COMMON BLUNDERS THAT CAN RUIN YOUR WEDDING

Your wedding is one of the most important events of your life when you want everything perfect and run according to plan. It is a special day that you spend so much time rehearsing for and when it finally comes, you don’t want to leave any room for mistakes or flaws. Planning a wedding can be challenging, it can be daunting and so overwhelming that it is quite easy to make wrong choices which end up ruining the entire event. Here are ten common blunders that can ruin your wedding and how to avoid them.

Budgeting

For a wedding to be successful, money is everything. Money can be a cause of distress at the best of times.  It can turn into a major problem in a wedding situation where emotions are running high. Wedding is a very special event for the couple to share with their loved ones; therefore, there is a tendency to go overboard with the spending in a bid to ensure that the special day is spectacular. At this point, it is common for a lot of couples to just throw costs out the window, and end up starting a new life together in debt. Many couples and parents get so stressed out over the cost of the wedding that they completely lose sight of the joy and excitement of the time.  

It is important you start off well, figuring how much you could spend and what you already have in your bank account. Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Use the budget as a tool to figure out what you can cut, what you can save and other sources where income might come from. Not only will budgeting help you afford your wedding, it’s also an important skill for your married life.

Leaving Tasks For The Week Before The Wedding

I would have merged this point with the preceding point, but technically speaking, they are different from each other. In this case, you've planned well up until this point, and since you're taking the week off before the wedding anyway, you'll have lots of free time to wrap up loose ends. Doing this is a serious blunder. Apart from the fact that there are better uses for your time, you also don't want to be tired on the day of your wedding or stressed about whether a last minute item is in place. Last minute issues will always come up, so the best thing you can do is get everything you can think of ahead of time. Don't wait until the week before to do anything.

Doing Everything Yourself

Wedding is fun, but wedding planning isn’t. Until you’ve planned a wedding, you may not have an idea the number of choices and decisions you will need to make, and the great emotional turmoil that comes with most of them. To have a successful wedding, you must plan your tasks effectively. Have a realistic check list and you’ll be on top of things. In planning, you must start at least six months ahead of time, so you'll have time to execute your plans effectively.

The truth is that, wanting to be involved in planning your wedding is a great idea. Still, you'll want to keep yourself at least a little sane, and you may be surprised at how quickly the months pass by. You don't need the stress of pulling all-nighters the week before the wedding to finish too many projects. It's simple: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Pick and choose your projects wisely, and be honest with yourself about how much time you have to devote to them.

If it all gets too much, wedding planners are just a phone call away. At this point, the importance of wedding planners cannot be overemphasized. You will be amazed at the range of services they offer. They are the experts and they will be more than happy to give you some advice and steer you back on track in no time.

Venue

Event venue is almost everything during a wedding.  A quaint celebration in the comfort of an open field could be the simple choice of many people. But here's an uncomfortable thought: the cost of rentals. Combine the cost of tables and chairs plus set-up and delivery fees, not to mention a tent in case of bad weather and your "small wedding" budget just shot through the roof. Unless you happen to have access to a bunch of banquet tables and chairs, it might be cost effective to book a reception hall. There are hotels and event centres that will throw tables, chairs, and some, even linens into your wedding package and this can help you save some money in the end.

Buying A Wedding Dress Online

When you are looking at a gorgeous wedding dress online, the "purchase now" button can become very tempting. But if it's a gown you've never tried on or even seen in person, you should have a second thought before you buy. There's no way to know what a dress will really look like on you until you've tried it on. If the dress that arrives isn't as lovely as you thought, you could be stuck with an expensive gown you'll never wear. Even if you like the dress, unexpected fitting problems could attract additional costs in amendments. Your best bet is to go to a bridal salon to make sure you get the real thing.

Lack of Personality

One big mistake I often see is a wedding devoid of the couple’s own personalities. Other actors whose personalities are almost as important as the couple are the MC and the DJ. They both have huge influence on the tone of the ceremony. You’ll want to make sure that you find an MC who is willing to perform the kind of ceremony you are envisioning. Let's face it, if your MC is boring and dry, your wedding ceremony is going to be boring and dry. By the same token; if your DJ is super cheesy, you’re going to be doing the chicken dance all day. Make sure that your personalities mesh well with these two people, and that you feel listened to and respected. It is the one of the most important days of your life, as such, it should reflect your uniqueness

Skimping On The Food

Just because it's a buffet style wedding doesn't mean your guests should be rationed portions of food. Being short on food is a big no-no. Buffet style lunch or dinners are fine, but you need to make sure there is enough food plus plates, and napkins to go round. Work with your caterer ahead of time to make sure you have a menu that's within your budget but still allows you to have enough food for everyone. Food is one place where it's best not to cut corners. Instead, try saving in other ways, like by having your wedding on a Sunday (which could be cheaper than Saturday) or simply trimming down your guest list.

Not having a clear understanding of your own expectations regarding your wedding

I’ve been an event planner for a while; and one problem I’ve realised that causes commotion at weddings is conflicting expectations. Clear communication is important throughout the entire wedding planning process. Whether you are speaking with family, friends, or an event planner, express your desires and expectations clearly. Remember, it is not what is said and done, as much as how it is said and done. Feelings can be hurt and there can be lifelong ramifications depending on how things are handled. Attempting to separate fantasy from reality will help minimize the source of many problems and is the key to defining your own expectations.  Do not assume that your wedding planner knows what is expected of him or her. Some of your friends may have been in numerous weddings and think they know the “routine”. But, never assume they know what to do. A list of wedding responsibilities is a good starting place in determining your own expectations.

Being Inconsiderate

It is the 21st century, not the Stone Age, and there are plenty of guys out there who want to see their wedding as an event that reflects their style too. Wedding planning can and should be the domain of both people, rather than just de facto delegated to the bride.  Have a serious talk with your spouse and get a concrete idea of his interest in the various details. You need to come to an agreement on what tasks he wants to be involved in or responsible for. You definitely don’t want to drag him into decisions he has no interest in, for example: the purchase of aso-ebi. Apart from your spouse, you need to take other people into consideration as well. Yes, it’s your wedding, but a good host puts others’ needs front and centre. Think about what you are asking, will your guests be forced to stand around for over an hour while you take pictures? Will they be comfortable in the weather or have you thought about providing bottles of water and light refreshments? Do guests know what to expect?

Getting Trashed the Night Before the Wedding

Whether your friends have mistakenly planned the bachelor/bachelorette parties for the night before the wedding, or you plan to drink through the rehearsal dinner, the last thing you need is to wake up with a headache, puffy skin, fuzzy head, or worse, an upset stomach. Do yourself a favour, skip drinking the night before or totally skip drinking at all.

How To Boost Your Business Through Proper Branding

Businesses don’t just want to be businesses, they want to be brands. Distinct, recognizable, unique, lovable brands. They want to project an image that embodies the values of their company and the value of their product. They want a voice that speaks to their customers, makes them listen, and convinces them to act (by spending their money).

A business, however, isn’t the only thing that can benefit from branding. You, as an individual, can be a brand too. Personal branding will have the same benefits for you as it would for a company. Your personal brand will clearly show who you are and what you have to offer. How do you get your personal brand’s message out there? With the best self-advertising tool you have in your possession at all times – your business card.
What is Your Personal Brand?

Before you can make your business card a clear representation of your personal brand, you need to determine what your personal brand really is. Ask yourself a few questions. What feeling do you want another person to have about you? What attributes of yourself are most important for them to recognize? Come up with a few strong adjectives and skills that describe you. That list is the inspiration for your personal branding. Everything that you do – way beyond designing your business card – should fall in line with that list and portray that image.
Your Brand in a Business Card

Once you’ve defined your personal brand, how do you convey it through your business card? A business card is a very small thing, physically speaking, but it packs a very big punch. Your business card will give off a strong impression about you, so you need to make sure it’s the right one. You can play with many different features on your card to create the look that best represents you: Texture, font type, font size, graphics or photographs, colour, included information, and layout, among others. All of these elements combined should represent you.

Making It All Work

You don’t need to be a designer to create a business card that works with your personal brand. You can hire one if you prefer, but it really comes down to your own taste. You can take a basic business card template online and slowing tweak things to make it more “you.” If you want to give off a professional vibe, start by choosing an authoritative-looking font. If you want to give off a positive, cheerful vibe, choose a bold colour. The possibilities are endless, but in the end, you should be able to look at your business card and love it. It should give off the vibe you want.

Standing Out from the Crowd

Finally, remember that your personal brand is what is going to set you apart from everyone else. Try to include at least one element in your business card that is unique or memorable. A powerful image or a textured edge will make someone look twice at your card and remember you. 

NDUKWE IGWE KALU

@ndukweigweGCFR

Igwe Kalu is a Brand Management professional with Blue Opal

Ever Wondered Why You May Need An Event Planner?

Why You Need An Event Planner?

Event planning is a relatively new career field. Although the job itself is not new, many colleges and universities in the developed countries are beginning to offer event planning as a major or field of study. Event planners are trained to handle special events. However, in this part of the world, many people are still ignorant of the relevance of professional event planners.

Not too long ago, I attended a pre-marital training, where I met with some couples whose weddings were few months ahead. Upon interaction with them, I realised how much people misconstrued the job of an event planner. While some think that only the very wealthy in the society can afford the services of an event planner, to some there was absolutely no need for a planner since they can put together a committee of friends to help out with stuffs, while others haven’t even heard much about professional event planners.

Anyone who has been assigned to plan an event knows how much work and stress go into making sure every element comes together on time and as directed. A venue must be found and secured for the correct date. Food must be ordered and delivered or a pick-up must be coordinated. Entertainment must be found and booked. Multi-media concerns have to be taken care of as well. Guests need to be invited. Not to mention all of the thousands of other tiny details that must to come together on time to make an event work.

The truth is that, if you're planning an event and trying to attend to other duties at the same time, it can be maddening.  Also, for an inexperienced planner, you can spend most of your time just trying to find a good caterer or a good venue. But unfortunately, most events like weddings etcetera happen just once in a lifetime. Even other events that you may yet have other opportunities to get right, you may not have the luxury of making a first impression twice. Therefore, I can only equate planning your event by yourself to self medication, which is tantamount to suicide.

Apart helping cut cost and make sure you stay within your budget, most professional event planners are invaluable for their contacts and lists of approved caterers, venues, entertainment, décor, etc. Many event planners are also trained to handle advertising and marketing of the event. They are also responsible for the planning of the event as well as on-site coordination on the scheduled day. If planning an event is in your company's future, then an event planner will be an important asset. For this reason, many companies find that when it's time to plan an event, it's best to hire a professional event planner to handle the job.

At BLUE OPAL, great events is one of the cornerstones of our business.  Attention to detail in event planning and management is particularly important to our team.  At a 70,000 foot level, the process seems easy. Establish the purpose for holding the event, determine the target audience and a preliminary agenda. Then, we go deeper into the process by incorporating time frames and general space needs.  From this point onward, it’s possible to establish budget projections, timelines, milestones and assign staff resources.

Appropriate risk management demands that planners follow established meeting management protocols (particularly in the areas of contracting and budgeting). Being sure approved agreements are in place for all manner of resource providers also protects all parties from the unexpected (speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, vendors, partners, event facilities, etc.)

Most importantly, however, is the customer experience. Seamless coordination and attention to detail contributes greatly to customer satisfaction. Simple things like setting rooms to achieve the best learning environment, providing “ask me” support people and unexpectedly fun networking activities, all contribute to a memorable experience.  Combine great planning with great programming and attendees will come back year after year.

For full list of services we offer and other information, you can speak to us by sending us a mail at

Info@blueopalconsult.com or visit www.blueopalconsult.com

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