We are so excited to announce our first ever "Dream Bridal Tour!" This is an exciting event as we are taking a group of brides on a private tour of some of the best places in San Francisco to find all your bridal needs. We're not talking about venues and florists here, but the little details that most brides don't know where to start with. What about where to get your favors, or maybe some custom invitations, or even the spray tan to make you glow on your big day? You'll find all of this out and enjoy the following:
A chauffeured tour in a shuttle provided by California Wine Tours
A private shopping experience at Haute Bride (opening just for our participants!)
A cocktail party at Betsey Johnson to view rehearsal and bridesmaid gowns
A lovely brunch with myself, my staff and the other participants
Plus much, much more!
Participants will be able to meet and ask questions of all the Dream a Little Dream Events staff and will be able to compare wedding planning stories with the other brides in attendance.
Tour takes place on Sunday September 28th from 10:30am-4:30pm. Price is $40/per person, and includes brunch and transportation. Enter code DREAM to get $10 off and purchase your tickets online here.
We are all really looking forward to this event!!
Happy Planning,
Kathryn
Monday, August 25
Saturday, August 23
What NOT to wear to a wedding
While enjoying a rare Saturday off, I thought I would add a new post to my blog about something that has become somewhat of a trend: dressing horribly inappropriate at weddings. After personally attending five weddings this year, and working 19, I have come to the realization that some people really need some help in the "what not to wear to a wedding" department.
Some of these may seem obvious to most, but I'm not just talking about a female guest wearing white or a male guest wearing a shirt and tie when the protocol called for black tie. I'm talking about absolutely outrageous outfits that you wouldn't even expect to see at the Playboy Mansion. I have photos, but I'm choosing not to post them here to not get in any trouble on that front, but trust me, there have been outfits that actually have offended the bride and groom so much, that I actually had the horrible task of asking one guest to go home and change. Yikes!
So, in order to hopefully educate some future wedding guests, please take these tips when you're perusing your closet before attending a wedding. It will save you from much embarrassment and possible incriminating photos of you being posted all over Facebook, and the main reason, to not make your friends or family upset. As I always say, it's better to be overdressed than under dressed.
1. No White It seems obvious and yet so many guests seem to forget. Material that is mostly white with a small pattern is a no. White suits are a no. If there's a question...no. White garb is meant for one person only and that's the bride! Always.
2. Skip the Shorts and Flip Flops Don't do it. I don't even care if it's a beach wedding and the attire says "casual". Even if you try to dress them up with a blazer or a pair of sexy heels (which I don't recommend anytime). Guys, you too, I've seen it at a black tie optional wedding in the wine country. No joke!
3. Show Your Class Tiny miniskirts, low cut shirts and bustier tops are best left for a night out with the girls. Even if you are the sexiest woman in America, but they just don't know it yet, please refrain. Another side note in this category is to make sure your outfit fits. If I had a nickel for every wardrobe malfunction I've seen during "Y.M.C.A".
4. No Guest Should Wear Tails If it's a black tie wedding, men are going to be renting a tux or digging one out of storage. A classic or modern-cut style is the best bet. Stay away from extra frills like tails, ruffles, loud colors, or satins. Even if you plan to be the funny man in a powder blue '70s number, refrain. All attention should not be on you.
5. All That Glitters Is Not Gold Stay away from anything lamé, sequined, shiny, or glittery. It's distracting (both in person and in the photos).
6. Lose The Leather Enough said.
7. Mad Hatters Whether you wear a baseball cap to show your allegiance to your favorite team, disguise thinning hair, or hide a bad hair day, a wedding is the last place to don one. Some ladies choose to wear their large Kentucky Derby hats, which for an outdoor hot Georgia wedding is okay, but an indoor San Francisco drizzly evening wedding looks completely out of place.
8. Give The Wild West A Rest Bandanas, cowboy boots, and ten-gallon hats all make it onto the list of what not to wear. Unless the betrothed couple has planned a themed bash and requests that guests get decked out in ranch gear, save these goodies for another day.
9. Dress to the Nines Don't be too cool to don your finest duds. Honor the couple's union by leaving your jeans at home -- even the really really nice ones! Unless the invitation mentions a beach barbecue or luau, forgo the casual fare and plan on turning it up. It's a wedding after all!
Happy Planning and watch for our announcement next week regarding our exciting San Francisco bridal tour exclusively for the first 20 brides that sign up! It's going to be a fabulous day with lots of cool surprises and fun for all that attend.
Kathryn
Some of these may seem obvious to most, but I'm not just talking about a female guest wearing white or a male guest wearing a shirt and tie when the protocol called for black tie. I'm talking about absolutely outrageous outfits that you wouldn't even expect to see at the Playboy Mansion. I have photos, but I'm choosing not to post them here to not get in any trouble on that front, but trust me, there have been outfits that actually have offended the bride and groom so much, that I actually had the horrible task of asking one guest to go home and change. Yikes!
So, in order to hopefully educate some future wedding guests, please take these tips when you're perusing your closet before attending a wedding. It will save you from much embarrassment and possible incriminating photos of you being posted all over Facebook, and the main reason, to not make your friends or family upset. As I always say, it's better to be overdressed than under dressed.
1. No White It seems obvious and yet so many guests seem to forget. Material that is mostly white with a small pattern is a no. White suits are a no. If there's a question...no. White garb is meant for one person only and that's the bride! Always.
2. Skip the Shorts and Flip Flops Don't do it. I don't even care if it's a beach wedding and the attire says "casual". Even if you try to dress them up with a blazer or a pair of sexy heels (which I don't recommend anytime). Guys, you too, I've seen it at a black tie optional wedding in the wine country. No joke!
3. Show Your Class Tiny miniskirts, low cut shirts and bustier tops are best left for a night out with the girls. Even if you are the sexiest woman in America, but they just don't know it yet, please refrain. Another side note in this category is to make sure your outfit fits. If I had a nickel for every wardrobe malfunction I've seen during "Y.M.C.A".
4. No Guest Should Wear Tails If it's a black tie wedding, men are going to be renting a tux or digging one out of storage. A classic or modern-cut style is the best bet. Stay away from extra frills like tails, ruffles, loud colors, or satins. Even if you plan to be the funny man in a powder blue '70s number, refrain. All attention should not be on you.
5. All That Glitters Is Not Gold Stay away from anything lamé, sequined, shiny, or glittery. It's distracting (both in person and in the photos).
6. Lose The Leather Enough said.
7. Mad Hatters Whether you wear a baseball cap to show your allegiance to your favorite team, disguise thinning hair, or hide a bad hair day, a wedding is the last place to don one. Some ladies choose to wear their large Kentucky Derby hats, which for an outdoor hot Georgia wedding is okay, but an indoor San Francisco drizzly evening wedding looks completely out of place.
8. Give The Wild West A Rest Bandanas, cowboy boots, and ten-gallon hats all make it onto the list of what not to wear. Unless the betrothed couple has planned a themed bash and requests that guests get decked out in ranch gear, save these goodies for another day.
9. Dress to the Nines Don't be too cool to don your finest duds. Honor the couple's union by leaving your jeans at home -- even the really really nice ones! Unless the invitation mentions a beach barbecue or luau, forgo the casual fare and plan on turning it up. It's a wedding after all!
Happy Planning and watch for our announcement next week regarding our exciting San Francisco bridal tour exclusively for the first 20 brides that sign up! It's going to be a fabulous day with lots of cool surprises and fun for all that attend.
Kathryn
Tuesday, August 19
Question of the month
So, I have received a few questions recently, and the one that always comes up is the who do I tip, and how much do I tip? That is why I chose this question as the question of the week. It is a very common question, and one that I answer cautiously, as tipping isn't necessary, but it is always appreciated. There are many ways to show your appreciation to a certain vendor, whether it's a gift of money, gift certificate or just a simple thank you card. If you are looking to tip certain vendors monetarily, here is a guideline that I picked compiled from a few sources, and seems to work pretty well:
Officiant - $100
Musicians - $25-$30 each
Hair/Makeup Artist – 20%
Limo – 15-20% (please always check your contract, many include this already)
Photographer – if not the owner of the business about $100-$150
Photographer’s assistant - $50-$100
Videographer – if not the owner of the business about $50-$100
Videographer’s assistant - $30-$60
Caterers – 15-20% to the servers (again, check the contract, this is sometimes included)
Djay - $50-$150 (depending on the amount of hours)
Florist – Usually a tip of about $25 per assistant
Planner – Usually a tip of about $50-$100 per assistant
Delivery personnel – Usually not expected, but if you were, about $10-$15/each
Happy Planning!
kathryn
Officiant - $100
Musicians - $25-$30 each
Hair/Makeup Artist – 20%
Limo – 15-20% (please always check your contract, many include this already)
Photographer – if not the owner of the business about $100-$150
Photographer’s assistant - $50-$100
Videographer – if not the owner of the business about $50-$100
Videographer’s assistant - $30-$60
Caterers – 15-20% to the servers (again, check the contract, this is sometimes included)
Djay - $50-$150 (depending on the amount of hours)
Florist – Usually a tip of about $25 per assistant
Planner – Usually a tip of about $50-$100 per assistant
Delivery personnel – Usually not expected, but if you were, about $10-$15/each
Happy Planning!
kathryn
Sunday, August 3
One of our own gets married!
I was so happy to be able to attend the wedding of one of my assistants, Vanessa, and my friend KC yesterday in Mill Valley. I didn't have to work it, I instead got to be on the other side as a guest, which is hard! But, we were in the hands of two of my other assistants, Noreen and Candace, and they did a great job with the 250 guests, and a very rare hot day in Mill Valley. It was really nice getting to catch up with all of our old friends, as KC met Vanessa at my mother's 60th birthday party over two and a half years ago. Vanessa actually met me that night to talk about possibly working weddings with me, and soon after that, she met my friend KC, and the rest is history. Here is a photo of them during the ceremony (please excuse my photos, I'm not a photographer by any means!).
Being a guest is a nice change of pace, and the day flowed perfectly. Some things I noted were if you're considering a photo booth, just do it. Not only did it provide KC & Vanessa with an amazing guest book, it was really fun getting in the booth with all of our friends, and getting goofy photos that we could keep. It was packed the entire night! They also had a candy bar, which I also highly recommend. It was nice to have a little snack for the ride home. Karen Chang Burling from Huckleberry Karen Designs did a lovely job on the flowers (Karen was one of my past clients, she is such a creative person), and complimented the color palette perfectly.
Remember to email me your questions about ANYTHING regarding weddings, events, planning, etiquette, and I'll pick two per week to answer on the blog.
Happy Planning!
Kathryn
Friday, August 1
Help, I'm blogging!
Yes, I have finally decided to cross over into the world of blogging. Many colleagues and friends have coaxed me into it, and I'm going to give it a try... why not?
What I'm hoping to accomplish with my blog is to let clients get to know me a little better, offer some tips and advice to anyone reading the blog, give updates about upcoming special events and to post great photos of some of our weddings and events.
So, to start, we are at about midway through the 2008 wedding season, and we have had the chance to work with some amazing couples this year already, and we are looking forward to the weddings coming up as well. I hope to post some photos from some very recent weddings shortly, as they all have been beautiful and special in their own way.
Tomorrow, most of the Dream a Little Dream Events staff will be either working or attending our very own coordinator Vanessa's wedding in Mill Valley. I'm very excited for this event not only because she is my assistant, but because she has become a close friend, and is marrying one of my very close friends. It's going to be a large wedding with lots of family and friends, so it will be a great time being on the "guest" side of this wedding.
On a personal note, I have had a pretty tough 2008 thus far, and I'm hoping that the second half proves to be on the upward swing. To help with that,I recently had about 5 inches of my hair chopped off, and I'm feeling very cleansed. Or maybe it was the massage I had at Stellar Spa this week. Well, whatever it was, I'm looking forward and not back.
If you do have any wedding or event planning questions you want to submit for my weekly "Ask a Planner" section of my blog, please email them to kathryn@dreamalittledreamevents.com.
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, and happy planning!
Kathryn
What I'm hoping to accomplish with my blog is to let clients get to know me a little better, offer some tips and advice to anyone reading the blog, give updates about upcoming special events and to post great photos of some of our weddings and events.
So, to start, we are at about midway through the 2008 wedding season, and we have had the chance to work with some amazing couples this year already, and we are looking forward to the weddings coming up as well. I hope to post some photos from some very recent weddings shortly, as they all have been beautiful and special in their own way.
Tomorrow, most of the Dream a Little Dream Events staff will be either working or attending our very own coordinator Vanessa's wedding in Mill Valley. I'm very excited for this event not only because she is my assistant, but because she has become a close friend, and is marrying one of my very close friends. It's going to be a large wedding with lots of family and friends, so it will be a great time being on the "guest" side of this wedding.
On a personal note, I have had a pretty tough 2008 thus far, and I'm hoping that the second half proves to be on the upward swing. To help with that,I recently had about 5 inches of my hair chopped off, and I'm feeling very cleansed. Or maybe it was the massage I had at Stellar Spa this week. Well, whatever it was, I'm looking forward and not back.
If you do have any wedding or event planning questions you want to submit for my weekly "Ask a Planner" section of my blog, please email them to kathryn@dreamalittledreamevents.com.
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, and happy planning!
Kathryn
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