there are dozens of books on the subjects, countless blog posts from jaded wedding planners trying to get respect and hundreds of other wedding vendors who have their opinion on planners. i’ve stepped back from the jaded industry to answer a 13 year old, who is eight to ten years ahead of me on knowing she wants to be a planner. i’m not sure how many other overzealous youths read my blog, but i thought i’d share my general advice for anyone who is a hopeful, inspired youth at heart trying to follow their dreams of becoming a wedding planner.

Dear Heidi,

Hello my name is Sarah and I am 13. I know you think this is weird that a 13 year old girl is emailing you, trust me I don’t blame you. But, I want to be a wedding planner when I grow up. I was wondering when you have time you can give me advice on how to be a wedding planner.

Thanks A Million,
Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for the email! You’re about 10 years ahead of me on knowing you wanted to be in the biz! So that helps. Every planner finds their own random way into the business. I personally was always involved in school organizations such as student council and class officers. At my school, we got to plan dances and school-wide events. That’s really where my love for planning started. I also think that being in art class and music classes (choir/band) helps, too. It is a must to be a well-rounded student for wedding planning since there’s general design, floral knowledge, stationery, musicians to hire, and so on! Don’t only excel at one class, there are so many more things you need to be fluent in. For instance, math classes help too since you manage budgets and have to have a good business sense. In general, I suggest trying as many classes as your school offers and after school programs too.

In college, I actually majored in Advertising and Marketing. In those classes I learned how to execute creative projects and interact with clients all while managing several vendors. I do think it would have been helpful, of course, to have majored in Event Planning – which is often categorized under Family and Consumer Studies at many Ohio colleges. Again, in college I was involved several student organizations where I held events or marketing chairs. There I was able to help the organizations plan events, manage volunteers, and coordinate the events. Business classes again are very helpful since you’re running a business while being a planner. And, being great with people is a must!

There are several main characteristics of a great wedding planner: someone who is responsible, attentive to detail, very personable with families (weddings are very emotional days for everyone!) and a great leader and team member with the wedding vendors. It’s also someone who can think quickly on his/her feet all while staying calm if anything out of ordinary happens (which is quite often on wedding days!) Most of all, I do have to stress that I don’t think movies like “The Wedding Planner” or shows like “Bridezilla” or “Platinum Weddings” truly depict a planner’s job. In the Ohio market, most weddings cost a fraction of what those weddings on TV cost, and they aren’t half as melodramatic as those shows edit them to seem.

I must note, planners are very dedicated, hard workers who often work 60+ hours a week, since it’s hard to hold a 9 to 5 schedule. I’m often in the office from 8 am to maybe 2 or 3 pm and then meet vendors and brides (who work during the day) through 6… 7… 8… even 9 pm at night. It’s also a job where you don’t have your weekends free – reception set up and rehearsals are usually Fridays. Then I work from early in the morning until the very last dance at weddings usually until 11 pm or 12 am at night on most Saturdays. This timing information isn’t to discourage you from being a planner, but only to explain that it’s a loose schedule to keep – and only for the most disciplined people.

I hope this helps you as you continue your schooling! Best wishes with your quest to be a planner.

Sincerely,
Heidi

do you agree? disagree? what other advice would you give a 13-year old on her journey to become a wedding planner?

previous posts:
dear heidzilla: what anti-perspirant?
dear heidzilla: best way to make payments?
dear heidzilla: 831 photography?
dear heidzilla: officiant hiring?
dear heidzilla: favorite photo?
dear heidzilla: first event coordinated?
dear heidzilla: is it a no-no?

the hiring:
bridget’s mom was referred to me by another vendor. after a few months of trying to plan meetings, i finally met up with her to discuss day of coordination needs.

the planning:
a few weeks later, i sat down with bridget and her mom to finalize all the great details they had been working on for months. they had quite a few vendors and details to coordinate and it was my pleasure to take the worry and stress off of them for the big day.

the results:
rehearsal
the rehearsal was a must in bridget and vince’s case as they had four priests being a part of the ceremony! one was the church’s main priest. there was also the groom’s uncle and two family friends.

ceremony

i always tell my brides, the wait before the ceremony starts seems to be one of the longest waits of your life! i kept checking in on bridget, her dad and maids, while managing the guest flow into the church. i love this photo of them waiting patiently!

the ribbon came down and it was time to go!

reception

the sheraton suites has a great view for photos or in b&v’s case – the entire cocktail hour time.

all set ready for guests…

… and voila!

the excitement before being announced into the reception!

the announcements and first dance were lovely, but then bridget’s dad came on the dance floor…

and this happened!!! (keep watching through 1:29!!!! video link here)

the surprise dance was followed by a very traditional and lovely mother son dance.

after the traditional dances, the bottom line band packed the dance floor!

with help during breaks and the last portion of the reception from dj spencer reynolds who played “cheeseburger in paradise” when the tasty swensons cheeseburgers came out for a late night snack!

guests were thrilled with the open bar, swensons burgers and a full italian cookie table with take home boxes!

the notables:
favorite planning moment: there was a physical “handing over” of responsibilities at our last planning meeting. all the contracts, event orders, guest seating assignments – you name it – were put in a pretty pink folder and given to me. from there on out, bridget and her mom were done planning and i was happy to take over!
favors galore: in addition to the cookie table and photo booth, bridget and vince gave their guests monogrammed shot glasses and made a donation to a favorite charity.
unique detail: bridget and vince had vince’s family’s card box that has been used at multiple family weddings.
biggest challenge: bridget’s dress train and veil were both cathedral length. i gave her some tips on which direction to walk with it during the rehearsal, and her bridesmaids and i did a “foofing” tutorial and practice before the ceremony started.
sources: the cookies were all made by vince’s family and close friends who have done the tradition twice before for vince’s brothers and will baking once more this year for the fourth brother to get married.
fun fact: bridget and vince met in the third grade! the teacher had to separate their desks so they wouldn’t talk to each other during class. love can be found young!

bridget and vince, you two were so fun to work with and your family and friends had a BLAST at your wedding – kudos! and best wishes always!

sips and…

dips on sixth!

it is my my honor to be on the committee again this year for the fourth annual sips and dips on sixth. the proceeds benefit rainbow babies and children’s hospital – a cause that is dearly close to my heart as a best friend works there, and several more friends have babies who needed more medical attention than most.

there will be wine (sips), food (dips), music and great company. not to mention a chinese raffle and silent auction. what else could you really ask for in the name of charity!?

for all of the details and how you can rsvp, visit: sipsanddipsonsixth.com! you can also see the photos of past events and stay up to date with the event by “liking” the facebook page!

previous post:
2009 – save the date: sips and dips on sixth

see all of their darling engagement photos taken in ashtabula county here!

© cynthia marie photography

this one is my favorite!

the hiring:
keely attended a wedding in california that had a day of coordinator and realized how valuable a doc’s services are. she contacted me while living in equador! once i was hired, i received an official save the date and later an invitation. i love that!

the planning:
because keely was on a whole other continent, we planned almost entirely through email. she was able to get back to cleveland before the wedding so we could meet and do a site tour. the week of the wedding i was finally able to meet mike, my first international groom! (he’s from new zealand.)

the results:
rehearsal
the ceremony’s original location was to be on the wade oval. we rehearsal accordingly, even though it seemed like it would rain any minute during the rehearsal, and they called for rain the next day. and boy was it a HOT day!

ceremony
it was another hot cleveland summer day. the weather report called for scattered thunderstorms, so we weren’t sure where we’d end up. i kept an eye on my radar and it appeared to be clear in the university circle area. a storm was coming but we hoped to have the ceremony done before it got there. it started to rain anyways, so we brought everyone inside park lane villa cocktail hour area to do the ceremony.

once the processional was through, k&m’s officiant asked everyone to gather closer.

post ceremony group shot!

reception
the ballroom

k&m named their tables after cities they had visited together.

ice cream station

first dance!

the notables:
favorite planning moment: keely and mike were a blast to help plan. i had the opportunity to sit in on their final planning meeting with their caterer to go over the last details. i have to say, it’s always fun to work with a groom with an accent!
something old/new/borrowed/blue: keely listed these in her program: old was some of the verbage in the ceremony that was used from keely’s parents’ ceremony. new was a handkerchief keely carried from mike’s grandmother. keely borrowed her cousin’s veil. blue included not only the wedding decor, but keely’s shoes and rings.
unique detail: keely asked all married couples who would be attending the wedding to send a wedding photo of themselves to her. they were all hung together at the reception.

biggest challenge: a ceremony location switch is always challenging but guests were so kind and we got them inside before most of them got rained on.
bucking tradition: k&m just don’t like cake. instead, they had an ice cream sundae bar! guests loved it and went back for seconds!
fun fact: mike is an international soccer star! He played for the national new zealand team, for the minnesota thunder and for a team in equador.

congratulations keely and mike!!!!!!! i loved getting to know the two of you and hearing your wonderful love stories along way. go stanford!

sheesh, already a year for you carolyn and jim! where does the time go? c&j’s wedding was one of my favorites last year because i just totally vibed with their moss and brown decor and birdy accents. what i remember most was the happiness. carolyn and jim had smiles on their faces all day long. everyone did, it was just a happy happy day. i also fondly remember their awesome cupcake tower with complimenting ice cream sundae bar. be sure to click back at the recaps from last year to see all of their fun details! congratulations on one year c&j!!!!!!!!!

previous posts:
carolyn & jim: vendor preview
carolyn & jim – part 1: rehearsal
carolyn & jim – part 2: ceremony
carolyn & jim – part 3: reception
carolyn & jim – part 4: pro photos blogged & testimonial

the hiring:
becky heard about my day of coordination services from past brides and contacted me to see if i would fit in her budget. she already had all of her vendors hired but wanted to make sure everything came together smoothly.

the planning:
with becky and john living in las vegas, we didn’t meet until a few weeks before the wedding. we worked great through email!

the results:

ceremony

the ring bearers were identical twins!

the processional had to wrap around the back of the stage

john’s sister read “union” by robert fulgrum.

shannon from 831 catches the vows.

becky and john wrote their own vows (tear!)

i’ve seen quite a few sand ceremonies this year!

married!

reception
boarding passes served as place cards

guest tables

cocktail hour

grand entrance

bridal party dance

cookie table favors

dance time… including wedding favorite “i gotta feeling!”

bridesmaid and becky (and shannon from 831) enjoying the sneak peek slide show photos from 831!

the notables:
favorite planning moment: becky and john picked some great music for their ceremony and reception. their ceremony recessional was “two tickets to paradise” and their grand entrance song was “viva las vegas”.
something old/new/borrowed/blue: something old, becky’s mom performed the polish unveiling tradition by taking out becky’s headpieces and placing john’s bout in her hair.

unique detail: my favorite was the cake topper – a mini southwest plane as becky and john met sitting next to each other on a flight!

biggest challenge: the ceremony and reception location were right next to each other. and the groom and his men were in waiting upstairs while the bride and her maid were downstairs. getting the ceremony started and everyone in their places without the bride and groom seeing each other before was a little tricky.
sources: becky found her centerpiece vases at michaels.
fun fact: becky’s matron of honor’s husband, alex, officiated the wedding. he got ordained just for them!
pro photos: check out 831′s blog to see the pro photos of becky and john’s big day!

becky and john – you two know how to have FUN! it was a pleasure to help you on your wedding day!

the hiring:
jacqui and i have been in contact for over a year and a half with her being an awesome cake baker. i was honored she asked me to day of coordinate for her wedding – especially because i know she’s precise about her planning as she explained here

the planning:
jacqui is miss planner extraordinaire. i told her i hadn’t seen a bride more organized since… myself! every box of decor was clearly marked and labeled. she had running lists of to-do’s and need dones. i was happy to help with the timeline and flow of the day, but otherwise, this girl had it handled!

the results:
rehearsal
the rehearsal was fun and casual. we went through the line up and processional and recessional once. afterwards, everyone just enjoyed each other’s company and related the excitement! as i stood in for their pastor, i wasn’t able to get many rehearsal photos until afterwards.


i’m pretty excited eh?

jacqui’s nephew decides no more bottle, he’s ready for the rehearsal dinner!

ceremony
my day started very early with jacqui and her maids. i got there before they did and went to the set up along with the excellent staff at hillbrook. it was a fun relaxed morning with every lady checking out the 1,000 cranes that were hung in the pavilion area. i loved that they had all morning with their stylist to get ready and enjoy themselves. later in the afternoon, erik and his men arrived, also marveled at the cranes and got ready for the “first look” and pre-ceremony formals with the bridal party. the rest of the day was free to enjoy!

reaction shot! eeeeeeeeeee!

the teahouse

fan programs hung on chairs

first look time

oh hey rob, told you i’d blog you

after a break in waiting, it was ceremony time!

reception

paper crane place cards

table decor

each place setting got its own lucky bamboo shoot favor.

jacqui made the centerpieces and they had beta fishies in them!

and they were prepared for their guests to take them home with “care instructions”, a little bag of fish food and press and seal for the top of the vase.

head table

bar menu

and the best detail for last… the cake!

we all loved to see the baker cut her cake!

toasts followed the cake: first best man and brother of the groom:

then maid of honor and bestie of the bride.

after dinner, john and andrew from the dj crew filled the dance floor…

…while guests also could enjoy the rad booth photobooth with the fullest prop box i’ve ever seen!

on my way out i caught a photo of the super cute big balloon jacqui and erik used in their pre-ceremony photo shoot that was re-purposed as a sign marker.

the notables:
favorite planning moment: the excitement of the morning was so fun. it was so rewarding to see jacqui pleased with the execution of her plans and how well everything came together as we set up. even though i really didn’t have to rush, i wanted to set things up quickly so jacqui and erik could see all the loveliness! these two are so in love with each other and the two of them came out in every plan they made. it was really a great day to be a part of.
unique detail: an ancient japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane. jacqui hand-folded each and every crane herself and she and her bridal party strung them to hang all over the pavilion. they were coupled with dozens of paper lanterns that were also hung around the pavilion.
biggest challenge: jacqui had these gorgeous cherry blossom branches that were to go on hillbrook’s teahouse. it was a little tricky to keep them up there without showing any string/supplies.
sources: jacqui did all of her own flowers since she wanted cherry blossoms and they’re not in season and are quite delicate when they are.
fun fact: jacqui made the cakes for three of my previous brides and grooms: tara & cj, maureen & adam, and lauren & mike.
bucking tradition: in order to see the cherry blossoms bloom, j&e went on their honeymoon to japan at the end of march. you can read all about their amazing trip on their travel blog “cherry blossoms are awesomes.”

jacqui & erik… one thousand congratulations. i’m sad to finish this blog! it’s an end of an era for your wedding to be done. it was beautiful!

previous posts:
heidzillas introduces cmykakes
viva la rock (and roll hall of fame)

be SURE to check out the oh-so-jacqui & erik-pro photos by rad productions

the hiring:
when lorraine and greg first started planning their wedding, they turned to the fox 8 cleveland hot list winners. she found heidzillas won first place there and contacted us about availability.

the planning:
heidzillas personally was booked with leah and matt‘s wedding that day, but helped l&g with some planning items before our associate doc, e, stepped in and took over the day of coordination duties!

the results:

rehearsal
there wasn’t much time for a traditional rehearsal with ceremony decoration being done and a grand welcome party for out of town guests being throwing all evening!

ceremony
lorraine was trying to find a lovely outdoor ceremony site when she first hired heidzillas. we suggested one of our favorites – the hanna gardens! luckily it was still available despite the popular holiday weekend.

reception
lorraine and greg’s international-themed reception included a purple hue through out and a unique set up.

some tables were grouped into threes to accomodate the room shape and to put more guests who knew each other together.

it’s difficult to see in this photo, but the cocktail tables had twinkle lights in them.

the head table pre-ceremony

and post ceremony once some more flowers were transported.

tables were named after the cities lorraine and greg had visited together

each place setting included photo strip book marks for the photobooth photos and a little sack of jordan almonds as a nod to greg’s heritage.

memory table for lorraine and greg’s fathers and lorraine’s uncle.

the luggage tag favors doubled as escort cards

guests could flip through the various scrap books of trips l&g have taken together

cake styled card box

the actual cake was several small round mini cakes all put together in one!

lorraine also surprised greg with a groom’s cake after seeing a similar groom’s cake on my blog in january!

there was also an international cookie display complete with fortune cookies from china, german chocolate cake, italian cassata cake… and more!

the notables:
how they met: i think lorraine and greg have one of the most unique love stories that i’ve ever heard. they both worked for a large fortune 500 company which held a employee reunion that they both attended. but they didn’t meet there, despite knowing so many people in common. instead, they met a few months later on match.com! they started dating and despite living in two different states, perserved through the long-distance relationship.

favorite planning moment: i think every planning moment was our favorite with these two! lorraine and greg came to heidzillas with so many great ideas for their international-themed wedding. lorraine had been in the travel industry for years, and since they’ve been together l&g have traveled the world together. they also had guests coming from around the country and even as far as hong kong.

cleveland-central: with so many out of town guests, the friday welcome party kicked off the weekend. on saturday, in between the ceremony and reception, guests could get on a tour bus for a cleveland sights tour, and on sunday a big fourth-of-july pool party was planned for everyone who attended the wedding.

biggest challenge: lorraine lost her uncle, a father figure, just a couple of months before the wedding. some plans went on hold and a few were decidedly overlooked but just about everything went on as intended.

sources: the most notable source for this wedding was PEOPLE! i’ve never seen so many people rally around a bride to help out! from sisters to best friends, a team of “staff” helped out lorraine with getting the invitations out, decorating the ceremony site, and more!

fun fact: lorraine and greg found lorraine’s engagement ring while at a port of call on a cruise with greg’s mother. the next port of call was venice where they took a gondola ride. while just passing under the rialto bridge, greg popped the question! lorraine says he got lucky.

the hiring:
i was very flattered when leah, an event planner herself, contacted me in june 2009 in regards to my day of coordination services. she was planning from several states away, and i got the opportunity to meet her and matt the next trip they took home.

the planning:
our initial planning was via dozens of page long and late night emails when leah and i had time in our busy schedules to correspond. once l&m moved back to the cleveland area and we could meet as often as we liked!

the results:
rehearsal
it was rather cool on the pier w rooftop at the rehearsal being that a nearby building cast a giant shadow on the space. we lamented that it was probably nicer to have the cool than the next day’s heat. without the chairs it was a little difficult to visualize the altar, but a few guests of the bridal party served as our visual markers where the aisle would be the next day. all enjoyed the view!

ceremony
leah and matt chose their wedding day over two years in advance… and they couldn’t have chosen any better! it was sunny, without a cloud in the sky and just gorgeous!

it was, however, awfully sunny and hot, which leah prepared for – she provide guests with lemon and lime filled water pitchers as well as cool cookies.

i think the ceremony was one of my favorite views of cleveland ever. and it really set the tone for the entire weekend – the thread of cleveland was woven in everything they planned.

leah’s reaction when it was difficult to get matt’s ring on his warm fingers got a great chuckle from their guests.

reception
the metropolitan ballroom also has a wonderful view of cleveland. with the red and blue uplighting from selective sound, there was this great feel of cleveland and fourth of july. guests enjoyed a long cocktail hour followed by a three course meal.

escort card mosaic:

guest book mosaic:

first dance!

the whole room:

the notables:
favorite planning moment: leah asked me for officiant referrals, one of the names i gave her was my former high school art teacher and ordained minister, annie peters, leah and matt hit it off with annie and hired her to officiate! it was nice to go to the ceremony knowing exactly who i was working with (someone who has a significant impact on my life, including encouraging my own artistic abilities.)

nwr memorable moment: when i arrived at the metropolitan ballroom, the streets were lined with people holding signs that read “HOME” and “COMMUNITY.” i later found out that when leah and her maids were en route from their hotel to the ceremony location, their limo held up a limo carrying a particular former cavs player who was leaving img.

unique detail: matt designed all of their stationery including programs, and guest to-do booklets that were given out post-ceremony. he chose table numbers based on favorite sports start. instead of being seated at tables number 1 through 10, guests were assigned to table 82 for ozzie newsome, table 13 for omar vizquel, table 23 for he who shall not be named, etcetera. leah and matt’s head table was named “jt” for the head coach of their favorite college football team. (their favors were peanut butter and chocolate treats who share the same name as the team.)

biggest challenge: the wind! outdoor weddings are challenging because of the elements and on july 3 the biggest challenge was the lovely breeze that kept guests cool but also kept the aisle runner a fluttering and programs blowing. of course, however, the view was SO worth it.

sources: leah found her yummy macarons a la parisienne at trader joe’s.

fun fact: leah and matt met 559 miles from cleveland in st. louis, but grew up in northeast ohio 30 miles apart.