Events Blog

 

Great news! We are one of the first wedding planners in South Florida to offer groom's concierge services.  Now, you may be asking yourself what are groom's concierge services?  Think of it as a personal assistant especially for the groom. After all, although the wedding day is technically all about the bride, groom's need love too!  Our line of groom's services is centered around both the days and weeks leading up to the event date, as well as the wedding day itself. In the weeks prior to the wedding, our coordinators can assist grooms with scheduling sporting events for friends and family, obtaining event tickets, entertainment outings, scheduling grooming, planning the bachelor party and finally working with the event coordinator on the event day to assist the groom with any needs, all at a very reasonable price. Call us today to talk about how Six Cents Events can help you plan the event of your dreams with change left over!  

 

We Can Make Your Wedding A Recession-Fabulous Wedding!

 

Times are tough.  The economy is sagging, jobs are hard to come by and most families are cutting back on costs in ever direction. One thing is for certain though, people are still getting married! This weekend all eyes were on Kim Kardashian and Chris Humphries, as they tied the knot in a lavish, exclusive, celebrity packed ceremony.  Sources say that the guest list was over 400 and that the bride had 3 different dresses to showcase during the event.  This sounds amazing, storybook and even has a fairytale element to it. However, for most brides, especially in today's day and age, a wedding even half this size and scope is way out of the budget.  Currently, the average US couple is spending around $27,800 on their nuptials.  This number varies slightly per state and can adjust slightly in urban areas like South Florida, but is still pretty close to this average anywhere your planning is taking place.  When the cost of most celebrity bridal gowns exceeds your entire event budget, how do you make your wedding celebrity fabulous? By becoming recession fabulous of course! With the right planning and resources, couples can have a celebrity-inspired event, without the celebrity price tag. By following a few simple techniques, we have cut costs for many of our events without cutting the elegant look or feel of the event. Here are my top 3 favorite ways to make your event "Recession-Fabulous"!

 

1. Cut costs from your bar - it's the easiest way to cut out the largest amount of money with the smallest overall effect on your event.  - One of the most commonly used trends these days is the signature drink.  Couples are pairing drinks with their theme, using attractive and exciting colors and infusions or just trying to share a favorite and meaningful recipe with loved ones on their special day.  By using just a few signature drinks and limiting your bar to beer and wine, you cut out a bundle of cash and guests don't really notice anything missing. The most commonly used liquors are vodka and rum, stick with drinks that use only one of these and cut costs even more.

 

2. Sorry flowers... you've been asked to sit this one out! Candles, candles, candles! This is my personal favorite money saving technique.  Face it, everyone and everything looks better by candle light!  You've seen the use of obscene amounts of candles in movies and it looks great, why not steal this look for your event? More and more I am suggesting to brides to limit the number of floral arrangements that they have.  By using floating candles, candles of varying sizes in glass containers or even rows of tea light candles, we have been able to create dramatic, beautiful centerpieces.  These pieces are cost effective and most importantly give your event a warm, rich, chic feel without the chic cost.

 

3. If you must have flowers - go for a solo... Some brides are more traditional and others just love the idea of bunches and bunches of pretty smelling buds at their event, so they don't want to stray from using Flowers.  To those brides who are cutting costs but don't want to cut the petals out completely, I suggest using one type and color of flower on the tables and in bouquets.  Using a solo flower or what I like to call a "spotlight flower" allows us to purchase for you in bulk, giving you a better price.  In addition to the bulk purchase, bunching one type and color of flower together gives people the idea that there are more of them and it also allows flowers that normally would not look so elegant, like a carnation for example, to take on a whole different chic look and feel.  Most celebrity floral arrangements that you have seen in pictures or on-line can be re-created using a less expensive flower, giving couples the celebrity look without the sticker shock. 

I have to share a secret with all of you.  One of my favorite parts of the wedding reception is the cocktail hour.  I know what you are going to say, that it sounds crazy.  Most people feel that the cocktail hour is simply the buffer time between the ceremony and the reception. It’s misconceptions like that which have led the cocktail hour to lose face in the whole planning process! Cocktail hour is sometimes overlooked in the hustle and bustle of planning the intricate details of the reception dinner.  I say let’s spotlight the cocktail hour!  When it comes to this little hour between the ceremony and reception – I say the possibilities are endless!

            I have two words for you; cocktail couches.  One of the biggest crazes in weddings right now is very informal, creative and trendy seating.  For many high-end events that means custom chairs and tables for the reception.  For brides on a budget however, why not transmit that tend to a smaller scale at the cocktail hour? By creating impromptu seating arrangements with couches, big, comfy chairs, or lots of pillows in colors of your choosing, guests get the feeling of a happy hour atmosphere.  South Florida has several rental companies that are offering custom chairs and tables to spice up any event.

            Attention brides…the cocktail hour does not have to have the same theme as your reception or any other part of your wedding! There is a huge misconception that everything in a wedding has to be matchy-matchy.  That is not at all the case.  Anything goes in today’s wedding, including having two totally different themes; one for your cocktail hour and one for your reception.  This is a great idea for the brides who didn’t have the budget necessary to pull off their original idea, brides who found two really good theme ideas and had a hard time choosing or brides who want a formal reception and a very fun and informal cocktail.  Some of my favorite ideas from recent events include; creating an outdoor lawn game area for guests to play during their cocktail hour, a Hawaiian themed cocktail hour where everyone had to drink Hawaiian inspired drinks out of coconut shells and the very cool 80’s inspired cocktail hour where guests were invited to sport gummy bracelets and dance to Madonna songs. Whatever you them – remember it’s your event, have fun with it and most importantly, don’t forget about that little hour between the ceremony and the dinner, it’s got a lot to offer.  Contact us today if you need help with your cocktail hour or any other part of your event!