You may think that because you have a beautiful hotel, country club, or home in place as your venue that the catering manager, catering company, or event coordinator will be a professional wedding planner. This fallacy can be a major detriment to your wedding day. A catering manager is employed by the venue and primarily specializes in food and beverage sales for the venue. They are usually there on your wedding day but often depart after the first course is served. A wedding planner, however, is a personal consultant who is present in all aspects of the planning process, and will without hesitation mediate, negotiate, and co-create either with you or on your behalf. The bottom line from M. Elizabeth Events is: You employ the planner and you don’t employ the catering manager. Knowing the specific services the two roles provide – and having a accurate expectations of each – will help ensure there are no last-minute surprises on your wedding day.

Your Catering Manager / Coordinator (usually) will:
* Provide a personalized tour of the venue
* Recommend special-event professionals to provide wedding planning, entertainment, floral décor, photography and invitations.
* Act as a menu consultant for all food and beverage selections.
* Detail your banquet event order/ catering contract, outlining all of your event specifics, and ensure that it is communicated flawlessly to the operational team of the venue.
* Create and estimate of charges outlining your financial commitments to the venue.
* Create a floor plan of your function space, in order for you to provide seating arrangements.
* Oversee the ceremony and reception room(s) set up, food preparation, and other venue operations.
* Act as the on-site liaison between your wedding planner and venue operations staff.
* Ensure a seamless transition to the venue’s banquet captain once the grand entrance has occurred (typically this is when the catering manager leaves the reception).
* Review your banquet checks for accuracy, prior to the completion of the final bill.

Your Wedding Planner (usually) will:
* Assist with etiquette and protocol for invitations, family matters, ceremony, and toasts.
*Create a comprehensive timeline for your rehearsal and wedding day, including the ceremony and reception.
* Work with you to organize and coordinate your ceremony rehearsal.
* Remind bridal party of all pertinent call times and “don’t forgets” on the wedding day.
* Confirm call times and details with all vendors several days prior to the wedding day.
* Be available to have conversations in the evenings and weekends.
* Act as the liaison between your family, bridal party, band/DJ, florist, photographer, videographer, and other vendors to create a seamless operation.
* Assist the bride and bridal party with dressing.
* Ensure that the ladies have the their corsages and bouquets, etc., and assist with the pinning of boutonnieres.
* Deliver and arrange ceremony programs, escort cards, place cards, favors and any personal items.
* Coordinate the ceremony (line up bridal party, assist bride with dress, etc.)
* Collect any personal items at the conclusion of the reception.
* Assist with full-service coordinating from your engagement to your honeymoon.
* Review banquet check for accuracy at the end of the reception.
* Establish room blocks at various hotels to ensure that guests have accommodations of their choice.
* Create a vendor payment schedule.
* Review catering contracts to ensure all your requests are communicated to the catering manager.
* Provide a wide variety of professional referrals that correspond to a variety of price points and tastes.

The jobs of both the wedding planner and the catering manager are extremely important entities for an event, and need to be looked at as complimentary forces, not as competitive ones. In that same vein, they each have separate and very different job functions and should not be depended upon do the job of the other. Having this information, and knowing what you should expect, will help you to get all the necessary support staff in place for your wedding day.

Happy Planning!

So you want to “Pop the question” to the love of your life? And…you are searching online to find advice…well, you have come to the right place, M. Elizabeth Events! Up until this point, the most important day in your life might have been when you walked across the stage at your college graduation, or maybe when you defeated the PS3 game, Halo, or maybe even when you became the proud owner of a 69’ Mustang. Well none of that will compare to what you are about to do. That being said, here are the ultimate guidelines for the “Do’s” to proposing!

Be Certain

The ONLY answer you should or want to here is “YES”….This is not an instance when you don’t want to be unsure of the answer you are expecting to receive. This could turn out to be upsetting and humiliating for both of you and that is no way to end the evening or continue the relationship. Avoid the awkward situation by wading the waters and casually discussing the future of your relationship. (But…don’t wait until just before you want to propose!)

The Element of Surprise

She should in no way be expecting or anticipating this! This is part of the game! You want to sweep her off her feet and take her by surprise. SO…keep it quite! No one needs to know what or when you will do it. Don’t facebook or twitter it, tell family and friends, or leave receipts laying around. If she gets suspicious, throw her off or even lie (this is the only time I condone this!)

Talk With Her Parents

Remember, we are in the South…it is always a good idea to talk with her parents about your intentions.  Asking for their blessing is not only nice to have, it is a form of respect.

Be Unique

You don’t want to be a copy cat! You want this to be a moment that you both remember forever! The more thought you put into it, the more it will mean to her.   After all this is one of the stories that you will be asked and tell more than any other in your lifetime together! Make it count. if you are stuck and just don’t know what to do, that is OK because some wedding planners offer services where they will help you plan this momentous occasion with you!

Make it Personal

When you think of how to ask your girlfriend make them feel like the whole affair was designed around them! Have her favorite flowers, food or wine with you, invite her family to join you as it is happening, bring her to a spot that means the most to the both of you, cook her special meal…you get the picture! And most importantly add more to the “Will you marry me?” Start the proposal off by telling her why you want to marry her or what you love most about her and then ask the ever so important question.

Practice.Practice.Practice.

More than likely you are going to be so nervous! You need to think about what you want to say, write it down, practice in front of a mirror, use a tape recorder, say it to a friend…whatever you can do to make you feel more confident in asking. These words should flow right out of your mouth without hesitation! Practice does make perfect!

Get on your Knee

Every little girl has dreamt about this day. She has seen it in movies, read about it in books and heard many stories all of which include, YOU getting down on one knee and proposing to her. While this might seem corny or even petty to you, this is something that means the world to her!

Ask the Question

Getting on your knee and showing her a ring doesn’t imply that you want to marry her and it shouldn’t be a given when you do so. You need to ask her “THE” question.  These words are indicating you are ready to take the next step in your relationship and you want her to be your wife. She shouldn’t have to assume anything and hearing it from you are words that will linger in her head and heart for the rest of her life.

Pictures are a Must

You want to be sure you have memories of this amazing moment in your life! Aside from your wedding and children’s birth, this will be a one of the most important memories that you will share with friends and family for years!  Arrange to bring your camera and hand it someone to take a picture, have friends and family join you right after, or have a professional photographer there to capture it all! Whatever you do, get pictures!