Results for design Tag

keep brides and corporate clients happy

THE IMPORTANCE OF FUN DURING THE WEDDING AND EVENT PLANNING PROCESSS

(Image via james.holly) Recommendations from clients can be a blessing or a curse. I’ve seen it all. There’s the bride who is so happy with my work that she can’t wait to recommend me to all of her girlfriends who are also getting married. (I live for these brides!) Then there are the clients, often [...]

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recommendations for the wedding and event planning industry

MORE ON RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE WEDDING AND EVENT PLANNING INDUSTRY

(Image via sarae) This morning I introduced the topic of recommendations and how, unfortunately, some recommendation tactics in the wedding and event planning industry aren’t always fair or reliable. We’ve already discussed those dreaded preferred vendor lists from venues. Now, I’d like to tackle commissions and nasty gossip. If you recommend me for a job, [...]

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dear preston

I’VE GOT SOME EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE

(Image via the00rig) Happy Friday, everyone! Not only is the weekend only hours away but the sun is shining AND I have some exciting news to share. One of the things I love most about this blog is the community that has grown out of it. I love learning what you think and watching discussions [...]

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creating happy brides and happy weddings

PREVENT UNHAPPY BRIDES AND CLIENTS

(Image via Brent Gambrell) What’s the easiest way to keep brides and other clients happy? Give them great service, talent, and care. Sounds pretty simple, right? Unfortunately, it’s not. The biggest issue is how you relate to each other. Let’s face it. Most brides and clients choose their wedding and event vendors because they like [...]

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planning the perfect wedding

THE SECRET FORMULA FOR CREATING A MEMORABLE WEDDING OR EVENT

(Image via becca.peterson26) No matter how carefully I plan and design my weddings and events, something always goes wrong. It’s inevitable. However, some things are very much IN your control. Here’s my list of the 10 things that can and should be perfect at every wedding and event: 1. Wedding and Event Invitations. On this, I [...]

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perfectionist and the event planning industry

PERFECTIONISTS IN EVENT PLANNING

I’m pretty confident that if I took a poll, most of you would consider yourselves perfectionists. Recently, to my great surprise, a good friend accused me of been an extreme perfectionist. Being in the wedding and event industry means that we’re always aiming for that perfect evening — not only for our clients and brides [...]

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Royal Wedding Flowers Centerpieces Design Decor

MY ROYAL WEDDING RECAP

(image via Iker Merodio) What a morning! Did you watch the Royal Wedding? I couldn’t resist! I had such fun on Twitter live tweeting with my fellow bloggers and tweeters! I must admit that with all the hype surrounding the Royal Wedding, I was afraid it might not live up to our expectations. Fortunately, I [...]

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Wedding Industry Etiquette Making Money

THE ONE MISTAKE YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE

(Image via John C Abell) Most of the wedding designers, wedding planners, wedding photographers, and other wedding vendors I meet and work with are very talented. And talent, well, that’s the hard part. So it has always struck me that vendors who have the hard part down (the skills!) are sometimes so bad at the [...]

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Preston Bailey Wagner College Event Planning Design

A BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR OF MY STUDIO WITH WAGNER COLLEGE

Last week, a group of talented Wagner College students who are currently enrolled in my Signature Wedding and Event Design course visited me and my team at our New York City offices. I’m so inspired by other wedding and event designers, but especially those that are young and just starting out. Their perspective is fresh, [...]

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vendors stealing ideas copy cats

COPY CATS: WHAT TO DO WHEN OTHER VENDORS STEAL YOUR IDEAS

No doubt almost all of you have your own websites to help promote your businesses. When clients are looking to hire a caterer, photographer, planner, designer, florist etc… for a big party or wedding where do they start their search? The internet, of course.  In today’s market, if you don’t have your own site, it’s [...]

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Easter Table Setting Decorations

MY RECIPE FOR A MAGICAL EASTER CELEBRATION

Happy Easter! I love this holiday. When I was a child in Panama I always received a new suit for Easter; it was the one time each year that I got a brand new outfit. I wanted to look good, because all of the colorful church ladies wore extraordinary hats and outfits to our Baptist [...]

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event design

VENTING: DESIGNING TO BE PRETTY OR DESIGNING TO BE DRAMATIC AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

(Image via Chris Bartnik Photography) I live in my own world of design fantasy, and I’m under the impression that most designers as well as clients want their event to be jaw-dropping dramatic. However, I frequently travel around the world giving speeches, and, lately, I’ve been meeting a lot of very frustrated designers. They complain [...]

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Preston Bailey Flowers

UPDATING MY LIST OF TALENTED FLORISTS IN YOUR AREA

As you likely know, our headquarters are in New York City. However, we are fortunate enough to work in many cities across the country and around the world. For these destination jobs, I usually bring my own key florists with me and then hire most of the existing local talent. I do this for three [...]

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goldfish, bowl, my top 10 worst mistakes

Common Mistakes: My 10 All Time Worst Mistakes

I have often been asked what my worst mistakes are. Being in the industry for over 30 years, I could write a book called Preston’s Screw Ups. However, in the hope that you do not make the same mistakes, here are my 10 all time worst mistakes going from bad to worse. 10. I think [...]

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Venting, Difference, Wedding and Design

Venting: Explaining the Difference Between Planners & Designers

(Image via via Jude Doyland) I empathize with most clients who aren’t sure about the difference between what planners do and what designers do. These two services have become so interchangeable that most of the time, it’s difficult to tell them apart. Not to mention the local banquet managers from hotels and venues who do [...]

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Floral Sculptures in the New York Public Library (Best of 2010)

This post wraps up our “Best of” re-posts for 2010. Have a safe and Happy New Year and I’ll be back with new posts next week! Last Monday was the end of Bridal Fashion week in New York. There were tons of parties and events in the Big Apple going on throughout the day and [...]

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taper candles, decorations

FAQs: How do I use candles without getting wax everywhere? (Best of 2010)

The short answer: I don’t use real candles. For the long answer, keep reading… The one thing almost 100% of my clients love is candlelight. A beautifully candlelit room can immediately evoke the feeling of romance. I think it reminds us of looking up into the magic and mystery of the skies. Also, the biggest [...]

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celebrations, floral arrangements, table setting, chairs, tablecloths, candles,white, small centerpieces

Candles: Are they worth the wax trouble? (Best of 2010)

Candles bring a certain ambience that just can’t be reproduced with other types of lighting. Here are a few of my favorite ways to decorate with candles: Everyone loves candles but how do you avoid those messy wax accidents in your design? Find out in tomorrow’s post… But first, I have a question for you. There [...]

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Chair covers, floral centerpieces,orchids, pink,purple, shiny fabric, table setting, celebration, napkins holders, name cards

FAQs: Should I go with my chairs & tables covered or naked? (Best of 2010)

I still wonder, even today, why it is that most venues have the worst tablecloths and the ugliest chairs. At times, the tablecloths do not even go all the way to the floor. They’re usually in the most basic colors (think white), and the chairs are soiled or just plain ugly. When I first started, [...]

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Celebrations,flower centerpieces, Ceremony, Ballroom, draping, chandeliers, candles, glasses, table setting, curtains,gray,tree branches, hyacinths, lilacs

What’s In or Out? Color Trends (Best of 2010)

For this week between Christmas and New Year’s, I thought it’d be great to re-post some of the most popular blog posts from 2010. I’ll post one each day and resume normal blogging on Monday, January 3rd. Have a great New Year all! Today’s post is all about Color Trends from 2010. From this survey, [...]

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