Twitterpated Weddings

Larry and Laura's Wedding - September 5, 2009

2009-09-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Laura and Larry!!This wonderfully fun couple got married at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley. It was meant to be an intimate celebration from the start, and although it grew a bit, it was still a very sentimental and intimate wedding of 40 guests.

They chose purple and platinum as their colors and we didn't need much decor at the ceremony site...appropiately named the Wedding Garden, as it is naturally lush and beautiful.

The Wedding Garden at a site walk through...

The couple chose the Harvest Room at Bernardus for their reception because the guest count was perfect for this room. It is cozy and intimate with wood credenzas and grape motiff curtains and runners.

Harvest Room (before)

The couple decided that the grape/ harvest feel of the room didn't mesh with their more modern, purple and sleek theme. I had an idea of how to help create the feel they were going for and hoped it would look as good once it was all in place.

I brought in some draping to cover the curtains, but once it was up, I felt it closed the room off too much and looked more sterile than chic. I felt some lighting would soften it up and tie back the draping into several sections to open the room up a bit.

I was up all night thinking of little things I could to to make the room look as beautiful as I envisioned to give the couple even more than they expected. With a few extra stops to get some supplies and makeshift decor, I looked around the room and was happy with the transformation. The important thing was the couple was happy, and the wedding was as special as they had expressed they wanted it to be at our first meeting.

Ceremony

Harvest Room reception setup

Little touches and details:)

Of course I could not have done this alone...it takes a team to plan and run a wedding and I am so grateful for the support and help I got along the way and on the day of the wedding. Nicole Cabantac, the catering manager, and the rest of the team at Bernardus could NOT have been sweeter and more helpful. Such team players and hard workers, I highly recommend this location for weddings or events.

Ceremony/Reception venue: Bernardus Lodge

Flowers: Precious & Blooming Floral Design

DJ/Ceremony Trio: Ezzo Entertainment

Cake: Layers Sensational Cakes

Wedding Coordinator: Twitterpated Weddings ;)

Wedding consultants vs On site coordinators

2009-08-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Weddings are constantly evolving and changing. There are more options, details, designs, and styles every day. A lot of couples desire original concepts and personal touches incorporated into their ceremony and reception.

Besides ceremonies and receptions, couples are making full weekends out of their wedding celebrations including elaborate rehearsal dinners, after parties, and a day after wedding breakfast or brunch.

With all these new options, it is getting harder and harder for couples to keep each wedding professional and task in order, thus, the use of a wedding coordinator is become less of a luxury and is quickly becoming a necessity.

The biggest question that couples seem to have is “What is the difference between an onsite wedding consultant (the person working at the venue) and contracted/hired (third party) wedding consultant?”

The truth is, we both have very different jobs. What you have to remember is that the onsite coordinator works for the VENUE (hotel, hall, park, etc) and third party consultants work for YOU. Although onsite coordinators usually go above and beyond to help make your day perfect, they do have limitations with their own crew to oversee and their own job to do. Here is a great summary of some of the differences that I received from the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay when I went to tour the facility earlier this year.
This is a great example of what to expect from each.

What does a Ritz-Carlton Wedding Specialist handle?
· Provide a list of special event professionals
· Act as a menu consultant for food and beverage selections
· Detail your banquet order and wedding resume outlining your entire event
· Create an estimate of charges outlining your financial commitment and payment schedule
· Create a floor plan of your function space to provide seating arrangements
· Oversee the details of the bride and groom’s room reservations (If applicable)
· Oversee the ceremony and reception room(s) set up, food preparations and other hotel operations
· Be the on-site liaison between your wedding consultant and hotel operations staff
· Ensure a seamless transition to the hotel’s banquet captain once the grand entrance has occurred.
· Review your banquet checks for accuracy prior to the completion of the final bill.
As you can see, the onsite coordinator handles a lot, but it all has to do with the hotel operations, staff and charges. This is true with almost every wedding venue. They have a business to run, and although they undoubtedly care very much about you and your event, their number one priority is their employer.

What does a contracted wedding coordinator/consultant handle?
· Assist with etiquette and protocol for invitations, family matters, ceremony and toasts.
· Create a timeline for your entire wedding day including the ceremony and reception.
· Work with you to organize and coordinate your ceremony rehearsal; remind bridal party of all pertinent “call times” and “don’t forgets” on your wedding day.
· Be the liaison with your family, bridal party, band/DJ, florist, photographer and other vendors to create a seamless operation.
· Assist the bride and bridal party with dressing.
· Ensure the ladies have corsages and bouquets and the pinning the boutonnieres.
· Deliver and arrange ceremony programs, escort cards, place cards, favors and any personal items.
· Coordinate the ceremony; line up bridal party, assist bride with dress, etc.
· Coordinate your reception; grand entrance, first dance, toasts, cake cutting, etc.
· Collect any personal items you may have brought at the conclusion of the reception.
· Assist you with full service coordinating from engagement to your honeymoon if needed.

The combination of a great on-site coordinator with a professionally trained wedding consultant means you won’t have to worry about a thing!

ACPWC Upcoming class in Northern California

2009-08-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I hold the title as National Public Relations Chairperson so one of my jobs to is to create awareness and generate intrest in the faboulous ACPWC (Association of Certified/Professional Wedding Consultants) Our next class is coming up in October, so now is the time to sign up for it!
Read more below:
The Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants (“ACPWC”) has been training students for 19 years to become Wedding Consultants or Church /Facility Coordinators.

Whether you are just getting started in the wedding industry or wish to enhance your skills and experience, we invite you to learn about our course and our Association. Professional training is important in any industry. We pride ourselves on our Certification Course, as well as our post-graduate, continuing education. The ACPWC Certification Course is a process that helps you develop your skills and business relationships, simultaneously.

Because of the numerous requests by General Managers, Catering Managers, Food and Beverage Managers, Wedding Facility Coordinators and owners of wedding facilities in the Northern California area, we have implemented a course with special emphasis on Facility Coordinators.

The course will take place from Monday, October 5th, through Friday, October 9th, 2009, 9 AM to 5 PM, at the newly-renovated Crowne Plaza in downtown San Jose. The week will be highlighted with round table discussions, directed by Wedding Facility Coordinators, with subjects pertinent to the industry, such as:

· how to work in concert with outside wedding consultants;
· understanding the role of outside wedding consultants;
· how to select reputable wedding/event professionals;
· how to build a cohesive team of wedding/event professionals;
· pros and cons of various software;
· sharing of facility-required worksheets vs. consultants’ timelines
· how to market your facility and yourself.

Discussions/presentations will also include those requested by the students themselves.

The course will describe the responsibilities of each player and how they can work together to achieve the best possible results. It is also recommended for other members of your staff who are on site during weddings. They will be able to better market your facility, recommend one another, and work together as a team.

Each facility will have the opportunity to showcase their venue on Friday, October 9th, at our Speakers’ Day. This is a day of continuing education for our new graduates, as well as our seasoned wedding consultants. The attendance is usually comprised of between 50-60 ACPWC Wedding Consultants, students and wedding professionals. Everyone enjoys this opportunity to gather information and network.

Please check out our website at http://www.acpwc.com/ and feel free to call any of our Professional or Certified members who are currently working for facilities, such as: The Hilton, San Jose and Santa Clara, The Fairmont, Silver Creek Valley Country Club, Silicon Valley Capital Club, La Rinconada Golf & Country Club, The Mountain Winery, Stanford Park Hotel and Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

Please go to http://www.acpwc/ for an application or use this link: http://www.acpwc.com/school_application.shtml .

For more information and to reserve your place, please call our ACPWC office at 408/227-2792.

Registration deadline is September 21, 2009.
Space will be limited to 30 students, so please sign up now!

2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway

2009-08-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

The 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway is more than just a wedding contest. Over forty premier Bay Area wedding and hospitality vendors are collaborating to make this once in a lifetime dream come true. They’ll work together as a team for almost a year, planning, coordinating and designing the most unforgettable Wedding of the Year, for one very lucky couple in love. By implementing exquisite details and top notch products and services, this amazing wedding will definitely be worthy of platinum status. The contest officially opens on August 4, 2009 at 7:55 a.m. PST.

Here is my article describing my part in the giveaway:

Amy Frugoli, owner of Twitterpated Weddings joins the Dream Team with a very important important role. Amy will serve as the “wedding coordinator” for the 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding, acting as the event manager.
Amy will be working closely with wedding planner and contest producer, Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants, and wedding designer, Kathryn Kalabokes of Dream A Little Dream Events.
Why 3 wedding consultants for this one wedding, one may ask? Well, The 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway is not just “any wedding”, and it requires a well-oiled team to produce an event of this status and caliber. Each wedding consultant will be dealing with three entirely different aspects of the wedding planning process. This will ensure the lucky winners who get married on May 14, 2010 receive unparalleled attention to detail and experience what it means to be the stars of what is being dubbed the “wedding of the year“.
Amy will be working with the bride and groom, as well as the entire Dream Team, providing event management services. She’ll be there for the bride and groom throughout the planning process to answer their question sand guide them along. Another big part of Amy’s job will be to coordinate with over 40 vendors who are donating their goods and services, managing the logistics of the wedding day.
She’ll also be constructing the very detailed time line for the wedding, by incorporating information based on all the relevant vendors’ jobs, as well as all aspects of the wedding ceremony and reception.
She’ll keep track of the bridal party and immediate family. She’ll manage the wedding rehearsal and the wedding itself, keeping the events running according to schedule.
The value of Amy’s donation is $3,000.00.
Why Amy is Excited to Participate in the Giveaway
Amy says, “I consistently strive to give back to my community, as well as globally, in any way I can. I believe that even small gestures make a difference in people’s lives. This contest allows me the honor of giving back something incredible for someone deserving.”.
How Twitterpated Weddings was Born
Amy was working as a bridal consultant and Fine Tabletop and Giftware manager when she found herself spending hours chatting with bridal couples about their wedding plans. She had always been interested in wedding planning, but once she realized how many couples really DID need some guidance, the decision to open her own wedding consulting business was born.

What is unique about Twitterpated Weddings?
As a wedding planner, Amy helps her clients plan their dream weddings all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Amy says, “I believe in keeping it real. What you see is what you get.”. She started this business to make each couple’s journey fun, easy and stress free so that’s her goal with each wedding. Amy also serves on the board of the prestigious ACPWC.