Previously, I wrote an entry to all my Korean brides out there who are planning their wedding, and today I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts to all my Korean vendors out there. Eversince I opened up this blog, I've come to find out not only brides regularly visit my site but vendors as well. Thank you so much for visiting and reading what I have to say. I would love to get some feedbacks/comments from today's entry. You can either email me personally or leave comments.
먼저 결혼 업체 사장님들, 그리고 지금도 열심히 일하시고 있는 분들에게 너무 수고 많으시다고 전하고 싶습니다. 같이 일할때 힘이되고 마음도 통해 저도 더 많이 배우고 더 힘이 되어 드렸어야 하는데 오늘 쓰려고 하는 주제에 혹시라도 제가 당돌하다고 생각하신다면 먼저 죄송하다고 말씀 드리고 싶습니다. 기분 나쁘실지도 모르지만, 가끔가다 몇몇분들을 통하여 아쉬운 점들을 느껴서, 오늘은 웨딩 플래너로써 한국말로 제 생각을 얘기 할까 합니다.
“웨딩”이라는 industry 에서 살아 남으려면 계속 끊임없는 개발과 creativity, 그리고 무엇보다 중요한 건 신부를 잘 파악해서 도와주는것이라고 생각합니다. 아무리 이쁜 드레스라 하여도 신부의 얼굴 & 몸매 & 취향에 안 맞으면 그 드레스를 고를수가 없는것 처럼...신부의 취향을 알고 최대한 어떠한 방법, 아이디어로 도와야 할지 빨리 파악하는것이 vendor들의 마음 가짐이라 생각합니다.
그래서 하는말인데..
1) Photographers-야외촬영이나 드레스 촬영도 중요하지만 항상 똑같은 장소에서 (특히 walt disney concert hall, union station, santa monica beach, pasadena city hall- 제발 이런곳은 이제 피해주셨으면 합니다. ) 몇년동안 그장소들만 선호하시는 분들이 많은데, 마치 신랑 &신부 얼굴만 바뀌고 찍는 포즈는 거의 같은 수준에서 촬영 하시는 분들.. 조금만 노력하고 research하면 얼마든지 이쁘고 특이한 장소들을 찾으실 수 있는데... 진정 신랑 &신부들의 wedding story을 들으면서 어디서 프로포즈를 받았는지, 둘이 무엇을 좋아하는지, 짦은 interview 를 통해 그사람들의 성격을 파악해 사진에 담으면 너무 좋을것 같습니다. 2-3시간 야외촬영 이라고 나가지만 막상 focus 하는건 어느각도에서 신부가 이쁘게 나오는지만 생각하는건 별로 좋게 보이지 않습니다. 그리고 그 당일날 정말 찍어야 할건 candid shots & detailed shots 라고 봅니다. 그래서 하는말인데 항상 똑같은 장소나 포즈는 피해주시고 좀더 creative하고 신랑 신부의 분위기와 그들의 스토리에 맞게 찍어주시면 정말 감사하겠습니다.
2) Florist- 꽃은 참 애매한 부분이 많습니다. 이쁜 꽃을 쓰고 싶지만 신부 budget에 맞추어야 하니까 정말 어떨땐 참 idea가 많아도 현실이 안따라 줄때가 많다고 봅니다. 그래서 충분히 이해하고 저도 이부분에서는 신부들한테 꼭 말하는 부분입니다. 잡지책에서 보는 이쁜 꽃들이 현실적인 budget이아니고 seasonal꽃들이 아니면 힘들 수 있다고.. 하지만 가끔가다 정말 제멋대로, 편한대로 대충 그냥 꽂으시는 분들, 색깔만 맞추었을 뿐이지 스타일은 영 아닌 케이스가 많을때가 많습니다. 이젠 좀더 신부들이 무엇을 원하는지, 샘플도 많이 보여주시면서 컨서팅에 좀더 신경쓰시고, 새로운 아이디어, 잡지책도 많이 보시면서 스스로 공부하시면 좋을것 같습니다. 그리고 손이 좀더 많이 가더라도 신부가 원하는 방향으로 비지니스를 하시면 정말 성공하리라 믿습니다.
3) DJ/MC- 이부분에서도 전에 제가 말했다시피 신부,신랑 중심으로 이루어지면 더 좋을거 같습니다. 항상 똑같은 게임과 MC위주로 너무 많이 attention이 가도 보기 안좋을때가 많습니다. 재미있긴 하지만 결혼식과 정말 상관없는 게임들, 하객들 웃기기 위해 너무 신경쓰다보면 막상 포커스가 다른데로 가 있을때가 많습니다. 앞으로 어떻게 살아갈건지, 새로운 가족으로서 다짐이나, 감사하고 싶은분들에게 한마디라도 신랑신부한테 물어보고.. 좀더 personal 한 game으로 인도한다면 더 의미있는시간이 되지 않을까 생각합니다. 종종 어떤 신랑신부는 shy 해서 그 당일날 말하기 싫다고 하는분들도 있지만, 그래도 미리 생각해두고 정 불편하신 분들에게는 미리 써서 준비시키는것도 좋을것 같습니다.
그 냥 한건의 프로젝트나, 돈벌이, 이벤트가 아니라 평생 남을 그들의 첫시작을 축복하는 의미로 좀더 personal하고, creative하고, 의미있는 결혼식을 위해 노력하고 개발하자는 의도로 말씀드립니다. 어떤 특정 업체를 판단하고자 쓴것은 절대 아니니 오해마시고, 역시 저도 계속 발전하고 새로운 아이디어를 개발하는 웨딩플래너로써 같이 마음이 맞는 분들과 일하고 싶습니다. 요즘 경기가 많이 어려워 힘들어 하시는 분들 많으실텐데 그래도 passion과 vision을 잃지 마시고 화이팅 하시길 바랍니다!! 사랑합니다!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Groom's Cake
GUEST BLOGGER: ELISA YOON
The southern tradition of having a groom's cake has now become more popular. For those who don't know what a groom's cake is: a groom's cake is usually served on a table at the wedding reception, but it can also be served after the rehearsal dinner. A lot of brides surprise their groom with this cake.
The decoration of the groom's cake often reflects the personality of the groom or his favorite hobby. The design may also be humorous and reflect the couple's interests.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Spring Wedding Gowns
GUEST BLOGGER: ELISA YOON
So with the new year follows spring!~ Spring is when all the flowers start blooming and wedding gowns with flower would be perfect for the season.
Very Wang is known for her modern take to classic wedding gown style that captures who the person behind the dress is. She comes out with new designs twice a year. Her dress is featured in Bride Wars by Kate Hudson~
Allure Bridals: Design 8560 is gorgeous. Below is design 8264.
Enzoani collection is characterized by the gowns' backs that are buttoned up.
Maggie Sottero dresses usually have some form of corset closure.
Monique Lhuillier The images below are from 2008 collection. Go to her link to see her new 2009 collection.
{Images from Brides.com}
Platinum "Opulent couture, embodiment of luxur"
{Images from Brides.com}
{Images from Romona Keveza}
St. Pucchi Style 9322 is so gorgeous! It's fit for a queen.
Claire Pettibone is known for her lacy wedding gowns. For 2009, her source of inspiration is wedding cakes. Her 2009 collection are not in stores yet. Some of her gowns would make one feel like Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind!
Here are some other popular designers that didn't allow pictures of the dresses to be taken from.
Once Wed : A good place to go to look for designer dresses for less; used wedding dresses
Brides.com : A good place to start figuring out what kind of dress you would like to wear on your wedding.
Refer to Esther's how to shop for you wedding dress.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
In loving memory of Rachel Yebin Nam (2003-2009)
This past Saturday was an emotional roller coaster ride for me as I attended a funeral service for Rachel in the morning and a wedding for one of my college friends in the afternoon. We finally said good bye to Rachel who suffered from a heart disease from the day she was born. It was so hard to see her parents letting go of their daughter. I am incredibly close to her mom as she has always been so caring and generous throughout my life. Rachel went through three major surgeries over the past five years and she recently celebrated her 5th birthday this January. She was actually my flower girl at my wedding and I still remember how she would always talk about walking down the aisle as the flower girl every time I visited her house.
I had no idea how Rachel's mom was coping with the loss of her first child so when she asked me this week to go to the flower market to make a flower wreath for Rachel, I immediately went to her house to spend some time with her.
Rachel, carefully walking down the aisle with my nephew, Nathan at my wedding...
Rachel loved flowers and going to the flower market with her mom. As our last gift to her, we bought an oval shaped oasis and arranged it with her favorite flowers, blue hydrangea, orange ranuculus, pink tulips and purple lisianthus, and placed her photo in the middle.
Rachel on her 5th birthday...
My dear Rachel, may you rest in peace and 우리 천국에서 다시만나자...
Friday, January 23, 2009
Cost Cutting Tips
I came across this helpful cost cutting tips written by Angela of Lulu Events from Style Me Pretty and I thought I would share them with you today. Just because you're on a tight budget doesn't mean you can't have a creative, meaningful and tastful wedding.
1. Personalize, Personalize, Personalize – by creating a theme or sticking to a cohesive look you can make a wedding or event look very sophisticated with just a few ideas that guests will always remember. Prioritize what is important and spend the money there.
2. Identify your color palette and stick to it. Remember you always need an accent color. One main color and 2 accent colors are ideal.
3. Party Rentals - by selecting a colored or textured linen you get more bang for your buck than spending money on lots of colorful flowers on a white table cloth. The linen color will transform the space immediately and set the tone for your wedding reception.
4. Choose flowers that are in season and go for a monochromatic look, buying flowers in bulk is less expensive than buying many different types of flowers and my favorite trick is to incorporate fruit in to the centerpieces!
5. Choose a live musician for the ceremony and cocktail hour but nix the band and stick to a dj for the reception. It will save thousands of dollars. Just make sure to choose a play list that reflects the mood of the event and personality of the couple.
6. By booking a wedding venue off season or on Fridays /Sundays – wedding venues and vendors will likely give you discounts so you can save your money for a honeymoon splurge!
7. Consider hiring a wedding planner – we really are experts and our tips & ideas can save you time, money and get you discounts with vendors.
8. Select one signature cocktail for the cocktail hour such as a Bellini or Kir Royale that will be passed by the waiters and offer wine and beer only the rest of the evening. You will be amazed at the cost savings!
9. Minimize the guest list- do you really need to invite that neighbor that you pass thru the hall or your second cousin Vinny that lives across the country?
10. Skip the wedding favors (do we really need to see another Godiva chocolate at the place setting?), instead spend the money on a signature cocktail or a favor the guest will use during the course of the evening like a black and white photo booth!
11. Never ever try to skimp on a photographer- a talented photographer will capture memories that will last a lifetime!
1. Personalize, Personalize, Personalize – by creating a theme or sticking to a cohesive look you can make a wedding or event look very sophisticated with just a few ideas that guests will always remember. Prioritize what is important and spend the money there.
2. Identify your color palette and stick to it. Remember you always need an accent color. One main color and 2 accent colors are ideal.
3. Party Rentals - by selecting a colored or textured linen you get more bang for your buck than spending money on lots of colorful flowers on a white table cloth. The linen color will transform the space immediately and set the tone for your wedding reception.
4. Choose flowers that are in season and go for a monochromatic look, buying flowers in bulk is less expensive than buying many different types of flowers and my favorite trick is to incorporate fruit in to the centerpieces!
5. Choose a live musician for the ceremony and cocktail hour but nix the band and stick to a dj for the reception. It will save thousands of dollars. Just make sure to choose a play list that reflects the mood of the event and personality of the couple.
6. By booking a wedding venue off season or on Fridays /Sundays – wedding venues and vendors will likely give you discounts so you can save your money for a honeymoon splurge!
7. Consider hiring a wedding planner – we really are experts and our tips & ideas can save you time, money and get you discounts with vendors.
8. Select one signature cocktail for the cocktail hour such as a Bellini or Kir Royale that will be passed by the waiters and offer wine and beer only the rest of the evening. You will be amazed at the cost savings!
9. Minimize the guest list- do you really need to invite that neighbor that you pass thru the hall or your second cousin Vinny that lives across the country?
10. Skip the wedding favors (do we really need to see another Godiva chocolate at the place setting?), instead spend the money on a signature cocktail or a favor the guest will use during the course of the evening like a black and white photo booth!
11. Never ever try to skimp on a photographer- a talented photographer will capture memories that will last a lifetime!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
DIY Project- Paper Mobile
Heather from Frazier & Wing's does amazing things with paper. I love these pieces from her white paper mobile collection and her one of a kind pieces are also very gorgeous. You can hang them over the cake table at the wedding reception and later hang them in the house as a beautiful reminder of the wedding. I'm so thinking about making this paper mobile to hang it over the crib. What do you think? too girly for my son? kekekkeke I don't care, I'm still gonna make it before he arrives!
Now.. these are way too girly, but I LOVE it!! Butterfly Chandelier from Potterybarn Kids Collection
Now.. these are way too girly, but I LOVE it!! Butterfly Chandelier from Potterybarn Kids Collection
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Angela & Kenny Tie the Knot!
My dearest Angela got married on January 10th at Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery in Pleasanton, CA. She is seriously the sweetest & most caring person I've met through Wellspring and I have come to treasure our friendship. She even packed a separate goodie bag for Bobby & me when we were moving down to So Cal and whenever I flew up to Nor cal, she would always offer me her place to stay and made sure I was taken care of. Although I really wanted to go to her wedding, I couldn't make it because my doctor suggested I shouldn't drive up to Nor cal since I was so close to my due date. Looking at these gorgeous pictures taken by the talented Susan Yee of En Pointe Photography, I cannot help but post up these amazing photos with you to share some of my thoughts.
Angela, thank you so much for sharing your stories & planning process with me. Although I was far away and couldn't offer much help. I'm so glad to hear everything went perfectly as planned and more than anything, you looked absolutely amazing! Welcome to married life and it gets better year after year. let's just hope so... :)
Sneak peek at her wedding day photos!
Angela came to my house the day she booked her venue which was back in March or April of last year and I remember clearly how excited she was. Well.. she does get excited about everything tho. ^ ^ Over nine months of planning her wedding, I am glad I was able to offer at least a bit of help & advice. She always had stories to tell me about her wedding and it was quite hilarious to watch her go through the wedding planning process. I swear, she can even write a book about it!! From finding the right person to do her letterpress invitations, crazy guest count with two separate receptions, finding the perfect ceremony site, not-so-great experience with some of Ktown vendors she visited in search of her wedding gown, her hideous bridesmaids dresses she ordered online which had to be returned a month before her wedding date, finding her florist to getting her table runners custom made, to her premarital counseling sessions with Pastor Sam... I have a lot more I can think of, but these are just few of my memories about her wedding planning. Now that this is all over, what else can we talk about unless she joins the prego club? ^^
Angela, thank you so much for sharing your stories & planning process with me. Although I was far away and couldn't offer much help. I'm so glad to hear everything went perfectly as planned and more than anything, you looked absolutely amazing! Welcome to married life and it gets better year after year. let's just hope so... :)
Here are some engagement photos taken by Susan Yee.
Sneak peek at her wedding day photos!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
