A Q&A with Juliana Ross, Director of Events, The Allan House + Brodie Homestead
What’s worth the money? Because everyone has a limited budget for their wedding, where is money best spent for maximum effect?
Hire a coordinator! It is definitely worth the money to hire someone with experience who will be at your venue on the day of your wedding to greet vendors, oversee setup, run your timeline for the entire event, and make sure your cleanup runs smoothly. Even if you don’t have the budget for a full-service coordinator who will work with you from the start of planning, hiring a “day-of” or “month-of” coordinator will take the stress out of the last leg of the planning process. Coordinators will bring things to your attention that you would never even think of, and most importantly, they will be able to make tweaks and adjustments as needed on the day of your wedding without ever having to bother you or your family. I always recommend hiring an entire group of professional vendors, but hiring a professional coordinator is my number one tip to all brides and grooms.
What’s the best way to get RSVPs back? Traditional or digital?
I may be the wrong person to answer this question since I am such a huge fan of paper goods and the lost art of sending a letter. I love receiving mail, holding it in my hands. It’s a tactile thing, but also very visual. Receiving a wedding invitation in the mail—being able to see it and feel it—is such an important element to me. An RSVP card is part of that experience, as it really sets the tone for the entire event. Even if you’re planning a casual wedding, having an RSVP card to send back to the event hosts is a tangible reminder to RSVP. That said, I’m seeing more and more couples use a digital RSVP system, usually through their wedding website. It’s probably where things are heading since we’re all on our computers all the time, but I am holding on to traditional RSVPs for as long as I can!
What should you rent versus buy as far as wedding accoutrements and event items?
There’s not a lot that you can’t rent these days for an event. You can get pretty much any look or aesthetic you want by using event rental companies, and here in Austin we have some pretty incredible local options. I think buying items in bulk because you think you’ll save money is a recipe for stress. Rental companies drop off and pick up at your venue, include cleaning services for linens and tabletop items, and overall, make the process so much easier.
Do you recommend seating charts? Why or why not?
Yes! I am completely against the open seating plan trend, and I am so happy to see it’s dying off. Guests at a wedding want direction. They hate feeling like they are doing something they shouldn’t be doing or going places they shouldn’t be going. Open seating is a recipe for awkwardness.
Could you walk us through how far out couples should be taking care of various components of a wedding?
My advice to all couples is that the vendors who can only do one wedding on your wedding day need to be booked first, while the vendors who can take on a few weddings in any given night can be booked a little closer in.
