Ways to save on your wedding

We are still in the heart of engagement season (that's right, Valentine's Day is coming up). Which means many new couples will begin their wedding planning early this year. With wedding costs on the rise (the average wedding is now between $20-30k depending on the area) it is good to know some ways to cut costs in general. Here are a few tips we think are noteworthy: 1. Cut down. Have 100 guests instead of 150. Have a buffet instead of a 5 course meal. Have 3 bridesmaids instead of 7.

2. Loosen up. The less formal the affair, the more affordable. Instead of a sit down hotel dinner, go for a casual brunch or appetizer only event.

3. Pick and choose. Go for a designer dress but skip the expensive shoes and accessories, serve cake but skip the candy/dessert bar. Have an amazing photographer but settle on having cousin Doug in film school videotaping the event.

4. Hire a wedding planner! Wedding planners are professionals and know even more ways to save and cut costs, they even get discounts with many of the wedding vendors who would normally charge you full price. (Hey, I think I know a planner...)

Stay tuned for more tips on getting started with planning your wedding!

Real Wedding ~Anissa & Brendan 4.12.14~

Talk about a beautiful April day! We really lucked out on the weather for this amazing wedding, the girls were prepared with rain jackets and umbrellas and didn't even need them! These two fun-loving lawyers, Anissa & Brendan celebrated their wedding in the gorgeous city of Mukilteo, WA near the waterfront. After the ceremony at St. John's Catholic Church, guests & the wedding party headed over to Rosehill Community Center to celebrate. Their photographer, Amanda Lloyd was able to catch some amazing shots. We are loving the photos of them in the getaway car! Talk about looking like stars of their own romance film!  Not to mention, Anissa's stunning dress and lovely flowers from Stem. Wonderful eats were provided by Cabbage Patch Catering and cake from Happy Cakes, as guests danced the night away to music from Bugsie Productions, even busting out some glow sticks for a dance party at the end of the night!  

Wedding Planning: It's Your Day Events & Expressions

Real Wedding: Nicole & Justin- Sept 21, 2013

Wow! This couple just celebrated their one year anniversary! Time has flown by, but the memories of this amazing day still remain. Justin and Nicole got married on the pier in Seattle and had their reception indoors at the Bell Harbor Conference Center. Talk about amazing views for the ceremony! Beforehand the couple had some fun and took pictures with their bridal party on Justin's family's boat and the girls sashayed around with their colorful parasols.

It was a joyous event; as the sunset over the Puget Sound, guests enjoyed a fabulous dinner, some tasty cake and danced the night away.

Vendors: Venue- Bell Harbor Conference Center Photographer- Ryan Duclos Wedding Coordination: It's Your Day Events & Expressions DJ- A Sounds Unlimited Flowers- Lisa Hampton Ceremony Music- Trio Lumina

Meet our Interns!

Hey there! This summer has been flying by! Wedding season is in full swing, and we are grateful to have a little help this summer. We have two amazing new interns on our team this year and would love to share a little about them! Meet Samantha & Kate! Samantha K.

Tell us about where your from and what you are in school for. I was born in San Jose, CA but at age of 5 I moved to Poland and lived there for 15 years. I came to Seattle around 5 years ago. I chose Seattle because it’s a very artistic city which I love and also I have family here and since I was moved from a completely different culture, I thought I would need some help and it’s always nice to have someone around just in case. (Sam is in school for event planning at Edmonds CC)

What is your favorite Disney movie? I love all the old school Disney movies like “Dumbo” or “ 101 Dalmatians” but my favorite would be “Mulan”. I love how that movie shows little girls that women can do incredible things as good or event better then men. I always had a strong female figures around me growing up so I always love watching women kick ass.

If you had to choose your last meal ever, what would it be? Lemon soup... I know it sounds weird but my mom makes the best lemon soup, it’s served with rice. I think it’s known only in Poland but I love it!

Why wedding planning? I always enjoyed planning parties for family and friends everyone always seemed to really enjoyed my parties. I never thought I would fall in love with weddings so much but it’s such a beautiful celebration of life and being part of this magical day, a new beginning in couples life, it brings me a lot of joy. I always wanted to do something that will make people smile and I finally found it. I feel like a fairy godmother and it’s the best feeling in the world to know you made someone’s dream come true. This is the day they will be remembering for the rest of their lives and I couldn't be more honored to be part of it.

Your favorite thing about working for IYDEE? I love working with Christina & Ashley because they let me try new things and are just really fun to work with. I get to learn and experience something new  every single time. For someone who’s just starting out like myself, Ashley & Christina are ideal mentors and I’m just really happy I get to work with them, very inspiring young women.

Your guilty pleasure? Green mint ice cream! I can eat tons of it and don’t care how fat it will make me.

What is your Starbucks order? Cinnamon dolche late

Something a lot of people don't know about me is: Something a lot of people don’t know about me is in my free time I write song lyrics. Most people write in diaries and I write lyrics about my life.

In this job, I learned that when I get married, I : In this job, I learned that when I get married, I will know how to stay on budget. For me it has always been the biggest problem as well as I learned a lot about importance of details. But I think the most important part will be to have an event coordinator day of. I don’t want to stress out and worry about time or if all the vendors are on time so I will definitely have someone to take care of it so I can enjoy my day.

Your personal advice for the newly engaged bride?  My personal advice for a bride to be would be definitely hire a wedding coordinator; if you can’t afford full planning then at least day of. A lot of people think it’s easy but it’s so much more work, most people don’t realize, to have a professional to help you that way you can be positive you will have a dream wedding. Also give yourself enough time to plan everything slowly step by step.

Kate B.

Tell us about where your from and what you are in school for. Hometown: Shoreline, WA. Currently at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA studying Psychology.

What is your favorite Disney movie? Monsters Inc.                                                                                                            

If you had to choose your last meal ever, what would it be? A turkey sandwich. It's a weird obsession                                                                              .

Why wedding planning? I'm very detail oriented and love planning. Wedding planning allows me to see each and every little detail fall into place to create a beautiful event. And it's so much fun!                                                                                                                                                   

Your favorite thing about working for IYDEE?Working with such fun, laid-back wedding coordinators!                                                                                                  

Your guilty pleasure? Watching crime TV shows. And the Bachelor.                                                                                                                                                 

What is your Starbucks order? Iced vanilla macchiato                                                                                                                             

Something a lot of people don't know about me is: I used to be a ski racer.

In this job, I learned that when I get married: I'll have a tough time making decisions. There are so many options!

Personal advice for the newly engaged bride:Relax! Planning your wedding should be enjoyable, and having the help of wedding coordinators like Ashley and Christina will make the process a whole lot easier, less stressful, and more fun!

Cheers,

Ashley

REAL WEDDING: Julia & Deric Feb 2014

We met Julia only a couple weeks before her wedding, and we didn't meet Deric until the Big Day. He was the man in a sharp dressed black tux, flocked by two swanky looking groomsmen in white tuxes. Looking good was definitely in order, as this couple got married at the famous Escala Condos, home to the notorious Christian Grey, from the book 50 Shades of Grey. As lovers of this book, we were super excited when we were brought on board. The venue was complete with an elegant staircase, wine cellar and patio ceremony with a roaring fireplace in the background. The venue looked amazing, with flowers provided by Ravenna Bloom, as well as person elements like the paper crane altar backdrop, and expressions in beautiful calligraphy from Carolyn Kach design. Amazing food was prepared by Lisa Dupar Catering and the delicious dessert was provided by our favorite dessert place as well, Hot Cakes. The music was provided by A Sounds Unlimited, the DJ spun some awesome songs and the night ended with some amazing dance moves! Photos provided by Carina Skrobecki Photography.  

Meet Our Associate Planner~ Sara!

We met Sara back a couple years ago when she inquired with us about an intern opening during a wedding show...and decided to hire her on for the summer season of 2012. Good thing we did...Sara is one of those rare gems. We couldn't let her go after her internship was up, so she is now officially part of the IYDEE team as an Associate Planner! She is an incredibly hard worker, smart, creative, funny- and not to mention she has become a true friend to us both! Get to know a little bit more about Sara and why she is so awesome. I interviewed her a little about herself and about being a wedding planner! Read on to hear more about this lovely lady!

 

1. Tell us about where your from and what you went to school for.

 I grew up in Spokane, Washington- we moved there from Mesa, Arizona just before I turned 3. I lived there until I transferred to Western Washington University! I went to school two years at Eastern Washington, before transferring, and graduating from Western Washington with a degree in Business Administration and Management.

 

2. What is your favorite Disney movie?

My favorite Disney movie is Mulan. I like the girl power in that movie, and the animals crack me up.

 

3. If you had to choose your last meal ever, what would it be?

Choose my last meal ever huh…? Hmm..Probably a big spread of my favorite Thai foods! Yummy!

 

4. Why wedding planning?

I have always planned the events and vacations for my friends and family. I would say that the planning of those gave me the bug! I always dreamed about being a wedding planner, so I finally took the plunge and enrolled in an online event planning course. The event planning course was great, but not hands on- I was looking for something more. So I went to the Snohomish Wedding Guild, and tried to meet wedding planners, I asked if anyone needed a summer intern. That of course, is where I found the amazing gals of It Your Day Events…and the rest is history!

 

5. Your favorite thing about working for IYDEE?

My favorite thing about working with IYDEE is the team. We have such a good time during each and every event that I find myself wishing we had events to work all day every day. The best part is that I know we can accomplish anything between the three of us. It can be anything from bussing tables to going on a beer run- and a good time will still be had by all.

 

6. If Sara isn't planning weddings or flying as a flight attendant you can find her__________?

Running, reading or traveling more!

 

7. A fond memory of a wedding so far?
We worked a wedding at Hidden Meadows in 2013- I loved the set up of that wedding! However, there is something I enjoy out of each of the weddings we work- set up, details, flowers, dessert, dances, toasts etc etc etc!!

 

8. In this job, I learned that when I get married, I __________________.

I want to have elements in my wedding that pertain to myself and my future husbands relationship. We worked one wedding that, for their dinner, they served the meal that the couple ate together on their first date.

 

9. Your personal advice for the newly engaged bride? 

My advice would be to take your time, don’t try to take on too many elements at once (that’s what coordinators are for!) and to make sure you enjoy it!

 

10. Random wild card?!

I worked at a YMCA summer camp for four summers, my camp name was Sara “Toga” Northey.