This article was first posted on the Knot a while back now, but I completely forgot to blog about it! I was asked by The Knot to come up with a hypothetical wedding in Cincinnati… for $10,000 or less. It had to be for 80-100 guests and include just about everything! I didn’t want to say “throw it in your back yard and have your friends take the pictures” so I worked to come up with a list of truly professional vendors that could be combined at a rate of under $10,000. The result: a picnic-style afternoon wedding at two very Cincinnati locations: ceremony at Ault Park’s rose garden and reception at The Observatory. To view the full article, click here. What I wish the editors included, but didn’t, was my plea to splurge on a professional makeup artist! It is so worth it, especially when you are spending so much on photographs, and also because everyone deserves to be pampered a bit :)

The point of coming up with a wedding on $10,000 was not (in my opinion) to necessarily say that your wedding should cost you as little as possible, but to show that you truly can have a wedding you’ll love at any budget. Whether that’s $10,000, $30,000 or $150,000 doesn’t really matter. Whether you are spending more or less than the “average” is irrelevant; just know that you do have choices at every level. If you’re not sure where to start, a wedding planner can help you prioritize and set up a budget breakdown as well as a planning timeline. And if you’re not sure you need a wedding planner, many of us offer wedding consultations on an “a la carte” or hourly basis, which in some cases may be all you need. In the end, whether you are working with a wedding planner or not, what matters is that you take the time to prioritize what is most important for you and your fiancé and to make the choices that work for you.

A short list of some of my favorite blogs for wedding inspiration… for your weekend wedding planning enjoyment!

• Style Me Pretty
• Southern Weddings
• Snippet and Ink
• Design*Sponge (not a “wedding” blog, but filled with inspiration nonetheless!)
• Brooklyn Bride

Happy Browsing!

At Aviva Events, we are ALL about teamwork! The easiest path to a beautiful, stress-free wedding is to have a team of vendors who are on your side, understand your wants, needs and expectations, and who work together to make it all seamless. I realized very early in my career that my piece of the wedding puzzle (planning and coordinating) was best done with a minimum of two people on-site. Every event is different, and for larger events, my team may total four or five. If something goes awry and one of us needs to leave the task at hand (or even the site altogether) to solve it, you still have a team at the ready to keep things moving along while fixes are happening in the background! Rarely do those circumstances arise, but when they do, we’re ready, and our clients usually aren’t aware of any of it until we tell them afterward.

Amanda and Hannah are my go-to associates and assistants, but every summer I bring on two interns to assist with our busy wedding schedule and to give students exactly what I wish I had been able to find while I was in school: a hands-on experience in the world of weddings and events.

That said, I’m very excited to introduce our new interns, Laura and Amy! They don’t know it yet, but I may be asking them to contribute to this blog over the summer, so keep your eyes out for a few posts by these lovely ladies.

Laura Volkman: Originally from Mason, Laura is currently studying Mass Communication at Miami University in Oxford. She has a passion for planning and loves the excitement of successfully putting together a wedding or event! Throughout the internship, she looks forward to learning about the small details that go into making an event special, communicating with vendors and clients, and enhancing any areas of planning where she can improve.

Amy Eckes: Amy is from Cincinnati and is a student at Eastern Kentucky University, planning to graduate in May 2010. She is excited to be an intern at Avivia Events this summer because weddings are her passion and hobby. She can’t wait to learn all the different aspects about event planning and the behind-the-scenes activities that take place.

It’s no news that the economy is a bit, well, let’s call it “unhappy”. This “unhappiness” is affecting just about everyone and everything, likely including your wedding budget. So my pal and recent newlywed Nance (owner of Brideface) and I decided to brainstorm ways to spread a little cheer to the Recessionista Brides out there who want and need quality, professional services for their wedding but can benefit from a bit of economic relief. We’ve both come up with downsized versions of our regular services – these smaller solutions will help you get what you need without breaking the bank!

For my part, I’m offering what I’m calling my “Petite Planning” session. It’s a two hour consultation to cover any aspect of planning that you need assistance with, such as setting your priorities and reviewing your planning timeline, overall budget guidance and suggestions, tips and tricks for DIY projects, general advice and/or up to three vendor referrals. In addition to the two-hour consultation, you’ll also receive a free gift of a stylish binder filled with all of the dividers, pockets and worksheets you need to keep you on track and stress-free during the rest of your planning. The cost? A wallet-friendly $150. And best of all, if afterward you decide to hire Aviva Events for a custom planning/coordination package, the cost of your Petite Planning session will be applied towards your new investment. Just call 513-288-0356 or e-mail me to schedule your session!

Curious what Nancy has to offer? Hop on over to her blog for the scoop on how to get a high-quality professional makeup artist on your wedding day, for less.

I have a few budget-related blog posts in the works, so be sure to check back for more suggestions on how to make a budget plan that works for you… and perhaps more importabtly, how to stick to it!

The two videos below serve not only as a sneak peek of Jody and Brian’s April wedding at French House, but also as a prime example as to why I am not a videographer*! My Flip Video, while very fun and useful, is definitely not a replacement for professional videograpy :)

Centerpieces by Katie Elfers Inspired Floral, for Jody and Brian’s spring wedding at French House in Cincinnati.

Recessional of Jody and Brian’s wedding at French House in Cincinnati.