We can’t hold in our excitement any longer! Diva Dialogues is beyond thrilled to have Kathryn Kalabokes, wedding and event planner, and owner of Dream a Little Dream Events, answer some questions for all of you engaged couples out there!

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

I am a full time wedding and event planner, with an office in the Lower Pacific Heights District of San Francisco. I started in the wedding business by offering calligraphy services about six years ago, and as I got more acclimated in the wedding industry, I started to learn about the planning side of the business. I started my own company in July 2004, and we have coordinated over 130 weddings in that time. My company currently has three wedding coordinators to handle everything from day-of coordination to full event planning.

WHAT’S THE 411 ABOUT DREAM A LITTLE DREAM EVENTS?

While learning about the industry, I realized there was a need for planners that can “customize” a wedding for their clients, not just sign the contract, send them to the same one vendor for every category, and be done with it. I found that I really like to spend time with my clients to understand what they are really about, how to make their wedding personalized and recommend vendors that not only match their budget, but personality and style. That is why we carry the reputation we have as not doing cookie cutter weddings, we like to be unique.

WHAT DO WEDDING COORDINATORS ACTUALLY DO?

In general, having a coordinator, even if it is just for day-of, is the best way for a couple to be able to ensure they will enjoy their wedding. I describe it as if you had a movie with no producer, you would have a bunch of people who, while great at what they do, were all doing their own thing without having one point person. We do everything from help plan a full wedding from start to finish, as well as offer day-of services. Your coordinator is your liaison to the wedding industry, and that in itself is priceless. They help you with vendors, timelines, advice, ideas and best of all, sanity. I’m always asked if a couple hires me, will I be able to save them money. The simple answer is yes, and it’s not necessarily always by negotiations or extending discounts to clients, but also by using our ideas and creativity to save our clients money where we can.

BEING A WEDDING PLANNING EXPERT, WHAT ADVICE COULD YOU GIVE US ABOUT PLANNING A WEDDING?

In my opinion, before you do ANYTHING, have a discussion with whoever is paying for the wedding about the budget. If it’s your parents, yourselves, or a combination of both, make sure you have communicated what that number is. The worst mistakes I see couples make is that they rush out, pick a venue or other vendor, and really have no idea about what they should be spending on each category of their wedding. Then, they come to find a planner after the fact, and realize that they spent 25% of the budget on the venue only. Take your time, have a plan, and if it involves hiring a planner, start there. If you are planning on your own, make sure you have a very clear budget and checklist in place, and hire a day-of coordinator for that last month of your wedding planning to put everything together.

WHAT ARE THE TRENDS THIS SEASON?

What is coming up for this year with color is just that, more color! We’re moving away from the chocolate brown and tiffany blues to tangerines and purples, blues and whites and yellows with anything. It’s fun to play with color at a wedding, and incorporate different shades of your colors rather than a flat two color palette. My favorite trend of late has been the late night snack for the guests. We have done everything from an ice cream cart, mini burger sliders to donut holes with a shot of hot chocolate. Guests get a pleasant surprise as the night is winding down, they may have had a little to drink, and there is a tasty snack coming around to them on a passed platter. It’s a great way to wind down the night.

ANY TIPS FOR HOW TO HAVE A DREAM WEDDING ON A BUDGET?

If you find a venue that offers you use of tables, chairs, linens, etc., that is a big cost saver. Also, if you can’t do a plated dinner for 150, try doing a later evening cocktail reception with heavy appetizer stations. You will save on not only table top rentals, but also the price of food per person goes down as well. You can also choose an off-season date, or a Friday night. Vendors as well as venues are usually inclined to offer a slightly lower rate.

I KNOW YOU ALSO DO CALLIGRAPHY. COULD YOU TELL US WHY IT’S IMPORTANT AND WHEN WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE THIS DONE?

Typically, your wedding invitation is one of the first things your guests will see about the wedding. It sets the tone, and there is nothing worse than spending $1500 on your invitations, and then sending them out with printed labels. The important thing is that they are hand written, it is classy and personal. It doesn’t necessarily need to be calligraphy, which is why I offer many styles since invitations are coming out in so many styles now as well. If you are looking for a calligrapher, make sure you research and contact them at least 2 months before hand. They will usually require the envelopes a few weeks before your expected mailing date, and can charge anywhere from between $1.25-5.00 an envelope.

THANKS SO MUCH KATHRYN! I KNOW YOU’VE CONVINCED ME TO GET A PLANNER. ANY LAST WORDS?

Thanks so much for this opportunity to answer these questions, I hope the couples reading it get some help from it.

Tags: answer, question, wedding planner

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