Wine With a Wedding Planner’s Seasonal Grand Finale in the Funk Zone: Jump On the Wedding Planning Bus
Blog, Event Industry Businesses & Professionals, Industry Shenanigans / 02.24.20160 comments
“Wine With a Wedding Planner” offers an innovative, community-based, complimentary approach to wedding planning in complete relaxation (and some unconventional fun). On Saturday, March 5th, for our last one of the season, we are offering a “Grand Finale” of sorts: Jump on the Wedding Planning Bus with our partners from Jump on the School Bus in Santa Barbara’s famous FunkZone! There is no charge for the complimentary wedding consultation
Wine With a Wedding Planner Announces 2016 Winter Appearance Dates
Blog, Event Industry Businesses & Professionals, Event Planning Advice, Industry Shenanigans, Innovations / 01.09.20162 comments
“Wine With a Wedding Planner” offers an innovative, community-based approach to wedding planning in complete relaxation. It combines the expertise of Certified Wedding Professional and CEO/Founder of Santa Barbara Wine Country Weddings & Events Kerry Lee Dickey and the beautiful wedding locations Santa Barbara and its wine country have to offer with a fresh approach to a “meet and greet” complimentary communal consultation.
Similar to “Coffee with a Cop”, Ms. Dickey will be meeting with potential clients at various venues in the area during their business hours in a public area. She invites anyone thinking of having a wedding in this area – or simply anyone planning a wedding with need for planning, etiquette , or venue recommendations – to stop by, say hello and engage with her at no charge. At all locations, Wine With a Wedding Planner visitors are
Read More >>How to Help Prevent Wedding Gift Thievery at Your Wedding
Blog, Event Planning Advice / 12.27.20150 comments
As a professional wedding planner, I’ve seen my share of disappointing “ever-afters” in the gift-reception category after being a part of over 600 weddings.
I am often asked who would be so thoughtless to take gifts on such a happy day. Many of my clients say, “we knew every single one of our guests intimately and none of them would do something like this.” The sad reality is that it is not always the guests you invite, but their “plus ones” or children or relatives, perhaps some individuals that you may not know. It is rarely the staff working the event, although in some cases, it can be. At locations such as resorts and hotels where other non-wedding-invited hotel guests or the public have access or can pass through a ceremony or reception area, it can be complete strangers. And finally, for off-site, non-hotel events where the caterer is brought in, I know first hand that many caterers,
Read More >>The Number One Possible Hidden Element in Some Catering Bids That Every Bride Should Know
Event Planning Advice, News, Rants / 08.18.20150 comments
At Santa Barbara Wine Country Weddings & Events, we have a required “Full Service Caterer” list from which our clients must hire. These professionals already adhere to service basics in producing weddings and events. They know that the caterer’s job is more than just to provide good food. They are the backbone of a successful event: from coordinating rentals to set up, breakdown, proper clean-up, timing, and so much more. Plus, they provide one of the most essential elements of any good caterer, and that is the element of pre – event day planning and communication with a dedicated representative that will be with you in the planning stages of your event. The latter is not always reflected on a catering proposal, and not paying attention to this can cost one dearly “day of”, or in unexpected charges from the sub-standard caterer (or other service providers who have to do extra work to accommodate what the caterer should have been doing to begin with).
Read More >>When East Coast Meets the West Coast at Heartstone Ranch | Shannon & Mark
Blog, Real Weddings / 05.12.20150 comments
With this couple’s dynamic background combining the West Coast television industry with East Coast elegance, refinement and tradition, Shannon and Mark’s wedding was a beautiful blend of “upscale fun”, all in the relaxed ocean-view setting of private estate Heartstone Ranch. Catered by Tagine Beverly Hills, the cuisine was a beautiful hybrid of California -meets-Moroccan and all the special touches throughout the event made this a memorable one for all the guests, who came from both East and West Coast to celebrate with this dynamic couple and their families.
Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort has been hosting memorable weddings for generations. In fact, it has been the locale of celebrity nuptials starting with Clark Gable and Lady Sylvia many years ago. Besides offering picture-perfect backdrops for the nature and woodland-inspired wedding, the main ranch offers exclusivity for wedding couples, their families and guests, with a ranch buy-out (or in some cases, a “partial” buy-out). Alisal is not a typical hotel and because it focuses on a dedicated daily “program” for guests that is part of the Alisal legendary guest experience, all weddings require a “buy-out” of some kind, so Alisal can deliver the experience and service for which it is known. There are several options for Alisal Guest Ranch weddings and receptions and one of our absolute favorites is
Many wedding clients feel that a mass-produced meal event could not have the quality and caliber of an intimate more private dinner for two at one of the area’s leading restaurants. Santa Barbara has several leading full-service caterers that prove otherwise and one of them – who just celebrated 20 years in business as one of the area’s finest- Catering Connection– confirmed just that. Using only the freshest produce and ingredients, Catering Connection clients are always
Read More >>So You Saved A Few Dollars Hiring a Coordinator for a Few Hours Only. Congratulations. It Shows.
Blog, Rants / 12.04.20140 comments
“Oh, I’m really hands on,” the caller says to me during our initial interview. “I will do all my own planning. I just need a few things put out and someone to direct vendors, day-of.” This is generally where our conversation and interview end or, if they are genuinely interested in the expertise of a professional, I can provide some education that helps to re-direct their thought premise. The fatal thinking behind this notion is simply this: the caller is most likely doing wedding planning for the first time and as a seasoned wedding professional, this is my approximate six hundredth. There is no such thing as a “hands on” bride who can flawlessly execute her wedding planning solo and have it turn out seamless. It is because of this:
Read More >>When It’s Time to Get Real About Your Wedding Venue & Budget. Top 3 Mistakes Clients Make
Blog, Event Planning Advice / 10.04.20142 comments
It’s time for a reality check. After hundreds of weddings, I see this almost all the time: couples come to our world-renowned Santa Barbara including its beautiful wine country and see the epic resorts, private estates, ranches, beaches and wineries and they are smitten. This is one of the reasons I’m so proud to call this place home and specialize in weddings in America’s Riviera. The location options afford a unique wedding experience for the wedding couple that they – and their guests- will remember for a lifetime.
That said, with venue rentals ranging $7,000-$10,000+ just for the location (and often locations with incredible restrictions), many newly-engaged wedding-location- seekers are so star struck when they find that “perfect” venue that is “the” one, they will do whatever it takes at any cost to host their wedding at that location. This means that they will
Read More >>Wine Country Wedding at the Mission and Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort
Blog, Real Weddings / 09.19.20140 comments
Lauren and Brian chose the Santa Ynez Mission to exchange vows for their wedding ceremony. For their reception, they chose a location that had been a family vacation tradition with Lauren’s family for years: Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort. The Sycamore Room, which is adjacent creekside to lush trees and the main entrance of the ranch, offers tranquility with soft , plentiful lawn space, all with the sound of a soft creek running nearby for cocktail hour. Inside, for dinner, guests enjoyed a cozy roaring fire in the river rock fireplace and sounds of
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I am an Innovator. Inspirer. Story-teller. Believer in the magic of life and humanity.
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