Congratulations!  You are engaged!  Now comes the dreaded question, “When are you getting married?’  Little did you know that just getting engaged doesn’t take the pressure off getting married.  It will feel like you have so much to do and you may not know where to start.  The way I see it, there are three important steps you need to do right away and the rest can wait.

1. The toughest and most emotional part of the planning is setting the budget.  Unfortunately, this has to be done in order to even start the planning so just get it out of the way.  Unless you are one of the lucky few to whom budgeting is fun (Ivanka Trump maybe), you need to take a serious stab at this one.  I promise, once it is over, the rest will be fun.
2. Book your wedding venue and your date.  Easier said than done, I know.  Try not to be overwhelmed and set a target date to book your venue.  If you visited all the places in Southern California before you make your decision, then your first choice in dates may be gone.  Try to go with your gut instincts, you will know what feels right.  Actually, some venues may even be able to help you find vendors and get the fundamentals of your planning down to help you move to the next step as we do at The Ebell Club of Long Beach.
3. Book that appointment for your dress shopping.  Yep, you do need to start looking now.  The wedding gown you order may take six to eight months just to get delivered and then you may need another month or two to do the fittings and alterations.  It is quite a process so start early to avoid the high rush fees that may be charged.

Once you’ve got this settled, then you can move forward with more of the fun stuff like choosing flowers, bridesmaid dresses, etc.  Once you have the place and the dress the rest will follow.

Liz

Recent shot of the Ebell Staff

For our first posting on our new blog, I thought it best to introduce The Ebell Club staff to you.  I’m Liz Palmer, writer extraordinaire (even if it is in my own book) and creator of The Ebell Club blog.   In the real world, I am also the Director of Events of the Ebell Club in Long Beach.  When I’m not busy with weddings and events, I am the mom to two little boys, aged 2 and 10 months.  Yes, it is crazy at our house.  The greatest assets in my life at The Ebell Club come in the form of our staff; Allison (my sister and partner), Holly, Michelle, Deanne, Jennifer and Randy.

Allison is such an asset to our venue.  She is not only a great day-of-coordinator, event manager and planner, she is also my welcome back-up.  In her “spare time” she teaches Kindergarten in Palos Verdes Unified. Married at The Ebell Club last year, she and her husband are locals to Long Beach.

Michelle is also one of our key players.  She is the gal answering your phone calls, emails and questions during the week.  Michelle does all the leg work behind the scenes on our events; communicating with vendors, scheduling set-ups and breakdowns, and finalizing any last minute details.   She also is the mom to two little boys, 4 and 18 months, so patience comes easily for her.

Deanne has been with The Ebell Club longer than all of us.  She occupies an interesting place on our staff. She is not only one of our coordinators and managers for our events, she also runs a floral business and gives many of our brides the flower of their dreams.  And, yes, she is also a mom to an adorable 3-year old boy. (yep,  all of us Moms have boys).

Holly is our event manger with super-hero like tendencies.  In fact, she is a super manager.  She is the gal ensuring your vendors arrive, your set-up is done and all of the fundamentals are working properly to make your event seamless.  She is our right-hand gal and is completely irreplaceable.  In Holly’s other life, she is also a Kindergarten teacher in Pico Rivera and also another Long Beach Native.

Jennifer is newest staff member and is also a coordinator and event manager.  You may get a chance to meet with her at your Saturday visits too.  Jennifer is detailed beyond belief and also a perfectionist like the rest of us.  She fits in with our team perfectly.  In her other life she works in Real Estate here in Long Beach.

Randy, our houseman, is the most intergral behind the scenes guy at any event.  Don’t let the ponytail fool you (yes, I said pony-tail), he is the sweetest, most-caring individual who works on our team.  Randy has spent nearly 20 years plus caring for our building, our staff, our clients and The Ebell Ladies organization.  He will be there at your event to help you at the end of the evening and through-out.  You can’t miss his smile and helpful demeanor.

For now, that’s our team.  I know that whomever you meet, we all have the same ideals and mission; to make your event and event to remember!

Cheers!

Liz