In January of 2014, we at SAVE The DATE wrote a piece that was to be published in a local gazette. Sadly, as is the case with many forms of printed media and newspapers, the gazette closed. While we wish this piece could have been published for it’s original purposes, it’s simply too good to not share. Enjoy …

As of January 2014 same sex marriage is legal in seventeen states, including Maryland; as well as the District of Columbia. For event planners, vendors, and venues; the updated definition of marriage offers a new market to assist with making a memorable moment in their lives as couple. For us [SAVE THE DATE] it provided an opportunity to combine several new elements in the event world to help a couple say I Do!

Our final event of 2013, a wedding on December 29, allowed us to celebrate these new laws in a recently converted staple Bethesda restaurant, with do it yourself decor.  The two brides possessed creative ideas, and were able to show, with some organizing assistance, their commitment to each other in front of friends and family. The couple was a model example of do it yourself (DIY) Brides, an increasingly popular trend thanks in part to Pinterest. They found their own centerpieces, made their own programs, and created a warm and beautiful room for both their ceremony and reception. They accomplished all this while keeping their budget in check. For them, being involved in every element of the wedding process made for a more meaningful wedding. Many find comparable rewards in DIY décor.

Wedding decor doesn’t have to burn your budget as long as you have time and a truck. With stores like AC More, Michaels, Home Goods, Marshall’s, Ross, and dozens of online sources, it’s easy to do it yourself. You can simply pick your colors and/or theme, determine your perimeters, and then begin creating that special look to make your day unforgettable. DIY décor offers couples the opportunity to get creative and personalize their day by literally pouring their efforts into the creation of their event. While our brides were able to be DIY we found that they still really benefitted from a couple planning meetings and day-of assistance.

In the event planning industry, there are two real components: the planning leading up to the event, and the coordination of the plan on the actual day of the event. For brides who want to have a lot of control over the planning, the DIY bride, day-of assistance can really be beneficial. Day-of Assistance, or Day-of Coordination is having an event planner on site to make sure all of your specific desires are met. Some view this as an unnecessary added expense; however, it reduces the stress the bride feels because she knows there is a professional there to help her. For DIY brides it is arguably more important because they have eliminated the decorator so they need a professional to set up their décor. Even the best laid plans can fail if the execution is subpar. Our final event of 2013 is a great example of DIY working hand-in-hand with day-of-assistance.

Our couple came to us in the spring of 2013 asking for suggestions for venues, vendors, and expert advice. They also came with a Pinterest page of carefully collected images they wanted to use as inspiration. They were very organized, so we agreed that four meetings (including a site visit) spread evenly throughout the year along with day-of-assistance would provide more than enough support for them to have their dream wedding. They kept up with their planning in-between meetings and everything went smoothly. With that said, they really appreciated the day-of-help because it meant that their wedding vision could be executed without a family member or friend having to set up the space. Knowing that they could walk into the room and it would look exactly the way they envisioned it was comforting. Day-of-Assistance with one or two meetings as opposed to full package planning is a rising trend, and event planners must being willing to alter their packages, paperwork, and mindset in order to change with the times.

This wedding was a new experience for our company. We were unsure of the couple’s personal preferences on how they wanted to be referred to. We needed to adjust some of our paperwork; changing the words bride and groom and husband and wife to spouse and spouse or partner and spouse, or bride and bride to ensure we were accurately representing the couple. These types of changes put us more in sync with today’s current wedding world.

The Important thing we learned was same sex marriages really are not very different from heterosexual weddings.  Same ceremony. Same schedule. Same event. Same Love. Just, in this particular case, no man directly involved in the planning or the wedding. Marriages are ultimately about two people joining together to form a unit built on love, trust, and understanding. Weddings are for showcasing a couple’s dedication to each other while celebrating and having fun. The participants may be slightly different, but the motivations and desires are ultimately the same.

As previously said, there are seventeen states, plus the District of Columbia, that have legalized same sex marriage; however, there are also thirty-three states that currently have same sex marriage bans through either state law or state constitution. Couples are currently suing their states, including Virginia, to obtain the right to join in marriage; hearing about these lawsuits makes us proud to live in one of three states that legalized same sex marriage through popular vote, but also reinforces our understanding that change takes time. We are happy to help effect the change we want to see by assisting all who are planning their wedding. We were honored and humbled to be hired by our clients who trusted our experience and knowledge of events, despite knowing there might be a learning curve in terms our understanding of same sex marriage. We [SAVE THE DATE] hope to reach out to, and assist all couples, regardless of sexual identity, in the planning of their events. We want to treat each couple and event as individual while understanding they really are all the same.

Since the original writing of this article, the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to ban same-sex marriage, so the conversation about which states have legalized same-sex marriage is less relevant than at the time of writing the original piece. Hope you enjoyed

Check out this article http://ow.ly/Q0l8E
New York Times endorses party planner/day-of coordinator so you’re a guest at your event!

This year we applied for The Spotlight Awards. Part of that process was explaining what makes SAVE The DATE unique. While many of you may know certain elements about the company, this piece provides insight into why we might just be the PERFECT Planner for YOU …

SAVE The DATE, LLC events and promotions your way was founded in 1995 on the belief that event planners should educate their clients on planning their own event rather than the planner making all the decisions without input. This concept stemmed from President Cara Weiss’ own experiences with her wedding planner. By including the client and sending the client home with “homework” – projects to work on by themselves – SAVE The DATE has continually provided clients with affordable planning and day-of coordination options.  While SAVE The DATE certainly does offer full-planning options where our staff handles everything on behalf of the client, we have found that our unique approach attracts clients looking for guidance who still want to be involved; this works especially well for Social Events, which is our primary business. More specifically, we have recently specialized in B’nai Mitzvah planning. We feel this has become our bread and butter because we love everything a Mitzvah celebrates, boys and girls striving towards becoming caring and giving adults in the world. For Mitzvahs, we recommend our clients show how their children are giving and doing “Mitzvah Projects” in the hopes that celebrating community service will encourage the next generation to be givers rather than takers. Our goal is to act as the “eyes, ears, and voice” for our clients during their party, allowing them to “be a guest at their own event.” This helps the clients to relax and enjoy knowing that everything will be to their taste.

We have all seen the big, beautiful floral centerpieces dozens and dozens of times. They always look amazing and take people’s breath away; however, they do not necessarily convey a personal message about the couple. Adding that personal touch, or what we at SAVE The DATE call the “Eye Candy” of the event can really take it from average to unique; this typically begins with making a logo.

The idea of creating a personalized logo and incorporating it into various elements of the event is a growing trend in weddings and other social events. Traditionally, couples kept it simple with just a monogram; however, couples are now including photographs, full names, and images of things that are significant to them. The logo typically contains your colors and/or theme and says something about you; a traditional cursive monogram says something different than a modern, sleek font, so choose something that speaks to you as a couple. Once a custom logo has been created, it can be used for items like: personalized cocktail napkins or guest towels, favors, dance floor stickers, and more.

This past fall we entered “The Gala Awards” for Special Events Magazine. We entered for the category of “Best Event Produced for a Private Individual: Budget $1,000 and Above Per Guest”; while we were ultimately not selected as a finalist, we are extremely proud of both this event and our entry, so we wanted to share it with you. We hope you enjoy!

On Saturday November Second of Thousand and Thirteen, the two hundred guests of Brian and April were invited to spend the evening touring their recently rebuilt home; celebrating with a lavish party that included a vast array of menu items, and an expansive list of entertainment. The event, “Home Wasn’t Built in a Day” was intended to premiere their three year process of rebuilding their home, increasing the size from approximately seven thousand square feet to seventeen thousand square feet. The night consisted of two elements; a two-hour cocktail party where guests visited different rooms of the home while being treated to themed foods and entertainment, and then a dinner and dancing reception within a grand tent that consisted of musical acts. Prior to the event itself, a great deal of work went into the process of selecting the invitations, entertainment, catering, and the additional vendors.

Brian and April, five-time-repeat clients, contacted us in late August saying they wanted to host a party to celebrate their new house. They already had a caterer that they use regularly, but needed creative ideas for showcasing their home and making it a fun evening. We began by visiting the house and creating a list of entertainment ideas that would guarantee guests enjoyed visiting every room and that the event was memorable. After coming up with ideas, the next step was creating the Save the Date and selecting their invitation.

As a nod to the modern era, the Save the Date was a video message sent via evite to all the guests telling them the hosts were formally ready to share their new home and to reserve the evening. For the official invitations, the family selected a gorgeous custom designed invitation by Arlene Segal that featured door like flaps that opened to reveal content written in black with gold glitter thermography ink. We assisted with the designing of the invitation as well as writing the language which consisted of a poem explaining what the party was in honor of, that the first two hours would be for a tour of the home, and that following the tour guests would be invited to a lovely dinner and dancing reception featuring several types of wine and many performers. Once the invitations were sent and the rsvp cards received (which included having guests say sell to the next bidder if they could not attend), we assisted in ordering matching escort cards and place cards, with the place cards in different colors to indicate meal choice. In the midst of all these pieces being ordered, talent had to be booked which was a process as well.

This client was more than willing to bring performers from all over the country as long as they were the best. While this made the evening more magical, some of the performers had specific needs that made the process of finding housing for them an enjoyable challenge. Once all of the entertainers were booked, we were able to focus on the day-of the party and how these various performers would be utilized within the two components of the event.

For the two-hour cocktail party, the hosts wanted to have each room featured on the tour highlighted in unique ways. The tour began with guests being transported from their cars to the house in golf carts. Upon arrival, attendees were welcomed into the home by “tour guides” in hard hats, given a blueprint of the home with tour details, and then directed into the Dining Room to formally begin. The dining room featured a champagne and caviar bar as a welcome before they really started their tour. After that, guests were invited to the Library, where a Harpist (Gail Shanta) treated them to some lovely classical music. Guests then sampled wine in the Mona Lisa of the home, a Custom Designed Wine Cellar made from imported Italian Marble featuring their private collection with well over five hundred bottles. From there, guests were directed into the basement of the home by one of the dozen tour guides stationed throughout the house. Once in the basement, attendees entered the bar/game room where Billiards Entertainer Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman was demonstrating trick shots. After that guests were wowed by a full Raw Bar featuring Oysters and Crab Claws along with band “Two for the Road” singing stunning renditions of popular music. From there, guests visited the Movie Theatre, where there was a Hollywood Starlet along with sodas and popcorn while a film played, and then went onto the indoor basketball court to see Globetrotters legend Spinny Johnson show some moves while guests were treated to beer shots and nachos. After that, guests went up the back staircase and viewed the couple’s lovely master hot tub, master bedroom, and expansive walk-in closet. As a final stop on their way to getting their escort cards, guests were directed into the family room to enjoy the Jazz singing of “Simply Classic.” After these first two hours, guests were directed outside with their escort card for a brief walk to the tent to start the reception.

The entertainment continued from there; while guests were walking the short walk past the swimming pool into the tent, they were treated to DC Synchro, a local Synchronized Swimming group that performs with high heels on. From there, guests were in the tent where seven different types of wine were severed as part of the meal. Guests were also entertained by The Maccabeats, an all-male, Jewish a cappella group which was a surprise to April since they are one of her favorites; as well as a band out of Los Angeles, Haute Chile, and a DJ.

Overall, the evening was a magical affair that left guests mesmerized; and while it had its fair share of challenges, ultimately went off without a hitch and left guests none the wiser that there had been any mishaps.

*Hosts names were changed for privacy.