The Coach's Guide To Wedding Planning
I’m always intrigued by new books that come out about weddings, especially wedding planning. I’m sometimes amused that too often the authors of many, so called, self-help wedding planning books have a.) never planned a wedding themselves, b.) haven’t planned a wedding in years or c.) have only worked with couples that have exorbitant wedding budgets that most Brides and Grooms could never consider.
So, a few weeks back, while surfing the web, I stumbled across a new book titled “The Coach’s Guide to Wedding Planning” written by Lisa L Spahr. There were 2 things about this particular book that caught my interest.
First, Ms. Spahr is a newlywed living in Pittsburgh, PA, having married this past May, 2009. So, her book is written from the perspective of someone that has recently “lived” the wedding planning process. Second, she is a Master’s level psychologist and life coach, which means she helps individuals who want to live a better life. I was curious how the latter would translate into helpful information that Brides could use as they plan for their special day.
According to Ms. Spahr, “I loved the (wedding planning) experience! It was enjoyable, stress free and a dream come true. My skills as a coach helped to make the planning and wedding overall so enjoyable and rich.”
When “The Coach’s Guide to Wedding Planning” arrived at my office (autographed, no less), I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not the size of an epic novel, filled with a ton of “they done me wrong” horror stories about Wedding Professionals or a typical, ”because I did it this way, it must be the only way” approach to enjoying the ideal wedding celebration.
In fact, Ms. Spahr has put together a very concise, 41 page, 14 easy step, outline that any Bride can use to aid them in enjoying the wedding planning process. And, even as a guy, I noticed that it is written in a very calming “voice,” as if she planted subliminal messages throughout that say “It’s OK. Everything is going to be fine. Really.”
From establishing priorities, selecting your vendors, who to invite and who not to invite (one of my favorite sections) to delegating responsibilities, taking time to relax and avoiding drama, Ms. Spahr has captured the realities that every REAL Bride experiences. And, she’s done it in a way that is easy to read and follow. She’s even sprinkled in a few suggestions and anecdotes from other newlyweds that can also be quite helpful to anyone planning a wedding, especially Brides with a limited budget or those that just don’t want to break the bank before they say “I do!”.
”The Coach’s Guide to Wedding Planning” can be read in one sitting, so even Grooms will like it…especially if it is strategically placed in one particular room in the house. And, you might be able to fool him into thinking it’s a book about bowling since the cover photo (the only choice that the author made that I question) depicts Ms. Spahr bowling in a wedding dress.
In the end, I think the author’s note on the back cover sums up my review quite eloquently: “The process can be stress-filled or blissful–it’s your choice. If you opt for blissful, ‘The Coach’s Guide to Wedding Planning’ is for you.” For what it’s worth, I’d have to agree!
To learn more about the book, visit ”The Coach’s Guide to Wedding Planning” blog.
To purchase “The Coach’s Guide to Wedding Planning” ($10.95 + shipping), visit the Spahr Consulting bookstore.
You’re Invited To:
You're Invited To "The Magic Behind An Extraordinary Wedding Celebration!"
Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment presents an entertaining and informative workshop for EVERY Kansas City Bride & Groom that wants their wedding reception to be unique, personal and fun!
Registration proceeds to benefit Wish Upon a Wedding, enriching lives by granting wedding and civil union ceremony wishes to terminally ill individuals at locations throughout the United States.
No matter your budget, you can enjoy the wedding reception of your dreams. Popular, Kansas City Wedding Entertainment Director™, Ron Ruth, will share the tips, tricks and secrets of how you can use…
…Detailed Planning
…Personal Touches
…Emotional Surprises
to design and create an extraordinarily fun wedding celebration that your family and friends will rave about for years to come.
When: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 / 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hilton Garden Inn Hotel / 19677 E. Jackson Dr / Independence, MO 64057
Cost : $5.00 (Proceeds benefit Wish Upon A Wedding)
Grooms Admitted FREE With Their Bride!
Advance Registration Only!
Additional Information and Registration Here!
Ron Ruth is a certified, Wedding Entertainment Director™, owner of Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment and has authored and presented a number of seminars and workshops designed to assist Brides and Grooms enjoy extraordinarily fun wedding celebrations. Ron has also been a featured speaker at regional DJ conferences and local, professional associations.
WeddingWire.com Brides Choice Award 2010
WeddingWire.com Brides Choice Award 2010 Winner
Kansas City, MO – January, 20, 2010
WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for exceptional, Kansas City Wedding Reception DJ Entertainment. The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.
Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.
“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”
We are happy to announce that Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment is among the very best Wedding Reception DJs in Kansas City and within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds
Thank you to the many Brides and Grooms that placed their trust in my service and performance, for sharing their experience with others and for nominating me for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.
For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today.
About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.
Erik Marksberry & Krista Tischler hired a good friend of mine and fellow Wedding Entertainment Director™, Bill Hermann, to orchestrate a surprise wedding on their family and friends. The guests believed that the couple had been married, just hours before at the IDS center in downtown Minneapolis, MN.
But, an actor was hired to inform everyone that the marriage ceremony they just experienced was not legal. What ensued was pure theater. The guests all got involved to make this a special day for the Bride and Groom.
They found decorations and proceeded to set-up the room to look like a wedding chapel. One lady amongst the guests made it known that she was a licensed wedding officiant and that she would be happy to make the marriage legal.
At the end of the wedding ceremony, the guests were made aware that the joke was on them and they were very surprised that they had been a part of this surprise wedding.
- Prepare For The “After-Show, After-Shock!
Through “Enjoying The Bridal Show Experience: Part I – Think Ahead!” and “Enjoying The Bridal Show Experience: Part II – Taking It All In!,” you learned how to prepare for a Bridal Show and what to expect. That brings us to the final installment.
“Enjoying The Bridal Show Experience: Part III – The After-Show,
After-Shock!”
Before we go too far, readers are reminded that Wedding Professionals invest quite a bit of their marketing budget to participate in a Bridal Show. Between booth rental fees, booth decoration cost, booth labor, Bridal Show bag inserts, advertising, etc, a professional can invest as much as $2000-$4000 for the few hours available to them to promote their goods and/or services to you. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that their investment comes back to them, not just in “day of” sales, but at the conclusion of the Bridal Show, as well. Participating Wedding Professionals will be given a list of names, including contact information, for each Bride and Groom that came through the doors. And, it should be understood that at least some of those professionals will, in all likelihood, contact couples via phone, email or direct mail to ask for their business.
With that said, remain calm and polite. You have the power to say “no” or “remove me from your list” at anytime to professionals you do not wish to pursue. Realize that you are not being “spammed” unless a Wedding Professional ignores your request. Most will not contact you, again, if asked not to do so.
Hopefully, you followed the tip presented in Part I of this article and set-up a separate email account, specifically related to your wedding, and that email address is the one you used when you registered for the Bridal Show. Before you go crazy deleting all of the emails you’ll receive from professionals after the show, read them. Remember that you probably registered for contests and the email you just deleted could be informing you that you’ve won an all expense paid honeymoon in Hawaii! And, sometimes a Wedding Professional will make additional free or discounted offers through a post-show, direct mail or email marketing campaign.
Before summarily dumping the bag of information given you when you attended the Bridal Show, go through it and make sure you’re not losing out on other free offers or discounts that may appeal to you. Do it soon, however. Many offers may expire within a few days of the show. Some professionals may have slipped in a surprise or 2 in the form of a random prize, as well.
Immediately contact the Wedding Professionals that offered goods or services that most interested you and arrange to meet with them as soon as possible. If, at the show, you’ve already made an appointment, send a meeting confirmation via email so they, hopefully, won’t book your date before you’ve had a chance to meet. Remember, the primary reason a Wedding Professional exhibits at a Bridal Show is to book their open dates. And, if you really want their service or product for your wedding ceremony or wedding celebration, you need to act quickly before someone beats you to it.
One additional note from Part II of this article that is worth repeating, Kansas City Bridal Shows only represent a sampling of the hundreds of Wedding Professionals in the metro with the expertise to help you achieve your dreams. Your perfect “choice,” both in skill and personality may not have participated at all. Make sure to explore all of your options before making critical decisions.
Most likely, you have enjoyed or will soon enjoy a Kansas City Bridal Show. It is hoped that you found the tips presented in all 3 articles of value. Feel free to leave a suggestion or 2 of your own. I’m always eager to share additional perspectives from other Wedding Professionals and Brides and Grooms.
To obtain a complete list of my Bridal Show Tips, including many more not included in this article, send an email to ron@ronruthweddings.com and I’ll send you the list.
Ron Ruth is a certified, Wedding Entertainment Director™, owner of Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment and has authored and presented a number of seminars and workshops designed to assist Brides and Grooms enjoy extraordinarily fun wedding celebrations. Ron has also been a featured speaker at regional DJ conferences and local, professional associations.
For those of you thinking about popping the question, do you have an idea for an extreme proposal? (Getty Images)
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, are you planning to give (or perhaps receive) a unique wedding proposal? Enter the Good Morning America “Extreme Marriage Proposal” contest and win a prize package worth $1800.
From the GMA web site: “The winner will have their proposal filmed by our cameras and get to appear on Good Morning America Weekend live with their fiancé. Good Morning America Weekend will also help the winner facilitate their proposal. Package includes: roundtrip, coach class airfare for two (2) from an airport near winner’s home to a NY city area airport OR depending on proximity to New York City, winner may receive, instead of airfare, other transportation to and from winner’s home to the studio, as determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsor; and one night’s hotel accommodations and one (1) Netbook computer from Radio Shack (value $300). Approximate retail value: $1,800.”
Additional information and rules available via the Good Morning America “Extreme Proposal Contest” web site.
If you are a Kansas or Missouri resident and are serious about entering into the GMA contest, please feel free to contact me if you’d like to “brainstorm” your idea. As a 20 year wedding professional and Wedding Entertainment Director™, I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned from hundreds of my past client’s proposals and offer suggestions that may be of value.
And, if you do win the GMA contest, due in part to my assistance and in line with the limited criteria above, I will donate my entertainment services ($2500 value) to your wedding celebration. Subject to availability.
Contact Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment at 816-224-4487 or ron@ronruthweddings.com
Kansas City Area Bridal Shows
The following are a few of the upcoming Kansas City Area Bridal Shows in 2010. If you know of others not listed here, please feel free to include that information in the response section and they will be added to this list.
January, 2010
Date: Saturday 09 Jan 2010 (10:00AM - 5:00PM)
Bridal Show: KC Wedding Bridal Spectacular
Price: $12.00 At The Door
Event Details: Overland Park Convention Center /6000 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 66211
Phone: n/a
Date: Sunday, 10 Jan 2010 (1:00PM – 5:00PM
Bridal Show: Flint Hills Bridal Show
Price: ?
Event Details: Courtyard By Marriott / Junction City, KS
Date: Monday 11 Jan 2010 (5:30PM - 7:30PM)
Bridal Show: The Wedding Fair At Californos
Price: FREE On-line
Event Details: Californos / 4124 Pennsylvania / Kansas City, MO 64111
Date: Thursday 14 Jan 2010 (5:00PM - 8:00PM)
Bridal Show: Deer Creek Golf Club
Price: FREE On-line
Event Details: 7000 W. 133rd ST. Overland Park, KS 66209
Phone: 913-681-1674
Email: margotsinger@eaglegolf.com
Date: Saturday 16 Jan 2010 (10:00AM - 5:00PM)
Bridal Show: Perfect Wedding Guide Winter Wedding Showcase
Price: $6.00 On-line / $10.00 At The Door
Event Details: Topeka Expocentre / One Expocentre Drive Topeka, KS 66067
Phone: 913-851-9333
Email: ellen@pwg.com
Website: http://www.perfectweddingguide.com/kc
More Details
Date: Friday 22 Jan 2010 to Saturday 23 Jan 2010 (10:00AM - 5:00PM)
Bridal Show: Bridal Solutions and Tailoring Casablanca Trunk Show
Price: ?
Event Details: Bridal Solutions & Tailoring 557 Melody Lane Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Phone: 816-246-1660
Email: contact@bridalsolutionskc.com
Website: http://www.bridalsolutionskc.com
Date: Sunday 31 Jan 2010 (12:00PM - 3:00PM)
Bridal Show: Bridal Connections 2010
Price: Free
Event Details: Sylvester Powell Community Center / 6200 Martway / Mission, KS 66202
February, 2010
Date: Friday 05 Feb 2010 (7:00PM - 11:59PM)
Bridal Show: The Tuscan Ballroom at Liberty Hills Bridal Show
Price:
Event Details: 19808 H Highway Liberty, MO 64068
Phone: 816-517-0668
Email: sherry@thetuscanballroom.com
More Details
Date: Sunday 14 Feb 2010 (12:00PM - 5:00PM)
Bridal Show: Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show
Price: $4.00 On-line / $8.00 At The Door
Event Details: Hilton Garden Inn /19677 East Jackson Drive Independence, MO 64057
Phone: 913-851-9333
Email: ellen@pwg.com
Website: http://perfectweddingguide.com/kc
March, 2010
Date: Sunday 14 Mar 2010 (10:00AM - 5:00PM)
Bridal Show: Perfect Wedding Guide Spring Bridal Show
Price: $6.00 On-line / $10.00 At The Door
Event Details: Overland Park Convention Center /6000 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS 66211
Phone: 913-851-9333
Email: ellen@pwg.com
Website: http://perfectweddingguide.com/kc
- Kansas City Bridal Show
In “Enjoying The Kansas City Bridal Show Experience: Part I – Think Ahead!”, I shared a few tips on how to make sure you have everything you need when you arrive at any of the Kansas City Bridal Shows scheduled to take place over the next few months.
This article will focus on what to expect after you arrive and offer a couple, helpful tips to make your Bridal Show experience enjoyable and hassle-free.
“Enjoying The Kansas City Bridal Show Experience: Part II – Taking It All In!”
Arrive early, allowing yourself plenty of time to find a parking space. Get into the Bridal Show right after the doors open if you’d like to get your hands on some of the free stuff that Wedding Professionals may be giving away. Often times, quantities are limited and the “freebies” will go fast.
Take the lesser road traveled. Some Bridal Shows have so many Wedding Professionals participating that the aisles can be quite narrow. Instead of following the crowds to the closest booths just inside the doors, begin your Bridal Show exploration on the side of the room furthest from the front doors and work your way back. With fewer people to maneuver around, your experience will be more enjoyable and it will be much easier for you to talk to Wedding Professionals without having to wait a long period of time.
As stated, with the number of Brides and Grooms in attendance, the environment at a Bridal Show can be quite hectic and you might find it difficult to receive the quality time needed with some Wedding Professionals to learn enough about them and their service or product to make a purchasing decision. With that said, approach a Bridal Show as an opportunity to “window shop,” gather ideas and to meet Wedding Professionals that provide the services or products most important to you and that are within your budget. After the show, contact those individuals and arrange a meeting where you can get all of your questions answered before signing a contract.
Don’t feel pressured to take advantage of a “Bridal Show Only” special. If the service or product is one that greatly interests you, take a moment to schedule a meeting with that professional and commit to meeting with them within a day or 2 of the show. A great number of Wedding Professionals will honor a reasonable grace period and would appreciate the opportunity to know more about you and your expectations so they can better serve your needs.
Almost every Bridal Show presents at least one or two fashion shows that draws the attention of just about everyone in attendance. If you’re willing to pass up the gowns and tuxedos, you’ll find that the Wedding Professionals are not busy during these times and are more capable of giving you personal attention.
Don’t forget to use all of those pre-printed labels you brought with you to enter the many door prize drawings. And, remember to double check registrations before you drop them in the box just in case additional information is required. (Note: By completing a contest registration, you are giving the vendor permission to contact you after the show.)
Get business cards and brochures from every Wedding Professional that piques your interest so you know how to contact them after the show. You’ll also be able to visit their web sites for additional information, find answers to some of your questions and better determine if they are the right fit for you before taking the next step.
Additional Note: Kansas City Bridal Shows only represent a sampling of the hundreds of Wedding Professionals in the metro with the expertise to help you achieve your dreams. Your perfect “choice,” both in skill and personality, may not be participating at all. Make sure to explore all of your options before making critical decisions.
Have fun at the Bridal Show! But, you’re not done yet.
There’s more to come in the next article, “Enjoying The Kansas City Bridal Show Experience: Part III – The After-Show!”
To obtain a complete list of my Bridal Show Tips, including many more not included in this article, send an email to ron@ronruthweddings.com and I’ll send you the list.
Ron Ruth is a certified, Wedding Entertainment Director™, owner of Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment and has authored and presented a number of seminars and workshops designed to assist Brides and Grooms enjoy extraordinarily fun wedding celebrations. Ron has also been a featured speaker at regional DJ conferences and local, professional associations.
- Kansas City Bridal Show
If you’re one of the thousands of Kansas City area couples that got engaged over the holidays, congratulations! No doubt you’re very excited about your wedding day and are equally anxious to get started with the planning process and the selection of the Wedding Professionals that can help you create your idea of the ideal wedding ceremony and wedding reception.
A very popular starting point for engaged couples is to attend one or more of the dozens of Kansas City Metro Bridal Shows that are scheduled for the first quarter of 2010.
Kansas City Bridal Shows are fun, a great way to meet a wide variety of Wedding Professionals and get up to date information on the latest wedding trends. With so many details at your disposal in a relatively short period of time, it’s also very easy to suffer from information overload. Not to worry! Over the next 3 articles I’ll provide a few helpful tips to make the Bridal Show experience more enjoyable for you and your fiancé.
“ Enjoying The Kansas City Bridal Show Experience: Part I – Think Ahead!”
Set-up an email address that is dedicated to all things wedding related. By doing so, it will be easier to keep track of emails sent from wedding professionals without filling up your personal inbox. And, with a dedicated email address, you and your fiancé will both have access to all of the information you receive without the hassle of forwarding correspondences back and forth.
Take advantage of special discounts just for registering early. You’ll also avoid wasted time completing a registration form at the door. Better yet, ask a wedding professional you’ve contacted prior to the Bridal Show if they are participating and find out if they have tickets to give away. Don’t be shy. Odds are they do and have just been waiting for someone to ask. You should, however, be polite and return their generosity by stopping by their booth.
If possible, establish a budget before attending the Bridal Show. If you don’t know exactly what you want to spend on the many options available, make a top 10 list of your “can’t live withouts.” From flowers and food to decor and entertainment to the cake and those colorful M&M’s with your names printed on the candy coated shell and everything in between, list your wants and needs in order of priority. Doing so will keep you focused on obtaining what is most important to you. Having predetermined selections will also remind you where you can be flexible should a portion of your budget need to be redirected from your least important preference to cover a more costly, #1 priority.
Go to a Bridal Show ready to have fun, shop and maybe even win a valuable prize from one of the many Wedding Professionals you’ll meet. But, filling out numerous contest registrations can be time consuming. So, create and print labels in advance that include the Bride & Groom’s name, mailing and email address, phone number and wedding date. Simply stick those labels on each entry. Double check registrations before you drop them in the box, however, in case additional information is required. (Note: By completing a contest registration, you are giving the vendor permission to contact you after the show.)
Between the cake tasting, food sampling, conversations with a number of Wedding Professionals and taking in the ever popular fashion show, plan on a 3-5 hour outing.
You’re ready to go but don’t head out the door yet! Come back next time for “Enjoying The Kansas City Bridal Show Experience: Part II – Taking It All In!”
To obtain a complete list of my Bridal Show Tips, including many more not included in this article, send an email to ron@ronruthweddings.com and I’ll send you the list.
Ron Ruth is a certified, Wedding Entertainment Director™, owner of Ron Ruth Wedding Entertainment and has authored and presented a number of seminars and workshops designed to assist Brides and Grooms enjoy extraordinarily fun wedding celebrations. Ron has also been a featured speaker at regional DJ conferences and local, professional associations.
Black Friday Crowd
Not that long ago, and for at least a couple of years, I was one of the hoards of Kansas City residents that would anxiously get out of bed in the middle of the night to make it to the “Black Friday,” after Thanksgiving sales. Lured by the promise of huge savings on tools, gadgets and toys (I’ll call it “stuff), I would arrive at a nationally known electronic store way before the doors opened to find that I was still the 100th customer or so in line, forced to wait in the frigid night air with other drowsy but eager bargain shoppers.
To kill time, I’d re-review the sale flyer I had already perused a dozen times or more and map out my plan of attack so I could get to the stuff I wanted (note that I did not say needed) before others beat me to the punch.
Inside, I would maneuver my way through the 5:00 a.m., shopping cart traffic jam to get to the sale stuff that was so incredibly cheap, I just had to have it. Never mind that most of the items I sought had never been allowed to grace the shelves any other time of the year or that they came with brand names that were more obscure than ACME. You remember ACME. Although never reliable, it was still Wile E. Coyote’s first choice for dynamite.
Caught up in the frenzy of the moment, self-control was replaced with self-indulgence. No longer willing to stay within the boundaries of my original shopping list, I’d fill my cart with as much cut-rate stuff as my predetermined and ever flexible budget would allow. The cheaper the stuff, the more I could buy. Fate wanted me to have it all, whether I had an immediate use for it or not. For someone that is usually much more pragmatic, that side of my brain was suddenly consumed with the glee of saving a few bucks.
Once home, I’d sift through my deeply discounted booty like a pirate who had taken advantage of an unsuspecting merchant that had made a huge blunder by practically “giving away” what was now my treasure.
More often than not, however, when it came time to insert, plug in, turn on or make use of my new stuff, my joy was replaced with frustration. Most of the stuff didn’t work as promised, didn’t work for long or, in many cases, didn’t work at all. And, product support for the stuff was non-existent. Help hotlines weren’t answered and emails were ignored or bounced as undeliverable.
Taking a few days to kick myself for being so insanely impulsive, I’d repackage all the stuff that had brought me momentary happiness and give thanks that the store, where I had once celebrated outrageous savings, had a very liberal return policy.
As I recovered the sanity that had abandoned me during my blissful shopping spree, I was reminded of an undeniable truth, one that I allowed to escape me for the sake of price over value. Cheap stuff is always cheap for a reason.
If you’re heading out on Friday morning to take advantage of the “Black Friday” sales, have fun and spend wisely. This year, I’ll be sleeping in.