Need help with your special day? Try a wedding planner
By Tricia Tomiyoshi
Lodi Living Editor
Six years ago, Lisa Hegdahl walked down the aisle and married her husband, Tom, in a wedding ceremony that she planned herself. The experience was so much fun that she wanted to do it again.
Not get married, but plan weddings.
She has since been a wedding coordinator for Grace Presbyterian Church and in June, she opened up her own wedding planning consultancy, TLC Weddings in Victor.
Q: Tell me about your own wedding.
A: We were married in Nevada. My husband asked me to marry him in Hope Valley because I once told him while driving through that I thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. So we got married in a Lutheran church in Minden and had our reception at the Carson Valley Inn.
Q: Why the need for a wedding consultant?
A: Most couples say that they don't know what to do. They've never planned a wedding before so they have no practice of doing it, but still they want it to be perfect. A wedding consultant has time to source venues, help you plan your budget and help coordinate the event so you can just enjoy your day.
Q: How did you learn to do this?
A: I got my certification from the Wedding Careers Institute in Texas, and the program included information on etiquette, contract negotiation, interviewing vendors, addressing invitations, how to set up your office, planning itineraries, and the final exam was to plan a faux wedding for $25,000.
Q: How much time would you recommend when planning a wedding?
A: A year is good because some popular venues are booked until next summer.
Q: What are some current wedding trends?
A: Bridal portraits are coming back. A lot of people are getting married at an older age, and more couples are paying for the wedding themselves. Also many couples are mixing traditions and putting their individual stamp on things.
Q: What is the biggest thing that brides should consider before planning their wedding?
A: Budget because it can get out of control really fast. People think about the reception venue, the food and the flowers, but they might not think about the shoes, the special underwear, the bridesmaids' gifts, if there will be out-of-town guests, the costs of their hotel stay. A wedding consultant will let you know of all of the potential costs involved so you think of everything from engagement portraits to the cost of reordering wedding photos for your in-laws.
Q: What is one tip that you can offer brides which would shave the cost of a wedding?
A: I don't want to give away all my secrets, but one thing is flowers, which can get expensive. You can use flowering trees to decorate. Go to a wholesale mart and bind flowers yourself because the biggest cost with flowers is the labor. You can use silks, and they are reusible. Or share flowers with a bride that is getting married at the same venue before or after you. You can also use rental trees or greenery, and a lot of nurseries will lend it to you for free.
Q: Have you seen the movie, "The Wedding Planner"?
A: I remember seeing it when I was in my training; it was so intense with the amount of details. Another thing is that I'm not going to plan someone's wedding. The bride plans it, makes all the decisions, and I just call all the vendors and do all of the labor. I also won't steal someone's fiance. But it's a very cute movie. What I really like is "For Better or For Worse," which is on TLC channel. The bride and groom pick a family member or friend to plan their wedding, and they get $1,000 to do it. They get help from a wedding consultant, and I've been picking up lots of good ideas. For example, at one bride's wedding, instead of getting a tiered wedding cake, they bought lots of round cakes and used them as a centerpiece for each table. They decorated it themselves with a wedding photo, but you could use fresh flowers and it's a great way to save on the cost of centerpieces and on the cost of a wedding cake.
For more information about TLC Weddings, call 368-8793.