Lessons: Straight isn't always straight

Perfectionism is part of our business. It's part of what makes us gweeks(wedding geeks). I'm huge about polished finishes and straight lines. Ask my staff, they know I get bent out of shape when things that should be straight are a little bit uneven.

This beautiful wedding photographed by my good friend, Andrew Weeks is fantastic. The designer was Gloria Wong who I just adore. The chuppah that I ordered from a chuppah maker was great but just a tad bit crooked.

This picture is one of those things that makes me cringe because I didn't catch the crooked chuppah until after we had finished. From afar you can see that it's slightly crooked on the top of the chuppah and the fabric across the front could and should be longer. The proportion was off. Though Chris Williams of Everything Audio and his team moved the entire Chuppah so that it was centered on the stage and tried to help the chuppah look straighter, in the end it was still a little crooked for my standards. Sadly, this image will forever be in my client's photo album. In my book, I'll point to this as a lesson that I have to learn and grow from.

When you build structures, you need time and you also need to take a step back to make sure things are straight. And proportion is one of those things I still am working on. Good vendors understand proportion and scale. And if you can't visualize it yourself there are many sketching tools that can help.

I wish I could go back and fix this but sometimes we don't have that chance...all we can do is keep being better. Lesson to all: take a step a back and look at your structures. And pick up a computer sketch tool to help you with proportion.

About Nancy: Good bye Anguilla

Some of you might have skipped my previous post when I wrote about my accident. If you don't know, it did happen while I was on vacation in Anguilla. After the accident, I wasn't keen on looking at these images because a part of me couldn't face unpleasantness.  And being Chinese, we are a superstitious lot and looking back on a bad accident or memory isn't something we should do.  There's something unlucky about it but then again, healing doesn't happen if you can't see the good in things, right?  Appreciating the beauty of the Viceroy Anguilla and the gorgeous landscape is no crime and is part of growing as a person.

This gorgeous resort was designed by modern glam interior diva, Kelly Wearstler who most people know from Bravo's Top Design. KW's designs reflect a personable charm, wit, whimsy combined with strong graphics, bold color combinations, and unusual materials. The Viceroy Anguilla takes her rich designs to another level. It's rather subtle yet distinctive bold and approachable. I just fell in love with everything about it.

Feeling like a kid, I thought I would try out the springs.  I'm sure hotels and resorts wouldn't encourage this.....but it sure was fun.

Palm tree islands.  Love.

Even the lobby area has elegant chairs.

More earthy details from around the lobby areas.

My husband, Kevin Chin, took all the images from this post. And of course, there's more which you can see on his blog at KevinChin.com.

Inspiration: Bookshelves

Often in wedding and event design, I look to interior design for creative motivation. This display could look like a family's real bookshelf unit.  And it's easy to translate this concept for an event or wedding, right? 

What we can learn from this display is that groupings of meaningful objects like antique cameras with assorted family photos and travel pieces work together to tell a story.  Rows of books all with the same binding create a visual base.  Colorful French titled books makes a great focal point - almost like a vintage sign.

Take this inspiration and try to see how you can apply this to a welcome table display, an escort card table, a favor bar or a ceremony concept.  The possibilities are endless.

Ground these concept with a palette of colors that work(See how much peach, coral, blushes are worked into this shelf.  See how the frames are all in a neutral wood. )  Don't be afraid to add accessories that pop like that children's book with a yellow background.  Finally, life is serious and sometimes a wedding or social event can be uptight.  Injecting a bit of humor makes for something interesting.  Don't you think?

Hope this inspires and motivates you.

 

Image courtesy of Grange.fr.com

Guest Blogger: Nicole Lisanne

Dear Brown Bag Fans
I'm rerunning one of my favorite Ask Nancy post from this year as I am still in "recovery" mode.  This one comes from a fellow Bay Area planner, Nicole Lisanne.  Nicole's advise is spot on.
Thank you Nicole for helping me out in the first place and I am certain her advise from earlier this year is still applicable today as it was back in the spring.
Best, Nancy

__________________________________


Dear Nancy:

I was reading your blog which I absolutely enjoyed. I have a small business in event design & decorating. I have my first wedding, beach theme but I don't know what to charge for my service. I surfed the net but only can find pricing for wedding planners, florist, but not one precisely for wedding design/decorating. Please advise!!! I need some sort of base that is both accurate and competitive.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Carmen M



Dear Carmen,

Hi! Nancy has asked me to share my wisdom with you on this topic! My name
is Nicole, I'm a Wedding Designer and owner of Nicole Lisanne Weddings &
Events by Design here in Campbell, CA.

There are a few key things to take into consideration when pricing out
your design services:

1.Who is your target market? If they are the high end affluent Bride and
Groom, your prices should be top of the market. If they are mid range,
same thing, and so on.

2.What are you comfortable charging based on your experience? If you only
have a year or two of experience, you can't charge top prices yet, and you
want to be comfortable and confident with the numbers you are telling your
customers.

After you've explored these two questions, you should have a good feel for
whether you should be charging a high price, medium price, or lower price
than others in your market.

You also need to know how to structure your fee for selling your design
services. Here's my advice:

1.Charge one flat rate for your design services to all clients.

2.Provide the same design services to all clients who hire you. i.e.Offer
the same process for design for each client to ensure high customer
service and a good outcome. There's no sense in counting hours spent,
etc...if you have a process you are comfortable with, stick to it!

In our market here in the San Francisco Bay Area the three price points
you'll find for a flat rate fee for design services are around $6-9,000
lower range, $9-12,000 mid-range, and as high as $12,000 and beyond high
end.

Since you are a newer event designer, you should be around the lower range
price point, but if you aren't comfortable with these numbers, lower them
and gradually build up through the years you gain more experience until
you have confidence touting a higher price point.

I hope this helped!

Thank you Nicole for your insight. Nicole Lisanne runs a successful full service wedding planning and event design business from Campbell, California.

Guest Blogger: Michelle Loretta

Dear Brown Bag Fans


Given that I'm still recovering from my bicycle accident.  I've asked a few friends to help me out.  Today, I have the incredible Michelle Loretta as a guest blogger.  She's not new to the Brown Bag as Michelle has already contributed to The Brown Bag. 

I appreciate Michelle's advice which is always sharp and direct.  Today, Michelle shares some great tips: 5 Ways to Cope with a Busy Season in the Wedding Industry.  Thank you Michelle for your generous spirit and for helping me especially when I'm a little "donw".

__________________________________

Reprinted with permission from Sage Wedding Pros' Michelle Loretta

SUMMER is here! And, in the wedding industry that means it’s busy season. Busy season means we are all running around maxed out. Our weekends are full of weddings, and our weeks are full of preparing and processing those weddings. With all the “busy-ness”, it’s a miracle our heads don’t explode.

Today, I want to share…
5 Ways to Cope with Busy Season in the Wedding Industry

1 – Start the Day for YOU

Before you start your day, spend 30 minutes doing something that is going to make you feel better. This is a great way to get focused and centered. It may mean that you read the newspaper, go for a walk, or sit outside with a cup of coffee. Or, let’s face it… this might mean 30 minutes organizing your workspace or creating a to-do list. But, before you do anything for anyone, do something for yourself. Before answering that client’s email or fixing your kids’ breakfast, spend 30 minutes doing something to start your day out right. Having these 30 minutes helps you start the day with clarity. I guarantee your day will go a lot smoother if you start with YOU in mind.

2 – Set Work Hours

Even though it is busy season and your workload may have just doubled (or tripled), you need to set work hours of some kind. I do understand that you have a lot more to do: a lot more email to answer, a lot more coordinating of clients, a lot more details to keep tabs on. But, give yourself “busy season hours”. This may mean that you shut your computer off at 8pm (instead of what I think is an appropriate time: 6pm). But, if you don’t shut it down at 8pm, you’ll be working til midnight “just because”. Trust me, no “good work” is getting done between 8-12. Furthermore, answering client email after 8pm just opens you up to the expectation that you’ll be available at all hours, and you must learn how to set your client expectations.

3 – Schedule one “selfish” thing each week

When times are busy, we often don’t allow any time for ourselves. And, on the off chance we actually take a lunch break – let alone anything truly indulgent – we feel guilty about it. “Oh, I really should be working right now.” WHY? Yes, we are busy. But, we signed up for a life of business ownership and self employment because we want to do more for ourselves and our families. And, it seems like it’s the first thing we compromise. So give in… schedule one “selfish” thing for yourself each week. Meet a non-wedding-industry friend for lunch, schedule a pedicure on Wednesday morning, watch a world cup match on a Thursday afternoon, take a Monday off. You are going to put in the hard hours this summer… there is no doubt about it. So, make up for it in some other way each week.

4 – Plan a summer break

I don’t care if it’s only a 2 day staycation at home, but plan some sort of “summer break” for yourself. And get it on the books NOW before the summer has evaporated. In my previous life in the kids’ clothing industry, summers used to be VERY busy with tradeshows. It was not uncommon for me to work straight thru from July through August. And, before I knew it, my summer had evaporated with little to show for itself. I spent 4 years without much of a summer because I was working so hard. And, I know wedding pros can experience the same. So, before summer evaporates before your eyes, schedule a few days off. And “days off” means: no clients, no computer, no work. (And, no excuses!)

5 – Say No

It’s OK to say “no”. There is no way we can do it all. People who appear to “do it all” are actually good at prioritizing. And you must become good at that also. When you are feeling maxed out and your list is a mile long pick SEVERAL things from that last that you are simply NOT going to do. I know it might sound CRAZY, but you must do this in order to gain control and balance. There are a number of things that we all work on, that we really don’t have to do. We are busy for the sake of being busy. Yet, we continue to do them. CHOOSE, PRIORITIZE, SAY NO.

What are your thoughts? How do you cope with busy season?

To reach Michelle Loretta, please go to her website at www.sageweddingpros.com.

Inspirations: Sunsets & Silver Linings

Summer is quickly ending. And I'm still dreaming of weekend bbq's, golden orange sunsets, barely taupe linen suits, and neutral graphics like this clover motif( we all need a bit of luck!). I quickly put together this pretty subtle inspiration board with mellow yellows, grapefruity pinks, taupes, and a pop of bright Lemony sunshine.  The stripe, gingham and clover patterns all work together because of the repetition.  Each blends together in harmony.

I hope it makes you happy, the way it makes me smile.

About Nancy: Technical Problems

Oh dear. It's one of those days. Things were working so well with a new assistant starting today. Angel(yup, that's her name) started working with me as I desperately needed more help. Still working mainly from my home office(it's doctor's order) and juggling all things NLCD.

I was finally breathing calmly and thinking that things weren't that out of control when....I realized that our website's "contact" page emails was going nowhere.

So what's a girl to do? Well, the first thing as a business owner is to apologize.

Yes, technical mistakes happen. If you are one of those who are trying to reach us via our "contact" page, it's possible that your info went into a blackhole. We are working with our server to understand where all the mystery emails are going. And I am hoping this will be resolved by end of this week.

In the meantime, I am going to shamefully apologize. Things happen. Unexpected. Frustrating. Unexplainable. However, once again, if you don't admit to your failures and learn from them, you will just be stuck. I don't do "stuck".  I do fix.  So, we're going to fix things.   Do send us an email at weddings@nancyliuchin.com if you are trying to reach us.  And if all things fail, don't be nervous, give us a ring! 

Real Weddings: Wedding of the Year #3 - so in LOVE

I'm a wedding junkie, addicted to all things weddings.  Just because I'm a junkie doesn't mean that I'm so focused on decor, flowers, design that I don't know what makes a wedding special.  C'mon it's people!

The minute I entered the hotel room on that June day, I could see that the bride, Helen,  was happily anxious, purposely ready, and fully certain of what was to come.  Seeing Hwa, the groom, I felt the same way.  Of course, I'm not related to Hwa or Helen but when I saw them, I felt this overwhelming sense of love and honor.  Honored to be a part of their day.  In love with this couple who were also "so in love".

The past year was a complete joy.  Working with Helen was easy breezy.  That doesn't mean that the crew didn't work hard(oh yes we did).  We worked hard but we also knew that whatever we did, Helen + Hwa trusted our taste and decisions which made it incredibly fun.    I hope this wonderful video shows how beautiful, classic their wedding was but also how fun it was!   Thanks to Kevin Chin for this teaser.




Helen + Hwa Wedding Teaser from Kevin Chin Photography on Vimeo.

Inspiration: Wishes

The last month flew by rather quickly at times as I went from hospital to hospital. I saw so many doctors that I can't even remember all their names.  From time to time, I remember going through the business with my wonderful assistant, Lily,  catching up with clients, and sleeping quite a bit. While in bed, I have become acquainted with the Food Network, Lifetime, and Travel Channel.  I speak Man v Food now.  

Throughout this ordeal, I feel that many people have been pulling for me - inspiring me and wishing me well.  And now, I feel that it's my turn to wish all of you well.

Today, I'm sending all of you a few wishes...

Wishing you a glass full of iced lemonade

Wishing you a bowl full of summer fruits

Wishing you a handful of red Swedish fishes

Wishing that you have someone to hug

Wishing that you have something to look forward to

Wishing that you have somewhere to go

These lovely wish tags were found on Etsy.

Press: Stylish Romance

Thank you 8 Events,  the wedding planner,  and Anna Kuperberg, the fabulous wedding photographer, for putting this wonderful wedding together.

It was recently featured in Style Me Pretty.   The images feature a stylish romantic wedding of soft, subtle colors and details.

To see more images from this gorgeous Carmel Valley wedding, please go to Style Me Pretty.

About Nancy: Life Unexpected

Dear Brown Bag Fans

The last time you heard from me, I was enjoying the sun in Anguilla.  And I seriously was.  Toward the end of my vacation in beautiful Anguilla, I got into a bicycle accident(a serious one).  Since my trip,  I've been recovering from two surgeries while servicing immediate projects.  All other business tasks were put on hold as my wonderful team focused on what needed to be done.

I can't help but thank the countless doctors, surgeons, medics, and nurses who did everything to save my life and to ensure that today, I would be healing well and on my way to full recovery. To say that I am thankful would be an understatement.  Life is truly unexpected.  When facing difficult times, you either have the will and strength to take it on with a positive outlook or you can swim in self pity, depression, or negativity.

Having a great team, a supportive family, the best husband(I adore KC!), countless friends, and the most amazing community of vendor friends helped make this difficult time so much easier.   I didn't know what support meant until I saw it in action. From the lovely notes, the emails, the cards, and even the many sweets and meals sent to us, I was floored by how generous people were including my fellow floral buddies. And of course, I learned how amazing my clients were.  Not once did a bride, groom, or client ever question our ability to complete a wedding, setup, or project.

I'm writing this to thank all of you for your patience as I've had to put the blog on hold.

In time, I'll be back.....until then, be safe.  And if you could indulge me, just stop what you do for a moment and say a word of gratitude for today.....because life is....unexpected.


 

Behind the Scenes: Ordering Flowers

Every wonder how we order our flowers and get things ready.  Here's a terrific glimpse behind the scenes and what many floral designers do to get ready.

Much thanks for Joyce and James the couple who let us film this.

My darling, Kevin Chin, for doing the most amazing job.  My crew who didn't once let the camera affect the way they worked.

This was taken at Stonepine Estates in Carmel Valley and was beautiful crafted by 8 events!