Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

An Etiquette Application for your iPhone

Need a quick reference for setting your dinner table?

How about thank you note tips?

Check out the iPhone application Etiquette Avenue.  This little app could definitely get you through a formal affair -- just don't use it during a conversation or the middle of dinner.  That's not cool.

Don't worry BlackBerry users!  I heard that a similar application is being created for BlackBerries too.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

A Teachable Moment

 

Every now and then wedding planning can be a little too much to handle.

Everyone is imposing their unsolicited thoughts and opinions on you.  Or you are not sure if your wedding vendors are on the “up and up.”  On top of that, you are not sure if all of your wedding tasks are going to get done before your wedding day, and you are afraid that your ideas are going to look like a “hot mess.”

With so much pressure, it’s understandable that you will experience some very stressful moments.

We’ve all been there.

You find yourself at your breaking point.  And the next thing you know, you have used some choice expletives at one of your girlfriends, your fiancé or even your wedding planner.  (Oy!)

Okay, so now the damage has been done.  Fortunately, you won’t have to pay a $10,000+ fine like Ms. Serena.  Unfortunately, you may have damaged a pretty important relationship.

Outbursts happen to the best of us.  What matters most is how you deal with the fallout of your outburst.

 

Here’s my recommendation:  Make a sincere apology (very soon after the incident) to the recipient and don’t do it again.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

 

 

 

(Photo: www.mirror.co.uk)

Howerton Handbook: Receiving Line Etiquette for a Wedding

A friend of mine showed me a video of a wedding she attended a few years ago.  The wedding was absolutely gorgeous -- the bride was stunning, the ceremony was romantic (I cried, of course), and my friend says that the food was right up there with perfection.

You would have thought that those details would be what my friend described to me the most, but they weren't.  She was most affected by the handshake she received from the bride in the receiving line.  You see, the bride barely acknowledged my friend and her handshake was very limp.  I explained to her that the bride was probably exhausted and she probably wanted nothing more than a moment alone with her groom.

But this made me wonder for a minute.  What if she wasn't tired.  What if she didn't know the receiving line etiquette.

Here are some tips --

1. Have a receiving line only if you can handle greeting ALL of your wedding guests.  Greeting approximately 150 wedding guests is not an easy task.  If you are unsure about your ability to greet the last guest with the same enthusiasm as the first guest, skip it.  Greet your guests throughout the reception.

2. Get rid of the bouquet. Give your bouquet to your wedding planner (or a trusted friend) for placement in a safe place.  Bouquets get heavy after a while and it is a little awkward to hug or shake hands if you are holding it.

3. Schedule enough time for each guest.  Your timeline should allow approximately 15-30 seconds for each wedding guest.  Hopefully, everyone will not take that long, but it's a lot less stressful than worrying about the time that you are losing because of a chatterbox.

4. End each handshake with eye contact and a smile.

5. Make sure that everyone in the receiving line knows to keep it moving.  Parents are typically the most guilty.  The receiving line is an opportunity to greet each guest.  Long conversations should be held during the actual reception.

6. If your ceremony and reception are in the same venue, consider skipping the receiving line altogether.  Most cocktail receptions typically lasts 60 minutes.  If this is the case, your wedding guests at the end of the line may miss the entire cocktail reception.

7. Be aware of the little rules involving a good handshake.  This blog post is already quite long, so I thought I would share a video to discuss the rules connected to a good handshake.

Take care!  Love & Soul Always, Kay

An Afternoon Tea with Anna Post

Northern Virginia's own Dandelion Patch is hosting Anna Post at a special event on Sunday.  Here are the details:

Sunday, March 22, 2009
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Bazin's on Church Restaurant  
111 Church Street NW in Vienna, VA

The $60 tickets include the bridal tea, Anna's lecture, and an autographed copy of Anna's new book.

Reservations can be made by emailing Lindsay  at the Dandelion Patch  or by visiting one of their stores in Vienna or Reston.

Have fun!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

(Photo of Anna Post: Brides.com)

There must be something in the air . . .

I was reading wedding blogs last night and I ran into a couple of postings about customer service.  There must be something in the air, because customer service was already on my mind.

A Howerton+Wooten Events bride got married this past weekend, and her projects were in good shape during the week prior to her wedding.  So, she should have spent the last week basking in wedding planning bliss -- Unfortunately, she went through a little craziness.  You see, a couple of her wedding vendors forgot what customer service was all about -- They were a little more focused on "winning the fight," and less focused on the customer's concerns.  Which blows me away since no one wins in fights like this.  I mean really, what's the true value of winning back a couple of hundred bucks if your client leaves the experience with a sour taste in her mouth.

Anyhow, my friend and iWED buddy, Katasha, must have had a similar experience because her latest post peaks into some customer service frustration.

And, if you face customer service challenges related to your wedding gown, check out the advice given on Always a Blogsmaid.  I think it is spot on.

Hopefully, this craziness will blow over soon, and we will return to being ladies and gentlemen that serve ladies and gentlemen once again.

Love & Soul Always, Kay 

(Picture: AnimatedTV.com)

Taking good care of your wedding clients goes a long way

Next Saturday's wedding is the first time that I will work on-site with a floral design company called, My Flower Box.

My Flower Box has some of the prettiest flowers that I have ever seen, but their floral design is not  the reason that I will return to them many times after next week's wedding.  It's their customer service.

You see, the ladies (Kimberly and Lori) at My Flower Box and Howerton+Wooten Events are working together on a wedding next weekend that has gone through many, many changes.  Not a big deal really, but I have witnessed wedding industry vendors become a little prickly when a bride makes numerous changes to her requests and needs.  Not them.  They consistently respond quickly and without issue.  Their flexibility not only keeps the bride happy, it makes me look good.  You got to love that!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Keeping your Wedding Guests Comfy

 

As the bride and groom, you are the guests of honor of a significant celebration.  Family, friends and colleagues are going out of their way to ensure that you are honored, happy and comfortable on your special day.

To ensure that your wedding guests are as comfortable as you, I recommend that you avoid some of the little wedding missteps below.

Come dressed to impress!  I saw this phrase on a wedding web site once, and I must tell you this – this is definitely not the best place to be clever with wording.  Sure, your “fashionistas” wedding guests will know exactly what to wear, but the rest of your guests will find this phrase a little confusing.  If noting the proper attire is important to you, then go with the most popular terms – Casual, Semi-Formal, and Formal.  Or better yet, explain what you mean in detail (i.e., Formal: Tuxedos, Ball Gowns).  Everyone tends to get that.

Valet parking – Please allow me to clarify – Having a cute young guy take your car and park it for you can be "quite" comfortable.  Not knowing that you had to pay for the valet parking isn’t.  If your budget can afford it, I recommend that you pay for parking.  If you cannot cover the cost of valet parking for your wedding guests, please note the valet parking fee on your map/direction card.  If you don’t want to pay AND you don’t want your wedding guests to pay, then seek out wedding venues that offer free parking.

Inappropriate wedding toasts or garter removals – Sure, nothing is probably funnier than hearing about the bride’s risqué antics at her Vegas bachelorette party, but it may be a little difficult for her grandma, godmother and (gulp) dad to hear.  As tempting as the revealing toasts may be, I recommend you keep them rated G for the ease of everyone involved.  The same goes for the garter removal.

Monetary gifts preferred – Given the state of our economy, I can understand a couple’s need for cash, but your wedding invitation has one purpose – To invite your guests to the wedding.  Anything regarding your gift preferences on your wedding invitations would be considered inappropriate and off-putting.  If cash is what you need the most, I recommend the following:

· Tell your best friends and your immediate family about your gift preference so that they can share this information with anyone that is interested.

· Don't register for gifts.  It sends a mixed message.  (However, please understand that some guests will buy gifts anyhow) 

· If you have a bridal shower, let the shower host know so that she can relay this information to your shower guests

Cash Bar -- Speaking of money, nothing sucks the cash out of your wedding budget like an open bar.  So, I can totally understand why a cash bar would be tempting.  But even in the most contemporary circles, cash bars are considered un-cool.  It’s like inviting friends into your home and asking them to pay for the wine that you served at dinner.  If you are trying to stay within your wedding budget, but you would like to serve alcohol, consider the following tips:

· Purchase your own alcohol.  Some venues will allow you to bring in your own alcohol as long as you pay a corkage fee.  (But be careful.  A corkage fee can send the price right back up!)

· Talk to your caterer and explain your budget for beverages.  Caterers deal with this all of the time, and they can probably make a few less expensive recommendations.

· Serve alcohol during your cocktail hour only.

· Serve a signature drink only.

So, there you have it!  Avoiding these missteps may take a little forethought, but it’s well worth the effort to ensure that your wedding guests are comfy and having fun!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Thank You!

We know that Howerton+Wooten Events, LLC would not be the company that it is today without the amazing and gracious clients we have had the pleasure of serving.

We are grateful that you trusted your wedding, conference, and/or event with us and we look forward to the opportunity of taking good care of you in the near future.

Thank you for believing in us, and have a fabulous Thanksgiving Holiday!

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Too Chicken to be Civilized

You know, there are so many things that I wanted to write about today.  I thought I would share some dinner party ideas since my honey-do and I are throwing a small dinner party tomorrow evening.  Then I thought about the wedding dress drama that I enjoyed on “Grey’s Anatomy” last night.  Quite funny.

But, I received my Friday Focus from Carrie and Danielle today and I must give them a “virtual shout out.”  As my girl, Tam, says, “sometimes the Friday Focus can be practical and sometimes it hits you right at home.”  I would say that today’s focus titled, “8 Simple Ways to Be Civilized and Kind,” hit me right at home.

As I mentioned, I am planning a small dinner party for tomorrow.  Because I am trying to plan more green events, I am on the hunt for a locally-grown, free range chicken.  I didn’t know where to go in my own community, so I started with my local grocery store.  This is how the conversation went . . .

Me: “Excuse me.”

Deli Cashier (no eye contact): “One minute.”

Me (one minute later): “Excuse me.”

Deli Cashier (still no eye contact): “Yes.”

Me: I am interested in purchasing a locally-grown, free-range chicken.  Do you have any available?

Deli Cashier (finally, some eye contact – a little squint, but I will take it!):  A what?

Me: A free-range chicken.  It’s a chicken that is permitted to roam without being fenced in.

Deli Cashier: No, we don’t sell that here.

Me: Do you know where I might be able to purchase one?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get an answer because the deli cashier walked away.  I guess he assumed that our conversation was over when he told me that they didn’t sell free range chickens.  Oy!

It would be so easy to chock the cashier’s behavior up to “poor customer service.”  Heck, I probably should have gone to the butcher instead of the deli cashier anyhow. But, it wasn't poor customer service that got me going, it was his behavior.  I thought it was disrespectful and uncivilized.

So, I spent a little time thinking of my behavior, and I am ashamed to admit that I have broken one of the “un-civilized” commandments mentioned on the Friday Focus – The one that tells you to show a little kindness to a telemarketer.  It says that you should "Try to resist the burning urge to be horribly rude."  Well, I can say that wasn’t “horribly rude," but I didn't show any manners either.  And, you know what?  I definitely didn’t consider that this is someone is trying to make a living.  I should be ashamed of myself.

Not only will I will remember this incident the next time that I get a dinner time call about a survey, I will think of how I felt when the cashier walked away from me before we were finished talking about my chicken.  It was pretty close to the same type of behavior.

Carrie and Danielle recommend that you “adopt one new way of being civilized and kind.”  You never know what your kindness could do to our world.  I am definitely going to give it a try.  Who knows, maybe that telemarketer will help me find that chicken.

Love & Soul Always, Kay