The First Coast Weddings Client Portal

All of our event management and planning packages include our Client Portal to streamline the planning process and keep you and your planner on the same page. Some of the popular features include:

• A To-Do List to help keep you track of what needs to be done when.

• An RSVP tracker to keep track of who is coming, their table assignment, their meal choice, etc.

• A Budget worksheet to help you keep track of expenses.

• Worksheets to organize ceremony and reception details.

• An Inventory List to make sure nothing is forgotten - before or after the wedding.

The Client Portal is based in Google Drive, which means:

• You can sign in using any Google account - no new software to sign up for or learn how to use! You can even share access with anyone you would like.

• Files are as easy to use as Word or Excel.

• Documents can be accessed using any computer browser, via the Google Drive app on your phone or tablet, or even offline.

• You’ll have one place to store digital copies of all of your wedding files, like contracts and floor plans. You can also add your own photos, documents and spreadsheets!

See an example of the client portal below!

A Reminder About Wedding Insurance

We've written a few blog posts about wedding insurance before, but here is a reminder: every wedding should have wedding insurance!

As I type this post, fierce storms with damaging winds and enough rain to cause flooding and landslides are hitting California. What if your wedding was this weekend?

Closer to home, a North Florida wedding venue had some issues last month that caused them to tell couples getting married in December that they can't host their events. What would you do if you had 10 days to move your entire wedding? Or if you DJ or photographer suddenly went missing?

Wedding insurance covers so many things that brides and grooms don't want to think about. But saying "it won't rain on my wedding day" doesn't mean you shouldn't have a backup plan. And wedding insurance is the ultimate backup plan.

This article from CNBC illustrates just what a benefit insurance can be. Josh and Kristina paid around $250 for their insurance policy and were reimbursed for roughly $14,000 in deposits they had paid when their Brooklyn wedding venue went out of business. Just like you wouldn't want to drive your $25,000 car without insurance, you don't want to invest that amount (or significantly more) in your wedding and not have protection.

We recommend WedSafe and Wedding Protector Plan for wedding insurance - check out their websites for more info!

Having A Detailed Backup Plan For Your Wedding

Here in North Florida, we see a lot of outdoor wedding ceremonies. Most venues have a great indoor space that they reserve as a backup, in case of rain. Which let's face it, happens a lot here, especially in the summer months. (Side note: did you know that Jacksonville gets an average of 14 more inches of precipitation every year than Seattle, which is "known" for it's rain?)

But what if you reception is planned to be an outdoor event? It may not be as simple as "we'll just move inside."

We're working with a sweet couple getting married in October, and planning a "dinner under the stars." Today we met at the venue to talk through all the logistics. As we talked, we came up with very detailed Plan A and Plan B options. Because of the logistics of the space, the two are very different. In fact, quite a bit of the reception schedule will change from Plan A to Plan B.

As you are working through your plans, be sure to think through all the logistics from the guest perspective. Talk to your venue staff about the timing of weather calls, which could be anywhere from 2 hours to 24 hours, depending on the complexity of the setup. And communicate Plan A AND Plan B (and Plan C and D if needed!) to all the wedding professionals that will be on-site on the wedding day. But don't wait until the day before! Preparation is key when dealing with Mother Nature.

Note about the photo above: we were playing beat the clock with a storm rolling in just before this ceremony! Luckily we made it, and Ashley and Matt were married in a beautiful ceremony at TPC Sawgrass.

Honoring Your Dad At Your Wedding

Weddings are often full of very "girly" moments shared between the bride and her mom - picking out the dress, getting hair and makeup done, etc. Dad is usually expected to show up with the checkbook. In honor of Father's Day, we thought we'd look at some ways to make Dad feel extra special on your wedding day.

• Ask your dad for a military medal, a tie you particularly love, or a piece of jewelry you could incorporate into your wedding day ensemble as your something old.
• If you won't be seeing your fiance before the wedding, stage a first look with your dad. Fathers often get very emotional the first time they see their little girl in their wedding gown and veil!
• Take dance lessons with him, and your father-daughter dance will be a big hit.
• Create something special for him to wear. Dads often look like all the other groomsmen or ushers, wearing the same tuxedo or suit. Get a special tie for him to wear, or add something unique to his boutonniere.
• Ask your dad to sign your marriage license as one of the witnesses.

Do you have a special way you are including your father on your wedding day?

(Photo above from Marta and Michael's wedding earlier in 2014 - copyright Deremer Studios)