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Event Planners Tell All

3eleven events 

Owner/Manager: Lisha Lee

Website: www.3elevenevents.com

Tell us about your business:

3eleven events is primarily a wedding planning company, however we also produce corporate events, bridal showers, baby showers and elegant dinner parties. 

2020 was a very weird year, Is there a silver lining?

The silver lining for most of our couples has been the intimacy of a smaller event and saving money. We’ve seen couples extending honeymoons due to savings and being able to work remotely. 

Describe a big challenge that required a creative solution:

We were scheduled for a 125 person wedding, with just weeks to pivot due to new restrictions.  A week before the wedding, the soon to be groom asked me to come up with something creative. They were able to get married in a family friends backyard, with just their officiant, while their witnesses (their parents) watched from inside.

What is the coolest thing that has happened in your industry or personal business lately?

Creating micro-wedding packages. It’s an all inclusive one-stop shop. Think Vegas wedding, but with the beauty of the PNW and all the beautiful trimmings of your dream wedding.

Do you predict any lasting trends motivated by Covid?

Yes! I think hand sanitizer is here to stay, at weddings. Even as favors. 

Why is it a good idea to get professional event help?

Professionals anticipate the unexpected and they prepare for it. There’s cool insider tips and tricks and they totally have your back. Work with your planner to create a backup plan. It’s the best thing we have done to prepare clients. 

Do you have a signature style?

I would say somewhere between timeless romance and modern bohemian. 

What or who is on your event bucket list?

It is to own a new wedding venue and host a holiday party for Russell and Ciara :)

If you could splurge on just one event element, what would it be?

This is hard because I say both florals and photography are the most important. 

Solomon Event Planning

Owner/Manager: Stephanie Solomon 

Website: www.solomonevents.com

Describe your business:

Social and corporate event planning

2020 was a very weird year, have you become accustomed to a new way of working?  

2020 has been a year of reimagining expectations, this has a year spent not worrying about being overserved, but instead being overexposed to the virus.

What is the biggest change you have made to your business? 

Managing expectations, because clients either needed to create space to re-envision their event if they wanted to proceed given the limited conditions, or they had to find the patience to dream and visualize the celebration they could have post Covid.

Describe a big challenge that required a creative solution.

The challenge right now is that people still want to come together and celebrate, and the solution is to come up with creative ways for people to express their feelings.  We may not be able to get together, but you can always tell someone you love them.

Do you predict any lasting trends motivated by Covid?

Safety precautions are here to stay and standards are rising to an even higher level.

Do you have any creative tips or cautionary advice for readers who may be planning an event soon?

Be mindful and have Plan A and Plan B.  Embrace technology and include everyone.

Why is it a good idea to get professional event help?  

These are unprecedented times with unknown challenges, now more than ever people need professional planners with long term industry relationships.

Do you have a signature style?

Enduring high touch with a classic flair! Timeless never goes out of style and if I choose one word, elegance.

What or who is on your event bucket list?   

Of all the events I have done, I am most nervous about the next one, it is my own wedding! I know the client well and she is very hard to please. 

If you could splurge on just one event element, what would it be?

In all seriousness, marry the right person and the rest falls into place.

BAHTOH - florist/hair salon 

Owner/Manager Name(s): Bobbie Yanoupeth and Michael Sing, co-owners

Website: www.BAHTOH.com, Instagram @bahtoh

Describe your business:

We are a full service hair salon and floral shop. We specialize in weddings and events. We also offer retail floral arrangements.

2020 was a very weird year, have you become accustomed to a new way of working?

As weddings are a huge focus and source of income, we definitely suffered financially. As we are primarily an event florist, we opted to add in floral arrangement deliveries to our clients. This was a way for us to bring in income and stay busy flowering. 

What is the coolest thing that has happened in your industry or personal business lately?

Our clients have been spending more time and money on the things that they most value. With a smaller guest count, our client's have been emphasizing wanting to have their dream flowers.

Why is it a good idea to get professional event help?

We have spent years honing our crafts and being able to handle last minute emergencies. Having professionals there to handle the all the logistics and any issues, is the best way to avoid any added stress. 

Do you have a signature style?

We gravitate towards very modern, lush florals. We like to push our client's outside of the box when thinking about floral design. Adding in an unusual flower, that they may have not thought of or a style of installation they may initially imagined.

Describe an event (or two) from this past year:

We've done a few small in home weddings including a beautiful outdoor wedding overlooking the water in Hunts Point.  They had a great back yard and the deck was covered, so it protected the guests from rain and wind.

Do you have any hot insider tips for entertaining that won’t break the bank?

Small details that lets your guest know that you thought of them. Maybe an end of night snack; cookie, pizza, hot dogs. The list is endless. 

 

Elite Events/Wedding & Event Planning

Owner/Manager Name(s): Hannah Mitchell & Cindy Benezra

Website: www.eliteseattle.com, Instagram @eliteseattle.com

Describe your business:

Elite Events is an award-winning, luxury wedding & event planning company based in the Seattle area.

2020 was a very weird year, have you become accustomed to a new way of working? 

In this industry, it is all about adapting and being flexible in crazy situations. At the end of the day it is just another challenge to overcome creatively. 

What is the biggest change you have made to your business?

We now make it a priority to talk clearly about COVID planning implications in our initial interviews with clients.  We have also been doing a majority of our client meetings over Zoom. You just can’t get that same feeling over the phone, especially when working on things like our initial design meetings where we really need to gauge the client’s reactions in order to make the perfect design proposal for them.

Is there a silver lining?

Where people used to normally only want larger celebrations, now we see that intimate celebrations of about 10 people are becoming more popular. People are really appreciating the positives in their lives and are very grateful for what they have. People are also getting a bit more formal with their attire, which we just think is fun!

Describe a big challenge that required a creative solution.

One of the larger challenges during this time is ensuring that guests are both being safe and feeling happy and comfortable at events. Many of our clients are very invested in this aspect of the event planning process and want to go even further than the standard government regulations in order to offer a higher level of safety. For example, at one of our upcoming weddings we are doing all of the following in addition to normal state regulations: on-site rapid COVID tests, 5% venue capacity, having HEPA filters in the ceremony & reception spaces, using UV light treatments on high-touch areas, implementing sanitizing stations, and asking guests to wear color-coded wristbands to indicate their comfort level regarding proximity to others.

Do you have any creative tips or cautionary advice for readers who may be planning an event soon?

We would encourage people to really evaluate the food & beverage plan so you can make sure there aren’t many high-touch items. The easiest way to enjoy your party while abiding by restrictions is to have a professional caterer manage the food so you and your guests can relax and enjoy yourselves while knowing you are taking the necessary precautions.

Why is it a good idea to get professional event help?

For wedding & event planning, we not only save you time and emotional stress, but we normally end up saving you a solid chunk of money. Planners have access to lots of special discounts and they also know the best ways to spend your money so you get the most “bang for your buck”.

Do you have a signature style?

While we can design events for any theme, our signature style is chic, glam and playful. We love the glamorous events of LA, NY and Miami – that is what really speaks to us -- so we try to exemplify that vibe through our events.

What or who is on your event bucket list?

Any/all of the Kardashians are on our event planning bucket list. We love their taste in events and their love of doing the unexpected.

If you could splurge on just one event element, what would it be?

Ambiance – hands down! We believe that guests should leave a wedding feeling like they got to know the couple better and like it was still an intimate affair, even if 200 people were there.

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