Tara Martin-Crawford, a graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Design Course through LWPI, continues her internship with Preston Bailey Designs in Manhattan. In this week’s journal entry she discusses how valuable good organization is to certified wedding and event planners, and how to find the best linens for the job. She writes:

“There were no scheduled events this week so I spent the majority of my days in the office working on a couple of projects for an event in Southampton, N.Y., that will be taking place the end of July.

The first assignment I was given was to do research on car and valet services in that area and obtain proposals from the companies that looked promising. Southampton is pretty small so there weren’t an abundance of businesses to choose from. Nonetheless I was able to get in contact with a few companies whose rates were reasonable and had availability to provide the services needed. After gathering availability and pricing information from the companies I was required to organize the information on an Excel spreadsheet. As I’ve said in my previous blogs, organization and clarity are very important in this business and generating good spreadsheets is an essential part of that. All spreadsheet information needs to be clearly outlined, organized in a concise, easy-to-follow format, and there must be a section for notes. Any relevant information that other people using the spreadsheet may need to know has to be present in the “notes” section because you don’t want there to be a misunderstanding over a document. It is a good idea to really get good at using Microsoft Excel because it’s a program you will use a lot in the event industry.

Take some time to create really good templates for yourself that can be used time after time. For example, production schedules, inventory, and vendor’s bids should all be documented on spreadsheets. Once you have a good format for each of these documents you can save them on your computer and use them for all future events so that your information is always laid out in the same way.

The second project that I was given this week was to find linen options for the Southampton event. My supervisor told me specifically what he and the design team were looking for and gave me some direction as to where I could find good swatches. Because what they wanted was a pretty specific type of linen, I was told that I would have to go to fabric stores and obtain swatches in case their rental companies didn’t have what was needed and custom linens would have to be made. The four main linen companies that Preston Bailey Designs works with are: Wildflower Linens, Cloth Connection, Nüage, and La Tavola. Each company is different and as I looked through our swatch books I found some good possibilities from a couple of the vendors. However, I wanted to present my supervisor with a good array of options so on Monday I took a trip to the garment district to visit some fabric stores.

Before leaving I asked about how much material would be needed to make the linens they needed. I was told that a 66-inch round table would require 10 yards of fabric and an 8 inch-by-30 inch rectangular table would take 15 yards. Since the guest count is approximately 200 people, about 200-plus yards of fabric would be needed. Most fabric stores in NYC only carry a certain amount of fabric in stock. Basically, what you see out in the store is what they have. Some stores are able to order in large quantities if you need it, but most aren’t. I found that the stores that are able to order are also pretty expensive ($20-plus a yard). I was able to find some pretty good swatches in a variety of prices and they will be used as back-ups in case the rental linens that I found aren’t suitable.

Lesson learned this week: Custom linens are wonderful if the client does not mind paying for them. To create one table cloth from custom linen can cost $300-plus (including mark-up) for the client. Obviously this is not an option that is going to be agreed upon by most clients. Therefore, it is always much more cost effective to go with a rental company, even if they have to custom make a specific size for you.”

Be sure to come back next Monday for the next installment of Tara’s journey as an intern at Preston Bailey Designs! To learn more about Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course through LWPI, take a tour or enroll in a class today.

We continue learning vicariously through Tara Martin-Crawford, an LWPI graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course. She’s currently an intern with Preston at his Manhattan office. Today we’re hearing all about Week Two.

“On Wednesday and Thursday I worked onsite at PBD’s next event, a fundraising gala at the Central Park Zoo. The weather was over 90 degrees both days, and the tents we were working under were not air conditioned, but PBD always keeps coolers full of cold, bottled water readily available for its staff in such conditions so we all made it through.

On Day 1 we worked on establishing the final floor plan and installing the peripheral design elements such as sound, draping, lighting and finally the tables. The floor plan that was brought to the site needed to be modified at the request of the client in order to accommodate a new guest count. This is extremely common. At the wedding-reception installation last week the couple had decided at the last minute to eliminate a 72-inch round table and exchange it for a sweetheart table because their guest count had dropped. Although such changes as this make setting up for the event more hectic it is understood that this happens frequently, and, therefore, needs to be planned for by ordering extra linens, flowers, etc. A good part of the day Wednesday was spent changing the floor plan and making sure that the changes could be accommodated with the items on-hand. After this was done the tables were placed, dressed with linens, and covered with plastic so they wouldn’t blow away or get soiled overnight.

On Thursday we set up all the floral elements. Most of the florals are put together at the studio and touched up on site. Because of the heat and fragility of some of the flowers it was (and usually is) necessary to clip some of the dead buds off the arrangements. This needs to be done for smaller cluster flowers because they tend to wilt and turn brown faster than flowers with larger, single blooms. You do not want the guests looking at discolored or shriveled flowers in their centerpieces.

One very important lesson I learned working on-site this week was “aim for perfection”. When you are placing linens all the seams on every one have to be lined up in the same orientation. Uniformity is extremely important. If you have elements such as throw pillows, check their seams and make sure that you place the pillows in a way that will hide undesirable edges. As a designer you want everything to look comfortable and inviting. It may seem trivial to professionals who have been in the industry for a while, but for a novice like me, these are the things you have to think about. Fine details are extremely important, and you must have a scrutinizing eye when putting together an event.

Another lesson I learned last week: the weather cannot be depended on to cooperate. The cocktail hour was scheduled to take place outside, not under a tent. The sky looked threatening most of the day Thursday, and unfortunately as soon as guests started to arrive the wind picked up, knocking over tables and large design elements, and it started to pour. The rain didn’t last long, but it was a shame to see all the hard work get messed up. Guests still got to enjoy the cocktail area later, but the weather did put a damper on things for a while. During the worst of it the production crew stood guard near the table and floral elements to make sure they didn’t continue to fall from the wind. It wasn’t ideal, but again, you have to anticipate that those things may happen when planning events outside.”

Be sure to come back next Monday for the next installment of Tara’s journey as an intern at Preston Bailey Designs! To learn more about Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course through LWPI, take a tour or enroll in a class today.

Our Real Wedding this month comes from Chezelle Rodriguez, the owner of Chezelle Dezines, an event-planning and graphic-design company, which she opened in 1999. She specializes in destination weddings in Puerto Rico.

“Evelyn and Andrew are both native New Yorkers who met at Columbia University as alums and fell in love at first sight. Their first vacation together was at El Conquistador four years ago. “It’s where we fell in love, and we’ve known all this time this is where we wanted to bring everyone to see us wed!” Evelyn says. Andrew is the president of Manhattan GMAT and also the founder of a nonprofit group called Venture for America. After years in marketing at L’Oreal, Evelyn is now the director of marketing at zeel.com, a beauty and wellness site. They currently live in New York City.

Evelyn reached out to me in June 2009 on a trip she made to visit vendors in Puerto Rico. Our personalities clicked, and the planning began that very same day. I knew she was going to be on the island for a couple of days so I made sure her time was well spent. I scheduled her hair and makeup trial, site inspection, and she got a chance to sit down with the decorators to discuss what she envisioned for her special day. After she went back to New York we communicated via email and phone on a regular basis.

The color of the wedding was an Orchid purple with green and white accents. Bridesmaids wore purple, and the linens for the reception were custom made from a swatch that Evelyn had sent me. Purple and green water goblets were also placed on the tables to give it an extra touch of color.

These two were the cutest couple! They called themselves teddy and they even had a “bear” love language. Andrew proposed to Evelyn with a comic-strip illustration of two bears on a tropical island, walking on the beach, and the bear had an engagement ring hidden inside an oyster. This is where I got the idea to incorporate the bear theme into the wedding. I designed and illustrated the stationery for the wedding, which included the menu, place cards, schedule of events, and program. I hid a teddy bear in the pattern of the design, and for the favors Evelyn picked up some purple gummy bears and placed them in a clear bag. We placed these on the table setting along with the menu.

I knew this wedding was going to be a blast, and I was super excited to be a part of the planning process. Having 120 guests fly in from New York was a challenge, and keeping them busy that weekend was one, too. Everything was outdoors, which called for us to have a Plan B in case of rain. Evelyn wanted her guests to feel like they were at home. She had me put together one of the best welcome bags that I’ve ever made. Inside her guests had two bottles of water, snacks, a mini first-aid kit, and for the women she had an organza bag filled with Chanel #5 perfume, Dior mascara and lip gloss, and lots of goodies from L’Oreal. Along with the welcome bag each guest received a bottle of Monet wine and a schedule of events.

Guests were invited to a brunch the day before on a nearby island called Palomino, which the hotel owns. The ceremony took place at the Casitas Garden under a trellis adorned with roses, hydrangeas and sheer organza linen. Ottomans and garden chairs were placed on a beautiful labyrinth, and the aisle was filled with rose petals. The reception was held under the stars at Trellises. Everyone had lots of fun with the photo booth that was used as a guest book. During the cake cutting my staff passed out sparklers to each guest, and they all lit them and surrounded Evelyn and Andrew as they cut the cake. Their cake cutting song was “Firework by Katy Perry.” Every detail was well thought out, and it was a wonderful experience.”

Are you an LWPI graduate or instructor? Are you interested in having one of your weddings featured? Contact our managing editor for more information, and for more on the vendors used in Evelyn and Andrew’s wedding see the following links.

Location: El Conquistador Resort, Puerto Rico
Ceremony and Cocktails: Casitas Garden
Reception: Trellises
Guests: 120
Coordinator: Chezelle Dezines
Décor: Arquetipo
Stationery: Chezelle Dezines
Photographer: Saul Padua Photography
Cake: El Conquistador Resort
Hair and Makeup: Golden Door Spa at El Conquistador
DJ: Julie Covello – DJ Shakey
Photobooth: Puerto Rico Photobooth

What’s it like to work with Preston Bailey? His first LWPI intern and course graduate, Tara Martin-Crawford, is learning just that right now. Last week she began her life as a Preston Bailey intern, and she’ll be sharing with us her experiences and what she’s learning while she’s working at Preston’s office in Manhattan. We know it will be a phenomenal three months for her, and we’re so excited to hear all about it! To learn more about Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course through LWPI, take a tour or enroll in a class today. And to learn more about Tara and how she was chosen for this amazing experience, check out LWPI’s recent chat with her. Here is Tara’s first journal entry:

“I arrived at the office two days before the crew was scheduled to start onsite production for a wedding reception. Although the event was moderate in size (about 250 people), the design elements made production a big undertaking. I was quickly put to work, helping organize all the pertinent documents. Keeping good records and staying organized are essential in this business, and things can quickly go awry if you don’t have a good system.

The first thing I learned is that there are three main document binders used in the production department: the manager’s, which contains every relevant document for the event including related e-mail correspondences; the onsite, created from the manager’s binder and taken onsite to be used as a reference during production; and the master, which is also created from the manager’s binder and is used as a future reference for any questions regarding the final production. Photocopies of any pertinent documents are made out of the manager’s binder and placed in the onsite and master binders accordingly. Essential items include: proposals given to the client; production schedule; production copy; contact list; staff details; images and renderings of design elements; floor plans; vendor invoices and quotes; certificates of liability insurance; important correspondences; and guidelines for installing any specialty design elements.

Friday and Saturday I was involved in onsite production for the big event. I was told before going that the venue has its own unionized labor and that, as a result, production would be more complicated. Upon arrival I began to see why this was the case. With a venue that employs union labor it is required that a union worker be present to work with all other production workers at all times. Therefore, when the union takes its breaks, production stops. If there aren’t enough union workers to cover a certain area, production stops in that area. This makes it extremely difficult to work on more than one area at a time. Union rules are also very strict: Do not try to go around them or you could be thrown off site. (Fortunately, PBD crew members know better so this wasn’t a problem.) FYI, such venues as this are also much more expensive for the client because the client ends up paying union workers’ wages and the design company’s labor wages. In this case the venue was fabulous and what the client wanted, regardless of expense.

Production schedules rarely run like clockwork. There are always unforeseen events that cause things to fall behind or go off schedule. The production manager has to be constantly aware of any changes. Throughout the day he or she continuously surveys the site, keeping production moving forward, and addressing any issues that arise. He or she must be able to simultaneously keep track of all areas of the event. This can be a daunting task, but the professionals at Preston Bailey Designs are, needless to say, at the top of the game so everything went pretty smoothly. The room was clear before guests arrived and in time for documentary photos to be taken. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this event. It really was an incredible experience!”

Be sure to come back next Monday for the next installment of Tara’s journey as an intern at Preston Bailey Designs!

If you’re a student in one of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design courses through LWPI you know just how inspiring the man’s work truly is. You’ve probably also been to his website countless times to drool over the amaaazing events he produces. He makes dreams comes true, and he makes it look easy at the same time. If you’re considering his course you should definitely visit prestonbailey.com to see just what wonderful things his course has in store for you. Preston’s staff recently gave LWPI a tour of his site’s updates, and we’re so excited to share them with you!

According to his staff, Preston’s slideshows are “out of this world,” and we’d have to agree. If you’re not already familiar with his work, you should know that Preston’s floral sculptures are true works of art, and this slideshow features some of his most amazing pieces. Table settings are also a big deal at weddings and events, and part of Preston’s course pushes students to think outside the box when it comes to designing them. And he knows what that means: Check out this slideshow of his own incredible table settings. And finally there is this unbelievable slideshow of jawdropping before and after event spaces. We’re sure you’ll agree that there is nothing this man can’t do!

A few more of our favorite features on Preston’s website are this awesome map that shows all the places around the world that he has designed events. There are also several videos filled with Preston’s work and words of wisdom to aspiring wedding and event planners. And there is his new weekly newsletter that we encourage everyone to sign up for: We have!

Are you an aspiring wedding and event designer? Are you looking for a thorough, inspired course that will certify you to work in such an exciting industry? Any course through LWPI, especially paired with Preston Bailey’s Signature course, will put you exactly where you need to be to succeed in the wedding industry. To learn more, take a tour of the course today. You can also check out LWPI’s class calendar for a classroom course in your area. Here are a few upcoming ones - are you ready for a new career?

* Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design Certification (Online, open enrollment)
* El Curso de Diseño de Bodas y Eventos Personalizados de Preston Bailey (Also available in Spanish, online)
* Macomb Community College Preston Bailey Wedding & Event Design Certification Online
* The Hedgehog Event Preston Bailey’s Wedding & Event Design Certification (South Africa)

A big part of the LWPI classroom experience is hands-on training. Instructors offer their students the opportunity to not only meet vendors and tour venues, but they plan projects that encourage students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom. In the case of Jennifer Taylor’s fall wedding and event planner class at Everett Community College in Everett, Wash., that meant learning about tablescapes and basic floral skills.

According to Jennifer: “I started this in my Summer 2010 class. If the class wanted to do a table design, they teamed up before the class project, so I added a twist this time, not knowing what material was available. I worked with a florist, linen company, and the facility that was hosting us to create a tablescape with backroom material, which is all the stuff that is left over from events, linens that were not in the best shape, and finally extra flowers from the florist’s wedding the previous weekend. We lined the students at one side of the room and then let them loose with the materials. It teaches creativity, teamwork, and setting a room under pressure since I only gave them half an hour to design and set up their tables.”

We love that Jennifer encourages her students to work with what they’ve got, which is often the case for certified wedding and event planners who are working with brides on a budget. Her students did a beautiful job with this project, and we’re sure that they’ll take what they’ve learned and use it time and again as they pursue their careers as professional event coordinators!

Are you interested in becoming a certified wedding and event coordinator? Check LWPI’s class calendar for a course in your area, and take a tour to learn more about the LWPI classroom experience. For more about Jennifer Taylor, visit her website, Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter.

A summer 2011 wedding and event planning certification course is starting at Everett Community College on June 20. It’s not too late to register! Visit the LWPI website today to register and take the first step toward your new career. (Instructor to be announced.)

Everett Community College
2000 Tower Street
Everett, WA, 98201
Snohomish County
425-388-9100