COVID19 and your wedding
Joaquin Valverde
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COVID19 Pandemic Came and we must postpone our wedding, now what?

As a wedding venue we have been hit by this COVID19 pandemic quite hard and so have our wedding couples, whose months of wedding planning have been shattered by the restrictions imposed by government.

At first it was a limitation on the number of guests you were allowed to invite (100 guests), then the limitation in terms of alcohol was imposed (no alcohol to be served if the number of guests was over 50, including staff working at the function) and then finally, the dreaded LOCKDOWN due to the COVID19 Pandemic worldwide.

As a venue, we only managed to do a wedding before the lockdown came into place, and it wasn’t great because people were upset with the restrictions and very emotional about it.

Now, 9 days into the lock down and all the weddings that were planned for end of march and April had to postpone their big day to dates later in the year.

This has several implications:

  1. Finding a new suitable date with the venue
  2. Agreeing with the venue and other service providers that you won’t be charged a cancellation fee.
  3. Make sure you can move your flights or any other traveling arrangements you might have made like flying for your honeymoon, accommodation, etc.
  4. Knowing when the restrictions will be lifted so that the wedding can go as planned (number of guests and alcohol limitations)
  5. Getting all the relevant suppliers to agree to the new date, provided they have the availability
  6. Organize new traveling arrangements for guests coming out of town.
  7. Deal with potential extra costs like higher venue hires, price increases on some of the services, etc.
  8. Will I have a job when the pandemic crisis is over?
  9. Should I cancel the wedding all together?
  10. Will this postponement affect our relationship?

Based on my experience for 16 years and what we had to deal with over the last 4 weeks with the COVID19 Pandemic, I would like to comment on each of those points to try and shed some light and help you make the right decision for your wedding.

  1. Finding a new suitable date with the venue. This should be relatively easy as Venues will be very accommodating in these testing times. The challenge would be:
      1. To find a Saturday if you are changing your dates from early winter to beginning of summer.
      2. The higher venue hires one normally pays in summer
      3. Some venues might try to force you to choose off peak dates
  2. Cancellation fees for postponement. This is a tricky one but after speaking to several service providers I have worked with for over 12 years, most of them understand that the pandemic is no one’s fault and they will waive any extra costs, cancellation costs, etc.
  1. Flight and other traveling arrangements. This has been quite a controversial one and at first it wasn’t clear if people would be able to cancel flights or even postpone them. In the end most airlines came to the party and decided to allow people to postpone if available or to get a voucher to book future new flights.The challenge here is to find availability on your new wedding dates and the fact that some of the airlines limit the time you can use the refund voucher for. I booked a flight to Port Elizabeth for Ironman on the 28th of March with Flysafair and they did allow me to cancel the flight but the voucher I received is only valid for 6 months and the new dates for Ironman fall outside that 6 months period (15th November are the new dates).As far as accommodation is concerned, things are a little trickier, sometimes those businesses are small and have suffered incredible loses due to the COVID19 Lockdown and they might not be in a position to refund you but most will be happy to postpone your dates to later in the year with no cancellation fees.  I firmly believe that trying to get refunds from these small businesses will cause huge irreparable financial damage to them and out of solidarity it would be best to ask them for postponement in these difficult times. You will say that it is your money and not your fault, but it isn’t their fault either. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
  2. When would restrictions fall away? This is the biggest question mark of them all. I firmly believe the COVID19 virus will create a new set of social rules moving forward. The world will never be the same as we know it.
    1. When will the lockdown finish for real? 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, no one knows and if anything goes by what’s happening in Europe, they keep on moving the goal post.
    2. If the lockdown is over, what will happen with the restrictions in terms of amount of guest you can have in your party
    3. Will you be allowed to serve alcohol or not?
  1. Getting all suppliers to agree to a new date. This will also be one of your biggest challenges as some of the suppliers like photographers, Make-up artist and the likes can only do 1 wedding at a time and their availability is much more limited. Also asking them for a refund, when they will have zero income for several weeks or even months, wouldn’t be a good idea. Again, we are talking about solidarity, this is a world crisis, and these are small businesses that rely on their income for survival. The advice here is to try to find a suitable date with them so as not to make them go bust.

“Again, we are talking about solidarity,
this is a world crisis”

  1. Out of town guests. Some of your guest come from out of town and they might have other commitments on the new dates or maybe their airline (as above) only allowed them to postpone for a certain period. This one is unfortunately a difficult one and linked to the restrictions imposed by Government. We don know at this stage if people will be allowed to travel for quite some time after the lockdown period. As I said earlier, the COVID19 will mark a before and an after in how things are done so time will tell.
  1. Higher costs. Potentially some of the costs will go up and you didn’t budget for this. This is a very controversial point as Venue Hire, prices, etc. do change depending on the time of the year. I think considering the world crisis we find ourselves. You have quite a bit of room for negotiation. We encourage you to have solidarity with vendors and the vendors should reciprocate in the same manner. An honest conversation with them will go a long way.
  1. Will I have a job when all of this is over. This is something that has come up a few times with couples getting married at Valverde that had to postpone. We have been saying that after the crisis is over, we can sit down with them (after social distancing rules have been relaxed again) and discuss all those scenarios. Government and the private sector are making huge donations and contributions to the Relief Fund, UIF Fund, etc. (to date, some of the most wealthy businessmen in SA have contributed a total of R3Billion, the Rupert Family, the Oppenheim Family and the Motsepe Foundation) to assist businesses like in the hospitality industry that have been hit hard due to the COVID19. We all trust this will help all companies stay afloat amid such difficult and tough conditions.
  2. Should you cancel your wedding all together. I have mentioned the word solidarity a few times in this article and I think that’s the key when considering cancelling or not. If all functions, conferences, wedding and hotel room bookings where to be cancelled, thousands of businesses would go under and millions of South Africans would lose their jobs. It is everybody’s responsibility to try and avoid this no matter what. We are all in this together and if us wedding suppliers and you the customer are honest with each other, we can find common ground and still make your dream wedding come true.

    “It is everybody’s responsibility to
    try and avoid this no matter what”

  3. Will the postponement affect our relationship? Sometimes organizing a wedding can take months and even years of planning, hundreds of phone calls, hours of browsing the web, countless emails and lots and lots of stress. A postponement can be a huge blow and some people can go into depression after all the hard work they had to put in. The key is for couples and families to be kind with each other and supportive. Ultimately this wasn’t your decision or your fault

The fact is it’s the celebration of your marriage that’s getting postponed, Other people are dealing with losing jobs and income and the world is facing a pandemic.

Ultimately your love for each other is very much intact and eternal and because the human spirit can overcome anything we will get through this together.

As a business owner I have hope that we will together overcome this world crisis and we will come out stronger on the other side of this.

I write this from the bottom of my heart, and I wish everyone a safe lockdown and don’t forget that in the end, humanity shall overcome.

Joaquin Valverde
Owner Valverde Eco Hotel

weddingblunder
Valverde Eco Hotel
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6 fatal wedding planning blunders

Sometimes the best way to know how to do something right, is to know exactly what not to do! Your wedding is possibly the most special day of your life and unfortunately to make it special it does take some fairy meticulous planning. You may have decided to plan it yourself, whether for financial reasons, or just because it something you want to do …well, good luck with it and let us try to help by pointing out just 6 fatal wedding planning blunders …there may be more, but we believe this is the most important half dozen …

  1. Not having a timeline – From the moment you choose the date of the big day, you are on a countdown of time. Try to make sure time is on your side by not making the big day too soon – the pressure of doing everything in limited time could ruin the occasion long before you get there. As any good wedding planner will tell you, create a timeline of everything that has to happen, working backwards from the big day to what has to be done right now.
  2. Not having a budget – This is another fatal error. You book a great wedding venue and then invite the whole World and their Aunty, only to find out you’re actually on a limited budget. Work out exactly what you can spend, then what fits into that budget and stick to it!
  3. Not knowing your service providers – It happens all the time, the caterer you booked told you he could produce dainty finger pastries for the arrival snacks and then produces messy mini-hamburgers because it’s all he really can do! Make sure you have good testimonials and personally interview all the service providers you book, to avoid tears on the carrot cake – which looks like a real carrot!
  4. Not paying attention to detail – We are not talking about just the little details of the flower arrangements and dinner settings – A good wedding venue can ensure these kinds of details are covered – We are talking about the important details of having your license documents in order and contracts with all your service providers. Many don’t even know, for example, that if you have been divorced you will have to present your ‘decree of divorce’ document to the priest or licensing officer preparing your wedding license. Also legal contracts can prevent service providers from mistakenly double booking and leaving you hanging for a more lucrative engagement!
  5. Not having fun – Whatever you do …and whoever does the planning – have fun doing it! This is a special and blessed period of your life and the planning of it should be a pleasurable experience. If the stress is too much for you, then get help – remember a wedding planner can save you as much as they cost you – or if you’d really rather do it yourself then just read on …
  6. Not having a plan at all –The biggest blunder is not having any plan at all – This day is way too important to risk messing it up, so even if you are planning it on your own, partner with a great wedding venue like Valverde Eco Hotel. We have a detailed online wedding planner to ensure you don’t make any of these common blunders and we are happy to give you all the help and advice you will need to ensure this important day is as special as it should be.
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Power packed presentations can make your conference click

As a conference venue proprietor I take great pride in what our venue Valverde Eco hotel  offers and know that we have all the key elements to ensure that your business conference is seamless from from an operational point of view and a pleasurable experience.

What I, as a conference venue host, can’t guarantee is that it’s going to be a memorable experience for your delegates from a presentation point of view! Will it be another boring conference with presentations that just echo last year’s stats and the coming year’s projections, delivered badly utilising dull power point formats, by less than average presenters? …or will they be treated to power packed presentations that make your conference click?

Well, I can’t make it happen, but having had some presentation experience and written the E-book ‘Ten tips for effective presentations’, perhaps I can offer an abbreviated version to help you to make sure your presentations are the highlight of the event! Here are just 3 pillars of creating a power packed offering…

Do something different – Before you even start on creating a standard power point presentation – think about 2 ‘D’s – Deliberate on doing something Different! Power packed does not necessarily mean ‘power point’. If you can bring other elements into your presentation – music, visual aids …even dancers if you like – whatever is different and makes impact, can immediately alleviate he boredom of a normal power point presentation. In my E-book I refer to this as ‘getting off the grid.’ Think about it – try to come up with something creative – what will have those delegates on the edge of their seats and on their feet? Having considered that – if you are still using power point, then as I said in my E-book remember the elements of Design – Leonardo Da Vinci said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. You do not need to be a designer to make good power point slides – just think simply. Secondly, use more images and less words – we are by nature visual creatures and we remember images long after words. Words should be just ‘Keywords.’ Thirdly, relating to simplicity – keep fonts clearly legible and easy to read. Give any necessary lengthy information to delegates in handouts. Finally use powerful, effective imagery – A picture should paint a thousand words – ensure the ones you choose do!

Plan and practice – However different and dynamic your presentation may be, you will be restricted to a certain time span to deliver it. Work out all its elements IE. Beginning, body and possible ending – is there question or discussion time? – Get the stop watch out and plan it to perfection. If the last 5 minutes of your presentation has delegates checking their watches because they want to go to lunch, you have failed to plan it well …and to keep their attention! Secondly practice, practice and practice some more. A power packed presentation should run like a well oiled machine. This is show business – you are entertaining as well as educating. The late Michael Jackson and Steve jobs had one thing in common; they practiced their respective shows meticulously and for hours on end. If possible, perform it to a few people using all your material …like having a dress rehearsal for a show …and ultimately this will lead to…
A slick presentation – Because your material is well chosen, dynamic, well designed and well practiced, you now just need to present it well for it to be a great presentation. Let’s face it, we’re not all showmen, but we can follow a few rules that make us look good. Firstly, don’t read anything – especially not off the board …this is the ultimate insult to your audience, it suggests that you have not had the time to learn your own presentation and makes for a very boring experience. Secondly as I say in my E-book, use black slides – the essence of this is to just ensure the material around and behind you place you firmly in the spotlight …and finally engage with your audience. Have eye contact and wherever possible interact with them. For any audience, their participation makes a presentation far more interesting and fun!

I hope this has been of some use to you and will help you to create power packed presentations that make your conference click. To ensure that everything else about your conference is as well planned, rehearsed, interesting and pleasurable, I invite you to book Valverde Eco hotel for a perfect conference experience. Engage with me here or contact us to talk about every aspect of this vital part of your business calendar.

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Go green for a conference with a conscience!

I have in the past written much advice on ensuring that you and your company have a pleasurable and useful experience when carrying out your next conference. A good conference venue is so essential …what it offers you to ensure the running of the event is seamless, your business objectives achieved and all of this within an environment that is relaxed and enjoyable. Much has to be considered when booking a conference – as a successful conference venue proprietor I should know, I wrote an E-book on it …and these things include many factors, like assessing the accessibility of the venue, the capacity of the meeting rooms, the functionality of the presentation equipment, good accommodation and great catering ….to name just a few. The one I would like to make a point of in this article however is the one I believe to be so important – it has been a personal passion and an added extra that Valverde conference venue offers, so I would like to point out a few good reasons that you should think about going green for a conference with a conscience!

 

Firstly though, why even hold a ‘green’ conference? You can argue that your company have other ‘green’ initiatives …and I hope that you do, but that’s all the more reason to extend this carbon free footprint into your conference choice …and here are a handful of great reasons to do so…

 

  • It shows a moral commitment – For the sake of the next generation, we can no longer, in good conscience, ignore our personal or corporate responsibility to act on behalf of our planet, when we have alternatives at our disposal. Every business has a moral responsibility to make the effort to ‘go green’ and show themselves to be doing so …which leads to my next point…

 

  • It is good PR – The attitude of the public toward the environment is changing, particularly now, since the effect of Global warming is being so tangibly felt and research shows that today’s socially aware younger generation, your future customers, will insist on only doing business with environmentally conscious companies. Even your current customers will no doubt warm to a business with a social conscience – which you even extend to utilising a ‘green’ conference venue! Include it in your newsletters and advertising – it’s very good PR!

 

  • It’s potentially good for business – Don’t underestimate the influence of the young on their parent’s purchase decisions. Without even looking to the future though, right now, through acting with a social conscience (and how more blatantly can you do so than by having a green conference?) you will endear many new customers to you who will think and talk differently about your business and ultimately this ‘word of mouth’ is your greatest referral.

 

  • It shows employees your commitment – If the ‘green’ initiative is important to you then make it important to your Employees too. Let them see that by choosing a ‘green’ conference your company’s commitment is solid.

 

  • It’s different and fun – We, at Valverde conference venue, have a number of ways to bring the ‘green’ theme into the conference – apart from the fact that you are supporting a venue where we use only solar water heating and re-cycled water, we have a really interesting tour of our composting/worm farm, onsite veggie garden and water saving programs.

 

Hopefully I’ve convinced you that it’s a great idea to go green for a conference with a conscience …if so, please engage with me here, or contact us  and let’s talk about how we can partner in extending our mutual environmental awareness programs and ensure your next conference is not only expertly handled at a beautiful venue, but one that can benefit your business …and our planet!

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Have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank – Part 4

We are experiencing something close to a recession in South Africa at the moment and as much as a big wedding is every girl’s dream, the reality is that even her ‘big day’ may be reduced according to what the bridal couple can really afford. In this, the fourth and final part of our mini-series on cost cutting tips for those who want to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank, we look at three more of the possibly high cost items which, with some thought and ingenuity, can become three of the lower cost items! They are the Photographer, the cake and the spiritual aspect.

The Photographer – With the advent of digital cameras you can go and buy a brand new camera, if needs be, for a couple of hundred Rands and not pay a Photographer several thousands of Rands to do what you potentially can do for yourself! Almost every family has a good Photographer in their midst – at a friend of mine’s wedding there were 2 – one took still pictures with his digital camera and another took video with his rather in-expensive video camera too. A word of caution though – These memories are vital – so your savings can be massive, but you don’t want to take a chance on failure. Make sure your family photographers are reliable, have had some experience and back up their pictures! By the way, Valverde Eco Hotel is not only a great wedding venue, but offers a free photography re-shoot if it rains!

The Cake – Massive three tiered cakes that form a focal point in the reception area are a ‘nice to have’ but can also be a massive cost and are really not that necessary. My experience is that the most wastage of all the catering at every wedding is with the cake! You can get a custom cake from a grocery store at a really reasonable price – or better still turn to the family again – almost every family has a closet Baker, just dying to show their skill – at your wedding hopefully!

The Spiritual aspect– For many …and I totally agree, the spiritual aspect of the wedding is of utmost importance and should not be compromised. A donation to whoever marries you according to your own religious persuasion is usual, but need not be massive. However, do remember that, to cut transport and extra possible venue costs, most good wedding venues have beautiful chapels at the venue in close proximity to the reception area. Many people who don’t have a full time spiritual leader to marry them, when asking around, find out that a member of the family is qualified to do so …and there again is a cost saving.

We hope this mini-series has been of some help and will possibly enable you to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank! Should you require any additional help, ideas, a great online wedding planner and a superb wedding venue, contact us to ensure that your wedding, whatever your budget, is still a special, magical, memorable occasion.

plan your perfect wedding cake
Joaquin Valverde
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Complete Wedding Cake Checklist

Complete wedding cake checklist

A wedding cake is a very traditional part of a couple’s wedding celebration and the cutting of the cake is the first deed the couple is expected to tackle – and accomplish – together.

Your wedding cake will need to fit into the overall style and theme of the wedding day. When speaking to the chef or baker, convey your preferences as to whether you would like a contemporary or traditional, ornate or simple design. You may not want a tiered cake at all and instead choose a single layer cake, or even go with cake pops or individual cupcakes to hand out to guests.

Tiers to tower
When choosing a tiered cake, consider the different shapes available, such as round, square, rectangular, hexagonal or so on. You can also mix the shapes up, although the most pleasing combination to the eye is a larger base working up in size reductions to a smaller top tier.

Size of the slice
In bygone days, the size of the wedding cake was chosen in order to convey the wealth and social standing of the family. Today however, the couple orders the size of the cake according to the number of servings required to cater for their guests. In general, three tiers will serve 50-100 guests. So, if you’re having 150 or more guests, you’ll likely need four or more tiers; alternatively consider ordering a three-tiered cake and then making up the rest of the slices with a sheet cake, which can be sliced up discreetly in the kitchen. If you have a small guest list but still want a tall-tiered cake, you can have your cake baker create the bottom layer out of Styrofoam and decorate it to look like the rest of the cake.

Fruity fillings
Not everyone likes fruit cake – the usual filling of wedding cakes due to the firm consistency offered up – however you don’t need to choose fruit cake at all. The main point of your wedding cake should be to have the most flavourful offering that you like. If you like sponges then have that. If you would like an ice-cream cake then have that! Once you have determined the filling of your cake then you can determine the additional flavours.

Easy on the eye
Your cake can be created to perfectly match or complement your wedding day colours, however stay away from using primary or bold colours in the icing and rather choose the softer shades of your wedding day colours that are more appealing to the palate.

Tip top
The toppings can include the colourful accents, with natural flowers or ribbon, textures and decorative accents such as lace, monograms or pieces of art. For example you could add a meaningful family heirloom, a representation of you and your partners favourite hobby, or something in theme with your locale or wedding day, such as coral, grapes, snowflakes, daisies or heather.

For more advice on how to make sure the cake fits your overall theme click here to download our Ultimate Wedding Planner.

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Have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank – Part 3

This is the third part of our mini-series on how to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank. In this article, in an effort to give you some great tips on how to possibly save on your big day, we take a look at the dress, the Bridal party and a dress theme, as these are all, in a way, linked. Remember the key word is ‘beautiful’ – There are many ways to save on a wedding, but you still want this to be a beautiful wedding, so our advice all points in that direction. We advised you, for example, to still look into a beautiful venue instead of just having the wedding at home, because certain venues do offer really good deals and free items that can also save you money!

The dress – Similar to the ring, we suggest that to save money here, you need to do some extensive shopping around, especially online, as some real bargains can be had there. Before you even do that though, as we suggested with the ring, look into what may be in the family. Once again Grandma’s dress with exquisitely fine lace may be ideal for your current ‘vintage’ wedding theme! I knew a woman marrying for the second time in her fifties who modified the wedding dress of her daughter who had married a couple of years before. It was beautiful!

The Bridesmaids and Groomsmen – This is another area where savings can be made. Skip the engagement party altogether and make sure you are not involved in costs for any ‘lead up’ events – save it all for the big day! Although it is traditional to assist with the bridesmaid’s dresses and Groomsmen outfits and to give gifts, remember these are usually your closest friends and will understand if you forgo those areas of tradition. Keep the number of people in these parties down too and ask if they won’t mind paying for their own outfits … or if they are as broke as you are, maybe go with the next idea…

A low cost dress theme – I know of a few couples who cut costs and saved everyone else money too, by deciding to have a ‘dress theme’ wedding that involved very low cost outfits. One I attended was at a great venue in the city, but the theme was ‘beach bum’ and everyone was in their swim gear and Bermuda shorts! The decor was also just sea shells and seaweed …all cost savers and because the venue assisted to create the atmosphere nobody had to travel all the way to the coast for a real beach wedding. Another theme was a Roman ‘toga’ theme and it didn’t take much more than a few sheets and broaches to gear out the whole bridal party!

Contact us to assist with many aspects of helping you to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank. We also have a brilliant online wedding planner e-book just to ensure you cover all the bases and the price is the best part of all …it’s absolutely free!

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Have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank – Part 2

You may not be marrying the richest guy/girl in the World and maybe your folks aren’t around, or are as broke as you are. If this sounds like your predicament, don’t worry, we have created a mini-series on how to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank …and we continue today with part 2. Having created a budget, as we discussed in part one, we want to make sure you now stick to it. So, what are a couple more ideas we can give you to ensure you do just that, but your big day is still beautiful? In this article we look at the invites, the ring and whether you should have a wedding planner.

The invitations – These are always a very big part of a wedding, but sometimes a very expensive item and they really don’t need to be. There are many online ideas and templates that can be found for you to create some sort of invitation of your own …’Pinterest’ is just one example …and instead of posting an invite at all …why not create a website for the wedding? Send everyone a link and get them involved with offering ideas and ask for their help with whatever they can do to save you costs.

The rings – The wedding rings are another of the often unnecessarily high cost items. Shop around and again shop online for rings and you’ll be surprised at what value can be had if you really look. Even better still, think about a member of the family (preferably close family, like parents, or especially Grandparents) who would be thrilled to pass on their rings to you. Keep an open mind. Sometimes Granny’s wedding ring, which is no longer much use to her since Grandpa passed away, is very beautiful and she would rather you wear it than it just goes to waste.

Wedding planners – Although people tend to think that the best way to cut costs is to plan your own wedding, remember there are many ways that Wedding planners can help you cut costs by introducing you to the best suppliers at the right price …and sometimes they can pull big favours. Having said that, you can also get a lot of help from wedding venues like Valverde Eco hotel that have an excellent suppliers list and a fantastic online wedding planner! Using their planner you can make sure all your bases are covered, as every detail from creating the budget to legal contracts are covered ….and the cost? ….absolutely FREE!

Once again we hope that these tips will help you to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank …and there’s more to come …just watch this space! Contact us now for wedding planning help and advice on every aspect of what, with a little help, will still be a beautiful day!

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The comprehensive conference planner – Creating a budget

An online guide for conference planners and organisers

 

Having established what kind of conference you are setting out to plan (hopefully with a little input from the proposed delegates, so that they feel a part of it at the outset) …and decided whether you will be working on your own or with a committee, your next task as ‘Conference planner or organiser’ will be to establish a budget.

 

Just as when you plan a wedding or any other type of event, what you can ultimately achieve will depend on the extent of the budget you have allowed. This section gives you some advice on how to create a budget, with the assumption that you have some flexibility and there are some additional income streams – I.E. Sponsors and delegates fees etc.

 

If you don’t have that luxury and your boss has just handed you a fixed budget with no additional revenue sources, then your job may be a little harder. Conference budgets usually need to be reviewed as the expenses for the desired event are revealed, so try to get a little flexibility on that at the beginning! Try to create the budget for the expected costs and not the other way around!

 

OK, so let’s create that budget.

 

Step one – Firstly make a list of what your expenses will include. It’s important that you are thorough here and don’t leave anything out. You can use the ‘Committee planner’ from ‘Where to start’ which includes most of the aspects of the conference that will need to be planned I.E Venue, website, registration, conference proceedings, speakers, secretariat, insurance, audio-visual, marketing, food/beverage etc. A thorough check list can also be obtained from one of Johannesburg’s premier conference venues, Valverde Eco Hotel, by making contact regarding any conference requirements.

 

Step 2 – Identify what portion of the budget needs to be allocated to which expenses – this may take a bit of calling around to get a rough idea of costs of each item. Don’t go too cheap at this point – you need to work on realistic costs to produce the event that you want to achieve.

 

Step 3 – Identify fixed costs – I.E. Venue, equipment, entertainment/speakers etc – and variable costs – like the number of delegates and choice of menus etc – as these will be where you may be able to be flexible if you need to.

 

Step 4 – Now take sponsored income and deduct it from overall costs to assess the budget that the company needs to assign. If this is too much, then the company may decide to charge delegates to make up the shortfall, or you go back to the drawing board to reduce costs until you have a viable budget with which to make the event, as envisaged, a reality.

 

Step 5 – If you have created a committee to help you, ensure everyone has the budget and understands the responsibility they have to stick to it!

 

Valverde Eco hotel is the ultimate conference venue, offering everything a company needs to ensure a well planned, reasonably priced, seamless conference experience. Find these articles and ‘The comprehensive conference planner’ on our website – or contact us to allow us to assist you with the planning of your conference. Remember we are also experts at ‘Green’ conferencing and ways to assist our ecology are included in every aspect of a Valverde conference. Happy planning!

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Have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank – Part 1

This is, for many women at least, who have dreamed about the big day for most of their lives, the most important day they will have. The problem is, your Prince Charming is not Bill Gates or Cyril Ramaphosa and your Dad is broker than you are. It’s not uncommon and the reality is that many young couples, on a restricted budget, have to try to have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank! In this, the first part of a mini-series that will hopefully give you some really useful tips on how to do that, we look at 3 main factors – The budget, getting ideas and the venue.

  1. Create a budget – Even if you are one of those people who have never budgeted in your life, now is a good time to start! It is absolutely essential to ascertain what you, as a couple, can comfortably afford to spend. The event you then plan needs to fall within that budget ….don’t do it the other way around ….decide on how many people you want and where etc … then figure out what it will cost. Set your amount first. Secondly, make a list of what you are going to need to pay for. Thirdly, eliminate what you can’t afford and finally (and most crucially) STICK TO THE BUDGET! Great help can be found to create and list a budget from online wedding planner resources and venues.
  2. Get ideas – Secondly, talk to friends who have been married and go online to get great ideas. Uncle Google is your best friend when planning a low budget wedding as there are many sites like Pinterest or Valverde wedding venue, where you can get low budget ideas on just about every aspect of your wedding. Here are 2 quickies just for starters – a) Ask your guests for their gift up-front in the form of money to help pay for the wedding (Don’t think it is ‘cheap,’ it leaves others who will marry after you with the option to do the same!) – b) If you find the guest list is running into hundreds, limit it to just family and very close friends. Be ruthless about this. Reducing the size of the wedding is the biggest saving.
  3. Choose a venue that will help – You will get those sites that will tell you to just marry at home or do the whole thing on a beach or something, but remember the title of this article is ‘have a beautiful wedding without breaking the bank.’ There are excellent wedding venues like Valverde Eco hotel that will give you all the elegance and beauty you need, but will help with many aspects of saving costs. These include both of the above, in that they have an excellent wedding planner which sets out a well planned budget …and they have blogs and great tips in the planner to give you plenty great ideas. Further to that they help in practical, big cost saving ways, like offering complimentary decor items so that people can do their own centre pieces etc …and talking of decor ideas, one of the most expensive wedding cost items can be the flowers. I know someone who, having been quoted thousands of Rands for flowers, bouquets and corsages, went to the fresh flower market, paid a fraction of the price for the flowers and had a small get together where everyone helped put the required pieces and arrangements together …total cost? …about R300!

Watch out for part 2, where we discuss savings on the ring, the invitations and whether it is worth having a wedding planner. In the meantime you can contact us for free advice and consultation anytime … and start by using our online wedding planner e-book to plan your cost effective, but still beautiful special day!

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