Weddingbee PRO

Hello Hive!

Back in the summer of 2006, I stumbled upon Weddingbee, after recently becoming engaged - to support my daily wedding fix. Over the past three years, I've had the pleasure of watching the hive grow and luckily, have gotten the chance to work with Mrs. Bee and meet some of the fabulous contributors of WB and WB PRO. And, my sister-in-law, Brooke, also happens to be the amazingly talented Mrs. Cupcake, so in a way being a contributor to WB PRO is bringing this full-circle for me!

I couldn't have been more excited when Bee asked me to join one of the most supportive and comprehensive wedding communities. I'm beyond excited to be here to share my story, ideas and inspirations with all of you!

So without any further ado…

My company, Inspired Goodness was born in early 2008, a few months after settling back into daily life after returning from our honeymoon. Faced without a wedding of my own to plan, my days were filled with a longing for finding chic birdcage veils and the latest letterpress invitations. Not looking to return to a 9-5 career, I channeled my graphic design background and love of entertaining into what I call Creative Event Fulfillment.

Inspired Goodness is an event design (E.D.) company, and since I've met countless bride's who are curious as to the in's and out's of an event designer's role versus that of a wedding planner. For my first post on WB PRO, I thought it might be helpful to explain the difference.

In a nutshell, E.D.s develop a vision and overall concept for each individual event, taking into account all of the aesthetic aspects for the big day. Some firms offer graphic design capabilities (like us) and other may offer a one-stop shop, providing floral design and general planning for additional costs.

It's not quite a necessity to hire an E.D., but for a couple looking to wow their guests, a good E.D. can transform even the rawest of spaces - with lighting, props, linens and furniture rentals; transporting guests to a unique moment in time.

At Inspired Goodness, our primary focus is to bring our clients' personalities, family heritage, hobbies and interests to life. From the start, we work to design a Save the Date that will set the tone of the wedding. Over the months of planning, we get to know each couple, in order to have more “ammunition” with which to work. We are constantly intertwining personal stories and details throughout our work- whether it's an invitation suite or a tablescape, every element is carefully constructed to compliment the vision created for the wedding day.

Since our company comes into the process usually after a venue is selected, we tend to work with brides who are doing much of the planning on their own. For the day-of, they will either use the on-site coordinator at the venue or hire a day-of-coordinator. This person is usually responsible for handling the timeline of the day and ensuring the ceremony and reception all proceed according to plan. On the wedding day, E.D.s are assembling the aesthetic details, including room layout, fitting programs/favors/place cards/menus into place, assembling centerpieces, coordinating rentals and extensive decor setup.

Wedding planners are typically hired after an engagement. They can help draft a realistic budget, scout venues, review contracts and offer personalized vendor referrals. Working to compliment your budget and wedding style, many planners will do as little or as much as brides need. Looking for someone to accompany you to a cake tasting or dress fitting? Or are you hoping to find 5 venues that are in your budget and free on June 5? Then you are looking for a wedding planner!

Over the next few months, I'd love to get the chance to share with you some upcoming projects and insight into the creativity behind Inspired Goodness. If you have any questions you'd like me to answer or topics you'd like to know about, please feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments below! To start off where things first began, here's some great eye candy from my own wedding in June 2007. More pix can be found here.

Venue: The Angel Orensanz Foundation
Photographer: Brian Dorsey Studios
Creative Collaboration with Hatch Creative Studio
Catering: The Raging Skillet
Day-of Coordinator: Sidekick Events

Thanks again for having Inspired Goodness here and welcome to our little world!