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Bridal Planning Budget Weddings Multicultural Weddings Washington DC wedding planner Wedding Ceremony Wedding planner Wedding Planner in Virginia Wedding Planning Wedding Venue Coordinator Weddings

What to Look for in a Full-Service Wedding Planner?

When planning for a wedding, hiring a full-service wedding planner may have probably crossed your mind. Though it can be overwhelming to search through their services and identify which ones are essential for you, we have listed down some of the most vital services to spot on when hiring events and wedding planners! 

1. Conceptualization

What to Look for in a Full-Service Wedding Planner?

The first and foremost step to break the ice in your wedding preparation is to hire a professional to help you. Your reliable wedding planner will help you develop an initial concept that entails the wedding theme, styling, and the overall feel of the event. 

2. Budget creation and management

One of the most crucial stages in wedding planning is the planning and creation of a budget. Although it is expected that you already have a ball figure before actually hiring a wedding planner, seeking professional advice will give you insights on how to maximize and manage your wedding budget wisely. Hence, hiring a professional wedding planner includes availing their expertise in budget creation and management. 

3. Wedding checklist and schedule creation

It is known for a fact that preparing for a wedding takes much of your time, and it may be difficult to juggle other responsibilities aside from the wedding preparations. But, wedding planners are there for a reason. Known to be the masters of time management, professional wedding planners take pride in their ability to squeeze in all pre-wedding activities within the allotted months of preparation. And because of that, there is no need to worry about missing out on an important wedding errand or running out of time!

4. Vendor recommendations and contract negotiations

Wedding planners are there for a reason or two – and most of the time, their connections really do matter! When you hire a reliable wedding planner, that trust extends up to the wedding vendors that they recommend, and you just know that these vendors are the seasoned experts in the wedding industry! This aspect spares you from so much worry about hiring the wrong team of suppliers, and your wedding planner may even help you come up with good contract negotiations! 

5. Venue and events management

What to Look for in a Full-Service Wedding Planner?

Who wants to stress about the venue and event on their very own wedding day? You certainly do not want to picture yourself stressing about the insufficient number of chairs while in your wedding dress. Hence, hiring a professional wedding planner saves you from unnecessary stress by managing the logistics needed for the venue and the overall event. 

At Mimi Ebichi Events, we make sure to take care of each and every wedding preparation for our clients – just what any couple would dream of. As masters of creativity and time management intertwined, we make your dream wedding come to life. Book a FREE consultation with us today! 

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Budget Weddings Multicultural Weddings Washington DC wedding planner Wedding Ceremony Wedding Guest List Wedding planner Wedding Planning Wedding Venue Coordinator

How to Set a Wedding Budget

Planning a wedding can be both exciting and daunting – from choosing a wedding date, reception venue, wedding favors and suppliers, and wedding attire. Then comes the discussion about the wedding budget. No need to fret, we’re here to help! We have listed down below some of the things that are often overlooked when planning a wedding budget.

1. Wedding invites

Crafting your wedding invites surely is fun to do. We’re sure you’ve already planned your matching RSVPs, or maybe you even hired a calligrapher. However, allotting a budget for postage/stamps is something most couples tend to forget. These stamps may not be so pretty as compared to your envelopes and embossed invitations, but they do come in handy and are important when it comes time to mail those out!

2. Gratuities

Most people understand this as a “tip”. Although giving a tip is highly arbitrary and optional (but recommended), it is always worth it to give extra gratitude to the people who have worked far and beyond during your wedding. If you’re hiring a handful of wedding staff and suppliers, make sure to set aside enough amount of budget for the tip! 

3. Taste tests

How to Set a Wedding Budget

While you are looking forward to hiring a reliable and good-quality wedding caterer, we’re sure you are also prepping up for the much-awaited taste test and dry runs. Although most wedding caterers include the taste test in their service fees, there are still some suppliers who make this as a separate offer. The best option is to ask about the inclusions of their service and set aside a reasonable amount for taste testing.

4. Additional decorations and stationery 

How to Set a Wedding Budget

When you are envisioning your dream wedding theme and style, you may have overlooked the small details and decorations that must be budgeted too. These additional decorations may include table runners, candles, place cards, escort cards, and other small stationery pieces. While these things may still add up as the wedding preparations progress, it is best to allot a budget for them. 

5. Thank you notes

When all the merriments and well wishes have been said and done, giving thanks to your guests who spent their time and resources for you is always a good idea.  You want to thank them appropriately and everyone knows a thank you note in the mail is the way to do it. Thank you notes typically aren’t very expensive, but they do cost something, so they should be in your budget.

We at Mimi Ebichi Events take pride in treating our services as a wedding investment. We are committed to bringing blissful wedding celebrations to our valuable clients through our artistry, craft, and wedding planning experiences seasoned through the years. Book a FREE consultation with us today and let’s start this year by planning your wedding! 

Related Reads:

How to Plan an Intimate Wedding in 2022

How to Pick The Right Wedding Caterer

How to Plan Your Wedding Reception: 5 Top Advice

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Budget Weddings Social Event Wedding Wedding Ceremony Wedding planner Wedding Planner in Virginia Wedding Planning

How to Plan an Intimate Wedding in 2022

There is no doubt that the pandemic has created a significant impact on the wedding industry today. Emerging trends and new wedding arrangements have come to life. With the health restrictions in place, most couples now prefer an intimate, romantic wedding over a grand, dreamy one. If you are considering a small-sized wedding for 2022, continue scrolling as we walk you through some of the tried and tested tips to plan for an intimate wedding in 2022

1. Finalize the guest list

Couples who choose to do an intimate wedding must plan their wedding guest list strategically. This means that you have to consider streamlining your guest size by limiting the attendees to your immediate family members and closest friends. A strategic way to do this is to create 2 versions of your guest list – one for drafting all the possible guests without considering the ideal guest count first. From there, create another version that already considers downsizing the guest number. This helps you carefully eliminate and select the people who can attend and those who can watch the live stream instead – yep, it’s another option you can consider!

2. Personalize your style

How to Plan an Intimate Wedding in 2022

Since this is an intimate romantic wedding, why not grab the chance and make it a little extra personal? Most couples prefer to do an intimate wedding mainly because it leaves ample room for authenticity in style and aesthetics. Make your intimate wedding a reflection of you as a couple!

Related: How to Set a Wedding Budget

3. Consider the wedding venue

wedding venue

As it goes without saying, considering the size of your chosen wedding venue is equally important to decide to have an intimate wedding for 2022. With COVID restrictions in place, choosing the right wedding venue for your ceremony and reception has to be large enough to accommodate all your guests while still observing the proper health protocols.

4. Play and explore with seating arrangements

wedding table setting

As mentioned earlier, having an intimate wedding in 2022 leaves you more room to play with and explore your creativity – yes, even with the seating arrangements. You might want to consider having an extra-large round table (that’s appropriate for social distancing, of course) for 10-20 guests to fill more space. Or, you could have smaller tables with fewer guests with which you can still interact during dinner. The choice is totally up to you!

5. Enjoy and embrace the moment

wedding dance

And lastly, we highly recommend you simply enjoy and embrace your big day! One thing about having an intimate wedding is that it allows you to bond and interact with your guests at a more personal level – so take this chance to do so! You deserve to have an immeasurably memorable day with all the months of preparation and investment in your wedding. 

We at Mimi Ebichi Events take pride in treating our services as a wedding investment. We are committed to bringing blissful wedding celebrations to our valuable clients through our artistry, craft, and wedding planning experiences seasoned through the years. Book a FREE consultation with us today and let’s start this year by planning your wedding! 

Related Reads:

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Budget Weddings Wedding Wedding Planning

How do I Plan a Nice Wedding on a Budget?

By the time that you are reading this, you are probably bombarded with a lot of questions in your mind. Aside from the fact that you are flying high with ecstatic visions of a blissful wedding, the responsibilities that come with wedding preparations may overwhelm you a lot. As the days go nearer leading to the big day, the anxiety gets bigger and more real, especially in the budgeting department.

Fret no more, because we have narrowed down some helpful tips in pulling off a budget-wise yet intimate wedding celebration for you.


1. What kind of wedding do you really want?
It is best to determine the type of wedding, to begin with. When you envision your wedding, what do you see? A sacred ceremony at the church? An intimate exchange of vows in the garden? Or a spontaneous celebration at the beach during sunset? If you need a little more inspiration to pump up your creativity, think about all the weddings that you attended before, seen on television, scrolled through on Pinterest, and the like. However, do not get all fed up with all the details just yet. The goal here is to focus on how you feel about the type of wedding that you want to consider.


2. Have the “talk”.
Both parties who will shell out money for the wedding need to have a serious, sit-down conversation about setting a total budget. In this way, you will become well aware of the types of services to avail of and vendors to negotiate with. While setting a budget surely is a tricky task, it is a lot easier if you could do a breakdown into categories and figuring out what percentage to devote to each category. Say, for example, 55% goes to the reception, 12% for the ceremony, and so on. Also, this might be your first experience budgeting together with your future spouse, what a priceless experience, right? Learning the importance of honest and open communication in the money department is going to lay the groundwork for managing your finances once you are married.

Read: How Much is Too Much in a Wedding Guest List?


3. What is non-negotiable?
Once you have made the percentages, take time with your fiancé to contemplate on the things that are nonnegotiable for your wedding. This can start with coming up with a top-three must-haves for your big day. They can be a garden ceremony, an outdoor reception, or a live jazz band – anything you deem is VERY important to the both of you.


4. Make room for allowance
Once you have set a wedding budget, it is best if you could give it a little allowance too. As we all know, there will be unexpected expenses along the way and your budget will determine how well you could attend to such expenses. Take these expenses into consideration by putting the extent of range into your budget. This way, you have the flexibility to handle any sudden expenses. Lastly, your wedding celebration is a huge event that demands extensive planning, that is why it is helpful to determine what you can get for a certain dollar amount. What does $5000 get you? How about $10,000? $15,000?

Read: Things You May Have Forgotten in Your Wedding Budget


5. Determine your venue wisely.
Considering the reality that the venue eats up the largest chunk of your budget, a simple outdoor venue can do the trick for you. If you are a couple who does not mind having a very simple yet intimate reception, you can host this ceremony at your home, your parent’s home, or a park nearby. The point is, an outdoor ceremony in your own space creates a personal meaning that eliminates the need for a grand, elaborate one.

Read: What to Consider When Choosing a Wedding Venue


6. Contingency is key.
If you do decide to have an outdoor event, make sure to have at least three backup plans in case things do not work in your favor. The unpredictable weather can dampen your day, so make sure that you come up with a handy plan B or equip the place for it to become rain-proof.

Mimi Ebichi Events give utmost value to your celebrations – whether big or small. We not only plan your big day, but we also make sure to provide a contingency plan for the most unexpected events along with the preparations. For our team, your hard-earned money deserves a celebration that is worth the memories and a lifetime.

Contact us to book a consultation.