I hate to admit it, but I’ve always been a chronic wedding planner. I’ve mentally created my ideal day and it would’ve been just what I wanted, had I not suggested most of my “brilliant” ideas to my sister to be used ahead of time. As disappointed as I was that my day would no longer be unique to me, I learned to accept it. The more I’ve been looking around at weddings, the more my ideas of the perfect day have shifted.

In my mind, a summer wedding seemed perfect. My bridesmaids would have cute, knee-length summer dresses and I would wear a strapless, sweetheart cut dress with the keyhole backing. It would be an outdoor wedding in a field and the weather would be flawless. None of that can ever be guaranteed, we all know. But my heart was set on a nautical themed, boat and anchor accented, unique, perfect wedding day.

I opened my planner to see what was in store for the year, and I found that my June weekends were completely booked with wedding after wedding; July was spotted with them too. While I love the excitement and celebration of a beautiful summer wedding, I find myself taking notes of what’s been done and what’s similar to the others. With Pinterest and hundreds of wedding sites, it’s hard to do anything really unique these days. That’s not to say it can’t be done but it takes a very creative mind to contrive a summer wedding day that is different from the rest. Although my heart was once set on a perfect June weekend, the more I think and research, the more my eyes have been opened to the possibility of more. 

Photo by: Ciara Richardson

Maybe I’ve been inspired by the beauty of the immense amount of snow this winter, or the deep, earthy colors I’ve seen in the trees; regardless of the cause, winter weddings have been on my mind. I thought a lot about the biggest stresses of summer weddings and found that winter can essentially (for lack of a better concept…) “freeze” those frustrations. Here’s how:

1. The Venues: Finding a location that you like during the summer months feels impossible at times. All the places you like are already booked, and have been for at least 8 months in advance. When you finally find something you like, the prices seem outrageous. From a business perspective, it makes sense. Summer holds some of the busiest months for venues. Businesses capitalize on these times, holding venues at their highest prices. Many of those same places are much more willing to work with Brides in winter months because there are fewer weddings and many more venues to choose from.
2. Attire: With summer weddings, you never know what they day will bring. There might be a cool breeze, or stagnant heat; there might be scattered showers or even thunderstorms. It’s difficult to plan dress as a guest and even for bridesmaids and groomsmen. If you put groomsmen in suits in the middle of July, they might sweat through their clothes. Maybe the pictures will reveal sweat beads across their foreheads. You Groom might even pass out from heat exhaustion! In winter, you can plan with the confidence in knowing it will be cold. Your guests will know they’ll need a jacket for travel, but will soon be welcomed by the warmth of an indoor ceremony.
3. The Guests: Just as my June calendar is booked with wedding after wedding, other guests’ may be as well. There is no guarantee that your day will work for the guests you’ve invited because they’re not only juggling multiple weddings, but vacations, home projects, or summer events. Having a winter wedding creates a greater possibility for higher attendance… Not to mention the fact that a wedding will seem much more exciting apart from the mass wedding summer.
4. Themes and Decorations: Winter opens the door for different themes and decoration options. You can keep a wintery feel or (depending on the time of a winter wedding) use holiday decorations. There are so many different kinds of crafts and projects to make for winter decorations that would be more unique to an indoor, cozy wedding as opposed to a hot summer day. 
5. Food: It’s cold outside. What better way to warm up than eating warm, holiday foods? Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans… A feast! It’s much easier to please a bunch with a holiday inspired wedding meal than it is to come up with multiple cool summer meals that pleases the masses. Let’s not forget about the fact that you can throw in fun things like a hot chocolate or coffee bar!
6. Photography: From a photographer’s point of view, winter is an ideal time for photographs. Grey skies sound blah and bland but in reality, it’s providing enough light to create perfect contrast while eliminating the burn of the sun on eyes. There’s less squinting in grey skies and if you’re blessed with a fresh coat of snow on the ground, your pictures will look absolutely magical!
7.  Less people take the time to make big vacations in off-months. Having a winter honeymoon not only gives you a warm break from the chilly weather and snow frustrations, but it creates more availability for destinations and less crowds to work around. (And let’s be real here, what girl doesn’t like to feel a little tan in the bleak of winter?)

So if you’re planning a wedding and you think summer is the only option, as I had, take some time to consider your options. You might even feel inspired by a cozy cabin wedding feel! If you need some ideas for winter weddings, follow Jenz Carli Consulting for some cute winter weddings!

On House Parties

There are any number of reasons to have a party. Weddings, birthdays, new jobs, retirements are all great reasons and common. However, sometimes its just nice to throw a house party. This may be simply to get people together or perhaps acknowledge the change of the seasons or a milestone for living in house and with a community of people. Ultimately you don’t need a reason to throw a house party, just a good story.

Perhaps the best house parties can be found in F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. Recently the film also came out and with it came this renewed imagination of the parties that happened at Gatsby’s.

No house party needs to be such a big production but it never hurts to be known as the one on the block that throws great parties. Its worth noting that there is a difference between great parties and wild, loud parties. Usually the latter description comes from the nearby and uninvited,  so always invite your next-door neighbor.

It is true, throwing a great house party can be difficult. If there isn’t a single person or strong reason for having the event then it can easily flop. Questions of who to invite, what’s the point, or even what will happen at the party rightfully arise.

This is where good planning comes in. Universally the best parties create a world in which people enter as they arrive. What world will you create? Central ideas and purposes are what will hold the theatrics around the gathering together.

Maybe the purpose is that you have lived in the house for a decade. 10 years in a house is a milestone. You want to commemorate that with your friends, family and neighborhoods, people that you have lived with for all of those years.

Ask people to give you pictures and stories that you can have at the party for people to read and look back at. Retell the time everyone on the block played baseball until dusk. Let people who come know how they have impacted you (think positively, now). This will not only get people to come but also enjoy their time as they feel apart of the event; that they have in some way, with their life, acted in part of your story.

Having other activities for separate age groups is great, too – Adults, young adults and kids. Get people moving, if the weather is nice go outside and play games. Perhaps place pictures or other stations around the house for people to look at. Depending on how large the event is having a “family dinner” where everyone eats together at one table might be practical.

Throwing a good party is all about connecting people to the world you create. So what world will you create with your next party and how will you draw people in?

On DOC…continued

(This is the continuation of a previous post if you didn’t read the first, you will live but for the full experience: : https://jenzcarli.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/on-doc/)

This seems pretty straight forward. When you plan an event you hire someone to help you execute it. However, when looking for someone who is qualified it becomes more difficult to know for what you are looking. Often the qualities seem to be: organized, assertive and communicative. These would all be true and necessary but not the whole picture.

For anyone wanting to plan any event and intending to hire a consultant it’s important to know questions to ask when you go into the initial consultation.

Your DOC (again, Day-of-Coordinator) should obviously be an assertive, competent adult who can handle stress and conflict. Good people skills are definitely a must as you will be dealing with them a lot.

Be sure to ask about their services. What will you, the client, receive in return for handing them the responsibility of your wedding, birthday, bar mitzvah, etc?

A good DOC will learn everything there is to know about your event. Who are the major players, vendors and those in the event, i.e. bridal party. They should set up an itinerary with you and use that as the golden rule when making decisions.

So ask them: Will you make an itinerary? How will you be able to make decisions on your feet? How long will you be at the event? What will you do during the event?

Make sure that they will not just be enjoying the good conversation offered by the bar tender while everything is going on. You pay them to work. They need to know about your event and be able answer questions about where key items are. i.e. the cake, boutonnieres, and the rings.

It is worth it to mention that some venues have in-house coordinators who present themselves as DOCs. This can be a situation of semantics. Often these in-house coordinators will only deal with details related to the venue or whatever other vendor to which they are attached. This is contrasted with third party DOCs who will know all aspects of your wedding. Make sure to ask all coordinators what they do and what details they are actually focused on. Sometimes a DOC may only be around to get you more chairs or change a light bulb but have no inclination to help you with your late DJ problem or no show photographer.

Ultimately a DOC will learn your event and be able to follow an itinerary that lays out the whole event and works with the vendors to keep problems, stress and other hiccups away from you, the client. They need to be the barrier. This is, after all, why you’re looking for someone to execute the event instead of yourself.

The next time you’re in need of a Day-of-Coordinator do not be afraid to ask them about their previous work. It never hurts to ask for references (prior vendors with whom they have worked who can vouch for their performance.) Make sure they will be the buffer between the details and you.