To obtain a copy of the book The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® – Guide to Smart Wedding Planning, click here!
Book Synopsis
The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® – Guide to Smart Wedding Planning gives couples practical and actionable steps to take control of wedding planning, make the best decisions, and keep your sanity along the way.
Readers will learn how to:
- Navigate stressful relationships
- Create a vision that represents you both
- Understand and build a realistic budget
- Choose the right venue and vendors
- Stay present and enjoy your wedding day
With a combined 30+ years of experience and hundreds of weddings produced, the Real Deal Wedding Insiders® have seen it all. Edna Dratch-Parker, founder and creative director of EFD Creative—Event Planning & Design and partner of 4LUXURE – Premium Wedding Planner Collective®, and Jeri Solomon, owner of Jeri Solomon Floral Design, combine their depth of knowledge and real-life experiences to help on your wedding planning journey.
Excerpt from Book
This excerpt is Edna Dratch-Parker & Jeri Solomon’s book, “Guide to Smart Wedding Planning” Reprinted with permission from Real Deal Wedding Insiders®.
CHAPTER 1
ENGAGEMENT THE PERFECT STORM
Being engaged is one of the most exciting times in your life, but it can cause some unexpected challenges, and at times it can get downright chaotic. So, let’s help you get organized and get into a more manageable mindset.
Your life is already busy, and now you’ve got to find time to plan a wedding, with all the emotions and multitude of details that come with it. We know you want to make wise choices from the get-go. And that’s what we’re here to help with.
SMART Wedding Planning
A lot needs to happen in order for you to realize your ideal wedding, no matter how big or small it may be. To get there, you’ve got to be SMART about your decisions. Your choices should be:
Specific to your priorities and needs
Manageable within your budget, time frame, and comfort zone
Articulated clearly communicated to family and vendors
Realistic of expectations
Timely made with enough information and with enough time to execute them
This book gives you the SMART approach to develop and refine your wedding vision, bring it to life within your particular budget and timeline, and manage your family and vendors to get the best results.
SMART wedding planning includes the Three Cs of what it really takes to produce the wedding you want: Communication, Comprehension, and Calculation. You will need to:
- Communicate with your family and partner, as well as your vendors.
- Comprehend what it takes to produce the wedding you envision.
- Calculate the real cost of your wedding.
Almost from the moment you announce, “We’re engaged!” the tension starts to mount. Within days (or hours), the questions start com- ing: When’s the date? What’s your color scheme? Do you have a venue/photographer/dress?
Your stress level rises as to-do lists start swirling in your head. Your first instinct might be to try to get a head start by making appointments to try on dresses or visit venues. Our advice? The first thing you should do is press pause.
Wedding planning requires you to look at the big picture. Every decision you make, from the venue you choose to the size of your guest list to the number of bridesmaids, will affect other decisions down the road. This road may be new to you, and it’s difficult to know what lies ahead, so it’s important to take your time and plan your journey.
Once you’re engaged, hit the pause button, take a deep breath and look at the big picture. Get real with yourself and ask the following questions: What’s truly important to you? What are your priorities? What are your financial circumstances? Then, ask the same questions of your spouse-to-be, your parents, and anyone else involved in the wedding planning. This should all happen before you take any other action.
SMART wedding planning means setting expectations and navigating the journey (and potholes) with the family, friends, and vendors who’ll be helping to bring your vision to life. One of the biggest mistakes we see is couples who don’t think about the repercussions of their choices until they’re too far down the wedding planning road—when it’s almost impossible to change course. The results? Feelings get hurt, too much money is spent on the wrong things, and stress levels get out of control.
You might be thinking, But Edna and Jeri, I already know what type of wedding I want and where it will take place. That’s good. Hold on to those thoughts. But don’t do anything about them yet.
There are three things you need to do in the early stages of planning, in this (very important) order:
- Identify your Wedding Committee: Your Wedding Committee is the group of people who have influence on your decisions (whether you like it or not).
- Establishyourvision:Thevisionistheoveralllook,feel,andexperience you want to create for your wedding.
- Set your REAL DEAL budget: This budget is what it will actually cost to execute your vision.
Beth’s Review
The Real Deal Wedding Insiders® – Guide to Smart Wedding Planning is the perfect companion for brides, grooms, and wedding planners alike because it covers everything from engagements to the wedding day and all that needs to happen in between. Written by two wedding experts who poured their knowledge, experience, and skills into a comprehensive guide that everyone in the wedding industry as well as those getting married should own.
The book offers practical advice about how to form wedding committees to ensure that every detail is both included in the wedding plan and covered by those assigned to that specific task. The wedding vision and its formation is also described and there is even a section on how weddings have changed over the years. Working with vendors is discussed in great detail as their part in the wedding is integral along with choosing the venue and building the guest list. Having a solid budget is also discussed as it provides the framework for the entire wedding planning process.
This book would be a great asset to your wedding planning journey! Click here to purchase it today!
Edna Dratch-Parker
Edna, founder and creative director of EFD Creative—Event Planning & Design and partner of 4LUXURE – Premium Wedding Planner Collective®, brings her unique blend of experience as an artist, entrepreneur, and creative director to each and every wedding she’s planned for over the past decade. A graduate of the Maine College of Art & Design, her approach to events comes from her desire to create a cohesive and visually engaging experience. Edna has received a number of industry honors, including “Wedding of the Year” from NACE National, the “Spirit Award” from the Boston Wedding Group – multiple years, “Social Event Planner of the Year” from BizBash, “Trendsetter of the Year” from Wedding Planner magazine, and “New England Wedding of the Year 2012” from NACE Boston. She’s also been the recipient of the WeddingWire Couple’s Choice Award consecutively since 2009, and has won The Knot’s Best of Weddings Award every year since 2014. She is also a part of The Knot’s Wedding Hall of Fame. Edna’s work has been published nationally in magazines and blogs.
Jeri Solomon
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Jeri parlayed her entrepreneurial spirit with her first love of flowers into a business – Jeri Solomon Floral Design, that has allowed her to be creative and thrive in the Boston wedding industry for over 25 years. Jeri’s motto is “Weddings are stressful; flowers shouldn’t be.” She believes in providing each of her customers not only with gorgeous floral arrangements but also with exceptional service, attention to detail, and impeccable design. Her work has been featured in numerous publications including: Boston Weddings, Flower magazine, The Knot, Modern Luxury Weddings: Boston, and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style. As one of the founding members of the prestigious Boston Wedding Group, Jeri has served in various leadership roles including president, vice president, and secretary.
