2008 Recap at Save the Date Events

2008 was a stellar year for us here at Save the Date Events!

We would love to share a few highlights with you:

• We won a Knot Best of Weddings 2008 Award for Colorado Wedding Planners
• We were nominated for the Denver 7 A-List AND took 2nd place in the Wedding Planner category
• We successfully planned and coordinated 20+ events in 2008
• We started using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter
• We toured over 50 Colorado venues to keep the most current database for our clients
• We started using premier professional wedding planning software to ensure the absolute best service for our clients
• We attended more than 20 networking events
• We joined the Better Business Bureau as an accredited business
• We continued to learn, grow and network with the Association of Bridal Consultants organization
• We were asked to be a preferred wedding planner on more than 10 preferred vendor lists at venues we worked at this year

What a year it has been. 2009 promises to be even more exciting with unique planning ideas, fabulous clients and excited new business ventures. We can't wait to get started!

Flair For Your Shoes

Can't find the perfect shoes? Add your own flair with these fun shoe clips for the bride or the bridesmaids. You can find these at Wedding Tulle.

Newly Engaged?

BIG congratulations to the couples who just got engaged! Here are your top to-do's (after you call every person you know to spread the good news):

1. Hire your wedding planner - this should be you first step. An experienced wedding planner can be a huge asset while you are looking at venues. Decor ideas, logistics and price crunching by an experienced professional will help you find the venue that best fits your style, budget and your vision. At Save the Date Events, we have visited or worked at over 200 venues in Colorado. We tour venues every month to keep the most current venue database for our clients.

2. Decide on the date or month of your wedding - If you are set on a particular date and it is a Saturday in May-September, you will have a more difficult time finding the perfect venue that isn't already booked. If you have some flexibility with the date, you will have more options available to you.

3. Budget - you need a rough estimate before you start looking at wedding venues.

4. Get your venue booked - Unfortunately, you aren't the only couple looking for a wedding venue right now. Over 5000 couples who just got engaged this month will be looking at venues in Colorado in the next few months.

We would love the opportunity to meet with you, hear about your wedding ideas and see how we might be able to assist in creating your dream wedding day. Give us a call today!

Happy Holidays!

From all of us at Save the Date Events, we wish you a festive, fun and safe holiday to you and your family. We can't wait to hear the engagement stories for all those couples who will become engaged today and tomorrow!

Cake Toppers

There are so many options to put on top your cake....icing flowers, real flowers, sugar flowers, monograms and the traditional cake topper....or maybe not so traditional!

How about cake jewelry?

Comical cake toppers will have your guests laughing and talking.

I love this adorable Asian bride and groom.

You can find all of these and more on Jewelry for Cakes.

Referral Fees and Kickbacks

Kickbacks and referral fees are often a taboo subject in the wedding industry. My motivation for this post is based on a blog entry from fabulous Blue Orchid Designs. Here is the link to their full blog post which explains the subject completely.

At Save the Date Events, we never accept any kickbacks or referral fees. Our clients are trusting us to recommend vendors who are going to give them the royal treatment...not because we are going to make an extra $100 when the contract is signed. If a vendor wants to thank us for referring them, we ask the vendor to give the discount to our clients. If you do not have a planner or have not hired your wedding planner yet, read the fine print in your contracts and ask if they accept these type of commissions.

Another good point in the Blue Orchid article is about winning contests and awards based on your advertising dollars spent. Our awards for 2nd Place in the 2008 Denver 7 A-List and the Knot Best of Weddings 2008 award were not based on any type of advertising that we have done. We are very proud to have received these awards based on our professionalism and expertise in wedding consulting.

Wedding Day Jewels

I love these custom creations (above) from Colorado based jewelry designer Kira Designs. They custom design with your colors and style. Their prices are very reasonable.

Can't afford real diamonds around your neck? Here is a stylish set from Etsy seller portobello.

For the ultra stylish bride, add some color and flair to your wedding day. Check out the fabulous options from Turq Jewelry.

Now is the time!

If you are already engaged, now is the time to kick the planning into high gear. Did you know that 30% of engagements happen over the next few week? For wedding vendors, that means January and February are B.U.S.Y. The last available Saturdays at popular venues will be booked by mid-January. From what I've seen recently, many of the Fridays will be booked by then as well for 2009. If you are engaged and planning a 2009 Saturday wedding, you should already have your wedding consultant booked, your venue booked and be meeting with photographers.

We are so excited for many of our 2009 weddings. We have a good mix of mountain weddings including Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Winter Park as well as Denver and Boulder weddings.

Become a Fan!

Become a fan of Save the Date Events on Facebook! Click here to join us.

Wedding Planners Make for Interesting Conversation

Apparently being a wedding planner makes for good cocktail hour conversation! Check out the full article here.

Stylish Stationery

I'm obsessed with paper products. Weird, yes. I could spend hours at the craft store picking out various paper products and creating new ideas. I love the invitation lines that I sell discounted for my clients but there are also so many other fabulous creative small businesses who do incredible work. I'd like to share a few of my favorites from Colorado.

The girls at I-Do-Graphics are so talented. I can't wait to show off their sample book to clients.




I'm also a big fan of Lily Willow. They have letterpress invites that are to-die-for!