shameless self-promotion


27
Jan 10

Update on How to Plan Your Wedding Without Losing Your Mind

It’s not too late to sign up for “How to Plan Your Wedding Without Losing Your Mind,” a three hour summary course including tips and tricks on DIY planning.  The course will occur on Thursday, Feb. 25th from 6:30-9:30.  The cost is $45 for a couple (bride and mother/marrying couple/any one marrying person plus a family member). For information on signing up, please visit Rush-Henrietta’s Continuing Education on the web.  The course number is YF 5014. There was a typo with the instructor name, so rest assured I will be there!

I’ll also be offering this course on Thursday, April 29th 6:30-9:30, so look out for that in Rush-Henrietta’s Spring bulletin.


20
Jan 10

2010 Bride’s Choice Award Winner!

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Better Together Events has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards for Wedding Planning!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Better Together Events is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

I am happy to announce that Better Together Events is among the very best wedding planners within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. I would like to thank my past newlyweds for nominating me for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.

For more information, please visit my WeddingWire Storefront today.


18
Jan 10

Ask Me Anything!

Ask me anything at http://formspring.me/betterevents!


13
Jan 10

Better Together Events: Vendor’s Choice 2009!

OneWed Vendors Choice
I was notified today that I won the distinction of the Vendor’s Choice 2009 award through OneWed.com!!  This means so much because I was nominated by my peers in the wedding business.  I always say that second to my clients, vendors are the most important piece of creating dream weddings!  Thanks for this special honor!

29
Dec 09

What a Year!

It’s been quite a year for Better Together Events!


We officially became a business earlier this year taking the plunge to full-time wedding planning.  It was quite the gamble for a non-gambler, but it was by far one of the best decisions I ever made.  Next year will be our first complete wedding season in the fabulous Rochester market and it is shaping up to be a busy one with more than 10 events – far exceeding our first year goal!   We are already booking for 2011 and interviewing summer interns to help us through the busy summer months.  I’m so proud of where the business has gone this year.  I couldn’t have done it without the support of my fellow wedding vendors, lovely clients, friends, dear family, and my wonderful husband for putting up with my 24-7 working habits.  See you next year!

Some of the highlights from our year:


15
Dec 09

Plan Your Wedding Without Losing Your Mind!

Isn’t that the point of hiring a wedding planner?  Well, yes!  But…

Way back when I decided to open my own wedding planning business, a major goal was to keep wedding planning affordable and accessible to today’s bride.  One of the ways I thought to do this was to offer a course with some major pointers on organization, etiquette, design, vendor selection, and budgeting.

So long story short, I pitched my concepts to Rush-Henrietta Continuing Education and my idea was accepted! The course will occur on Thursday, Feb. 25th from 6:30-9:30.  The cost is $45 for a couple (bride and mother/marrying couple/any one marrying person plus a family member). For information on signing up, please visit Rush-Henrietta’s Continuing Education on the web.  The course number is YF 5014. There was a typo with the instructor name, so rest assured I will be there!  I plan on offering this every season as a cost effective way for DIY brides to get a crash course in planning. 

Of course I think the benefits of hiring a wedding planner far outweigh the costs (see my blog post on this subject here), but this is a nice option for brides on a strict budget.  Hope to see you there!


14
Dec 09

New Website Music!

My musical inspirations pretty much change daily.  Today, for example, after a wonderful weekend celebrating the season with best friends, I’m feeling particularly inspired by the brilliance of Vince Guaraldi.

Anyway, I updated my website music to “Today” by Joshua Radin, an amazing acoustic singer that has been called the next Simon and Garfunkel.  He sings the version of the song on my website with the amazing Priscilla Ahn, who you can see if you go to Lilith Fair next summer.  I’m hoping my busy wedding season allows me to go as the lineup is nothing short of spectacular.

The second and last song on my website is a live version of Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble.” This song is lyrical genius in the folk music world and beyond.  It’s just a wonderful ode to love.


9
Oct 09

Reminder About the Upcoming Trunk Show at Bella You

Happy Friday!

Make sure to mark your calendars for the Casablanca Trunk Show at Bella You Bridal Shoppe!

Where?  Bella You Bridal Shoppe, 1851 Ridge Road E., Rochester, NY

When?  Saturday, Nov. 7th, 10AM -4PM
Sunday, Nov. 8th, 1PM-4PM

What? A “Trunk Show” is a special show that allows bridal designers, in this case Casablanca, to share their designs.  This show will feature the latest designs by Casablanca, and shoppers can save money by taking advantage of weekend ordering specials.  Visitors/shoppers can speak to me, as well, about tips on planning their special days!


5
Oct 09

Another Online Planning Resource: One Wed

OneWed is another great planning resource a la Wedding Wire.  It is free for vendors to sign up and for couples to review vendors.  You can find us on OneWed here.  Happy Monday!


18
Sep 09

A Great Wedding Resource: WeddingWire! And Some Good Words,Too!

I came across weddingwire.com earlier this year, and I absolutely love it. It is a great resource to wedding planners, vendors, and couples because of its review feature. Vendors can endorse each other, and couples can review vendors, which is beyond helpful when trying to pick from a huge selection of professionals for your wedding. It’s also free for all vendors to sign up, so users get to sample from a large pool of wedding professionals.

I am happy to report that I’m the recipient of some great reviews and endorsements, which makes me feel so excited and proud of the work I’m doing at Better Together Events. Thanks to all my phenomenal clients, encouraging, kind, and talented fellow wedding vendors, and amazing brides for the good words!

Here’s a sample of one of my reviews:


5.0
out of 5.0
Quality of Service: 5.0 out of 5.0 (5.0/5.0)
Responsiveness: 5.0 out of 5.0 (5.0/5.0)
Professionalism: 5.0 out of 5.0 (5.0/5.0)
Value For Cost: 5.0 out of 5.0 (5.0/5.0)
Flexibility: 5.0 out of 5.0 (5.0/5.0)

Laura assisted with the day-of-coordination of my August 2009 wedding. Prior to the wedding, Laura was accessible, detail-oriented, and informative. No matter what issue I was dealing with, I always felt better after speaking with her. On the day of the wedding, Laura was on time, professional, effective, and fun! Without a doubt, the only reason I was able to relax and enjoy the day was because I knew I had Laura on my team and that she simply would not let anything go wrong. When small issues did arise (and they always do), Laura had an immediate solution. I distinctly remember thinking on that day: “I am so glad that she is here.” Her intelligence, problem-solving skills, and sense of humor make her truly great at what she does. I had a phenomenal experience with Laura, and I can guarantee she will be a stellar addition to your special day.

Because of the number of positive reviews I received this year, I am “Wedding Wire Rated” for 2009.

Happy Friday!