What's so SPECIAL about Special Invite Event Planning

This is a question that I ponder on very often to ensure my goals are aligned with those of what are being displayed from day to day throughout the world of Special Invite. In an every changing industry, I find myself re-evaluating the business as a whole and making sure we keep our clients' needs at the forefront. The things that are SPECIAL about Special Invite Event Planning is visible in our everyday encounters with our clients.

So here's insight into "What's so SPECIAL about Special Invite Event Planning":

1. Special Invite's #1 goal is to be an advocate for our clients! This means that we're putting the needs of our clients as the #1 priority. I know without them--Special Invite is nonexistent. We are making sure our clients are taken care of every step of the way through the planning process.
2. Special Invite assist each client with planning and executing every detail to ensure their day goes as the client envisioned it to go. This simply means, we are here to advise our clients of current trends within the industry and offer our professional opinion(s) when needed. I like to think of this as the "Special Collaboration" between the professionals of Special Invite and our clients. This ensures the vision of the client stays true throughout the planning of the wedding or event.
3. Limited....Special Invite values each of their clients and only accepts a limited number of weddings each year to ensure we're giving each client the utmost level of attention and dedication. I incorporated this thought early on as I did not want to spread the resources of Special Invite thin AND each of our clients are valuable to us.
4. Knowledge is Power -- We (myself, associate coordinators, interns, etc.) are constantly increasing our knowledge by attending training workshops, industry seminars, and professional associations' (ABC, ISES, NACE, and AFWPI) meetings. I know, in order to grow on both a personal and business level, we must strive to be the best in the industry and educate ourselves in the process.

These are just a few things that stuck out to me as to what makes Special Invite so Special. So to sum it all up....we're SPECIAL because our client has been and will always be our #1 focus!

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Teresa B.

Special Invite Event Planning

Exclusive Deal on iDo Daily Deal

Today is the day!!!! Check out Special Invite Event Planning's EXCLUSIVE deal on iDo Daily Deal from July 28 - 30, 2011. Perfect for the "Do-it-Yourself" bride and groom who may need a little assistance along the way. For additional details, visit iDo Daily Deal and sign up for great offers from local wedding vendors to help you plan your PERFECT day!

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Teresa B.

Special Invite Event Planning

Wedding Wednesday: Knowing Your Role (Part 4)

I apologize for being a day late with the final installment of this month's Wedding Wednesday series. As promised last week, I will go into greater detail (as written by my dear friend and personal cheerleader Debbie Tobias) of what an usher does on your wedding day.

Ushers are typically responsible for

• Arriving early to the wedding ceremony. They can help you with any last-minute details like lighting candles, checking the audio system, etc.
• Greeting wedding guests as they arrive to the wedding ceremony
• Escorting female guests down the aisle and to their seats; her male guest follows behind them. Traditionally, an usher offers his right arm so that he may escort the ladies. But if that seems too formal for your client's wedding, a simple greeting and a "please, follow me" is completely acceptable.
• Distributing any programs to guests at the wedding ceremony
• Right before the processional, rolling out the aisle runner

Make sure that each usher knows the seating guidelines for the wedding ceremony. For a Christian ceremony, looking from the back of the room, guests of the bride sit on the left-hand side of the aisle/altar, while the groom's guests sit on the right. This is reversed for Jewish ceremonies.

If the divvying up of wedding guests is unbalanced--say, the groom has 100+ guests and the bride has 20--instruct the ushers to direct guests, as they arrive, to the best available seats.

The role of usher is ideal for teenage boys and/or adults whom your clients want to include on their big day. Ushers should be comfortable talking to people. Most ushers will have to rent (or buy) formalwear unless, of course, you are comfortable with them wearing their own suit.

Hope this information has been of some assistance to you in determining the role of the persons selected to be a part of your wedding party.

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Special Invite Event Planning

Have a question regarding wedding etiquette? Email your question(s) to info{at}thespecialinvite{dot}com and we will be sure to post the answer to your wedding planning questions!

I L-O-V-E a GREAT Deal!

Who doesn't LOVE a deal?!?!?! iDo Daily Deal is a Houston based company which is modeled after the websites of GroupOn and Living Social. You're probably thinking "Not another one of those sites!" But wait....it strictly caters to the wedding industry professionals. So, if you're in the market of needing talented wedding professionals at a discounted price...iDo Daily Deal is a great place to start. Check out their recent appearance on Fox 26 Morning News.

Wedding-Based 'Daily Deal'? 'I Do!': MyFoxHOUSTON.com

Special Invite Event Planning will have a "SPECIAL" deal for brides and grooms-to-be on iDo Daily Deal this Thursday (July 28, 2011). Be sure to sign up to receive information on how you can cash in on hefty discounts from wedding vendors servicing the Houston area.

Stay tuned for more great tips and discounts Special Invite Event Planning has to offer.

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Teresa B.

Special Invite Event Planning

www{dot}thespecialinvite{dot}com

A Few Kind Words....

(An example of a beautifully blended family--The Frazier Family)

In January of 2011, I was given the opportunity to plan and coordinate a wedding for the lovely couple, Robert Frazier & Melanie Shannon, who recently tied the knot on June 18, 2011 in the Greater Houston area. There was plenty of blood (figuratively speaking), sweat, and tears that went into planning this wedding. I enjoyed working with this family and wish them many years of marital bliss!

(Found this kind gesture in the mailbox)

It's nice and refreshing to the soul knowing you've made a difference in someone's life OR put a smile on someone's face. It is my goal to provide this type of feeling to each client each and every time Special Invite Event Planning is hired.

Again, Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Frazier!

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Teresa B.

Special Invite Event Planning

Wedding Wednesday: Knowing Your Role (Part 3)

Previously, I briefly explained the wedding party roles of the Matron of Honor, Best Man, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen/Ushers, and the Bride’s parents. This week I will dive into the basic roles of the Groom’s parents. Please keep in mind this is a very basic description of what each member of the wedding party is responsible for and can vary from wedding to wedding.

Groom’s Parents (Collectively)

· Helps prepare the guest list for the bride and her family

· Selects attire that compliments the Mother of the Bride

· Plans and pays for the rehearsal dinner

· Can witness the signing of the marriage license

Groom’s Mother

· Arranges accommodations for out-of-town guests

· Dance with the groom during the mother/son dance

Groom’s Father

· Selects attire that compliments the groom’s attire

· Offers a toast at the rehearsal dinner

This information is brief and should be used as a starting point on what to expect from the groom’s parents. Next week, I will go into greater detail of the Ushers' role.

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Special Invite Event Planning

Have a question regarding wedding etiquette? Email your question(s) to info{at}thespecialinvite{dot}com and we will be sure to post the answer to your wedding planning questions!

Thursday Thought from Guest Blogger Natalie Reed: Sending Thank You Letters

So you just had the wedding of your dreams and you get home from your FABULOUS honeymoon only to be greeted by an overabundance of gifts. Without a doubt, anxiety begins to set in at the thought of writing thank you cards. Do not stall any longer, I am here to help! Sure, this task seems like a huge undertaking, but if you follow the simple steps listed below you’ll be done in no time.

Step One: Start the note with a proper greeting such as, ‘Dear So and So…’, ‘Hello…’ It seems very silly to include this in the steps to writing a proper thank you note, but you’ll be surprised by the number of people that forget to include this simple step.

Step Two: Express your gratitude for the gift. It’s very important to include the item purchased. If a guest purchased a personalized picture frame, you should write something like, ‘Thank you for the personalized picture frame.’

Step Three: Write about how you plan on using the item. ‘I already have plans of putting a picture of us on our honeymoon in the frame.’

Step Four: Discuss a past event or refer to the future. Write something like, ‘ I was so glad to see you last summer at the family reunion and even more glad to see you at our wedding a few months later’ or you can write something like, ‘I was so happy to share our wedding day with you and look forward to seeing you soon.’

Step Five: Say thank you for the gift again. Write something like, ‘Again, thanks for the gift. We really appreciate it.’

Step Six: Wrap it up! Use words or phrases such as, ‘Love’, ‘Thanks Again’, ‘Yours Truly’, or whatever suits your style.

Step Seven: Finally, review the note for spelling errors and prepare for mailing.

Good Luck!

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Special Invite Event Planning

Have a question regarding wedding etiquette? Email your question(s) to info{at}thespecialinvite{dot}com and we will be sure to post the answer to your wedding planning questions!