I’ve been very fortunate to have some great mentors throughout my career, each bringing their unique talents and honest feedback to ultimately help me grow.     I have to say, there were times that I really hated some of these people for they made me do things that was out of my comfort zone, but in hindsight, each and every one of those things I despised made stronger, more confident and much wiser.

Onf of the biggest lessons that I learned is that you need to not only educate your team, but you also need to empower them and most importantly support them.

I remember when I was Director of Catering and Conference Services at The Kahala Mandarin, Oriental and one of my staff came into my office with her tail between her legs (figure of speech of course).    It had taken her all day  to muster up the courage to come see me and let me know she had misquoted something.    When she approached me I asked her “what’s the matter” and she said “I made a mistake and misquoted a rate  to a new client.”  Much to her surprise I told her “okay” and she was like “okay?!?”    I replied “yes, everyone of us has misquoted something at some point in time.  What you need to do now is call the client back and let them you misquoted a rate but you will honor it for them only.  This special rate will not be extended to any friends or family members, only you.”     She was still in shock and said “I was so worried, I’ve been sick to my stomach all day.”   I told her “the important thing is to learn from your mistake.  If you come in next week and do the same thing then you’ll get a different response.”

Over time, I ended up starting my own event planning firm and the young lady explored opportunities in Singapore and Hong Kong and came back to Honolulu.   We reconnected and I’m proud to say she started with Hawaii Weddings and Events as a coordinator and was promoted to Special Events Manager last year.    There have been many events that she has taken on that I know was “way beyond” what she thought she was capable of handling, but she successfully rose up to each challenge as she knew that I believed in her and was always there to support her and guide her.

Like a butterfly, she came out of her cocoon and gradually learned to spread her wings with grace and confidence.

Some of the ways I “pay it forward” is:

• Teaching a “Wedding Management” class at the University of Hawaii for students from Japan
• Having students from Ka`piolani Community Colleges’ event management class gain practical experience by working with us on events.
• Offering a non-paid internship program
• Continually developing my Hawaii Weddings and Events team to help them achieve their dreams and goals.

We encourage you to “make the time” to mentor someone who has a passion in your industry.  Imagine what would have happened if nobody took the time to mentor you?

I recently had to let a caterer know that we would not be able to refer their services until they are “back on track” with their business and able to respond to our clients in a timely manner.    The business is experiencing what I call “growing pains” which is when you take on more than you may handle with your existing staffing levels.

I’ve had this same conversation about “response times” with a couple of florists as well.  One florist took my “words of wisdom” to heart and has since added on administrative support a couple of days a week, trained the staff to handle the smaller orders and their business is flourishing.  The second florist still continues to try and do everything on their own and is losing potential business as a result.

How do you raise the bar?     Hawaii Weddings and Events has always been known for its high standards and dedication to service excellence.    This core principle is exemplified in the many kind reviews that we receive from our valued clients http://www.weddingwire.com/reviews/hawaii-weddings-and-events-honolulu/20e45160b6edc0ab.html.

As a professional planning firm, we also expect the vendors that we refer to have the same standards of excellence and genuine concern for the guests’ experience.

By taking the time to “coach”‘ others we are raising the bar so that vendors know they need to continually strive to improve their services and products to meet the ever changing needs of our clients and we will not settle for less.

By taking the time to educate interns about the true “ins and outs” of event planning we are teaching them the things they will not learn in a classroom, set the expectation bar high and teach them how to use a Visions Board to visualize their goals and create the stepping stones to achieve them.

Raising the bar may only be achieved by continually educating yourself and always finding new ways to exceed the expectations of your clients.

“Hawaii Salute to the Congressional Gold Medal Veteran’s” banquet which will   be held at the Hawaii Convention Center on Saturday, December 17, 2011.    This “once in a lifetime” celebration is to honor the Nisei veterans from 100th, 442nd, MIS and 1399 who served in World War II.

We’ve been very busy finalizing details with the Congressional Gold Medal planning committee which is comprised of many dedicaetd sons and daughters of the veterans, Go For Broke, BAE Systems (the title sponsor), volunteers from the Japanese Women’s Society Foundation and students from Kapi’iolani Community College event management class assisting on the event day.

Please visit www.congressionalgoldmedalhawaii.com for more specific details regarding the Victory parade and banquet to honor the veterans.

It is often said that a person should not have more than one major life change at a time, but more often than not, we find that our couples are not only planning their wedding, but also moving (sometimes to another state or country) and/or starting a new job!

So how do you keep your life in balance when you have so much going on?     As a professional event planner, small business owner, mother, wife, daughter, friend and mentor, these are some of tips I would like to share with you.

1)   Make time to plan out your week’s schedule.    Think about how many errands that you may run in a week (ie: bank, groceries, gas station, farmer’s market, etc.) and then think about how much travel time you waste when you do these errands individually and/or during peak traffic or busy times.      We designate two days a week and map out our errands so that we are traveling from point A to B to C to D, etc. and then back home.   By doing this, we are taking the shortest route, combining errands with other appointments, saving time, gas, etc.

2)  Focus on your three MITs (Most Important Tasks).  All of us have deadlines that have to be met, and some of those are in conjunction with someone else helping us gather information or providing a quote.    Take  20 minutes a day to map out your next day’s schedule to ensure that your three most important tasks are taken care of first, then  proceed on with the rest of your list.

3)  Shop Online.  Do you really have to drive 35 minutes to an office supply store?      That 35 minute drive is actually 70 minutes roundtrip (without traffic) plus the cost of gas.   Considering the value of your time and the cost of gas, shopping on-line often can save you money.

4)  Rather than picking up dinner on the way home, create your menu for the week.    By looking at on-line ads, you may determine what items will be on sale and plan your meals around it.   Many grocery stores even have it set-up where you can just click on your item and it will create your shopping list for you, all you have to do is print it out.     On Oahu, Safeway actually has a “deal match” program where you sign up and will get the best price available so you don’t have to go three different grocery stores to try and save money.

5)  Just say “no thank you.”    How many times have you been invited to an event that you really didn’t want to go to but did because you didn’t want to offend someone?   Think about a Saturday night potluck party with your friends.   First, this was the day you planned to catch up on some of your sleep and “to do list” and now, instead of catching up, you not only lost the time you will be away for the potluck, but you’ve also lost the time to worry about what you’re going to make, the time to shop for the item, the prep time for the item and if you enjoyed too much wine that evening, may even sacrifice the next morning with a hangover.

6)  Create a pie chart and split out your projects.   Many get overwhelmed with wedding planning becauses they are looking at all of the things that needs to be done between now and the wedding day.  What we do is take the big pie and break it down into pieces, identifying what you need to do first, and then tackle each section a little at a time.   You’ll find that if you continually do a little at a time, you will feel more in control.

7)  Remember that life happens…….sometimes we get sick, have technical difficulties with our computers, have a new work or school project that is taking more time than we thought, etc.      Just do your best and communicate with others that it may affect, get through the challenging period and then start back at #1 and #2.

8)  Make time for gratitude daily…..be thankful for your blessings and remember that challenges always makes us stronger.

When going through all of the fine details of your wedding day, we ask is whether you will have placecards, escort cards or table tents.      Often times, clients do not know the difference between the three and whether they were required or not.

Place Cards

Typically individual cards that are either set alphabetically at the reception table for your guests to find their own seating assignment, or they may be preset on the guest dining table.  If its sole purpose is only to provide a table assignment, then you can manage with one per couple,  versus one per person.

How you create your placecards may be dependent on several factors:

1)  Do you have an outdoor or indoor wedding reception?   If it is outdoors the wind may blow away your cards unless they are secured to something heavy.

2)  If you are pre-assigning seats at a guest dining table, then place cards would be preset at the dining table in the position you envision it.  We have templates that we send our clients to complete with seating assignments so we may ensure cards are exactly where you want them.  The reason for this, is that if placecards are just placed inside a bag, they may shuffle and get out of order.

3)  Are you having a “choice of entree” menu in which you need to have some type of entree indicator for the waitstaff to know what your guests are eating?     We normally suggest presetting cards on the guest dining table to ensure they are in a position the waitstaff may see.   When guests pick up cards at the reception table and bring it to the table it often a disarray or sometimes has been tucked into their purse.  The same chart we use for table assignments will also list the meal selection to assist the servers.

Are placecards required?       The answer is yes and no.  Yes, if you are assigning specific seats at a table or have a choice of entree meal.  Alternatively, for smaller events, we have used pictures of the guest tables to provide their seating assignment, or have also used the “seating chart with names/entree selection” but it is better to have the placecard in order to cross-check that guests stayed in the seat they were supposed to be in (yes, they do sometimes switch on their own).

No, if placecards are strictly being used to give guests their table assignments, then we may manage with an alphabetical list at the reception table.

Escort Cards:

Often confused with placecards, escort cards can be one simple card that has your name, date or simply your wedding motif and table #____ on it.  When guests check in at the reception table, the reception table worker will write in the table # on the card and hand it to the guest for them to remind them of their table assignment.

Are escort cards required?   No, guests may simply be advised of their table assignment and if they do happen to forget, they may come back to the reception table (which rarely happens).

Table Tents:

Table tents are a list of all the guests that are seated at that particular table.    Some will print this information on a table tent type card or set inside a frame.    This list is so that guests at the table know who else is seated with them.   Word of wisdom, print these at the last minute as you undoubtedly will have last minute seating changes.

Do you need table tent cards or frames?  No, it is not required, but a nice “special touch” if time and/or budget permits it.

The most important thing to have is one consolidated guest that has first and last names, table assignment and meal selection (if applicable).  Keep in mind that while you know everyone on the list your reception table workers usually don’t.

We’re often asked where do we get our inspirations. Like you, we are inspired by event industry icons such as Preston Bailey, David Tutera, Steve Kemble and of course Martha Stewart.

We also follow industry blogs such as “Style Me Pretty” and television shows such as “My Fair Weddings” and follow the work of celebrity planner Mindy Weiss, just to name a few.

Our inspiration sources?

- Nature
- Architecture
- Art
- Home furnishing stores
- Our couples personalities

When designing events for our clients, one of the first things we ask them to do is to complete a floral worksheet that gives their color palettes, likes, don’t likes, and their inspirations. We also talk to them to learn about their ideas, concerns and of course budget goals.

Some clients have a keen sense of what they are looking for, and others will tell us that they don’t have a creative bone in their body. The majority have alot of ideas, but need someone to take their ideas and help pull it all together, and weed out the items that may not really compliment their design or event goals.

We also love to include the couple’s personalities, whether it be things that are symbolic to their relationship, favorite foods or places, cultural elements and engage their guests which is truly what makes your wedding memorable.

An example of a special touch was using pictures of places the couple have traveled to as their table names in lieu of table numbers. Throughout their courtship they had traveled extensively and the places all had a special meaning and fond memories. What made it more special, was that the couple had pictures of the family or guests that they spent time with at each of these places.

In lieu of printed placecards with the guests name, they printed pictures (13 cent prints) and placed on card stock paper. These cards were then placed at each place setting for the guests to find their seats and on the back of the card was a personal thank you note to that individual.

The world has literally no boundaries, and the changes you are capable of achieving is often inhibited only by yourself. My little corner of the world is my family, my friends and Hawaii Weddings and Events. When all of these elements of my life are in order, then my personal life is happy.

As Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” What are the changes that we’re making and would like to see for others?

Balancing Work and Personal Lives:
First of all, we’re re-balancing our work and personal lives by establishing regular days off which in a society that is 24/7 is unheard of. We’ve found that by having this time off, we are not only more efficient and focused, and our creative side is flowing with new visions because we’e allowed ourselves time to rest and think.

Continuing Education:
We know from experience, that continued education is the key to success, which is why we continually attend event industry conferences such as CaterSource, Event Solutions, NACE Experience and Wedding MBA.

Every year I go to Kapi’olani Community Colleges’ event management class. You should see the look on the students faces when I tell them their education doesn’t end once they graduate.

I would love to see more seasoned veterans take the time to teach others, for they are the future of our industry. I not only continually educate myself, but continually educate and challenge my team and share my knowledge with those that truly have a passion for our industry.

It’s unfortunate that many businesses cut back on training programs, as the dollars they save on training hours would generate more business in the long run due to exceptional service.

When we train interns they learn the “basics” of setting up a table, locking it’s legs, learnng how to define linen size, how far to set flatware from the edges of a table, etc. You would be amazed at how many have never set a dinner place setting

Change your services to meet your clients’ needs.
The needs of clients are ever-changing, and for those businesses that have offered the same services for the last 10+ years or aren’t up to date with social media, find themselves struggling to make ends meet. You can’t remain status quo, the packages and services that Hawaii Weddings and Events offers today, is much different than what we offered in 2006.

Each year, we re-evaluate all of our packages and update at least one or two times based on our clients’ feedback and what we see as changing needs and our company goals. We encourage you to relook at how you are doing things and determine if it is meeting your clients’ needs as well as your own.

Do you remember the day you received your very first e-mail?

Do you remember how excited you were with the new wonders of technology?

Do you remember the last time your e-mail inbox was empty?

We truly appreciate e-mail for it allows us to plan destination weddings from all over the world and we even use e-mail for our busy local couples. The ability to communicate at any time of day and sharing pictures of inspirations and ideas simply by typing and clicking send is nothing short of amazing.

We do, however, want to give you some tips on how to reduce e-mail clutter in both your personal or business lives.

1. Create a separate “wedding” e-mail account so that all of your wedding planning is one location.

2. Create a separate “shopping” e-mail account so that your Groupon, Amazon, Snapfish, etc. orders are all separate from your personal account and most importantly, your business account.

3. Create labels so that you may file away your e-mails. Did you know we actually save each and every e-mail from our clients? We actually have two files for you, one that has your date/name and a second one that is date/name and DONE. When we receive an e-mail we review/answer and then place it in your date/name file. Then, when we have finished placing all notes into your timeline or set-up notes, or taken care of vendor requests, it is moved to the DONE file.

4. Create filters for your e-mails. Spam filters are obvious, but did you know you can also create rules to have your e-mails automatically labeled or forwarded to someone else?

5. Lastly, rather than writing several small e-mails, gather your thoughts throughout the day and save your e-mail as a “draft.” You may continue to update your “draft” e-mail and then at the end of the day send a comprehensive list. You can also make notes in the subject line (for example: Flowers-Minister-Musician) so that you can keep track of your e-mails.

As our 2011 wedding season starts to wrap up, we’re already busy at work developing “value added” offerings for our clients which will help stretch their hard earned dollars.

These special “added value” options are provided as a courtesy by our vendors as they know from experience that their day is much easier when our Hawaii Weddings and Events team is involved in the planning and on-site on the wedding day.

Stay tuned for more details!

This afternoon, in between meeting with two of our destination couples for this Saturday’s weddings, I took time to reflect upon the past year and our goals for 2012.

They say “to be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work” and it is so very true!

Over time, I’ve learned what gives me the greatest joy is:

a)  Seeing the bride and groom see everything that they’ve been planning “come to life” on their wedding day and exceed their expectations.

b)  Meeting people from all over the world and seeing them enjoy our Paradise with their friends and family.

c)  Making the time to teach others about our industry.    I’ve been blessed to have great mentors throughout my career, so I pay it forward by having students from Kapi’olani Community College event management class work with us on events, offer non-paid internships and continually support my team as they are confronted with new challenges.