When Life (or your special event) Get’s Derailed…

I rode the LIRR out to visit my ailing Aunt V (my namesake) yesterday when the first train I was on graciously waited (a.k.a. was held up) at Jamaica Station for another train coming in from Brooklyn for its connection. My connecting train at Huntington Station however, was not as kind. Instead, my fellow passengers and I heading to further points East were offered a yellow school bus - sans air condition or bathroom.

Needless to say, yours truly was not a happy camper.

As I sat on the bus annoyed and disgruntled, I reminded myself not to “sweat the small stuff” (literally and figuratively). It reminded me that even the simplest plan can go awry due to circumstances beyond our control. The same is true for any special event.

Following are some quick tips for those of you planning a wedding or special event.

* Anticipate Challenges: Part of successful party/event planning is thinking of solutions to problems before they happen. Write everything down that could possibly go wrong, from the likely to the outlandish. Brainstorm solutions for each problem.

* Manage Your Expectations: Be mindful of what can you control vs. what you can’t. You may be the VP of Operations responsible for planning a corporate picnic, but sorry, Mother Nature doesn’t give a hoot. It just may rain. If it does, do you have a back-up plan which includes a tent? Are you ready with ponchos or umbrellas?

* Trust Your Vendors and Be Flexible: You’ve done your research and hired a team of experts to create the wedding of your dreams. So trust their experience! If what you want are fluffy peonies in your bouquet but you can’t have them for one reason or another, trust your florist to come up with other possibilities. A good vendor will work with you to come up with an alternative you’re happy with.

* Hire a Professional: Lost keys, late deliveries, or wrong rentals might happen. If you hire an event planner, chances are you’ll never know about such issues because he/she has taken care of it.

The Bottom Line?

Don’t sweat the small stuff the day of your event or in life! It has been my experience that events I’ve managed down to the smallest detail, still take on a life of their own and you know what? It’s totally ok!

So, if a minor mishap still happens let’s say on your wedding day, just remember to breathe or laugh! Don’t lose your cool or your sense of humor (that’s why your beloved was attracted to you in the first place right?!).

One Tradition You Can Toss!

This photo is absolutely hysterical for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because at thirty-ahem-something, I have been a bridesmaid nearly 10 times where I managed to catch the bouquet a total of 0 times.

Yes, you read correctly - Zero, Zip, Zilch, Nada - the Big Goose-Egg. I'm fairly certain on a few occasions it was just me and a handful of adorable flower girls in the middle of the dance floor. But I digress...

As a planner, I find many brides are weary of keeping with tradition and having the bouquet toss and rightfully so. Many want to drop this custom for several reasons. Couples are getting married later in life and brides don't want to make their single guests feel unnecessarily awkward. Others dislike the implication they are chomping at the bit to settle down.

I say - let it go!

I often suggest my brides just hand the bouquet to a guest who is already engaged or give individual flowers to several guests. Some brides like to give the bouquet to the longest-married couple in the room, as a bit of reverse karma. That I like.

I did have the honor of "drinking the wine" at the close of my friend Becca's wedding a few years ago. After the sheva brachot was recited at the end of the reception, there was a blessing over wine. Two cups of wine were poured into a third cup; some of the wine from the third cup was then poured back into each of the first two cups. One cup was then given to Becca (the bride) and the other to Jon (the groom). Jon selected an unmarried man to drink from his glass and Becca selected me to drink from her glass (YAY!). This was seen as a "charm" to help bring unmarried people luck in getting married.

Meaningful and dignified. Thanks Bec ;)

Shane Snider's Love Letter to NYC

Hey all!

Check out Photographer Shane Snider's Blog!

He highlights the most recent wedding I coordinated for Shoshana and Neal on June 28, 2009.

Tell me what you think!

Welcome to the Santora LLC Effortless Event Planning Blog!

I enjoy planning all types of special events – lavish or intimate. Whether it’s a fundraising gala, baby shower, or corporate meeting - you name it, I’m interested in every detail! That said, I really LOVE weddings.

Amidst all of the fuss and flurry involved in the coordination, at its core, a wedding is still the uniting of two people who love each other, and have chosen to publicly pledge their commitment. I definitely thrive on the creativity involved, but the best part is that I get to play a role in creating a once in a lifetime moment and my clients have chosen ME to share in these moments with them.

For those of you who know me well, creating this blog is an exciting (and somewhat terrifying) technological venture. I will use this blog to share what my profession - and life - is all about. Being an event planner requires creativity, a love for people, impeccable attention to detail, serious organization, the ability to listen and sometimes even act as a personal therapist!

In these missives, I'll keep you posted on latest trends, provide cost-saving tips, host interviews with fabulous folks in the industry and basically offer you a front row seat to my personal experiences - in event planning and my life in general.

Please feel free to provide feedback and leave comments (particulalry if you're going to say something flattering). And just like any special event, this blog will likely take on a life of it's own.

So, bookmark this blog, email a friend, and let's make this happen!