and right now am offering a 15% off special till November 15th, 2013. I offer 4 packages, an hourly rate and can customize a package to fit your needs! I specialize in wedding day coordination and promise to work with you to fit your needs and budget. Act soon as I am booking 2013, 2014 and 2015 weddings and Events. Whether it’s just some friendly advice or planning your whole wedding, I promise to make your dreams come true. You can email @ weddingsbykristin@yahoo.com or call me @ 708-268-7528. Also you can check out my facebook page at Weddings and Events by Kristin. Hope to hear from you soon to setup your free 30 min consultation.

End of Summer Event and Wedding Special!

Since the summer is winding down its time to get down to business in your wedding and event planning so I am offering a special $50.00 off any package of your choice! Book a free consultation by Sept 15, 2013 and you will recieve $50.00 off! That is a huge savings. Please hurry as 2014 is filling up fast! Call me at 708-268-7528 or email me at weddingsbykristin@yahoo.com to book a consultation now!

Thankful!

After an amazing year so far I just want to say Thanks to all my clients past and present for making my job a dream job come true! Right now I am booking up like crazy for 2014 so please pass the word along and I will honor a 15% off any package of their choice. Again, Thanks to everyone for this incredible year!

Invisible Budgeting

We hear brides say how much they want a big wedding, but it is hard to do on a small budget. We are happy to tell them that with careful planning and some creativity, it can be done. A budgeted wedding does not have to mean cheap. Let us show you how to have a lovely wedding on your budget. • Consider invitations that are on quality paper but are not genuine engraving. • Have the wedding of your dreams within your price range. We can help you find exactly what you want. • For décor drama in the church or reception area, consider using rental greens in place of large floral arrangements. The greenery adds an elegant touch and provides a perfect background for flowers added to set or reflect your color scheme. Be sure that you choose flowers grown locally and in season. • While a band for dancing may be your first choice, know that a good DJ can provide music and entertainment for far less than a band. • Disposable cameras on the tables can cut back on the photographer’s bill, but you will still want a professional at the helm to insure that the critical photographs you will keep for a lifetime are beautifully done. • Consider having an hors d’oevres /cocktail reception rather than a sit down dinner. In addition to being less expensive (depending on how much and what you decide to serve) it keeps the party moving as guests nibble and move among tables. Call or email us for more ways to have the wedding you want without going over your budget.

I- Phones at your wedding

The proliferation of camera phones has raised a new point of discussion for brides and grooms hoping to capture the essence of their wedding through a professional photographer of some distinction. How to handle wedding guests with cameras in their phones and preserve the privacy and security of the wedding events is a growing challenge. Social media are changing the rules around the ceremony that was originally about the bride and groom. As Kim Ode of the STAR TRIBUNE said “On a day planned down to the mints, social media allow for random acts of mindlessness.”


While some couples may embrace the technology, others wonder “how to keep their vows from going viral”. This concern has prompted wedding planners, coordinators and consultants to formulate some guidelines covering social media at weddings.

• Recognize that most couples make a distinction between the wedding ceremony and its more solemn aspects and the reception with its feel as a celebration.

• If the bride doesn’t want people to see her in her gown before she goes down the aisle, she needs to make sure her attendants understand that uploading photos of her in that special dress before the ceremony is forbidden.

• Consultants suggest putting a notice in the program itself which clearly states that this is an “unplugged” ceremony. Reinforce this request by asking the officiant to remind the guests to silence their electronics.

• Some brides have posted signs at the entrance to the ceremony asking people to refrain from using electronics. Placing a sign at the spot where the guest book is placed is another option.

Social media at the reception seems to be more acceptable. Photo-sharing sites enable guests to down-load reception photos into a designated wedding album which makes it nice for the couple to see lots of the action at their party. As one consultant said, the electronics made it possible for one couple to livestream their wedding to friends and family who could not make it to the wedding. If you have any questions or need ideas, call us at 708-268-7528 or email at weddingsbykristin@yahoo.com.

Huge Wedding planning and gift card combo celebration

Right now that wedding and event season is in full swing. I want to take a moment to thank all my awesome clients this year and let everyone know this will be our busiest season yet. Thank you for trusting in me to plan your weddings and events! Right now to celebrate I am offering $100 off any package of your choice and also any bride that books a package with me will recieve a $25.00 gift card to Victoria's Secert. Hurry this offer will end soon, so call or email today to book your free consultation. 708-268-7528 or weddingsbykristin@yahoo.com.

Creative ways to personalize your wedding

Because the push to be unique is increasing important to our brides, here are some of the more creative ideas we have seen.

• If yours is a smaller wedding, consider including a personal note with the invitation.

• With help from the US Postal Service you can create your own stamp.

• Stats have shown that social invitations are opened more frequently on Saturdays. Time your invitation mailings to arrive on Saturday if possible. You’ll receive more RSVP responses.

• Pick a monogram and use it throughout the planning process.

• One wedding planner suggests choosing a unique start time for the ceremony. For example use the date you met (5:23) or the date you got engaged (7:04) or other key dates in your lives.

• Take lots of photos during your engagement and pre wedding planning period and use them as table decorations at the reception.

• Create an entrance at the wedding – something that says WOW and let’s guests know they have arrived.

• Include your parents by having their wedding photos on display at the reception. Include grandparent photos too if they are available.

• To keep everything moving, plan a “surprise” for guests at the reception every 30 minutes.

• If you are planning a Dessert Station at your reception, ask family cooks to bring a dozen or two of their favorite treats. These will add variety to the selection and invest family in the reception.