Every LITTLE Thing ~ Happy New Year!

The Little Nell's Catering Team: Ragan Grossman, Lindsay Potts, Melina Glavas & Rebecca Polan (left to right)

Happy 2011!  For many, the New Year means a time of reflection, hope and a promise of resolution.  For my team it means an influx of newly engaged couples and the excitement for all that is to come with planning a dream wedding. 

 The Little Nell phones start ringing after Christmas and they just don’t stop.  Our Wedding Deck on top of Aspen Mountain is the premier ceremony location.  Paired with our world-class culinary team and 5-Star services and venues, there is no need to look further.

 You’re Engaged!  What’s next?

Create Your Budget ~ and decide who is paying for what. 

Identify Your Top 3 Priorities.  Location/Venue, Food & Beverage and Entertainment.  In my mind these are the key areas of success for a wonderful party.  Many won’t remember the monogrammed cocktail napkins or the silk table linens, but they will remember if they left hungry or if they had to pay for their own beverages.  Identifying your priorities will help with all of the subsequent decisions.  The first decision, however, should be location.  Remember, you can’t make any other decisions until that step is taken care of.

Create Your Guest List.  This will assist you in choosing a venue that is the proper size for your event.  Also, remember cost proposals will depend on the amount of people who will be attending your celebration.  You will need to identify a rough guest count before gathering any proposals or costs. 

Set the Date/Choose the Venue.  Choosing a date is sometimes not left up to you, but left up to the availability of the hotel or venue you have chosen.  On a budget? Finding that Saturdays are booked?  Consider the alternative of a Friday or Sunday wedding, as these days are traditionally not as popular and you may be able to negotiate pricing.   A brunch or lunch is also another great option to consider if you are trying to keep your costs down.

Choose your Team. When starting to plan, there is no need to immediately focus on the finer details.  Do, however, determine who you would like to work with ~ who will be your support team?  Spend the next month (or two) selecting your officiant, researching your florist/décor company options, looking for photographers and interviewing planners.   My opinion is that everyone needs a planner, if only for the week or day of the wedding.  A wedding planner will be the key to the success of your wedding and to your sanity throughout your celebratory weekend.  You may think that your Catering Manager is one and the same, but her role is to make sure everything is flawless and runs smoothly on the hotel side.  At a loss?  Please ask your Catering Manager for vendor suggestions; she may be able to recommend a vendor who is the perfect fit for your vision!

Looking forward to a new year with new clients and new ideas!

Cheers!

Melina