Find me!
Create Weddings and Events
  • Home
  • Services
  • Organization Services
  • Gallery
  • Testimonials
  • Featured In
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Vendors
  • Blog

Wedding planning... where to start??

1/31/2018

4 Comments

 
Marine Drive Golf Course wedding
If you are newly engaged, first of all a huge congratulations... second, when it comes to planning, the very first thing you and your partner need to decide on is a budget that you are both comfortable with.  The budget dictates EVERYTHING and if you start with something else it could cause some problems down the line.  Say you book your venue before really looking at the budget then you come to realize that you can't afford to feed all the guests you want to invite based on the menus available to you.  You might have to skimp where you didn't want to or be forced to cut the guest list more than you wanted to.  

So, budget first, then guest list and then venue.  Of course your guest count can (and will) change from the first version of it but you also don't want to have a list with 120 guests if you end up booking a venue first that only holds 100.  Trust me, you can't squeeze that many more people in... legally, the venue or fire department could shut you down which would really ruin the night, but also, your guests will be miserable if they are shoved in like sardines! 

A little more about the budget... while the spreadsheets you can find online are awesome to help figure out approximately how much you should spend on each item please remember that these are generic sheets and not every category will fit your specific needs or wants.  I always suggest to clients to choose the top three things that are important to them for their wedding and work from there.  Maybe the food, and open bar and the DJ are the big things to you.  Work your budget so that you can get what you want in those areas and then fill in the rest.  If your dream look or theme is a ton of candles rather than flowers then what it says on the spreadsheet in regards to flowers will probably be too much.  You can then move that money to the decor portion to fit in the extra candles you will need.  Basically, don't let a spreadsheet dictate your wedding!  I always want my clients to stay on budget (it's one of the best ways to stay stress free) but play around with where the money will go until it suits you best.  

For more planning advice, send me an email at sara@createweddingsandevents.com to set up your complimentary consultation.  

Happy planning, everyone! 

​Sara 



4 Comments

Christine and Alex's Vancouver wedding

1/15/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Photo by Kaho Photography
Christine and Alex got married on a sunny, October day (those actually exist in Vancouver!).  Their ceremony and reception were both held at Shaughnessy Restaurant at VanDusen Gardens.  The ceremony space was covered so other than maybe being a bit cold, if it were to rain, everyone would still be dry.  However, with access to the gardens we still had our fingers crossed for decent weather for outdoor photos.  Christine had a really great outlook though and wasn't hoping for anything in particular.  She knew that you can never count on the weather and was just a laid back bride in general... ready to go with the flow.  Roy, from KAHO Photography, really took advantage of the sun though and got some stunning sunset shots as evidenced above.  

The day arrived, and as I said, it was gorgeous.  We had access to the restaurant after their brunch service and we began the setup.  Flowers from Southland Farm Market were delivered and they were beautiful!  The fall colours stood out against Christine's white dress and the white linens on the tables. 
 
Picture
Alex, the groom, had one request when it came to decor.  He wanted jelly beans as the table runners and boy were they a HIT! The guests loved them and the bonus was one less thing to clean up at the end of the night! Also, pretty cost efficient.  

Christine is a pastry chef and made the cake (also decorated with flowers from Southland) and the guest favours.  For these, she made chocolates and WOW!!!! They were amazing.  There were two flavours... sour cherry with coconut and caramel with coffee ganache.  If you know me, you know how much I love both caramel and coffee so this was a perfect combo for me... I could have eaten multiples! 

I've worked in both other reception locations at Van Dusen (the Great Hall inside and the Floral Hall which is a separate building) but this was my first time at Shaughnessy Restaurant.  Christine and I went for a site visit earlier on and both the service and food was great that day so I knew we were in good hands.  Alex's side of the family is Russian so he and Christine chose a menu of Russian food options, including borscht and Beef Stroganoff.  It was a plated menu and being that it was at a restaurant, the bonus was the guests didn't need to pre-order.  Servers came around during cocktail hour and started taking orders then.  Such an amazing stress reliever for the bride and groom when they don't have to be chasing guests for their food choices in the weeks before the wedding.  

After dinner, guests were able to dance the night away with music by Mat the DJ.  We have worked together multiple times over the past year and a half and always have a great time together.  The weddings we have done have always had very diverse crowds and he never has a problem playing for everyone.   

Thanks for reading.  If you have any questions about any of the vendors or what was planned please feel free to contact me.  

Happy planning! 

​Sara
1 Comment

Hi there! (Meet your wedding planner)

1/3/2018

5 Comments

 
Picture
Griffin and I in NYC- August 2017
As we enter a new year, I figured it was time to introduce myself.  It's been a while and I know there are those who don't know much about me past the wedding planning job and what's in my "About Me" section.  

So, hi there!  My name is Sara Jones and on top of being a wedding planner and coordinator I'm a wife to Jason and a mommy to Griffin.  Jason and I met in 2009 and got married in 2016 (which reminds me that I should do a final blog post about my wedding experience as a planner!).  Griffin just turned three on December 27th and really is the light of our lives.  He makes us laugh and smile every day and has a personality that is so infectious.  He loves everyone and has been fussed over by strangers basically every day of his life, not to mention all of our friends and family!

Running your own business isn't always easy and the year that I was pregnant with him was my busiest yet as a wedding planner.  I was also working a full time job and for some reason wasn't using assistants yet (seriously, what the heck was I thinking?!).  The first year after he was born, I worked with seven couples and two of my best friends got married.  It was more than enough to keep me busy with a newborn but what I had forgotten about was planning forward and working on booking more clients for the following year when I was off of maternity leave.  I'm still not quite back at the level I was before Griffin was born in regards to the number of weddings each year but that's not always a bad thing.  One of the biggest lessons I have learned from having him is how important time is.  Every client meeting, vendor meeting, site visit and wedding day is time away from him and while I want to be successful in my career (and need to be to help pay bills!) I also want to make sure that 1) there is a balance and 2) that the work I am doing is being valued and that the clients and vendors I'm working with are getting the best out of me.  I can say that I have been guilty in the past of working for next to nothing and while there are exceptions to every rule, this is the thing that has changed most in my business since becoming a mom.  

Other than weddings and my family, there are two other loves in my life that anyone who has met me in person only a few times will probably know... coffee and hockey.  Most mornings begin with me making coffee at home in our French press (with Griffin's help of course... he actually learned to count to ten by helping me... no joke!), and it's not unusual for me to take my laptop to Starbucks and work for a few hours while sipping on either a caramel macchiato (January to beginning of November) or eggnog lattes (beginning of November to whenever the sad day comes that they tell me they are out of them for the year).  Eggnog lattes are probably currently running through my veins.  I love talking weddings over a cup of coffee so call me or email me any time, whether you are planning your own or are a vendor and want to chat.  I'm also one of those rare unicorns that can drink coffee any time of the day or night and then fall asleep immediately so it's also not unusual for Griffin to go to bed and then me make a cup and do some more work in the evening.  

And then, there's hockey... specifically Vancouver Canucks hockey (but I'm also watching Canada play in the World Junior Championships as I write this... I love this time of year!).  I have been a Canucks fan since before I can remember and one of my greatest dreams come true was becoming a season ticket holder.  I've had a ticket package since 2003 and worked my way up to full season about eight years ago.  Thankfully, Griffin seems to really enjoy the games and he loves coming with me to watch and of course see Fin (their mascot) cause he will be spending many nights at Rogers Arena!  It also works out quite well that the majority of wedding season and hockey season are during different times of the year!

When it comes to weddings, I love watching them take on the personalities and traits of each individual couple.  I get to take part in so many different styles which is the greatest.  I don't want everything to always be the same because that's when it gets boring.  One weekend I can be at a golf course and the next I can be on a farm so this is a job that never gets old.  I also get to work in an environment that is all about love and celebration with friends and family and who wouldn't want to be surrounded by smiles and laughter (with some happy tears) for their jobs.  

I hope this post has taught you a little something about me.  If you ever want to get together for coffee just let me know (you know I'll love it!).  

Happy planning, 
​Sara
5 Comments

    Author

    Creating more that just a party. Planning celebrations for a lifetime.  Wedding and event planner in Vancouver, BC .

    Archives

    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    June 2017
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Create Styled Shoots
    Create Weddings
    Planning Tips
    Random

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.