"You saved my wedding" - why reading between the lines is so important

Yesterday my dear friend Daphne said to me "Richard, you saved my wedding." What? I didn't do anything. And I certainly didn't plan your wedding."

Then she reminded me that several months ago she had asked me to look at her hotel contract. She had chosen a hotel in the Caribbean. It was part of a large chain of extremely luxurious hotels. After looking at the contract - a lengthy one that freely used industry jargon such as minimums and guarantees - I called the hotel for clarification on some of the terms. The staff was exceptionally courteous, efficient - and unbending. Would have been perfect for Polk, Bird, Wells and Sebring PC, but not for Daphne.

It helps to know Daphne a bit. She is what I call MBC - Manhattan Bohemian Chic. She's a savvy New Yorker with a spiritual "Zen style" quality. I told Daphne that the hotel would execute perfectly. But, as you probably know, perfect execution is not the source of warm and fuzzy. Here was a perfect hotel and a completely wrong fit. So Daphne tore up the contract and booked the Montpelier Inn. Not a perfect hotel (albeit a very very good one), but definitely a perfect fit. And the wedding was perfect, and now Daphne and her husband are beginning their perfect lives!

Read between the lines. Perfect is not the same as perfect fit. It needs to be right, and it needs to feel right. Let your heart have it's say before you sign on the bottom line.

Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner - #1 and Intro

There are lots of reasons to hire a wedding planner (and sometimes reasons not to.) Rather than provide a list, I will, over the next couple months, pepper this blog with reasons. And here's the first one: as planners, we know more vendors than you do. After all, they seek us out. We receive letters, emails, samples, demo tapes and more every day. And our access to these resources increases the likelihood that you will hire just the right one for your wedding.