I have lists of people that I admire – literally.  To me, they are “rock stars” at what they do and I admire them for one reason or another.  I keep a list of people in the wedding industry that I would like to work with.  Some I have met with in person and expressed that I would welcome the opportunity to work with them, others I admire from afar.  They inspire me, they educate me, they challenge me to be better at what I do.

I also admire a lot of bloggers, some in the industry and some outside of the industry.  I follow them, subscribe to their rss feeds, comment when I feel led to and in general, watch what they are doing.  I have learned something from each of them.

Seth Godin wrote a great post about this called:  Who’s on your list?

I think we all need someone to look up to – in life and in work.  When you get the opportunity to work with someone on your list, it is really a thrill.  Keep your list going – when you’ve worked with someone on your list, add another name in their place.  New people and new experiences will fuel your creativity and passion for your profession.  Who’s on your list?

Rock on, man.

Today we have a fun and candid commentary for you from Atlanta based Hair & Make-Up Artist, Scoobie West.  Scoobie and I have worked together for many years and he is a savvy businessman and a wonderful human being.  It is a great thing when your vendor partners become your friends and that is so true for Scoobie and I.  I knew when I started The Stylish Planner that I wanted to include him as a guest blogger.

Scoobie has amazing taste, in both men and women’s fashion.  Recently named one of “Atlanta’s People on the Move” by Urban Lux Magazine for his success as a make up artisan, you can check out his spread on page 12 and his fashion feature on page 42 – those Versace shoes are killer!  Many of you are familiar with Scoobie’s work without even realizing it.  His work has been featured on the covers of several magazines and blogs.

Without further delay, please enjoy this Real Housewives of Atlanta style review from my dear friend, Scoobie!

Battle of the Louboutins…

So, after watching the comedy surrounding the faux relationships on the Real Housewives of Atlanta, I decided to just mute the tv and pay attention to the fashion! It looks like several of our girls have stepped up their game! Shoes play a major part in any wardrobe and from the looks of this reunion show, these ladies finally understand!

Louboutin to my left, Louboutin to my right…Khandi, NeNe, Kim and Sheree donned Christian Louboutin’s creations (yes, the shoe with the signature red sole).  NeNe’s and Kim’s Louboutin’s were very similar…from what I could see, Kim was wearing the gold beaded/studded (think Sarah Jessica Parker, opening scene of Sex and the City 2), while NeNe wore the newest version which are adorned with spikes. I appreciated the ladies taking their fashion to the next level, but I’m concerned that this will be a one time thing for some…

Overall, the fashion was nice…(don’t we use ‘nice’ when we talk about some perfume that we really don’t like?) I will take you down fashion lane, one housewife at a time…

Kim – what was she wearing? Was it a dress, a skirt…something maternity? Couldn’t really tell, sorry!

Khandi – I recently had the pleasure of meeting Khandi in person…she is super sweet and a joy to be around. I can’t give her a complete pass for the ill-fitting leopard dress, I will say that she completely made up for it on the Andy Cohen show. Her leopard print boots with the gold heel were everything…Keep it simple Khandi, that works best on you!

Phaedra, ESQ – ‘I need some oxygen…’ Pretty dress, really cute shoe, but ma’am…how tight were those undergarments to make you physically ill?

NeNe – Herve Leger eh? Looks like someone is moving up on the fashion game…and the spiked louboutins? I’m impressed…really I am.

Cynthia – Her dress was really chic and simple…I really expected more tho….she wore a wedding gown that had a bow bigger than her entire upper body and she wears a simple sheath dress for a reunion show?

Sheree – I would have loved to see this dress upright! Loved the color and shape and the classic louboutins.

Sheree wins my ‘Absolutely’ Award for the season for always having the most polished hair and makeup look. 

What do you think – which housewife do you think has the best style?  Tell us why!

Note from Jeannine:  I had the pleasure of meeting Heidi Bartlett last year at Eventology in Indianapolis.  She is a wonderfully talented designer.  Those of you that attended Eventology 10 are familiar with her work because she designed both the Eventology logo and the booklet that held our agendas and the list of attendees, etc.  I really like Heidi’s sense of style – it is edgy and fun without being completely off the wall.  You can see from the photos that she is such a natural beauty.  How fun is the “go-go dancer” outfit she wore at Halloween?  I was thrilled to find out that Heidi will be attending Eventology again this year, so be sure to say hello to her if you are attending. In the meantime, enjoy reading her profile, and follow her on Twitter @heidinbartlett!

Name: Heidi Bartlett

Location:  Phoenix, Arizona

Company Name:  idieh design

Number of years in business:  3.5 years

Website:  www.idiehdesign.com 

Blog: www.idiehdesign.com/blog

Twitter:  @heidinbartlett

Please describe your product or service: idieh design is a visual communications boutique generating creative solutions for special events and small businesses.

How would you describe your personal style?   Quirky and fun.  I love pops of color but I’m also a black and white girl. If I had it my way, I would love to design my own line of clothing that was designed just for me, allowing me to express myself on a daily basis.

How does your personal style relate to your business branding?   streamlined, creative, expressive

What would you like people to know about you that they will not discover through your website or blog?   I’m a hip hop and R&B girl. I love a beat that gives me a reason to shake my booty. My dream job is to be a backup dancer for Beyonce. Oh, and I absolutely love Usher.

What is your most treasured possession?   My photos – of family, friends, events. I love looking at old pictures and reminiscing.

What message would you like to convey to others in the industry?   Don’t be so quick to judge. Try to build others up instead of being so quick to put them down. The world is hard enough the way it is.

Please share your favorite beauty or style tip:  If I’m going out on the town or to a special event, I LOVE to enhance my (already long) lashes with false lashes.  You can choose to go extreme or just use them to add fullness.  Either way, they enhance all types of eyes and do wonders for your diva-ness.

Do you pre-screen each potential client? 

If you are interested in sharing, what is your process for that and tell us a little about how this has helped your business.

Happy Tuesday!

Many of you probably saw the article in Event Solutions magazine back in January in which, WIPA (Wedding Industry Professionals Association) released a white paper report titled, “Debunking the Myth of the Same-Day Planner”.  You should definitely check out both the article and the white paper, but basically, WIPA recommends the use of the terminology, “Wedding Director” instead of “Day of Coordinator”.  I’m really grateful that a professional association finally addressed this elephant in the room for Wedding Planners.  Now if wedding media would get behind us on this, maybe we could educate brides on why true “Day Of” service isn’t a good idea, and while we’re at it, let’s talk a bit about the true value of our services…but I digress.

I agree wholeheartedly with the report and WIPA’s move to clarify roles.  Most interesting to me was that in the article, the founder of WIPA, Joyce Scardina Becker, CMP, talked about how there is really no such thing as a “Same Day Planner”, and using an excerpt from her book, Countdown to Your Perfect Wedding, she goes on to clarify what a “day of planner” really means:

Services starting a minimum of 30 to 45 days before the wedding as follows:

• Review all vendor contracts
• Inspect the ceremony and reception sites
• Develop a detailed timeline and floor plans to be send to wedding vendors 2 weeks prior to wedding
• Prepare a separate, abbreviated wedding party schedule 2 weeks prior to the wedding
• Reconfirm logistics with all vendors
• Oversee wedding rehearsal and be on-site the wedding day

She also says that providing these services requires 30 – 45 hours of the planner’s time, and that brides should expect to pay $3,000 – $6,000 for a qualified professional.

I do not disagree with Mrs. Becker’s conclusions at all.  In fact, I think she is spot on, and I really appreciate the frame of reference on the price range.  I do however, suspect that many of us are including much more in the way of our “Day Of Services” or “Month of Services” especially in terms of hours spent working with a client, but also in terms of the number of tasks that we include.  And I’m guessing that a more accurate price range for this service is  $1500 and up, depending on your market and other circumstances.  After all, it is supposed to be the “budget” option for brides, right?

For instance, I don’t mention this to clients, but I track the total number of hours I work on each wedding, and on average, I spend between 50 & 60 hours working with a “month of client” of FAVOR Events.  I am very thorough and I would not feel comfortable at all decreasing the services that I offer.  I actually require a minimum of 5 weeks involvement because I have tried getting involved in a shorter time frame in the past and I was less than pleased with the end result.  I don’t cap the number of hours I spend working with a client, although I do limit the number of vendor appointments and site visits that I include.  My Month Of Coordination 2011 pricing ranges between $1,300 and $2,200 depending on factors such as:

• I charge an additional $500 if I am directing the ceremony due to the additional time I spend preparing for that and the fact that I then need to have an assistant planner at the reception site overseeing set up. 
• I include one additional planner for weddings over 100 guests (usually), and two additional planners for weddings over 200 guests and so on. 

Each potential client receives pricing based on their circumstances, which we carefully review in the initial consultation.  Call it semi-custom pricing, if you will.

Having said all that, I wonder where other planners are in the way of inclusions and pricing for “Month of” or “Wedding Director” services.  Do you include more services than Mrs. Becker recommends?  Are you charging less than she recommends or are you in the price range that she mentions?

And finally, does reading the information from WIPA make you want to change your service inclusions and pricing?

I love this look from Jil Sander.  Anytime I can wear a fitted tee, it is a good day for me!  I love that this look was elevated to a more formal level with the bold colors and length/structure of the skirt.

Do you like this look?

Note from Jeannine:  Katie Saeger is such a kind person.   She has been an amazing supporter of The Stylish Planner for a long time, commenting on the blog, entering contests and providing feedback when I ask questions.  We could all use a Katie Saeger in our lives, but I’m not sure I’m willing to share her with others!  Enjoy getting to know more about Katie here, and be sure to follow her on Twitter @katiesaeger. 

Today we have a fun and candid commentary for you from Atlanta based Hair & Make-Up Artist, Scoobie West.  Scoobie and I have worked together for many years and he is a savvy businessman and a wonderful human being.  It is a great thing when your vendor partners become your friends and that is so true for Scoobie and I.  I knew when I started The Stylish Planner that I wanted to include him as a guest blogger.

Scoobie has amazing taste, in both mens and womens fashion.  Recently named one of “Atlanta’s People on the Move” by Urban Lux Magazine for his success as a make up artisan, you can check out his spread on page 12 and his fashion feature on page 42 – those Versace shoes are killer!  Many of you are familiar with Scoobie’s work without even realizing it.  His work has been featured on the covers of several magazines and blogs.

Without further delay, please enjoy this Grammy fashion and style review from my dear friend, Scoobie!

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, wait…is that Lady GaGa in a cocoon?

The Grammy’s never disappoint with over the top entertainment and fashion, however this year, I was quite underwhelmed…there were way too many fashion flubs…well, let’s just be honest, flops…add to that hair reminiscent of Cruella de Vil and you’ve got one hell of an awards show.  To give you a quick run down, I will list my 3 worst dressed, 3 best dressed and my favorite overall look for the night!

Let’s start with pure foolishness.  Nicky Minaj — she was once known for pushing the envelope…this time, she pulled out her Auntie’s Cruella de Vil’s halloween’s costume.  I’m super confused by this look…what exactly are you trying to do Nicky??

My dearest Rhianna…your stylist has to have schizophrenia…there is no way possible that the same person picked all of your looks for the Grammy’s.  Really…you rocked the stage in a couture gown…but how could you walk the red carpet in this?  I couldn’t decide if your dress was made of plastic lei’s or shaving cream…Mr. Stylist, please take your meds…ON TIME!

Is this the new punk rock look?  I am trying to understand why Ms. Haley Williams decided to wear a tutu inspired frock to one of the most watched awards shows of all time.  The bad news — your stylists searched high and low for this buffoonery that made you all look silly.  The good news is, you can fire your stylists and I’ll dress you at your next event.

Madame Faith Evans.  Faith looked amazing in this skirt and blouse!  It looked effortlessly done; her makeup was flawless…and this dark hair, although not the norm, was very flattering.  Faith, you’re doing it in 2011!!!

New husband, new baby, new body…Jennifer Hudson has truly amazed many by her weight loss and new-found fashion sense.  Jennifer was always beautiful and styled beautifully…unfortunately, no one gave her praise when she was a thick girl.  This dress looks amazing on her…add to it bone straight highlighted locks and glowing skin, you will get this superstar look every time kudos to you Jennifer…you look haute!

Selena Gomez…If she has done wrong on the red carpet, I must have been on the moon.  This pale gold dress is simple enough, with just enough sex appeal to wear to the Grammy’s!  Tousled waves and fresh makeup completes this look and makes a fashion statement that many dream about…Simple and chic!!

Miss Lea Michele, you get my Best Dressed Award!!  The Glee star took a fashion risk with this dress and it paid off.  Her makeup is very fresh and balanced.  To achieve a makeup look similar to this one, keep eye shadow to a minimum….play up your cheeks with a pale pink blush and find your perfect hot pink lip.

Although, you weren’t on my best or worst dressed list Lady GaGa, your theatrics always garner a special place in my heart. Until next time, stay fashion forward…and always…always have a passion for fashion.

Xoxo
Scoobie

I really want to hear from you on this.  I recently had a couple of situations back to back regarding other vendors contracts and was so surprised at how casual people are with their contracts…

The question is: Do you allow clients or other vendors to make changes to your contract?  To clarify, I mean either written changes, or the other party making manual changes to the document itself.  

I’ll follow up with my 2 cents after you provide your feedback.

Go!

I love sharing helpful tips with anyone.  Yes, I am that friend that says, “Oooh – why don’t you try _______!”  Today I really wanted to share my new favorite thing in the world.  First, I should tell you that I have been researching project management tools for wedding planning for a while now.  I signed up for a monthly membership to more than one tool over a month ago, and I’m still hoping to find the time to set them up and research everything they can do and how they work together, etc.  It’s turned out to be more time consuming than I had hoped.

However, I think I may just use my favorite new thing, Toodle Do to help me with project management.  Toodle Do has far surpassed my expectations.  I wanted an alternative to the written calendar and to-do list that my old fashioned self had become so accustomed to.  I wanted all my to-do’s in one place rather than one for business, one for personal, etc.  I also wanted urgent items and items for “someday” all in one place.  I also wanted a way to updates notes for items that needed a bit of a step by step breakdown, or a way to track how many times I tried to contact a vendor and what method I used to contact them.

I wanted a way to tag items as personal or business, and manage them all by day of the week.  I’m telling you, Toodle Do has it all!

Here’s a snap shot of my Toodle Do for today:

One of the beautiful things about Toodle Do is that you can view a task by due-date or priority.  Even better, you can assign items to a folder, then view them by that folder.  Of course, I set a folder up for each of my clients, and I add tasks to the folder as needed.  When I am ready to get down to business, I can look at my tasks for the day, or look at tasks for each client.  Toodle Do automatically lists tasks by order of importance (once you’ve flagged them as Top, High, Medium, Low, etc.)  so, the tasks I need to tackle first are at the top of the list, no matter how I choose to view the list.

$1.99 will buy you the iPhone or iPad app.  Another thing to note that made the app so appealing for me is that there is also a desktop version (shown above).  I prefer to do mass typing on an actual computer rather than iPhone or iPad, so this was a big perk to me.  Now, I can access my to-do list (that syncs automatically, by the way) on my iphone, iPad, or desktop.

If some of you are like me and still love using a paper and pen, you can print your task list too, in several formats.  Each day, I print the task list for that day and add to it with a pen as the day goes on.  At the end of the day, I enter the new task items, or updates to existing tasks/projects on my desktop.

I love this app so much that I may not pursue the project management tools that I subscribed to.  This app cost way less (and is only a one time fee) than I will pay for the two tools that I signed up for.  Apart from being able to send invoices through Toodle Do, I’m not sure I will really miss any of the features the other tools offer.

If I needed to send my clients a list of what I was working on for them, I could simply email them the tasks in their folder.  And don’t you know my husband loves that I can email him his honeydo list!

What to do list apps have you tried and love?  Please share here!