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Can You Negotiating with A Wedding Professional?

Don Advertising, Special Events, Weddings , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I found this blog post the other day by an event planning business called Reverie out of Hamilton, New Jersey.  I thought it would be a great post to share with you about negotiating with your wedding vendors and the view point from a wedding planner:

Negotiating with your Wedding Professionals.

It’s not often that I post something ‘negative’ in nature, so I was hesitant to blog about this after mapping out the idea in my head. But this is a topic that is so near and dear to my heart, and there is so much contradicting information floating around out there on the web. In my own little corner of the internet, I wanted to share my thoughts on the subject of negotiating with your wedding professionals.  It may make me different from other planners, but who ever said I had to be the same?

I received an inquiry last week from a bride and groom who were eager to book me to plan and design their wedding. The bride had been following my blog and social media, and she knew I was The One before even meeting me. Awesome! This is what I love to hear.

So I asked her the same question I ask all potential clients: “Why do you need a wedding planner?” Her reply was this:

“Well, we really need someone to negotiate on our behalf to get us the best deals possible.  We have some wedding professionals in mind but I don’t know if we can afford them without some help.”

WHOA. Stop the train. I couldn’t even find the words to reply for a few seconds, which felt like minutes. I wrapped up the conversation and told her I’d get back to her. I didn’t feel that we were a good fit in the end, and I told her that via e-mail, as graciously as I could.  When it comes to screening clients, my gut instinct has always, always been right.  So I tend to go with it.

As many of you know, I just spent the past six months working toward a re-brand that I feel truly encompasses the style, philosophy, and love behind Reverie Events. Not once during that process did I want to appear like the Priceline Negotiator.

The truth is, we value everyone we work with when we plan a wedding.  The clients, the clients’ families, and last but certainly not least, their carefully curated wedding professional team.  When we set out to plan a wedding, we match our couples’ style, personalities, and budget to whom we feel would be the best wedding pros for them.  Wedding pros we trust.  Wedding pros we’ve worked with on a number of weddings prior, and will continue to work with for years to come.

Let’s say you read reviews for local day spas and everyone seems to rave about XYZ Spa.  You walk in, you love the ambience, and you decide that you want to get a massage there.  But a massage is $100 for an hour, and you think that’s a bit steep.  Would you go up to the front desk and explain that you really want to book their services, but you’d like them to offer them to you for $75, instead?

No, you wouldn’t.  Because that would be offensive.  You trust that the spa is pricing their services accordingly, and that you’re going to get an AMAZING massage for that money.

Even if you were daring enough to TRY to negotiate the price of your massage, the owner might look at you, confused, and explain that their massages are priced accordingly for the services rendered.  The reason they charge more is because they have comfy, heated massage tables, a paraffin wrap for your feet during your massage, aromatherapy, and the use of the sauna, whirlpool, showers, lockers, and little snacks and cucumber water while you rest on a chaise, flipping through a magazine.  If you want to pay $75 an hour, you can go down the street to ABC Spa where there is no locker room; you unrobe right in your massage room and there are no showers or paraffin wraps.  Both companies are pricing their services accordingly, because both companies know their market and how their services compare to others.

The same holds true for the wedding industry.  Your wedding professionals didn’t pull their pricing out of thin air.  Proper pricing comes from years of experience and past reflection on the amount of work done for past clients.  Your photographer looked back on past weddings and realized that to shoot a wedding, hire a second shooter, spend hours editing the photos; to keep a website up and running, pay rent for a meeting space, and to keep their equipment updated, they needed to charge $xxxx for their services.  Your band, your DJ, your floral designer; everyone carefully calculates what they charge in order to continue delivering the standard of service they choose to offer.

Your wedding professional team will be like your family on your wedding day.  They’ll be participating in the best, most emotional, most personal day of your life.  In return, they’re giving you their heart and soul.  Their very best shot at your dream wedding.  And they’ll work hard for you because they feel valued.

So when you hire a wedding planner, hire a planner that will give you your ‘Best Wedding’.  Whatever that means to you.  If it’s the ‘cheapest wedding’, then Reverie Events isn’t the best fit.  But if it’s a wedding designed around love with AMAZING photos, killer floras, little details that will make your guests smile and memories that far exceed your wildest expectations, then we truly look forward to receiving your call.  We’ll connect you with a team of wedding professionals with the same exact passion, heart, and soul.  In life– and especially in the wedding industry– you get what you pay for.

As they say, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.  And because of our respect for our fellow wedding professionals, they respect us right back.  Because of that, maybe– just maybe– you’ll get a free e-session from the photographer we hook you up with, or a comped cocktail hour from the DJ who will have you on the dance floor the entire night.  Because in the end, there is value in feeling valued.

 

 

 

Busiest Wedding Weekend of the Year

Don Advertising, Films, Special Events , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Living in Knoxville is wonderful.  It’s a friendly, welcoming place and a place I’m proud of have settled into.  But, there is one thing you have to be aware of when you live her, University of Tennessee Football.  Around here the season starts about mid July when everyone gets ramped up for the fall football season.  What’s most amazing about UT football is how brides will schedule their weddings around the football schedule.  Which leads me to this blog today.

Every year when the schedule comes out for UT football there is almost always an open weekend, or open date.  That’s great for football, but rough on wedding vendors.  You see, every bride who wants to have a fall wedding will want to have it this one weekend because she knows most of her guest will come and it’s easier to find hotel rooms for out of town guest.  This past football season I worked not one, but two weddings. One Saturday and one Sunday.  Now I’ve done back to back wedding weekends before, but this one was a lot of fun.  Let me show you:

First up was Ashley and Eli.  Ashley is the wedding and event coordinator at the Knoxville Zoo.  Which by the way, if your looking for a great venue for your wedding you should really check them out.  Anyway, Ashley has become a very good friend of mine and her one and only, Eli, is a great guy that I have enjoyed getting to know.  Their wedding was at Twin Cedar Farms in Rockford, TN (she didn’t have it at zoo because would you have your wedding at the same place you work at? Didn’t think so).  Bonus points for this one because I got to work with one of my favorite vendors, Brenda Johnson and her staff at One Enchanted Evening.  Enjoy.

 

Sunday morning comes and I find my self driving out the the Wears Valley area that borders the Great Smokey Mountains to a beautiful venue called Trillium Springs.  Hidden in the trees on the side of a mountain, this venue offers both beauty and a private location that has amazing views and backdrops.  The only problem this day was it was a misty, rainy day.  Our bride, Leah, didn’t let it get her down.  The really big change was we had have the ceremony in the pavilion instead of the garden area.  But you know what, it was still beautiful and they had a great day.  Again, I got to work with Brenda and One Enchanted Evening and 2911 Event Planning Studio, but I also got to work with one of the best DJ’s in the area. Corey Goin of Music in Motion.  The man can rock a reception and keep it moving and fun. Check it out:

 

Very busy weekend, but a couple of beautiful brides who both had amazing weddings.  Congrats to both couples.  Man, I REALLY love my job.

Short Form Video: What is it?

Don Advertising, Films, Special Events

I get asked by brides all the time; How long will my wedding film be?  The truth is, I don’t know.  Kinda of a strange answer, isn’t it?  I don’t know.  Three simple words but it speak volumes.  If you ask your videographer how long your film or video will be and they tell you, “oh, about 12-20 minutes long.”  You have to ask yourself, what are they leaving out?

Short form video has become the new hot trend in wedding films and video.  Your entire day cut down to about 20 minutes.  The thing is, for them to be able to do this, they have to cut a lot of things out or they will only give you a short glimpse of a moment.  Let’s look at your ceremony for example.  The typical  wedding ceremony is about 20 minutes long (about as long as some of these short form videos I’ve seen).  If your lucky, you may get to see a minute or two of the ceremony spread through out the video.  You may get a few seconds of your first dance, your first look, basically you will get a few seconds of your day.  It’s short, sweet and to the point.  But here’s what gets me; they charge you the same, sometimes more, for the short form video as I charge for a wedding film that covers your entire day.  Does that make sense?

Think of it this way: would you pay $20 for a ticket to see a 20 minute movie?  Or, how about paying $20 to get in then another $15 for popcorn and a soda and seeing a movie that was 15 minutes long?  Would you be very happy?  Most likely not.  But that’s what your getting with a short form video, a 20 minute peak at your wedding day.  Maybe it’s just me but if I’m spending $24,000 (the average cost of a wedding in Knoxville) on a wedding, I want to be able to go back watch the entire day, not just what the videographer thinks I want to see.

Thinking of Cutting Video? Read this first.

Don Advertising, Films

TheKnot.com is the online authority when it comes to weddings.  Hundreds of brides log onto the site daily to get advice on everything from dress ideas to table placements.  There are some brides that swear by TheKnot.com, so when they offer advice it’s a pretty good bet the advice is solid.  Here is a blog from TheKnot.com from September 2010 that I wanted to share with you.  I think it speaks for itself:

Yes, photos are fabulous, but video captures things that photos cannot — like your father’s speech, your first dance song, and your maid of honor’s toast.

It’s not what you think

Throw out the idea that a wedding videographer means lights-camera-action in your face all night. Today’s videographers embrace a more documentary style of filming, meaning you might not even notice them — until they’re handing you a stunning video of your day. Video can also be taken in a variety of styles, from vintage Super 8mm film to high-def.

Video captures the in-between moments

Yes, your photographer will get both posed and candid shots, but for everything in between, you need a videographer. And since there’s no posing (you just keep enjoying the party!), you won’t have to worry about looking stiff or awkward on film.

Videography lets you experiment with style

You want your wedding photos to be timeless (they’re going to be displayed in your home for years to come), but your wedding video can be a little trendier while still looking classic. Try out hip videography styles, like vintage Super 8mm film or high-def wedding trailers for a creative look.

Video means sound

It’s an obvious one, but video captures audible moments, such as your mother’s tearful words of wisdom as she helps you with your veil, your father’s reaction to seeing you in your dress, or your grandmother’s laugh as she dances with your grandfather. These are the memories you’ll cherish long after your dearest relatives have passed, and a wedding video will preserve them forever. And whether you write your own or go traditional, there’s no other way to document your vow exchange. Video can also capture important reception moments, such as toasts and songs for you to share with your family in the future.

Wedding videos aren’t boring

Banish the idea of a wedding video that plays out like a boring slideshow. Same-day edits are one of the hottest trends in wedding videography. Your videographer can capture the highlights as the bride and groom get ready and even include footage from the entire ceremony & reception. Guests will love the behind-the-scenes look as you and your groom prepare for your big moment. Or you can incorporate video into your save-the-dates, engagement announcements, or even as a way to welcome your guests to the wedding destination.

Biggest regret

In a recent survey conducted by TheKnot.com; 85% of brides who DID NOT have a wedding video said it was their biggest regret about their wedding.

Gifts For A Guy

Don Advertising, Boudoir, Photography , , , , , ,

Gifts For A Guy

There are 4 major “gift buying” holidays for most any couple.  Birthdays, Christmas, Anniversaries and Valentines Day.  The majority of these holidays most guys have a difficult time trying to find just the right gift for that special girl.  My wife even says I’m awful at getting gifts.  She says  she drops hints all year for me to pick up on, but like most guys I don’t get the hints and have to scramble to find a great gift for her.  I think you gals have it a bit easier.  Guys are pretty simple to buy for, for the most part.  Electronic gadgets, hunting or fishing items pretty much will just about do it.  My wife is so good with buying me gifts, most times she finds gifts that I didn’t even know I wanted.

However, it seems like the guys get a break on Valentines Day.  It’s pretty much given to the guys on a silver platter.  Some roses, a romantic dinner at a nice restaurant topped off with a piece of jewelry.  Now not every guy does it this way,  but that is how the media and marketing gurus push it, so we just follow along.  But what about the gals?  What do you get that special guy in your life?  Flowers are not the thing most guys want to get at work.  The romantic dinner is nice, but it’s something we guys try to own and we are not huge on jewelry.  So what just what do you give him?  What gift can you give him that is romantic and memorable?

Why not give him you?  Give him you in a way he will never forget.  Give him you at your sexiest in a boudoir shoot. But before we get into a boudoir session, lets dispel some “boudoir myths”: Historically, the boudoir formed part of the private suite of rooms of a lady, for bathing and dressing, adjacent to her bedchamber, being the female equivalent of the male cabinet. In later periods, the boudoir was used as a private drawing room, and was used for other activities, such as embroidery or spending time with one’s romantic partner.  It comes from the French verb bouder, meaning “to be sulky” or boudeur, meaning “sulky.  Today, it’s the hottest type of photography.  More and more women are doing boudoir sessions for their guy as a  way to explore their own beauty and to bring out that sexy woman that’s been hidden behind the mini van or the morning carpool.  Boudoir is not pornography.  We don’t shoot you in the nude or in graphic poses. We want to capture you as the beautiful, sexy woman you are and we want to do that in an artful and tasteful way.

  A lot of women also think they have to have fancy, expensive lingerie from Victoria Secrets.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Sure, lingerie is common and beautiful, but we have had sessions with ladies in their guys favorite shirt, sports jersey, or even a simple nightgown.  We even had one session where the gal didn’t have any lingerie at all, not so much as even a night shirt.  She wore clothes that made her feel sexy, powerful and special.  When we get a call about a boudoir session and the woman ask “What do I wear?”, we tell them to bring whatever makes them feel comfortable, sexy, powerful and special.

The last myth is two fold; I have to be super model thin or I don’t know how to pose for photos like that.  Did you know the average size of an American woman is a 16?  We say EVERY woman is beautiful and sexy, no matter if they are a size 2 or a size 22.  We want to bring out that woman in every session, and we help you bring her out.  We make you feel comfortable and at ease through the entire session.  We laugh with you, play music you like and just generally have fun.  Normally within 10 minutes of shooting, most ladies are relaxed and are enjoying the entire session.  Plus, we help you with the posing.  We walk you through each pose and help you get that sexy, WOW look each time.  Plus, if I can get in the pose, you can to.  Also, we will never ask you to do any pose or wear any outfit your not comfortable with.  NEVER.  We tell each lady that if we ask you to so anything your not comfortable with, just say NO and we move on. No questions asked.   If your thinking “I’m too old to do this.”.  Well, your not, we have worked with ladies well into their 60′s.

Lastly, we are going to make it even easier for you, starting Thursday, January 17, 2013 we will be offering a Groupon for a one hour boudoir session and you also get a free 8×10 to go home with that day.  How much easier can we make it for you?  Why not give him that gift that ONLY you can give him, give him YOU.

We all love choices

Don Advertising, Films

Picture yourself going out on date night with that special person, the one your engaged to.  He takes you to a fancy restaurant at the start of a great evening.  You get to your table and your waiter arrives with a plate of food.  Puts it front of you and tells you to enjoy your dinner.  You grad the waiters arm before he leaves and say “I didn’t order this, I haven’t even seen the menu.”.  His response to you not only socks you, but confuses you a bit.  “That is how we serve our customers, we decide for you what you want to have for dinner.  There is no other options, it’s our decision not yours.”

Doesn’t sound fair does it? Is that the kind of restaurant you want to got to?  Would you feel like you got what you really wanted or would you feel like something was forced on you?  The funny thing is, there are wedding vendors who do the same thing.  They are happy to work for you and help you make your wedding day fun, but it’s the way they want to do it, not yours.  What’s that saying? Oh yea, It’s your wedding, do it the way you want.

I recently read a story from a bride who booked a videographer for her wedding.  When she got the DVD back, she wasn’t happy with the music and felt like they left some stuff out.  She contact them back about it, they said “we edit your film the way we want to and we put in the music we feel works best for your wedding”.  Sounds a lot like the waiter who dropped a plate of food in front of you and said, “Enjoy, it’s our choice”.  Don’t you want a choice?

Midnight Magic Studios will ALWAYS give you the choice in every part of your film.  You pick the music you like.  The songs you know, the song that makes you think of him when you hear it.  The song you sang together on the great road trip you took together.  The song from the concert you went to with your best friends.  Music is such a huge trigger for memories.  So why not have the music you want.

Pick out the package you want.  We not only offer you three choices for your wedding package, we also have over 15 additional options you can use to customize any package you choose.  We allow you to take any package and completely redesign it to fit your needs and your budget. The choice will always be yours.

But most of all, we’re not happy with your wedding film if your not happy.  I don’t mean a little happy or “Well, I guess it’s not bad” happy.  We want you to be excited to see your film.  Not just the first time but every time you watch it.  If you’re not happy, tell us and we will fix it. Simple as that, no questions asked.  Tell us what’s wrong and we will make it right.

There’s more to the wedding film then just music, there are tons of options and choices you can make about your film.  Don’t let someone make those choice for you.

Straight from the Bride and Groom

Don Advertising, Films

One of the best parts of my job is working with some of the most amazing couples in the world.  Couples that have such a love for each other and I get to watch them turn the page on a new chapter in their lives.  That is the case with Brooke and Jeremy.  They are such a fun couple and their wedding reflected that.  I asked them to share with you how they felt about their wedding film and why they chose Midnight Magic Studios for capture their wedding day:

 

Thanks for Brooke and Jeremy, I wish you both nothing but love and happiness for your future together.

7 Minute Movie

Don Advertising, Films, Weddings , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My wife and daughter are really excited about the new “Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part 2″ moving coming out this weekend.  It’s all they have talked about for weeks.  I think they have seen the trailer online about a dozen times or more the past few weeks.  I, myself, am not a fan of the Twilight movies and will send them off for a “girls night out” fun that mothers and daughters love to share.  I’m sure most of you reading this blog are planning to see it as well.  Think about this as you are going to the movies this weekend.

You stand in line to get your tickets (if you haven’t purchased them online already) that cost you in the area of $9.00 each.  More if you see the IMAX version of a movie.  Then you have to have some popcorn, a cold drink and maybe even a little candy.  When all is said and done, you’ve spend close to $20 and you haven’t even seen the first frame of film yet.  As you sit down in the theater and wait for the movie to start you are so excited and just can’t wait for the movie to begin.  I mean, you’ve only waited almost a year or more for this final chapter of the Twilight Saga.  Then the lights dim and the music starts.  After what seems like 30 minutes of movie trailers and commercials, which I still don’t get, the feature presentation starts.

7 minutes later, it’s over.  That’s right, 7 minutes.  That’s the whole thing, the entire movie; 7 minutes.  You waited months, spend $20 to see a seven minute movie?   How mad would you be?  How upset do you think the others in the theater would be?  I know if I spend $20 or more for a movie, it better be more then 7 minutes long.  But, that’s what brides are paying for today and some of them may not even know it until it too late.

The latest, greatest thing for wedding films is called the short form video.  It’s about 7 to 8 minutes long and only gives you the best parts of your wedding day condensed down to fit into that time frame.  Most Catholic wedding ceremony’s  can be an hour or longer.  Hindu weddings are upwards of 3 hours long.  How do you fit a wedding day into 8 minutes?  My typical wedding day is in the area of 9 to 11 hours long.  I capture in the area of 7 to 9 hours of footage from the wedding day and that’s if I do nothing more then just the ceremony and reception only.  I can’t fathom the work that would be involved in just shrinking 9 hours of footage to just 8 minutes.

The craziest part of all this is the wedding videographer is charging you the same price for an 8 minute video that I charge for a full wedding film that can last on average 90 minutes or more. I don’t understand how they can do that.  I look at it this way, they are charging the same price for a 10th of the work.

Midnight Magic Studios offers brides a full length film of their wedding day.  They get the entire day, from hair and make up to the grand getaway at the end of the night.  No shortcuts, no short form video, nothing but the entire day given to you, the bride.  You didn’t plan an 8 minute wedding day, why try to relive only 8 minutes of it?

Changes are on the horizon

Don Advertising, Boudoir, Photography

Well, most likely you have noticed the new look of the web site.  It’s still a work in progress but it’s coming along really well.  Your comments and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated.  The web site is not the only change, we are announcing a few new services we are going be offering:

Photography:  Yes, we are going to offer wedding day photography either as an addition to the wedding film package you choose or as a stand alone service. More on that in a future post

Video Booth:  You know what a photo booth is, how about letting your guest share their wishes, options and views from your wedding day?

Bridal Boudoir:  We have been offering that for the past year and it has been a huge hit.  We are going to start advertising this a little more and we will be posting some more information about what is available soon.

Bachlorette Pin Up Parties:  The greatest bachlorette party you’ve ever had.

This is just a teaser post, there will be more information coming soon.

Toughest Part of The Wedding

Don Advertising, Films, Weddings

Toughest Part of The Wedding

Do you know what is the toughest part of your wedding?  It’s not walking up the aisle.  It’s not figuring out the seating chart, it’s not even trying to decide how to cut down the guest list.  No, the toughest part of your wedding is trying to find the right vendors for your wedding day.  You want to find just the right florist, photographer, caterer, even the right venue can be a trying time.  What questions do you ask?  How do you find a good photographer?  What should you look for at a bridal show?  The questions are endless.

The problem isn’t the questions, it’s that fact that most times you don’t know what questions to ask.  What do you ask a florist to make sure they are right for your wedding?   How do you know if you need a wedding planner?  Can you hire a coordinator for month before the wedding, the week of or ever just the day of your wedding?  The problem is most brides have never had to hire any of these vendors before and quite frankly, it can be confusing.  Everyone telling you they are the best, they’ve won this award or that award.  Or they try to dazzle you with what I call “Techno Babble”.  They talk about all this high tech stuff and spout off names, letters and numbers to the point it just confuses you.  What does it all mean? Do you really need to know what it all means?  Wouldn’t it be great if someone on the inside could give you all the secrets and insider info?

Well, now you can get all the insider information on how to pick just the right vendor.  Studio 29:11, Knoxville’s leading bridal resource studio, is hosting a 10 weeks series called Bride Camp.  The sessions are held each Tuesday evening from 6 to 8pm.  Each week you will learn from some of the Knoxville’s top wedding professional on just what questions to ask, what to look for, and what you should know before you have that first meeting with you’re wedding vendors.   Photographers will tell you what to look for in a photographer.  Florist will tell you what to look for in a florist.  A caterer will not only tell you what to look for, but also help you cook that first great meal by providing you with a simple, yet amazing meal to cook that first week your home from your honeymoon.   And you will be able to ask questions one on one with each of the professional at the end of the class. On Febuary 7th, I along with two of the top photographers will be doing a session on how to pick your photographer and videographer.

If you want more information on the schedule for Bride Camp, go to the Studio 29:11‘s web site.   Please RSVP before each session.   And, as a bonus, there is going to be giveaways at each class.

Here is a schedule for the classes:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7