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1. “Why should I hire a Coordinator/Planner?”
Answer:
For
the average person already juggling a job and/or going to classes, personal hobbies and activities, spending time with
friends, family responsibilities, and a fiancé; a wedding can take well over a 100 hours of research and plan depending
on the size and detail. Take into consideration the normal, hectic day-to-day
tasks of your average life then add the detailed preparations of a wedding or special event and many people discover that
planning an event eventually goes “from being fun to being frustrating”.
Once
upon a time a Wedding or Event Planner/Coordinator was a luxury. Coordinators
were for the Upper-class or those who wanted to be pampered. Although many of
our community’s Affluent Families still hire a Wedding or Event Coordinator; many of us are just simply busier than
ever and busy, successful professionals see the value of hiring a Coordinator.
In general, Coordinators
are efficient, uniquely trained, specialized skills and experience, and local industry connections that are developed to save
you valuable time and money. You provide the Coordinator with your needs
(and inspiration) and they take care of working within your budget and provide you with options, researching costs and availability
of vendors, developing concepts and spreadsheets, conducting hundreds of phone calls, contract negotiations, acquiring great
deals and discounts and most importantly give you the time to concentrate on what’s important – you’re life
and loved ones.
2. “What’s the difference between a Wedding Coordinator, Wedding Planner,
Wedding Consultant, Wedding Designer and a Directress?”
Answer:
The terms “Wedding
Coordinator” and “Wedding Planner” can be interchangeable but they simply refer to one who oversees and
insures the organizational and planning details of a wedding. They may also be
referred to as “Consultant” because their service includes consulting their client on the planning, organizing,
etiquette, processes, structure, etc of an event. Brides and Grooms (or Party
Givers/Hosts) usually hire these professionals to save both valuable time and money.
A Coordinator/Consultant’s duties include (but are not limited to):
ˇ Finding vendors
ˇ Managing budgets and payments
ˇ Negotiating contracts
ˇ Developing schedules/timelines
ˇ Conducting follow-up calls and maintaining contacts
ˇ Scheduling and coordinating appointments
ˇ etc.
Most
Coordinators also take on the role of “Directress” (or Director) during the wedding rehearsal and wedding ceremony. A Directress orchestrates the actual event - insuring that all wedding participants
(including vendors) and the event run smoothly so the Bride, Groom, their family, or Bridal party doesn’t have to. A “Wedding Designer”, on the other hand, usually does not take on the
responsibilities of a Coordinator. Instead, a Wedding Designer is only responsible
for the design concept and decorating of an event. Coordinators/Consultants may
coordinate the services of a Wedding Designer just as they would any other vendor hired for the wedding and may oversee the
set-up (and possibly the breakdown) of the wedding decorations. Wedding Designers
can be hired to create creative designs and decorations for the ceremony, reception or both.
In general some full-service Wedding/Special Event Coordinators (like Vivid Expressions/Vivid Entertaining) will offer
Wedding Coordinating, Directress, and Wedding/Event Designing Service work for an event but most Wedding Designers only offer
decorating services and do not do coordinate.
3. “Do you rent chair covers?”
Answer:
Vivid Expressions
LLC presents Vivid Entertaining offers fine decorations, centerpieces, and other decorative items for rent or that can be
custom designed for you. We do offer chair covers as part of our packaged event design
services. Please contact us or visit
the Our Service page of this website to learn more about our available packages.
4. “I like your website (business cards, brochures, etc)… Who designed them?”
Answer:
We did!!! Janel Keen does all of the Graphic Design work for Vivid Expressions LLC presents
Vivid Entertaining including (and not limited to) our Logo, Website design, Magazine Ads, Business cards, Brochures, Flyers,
e-cards, etc. Just imagine what she can do for you!
5. “Do you sell invitations?”
Answer:
Yes, Vivid Expressions
presents Vivid Entertaining is a proud authorized Dealer of Birchcraft Printed Invitations & Stationery. Looking
for something more unique? We also offer custom designed and hand-crafted invitations
and programs. We offer free consultations to give you the opportunity to see
what we have to offer or what designs we can custom create for you.
6. “Do you do balloons for weddings?”
Answer:
Balloons are fun
for Children’s parties and other casually festive occasions but Vivid Expressions LLC/Vivid Entertaining takes
a more Artisan approach to weddings. We create fantasies – from sculpting
original artwork for centerpieces to painting full-scale murals. We are more
than happy to refer you to the many other local companies that do balloons arrangements however; we do not do balloon arrangements
for weddings.
7. “I work (go to classes, etc) during the day … do you offer evening or
weekend appointments?”
Answer:
We
are more than happy to arrange appointments on weekday afternoons until 7:00 pm. We
can occasionally make weekend appointments however, since most events take place Friday through Sunday we can only make limited
weekend appointments. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
8. “Do you cater?”
Answer:
Vivid Expressions
LLC presents Vivid Entertaining offers menu ideas, serving tips, table seating advice, dining etiquette, and will organize
and manage catering arrangements. . We work with some of the areas finest caterers and confection professionals
to insure the most scrumptuous edible delights for your special occasion, but at this time we do not cater. Contact
us today to find the perfect Hampton Roads caterer for your event.
9. “Can I afford to hire a Wedding Coordinator?”
Answer:
Most
Coordinators offer a number of service packages that can work for many budgets. In
general, Coordinators offer either a flat fee rate for their services or charge a percentage based fee which is based off
of the total budget that the Client has set for their event (usually starting around 10%-15% and up). When researching the prices of Coordinators you may want to keep in mind the old adage, “You get
what you pay for.” Often when the cost of the person who will be in charge
of managing the budgetary organization of your special event is "too good to be true" – it just might be. A good quality Coordinator may offer Clients a payment plan to make their services more affordable for Clients. See our Payment Policy page or contact us for a consultation.
10.
“I think I just need a
little help … do you offer hourly services?”
Answer:
Yes, we offer Hourly Services for those who need creative consulting, planning or coordinating services. Some
examples of services Vivid Expressions LLC/Vivid Entertaining offers on an hourly basis include:
ˇ Private Art, Design, or Etiquette Instruction
ˇ
Caricatures
ˇ
Murals
ˇ Design
& Create Custom Program or Invitations
ˇ
Developing Seating Charts
ˇ
Developing Budgets or Timelines
ˇ
Writing & Submitting Newspaper Announcements
ˇ
Writing Press Releases
ˇ
And more
Please feel free to contact us
to discuss your needs or for more details.
11.
“Do you just do decorations?”
Answer:
Yes,
we can offer design and decoration services on an hourly basis. After
your free consultation we can be hired on an hourly basis to develop event Concept Designs (Concept Boards, Story Boards,
Illustrations, etc) for your event. From there we can create an Event Design
specifically for you. The hourly fee only covers the cost of the design services
and does not include the costs of materials. Please note: Event Design Services
are included in the cost of the Elite and Gala packages.
12.
“Do you do ‘Day
of’ or ‘Ceremony Coordinating’?”
Answer:
Yes,
for those who need to have someone take over and handle the thousands of details that will need your attention just before,
during, and just after the event we offer the Premiere Package or the Soiree Package. Both of these packages offer you information, advice, and help executing an
event that you plan. The Premiere Package includes the direction of your rehearsal, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception,
including coordination of vendors during a wedding. The Soiree Package is designed to offer limited planning as well as coordinating assistance during a special event.
13.
“I want to have you
design and coordinate my event but I’m on a budget… Do you offer payment plans?”
Answer:
Yes, Vivid Entertaining
understands how important it is for a couple or event host to stay on track with their budget.
We have an easy payment plan that makes our services affordable. Please
see Client Payment Schedule for details.
14.
“Do I need to bring
any pictures (Magazine or Book) to our consultation?”
Answer:
No,
you do not have to bring anything - that is what our Artist is for. With a professional Fine Artist as our
designer - our clients are our inspiration. We understand and practice the techniques
and theories used in artistic and creative design. We pride ourselves on creating our designs from you and not just
re-creating something another designer thought up. After your consultation we are excited to create artist renderings
designed especially for you.
15. “Do you travel outside of Virginia (or the Hampton Roads
area)?”
Answer:
Yes,
we are pleased to provide nationwide Event Design and Creative Consulting Services. Vivid Expressions LLC/Vivid
Entertaining will travel throughout the continential United States for a Travel Fee (usually 15%)
for travel outside of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (depending on the project and distance). Please
call us today for details.
