Tuesday, 24 August 2010 09:37 | Admin @ The Ring

Q&A's with 3 celeb planners

Extended Interview with Rich Bride Poor Bride Celebrity Planners

The celebrity planners on the hit TV series RichBride PoorBride have seen just about everything. Big budgets, shoestring budgets, bridezillas and the worst MILs ever... So, who better to get the inside scoop on the best (and worst) in weddings from? In the Fall/Winter 2010 issue of The Wedding Ring Magazine, we gave you clips from our interview with these three planning divas. And as promised, here are the full celeb interviews...

Heidi Allen (left) of Weddings Heidi Style is known as the “Wedding Etiquette Guru” and is moving into her fifth season.

Laura Atendido (middle) & Kelly Spinelli (right) of Laura Kelly Wedding Design are just begining their second season, but are long-time friends who say they have a mutual love for event planning.

What’s the worst that could happen?!...

HEIDI: Always remember that nothing is the absolute worst on your wedding day because you are marrying the person you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with. All the silly little details that may go wrong are just silly little details!! Always remember the only two things your guests will remember are: 1) what the bride looked like; and 2) what the food tasted like. Focus on these two major details and just have fun planning the rest!
KELLY: The bride gets cold feet… I don’t know how I would ever break the news, and hope I never have to!
LAURA: Either the bride or groom doesn’t show… as long as both turn up, every wedding is a success.

What element of the wedding has the most potential to make or break the day?

HEIDI: Rain!
KELLY: Food & bar.
LAURA: The venue (food, service, bar...).

What do you tell couples to help them stay on budget?

HEIDI: Make a REALISTIC budget from the very beginning and stick to it! To make the budget, make a list of all wedding planning elements from most important to least important and assign a budget to each based on the list. If at any time you go over budget make sure you are willing to either cut something or adjust the budget amount on another vendor to keep your wedding budget in line.
KELLY: Pick one or two areas that you are willing to splurge on and will leave you really excited, that way when you have to trim back in other areas to stay on budget, you won’t mind as much. Hiring a creative wedding planner helps too.
LAURA: Be realistic! Create a budget that suits your needs, wants and means at the beginning of the planning process.

What are the 3 most common mistakes made by ENGAGED couples?

HEIDI: 1) Couples get caught up in the details of planning their wedding and forget the reason why they are getting married in the first place… because they are in LOVE! 2) They don’t read their contracts before they sign them. 3) Couples don’t make a realistic budget based on the theme or style they wish to achieve. Make sure you thoroughly research the costs associated with vendors that you may require before sitting down and making a budget.
KELLY: 1) No back-up plan for outdoor ceremony or photos in case of bad weather. This one makes me crazy! 2) Not specifying how many guests are invited on the invitation… if you leave it blank or at all questionable, you may end up getting a family of 5 RSVPing when you only intended on inviting 2 of them. 3) Not realizing that you need to feed your vendors... you’d be surprised how many couples forget or overlook this.
LAURA: 1) They don’t align their vision with their budget. 2) They don’t start planning their wedding with a firm guest count in mind. 3) They think anything DIY will save them money. 

What’s the craziest or most outrageous wedding you’ve ever been a part of planning?

HEIDI: The most outrageous wedding I have ever been involved in was when a bride had me [arrange to] dress a potbelly pig as the ring bearer!
KELLY: It involved guests standing in the pouring rain while horses walked down the aisle… My hair still hates me for this one.
LAURA: Horses as a part of the formal procession down the aisle.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is the groom?! ;)

HEIDI: I would say the groom is a 10!
KELLY: I’d give the groom a 5 these days. They really are 50% of the whole day… although we would never tell our brides this ;)
LAURA: The groom is however important he decides to be. Sometimes we see grooms falling back to a 1 on their own, other times, we see them fighting for the top spot with the bride.

In your opinion, what is the ideal number of guests?

HEIDI: In my opinion the ideal number of guests to attend a wedding is 100. The wedding reception is not too small that it feels like just another party but it is also not too large to be able to chat and visit with each and every guest. I just love the intimate appeal of 100 guests!
KELLY: I would say that 200 guests is a great number. 100 for each side, ideally. Chances are you both know this many people. I find that anything over and above this creates a greater chance that you will have guests at your wedding who will be total strangers to you and your new spouse. There is nothing more awkward than getting introduced to one of your guests at your own wedding!
LAURA: 125… It’s a smaller, intimate number that allows for enough guests to cover immediate circles of family and friends, yet it still leaves a lot of options for venue and budget. The larger the guest list, the shorter the venue list becomes and the larger the budget. With smaller weddings, you can also spend less on per person costs, but more on other more creative areas such as photography, florals and décor.

What are your top 3 favourite wedding venues/locations?

HEIDI: I love a beach wedding! Seeing a couple exchanging their vows on a beach using the lake or ocean as their backdrop with her veil blowing in the wind is truly romantic. A wedding that takes place in someone’s backyard or home. I love the intimate feel of inviting close friends and family to such a personal location to share in the most important day of their life.
KELLY & LAURA couldn't quite narrow it down to just 3.

When a couple has an idea that you just can't get behind, what do you do?

HEIDI: It doesn’t matter what I think of the idea! If it is an idea that the couple are in love with then it is my job to make it a reality.
KELLY: The only thing we can do is state why, in our professional opinion, we don’t agree. But ultimately, it’s their day and unless it’s illegal, we have to go along for the ride!
LAURA: If it’s not something that would greatly threaten the success of the day, you go with it with a BIG smile on your face. After all, it’s their day and you’re hired to bring their vision to life… even when you can’t quite see it.

Most important vendor (aside from the wedding planner!) involved in a wedding?

HEIDI: Caterer.
KELLY: Photographer.
LAURA: Florist/Decorator.

Tent or crystal ballroom?

HEIDI: I love, love, love the crystal ballroom! Anything that is glamourous and sparkly makes me very, very happy!
KELLY:  Tent for sure…You can transform a tent into anything and create any theme!
LAURA: Tent all the way… None of us ever spend enough time in the outdoors.

Favourite flowers?

HEIDI: Pink Tulips. I love their colour and perfection.
KELLY: Peonies rock my world!
LAURA: Roses… There is something so classic, romantic and pure about them.

Favourite wedding theme/colours?

HEIDI: Crisp, contemporary theme with a green and white palette.
KELLY: Right now I’m a big fan of whites, ivories and neutrals with one punch of colour thrown in, like chartreuse or plum.
LAURA: I’m still a classic girl; love the champagnes, soft pinks and ivory.

Favourite gown line designer name?

ALL 3 PLANNERS: Monique Lhuillier.

Ideal wedding budget for 150 guests?

HEIDI: An Ideal wedding budget for 150 guests will depend on location and style but to give a good starting point I would suggest $35,000.
KELLY: $35,000 - $40,000. Anything more is a luxury and anything less is thrifty.
LAURA: 30,000  - $35,000 with half going towards the venue.

Real or fictitious, what is your idea of the best.wedding.ever!

HEIDI: The best wedding ever was Heidi Klum and Seal’s beautiful wedding that took place on a secluded beach in Mexico with forty guests.  After a very intimate dinner, Seal serenaded his bride with a song he wrote just for their wedding day.
KELLY: Having a $100,000+ budget that includes a custom made gown by Monique Lhuillier, an outdoor ceremony in Fiji overlooking the water at sunset, peonies, white hydrangeas, crème roses and candlelight EVERYWHERE. Walking down the aisle to “Songbird” by Eva Cassidy. Seeing David Beckham at the end of your aisle… And finally, a beautiful tented reception surrounded by family and friends. Ooh… and doing the “Time of My Life” dance from Dirty Dancing for the first dance! Yes!
LAURA: A wedding where guests leave feeling like they experienced something different and new; a wedding where at one time or another, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, or any square inch left open on the dance floor. ■