WEBVTT
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One of the things I've noticed lately, actually, Abby, you're really good at making me stop with this.
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I go down a design rabbit hole online.
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There is so much content now on Pinterest and Instagram and TikTok, and we're inundated every day with these like over-the-top weddings that are so great for social media inspiration.
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But what we know that not many others do is that we're looking at one to two million dollar weddings that are made to look like they're everyday occurrences.
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Or if I can interrupt you, it's a moment.
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It's a moment that's been styled.
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It's a table or an installation.
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So you're not observing a room of that moment in scale.
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Or, for example, you may be pinning designs that are all installed in a tent in the daylight when you're actually being married in a ballroom in the evening.
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While looking at all these images may feel like productive design research, ultimately they become not only limiting, but sometimes paralyzing in actually creating your own design plan.
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But that's what we're going to help you with today.
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I'm Abby, and I'm Tamar.
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And this is Let's Plan Your Wedding, the podcast where we are your wedding planners and every episode is a planning meeting just between us.
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When you subscribe online at Let's Plan Podcast.com, you'll get access to our exclusive show notes, timelines, budgets, and all the wedding planning templates we use with our own clients.
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And if you have questions, submit them directly on the site and we'll get right back to you.
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So pop in your earbuds, step into our podcast office, and we'll take care of the rest.
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Okay.
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Are we ready?
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Let's Plan Your Wedding.
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Welcome to episode six of Let's Plan Your Wedding.
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Today we are talking about everything you need to know to design your own wedding, how to find your design vision, how to allocate your budget, the importance of scale, what always looks beautiful no matter what, and how to build a floor plan that actually works.
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Joining us today, as she does throughout this series, is Linda, our mentor, our colleague, my mama, and a woman who brings 40 plus years of event design wisdom into the room.
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Today's game is going to be design or decline.
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We have also interviewed some colleagues of ours in the event design industry to create some extra content online and on social.
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Tamar, what do you think good design is all about ultimately, if you had to sum it up?
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If I had to sum it up, I think great event design is about evoking a feeling.
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And the feeling should be feeling like the bride and groom.
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The wedding should feel like you.
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And that is the core, I think, when we're doing design.
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That is our North Star.
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So it's never just great design in the vacuum of what's trending, what looks great.
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We actually don't particularly care about that.
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What we're always trying to do is use design as a vehicle to evoke the feeling to me that the couple, I feel like you always say it's like enter, like they're bringing you into their home.
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And what does that feel like?
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I think it's both and we want to evoke feelings of excitement and joy from the guest, but we also want the guest to feel like they're being welcomed into the bride and groom's life or the start of their life together.
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And that is what we're going to help you with today.
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Great design is truly about evoking a feeling.
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And our goal with design is that your wedding should feel like you.
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Ab, I want to talk a little bit about how we can help guide a listener to find their own design style.
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I feel like we have a little bit of a process around that for our own clients, and I wanted to share that with everyone today because I think hopefully it'll be helpful.
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I would say start with Pinterest board.
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No filter, pin, pin, pin.
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Anything that is appealing to you, anything that evokes a feeling, not just weddings, but fashion, travel, interiors, a restaurant that you love, a menu item that sounds interesting, uh music, right?
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Lyrics, just pin away.
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Absolutely.
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Then walk away from it for like a minute.
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And when you come back to it, and and if you have people in your life that you trust that can sort of look at these things without judgment and without sort of giving their own input and opinions, when you come back to it, you're going to see a theme.
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You're going to open to your stakeholders, show it to your stakeholders, Abby.
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Yes, to the people who are invested in this wedding and your happiness.
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Thank you.
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But you're welcome.
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But yes, you will inevitably, when you come back to these 50 plus pins, you're going to see that you pinned a lot of the same types of things.
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And that is where you're going to begin to pull out what your design direction actually is.
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When you are pinning, we would caution you to watch out for words that sound like design buzzwords, but that don't actually mean anything.
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So elegant, chic, romantic, timeless, effortless.
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It's like when you're looking at a house or an apartment listing and it says quaint, and you automatically know that you need to like page by that.
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Yeah.
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Listen, a picture's worth a thousand words.
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And so what we typically do with our own clients, and what I would recommend that everyone do is when you when you look at all your pins and you're starting to see the ones that all have some common threads to them, pull the top six common images that you love the absolute most out, make a single page storyboard or mood board with those six images.
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And then that again is going to be your design north star as you start working with your vendors.
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You're not looking to copy somebody else.
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You're looking to create something that is just about you and your fiance.
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So take that with you.
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Let that be your guide so you stay on the task of where you want to go, but don't try and do it exactly.
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I think to that end, ask yourselves, what is it that you want your guests to take away from this evening or from this celebration?
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What is the impression you want to make on them?
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What is the feeling that you want them to have at the end of the night?
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Exactly.
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What do you want them honestly like?
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What do you want them to say about how they felt at your wedding?
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Exactly.
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I would show that board to one person, again, someone that you know, love, and trust, and ask them like without any context, be like, what do you think of when you look at this?
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What does it bring to mind?
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And see what their answers are and see if they align with what you're trying to achieve.
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And then you go and you get to work with your vendors and you create something beautiful and new.
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And you try to figure out what you're going to spend on it.
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If you remember from episode two, design lives on the everything else side of our 50-50 rule of budget.
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And it typically represents about 20 to 25% of your overall budget, which is significant.
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And it'll include your floral design, rentals, lounge furniture, bars, drapery, tabletop, china, glassware, flatware, and lighting design.
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Absolutely.
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But regardless of budget, there are some evergreen design choices that we will forever stand by.
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Candlelight.
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Always.
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Always.
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If it's all you did.
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If you did if you did zero flowers, but you just had a table full of candles, what's better than that?
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Beautiful.
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Great.
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One statement piece instead of a bunch of mediocre ones.
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So instead of doing a bunch of little flowers on a table, if you're looking at the room that you're going to be in, what is the best architectural feature of it?
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What is the best sort of part of the room that you want to highlight?
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Go for something big there.
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And then the rest can complement that.
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I totally agree.
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And I think that that leans into another design belief of ours, which is lean into your venue.
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Yes.
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If the venue has a beautiful exterior view, lean into that.
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If the venue has a beautiful architectural ceiling, lean into that.
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If the venue has hideous carpet, lean into that.
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Let that be the where you darken the corners and be sure to highlight tabletops and dance floor.
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That's where lighting would come in.
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Absolutely you have a hideous row.
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Actually, that's a really good hot tip because a lot of times when people go into ballrooms, they're like, this carpet is so hideous.
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And we always say, listen, when you put 25 or 30 tables down and you pin spot the tables, the floor is going to go dark, the tables are going to pop, you're not even going to notice this swirl of paisley of blue and green and sea foam and that hides a million stains from food service workers.
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Gross.
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Yes.
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A beautiful napkin.
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So again, if you have an all-white table, if you're using white, simple cotton linen and you have all your white china and simple tableware from whatever your caterer or your venue is providing for you.
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If you do some napkin, whether it's a pop of color or some detail, maybe it's embroidery, maybe it's the edging, I think a beautifully folded and chosen napkin is actually a classic pop for design.
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If I may, I'd like to elaborate on that.
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Yes.
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Yes, a napkin and or a colored piece of glassware.
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Yes.
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Like when we were getting married, I remember going to register for China glassware and flatware, and there's the rule of three.
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One is fancy and two are not.
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Oh my God.
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I didn't know.
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So you always choose either your plate is fancy and your flatware and your stem wear are a little bit more understated.
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So I think that speaks to this moment as well that there's an opportunity.
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Maybe there's a beautiful charger.
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Yes.
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Maybe there's a lovely rental chair.
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One thing at the table that really can introduce color or add a little bit of whimsy.
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Elevate the design.
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I love that.
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We say this throughout this episode, and we have said this from the very beginning.
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Lighting, lighting, lighting.
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If you have budget and you invest in nothing else in design, lighting is going to be, I think is going to make the biggest difference in how your event feels.
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The ombi.
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Unquestionably.
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I mean, imagine dancing in a fully overhead lit room, like in your living room with all the lights, like click on the lights.
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And that's exactly how that ballroom or that event.
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Or click them off.
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Right.
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Or it's pitch black and you can't see any of the beautiful work that you've done on the table.
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But lighting, investing in lighting design is a yes, yes, yes for me.
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Always.
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Absolutely.
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I think another tip would be if you have a limited floral budget to utilize greenery.
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Yes.
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And or seasonal blooms.
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Yes.
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Lean into what's available that season, what can be purchased in bulk so that there's a lot of something.
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It can be greens, it can be the simplest of flowers that sometimes in bulk creates a real impact.
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Yes.
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And I feel like this speaks more to my aesthetic.
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And so I don't want to like edge anything over here, but because it's a little bit more modern.
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But I think for design, if you're having a hard time figuring out what colors and how to combine them and a floral arrangement and what tones, if you do monochromatic but in different varieties, that is gonna kill every time.
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It's gonna be so good.
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So if you have whites, but you're doing roses and hydrangea and sweet pea and renunculus, and you're just whether you're putting them together or whether you're doing them in composites, it's gonna always look chic and always look fresh.
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I agree with that.
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I just trailed a hate when I trail it.
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Okay.
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I don't know.
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Now let's talk about one of the most overlooked elements of designing a room, which is scale.
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One of the first things we think about when we walk into any room is scale.
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And it's something almost no one thinks about when they're starting their design process.
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I'm always noticing what's happening at all the different levels of scale in the room and whether the event is actually scaled appropriately to the room that it's in.
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I think also something that you are constantly reminding all of us as we collaborate on is the levels of design within a room, that there is what you see when you're seated.
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There is what you see when you're standing, and what you see when you look up that is approximately nine to eleven feet off the ground, given how tall a hotel or tent or venue seal.
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Yes, I think that's something that a bride and groom should take into account when they're planning their wedding.
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So if it's a seated dinner, maybe they're gonna pay more attention to the tables, the table setting.
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And then if it's a cocktail reception and a a more casual type of reception, yeah, I think like the six feet and up becomes really important.
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The installation.
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Yeah.
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Right.
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So before we get into today's game, we want to talk about something that trips up even the most organized of couples, and that's the floor plan.
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Getting this right is the difference between a room that flows beautifully and then one like at the Golden Globes, where like George Clooney and Adam Sandler and like Julia Roberts had to stand up every time somebody won an award because the tables weren't spaced properly and people were on top of each other.
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So, right now I want to get in a little bit to the mechanics of designing a great floor plan.
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The best place to start if you're thinking about your floor plan and thinking about scale in a room is to ask your venue for a scaled floor plan.
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By the way, there are also some really great apps and websites online that have most of the floor plans of most venues already loaded up.
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And you can put tables and chairs and things to scale on these floor plans.
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So you're gonna ask the venue for a floor plan.
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Oftentimes they can actually give you and say, you know, I'm gonna do round tables or I want to do long tables.
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And they actually would be the best person to create the floor plan for you based on your number of guests and based on if you're doing like buffets and how many bars you want in the room, because they know their space.
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So lean on them.
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If you're the one who has to do it, Linda, do you want to give your like Linda Matskin Hopplepopple 101?
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Here's how you scale your own floor plan.
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Well, of course you have to start with the dance floor.
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Right.
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So and what's a good size?
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This is like the question we get a lot.
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You know, it depends on what you're looking for.
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I like crowded dance floors.
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So many times in a room that's an adequate room for let's say 100 or 150 people, yeah, that you say, oh, this is too small because I've carved out the dance floor.
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And so maybe it isn't.
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You have to take a look at that.
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So 150 people, hot take, what what size dance floor should you?
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Just throw it out there.
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I'm gonna throw it out there if you don't.
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100% it's an 18 by 18.
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For 100 to 150 people.
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Okay.
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Right?
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150 to 20 by 20.
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But let's say eight by eight.
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20 by 25.
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Is it 20 by 18?
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Right.
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And then 150 to 200 people, 24 by 24.
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Yes.
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And then 200 plus people.
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24 by 24.
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24 by 24.
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The max dance floor we've ever done is a 30 by 30 for over for like 270 people even.
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Right?
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Exactly.
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So we've never done a bigger.
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That's the biggest dance floor.
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If you have over 250 people, it's 30 by 30.
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24 by 24, 18 by 18.
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But you know, if you're not bumping into people on the dance floor, this is what are you even doing in life?
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I do feel that way.
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I do.
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I think it creates an intimacy that's really important.
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So many times with larger rooms in larger hotels, they'll say, Oh, just make the dance floor bigger.
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Right.
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But that is not the answer.
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And then how much space should there be between the dance floor and the first chair of the table?
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First table around the dance wheel.
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Well, pretend you're an airplane and put out your arms straight ahead of you, each arm right and left.
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Okay.
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And that should be the space between your table.
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So that's like four feet between table?
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First of all, you're talking about two different things.
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You're answering from table to table.
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Yes.
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You're asking perimeter of dance floor.
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Perimeter of dance floor.
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Because if you have that tight dance floor and it's packed, oftentimes people are one foot on the dance floor, one foot on the floor carpet, two feet until the chair.
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Yes.
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That's what I said.
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Two feet?
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Yeah, two feet.
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Two feet to the back of a chair.
00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:19.279
Okay.
00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:19.600
Yeah.
00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.000
Not a back of a chair pushed in.
00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:23.200
The back of a chair out.
00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:24.000
The back of a chair.
00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:25.840
With a guest sitting in it.
00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:32.799
If you're in a bigger room, you still want to work from the dance floor out than scaling to fit the entire room.
00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:33.200
Okay.
00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:34.720
So we start with the dance floor.
00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:43.039
You have your band or your DJ, which you need usually like a minimum of like an eight foot deep by like 12 foot wide space for a band.
00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:43.360
Yes.
00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:44.720
Is going to be your minimum.
00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:45.279
Minimum.
00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:46.960
I'm saying minimums for God's sakes.
00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:47.200
Yes.
00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.960
Sometimes like a big white tie.
00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:52.639
It depends on the band.
00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.240
And they'll tell you by the way.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.960
Seven-piece band, you don't need as much space.
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:03.919
But if you're investing in a nine or a 10-piece band, they should have a moment.
00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.599
But the good news is they're going to tell you.
00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.640
So go and ask your musical entertainment how much space they need and you work that.
00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:27.039
So if you're doing your floor plan and you have your making circles, then you need 12 feet for 72 inch round, 10 feet for 60 inch round, 8 feet for 48 inch round, et cetera, et cetera.
00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.480
That's a sit-down dinner party.
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:28.799
Right.
00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:41.039
And what that will do is if you put these blocks of 12 by 12 or 10 by 10 literally bumped up against each other, it still allows for the table, people seated in the chair, and then the catering staff to be able to walk in between.
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:56.559
Now, if you're also adding long tables to this, because we might want a mixture of long tables, square tables, and round tables, you can use the formula for square or round.
00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:09.599
When it's long, I would still use the formula, but you still are creating more space with a long table than you are with a standard 60 or 72 inch round table.
00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:20.640
I want to say one thing about also not a sit-down dinner, but more of a cocktail reception where there's smaller tables, perhaps furniture.
00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:24.480
I think that requires a completely different kind of floor plan.
00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:45.440
The one thing I find very often with floor plans for cocktail receptions is that people crowd the room with furniture and forget that there's a lot of space needed for just people, your guests to be able to get to the food, get to the bars, get to a cocktail table.
00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:46.480
Standing room.
00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:47.440
Yes.
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:50.480
So I think that's something you really have to take into account.
00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:57.440
I think when you're creating a floor plan, you need to take into account what else is going in that room.
00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:07.759
In addition to dining tables and a dance floor and a platform of some sort to host a band or a DJ, do you have bars in that room?
00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:08.319
Yeah.
00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:10.240
Are do you have lighting?
00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:13.519
Does there need to be a light board?
00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:18.960
Does there need to be a soundboard, in which case you probably need a four foot audiovisual table?
00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:23.440
Are there busing tables, wine service tables?
00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:26.240
And expediter service tables.
00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:44.160
And not but and this is where your caterer and your venue should be working with you to help you create this floor plan so that it makes sure that that the caterer has everything they need, both inside and outside of the room, and that the venue goes, Yep, this works for us, and this works, this is realistic to our room.
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.240
And that's how you make a floor plan.
00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.400
All right, so it's time for today's game.
00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:51.519
This episode's game is called Design or Decline.
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:59.680
We're gonna call out a design trend or an element, and we tell you straight, keep it, design, or lose it, decline.
00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:05.279
We'll go fast, we're honest with one another, and we genuinely don't always agree, as you know.
00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:06.480
Are you ready?
00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:07.200
I'm ready.
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.160
Let's do it.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:11.359
Okay, flower walls or a flower backdrop.
00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:12.160
Decline.
00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:12.880
Decline.
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:13.359
I know.
00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:14.000
I'm over it.
00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:14.720
I'm sorry.
00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:15.599
Too trendy.
00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:16.400
They're everywhere.
00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:16.799
Enough.
00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:17.839
It's too trendy for me.
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:18.880
Agreed.
00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:20.079
Welcome signs.
00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:21.039
I mean, sorry.
00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:22.720
I feel like we always get I always get negative.
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:23.920
Or like, oh, I don't like this.
00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:25.279
A welcome sign.
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.160
Again, similarly, I've seen so many of them.
00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:29.759
They know where they are.
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:31.200
Welcome to my wedding.
00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:31.920
I okay.
00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:34.000
But I you're here because we invited you.
00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:38.079
I'm going to take your decline and and flip it on its head.
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.160
I like a welcome moment.
00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:54.799
I like a an installation or an arch or pillars or a gorgeous floral centerpiece that rep or your place card table, something that denotes that you're entering our wedding.
00:20:55.039 --> 00:21:04.319
And by the way, or a detail like being handed a small moment of something that's meaningful to the couple, like something that is welcoming you to the event a hundred percent.
00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:05.920
Signage is an a sign?
00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:06.880
That's a decline for me.
00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:08.319
That's a decline for me as well.
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:08.799
Okay.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:10.720
Neon signs, decline.
00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:11.359
Decline.
00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:13.200
I don't even we don't even need to say why.
00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:21.680
Mismatched or vintage items, chairs, china, floral vessels, candle holders.
00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:30.960
So I'm gonna say design, but with a caveat, which is the vintagey part, I think I'm over, but I have always loved a really layered look.
00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:35.680
And I think that like sometimes we do it table by table or even place setting by place setting.
00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:43.599
Sometimes when you're looking at all of the different great design options, you can't quite choose one, or there are like six plates that look great, or there are three plates that look great.
00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:44.880
And you're doing something super modern.
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:54.240
It doesn't have to be vintage, but I do love the idea of some layering and that not every single place setting or every single table is exactly the same.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.960
I am an absolute design on this.
00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.599
And what I love about vintage is the opportunity.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.880
To incorporate something old.
00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:13.200
It could be that your grandmother had a set of linens or linen napkins, or that your mother had some china and it's incorporating the old.
00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:14.160
I like that.
00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:14.480
Okay.
00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.039
Thank you.
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:15.839
Yeah.
00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:18.640
Ooh, ceiling installations.
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:19.759
Design.
00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:20.799
Design.
00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:21.759
Absolutely.
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:39.039
Given what we've talked about on this episode, and we'll continue to talk about scale in a room and the fact that we encourage you to identify the filling the space from the tabletop three feet up and from a ceiling on down.
00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.440
This is a big design win for me.
00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:43.039
Lounge furniture areas?
00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:43.839
Design.
00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:44.480
Design.
00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:45.599
A lounge vignette.
00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:51.599
I also love using furniture, like residential furniture as part of your tablescape and your table design.
00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:59.279
So instead of using like a traditional ballroom chair, if you have the budget to have a beautiful upholstered chair, I think can make such a huge impact.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:00.559
Or a banquet.
00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:01.440
Oh, I love that.
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:02.799
Bar signage.
00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:03.759
Oh my God.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:14.480
Abby makes fun of me because some there was one day I was maybe a little tired and we were helping a client, or the client wasn't there, but we were creating bar signage for the client.
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:17.519
And I literally wrote bar at the top of it.
00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:23.119
And she was like, Can we maybe come up with something more creative than just simply entitling this bar sign bar?
00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:25.839
And I was like, I'm I'm gonna hand this off to you today.
00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:26.640
True story.
00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:27.200
Yes.
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:29.759
I mean, I love a bar, I love a signature cocktail.
00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:31.759
So to me, the more you can highlight that, the better.
00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:35.200
But I'm a big bar girl, so I'm a big cocktail girl.
00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:39.119
An escort card, how do you say I don't even know how to say this?
00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:44.799
When you're the the sign display where everyone's name is called graphed on a single board.
00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:50.079
So you're not taking an escort, but all the names and tables are written out on one installation board.
00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:51.440
I will decline that.
00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:54.000
Thank you kindly, and I will explain myself.
00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:54.559
Thank you.
00:23:54.799 --> 00:24:04.799
But I will design an installation where your place card or escort card is actually pinned to a board.
00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:05.279
Agreed.
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:18.319
I will politely decline a challenged seating chart because it limits your opportunity to make changes should there be any cancellations for any reason weak of.
00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:27.119
You've already had to submit that information and to change it is uh really compromises the beauty of that piece.
00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:27.839
Agreed.
00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:34.480
I'm going to design a board where your escort card can be pinned or attached.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:35.680
Couldn't agree with you more.
00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:37.039
All right, this is my last one.
00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:38.960
Battery-operated candles.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:41.599
I'm going to design those.
00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:42.400
Agreed.
00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:47.440
We live in Boston, and in the city of Boston, you cannot have open flame.
00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:58.559
So the introduction of LED or fake candlelight has given us a wealth of opportunity to welcome candlelight-looking pieces back into the room.
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:07.200
I think it always makes brides and grooms nervous when they hear that they can't have, at least in Boston, actual candlelight and they think that nothing is gonna feel as good.
00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:13.119
And what they don't realize is all of the weddings they've been to in Boston the last 10, 15 years, there hasn't been a single open flame.
00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:17.599
The design of those candles are so good, you don't know the difference anymore.
00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:19.200
There's a natural flicker to them.
00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:23.440
They are, they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:25.759
And it's actually it's safe.
00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:31.839
And if you're at in a tented wedding, you don't have to worry about wind, which also sometimes you and I are always going nuts over.
00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:45.759
Is even air circulation in a ballroom, if the HVAC system is on, remember at the end of the night, we would see the candles closest to the HVAC vents were burned down to nothing.
00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:46.240
Yes.
00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:50.000
And the candles the furthest away were still tall and well lit.
00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:50.799
Yep.
00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:53.119
Okay, that's design or decline.
00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:55.440
Strong opinions, firmly held as always.
00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.319
And now you know what to pin and what to scroll past.
00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.680
So here's what we want you to walk away with today.
00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:10.319
Design is not about spending more, it's about spending mindfully to make sure that your wedding feels like you.
00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:28.640
One beautiful thing done right, a room full of candlelight, a bar installation, flowers that feel like your grandmother's garden will always outperform 10 expensive things that feel like everybody else's wedding or that feel like they're on trend and of the moment.
00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:29.519
Totally.
00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:30.960
Here's your homework.
00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:37.039
So, first and foremost, ask your venue or your caterer to create a floor plan for you based on your guest count.
00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.880
And then take what we've taught you today and see if anything needs to be adjusted.
00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:43.279
After that, go do some research online.
00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:58.480
Go on Instagram, go on Pinterest, pin, you know, 20 or so photos that really speak to you, and then pause and walk away from it and take a few days, and then you can go back to it and start to look at them collectively and delete anything that doesn't quite fit anymore.
00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:05.759
Only keep the ones you keep going back to that make you feel something, and then go create that one page design inspo sheet that you can take to all your vendors and get moving.
00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:23.440
Also, if you go to let'splanpodcast.com, we are going to post a mood board, the design pages with all of the elements that we ended up using to bring that mood board to life, and then the final photo so you can really see the whole process from beginning to end of how we go from design inspiration to actual night of design.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:27.359
Next time, we're going to review menu planning and tenting.
00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:32.799
As we've said before, venue food and beverage is about 50% of your overall wedding budget.
00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:39.599
And we're going to share our years of experience to help you plan the perfect menu and avoid the common pitfalls of tenting.
00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:46.960
And remember, please subscribe wherever you listen, leave us a review, it does genuinely help, and follow us on Instagram at Let's Plan Podcast.
00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:55.839
If you have questions, submit them online at Let's PlanPodcast.com or feel free to leave a question in the comments on our Instagram account, and we promise we will get right back to you.
00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:58.240
All right, everybody, that was another great meeting.
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:00.559
Thank you so much, and we'll see you next time.
00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:04.000
This podcast is for entertainment only.
00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:08.559
The Let's Plan Your Wedding podcast assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:17.279
It is produced by AGTF LLC in a separate capacity and is provided as is, with no guarantees of accuracy, completeness, or usefulness.
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:21.279
The podcast is for informational, private, and non commercial use only.
00:28:21.519 --> 00:28:26.880
Reproduction, modification, or redistribution without AGTF LLC's consent is prohibited.
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.879
One of the things I've noticed lately, actually, Abby, you're really good at making me stop with this.
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:07.759
I go down a design rabbit hole online.
00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:18.320
There is so much content now on Pinterest and Instagram and TikTok, and we're inundated every day with these like over-the-top weddings that are so great for social media inspiration.
00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:26.239
But what we know that not many others do is that we're looking at one to two million dollar weddings that are made to look like they're everyday occurrences.
00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:29.519
Or if I can interrupt you, it's a moment.
00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.240
It's a moment that's been styled.
00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:35.280
It's a table or an installation.
00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:40.240
So you're not observing a room of that moment in scale.
00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:50.240
Or, for example, you may be pinning designs that are all installed in a tent in the daylight when you're actually being married in a ballroom in the evening.
00:00:50.479 --> 00:01:00.399
While looking at all these images may feel like productive design research, ultimately they become not only limiting, but sometimes paralyzing in actually creating your own design plan.
00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:02.799
But that's what we're going to help you with today.
00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:04.959
I'm Abby, and I'm Tamar.
00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:12.000
And this is Let's Plan Your Wedding, the podcast where we are your wedding planners and every episode is a planning meeting just between us.
00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:22.239
When you subscribe online at Let's Plan Podcast.com, you'll get access to our exclusive show notes, timelines, budgets, and all the wedding planning templates we use with our own clients.
00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:26.239
And if you have questions, submit them directly on the site and we'll get right back to you.
00:01:26.480 --> 00:01:31.280
So pop in your earbuds, step into our podcast office, and we'll take care of the rest.
00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:31.840
Okay.
00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:32.959
Are we ready?
00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:35.040
Let's Plan Your Wedding.
00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:40.799
Welcome to episode six of Let's Plan Your Wedding.
00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:53.359
Today we are talking about everything you need to know to design your own wedding, how to find your design vision, how to allocate your budget, the importance of scale, what always looks beautiful no matter what, and how to build a floor plan that actually works.
00:01:53.680 --> 00:02:04.400
Joining us today, as she does throughout this series, is Linda, our mentor, our colleague, my mama, and a woman who brings 40 plus years of event design wisdom into the room.
00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:08.159
Today's game is going to be design or decline.
00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:15.439
We have also interviewed some colleagues of ours in the event design industry to create some extra content online and on social.
00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:21.039
Tamar, what do you think good design is all about ultimately, if you had to sum it up?
00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:25.599
If I had to sum it up, I think great event design is about evoking a feeling.
00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:29.439
And the feeling should be feeling like the bride and groom.
00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:31.520
The wedding should feel like you.
00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.560
And that is the core, I think, when we're doing design.
00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:36.080
That is our North Star.
00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:40.639
So it's never just great design in the vacuum of what's trending, what looks great.
00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.879
We actually don't particularly care about that.
00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:53.520
What we're always trying to do is use design as a vehicle to evoke the feeling to me that the couple, I feel like you always say it's like enter, like they're bringing you into their home.
00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:54.800
And what does that feel like?
00:02:55.120 --> 00:03:09.039
I think it's both and we want to evoke feelings of excitement and joy from the guest, but we also want the guest to feel like they're being welcomed into the bride and groom's life or the start of their life together.
00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:11.520
And that is what we're going to help you with today.
00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.719
Great design is truly about evoking a feeling.
00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.639
And our goal with design is that your wedding should feel like you.
00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:23.840
Ab, I want to talk a little bit about how we can help guide a listener to find their own design style.
00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:32.000
I feel like we have a little bit of a process around that for our own clients, and I wanted to share that with everyone today because I think hopefully it'll be helpful.
00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:35.759
I would say start with Pinterest board.
00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.039
No filter, pin, pin, pin.
00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:56.719
Anything that is appealing to you, anything that evokes a feeling, not just weddings, but fashion, travel, interiors, a restaurant that you love, a menu item that sounds interesting, uh music, right?
00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:58.400
Lyrics, just pin away.
00:03:58.639 --> 00:03:59.120
Absolutely.
00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.759
Then walk away from it for like a minute.
00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:13.759
And when you come back to it, and and if you have people in your life that you trust that can sort of look at these things without judgment and without sort of giving their own input and opinions, when you come back to it, you're going to see a theme.
00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:18.160
You're going to open to your stakeholders, show it to your stakeholders, Abby.
00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:21.519
Yes, to the people who are invested in this wedding and your happiness.
00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:22.079
Thank you.
00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:23.120
But you're welcome.
00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:32.240
But yes, you will inevitably, when you come back to these 50 plus pins, you're going to see that you pinned a lot of the same types of things.
00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:37.519
And that is where you're going to begin to pull out what your design direction actually is.
00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:48.000
When you are pinning, we would caution you to watch out for words that sound like design buzzwords, but that don't actually mean anything.
00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:55.600
So elegant, chic, romantic, timeless, effortless.
00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:07.360
It's like when you're looking at a house or an apartment listing and it says quaint, and you automatically know that you need to like page by that.
00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:07.839
Yeah.
00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:10.000
Listen, a picture's worth a thousand words.
00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:30.560
And so what we typically do with our own clients, and what I would recommend that everyone do is when you when you look at all your pins and you're starting to see the ones that all have some common threads to them, pull the top six common images that you love the absolute most out, make a single page storyboard or mood board with those six images.
00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:34.720
And then that again is going to be your design north star as you start working with your vendors.
00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:37.680
You're not looking to copy somebody else.
00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:42.480
You're looking to create something that is just about you and your fiance.
00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:44.160
So take that with you.
00:05:44.319 --> 00:05:49.680
Let that be your guide so you stay on the task of where you want to go, but don't try and do it exactly.
00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:58.959
I think to that end, ask yourselves, what is it that you want your guests to take away from this evening or from this celebration?
00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:00.959
What is the impression you want to make on them?
00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:03.360
What is the feeling that you want them to have at the end of the night?
00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:03.759
Exactly.
00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:04.959
What do you want them honestly like?
00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:07.040
What do you want them to say about how they felt at your wedding?
00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:07.519
Exactly.
00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:15.839
I would show that board to one person, again, someone that you know, love, and trust, and ask them like without any context, be like, what do you think of when you look at this?
00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.279
What does it bring to mind?
00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:21.120
And see what their answers are and see if they align with what you're trying to achieve.
00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:25.759
And then you go and you get to work with your vendors and you create something beautiful and new.
00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:28.879
And you try to figure out what you're going to spend on it.
00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:35.920
If you remember from episode two, design lives on the everything else side of our 50-50 rule of budget.
00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:41.920
And it typically represents about 20 to 25% of your overall budget, which is significant.
00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:54.000
And it'll include your floral design, rentals, lounge furniture, bars, drapery, tabletop, china, glassware, flatware, and lighting design.
00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:54.879
Absolutely.
00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:59.680
But regardless of budget, there are some evergreen design choices that we will forever stand by.
00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:00.639
Candlelight.
00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:01.360
Always.
00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:02.160
Always.
00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:03.279
If it's all you did.
00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:08.480
If you did if you did zero flowers, but you just had a table full of candles, what's better than that?
00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:09.199
Beautiful.
00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:09.439
Great.
00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:12.959
One statement piece instead of a bunch of mediocre ones.
00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:20.480
So instead of doing a bunch of little flowers on a table, if you're looking at the room that you're going to be in, what is the best architectural feature of it?
00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:23.360
What is the best sort of part of the room that you want to highlight?
00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:25.279
Go for something big there.
00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:28.319
And then the rest can complement that.
00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:29.519
I totally agree.
00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:34.959
And I think that that leans into another design belief of ours, which is lean into your venue.
00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:35.519
Yes.
00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:41.120
If the venue has a beautiful exterior view, lean into that.
00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:46.959
If the venue has a beautiful architectural ceiling, lean into that.
00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:51.439
If the venue has hideous carpet, lean into that.
00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:59.839
Let that be the where you darken the corners and be sure to highlight tabletops and dance floor.
00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:01.279
That's where lighting would come in.
00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:02.639
Absolutely you have a hideous row.
00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:09.040
Actually, that's a really good hot tip because a lot of times when people go into ballrooms, they're like, this carpet is so hideous.
00:08:09.120 --> 00:08:28.319
And we always say, listen, when you put 25 or 30 tables down and you pin spot the tables, the floor is going to go dark, the tables are going to pop, you're not even going to notice this swirl of paisley of blue and green and sea foam and that hides a million stains from food service workers.
00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:29.120
Gross.
00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:30.000
Yes.
00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:31.839
A beautiful napkin.
00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:42.879
So again, if you have an all-white table, if you're using white, simple cotton linen and you have all your white china and simple tableware from whatever your caterer or your venue is providing for you.
00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:57.519
If you do some napkin, whether it's a pop of color or some detail, maybe it's embroidery, maybe it's the edging, I think a beautifully folded and chosen napkin is actually a classic pop for design.
00:08:57.759 --> 00:08:59.759
If I may, I'd like to elaborate on that.
00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:00.159
Yes.
00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:06.159
Yes, a napkin and or a colored piece of glassware.
00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:06.559
Yes.
00:09:07.120 --> 00:09:14.480
Like when we were getting married, I remember going to register for China glassware and flatware, and there's the rule of three.
00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:17.120
One is fancy and two are not.
00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:17.840
Oh my God.
00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:18.399
I didn't know.
00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:28.480
So you always choose either your plate is fancy and your flatware and your stem wear are a little bit more understated.
00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:32.960
So I think that speaks to this moment as well that there's an opportunity.
00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.360
Maybe there's a beautiful charger.
00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:35.840
Yes.
00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:38.320
Maybe there's a lovely rental chair.
00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:45.440
One thing at the table that really can introduce color or add a little bit of whimsy.
00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:46.480
Elevate the design.
00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:46.960
I love that.
00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:51.519
We say this throughout this episode, and we have said this from the very beginning.
00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:53.279
Lighting, lighting, lighting.
00:09:53.440 --> 00:10:03.600
If you have budget and you invest in nothing else in design, lighting is going to be, I think is going to make the biggest difference in how your event feels.
00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:04.159
The ombi.
00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:06.879
Unquestionably.
00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:14.399
I mean, imagine dancing in a fully overhead lit room, like in your living room with all the lights, like click on the lights.
00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:16.799
And that's exactly how that ballroom or that event.
00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:18.080
Or click them off.
00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:18.559
Right.
00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:22.159
Or it's pitch black and you can't see any of the beautiful work that you've done on the table.
00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:26.159
But lighting, investing in lighting design is a yes, yes, yes for me.
00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:26.799
Always.
00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:27.759
Absolutely.
00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:34.879
I think another tip would be if you have a limited floral budget to utilize greenery.
00:10:35.039 --> 00:10:35.440
Yes.
00:10:35.679 --> 00:10:37.360
And or seasonal blooms.
00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:37.759
Yes.
00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:46.320
Lean into what's available that season, what can be purchased in bulk so that there's a lot of something.
00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:54.960
It can be greens, it can be the simplest of flowers that sometimes in bulk creates a real impact.
00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:55.440
Yes.
00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.799
And I feel like this speaks more to my aesthetic.
00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:03.600
And so I don't want to like edge anything over here, but because it's a little bit more modern.
00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:16.399
But I think for design, if you're having a hard time figuring out what colors and how to combine them and a floral arrangement and what tones, if you do monochromatic but in different varieties, that is gonna kill every time.
00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:17.440
It's gonna be so good.
00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:31.840
So if you have whites, but you're doing roses and hydrangea and sweet pea and renunculus, and you're just whether you're putting them together or whether you're doing them in composites, it's gonna always look chic and always look fresh.
00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:32.559
I agree with that.
00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:34.000
I just trailed a hate when I trail it.
00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:34.240
Okay.
00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:34.879
I don't know.
00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:39.840
Now let's talk about one of the most overlooked elements of designing a room, which is scale.
00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:43.679
One of the first things we think about when we walk into any room is scale.
00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:47.440
And it's something almost no one thinks about when they're starting their design process.
00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:55.600
I'm always noticing what's happening at all the different levels of scale in the room and whether the event is actually scaled appropriately to the room that it's in.
00:11:55.919 --> 00:12:09.120
I think also something that you are constantly reminding all of us as we collaborate on is the levels of design within a room, that there is what you see when you're seated.
00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:21.840
There is what you see when you're standing, and what you see when you look up that is approximately nine to eleven feet off the ground, given how tall a hotel or tent or venue seal.
00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:28.000
Yes, I think that's something that a bride and groom should take into account when they're planning their wedding.
00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:35.200
So if it's a seated dinner, maybe they're gonna pay more attention to the tables, the table setting.
00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:47.360
And then if it's a cocktail reception and a a more casual type of reception, yeah, I think like the six feet and up becomes really important.
00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:48.399
The installation.
00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:48.799
Yeah.
00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:49.360
Right.
00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:56.559
So before we get into today's game, we want to talk about something that trips up even the most organized of couples, and that's the floor plan.
00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:12.960
Getting this right is the difference between a room that flows beautifully and then one like at the Golden Globes, where like George Clooney and Adam Sandler and like Julia Roberts had to stand up every time somebody won an award because the tables weren't spaced properly and people were on top of each other.
00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:17.759
So, right now I want to get in a little bit to the mechanics of designing a great floor plan.
00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:26.320
The best place to start if you're thinking about your floor plan and thinking about scale in a room is to ask your venue for a scaled floor plan.
00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:34.639
By the way, there are also some really great apps and websites online that have most of the floor plans of most venues already loaded up.
00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:39.679
And you can put tables and chairs and things to scale on these floor plans.
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.399
So you're gonna ask the venue for a floor plan.
00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:47.519
Oftentimes they can actually give you and say, you know, I'm gonna do round tables or I want to do long tables.
00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:57.440
And they actually would be the best person to create the floor plan for you based on your number of guests and based on if you're doing like buffets and how many bars you want in the room, because they know their space.
00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:58.639
So lean on them.
00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:05.440
If you're the one who has to do it, Linda, do you want to give your like Linda Matskin Hopplepopple 101?
00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.879
Here's how you scale your own floor plan.
00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.679
Well, of course you have to start with the dance floor.
00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:12.320
Right.
00:14:12.559 --> 00:14:14.399
So and what's a good size?
00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:16.799
This is like the question we get a lot.
00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:19.039
You know, it depends on what you're looking for.
00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:21.200
I like crowded dance floors.
00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:32.559
So many times in a room that's an adequate room for let's say 100 or 150 people, yeah, that you say, oh, this is too small because I've carved out the dance floor.
00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.000
And so maybe it isn't.
00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:35.279
You have to take a look at that.
00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:39.120
So 150 people, hot take, what what size dance floor should you?
00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:40.320
Just throw it out there.
00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:41.679
I'm gonna throw it out there if you don't.
00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:43.840
100% it's an 18 by 18.
00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:45.519
For 100 to 150 people.
00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:45.840
Okay.
00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:46.399
Right?
00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:48.240
150 to 20 by 20.
00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:49.600
But let's say eight by eight.
00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:50.240
20 by 25.
00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:52.000
Is it 20 by 18?
00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:52.480
Right.
00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:56.639
And then 150 to 200 people, 24 by 24.
00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:57.600
Yes.
00:14:57.840 --> 00:14:59.840
And then 200 plus people.
00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:01.440
24 by 24.
00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:02.639
24 by 24.
00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:09.440
The max dance floor we've ever done is a 30 by 30 for over for like 270 people even.
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:10.080
Right?
00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:10.399
Exactly.
00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:11.759
So we've never done a bigger.
00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:13.279
That's the biggest dance floor.
00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:15.840
If you have over 250 people, it's 30 by 30.
00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.320
24 by 24, 18 by 18.
00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:23.200
But you know, if you're not bumping into people on the dance floor, this is what are you even doing in life?
00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:24.639
I do feel that way.
00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:25.360
I do.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.639
I think it creates an intimacy that's really important.
00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:35.360
So many times with larger rooms in larger hotels, they'll say, Oh, just make the dance floor bigger.
00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:35.759
Right.
00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:37.200
But that is not the answer.
00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:42.399
And then how much space should there be between the dance floor and the first chair of the table?
00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:44.320
First table around the dance wheel.
00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:52.240
Well, pretend you're an airplane and put out your arms straight ahead of you, each arm right and left.
00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:52.720
Okay.
00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:55.600
And that should be the space between your table.
00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:58.159
So that's like four feet between table?
00:15:58.399 --> 00:16:00.000
First of all, you're talking about two different things.
00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:02.480
You're answering from table to table.
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:03.039
Yes.
00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:05.679
You're asking perimeter of dance floor.
00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:06.960
Perimeter of dance floor.
00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:14.960
Because if you have that tight dance floor and it's packed, oftentimes people are one foot on the dance floor, one foot on the floor carpet, two feet until the chair.
00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:15.279
Yes.
00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:15.919
That's what I said.
00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:16.559
Two feet?
00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:17.279
Yeah, two feet.
00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:18.879
Two feet to the back of a chair.
00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:19.279
Okay.
00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:19.600
Yeah.
00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.000
Not a back of a chair pushed in.
00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:23.200
The back of a chair out.
00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:24.000
The back of a chair.
00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:25.840
With a guest sitting in it.
00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:32.799
If you're in a bigger room, you still want to work from the dance floor out than scaling to fit the entire room.
00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:33.200
Okay.
00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:34.720
So we start with the dance floor.
00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:43.039
You have your band or your DJ, which you need usually like a minimum of like an eight foot deep by like 12 foot wide space for a band.
00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:43.360
Yes.
00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:44.720
Is going to be your minimum.
00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:45.279
Minimum.
00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:46.960
I'm saying minimums for God's sakes.
00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:47.200
Yes.
00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:50.960
Sometimes like a big white tie.
00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:52.639
It depends on the band.
00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:54.240
And they'll tell you by the way.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.960
Seven-piece band, you don't need as much space.
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:03.919
But if you're investing in a nine or a 10-piece band, they should have a moment.
00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.599
But the good news is they're going to tell you.
00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.640
So go and ask your musical entertainment how much space they need and you work that.
00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:27.039
So if you're doing your floor plan and you have your making circles, then you need 12 feet for 72 inch round, 10 feet for 60 inch round, 8 feet for 48 inch round, et cetera, et cetera.
00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:28.480
That's a sit-down dinner party.
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:28.799
Right.
00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:41.039
And what that will do is if you put these blocks of 12 by 12 or 10 by 10 literally bumped up against each other, it still allows for the table, people seated in the chair, and then the catering staff to be able to walk in between.
00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:56.559
Now, if you're also adding long tables to this, because we might want a mixture of long tables, square tables, and round tables, you can use the formula for square or round.
00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:09.599
When it's long, I would still use the formula, but you still are creating more space with a long table than you are with a standard 60 or 72 inch round table.
00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:20.640
I want to say one thing about also not a sit-down dinner, but more of a cocktail reception where there's smaller tables, perhaps furniture.
00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:24.480
I think that requires a completely different kind of floor plan.
00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:45.440
The one thing I find very often with floor plans for cocktail receptions is that people crowd the room with furniture and forget that there's a lot of space needed for just people, your guests to be able to get to the food, get to the bars, get to a cocktail table.
00:18:45.920 --> 00:18:46.480
Standing room.
00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:47.440
Yes.
00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:50.480
So I think that's something you really have to take into account.
00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:57.440
I think when you're creating a floor plan, you need to take into account what else is going in that room.
00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:07.759
In addition to dining tables and a dance floor and a platform of some sort to host a band or a DJ, do you have bars in that room?
00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:08.319
Yeah.
00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:10.240
Are do you have lighting?
00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:13.519
Does there need to be a light board?
00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:18.960
Does there need to be a soundboard, in which case you probably need a four foot audiovisual table?
00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:23.440
Are there busing tables, wine service tables?
00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:26.240
And expediter service tables.
00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:44.160
And not but and this is where your caterer and your venue should be working with you to help you create this floor plan so that it makes sure that that the caterer has everything they need, both inside and outside of the room, and that the venue goes, Yep, this works for us, and this works, this is realistic to our room.
00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.240
And that's how you make a floor plan.
00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.400
All right, so it's time for today's game.
00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:51.519
This episode's game is called Design or Decline.
00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:59.680
We're gonna call out a design trend or an element, and we tell you straight, keep it, design, or lose it, decline.
00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:05.279
We'll go fast, we're honest with one another, and we genuinely don't always agree, as you know.
00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:06.480
Are you ready?
00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:07.200
I'm ready.
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:08.160
Let's do it.
00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:11.359
Okay, flower walls or a flower backdrop.
00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:12.160
Decline.
00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:12.880
Decline.
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:13.359
I know.
00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:14.000
I'm over it.
00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:14.720
I'm sorry.
00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:15.599
Too trendy.
00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:16.400
They're everywhere.
00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:16.799
Enough.
00:20:17.119 --> 00:20:17.839
It's too trendy for me.
00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:18.880
Agreed.
00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:20.079
Welcome signs.
00:20:20.240 --> 00:20:21.039
I mean, sorry.
00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:22.720
I feel like we always get I always get negative.
00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:23.920
Or like, oh, I don't like this.
00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:25.279
A welcome sign.
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.160
Again, similarly, I've seen so many of them.
00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:29.759
They know where they are.
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:31.200
Welcome to my wedding.
00:20:31.359 --> 00:20:31.920
I okay.
00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:34.000
But I you're here because we invited you.
00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:38.079
I'm going to take your decline and and flip it on its head.
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.160
I like a welcome moment.
00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:54.799
I like a an installation or an arch or pillars or a gorgeous floral centerpiece that rep or your place card table, something that denotes that you're entering our wedding.
00:20:55.039 --> 00:21:04.319
And by the way, or a detail like being handed a small moment of something that's meaningful to the couple, like something that is welcoming you to the event a hundred percent.
00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:05.920
Signage is an a sign?
00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:06.880
That's a decline for me.
00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:08.319
That's a decline for me as well.
00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:08.799
Okay.
00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:10.720
Neon signs, decline.
00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:11.359
Decline.
00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:13.200
I don't even we don't even need to say why.
00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:21.680
Mismatched or vintage items, chairs, china, floral vessels, candle holders.
00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:30.960
So I'm gonna say design, but with a caveat, which is the vintagey part, I think I'm over, but I have always loved a really layered look.
00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:35.680
And I think that like sometimes we do it table by table or even place setting by place setting.
00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:43.599
Sometimes when you're looking at all of the different great design options, you can't quite choose one, or there are like six plates that look great, or there are three plates that look great.
00:21:43.680 --> 00:21:44.880
And you're doing something super modern.
00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:54.240
It doesn't have to be vintage, but I do love the idea of some layering and that not every single place setting or every single table is exactly the same.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.960
I am an absolute design on this.
00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.599
And what I love about vintage is the opportunity.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.880
To incorporate something old.
00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:13.200
It could be that your grandmother had a set of linens or linen napkins, or that your mother had some china and it's incorporating the old.
00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:14.160
I like that.
00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:14.480
Okay.
00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.039
Thank you.
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:15.839
Yeah.
00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:18.640
Ooh, ceiling installations.
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:19.759
Design.
00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:20.799
Design.
00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:21.759
Absolutely.
00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:39.039
Given what we've talked about on this episode, and we'll continue to talk about scale in a room and the fact that we encourage you to identify the filling the space from the tabletop three feet up and from a ceiling on down.
00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:41.440
This is a big design win for me.
00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:43.039
Lounge furniture areas?
00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:43.839
Design.
00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:44.480
Design.
00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:45.599
A lounge vignette.
00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:51.599
I also love using furniture, like residential furniture as part of your tablescape and your table design.
00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:59.279
So instead of using like a traditional ballroom chair, if you have the budget to have a beautiful upholstered chair, I think can make such a huge impact.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:00.559
Or a banquet.
00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:01.440
Oh, I love that.
00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:02.799
Bar signage.
00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:03.759
Oh my God.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:14.480
Abby makes fun of me because some there was one day I was maybe a little tired and we were helping a client, or the client wasn't there, but we were creating bar signage for the client.
00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:17.519
And I literally wrote bar at the top of it.
00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:23.119
And she was like, Can we maybe come up with something more creative than just simply entitling this bar sign bar?
00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:25.839
And I was like, I'm I'm gonna hand this off to you today.
00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:26.640
True story.
00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:27.200
Yes.
00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:29.759
I mean, I love a bar, I love a signature cocktail.
00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:31.759
So to me, the more you can highlight that, the better.
00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:35.200
But I'm a big bar girl, so I'm a big cocktail girl.
00:23:35.440 --> 00:23:39.119
An escort card, how do you say I don't even know how to say this?
00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:44.799
When you're the the sign display where everyone's name is called graphed on a single board.
00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:50.079
So you're not taking an escort, but all the names and tables are written out on one installation board.
00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:51.440
I will decline that.
00:23:51.759 --> 00:23:54.000
Thank you kindly, and I will explain myself.
00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:54.559
Thank you.
00:23:54.799 --> 00:24:04.799
But I will design an installation where your place card or escort card is actually pinned to a board.
00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:05.279
Agreed.
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:18.319
I will politely decline a challenged seating chart because it limits your opportunity to make changes should there be any cancellations for any reason weak of.
00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:27.119
You've already had to submit that information and to change it is uh really compromises the beauty of that piece.
00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:27.839
Agreed.
00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:34.480
I'm going to design a board where your escort card can be pinned or attached.
00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:35.680
Couldn't agree with you more.
00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:37.039
All right, this is my last one.
00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:38.960
Battery-operated candles.
00:24:39.440 --> 00:24:41.599
I'm going to design those.
00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:42.400
Agreed.
00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:47.440
We live in Boston, and in the city of Boston, you cannot have open flame.
00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:58.559
So the introduction of LED or fake candlelight has given us a wealth of opportunity to welcome candlelight-looking pieces back into the room.
00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:07.200
I think it always makes brides and grooms nervous when they hear that they can't have, at least in Boston, actual candlelight and they think that nothing is gonna feel as good.
00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:13.119
And what they don't realize is all of the weddings they've been to in Boston the last 10, 15 years, there hasn't been a single open flame.
00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:17.599
The design of those candles are so good, you don't know the difference anymore.
00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:19.200
There's a natural flicker to them.
00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:23.440
They are, they come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:25.759
And it's actually it's safe.
00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:31.839
And if you're at in a tented wedding, you don't have to worry about wind, which also sometimes you and I are always going nuts over.
00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:45.759
Is even air circulation in a ballroom, if the HVAC system is on, remember at the end of the night, we would see the candles closest to the HVAC vents were burned down to nothing.
00:25:45.920 --> 00:25:46.240
Yes.
00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:50.000
And the candles the furthest away were still tall and well lit.
00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:50.799
Yep.
00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:53.119
Okay, that's design or decline.
00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:55.440
Strong opinions, firmly held as always.
00:25:55.599 --> 00:25:58.319
And now you know what to pin and what to scroll past.
00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.680
So here's what we want you to walk away with today.
00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:10.319
Design is not about spending more, it's about spending mindfully to make sure that your wedding feels like you.
00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:28.640
One beautiful thing done right, a room full of candlelight, a bar installation, flowers that feel like your grandmother's garden will always outperform 10 expensive things that feel like everybody else's wedding or that feel like they're on trend and of the moment.
00:26:28.880 --> 00:26:29.519
Totally.
00:26:29.839 --> 00:26:30.960
Here's your homework.
00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:37.039
So, first and foremost, ask your venue or your caterer to create a floor plan for you based on your guest count.
00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.880
And then take what we've taught you today and see if anything needs to be adjusted.
00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:43.279
After that, go do some research online.
00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:58.480
Go on Instagram, go on Pinterest, pin, you know, 20 or so photos that really speak to you, and then pause and walk away from it and take a few days, and then you can go back to it and start to look at them collectively and delete anything that doesn't quite fit anymore.
00:26:58.640 --> 00:27:05.759
Only keep the ones you keep going back to that make you feel something, and then go create that one page design inspo sheet that you can take to all your vendors and get moving.
00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:23.440
Also, if you go to let'splanpodcast.com, we are going to post a mood board, the design pages with all of the elements that we ended up using to bring that mood board to life, and then the final photo so you can really see the whole process from beginning to end of how we go from design inspiration to actual night of design.
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:27.359
Next time, we're going to review menu planning and tenting.
00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:32.799
As we've said before, venue food and beverage is about 50% of your overall wedding budget.
00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:39.599
And we're going to share our years of experience to help you plan the perfect menu and avoid the common pitfalls of tenting.
00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:46.960
And remember, please subscribe wherever you listen, leave us a review, it does genuinely help, and follow us on Instagram at Let's Plan Podcast.
00:27:47.119 --> 00:27:55.839
If you have questions, submit them online at Let's PlanPodcast.com or feel free to leave a question in the comments on our Instagram account, and we promise we will get right back to you.
00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:58.240
All right, everybody, that was another great meeting.
00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:00.559
Thank you so much, and we'll see you next time.
00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:04.000
This podcast is for entertainment only.
00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:08.559
The Let's Plan Your Wedding podcast assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:17.279
It is produced by AGTF LLC in a separate capacity and is provided as is, with no guarantees of accuracy, completeness, or usefulness.
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:21.279
The podcast is for informational, private, and non commercial use only.
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