Today, I had the honor and pleasure of meeting my mentor and largest source of inspiration in the event planning industry. None other than the "wedding planning diva" herself, Mindy Weiss, event planner to the stars! The event was held today at Books and Books in Coral Gables. Upon arriving at the bookstore, I bumped into Mindy, she was so sweet and smiled, shook my hand and introduced herself. She is such a gracious and down to earth woman, besides the fact that she is incredibly talented at what she does. It was a great event, they had several south florida vendors that participated and shared their information. Mindy gave a short lecture sharing her story, tips and trends for 2009. She loves predicting trends, and we all know she is good at that. She attends several fashion shows and bridal shows a year for inspiration. Following her lecture she answered some of our questions and then they had a small fashion show by Bellissima Bridal.
Mindy started 26 years ago after she had her first child, she and her best friend opened their own invitation and stationary company working from home. They both did this for 5 years. Throughout these years she was approached numerous times to plan an event, and she had no interest, "why would I want to be a wedding planner, they are miserable and busy all the time, work on the weekends...no way!" She finally gave in and planned an event on her own, her best friend chose not to take this path with her. She received ten new clients from this event alone, and the rest is history. Her first celebrity couple were Brooke Shields and Andre Agasse, and then the others kept adding to the list like Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, Heide Klum and Seal, Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Shaquille and Shaunie O'Neil, and the list goes on and on. Mindy's company has a staff of 8 very talented event planners that have been with her a minimum of 8 years and they do about 70 weddings a year and a total of 120 other events a year. She says there is something in us "planners" that is different from other people...we just have that "something" in us that is a unique trait. She loves what she does, but not all the time. She was honest. We come home at 3 am, are exhausted from all the hussle and bussle of planning, but at the end of the day, there is no greater joy than being a part of that clients special day and knowing that you helped create that magical moment that they will cherish for the rest of their lives. I sat there and shook my head as she said that. It is so true. That is why I do what I do, and will continue to do so for years to come. It is very fulfilling and in the process amazing relationships are created.
She discussed some of the trends for 2009 and some of her tips and ideas, here they are:
Invitations: The trend here will be a lot of recycled paper, people going green now, very simple clean designs and the letter press printing will still be very popular.
Food: The food trend is comfort food. Something simple and appealing to all taste buds with familiar flavors and recipes that we all grew up on. One nice touch is to have a family recipe prepared and served along with the recipe for that dish. She did a wedding recently where they served a traditional family rice ball and each guest received a copy of the recipe. Mindy is all about making it personal to the couple and adding that special touch to your event, no matter what it is, food, music, etc.
Flowers: We will be seeing a lot of low centerpieces, keeping that intimate, cozy and warm feel throughout the room. We will also be seeing more "berry" shades of flowers, brides are more bold with their color selection, although ivory and white will never go out of style.
Music: We all know the typical classical ceremony music, but we are now seeing and will be seeing more personalized music selection either from a movie or artist like the Beatles for the processional and recessional. She said, if classical music is not your thing, why pick it because it is the traditional thing to do? Instead, picka tune that means something to you and your fiance and make your ceremony special to you. During the cocktail hour, it is important to have music. The ipod is a great option for this as well. A lot of her clients are doing this. For the reception music, although in the past, having a DJ was not the preferred choice of music like a live band was, especially those horrible MC type DJ's ("Let's give it up for the salad" LOL), however she says with the options and variety a DJ can offer it is definitely something more welcome at weddings nowadays. She will usually give the DJ a nice script to follow, to avoid any MC mishaps. As far as music type, 80's music all the way...great dancing music to keep the party going!
Cocktail Hour: Make sure to keep the cocktail hour at an hour, no less, no more. There is nothing worse than a dragged out cocktail hour. Have music going, silence is not a good thing. background music is a nice touch to any cocktail hour. As I mentioned earlier, there is no need to hire a musician if the budget does not allow it, an ipod will do just fine. A great idea that she suggested, especially if you are on a budget, is to have a "soft bar" and offer wine, beer, champagne and sodas. One great idea she did at a wedding was a "wine tasting". It had everyone mingle and interact and made for a great cocktail hour. She is staying away from the "signature drink" and staying with classic drinks like a classic martini or cosmo instead of a "Bridetini".
Reception: Whatever you do, make it personal and fun. It's your one and only BIG day, so make they best of it! A popular trend at the reception is "after party food" like grilled cheese sandwiches, french fries, or warm chocolate chip cookies and milk...YUM! She also places a tray of chocolates on every table, no matter what event. It is an inexpensive touch and the guests always seem to love it. Who does not love chocolate?
Lighting: Gobos and lightning are not only used to cover up an ugly wall in your venue, but also give the room a beautiful ambiance and hue that fills the room with warmth and coziness. It is a beautiful accent to the overal decor and feel of the room, and if it fits into your budget, go for it! We all know the typical monogram gobos, but now many lighting companies make gobos in beautiful floral patterns like cherry blossoms or roses and it looks fabulous on any wall and gives the room that extra touch of fabulosity!
Favors: Mindy is not a huge fan of favors, she opts for "donations" on behalf of the guest or couple to the organization of your choice. One couple in Los Angeles, had a picture of a rescued dog at each person place setting, with a note saying that a donation on their behalf has gone towards rescuing the dog in the picture. She also loves the little personalized m&m's with the picture on them.
Cake: Some brides may choose not to have a cake, she makes sure EVERY couple has a cake. It makes for a beautiful focal point at the reception and is a must in her book, besides the fact that it is delicious! She loves the idea of a grooms cake, although it is not as popular in Los Angeles as it is in the South. She loves the personal aspect it gives to the grooms hobby or personality. They are fun!
Video: Another MUST in her book. Although she will not bring it up everytime she speaks to her clients, but she will make sure they book this at least by the week prior to the wedding.
Veil: To have or not have one? She said, you don't
have to have one, but what other day in your life can you where a veil? She recommends it and sometimes a dress needs the added touch of a veil to complete the look. One thing she mentioned that I thought was a great idea for brides doing boudoir photos is using your veil in a sexy boudoir photo...I can picture it already! HOT!
I hope you enjoyed reading about my fabulous experience today and the few things I learned from Mindy. Her book is fabulous and I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone planning a wedding. Remember, don't make "rules" on your wedding day. It is your ONE DAY to make it what your heart desires, make it personal, make it fun and make it the most magical days of your lives! Cheers!
"The Wedding Book: THE BIG BOOK FOR YOUR BIG DAY"
Here is a link to order it:
https://www.mindyweiss.com/store/mindys-book/Check out her website
http://www.mindyweiss.com/
