Yifat Oren has spent the last dozen years planning weddings and parties for some of the most discerning folks in Hollywood. When asked about her work, Yifat says, “I love what I do because I love what goes into weddings: design and décor, food and wine, fine papers, entertainment, and even the creativity that goes into executing it all flawlessly. I think the best weddings I do are a great collaboration between the clients and myself—that kind of collaboration breeds the most creative, trend-setting results.”
Those clients are high-powered and high-profile, everyone from Mariska Hargitay & Peter Hermann and Christine & Kevin Costner, to a host of Hollywood producers and business moguls. And while a lot of what these folks do for their weddings seems (or is!) totally unattainable for most of us, some of the most important and impactful aspects of planning a fantastic wedding translate perfectly to diy (or do-it-with-a-little-help) wedding planning. You don’t necessarily need more money or a bigger wedding budget; you just need a little forethought.
Consider The Guest Experience:
“Be thoughtful and cover your bases. When I’m planning a wedding, I walk through the entire event ahead of time, as if I am a guest. I imagine, for instance, “I just got off the shuttle. I left my hotel room an hour ago. I’m probably thirsty and I need shade because it’s hot. So we would serve cold beverages as soon as people get off the shuttle to quench their thirst and either a canopy or some market umbrellas for shade. The grass is tricky to walk on because ladies’ heels will sink. So we put out ‘heel savers’ … and so on, throughout the rest of the party, ending with a heater near the valet station, to be sure your guests aren’t freezing as they wait for their vehicles.”
Here are a few specific areas you can consider:
1. Be thoughtful about parking.
If you’re not doing a valet, it’s okay—just make sure there’s plenty of parking so your guests don’t have to walk too far or fight for spots.”
2. Consider the weather.
If there’s sun in everybody’s eyes during the ceremony, it’s awful. So offer some parasols or change the direction of the ceremony if possible. It’s nice to let people know, especially the ladies, what they can expect in terms of weather and terrain for the wedding day. If they’ll need to wear wedges, let them know. If it’s going to be cool during the evening but hot during the day, they might not think to bring wraps, so let them know ahead of time or provide them yourself.”
3. Consider the general appeal of the food.
You can be a total foodie, but if you want to serve something that’s wild and out there, do it as one of six appetizers, not as the main entreé that comes out for dinner.”
4. Consider your bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Usually they have to be there hours ahead of time. Make sure there are cold drinks for them, somewhere for them to hang their coats and stash their stuff, somewhere to sit down, and some shade, especially in the summer.”
5. Consider the bathrooms.
Have someone checking the bathrooms throughout the night. Make sure they are clean, well-stocked, and that the plumbing is working. We like to set out nice hand-towels, not linen ones, but nice linen-like paper ones. We also leave things your guests might need in the bathroom—a nail file, clear nail polish, extra deodorant, nice soap, lotion, safety pins, a mini sewing kit, and feminine hygiene products.”
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I think that we (the wedding-ready universe) spend a lot of time thinking about who to invite and about hiring services, but not so much time about the experience of those services for ourselves and our invited guests. Hiring services is not the same thing as creating an experience. These tips are really helpful in taking diy wedding planning that one very important step further—having bathrooms at your venue, for instance, isn’t the same thing as having continually clean, well-stocked bathrooms for you and your guests all night long. Small but important details can be not-thought-of at all. Of course, in a world where we all had business-mogul-sized wedding budgets, we’d want to hire an experienced and expert wedding planner to think of all these things for us (because, believe me, Yifat thinks of everything). Check back tomorrow for part two. Thanks, Yifat!
photo: Gia Canali
