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Date:
2008-04-08
Title: Mardee’s Bridal Show Survival Tips
Make a checklist of the services and accessories you need and any questions you have for vendors. Remember to include your budget for each product or service.
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. I cannot stress this enough. You will be doing a lot of walking and standing.
Wear a fanny pack with easy access and leave your purse at home.
Bring a large bag with padded shoulder straps, or a small top loading carry-on with wheels or a backpack to hold all the brochures, samples and other information you’ll get from vendors. Make sure that whatever style of bag you bring, it’s easy to access and carry. Remember by the end of day it will be very heavy.
Sort as you go. Here’s a secret tip especially if you’re new to the whole bridal show scene: Sort as you go. Put the offers you are genuinely interested in into one bag, and the pamphlets you took just to be polite into another bag. When you get home, you will not be so frustrated sorting through all of the materials from the show.
Bring a pen, notebook, clipboard and your calendar or PDA. You should be prepared to schedule appointments with your favorite vendors. Popular vendors, book early and many of them offer special discounts at the shows and the savings can add up.
Bring you credit card and checkbook for deposits and accessories. Be sure to check the refund policy and read the ENTIRE contact before signing ANYTHING. Remember payments made with your credit card provide you the most protection.
Take notes. Prepare for information overload. When you find a vendor you would like to follow up with, write down what you found appealing about them on the back of their business card or literature. When you get home and are faced with brochures from 12 different florists, your note may be the only thing you have to remember which ones you liked and why.
If you already have your gown, skip the fashion show and visit the vendor’s booths during that period. Vendors will be eager to talk with you since most everybody will be watching the fashion show.
Bring several sheet of mailing labels complete with your name, address, phone numbers, email, and wedding date. Most vendors will be conducting give-a-ways, so these address labels will save you time when registering.
Bring a camera to capture interesting designs, cakes and dresses. Photos are invaluable when you are trying to describe something.
When you interested in a particular vendor, notice how they listen to your needs. A quality vendor should ask you questions such as, ’What have you envisioned so far?’ and ’What do you want to avoid?’" Get the current contact information and title of the person you are talking to. Also find out if they will be involved in your wedding. They may just be helping out in the booth for the day. Try to speak with someone who will actually be involved your wedding.
Bring color and fabric swatches with you to help match and coordinate accessories, flowers, etc.
Bring along a bridal show buddy to give you input and to stop you from make snap decision and impulse buying.
Leave the kids at home; it makes it easier on everyone. They will soon grow bored and tired and may make your day miserable and less productive.
Eat a small meal before you go to the show and bring some cold bottles of water with you.
One more thing, you don’t have to give your contact information out to every vendor.
Consult with your Planner.
Talk to your wedding planner about the vendors you saw at the bridal show. Your planner can provide you with additional information and insight and perhaps first-hand knowledge about many local vendors. If you do not have a planner, give us a call at (816) 695-0716 and we will be happy to go over this information with you.
Schedule appointments.
After meeting with your planner and establishing a reasonable budget, schedule appointments with the vendors who can accommodate your budget and you feel might be a good fit for you and your wedding.
We suggest that you attend no more than 3 bridal shows to prevent information overload. When possible, pre-register for these events, pre-registration saves you time and a few dollars.
If you do not have a wedding planner/designer, not sure what a planner can do for you and why you need one or need a list of questions to ask vendors, just give us a call at (816) 695-0716. |
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Date:
11/28/2008
Title: Who Should I tip at my Wedding?
During a recent reception site/catering negotiation; questions regarding a tip jar and tipping in general came up.
Tipping is a practice which originally was intended To Insure Prompt Service (TIPS). Today, we expect good service and give tips to reward service provider for extraordinary service. However, most people in service businesses including caterers have come to expect a tip.
Most caterers add the gratuity of 18% to 20% right onto the bill. That gratuity is sometimes called a service fee or service charge. It is an extra line item on the bill in addition to food and bar. However, wording differs from caterer to caterer, so you need to be sure that you understand the bill and, in particular, how much of the service charge the wait persons and other staff are actually getting paid. Here are a couple questions you need to ask your caterer, catering manager or restaurant owner.
1) What is your policy concerning tips/gratuities? Gratuities relating to food services are often automatically included in the bill, so make sure to read your contract carefully.
2) How is the gratuity calculated? The gratuity may be calculated based on the number of guests or on the total amount of the bill and usually is paid for prior to the reception.
3) At what % is the gratuity calculated? The customary amount is between 15% and 20%. If, at the reception, the food services person goes out of his or her way for you and your guests, you might add a tip of $1-$2 per guest, after the reception. Tipping a hostess, Maitre D' or captain would fall between 1% and 2%.
4) How are the Bartenders tipped? Bartenders are also tipped between 15% and 20%, based on the bar bill. An additional 10% above the gratuity is not uncommon. What is most important with reference to the bar is that it be made absolutely clear that the bartender may not accept tips from your guests. A sign placed at the bar that says "No Tipping Please," should cover that contingency. A cash bar should be handled in a similar manner. Inform your caterer that you do not want a tip jar on the cash bar. A tip jar implies that your quests are expect to tip for ordinary service. If your guests want to reward the bartender for great service they will just hand him a tip. In most cases you are paying an additional fee for the bartender.
Make sure to include tips in your budget. Depending on the size of your wedding, tipping costs can become quite substantial, easily increasing your costs by hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Assign a designated tipper, your wedding consultant or best man should service in this capacity. Prior to the wedding, talk to him or her about your views on tipping and explain what parameters to follow on the day of the wedding.
Even though tipping is said to be optional, it has become obvious that it is almost always expected. Even the amount of tips, seem to be "set. Remember, that above all, service comes first and a tip is a way to thank people based on the level of service they provide and to reward those who went out of their way to ensure your special day was as wonderful.
If you have any questions regarding who and how much to tip, email us at mardeesdesigns@mardees.com or give us a call at 816 695 0716.
Happy Planning,
Mary Barrett
Mardee's Design and Consulting
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