The Wedding Session

I think we can agree, sustainability is a trend...that is here to stay. And we're super ok with this! Especially since events contribute to a lot of waste. In this episode, we break down what a sustainable wedding is, and ways you can incorporate sustainable practises to your wedding. 

Here are two of the bigger elements of sustainability:

And some tips to help you in your planning process:

Happy New Year + Welcome Back everyone! We've missed you all!

On today's episode, we're breaking down some tips and suggestions on how to get started on planning your 2022 wedding. I think we can agree, everything kind of comes to a halt during the holidays, we're here to share how to re-inspire yourself and get excited to plan!

Tip #1 - Make a List
Tip #2 - Reach out to your Planner
Tip #3 - Work the large details
Tip #4 - Site Visit
Tip #5 - Secure you're dress + suit
Tip #6 - Invitations

...

Part II of our nostalgic look back on our first weddings. This time, Kelly takes us way back to her first wedding as a Planner and why it's important to have a great team behind you.

We're going super nostalgic today, and bringing it back old school to our first weddings. Tarina kicks this episode off with detail so her first wedding and all the things she's learned to become a better wedding planner. 

Emcee Duties. How to select them and what the expectation is.

We get this question all the time - do we need one!? Over the weddings we've done, we've found that while there is no standard formula for them, they always accomplish the same thing. They tell the guests what they need to know! Especially when you're Wedding planner can't. 

What the heck is an Emcee? Have you ever been to a wedding where you have no idea what's going on? Emcee's are the 'host' of the wedding, and are there to let people know w...

While our wedding season, was rather unconventional, we were still able to enjoy some truly amazing moments with our couples during their weddings.

Listen in, as we share some of our favourites!

Notes:
Jana + Ryan

Welcome to our friends, Kelsey + Morgan MacLean, from The MacLeans. A local wedding photographer and videographer/husband and wife duo who we had the personal pleasure of working with this season. We met while working on our couples covid-wedding, and what a ride it was!

We dive into how they started as wedding photographer + videographer's (with a huge detour talking about traveling!!!), what it's like to work with your significant other and why having a real life couple (as your photography team) on your wedding is a good thing!!

NOTES
The MacLeans on Insta<...

As we're booking Clients for the upcoming season, we were starting to notice a few common themes in what they were looking for. And we thought for today's episode, that we would dive into the wedding trends we think will be super popular in 2022. 

What do you think?:

"Where do I stand"? 
"How do I hold the bouquet?"
"I just don't want to mess it up for the Bride!!"

We've heard every one of these, and there are many more reasons why it's important to have a Rehearsal for your wedding Ceremony. To put simply, the Rehearsal is done so everyone knows where they need to be, what they do and when they need to do it! It reassures you, the Couple!, and the rest of the Bridal party on how the Ceremony will flow. 

Listen in as we share some ti...

I think we can all agree, that your wedding day is usually...a pretty long day! Starting in the morning with hair and makeup, making your way to the Ceremony, then photos and cocktail hour, then maybe more photos. All before dinner. It's safe to say, you're probably wilting or least losing steam by this point. And no one wants a hangry bride, or groom (poor fella's). 

Here are some of the top reasons why you need snacks:

In Part 2 of our conversation of serving Wine at your Wedding, we discuss the logistical side of getting the wine to your glass! 

As former Caterers, our Clients used to ask us all the time about how to serve the wine at the tables, listen in as we talk about wine service versus table service and what might be the best method for your reception!

We'd be lying if we didn't say this is a favourite topic of ours. Mostly, we just love wine. And how it can absolutely enhance your experience in the best way, at a wedding. 

Listen in as we go into detail, some of the things you should consider when it comes to Wine at your wedding. How the time of year impacts your choices, what your menu is and how you can pair your wines, consider the demographic of the group (who likes wine, who doesn't), the differences with a Venue versus hosting your event at an o...

After a small summer hiatus, we're back to say we're sorry and we miss you. 

Now, back to what you want to hear, us talk about weddings! 

We go over our Summer season, but dive right back into giving you advice. VIBE, and why it's so important. At the start, if you hire your vendors based on energy, vibe and overall feeling, you're going to have that energy at your wedding. You want that vibe conveyed to everyone. 

Not only should you vibe with your vendors you've selected, but the experience is so muc...

At least you know, we're out there in the trenches, getting some real world wedding experience for you all! And since wedding has been whoppin' our butts this month, we thought we'd bring back one our favourite and most downloaded episodes - "How to Fire a Wedding Vendor". 

We'll talk about some reasons you might want to select someone else, but here are some things to remember if you feel like you need to fire your vendor:

Listen in as we discuss another hot topic - whether you and your partner have a first look, or you wait until you see each other for the first time as you walk down the aisle. 

Let's break down what the difference is! 
         A first look is when you and your partner see each other privately before the ceremony. 

         A traditional ceremony reveal is exactly how it sounds, you see each other walking down the aisle for the first time. 

Maybe you're still stuck on what to do, here are some reasons why yo...

Yes. Of Course! Most guests expect a combination of wine/beer/hard bar at your wedding reception. However, don't forget! There is also a group of your guests that might not be able to sip on the booze. So what do you do! Offer a bad-a$$ non-alcoholic beverage station. We always talk about the guest experience, and this is one simple addition you can include to make ALL of your guests feel loved.

Here's a small breakdown of some guest you might need to consider at your wedding:

Is it no kids? Is it all kids? Is it totally black and white when it comes to kids at your wedding? What do you do when you're planning your wedding and everyone wants to know if kids are invited. It's a touchy subject, and while it IS a personal choice, the wedding day is not just about the couple. 

Step 1: You must decide together very early on if you are allowing kids. You both have to be on the same page with this choice. But STICK TO THIS CHOICE!!!

We breakdown s...

How many of your friends tell you what is good and bad about a wedding, what you should or shouldn't do, and what THEY did that was great (but, actually, maybe it wasn't). UnPopular Wedding Opinions is our topic, and we analyze the following article from Buzzfeed called "17 Controversial Wedding Opinions that might get you a little Fired up".

After some research, we found there is A LOT of unpopular opinions around weddings. This article barely scratches the surface!  

Bet you didn't know there were two ways your wedding day runs so smoothly. As Planners, we work with two different paths - the flow of the day and the timeline. 

What's the difference? Why do you need to care?!

Well, we break down that the difference is and why the Timeline is our favourite document for the day. Both are important, and serve different purposes. But both make sure you make it down the aisle. 

Why is keeping track of time on your day so important?!

Ok. Shit happens. Ask Tarina! Sometimes, you need to change your venue. And that's OK! It happens, and it can be super stressful. And sometimes you might want to elope to Paris! However, that's not always feasible..

We've had to help quite a few of our Couples lately with this switch, so it's a little more common then you would think. We break down some examples of why you might need to change your venue, and no judging over here, because sometimes you need to do it.

10 Reasons why you might need to change your...

We've made it through the first half of the 6 A's of Events last week. And, we're here to share the remaining parts, and why it's so important to consider these when planning your wedding!!

Quick RECAP, for those who missed Part 1!!!

The final 3 are:

4. Appetite - FOO...

Have you ever been to an event, that kind of felt...like it was missing something. Or have you been to an event that was just like...wow! I can't put my finger on it, but this was seamlessly amazing. That is what the 6 A's of Events are.

Kelly, our resident event nerd, found this within a textbook from Professional Event Coordination by Julia Rutherford Silvers during her time at the LaSalle College (Art Institute of Vancouver). It's something she still considers when planning any event. 

We dive deep into them on this episode and w...

Welcome back, to the second half of our interview with Lauren and Rachelle with Elyse + Co. We chat about how we work together as TEAM SAY Events, why timelines are so important to us, why you NEVER take food from a starving Planner!!!, why COMMUNITY over COMPETITION is so important, and why it's ok to just enjoy the magic - let us do the dirty work.  

Since we love changing it up, we thought we'd try out being interviewed! This episode, we're joined by Lauren and Rachelle of Elyse & Co. Events, who take over the mic and ask us questions about SAY Events and how we got here. 

We get into the nitty gritty of how we got started, how we transitioned from our day jobs and side hustles to banding together as SAY Events, and discussing how important it is for all of us in the industry to work together on behalf of our couples. 

Listen in, as we pi...

You've made it to the end of our Design Series, where we talk about how Decor can enhance your overall wedding Ceremony and Reception!! We had the pleasure of interviewing our Vendor friends, where we learned how to incorporate each element so you can design a beautiful wedding. 

Recapping each Episode:

In our final episode of the Design Series, Tonya of Paper Poet Stationary talks to us about how why your stationary and invites shouldn't be the last thing you think about when planning your wedding.

We'll talk about how your invites are the 1st point of contact with your guests, how it sets the tone for the over all event, and how it can bring your overall love story together with a carefully curated design. We also chat about why DIY isn't always the best route when it comes to making your invites. Time versus Money, Kids!!
<...

We sit with Rachelle McBride, the Client Services Coordinator of The Pipe Shop Venue + The Wallace Venue, and discuss how to use your venue when designing your event, and why the Wallace is the perfect blank space.

We start with Rachelle giving us a little history lesson on the Wallace and how it came to be! The venue was named after Eliza Wallace, the wife of Wallace Shipyards founder, Alfred Wallace. Eliza was known for throwing amazing events in the shipyards during the early 1900’s, and we thought naming our venue after her would be a fitting homage to...

Listen in as we chat with our guest and florist Dina Mercado of Jorbelina Flowers! We

Listen in as we chat with our guest, Alexandria McCluskie of Past Pieces Vintage Wedding and Events, talks to us about how a Lounge Space can add major wow factor to your next event.

We talk with our friend, Stefanie Aitken from Railtown Catering, on why you should consider Food Service in your Decor plans to make the perfect pairing.

We start this series off with why intentional design is so important to enhancing your event.

Here's a look at some of the hidden costs of a wedding, that if you don't know...now you know!

A wedding timeline is never perfect. However, there are things you can put in your timeline that help the day feel less chaotic and can be planned before the wedding day.

We bring back our friend and personal trainer Ryan of RD Fitness to talk about your health leading up to your wedding day.

Part 2 of our interview with Alex Rocco of iDJ.

You want the dirt? We got it. Come listen as we talk with our friend Alex Rocco of IDJ services about all the BTS goodness you've been itchin' to hear!

You're about to hire your Wedding Planner, but first, here are some questions to consider.

Now that you're married, do you keep your last name or change?

Pets at Weddings! Should you include your fur baby on your wedding day?

You've been asked to give a speech at a wedding, but how do you make it memorable for all the right reasons? We break it down this week and give you a ton of BTS stories, good and not so good.