How To WOW Your Guests: Five The Tablescape Golden Rules

The tables are the center of the room . Here's how to wow guests when they walk in.

1. Follow the rule of three Every element of the decor must be repeated at least three times in order for it to "sink in." Stick to just a few elements to repeat throughout the decor, so guest will actually notice your hard work.

2. Dress up your escort cards People love to see their names(seriously- they never get sick of it!). So hiring a calligrapher to write guest's names on the escort cards will make them feel truly welcome.

3.  Do a test- drive If you put down a deposit, any reputable florist will make  you a sample centerpiece. Then have your planner borrow or rent a table setting and linens so you can see how everything looks together.

4. Talk to your caterer Ask what they'll be putting on the tables. For example, if there will be four glasses at each setting, guests won't see a low centerpiece. To avoid crowding the tables, ask the caterer to bring new ( and clear the old) utensils before each course.

5. Update your centerpiece You can totally change the look of flowers by placing them in a colored or uniquely shaped vessels. Surround centerpieces with votives candles for a inexpensive way to add extra light, which makes everything look better.

We Been Featured: Rustic Wedding Inspiration

Here at Zahara Events and Design we love mixing modern details with rustic accents. Something special is created when you mix contemporary backdrops with wooden accents. When we planned this styled shoot we knew we had a gem on our hands and we are so glad Megan and her team at Glamour and Grace thought the same thing too!

In case your don't follow us on Facebook and missed Monday's feature make sure you head over to Glamor and Grace and get a little rustic romance inspiration! We are very excited about being featured for a second time on Glamour and Grace and hope all of the brides to be out there enjoy this!

 Also a special thanks to Candice from Candice Patrice Photography for capturing these amazing images for us!

Photography | Candice Patrice Photography | Design and Florals | Zahara’s Events & Design | Rentals | Paisley and Jade| Venue | New Kent Winery

            www.zaharasdesign.com

           804.464.7327

              info@zaharasdesign.com

Tips and Tricks for Choosing the Right Wedding Professional for You: Eight Very Important Questions

 Continuing with our mini series "Tips and Tricks for Choosing the Right Wedding Professional for You." We have come up with another great post about essential questions you should ask every wedding professional before you hire them.

In today's post we'll dig deep into why these questions are so important and how they will assist you in picking the right professional who will be both a joy to work with as well as create the wedding of your dreams! 

Tips and Tricks for Choosing the Right Wedding Professional for You!!

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Hiring the right team is critical to planning your dream wedding and it can also be quite stressful.

How do you find the right match for you?  How do you know who to trust?  Where do you go for advice? This is not an easy task and it’s totally normal for couples to feel overwhelmed, frustrated or confused. It’s not like you plan a wedding every day!  This is all probably brand new to you, so be patient with yourself. No worries we have come up with some tips to help you find the right  wedding professional for you!

A few tips to finding the right wedding professional for you

• Do Your Homework.  You’ll get much more out of a meeting or conversation with a wedding professional if you do a little background homework first. 

Spend some time on the internet or talking to friends who’ve recently been married.  Find out the average prices in your area and what services are available.  Get an idea of what you like and don’t like.  Wedding websites and chat rooms can be a great resource.  This way when you meet with a wedding professional you’ll be able to ask better questions and have an idea of what to look out for.

• Meet With Them.  An in person meeting is the best way to interview a potential wedding vendor. It lets you get the full experience of their personality, style and professionalism.  If that’s not possible, have a phone conversation.    

• Ask Questions.  There are no stupid questions!  Make sure you get clear, specific answers to your questions. If you aren't sure what something means, ask them to clarify. Keep asking questions until you completely understand.

If a wedding vendor has a problem with you asking questions, they probably aren’t the one for you. The best wedding professionals are patient, understanding and take the time to help you make the best choices for your wedding.

• Listen.  Don’t just hear the words they say, really listen.  Watch the vendor’s body language.  Are they confident and comfortable with their response?  Do they look and sound nervous?  Do you get a “funny feeling” about them?  Take all the sights, sounds and feelings into account along with their responses; if your gut tells you something isn’t right, it probably isn’t.
  
  
• Check References.  Portfolios are hand-picked to show off the best work, but they may not represent the “average” wedding performance.  Videos are edited for the optimum presentation.  But real referrals from satisfied clients are hard to fake.

Call up both client and professional references. Ask questions and use those listening skills.  Even if they give a rave review, you’ll often be able to “read between the lines” if there were any issues or problems.

Ask around and search the net for reviews.  Check the Better Business Bureau for any outstanding complaints against the business.  Weigh all of this information into your choices.

Share with us your tips in finding the right planner! Be sure to leave a comment below!

Still need more help? Want more ideas? We've got em! Contact us and we'll be happy to sit down and talk about some ideas with you! Have some ideas of your own? We'd LOVE to hear them! Share some of your inspiration with us.

 www.zaharasdesign.com

804.464.7327

info@zaharasdesign.com

       

Choosing The Right Wedding Venue

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Picking your venue is one of the most important decisions you can make in your wedding planning process. Once you answered all the basics like agreeing on your budget and picking a theme for you big day the next step in the process is finding the right venue. From the decor, to the timings of the day a majority of your decisions will be based on picking the right venue. 

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What Kind of Venue Do You Want?

Deciding your priorities for your venue will ultimately help you answer the question "what kind of venue do I want?" There are plenty of traditional venues that saturate the market like churches, hotels and beach houses. These venues come with a lot of perks like set packages and priority vendors that help make planning an ease. 

There are also plenty of non-traditional veunes like private beaches, an museums, boats and warehouses. Non traditional venues afford you the luxury more flexibility in your decor and your choice of  vendors galore! But it is important to remember that sometimes these non-traditional weddings are really blank canvases so creativity and  an open mind are a must. Things like tables, lighting and even food will have to be hired in.