Ask Us: What Should A Wedding Cost?

I get the question all the time. How much should I plan on spending for a wedding? It's not easy to answer as most often what people want and what they can afford are two very different things.

As an event planner I want couples to live out their dream day. At the same time I don't want that dream day to put them in debt as newly weds.

With celebrity weddings and (un)reality series showing brides all that money can buy, the price tag for syaing "I Do" can be hefty.

In a January 2011 report, the average cost of a wedding increased 22.9% between 2009 and 2010, from $19,581 to $24,066 in 2010. For 2011, the average price of weddings nationally is up to $28,704.

So what do you do if you don't have $30,000 to spend in one day? Choose what is most important to you first.

The white wedding dress may be one of the most expensive purchases for the big day, unless you are willing to choose a more budget-friendly option. On the lower end of spending, a dress can cost $200 or less if buying off-the-rack or synthetic fabric from a department store or chain bridal retailer. The midrange cost ranges from $500 to $1,000 for dresses with more detail, and higher-end custom-made designer dresses can cost between $2,000 and $10,000.

Flowers can be very expensive. Look for localy grown flowers in season or consider little jars set up with one or two blooms in them. Doing your own flowers or ordering online can save you money.

Venues and catering offer a wide range of options. Nice hotels offer some great packages or consider transforming a community center into your reception destination.

Food is important. Brides are choosing more of a reception-style of catering over heavy sitdown meals. We have done backyard Barbeque themes for a more relaxed atmosphere. Or consider less formal menu offerings. Just make sure you offer you guest good quality food no matter what you choose.

Entertainment often ends up last on the list and that can be a huge mistake. Your guests want good food and to have a good time. I highly suggest to brides to choose your entertainment as soon as possible and budget for a great DJ or band. Nothing can ruin a celebration like a $500 DJ that works on the weekends for beer money. That's not who you want.

Lastly, don't think you can't afford a wedding planner. Professional wedding planners will save you time and money and often pay for themself in the long run.


Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net ◦

Ask Us: What Should A Wedding Cost?

Ask Us: Bridal Showers

We invite our readers to submit event questions. If you have a question you would like answered email it to: info@pierceevents.net
Q: Can you tell me who is supposed to host/pay for a bridal shower?

Traditionally a shower should not be thrown by the bride's immediate relatives.

The maid of honor or another good friend usually hosts, or several people, often bridesmaids, share the responsibility.

It is common for a bride to have more than one shower; when this happens, the hosts should consult one another about guest lists to avoid duplication. Showers are generally held from a couple of months to a couple of weeks before the wedding.

Who is supposed to pay for all this?

There is no rule for the payment of this party. Attendees should never be expected to pay for their food. Thus it is up to the hostess, to find other methods of payment. Generally speaking, the bridesmaids and maid or matron of honor will collect money amongst themselves to host that bridal shower for the bride. If a formal party is a strain on the bridesmaids, it is an acceptable alternative to hold the bridal shower at someone's home, backyard, or clubhouse.

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net
◦

Ask Us: Bridal Showers

Summer Sizzles with Pierce Events

This has been an amazing summer for all of us here at Pierce Events. We have welcomed so many new clients and had a chance to work on some wonderful events.

As school starts, we once again will be teaming up with Comcast for a series of campus events. Our event last year has expanded to include Pitt, IUP and Penn State as we go back to school with Comcast.

Taylor Swift on the set of
"Todd vs High School "

Speaking of school .... We are very happy to be working with an exciting film company Experiment Media on a project for the upcoming movie "Todd vs High School". The movie cast includes Jason Segal, Sidney Crosby and Taylor Swift.

We are also proud to welcome over 1000 people to Pittsburgh for a multi-day event for a major corporation. Our production elements will highlight Pittsburgh and we are thrilled our design was chosen for this great event.

Recent events with Pepsi and Cinemark has taken us to Salt Lake City, New York, Ohio and Virginia.

We are looking forward to more events before the end of the year.

While we love doing corporate events, one of our most important jobs is working with couples to create their dream wedding celebration. So many couples have placed their trust in Pierce Events and we are honored.
Pierce Events was just named the #1 most popular wedding planning company by Thumbtack.com We have many exciting wedding celebrations on the horizon and the outstanding endorsements from our past bridal clients means so much to our team.

We recently were interviewed by Whirl Magazine about wedding entertainment, so keep an eye out for that to appear in a future publication.

It's been a busy summer and we are truly grateful for our clients, partners and team.

If you would like to keep up with us, our events and adventures we invite you to follow us on Twitter @pierceevents We would love to have you join the party!



Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net ◦

Summer Sizzles with Pierce Events

Pierce Events Goes West for Cinemark

Our partnership with Cinemark (the third largest movie theatre company in the U.S. with 292 theatres and 3,816 screens in 39 states) started 3 years ago in Pittsburgh. The company was set to open a state of the art facility in Robinson Township and had never used an event planning company.

After presenting a proposal that brought a bit of Hollywood to Pittsburgh, Pierce Events was chosen to produce one of the grand opening events for Cinemark.

Since then our partnership has continued and we have produced events all over the country. Recently we traveled to the Salt Lake City, Utah area to produce a grand opening event and 2 simultaneous events for the opening weekend of the new Harry Potter movie release.

Production teams in a new city is always a challenge and opppotunity to expand our reach. We work with the best and our partners that have worked with us on multiple events have earned a spot on our team. They are relationships that could not be more valuable.

We consider many companies and individuals. We talk to others that have worked in the region and call on our exsisting contacts.

Our team did an amazing job in Utah. From decor to staging, rentals to lighting. It is so nice to meet others who take pride in what they do. After all, our success depends greatly on others doing their job.

We looking forward to our continuing partnership with Cinemark and working our production teams in other cities
.

Pierce Events can produce events anywhere. Just give us a call.

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net ◦

Pierce Events Goes West for Cinemark

Planning the Perfect Class Reunion

We have produced many class reunions and there are always questions as to what to do. Give yourself plenty of time and contact us as early as possible. Here are some tips to help you.

First get some help. Recruit some dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who are willing to help plan and get the word out. Keep the core committee group small with 3-5 members. You might want to appoint a reunion chair to arrange meetings and a treasurer to oversee finances. The rest of your team can work on various reunion tasks. Don't underestimate the work involved. Share the work amongst as many who are willing to offer their help. There are many details and arrangements. A professional planner can save you time and money and provide suggestions.

When do we start? Some committees start planning up to two years in advance. The amount of lead time you need really depends on how elaborate of an event you are planning but generally speaking the more time you give yourselves the better! Whether you are planning a simple family picnic or a formal event you will minimally want to start planning at least 12 to 16 months in advance. Don't expect to pull off a successful reunion if you start planning just 6 months before the event as many of your classmates will need significant lead time in order to participate especially those living far away.

What work items does the reunion committee need to consider?Consider dividing the work activities of your reunion committee into subcommittees or work groups.

Here is a listing of some of the tasks you will need to consider:

• date selection
• determine event venue and format
• event program
• event location / lodging selection
• financing
• classmate contact listing
  • postal addresses, email addresses, phone numbers
  • search for missing classmates
• web site development / maintenance
• decorations
• entertainment
• photographer
• registration & name tags
• momentos
• reunion / memories booklet
• marketing & communications
• mailers, emailings
  
  • newspaper and internet advertising
• deceased classmates tribute
• additional reunion activities
  • school tours, pre & post reunion events
• class gift to your school

While there are many other things to consider this give you a glimpse at what a reunion requires. Pierce Events can assist you with ticket sales, online promotion, website development, group discounts, site selection, accommodations, entertainment and more.

Let us plan the perfect reunion for you. Call us today! 724-986-6939

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net ◦

Planning the Perfect Class Reunion

Brian Olsen - Rockin The Canvass

Brian Olsen's Art in Action is an explosion: a colorful display of paint, energy, music and passion. Using fingertips, palms, elbows and up to three brushes in each hand, Brian paints portraits of famous people including musicians, sports figures, and top corporate heads on a four and a half by six foot canvas in just a matter of minutes. His creations are choreographed to music that is powerful and stimulates the senses. Brian’s Art in Action is described as "an emotional experience" taking his audience through an amazing journey of excitement, suspense, cheer, and surprise. His ability to captivate his audience and share the experience of color, music, and action is a way to bring people into the world of art and creativity. It is a new artform that brings people together to share the explosion of art and stir up the personal creativity we all have within.

Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net ◦

Brian Olsen - Rockin The Canvass

The Power of Promotion: Social Media

It does not matter how wonderful your event is if no one comes. I just heard of a recent event in which the planner was expecting 2000 people to attend over 3 days. Final count was 200. A huge loss in many ways.

We at Pierce Events use Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and even this blog to keep up to date with clients, friends, other event pros and those interested in the events we produce.

Social media is a great way to engage with your audience, or potential audience, before and after your next event. Social media platforms are the quickest, most effective way of reaching out to your audience to promote your event and increase attendance. When combined with traditional advertisng just about anyone can launch an effective campagin. So what are some of the best ways to harness the power of social media to help spread the word of your event? Here are some important things to keep in mind:

Start NOW – The earlier you start spreading the word, the better off you’ll be. Get your event listed in Facebook Events and start sending out introductory Tweets about it. If you have videos, get them uploaded early. You want buzz about your event to build.


Update Often – The more updates you make and information you add about your event, the more contact you will have with your audience. In turn, the more likely they will be to attend and spread the word of your event for you. Content is king, so keep it coming.

Aim Wide – One post won't do much. Get your event information in front of as many people as many times as possible. Hit Facebook, Myspace, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Blogger to promote your event.

Remind Them – Don’t forget to keep reminding people about your event as it approaches. Keeping your event at the top of peoples’ minds leading up to it does not give them a chance to forget the event.

Post-Event Follow – If you’re going to promote your event via social media, wrap up with it as well. Share photos, videos, and quotes through the same channels you used to promote. This will give those that did attend a chance to recap the event and those that didn’t a chance to see what they missed.


Pierce Events offers complete event planning, production and management services for corporate, social and non-profit events. For more information and other helpful tips visit our website at www.pierceevents.net ◦

The Power of Promotion: Social Media