After the congratulatory remarks have subsided, it’s time to turn your wedding dreams into reality. There’s much to be done, from booking the hall to buying the gown to scheduling the photographer. With all the tasks at hand, a bride should look to the experts for advice getting started.

This month is FILLED with bridal trade shows to give brides an “up close and personal” look at the possibilities for their wedding.

“I think there’s only so much you can get from marketing materials and websites,” says Nick Borelli, a Cleveland-based marketing manager. “Personalities count. You can get from a show the personality of the wedding professional that you want to deal with and see if you click. That’s where a wedding show stands out.”

But when it comes to a bridal show, many brides might not know how to get the most out of the event. Borelli suggests a game plan for brides so they can walk away equipped with a host of ideas and promising leads.

Choose the Location First

The first order of business for any bride should be to determine the ceremony and reception locations, advises Borelli. Traditionally, reception sites tend to book most quickly because there aren’t as many of those available as there are other vendors.

So come to the bridal show with a sense of what you want for your wedding reception. Make a list of what’s most important to you in the venue — whether it’s great food, beautiful architecture or a friendly wedding planner. As you make your way around to the tables at the show, be sure to ask questions regarding your must-haves, such as does the hall offer food tastings prior to the big day? Does it schedule multiple weddings on one day? What decorations, if any, are included in the wedding package?

“Have a checklist, and set goals,” says Borelli. “It’s not cookie-cutter. From bride to bride the emphasis is very, very different.”

Tackle your Vendor List

Next, select your vendors. Prior to the show, Borelli recommends brides make a list of every type of vendor she plans to use on her special day. From there, prioritize the vendor list, assigning them an importance value from one to five. For the top priorities, a bride will most likely want to fill these roles with higher-end vendors — these are also the ones that tend to book up more quickly. So she should work on visiting them first at the show.

As you speak with vendors and ask them about their services, it’s important to get to know their personalities and determine if you’d feel comfortable working with them.

“And don’t think you have to make that decision that day,” reminds Borelli. “Give it some thought and really think about personalities.”

Ask Questions and Prepare to Plan

Lastly, make sure when you leave the show, you’re prepared to plan your big event. Don’t expect to complete all your planning at the show. While working the room, take notes to reference later, collect business cards and any special promotions a vendor may offer to bridal-show attendants.

Remember, there’s a lot of expertise and knowledge to be tapped at bridal shows. Take advantage of it and ask questions. These vendors have been through hundreds of weddings. In fact, some may have even worked with your reception site and could share their experiences.

“We have so much knowledge because we do this time and time again, and the brides, they don’t have any; there’s such a deficit,” Borelli says. “A bride has to make sure she learns something that makes her feel less stressed out and more comfortable with the process. Being able to make these brides feel a little bit more calm … everyone benefits.”

Dance studio owner Rebecca Romero knew she had met someone special when a mutual friend introduced her to Rick Allen.  When he proposed two years later on a private dinner cruise in Las Caletas, Mexico, she was sure she had found the perfect partner for her life’s pas de deux.

Rebecca’s parents discovered the ideal setting for the upcoming nuptials and hoped to convince the newly engaged couple to agree.  They surprised Rick and Rebecca with brunch at Mountain Springs Lodge in Plain, WA. The couple loved the natural, pristine beauty of the setting and the rustic elegance of the lodge.  They immediately booked their wedding for the following August and began to choreograph their special day.

Nestled in a beautiful valley near the quaint Bavarian Village of Leavenworth, Mountain Springs is a family owned and operated lodge. It offers both indoor and outdoor venues for wedding ceremonies and receptions, each with spectacular backdrops of the Cascade Mountains. Rebecca and Rick thought the lodge would be a perfect setting for their family and friends to celebrate a weekend of wedding festivities. Out of town guests could stay at the lodge and enjoy hiking, horseback riding, golfing or just resting and relaxing during the wedding weekend.

The happy couple hoped to take advantage of several of the beautiful locales at Mountain Springs for their celebration and planned an elegant late afternoon ceremony followed by cocktails, a formal dinner, and dancing. Guests were seated outside in the Aspen Grove for the ceremony and watched as seven junior bridesmaids in soft yellow dresses — all Rebecca’s dance students — provided a lovely prelude to the entrance of the attendants. Elegantly attired in black dresses, bridesmaids were accompanied by groomsmen in black tuxedos with red vests. Tapping into her cultural heritage, Rebecca presented each bridesmaid with a beautiful necklace of Mexican turquoise to wear during the celebration. Four flower girls in black and white covered the aisle with rose petals as Rebecca made her entrance on her father’s arm, lovely in a Sophia Tolli Georgette dress and carrying a bouquet of pale pink roses and white carnations. Vows were exchanged under a beautiful arbor adorned with roses and tulle made by the bride’s mother.

Guest enjoyed cocktails on the Main Lawn and dined inside the lodge.  Becca’s mother’s created centerpieces with soft lights and pearls using pieces of her personal china collection to enhance the festive table settings. Following the wedding toasts, the celebration continued outside with dancing on a beautiful summer’s eve.

The spectacular setting, the sweet details and the gorgeous weather added even more special touches to an already breathtakingly beautiful and extraordinarily romantic day.  Perfect choreography for an exciting future together.

Visit Molly Nickles’ website here.

My best advice for wedding vendors who plan to attend Bridal Shows in the new year: get ready NOW.

Most wedding vendors don’t even start to think about a January or February trade show until after the holidays, but I urge you to take some easy steps now to build your business, book more weddings, and make that booth pay off.

1. Work your mailing list. Inform your clients, contacts, or friends about the upcoming show and extend an exclusive “Bridal Show Deal” or a “Friends and Family Referral” perk.

2. Announce where you will be on ALL of your social media channels. Tell them your booth number, your location, the times you will be on the floor etc. on your website, Facebook page, Twitter, and even Foursquare. Not later…announce it now.

3. Fill up your appointment book. Go back to your sales leads and start booking consultations with potential clients during the show. It would be great to go to the show with a filled-up calendar.

4. Figure out the logistics. Get a floor plan, figure out parking, find out about child care, arrange for bathroom relief, locate dollies or carts, book a hotel room, ask someone to be your assistant during the show. All of this will save you time and energy at the show itself.

5. Practice, practice, practice. Mark out a layout of your booth on the floor or in your back yard and make sure you have space to welcome clients, arrange tables, and add furniture. Create 2 or 3 short (20 seconds) messages for you and your staff to memorize to greet and inform potential clients.

Get more great advice on how to “Cash In on 2012 Bridal Trade Shows” in our upcoming on-line class for wedding vendors set  for Wednesday,  November 9th. No daycare, parking, or dress code necessary! Register here.

Today, one in every eight people on earth is a Facebook user, social networking accounts are expected to reach 3.9 billion by the end of 2015, and in 2010 (to date), and more than 107 trillion emails were sent. Moreover, analysts predict that 20 percent of customer relationship interactions will be handled on a mobile device by 2015.*

Old school marketing is fading, and a New School is on the rise. Why? Because consumers have changed. They have more options. They can choose which marketing messages they receive, when, where, and from whom. They expect, even demand, interactive communication. The new power channels are the consumers’ channels — email, mobile, social and the web.  Those that see the future prepare for it, and start paving the way to be the thought leaders of tomorrow.

Is your website optimized?  Do you have analytics in place?  Have you focused on Search Optimization with the use of long- and short-tail key words on both your website and your Social Pages?   Are you leveraging Social opportunities?  Have you created a cross-channel marketing calendar to connect multi-channel opportunities?  Have you defined your goals?  Do you know how to analyze your metrics?  Are you even looking at your analytics?  Are you leveraging email?

These are but a few of the topics you should be considering and planning.  It’s confusing and overwhelming.  We can help you streamline and focus your efforts for more effective sales and greater ROI.

*Eloqua Research Study, 2011; Forrester Reports, 2011

Dori Thompson is one of the featured speakers for the upcoming North Central Washington Wedding Business Merchant Academy set for October 4, 2011 at the Cashmere Riverside Center in Cashmere, WA. Dori owns information era marketing + consulting llc and is an in-demand speaker and marketing consultant. She will be presenting “Best Social Media Marketing Practices for Wedding Vendors.”

A coffee shop romance with a fairy tale ending. Hold on to your latte-art hearts as you read about this sweet couple and their summer celebration. Caffé Mela baristas Ana Gavronski and Brian Bailey met while working together at the popular downtown Wenatchee coffee shop and it was soon evident that they shared more than an interest in coffee beans. It wasn’t long before their relationship deepened like a finely roasted blend of Mela’s finest. Following Brian’s surprise proposal last New Year’s Eve, the couple set about planning their special day, choosing to celebrate in a relaxed and casual ceremony with a picnic style wedding in late June.

They chose Squilchuck State Park as the setting for the festivities. Located just south of Wenatchee below Mission Ridge, the 228-acre park is a perfect (and affordable) venue for an outdoor wedding, reflecting the couple’s simple style and love of nature. Surrounded by forests of fir and ponderosa pines, the Squilchuck Lodge sits atop a sunny knoll encircled by large grassy areas. The lodge features a huge fireplace with kitchen, banquet tables, chairs and picnic tables as well as restroom facilities. This beautiful setting also offers out of town guests the opportunity to camp at the site of the ceremony in the adjacent Squilchuck campgrounds.

Ana and Brian opted for an early evening ceremony followed by a potluck reception and dancing under the stars. Guests sat on home-made quilts spread on the lawn and a classical guitarist filled the air with sweet music for the exchange of vows. Attired in tones of summer blue,  the wedding party waited with Brian as Ana walked down the aisle accompanied by her father. The bride, super chic in her short vintage ivory lace dress, pearls, and blue cowboy boots, set the unconventional tone and joyful mood of the day.

Following the ceremony, the newlyweds and their guests ate picnic style on the lawns and in the beautifully decorated lodge, feasting on an incredible wedding cake, enjoying live music and dancing under a canopy of tiny white lights. For Ana and Brian, their wedding day was a perfect expression of the love and support they have received from their friends, family and the Caffe Mela community.

Both Brian and Ana continue to enjoy the frequent best wishes for happiness from their regular customers and friends who are anxious to hear the story of their special day — over a nice cup of coffee, of course.

Photography: Oveth Martinez
Flowers: Bloomers
Cakes: Elizabeth Melton

But there are some strategies you can use to stay sharp and involved so you can plan the perfect event that fits you.

1. Give yourself plenty of time to complete your preparations well. The average engagement period is about 18 months, which sounds like a long time until you start working with caterers, hotels, and family members to manage all the logistics involved. The more time you have to make wedding plans, the less stress you will be under as the date nears and the better choices you will make.

2. Plan to make big decisions early in the day. By the time the cocktail hour comes around, you will be too worn down by meetings and other activities to resist being “sold” on something that might not be best for you.

3. Sleep on it. Trust your instincts and when don’t feel certain about something, give yourself some time to mull it over. If you are feeling pressured by a vendor, ask them to be patient or find another one who will.

4. If you schedule a day full of wedding plans, build in “glucose” breaks. The lower your blood sugar, the weaker your decision-making ability will be. Take a coffee or snack break to elevate your glucose level and you’ll feel ready to focus again.

5. Troubleshoot potential problems before they happen. You’ll stay sharpest by avoiding stress in the first place. Think through any crisis that could arise, come up with a “plan B” and have it ready to go at the time of your big celebration.

Avoid “decision fatigue” by pacing yourself and reducing last-minute emergencies and even the planning process could create some sweet memories to last a lifetime.

It’s your big day!

Planning starts with looking at the big picture rather than the step-by-step details.  Think about what you both want to feel like on your wedding day.  How do you want your guests to feel when the vows are spoken, the last song is sung, the food is gone, the room is empty, and the dress is packed away?

Let your personalities shine! Are you both funky? Or one of the following: traditional, green conscious, recycle maniacs, handmade junkies, white snobs, old-time glamorous, trendy, matchy-matchy, pearls & lace, color conscious, eco-chic, foodies, simplistic, spiritual, classic, intimate, Victorian, sparkly, hippie-ish, practical, the list could go on and on.

Accessorizing the bride and her friends is fun and can help pull the entire bridal party’s look together in an instant.  Park Lane Jewelry makes it easy with our bridal collection designed for the wedding party.  And another 1000 plus pieces in our everyday collection ensures there is something for everyone!

Girls love to shop and shopping with Park Lane is easy breezy…we bring my jewelry store to you and your friends and family!  Everyone can try on beautiful jewelry samples in the privacy of your home.  If you wish, bring your dresses and we’ll choose pieces that compliment each woman’s figure!  Using Park Lane’s Customer Bonus Program is an ideal way to stay within your budget.  It’s fun to get $100 items for just $12!  Brides can earn $500 in free jewelry by scheduling their own Girlfriend Get-together.  Make it special by serving bubbly champagne or sparkling cider and some juicy strawberries!  Simply invite your friends and family and, of course, the bridal party.

Park Lane Jewelry carries an unconditional replacement guarantee and our prices range from $10 to $499.  Gorgeous jewelry at reasonable prices.

Julia Moore is a Company Vice President with Park Lane Jewelry and has been in the fashion business for 10 years.  She’s a featured vendor for the Seattle and Bellevue areas on www.Theknot.com. She resides in Newcastle with her husband and daughter.

I wish all funerals could be like that. Like a lot of people, I’ve had to plan a funeral for a loved one who didn’t consider funeral details for whatever reason, which is a bit of a hassle, but worse, it leaves their legacy for others to reveal. We’ve all experienced that uncomfortable “generic” homily about Aunt Elizabeth from an officiant who didn’t know her and can’t even pronounce her name correctly.

My friend carefully chose each hymn, bible verse, musician, and minister (plus an additional one who INSISTED he had to participate). We learned that in addition to the one life he shared with us for 20 years, he had two previous lives: an early one as a teacher who was widowed and a second one as a school administrator with the family he always wanted. We knew him as a fine jazz musician, but the funeral revealed that he was an equally dedicated father and grandfather, follower of God, lifelong learner, and active parishoner. The Joni Mitchell lyrics, “Don’t it always seem to go? You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” kept running through my head and I wish I had known ALL of those facets of my friend. And I was so grateful that he revealed himself so completely, even after his death.

That experience made me think about weddings and how often planners reach for the next shiny trend, the current wedding craze, and the fashionable fads in order to make the ceremony memorable. The focus is on enormous budgets, unrealistic expectations, and the protracted stress of planning the big day instead of a deeper revelation of the two people we already know and love. Remember what Carrie told Charlotte when she became so upset at the messiness of her wedding to Harry: “You are marrying a wonderful man…and you’re missing it.”

Really, what all of us guests want at your wedding, is to leave the ceremony feeling like we  are more deeply connected to you because we got to share a special milestone in your life. Make sure your story is revealed to us while you are still here. We don’t want to miss a thing