Aisle Plan Your Day Wedding Coordination

CALLING ALL WEDDING PROFESSIONALS!

2011-05-05T14:10:00.005-06:00

[Left: Jagdish Brar [C/o My Big Day] / Right: Monica Hill [C/o Aisle Plan Your Day]

Would you like the chance to learn all about Sikh, Hindu and Muslim weddings? Now is your opportunity! Jagdish Brar, a fellow colleague and dear friend of mine; is a true expert on South Asian weddings and has created a fantastic opportunity!

Explore and learn all about the different aspects involved in planning, coordinating and attending weddings of a culture you may not be familiar with. Expand your client base and take part in this 1-Day seminar being offered here in Edmonton!

Date: Sunday June 19, 2011
Time: 8:30am to 5:00pm
Location: Edmonton, TBD

Some of the topics that will be covered in the seminar include:

• Sikh Weddings : pre-engagement rituals, formal engagement rituals, pre-wedding ceremonies (i.e. maiyyan, akhand path, choora, etc.), ceremony, post-ceremony rituals
• Hindu Weddings: pre-wedding ceremonies (i.e. vara satkararah, madhuparka, etc.), ceremony, post-ceremony rituals
• Muslim Weddings: pre-wedding ceremonies (i.e. istikhara, imam-zamin, manjha, etc.), ceremony, post-ceremony rituals
• Wedding Attire – there will be a fashion show featuring models showcasing various wedding outfits for both brides and grooms. You will also be taught about each clothing item that composes a wedding outfit. You will also be taught how to tie a saree.
• Make-up Artist – a make-up artist will apply bridal make-up on a model and show how a bride’s outfit is put together and how her jewelry and chunni is to be placed.
• You will be provided with a sample itinerary
• Budgets – who pays for what?
• Trends – such as destination weddings
• Gurdwara Tour – each participant will be given a tour of a Gurdwara (transportation included)
• And many, many more topics!

Fee: The early bird special is $299 until April 30, 2011 after which the regular fee will be $349. This will give you the following:

• A full day of learning about Sikh, Hindu and Muslim weddings
• Coffee/tea and snacks throughout the day
• A hot lunch provided by one of the best caterers in Indian Cuisine (allowing each participant to try Indian cuisine first hand)
• A reference guide detailing everything you will learn in the seminar
• Directory of top vendors who specialize in South Asian weddings
• A tour of a Gurdwara (transportation included)
• Certificate of completion

More South Asian couples are opting to hire a wedding planner. This market is only going to increase. To reach this lucrative, emerging market, you need to be ready. The best starting point would be to gain as much knowledge as you can about the different cultures along with all of the traditions and rituals that are included in the wedding.

Why lose your business to someone else? Come learn from an expert in the field! The registration page will be available on http://www.mybigday.ca/ ---Payments can be made by EMT or certified cheque.

This seminar is open to all WPIC and non-WPIC wedding professionals, including photographers, DJs, etc.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Sixth Annual Wedding Professionals Conference in Nassau, Bahamas

2011-05-05T12:22:00.011-06:00

On November 1-5, 2010 I was pleased to attend the Sixth Annual Wedding Professionals Conference in Nassau, Bahamas as a wedding planner, and conference organizer. The week was filled with informative seminars presented by some of the best in the wedding industry. Guest speakers included Colin Cowie, Jung Lee & Josh Brooks & Mary Dann to name a few.

Colin Cowie is respected around the world as an aribiter of style and is widely known for designing and producing the most spectacular celebrations across the globe. With an international clientele that reads like the guest list at the Academy Awards, Colin Cowie has designed an produced celebrations for Oprah Winfrey, Eddie Murphy, Jerry Seinfeld, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Cruise and many, many more.

Jung Lee has been featured on "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" and then her own show "Wedded to Perfection". Jung Lee is a co-founder of Fete Planning & Design along with Josh Brooks. The companies fresh approach and innovative design has made it one of the most sought after planning and design companies in the world.

Mary Dann is one of the most sought after coordinators in Southern California. Mary Dann -McNamee and her team of wedding and party coordinators have been responsible for detailed event planning and creative party consultation to many corporations and families around the country since 1991. They are known for their commitment to surpass their clients' expectations and have created intimate weddings and extravagant upscale affairs for a long list of clients, including many of Hollywood's elite.

The week started off with a welcome cocktail party hosted at Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in Bahamas. The decor was beyond amazing, food stations bordered the pool area and we were greeted by the Bahamas Tourism Board. This was also a chance for all attendees to meet & greet the conference speakers and take pictures with the celebrities. Each day, the conference was hosted at various resort properties throughout Nassau, Bahamas giving us the opportunity to view the properties for our destination wedding clients. We were hosted by Atlantis Resort, Breezes Bahamas and Wyndham Nassau.

The week continued with seminars each day outlining topics such as:

The Finer Details of Wedding Management

The Business Side of Weddings

Customer service in the Wedding Industry

Servicing Today's Personalized Bride

Facebook & Your Business

Finding Balance

Making Yourself a Media Source

Wedding Marketing

Destination Wedding Photography

In addition to the fantastic seminars, there was also a book-signing and vendor trade show highlighting products to share with our destination wedding clients. In addition to the above seminars, we also renewed our Sandals Specialist Certification course that brought us up to date on all the up & comings of the Sandals resort chain throughout the Caribbean.

The week ended with a farewell Gala hosted at the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort and included a plated meal, great music and fun, along with prize giveaways!

This conference was truly an amazing experience and having the ability to rub shoulders with some of the best in the industry , along with the fantastic networking amongst wedding professionals around the world, this made for a truly unforgettable experience!

Alternatives to A Cash Bar At Your Wedding

2011-05-05T11:22:00.008-06:00

Today, more and more couples are choosing to have a cash bar for their wedding reception to reduce costs on their sometimes limited budget. Wedding etiquette clearly states that a cash bar is a big "No, No". Ask yourself this question... would you charge your friends and family for a glass of wine when they come over to your home for a dinner party? Of course not.... so then what makes it ok to do this at your wedding? Your guests will be travelling to celebrate your special day with you, they will be purchasing a wedding gift, possibly buying a new outfit along with the possibility of hiring childcare services if its an adult-only reception.... so they should not have to incur the cost of also purchasing their own alcohol at your wedding.

Here are some alternatives to a cash bar at your wedding:

Have a smaller guest list

Create a "signature drink" to offer your guests and serve that as your alcoholic beverage

Choose a standard bar service instead of premium top-shelf alcohol

Limit the hours of bar service

Have your wedding on a Sunday afternoon as a brunch reception, and serve champagne mimosas

Offer only beer and wine to your guests

Have a unique themed bar instead of alcohol [such as a coffee & cappuccino or smoothie bar]

Bring in your own alcohol and pay a per/person corkage fee instead

Have an alcohol free wedding [Yes, this is ok!]

There seems to be a huge misconception that placing drinks tickets in a wedding invitation is acceptable. Again, this is a BIG wedding etiquette "No, No". If for example you were to place 2 drink tickets into a wedding invitation; this basically implies to your guest that they are only worthy of two drinks, but perhaps another guest may receive four drinks tickets. This is an offensive way to handle the cash bar situation with guests. You would be better off not placing any drink tickets in the invitation at all.

If any of the above suggested alternatives are not options for you; then please ensure that you list on the wedding invitation that it will be a cash bar so that your guests are informed and will bring cash with them to the wedding reception.

Things to Consider When Planning a Destination Wedding

2011-05-05T10:26:00.008-06:00

RESEARCH - You must first determine the location of where you would like to host your destination wedding. It is important to do as much research as possible to determine the location that will best suit your overall needs and budget. Enlist the help of a destination wedding planner ot travel agent, specializing in destination weddings to assist you though this process.

BUDGET - This is the most important thing to consider when planning your destination wedding. Depending on the numbers of guests attending; you must consider travel costs, accomodation and what portion of the wedding you and your fiance will be paying for. [Rules of etiquette state that the couple should be paying for all members of the wedding party when choosing a destination for your wedding nuptials]

TIME OF YEAR - Just because you choose a tropical location doesn't mean that the weather will be perfect for your wedding date. You must take into consideration hurricaine season, as well as "off-season" for resorts as they may have less staff to serve customers.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS: Depending on the country that you choose for your wedding nuptials, there may be certain residency requirements that you must meet. For example, In Jamaica... you must be on the island for a minimum of 48 hours before your wedding ceremony.

VALIDITY OF MARRIAGE IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY: The validity of your marriage is dependant upon the laws of the country where the marriage is performed. It is your responsibility to ensure you do your research ahead of time to determine whether you are responsible for submitting paperwork to the governing body of your country. You may also be responsible for translating the documents to the language of your country.

PROXIMITY TO THE AIRPORT: It is very important to research your location thoroughly. Some resorts may be up to 4 or more hours away from the airport which can be difficult for your guests as they may be travelling with children or elders with mobility issues.

LANGUAGE BARRIERS & DOCUMENT TRANSLATIONS: In some cases, depending on the country you choose to host your wedding, the wedding ceremony will be spoken in the language of the country as well as the documentation you will be signing. You need to be aware that you may not understand the language spoken at your wedding ceremony.

REQUIRED VACCINATIONS & BLOOD TESTS / X-RAYS: Depending on the country, blood tests and x-rays may be required to issue a marriage certificate. In Mexico for example, the bride is also required to take a pregnancy test.

ALLOW YOUR GUESTS ENOUGH NOTICE TO ATTEND: When inviting guests to your destination wedding, ensure that you provide enough notice for them to take time off of work, prepare a budget for the trip as well as enough time to prepare passports and visas that may be required for travel.

FIND OUT WHAT IS INCLUDED: Many resorts will offer all-inclusive options for you and your wedding guests. This is a great way to ensre your guests can plan ahead with their budget. You will also want to inquire what wedding packages they have available on-site instead of having to contact individual vendors for all aspects of your wedding planning.

Palace Resorts in Mexico

2010-06-28T15:03:00.009-06:00

On June 14-18/2010, I was asked by WPIC [Wedding Planners Institute of Canada] to accompany them on a FAM [Familiarization] trip to teach & certify 26 Palace Resorts wedding coordinators.

The 26 wedding coordinators that attended the 3-day training program came from all across Mexico to the host resort: Moon Palace in Cancun, Mexico http://palaceresorts.com/

The training emphasized expectations of North American clientele so that the Palace onsite wedding coordinators could better understand the North American market. Topic also included bride & groom psychology, the various roles of wedding planning, how to increase wedding & special events revenue, marketing as well as extensive discussions on how to attract the destination wedding market. [Along with many, many other wedding related topics]

The experience was very imformative not only for my students, but for myself as well as I was able to learn more about Mexican culture and traditions. In addition, I was also surprised to learn about the marriage requirements in Mexico. Some interesting facts I came across are:

You must be a resident of Mexico for at least 3 dayd before a civil or religious ceremony. [This is important to consider especially when making wedding plans as you will not necessarily be able to have the wedding on the date you were hoping, based on how long you have been in Mexico.]

You are required to take a blood test to determine blood type and test for HIV, Syphillis & Gonorrhea

If you have been divorced for less than 1 year and you are planning to re-marry in Mexico, you will be required to take a pregnancy test. If the pregnancy test comes back positive, you will be unable to marry.

As I taught the 3 day course to the wonderful staff at Palace Resorts, I learned one thing... that regardless of location, culture, traditions...etc - ultimately as a wedding coordinator we all strive to make the couple's wedding day the most memorable and spectacular day possible.

The wedding coordinators at Palace Resort are all very talented individuals sometimes handling up to 5 weddings per day. They are very skilled in their professions and the wedding packages offered at Palace resorts are second to none! I would highly recommend Palace Resorts for your destination wedding.

For more information on Palace Resorts wedding packages, please visit their website at http://www.palaceresortsweddings.com/

Planning your Destination Wedding?

2010-06-25T15:07:00.003-06:00

Aisle Plan Your Day has had the opportunity to travel extensively within the Carribean to meet with numerous resort chains & their onsite wedding coordinators at the destination wedding locations/resorts.

We would be pleased to offer our services on destination wedding planning packages as well as group reservations & management services.

Although a destination wedding sounds care-free and glamourous... its also requires a lot of research and time to plan. The key to planning a destination wedding is to start planning as early as possible.

With destination weddings, there are many more factors to consider when having your nuptials away from your home town or further than a 100 mile radius [which classifies the wedding as a "destination" wedding.

When planning for your destination wedding, there are many factors to consider such as:

Wedding Budget

Guest list

Travel & Accomodation

Attire

Location

Time of year

Legal requirements of marriage

Translation Requirements of documents

Vendor research

Resort wedding packages

Itinerary planning

Guest planning & events

Theme Development

Destination weddings are quite different from regular weddings and even honeymoons; and therefore they require the assistance and planning from a certified destination wedding coordinator.

For inquiries on our destination wedding packages, please visit our website at http://www.aisleplanyourday.com/ and we would be pleased to sit down and discuss your wedding vision and see how we can help!

Monica Hill awarded position of Intructor with the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada

2010-06-25T14:52:00.004-06:00

I am excited to share news that as of October 2009 - I have taken on a position to be an instructor for the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. [www.wpic.ca] to teach and certify new & up and coming wedding planners within the industry.

The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada is the only regulated wedding coordinator certification course available in Canada. Classes are taught in -class at all major universities across Canada so please check the schedule on-line [www.wpic.ca] if you are interested in taking the course. We will teach you about planning and coordination of a wedding and so much more.

It has been my pleasure to travel across Canada and Internationally to certify new wedding planners. The upcoming year includes a lot of travels and I look forward to keeping you posted about exciting new trends and wedding topics.

Aisle Plan Your Day is a Sandals Certified Specialist!

2010-02-02T08:52:00.041-07:00

I had the pleasure of attending a trip to Jamaica with WPIC [Wedding Planners Institute of Canada] hosted by Sandals Resorts to learn more about destination wedding packages.

Our journey started off in Montego Bay where we arrived into Jamaica. Upon arrival in the airport, we were directed to the Sandals Lounge where we were offered refreshments & snacks while waiting for our bus to transport us to the hotel.From there, we had a 2 hour bus ride to Ocho Rios where we were provided with our own suites on the Manor Section of the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios resorts.

Day 1

We started off the day with a course and were given an assignment to create an on-site wedding at the resort and of course, come up with some signature cocktails! This gave us a chance to view the various wedding locations around the resort and learn about the different wedding packages available to our clients. Upon completion of the assignment, we were then advised there was a huge surprise in store for us! Adam Stewert, CEO of Sandals Resorts came in to talk with us about Sandals resorts! This was a huge honor to have Adam Stewert come & speak to our group... and of course we were all very much "star-struck!"

In the evening, we were invited to attend a hosted dinner sponsored by Sandals Dunn's River resort. The dinner was located pool-side and was decorated as a mock-wedding so that we could experience what our clients would receive with their wedding package.

Day 2

Today we started off the day taking a full tour of the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios resort, complete with tours of each room category. This resort is Sandals largest resort and is divided into 2 sections [Riveria & Manor]. From here, we were then taken by bus to Beaches Boscabel for a site tour. Once we were done the site tour,we were treated to a roof-top lunch complete with appetizers, cocktails and private massages. This was a phenomenal surprise for all of us! From here, we were then escorted to a private lunch where the chef had prepared a special menu for our group! The meal and their hospitality was second to none!

From the Beaches Boscabel Resort, we then proceeded to Sandals Ocho Rios Golf Course. The green fees for golf are included in the Ultra-All inclusive package when booking with the Sandals Dunns River or Sandals Grande Ocho Rios resort. Upon arrival at the course, we were offered golf carts as we took a tour along the entire layout of the course. The views were absolutely breathtaking! Upon completion of the tour, the GM of the course provided a demonstration on golf for us with a PGA pro. This was a wonderful afternoon!

From the Sandals Ocho Rios Golf Course, we then proceeded to Rio Chico. Rio Chico is a $10,000 per night villa. The villa we toured belonged to Butch Stewert [Owner and chairman of Sandals resort], so along the tour, we were fortunate enough to get a glimpse into their family life with family pictures lining the walls throughout the villa. This property boasted phenomenal views, its own private beachfront, luxurious interior and several pools. We were then treated to cocktails and appetizers provided by the staff at Rio Chico.

Day 3
Today we had our Sandals CSS training in the ballroom at the resort! Our course has been completed and I am now officially a Sandals Certified Specialist! This was a wonderful day and everyone was excited about sharing our knowledge with our destination wedding clients! There are so many beautiful spots within the resorts to hold your destination wedding. See below for some pictures of my favorite locations:

This evening was a formal gala for our group, again sponsored by Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. The gala was held on the Grand Promenade [the boardwalk right along the ocean]. As I walked down the promenade, I could hear the calypso band playing songs of Jamaica, I could see the candlelight glowing from the tables... it looked perfect! We were treated to a 5-course meal, white glove service. After dinner, we enjoyed the music and danced alongside the ocean! It was a perfect way to conclude our stay at this resort!
Day 4

Today we checked out of the resort at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios and will be doing a couple more site tours and then checking into Sandals Montego Bay resort. Our first tour was of Sandals Dunns River. This resort had such old-world charm and beautiful suites throughout. From this resort,we were then taken by bus to Sandals Royal Plantation resort where we received a full tour. This resort even boasts its own private island [a perfect wedding location!] For lunch, we were taken by boat to the private island where we enjoyed an authentic Jamaician lunch. After a late lunch, we then proceeded to Sandals Montego Bay and got checked in!

Day 5

Today we did a complete tour of the Sandals Montego Bay resort. This resort has the highest return rate for guests than any of the other resorts. It had such a good vibe and I would recommend this place to a couple who wanted a lively atmosphere! That evening, we were invited to a beach party hosted by Sandals Montego Bay. When I arrived to the beach, I was thrilled to see that the tables were set-up right in the sand while gorgeous floral centerpieces adorned the tables, a calypso band was playing music right beside the ocean and we had a fabulous buffet set up right on the beach for us to enjoy! I couldn't possibly think of a better way to end the trip!

I am now officially a Sandals Certified Specialist and would love the opportunity to provide a quote for your vacation, honeymoon or destination wedding!

Welcome to the Aisle Plan Your Day Blog!

2010-01-29T10:40:00.004-07:00

I am thrilled to announce the launch of our new re-designed website and blog!

We have so many exciting things in store for 2010 and I can’t wait to get started on what promises to be a fabulous year!

In celebration of our “revamped website” launch, I am offering couples a $75.00 credit towards any wedding consulting or coordination services booked on or before February 28/2010.

Be sure to check back here often for exciting news and updates on wedding trends, Wedding FAQ’s and so much more!