A Ride to Remember

On October 19th, the A Day to Remember staff, family & friends participated in the Ride for Diabetes Research in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We had so much fun and as a team of 5, we raised $1745.00! Not only did we win the Norco prize pack but JDRF also awarded us with the Rookie of the Year award!

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD – First time riders - recognizes the company that raised the most within this category at the 2007 Ride.
Congratulations to A Day to Remember who raised the most within the category of companies riding for the first year in 2007.

Good Luck, Bad Luck

- Tuck a sugar cube into your glove -- according to Greek culture, the sugar will sweeten your union.

- The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck. Yikes!

- In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the "best day" to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.

- The groom carries the bride across the threshold to bravely protect her from evil spirits lurking below.

- Ancient Romans studied pig entrails to determine the luckiest time to marry.

- Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition!

- For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day. Ouch!

- Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye.

- Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice.

- A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she'll never do without.

- A Finnish bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long marriage.

- Moroccan women take a milk bath to purify themselves before their wedding ceremony.

- In Holland, a pine tree is planted outside the newlyweds' home as a symbol of fertility and luck.

Bridezilla?

During a phone consultation last week I was asked if I ever had a "bridezilla" or clients that were hard to work with. I thought about it, and I couldn't think of one couple that I didn't truly enjoy working with. I have been blessed with amazing clients... but everyone can get stressed out from time to time, right? It was odd, but I soon realized that I hadn't noticed any of my clients get that stressed out during their wedding planning process. And the answer to that, was that it is my job as their wedding coordinator to minimize the stress.

Sure, anyone can plan a wedding... but did you blow the budget?.... did you have your bridesmaids working overtime for you?.. did you have arguments with your fiance over wedding ideas? It is a coordinators job to deal with the stress and problem solve along the way, so you can relax and enjoy your engagement. Plus, you still want to be on speaking terms with your bridal party after the wedding, right?

Stanley loves Genevieve - Sept. 1, 2007

Genevieve Chen and Stanley Yang were married on September 1st, 2007. The couple is from New York and wanted to come back home to Vancouver to celebrate their nuptials with their family and friends. Right from the start I respected their calm and composed manner as we worked together to plan the wedding of their dreams. The father of the bride, Mr. Chen was also there every step of the way. It was obvious that the love and support he had for his daughter was vast.

They wanted their guests to be comfortable and enjoy the special day… and since most of the guests were from out of town they wanted a venue that showed off Vancouver’s beauty… so what better place to hold the wedding, than at the Brock House Restaurant situated on beautiful Jericho Beach...

The bride looked stunning and the groom couldn't keep his eyes off of her all night. Sandra from Yaletown Wedding Gallery captured the wonderful day. The ceremony was tranquil and peaceful and the reception was cozy and inviting. The guests all enjoyed themselves immensely and the Genevieve & Stanley became Mr. & Mrs. Yang.

Hiring a wedding coordinator

In the past, a wedding coordinator was thought of as a luxury, only used by the rich and famous. Today, a coordinator is a necessary norm for couples of all walks of life.

Couples are often confused as to how much to spend, how to choose vendors and where to obtain services, as they start preparing for their wedding. It is shocking to learn how much preparation is involved, so hiring a professional will allow you to relax and enjoy your engagement. Your wedding coordinator will use their knowledge and experience to turn your expectations for your wedding into a reality.

Fee Structures:

There are three different types of fees a wedding coordinator can charge:

Percentage Cost: Some charge 10-20% of your total wedding cost. Keep in mind that if this is the way you are being charged you may not get the best deals, as the more you spend, the more the coordinator makes. If you want to stay under-budget and get the most for your money, this type of fee may not be your best bet.

Hourly Rate: Some charge an hourly rate. This works best if you are using a wedding consultant, who isn’t planning the whole wedding. If you have a coordinator for your wedding who is taking care of most of the planning, an hourly rate can end up costing you quite a bit, since it usually takes longer then expected to plan the wedding if there are any unexpected situations or problems.

Flat Fee: The best way to pay is a flat fee. Once the wedding coordinator knows what services you want provided from them, they can quote you a flat total cost. This will leave you at ease since the fee will not change and you know what to expect. A good wedding coordinator will work their fee into your budget, instead of being an added expense. They should also let you know if there are any extra fees for other services, so make sure to ask if anything costs extra (ie. honeymoon booking, place cards, out of town guest accommodations, etc.) Sometimes these services will cost a little extra depending on the amount of work they must do. If the flat fee is more then you can budget, think about taking care of some of the planning yourself and this will lower the wedding coordinators fee.

Do Your Research:

Word of mouth is always a good way to start looking for a wedding coordinator, so ask around to see who is recommended. Do your research to check out websites and wedding forums to get local opinions and referrals. Also visit wedding shows and ask other wedding vendors about coordinators they would recommend you meeting.

What to look for:

First call the wedding coordinator. If you like them over the phone, arrange a consultation with them. Most coordinators provide one free wedding consultation before you book with them. Check to see if the person has education in special event or wedding planning, ask how long they have been in business, if they have references or testimonials, and make sure they are computer literate. Also ask yourself if they seem organized, friendly, if they are within your budget and if it sounds like they know their stuff.

Trust is also very important. You should feel very comfortable and confident that your wedding coordinator understands what your needs and wants are for your wedding day.

The Agreement:

Make sure the wedding coordinator you choose has a written agreement for you to sign. The agreement should include the wedding date, your names, the services included, cancellation policy, deposit amount, total fee amount and both parties signatures. Keep a copy of the agreement for yourself, as this will cover you legally in case any services provided by the coordinator are not taken care of. Each vendor should also have their own agreements for the services they are providing, which they can help you with. This will be separate to the wedding coordinators agreement, since they are both providing different services.

Be weary of professionals who do not have a written agreement. This means that if they do not show up on your wedding day, you can not take legal action or get your money back.

Most consultants ask for a portion of the total fee as a deposit when you decide to book them. Give the deposit once you have signed the agreement, and make sure to get a receipt back.

Keith loves Tricia - Sept. 10, 2006

It was two different worlds coming together to unite. On September 10th 2006, Tricia Fu married Keith Donald at Swan-e-set Golf Course in Pitt Meadows. Since Tricia was doing all of the wedding planning from Bermuda, where she resides, she called A Day to Remember Wedding Consultants to get help coordinating her special day. Right off the bat we clicked and began sorting out the wedding details and organizing the day.

On the morning of the wedding day, the groom, Keith, came out of his limo dressed in a kilt. Born and raised in Scotland, Keith had many people at the wedding supporting him from his hometown, as well as his mother who radiated with the love she had for the couple. Since Tricia is from Chinese decent, both her, and Keith were from two completely different cultures. It was beautiful to see the families come together in such love and care. It was obvious that they had the love and support from their family to be able to make their cultural differences a truly unique adventure.

Tricia grew up in Vancouver, and later moved to work in Bermuda. Keith, from Scotland, did the same thing. They worked at the same workplace together, where the couple met and fell in love. Since most of the bride’s family lives in Vancouver, she felt it would mean the most to hold the wedding near her hometown.

The ceremony was energetic and happy, as Marilyn Knipp got the guests involved and made it very special and intimate for the couple. The bride looked gorgeous and the groom couldn't keep his eyes off of her. A string trio from Musical Occasions performed for the ceremony and did a fabulous job setting the mood. For the recessional, a bagpiper guided the couple down the aisle leading the guests up the stairs to the clubhouse patio as the wedding party went for pictures. 

The guests snacked on hors’deurves and sipped cocktails as Tricia and Keith had their photos taken by Sandra Leung from Yaletown Wedding Gallery. The pictures turned out amazing, Tricia and Keith could not be happier with the way Sandra captured their special day.

For reception décor in the dining room, Tricia and Keith went with a very warm feel, and used pinks to accent the reception with dim candlelight glowing from the window ledges. Bobi’s Wedding Warehouse prepared all of the florals and décor. The theme was to have the reception very simple and elegant to portray the couples personality and style. A photo of the couple was placed on the guest book table for all to enjoy, and they were very outgoing with their wedding favours, giving cocktail glasses with pink almonds to the ladies, and beer glasses with almonds to the gents. These favours were a fun addition and were very popular among the guests. 

The dinner was a stunning success, as the buffet had a wide selection and the guests went back for seconds and thirds. The cake cutting followed dinner, then speeches and dancing. The cake was masterpiece skillfully designed by Wendy from Cakeaters. Pink flowers accented the colours of the wedding and they added a picturesque feature to the cake. Colin from Sound Explosion DJ service had guests on the dance floor all night, as Cloud Nine Creative captured the wedding on video so the bride and groom would never forget the day they united. Tricia and Keith danced all night long and by the end of the night every friend and family member had joined them.

The night ended with traditional Scottish dances. Tricia and Keith led the dance as others joined in, including her family, who quickly picked up the steps. Seeing Tricia’s Chinese, quiet and soft spoken parents join in on the dancing made everyone smile and really made you realize the importance of family and the love that was in the room. No one wanted to leave when the limo and charter bus arrived at 12:30am, as the night came to an end and the two said their goodbyes as a newly married couple.

Tricia and Donald were a joy to work. Clients like them really make my job worthwhile. Seeing their smiles at the end of the night was very rewarding and I continue to wish them all the best in their married life together.