During your busy day, how much of your time is spent on marketing? Probably more than you think. Everything from the advertisements you develop and implement to the way you answer your phone portrays a lot about your business. Traits that brides and grooms discern and weigh when booking their wedding vendors.

How often do you get a chance to really analyze your sales and marketing procedures? If you’re like most wedding vendors, not much. Our days are jam-packed with the operations leaving little time for improvement. We all know that improvement is crucial, but where can we find time and resources to research, develop and implement change?

Enter: Wedding MBA

3 full days of wedding industry experts, associations and fellow professionals, gathered together, eyes and ears open, organized by conferences, seminars and focus groups with one major goal in mind: IMPROVEMENT. By means of education and collaboration, vendors have an unusual opportunity to remove themselves from their operations and immerse themselves in the much needed, yet ever-changing, resources sales and marketing experts are ready to share. Like you, there are other professionals who would love to know proven sales and marketing methods. Now is the time to remove the competitive veil. Compare, contrast and share the knowledge you hold and accept and implement strategies that will make your company stronger.

Do your business a favor, attend the convention. Schedule time away from the day-to-day stuff. Realize that you don’t have everything perfected. Come focused on listening and sharing. Take advantage of what you learned. Feel good about focusing on improvement. Your customers WILL take notice.

When we first met Tommy and Rosanna at Venteux Vineyards to go over their wedding ideas, we could tell right away that their event would be one-of-a-kind AWESOME! The love these two share for eachother and everyone around them is immediately felt and we were ecstatic to be part of the love.

They chose to make it official at the beautiful Venteux Vineyards in Templeton, California. A wise choice for rural scenery, a caring yet fun loving staff and a BEAUTIFUL barrel and tasting room.

After the beautiful ceremony on the lawn, their family and friends gathered for dinner on a long, conference style table while the uplighting around them made the wood barrels glow and the Starry Night effect directedinted thousands of softly moving lasers above them.

The subtle yet warm garden string lights draped across the patio left guests with just enough warm light. And look how amazing their first dance as Husband and Wife looks….

A few extra lights focused on the wedding cake can make all the difference in the world! Look how brightly it shines.

The creative crew at Venteux had us set up our DJ booth atop a fully restored old, Dodge Flatbed! We even shined some lights under it to set the party mood. Look how that beautiful barrel room glows…. awesome!

Tommy and his grooms man surprised the bride and the guests with a surprise rendition of the 1982 hit song “Rosanna” by Toto. Complete with instruments and costumes!

The uplighting on the beautiful tree really added some depth to the fantastic landscape that left everyone in awe of the beautiful venue.

A thousand thank you’s to Viera Photographics for the amazing shots. We hope to work with you guys more often. Find your way down to the Central Coast!

It’s a re-occuring theme. We constantly hear from our couples how cool the online planning forms are when working out the details of their weddings.

It’s pretty simple. Once you book your wedding entertainment services with us, we activate your online planning forms. You and you financé will receive a username and a password that you can use to login completely at your leisure.

The timeline planner will give you the framework to imagine the flow of your ceremony and reception and chose the events at your desired pace. Of course the most fun part is listing all of your song requests. Everything from your first dance as husband and wife, your must play favorites that you HAVE to hear during open dancing and of course a DO NOT PLAY list. The Chicken Dance isn’t for everybody ;)

What you chose to list is completely up to you. Perhaps you need a little direction from the professionals, no problem, we’re here to help. But, the online planning forms will at least give you access to the questions you’d like to starting thinking about. We want your wedding planning process to be as enjoyable and convenient as possible.

Login and have fun!

The right team can turn old fashioned elegance into timeless beauty. This point was proven when we got the chance to work with the ever-so-talented Mark Padgett on a photo shoot for the Paso Robles Inn. Originally constructed in 1864, this landmark has seen it’s fair share of affluence and celebrities as well as disaster dealt by the hand of mother-nature via fire and earthquakes. Nonetheless, the Inn has been able to maintain it’s seat on the Central Coast as the historic center of Paso Robles and has the beauty to make a lasting impression.

The ballroom is jam-packed with craftsmanship. Beautiful high ceilings surrounded in fantastic, deep wood moulding. This venue can lend itself to any couple looking to leave an impression on their guests. Especially those with larger guests lists.

Mark Padgett and Corinne from panacea event floral design really showed their skills when designing the color palette and arrangements to showcase the ballroom. The soft yellows, brushed silvers and lively centerpieces adorned expansive room making it feel warm and comfortable.

We lit the room from wall to wall using our advanced, yet low-profile LED fixtures to give the room an essence of candlelight. The deep wood coloring and the shadows created by the artisan carpentry really set this room apart from other ballrooms. It’s always awesome when we can light an entire room using only our decor lighting. None of the house lights were used during this event.

A huge thanks to Jake at Mike Larson Photography for his talents behind the lens. His ability to capture light astounds me. Thanks for making this shoot such a success.

It was a special pleasure working with Jan, Special Event’s Coordinator at The Paso Robles Inn. Her professionalism and positivity helped us understand the beauty of working hotel. Not just in architecture, but within the staff that keeps this landmarks guests moving through the Central Coast with smiles.

You can really see how the focused pin-spot down lighting made the beautiful centerpieces and table settings shine.

Read more about this photo shoot here:

http://markpadgetteventdesign.blogspot.com/2010/05/phoenix-rising.html

http://panaceaflowers.com/blog/2010/05/17/design-tid-bit-paso-robles-inn/

I know we’re getting closer to “the big day” for a lot of our couples. Their friends and family from all over the state, country and sometimes world will soon be landing on the Central Coast preparing to share the big day with their loved ones. But they wont be quite as busy as the couple are will likely be looking to get the most out of their vacation.

Well, lucy for them, your destination wedding is being held in a beautiful place with an abundance of unique activities. Make sure they take advantage of everything this beautiful area has to offer! Need some help? Check out VisitSlo.com. This awesome website is managed by the great San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and offers something for everybody.

Help make your guests weekend as special as your wedding day!

So you’ve got the ring and made the smart decision to get married somewhere along California’s beautiful Central Coast. So what’s next? I’m sure you’ve heard all the horror stories about how planning a wedding can be a daunting task. Well, the experts at CentralCoastBride.com are here to show you that it doesn’t have to be.

The clean and organized layout of CentralCoastBride.com’s website really proves that it is your complete wedding resource for the Central Coast. Not only does it put you in touch with the best local wedding vendors, it offers fantastic articles to help you through each and every planning stage and answers questions before you ask them! Such as, How to Get Started, How To Book Your Wedding Venue, or What Happens At The Wedding Rehearsal? just to name a few. They also offer fantastic bridal shows!

It really is impressive how easy it is to get the information you’re looking for from CentralCoastBride.com. Unlike some other wedding resource directories, they have done a fantastic job making sure you’re not bombarded with ad’s that aren’t relevant to you. Their internal search engine works great and all the links are clearly organized. We at Kramer Entertainment are happy to included in their directory and are positive that anyone getting married can benefit from a visit to CentralCoastBride.com

The more we talk with other wedding professionals, the more we seem to learn about the importance of point of interest lighting. What is point of interest lighting? Well, quite simply, it’s focusing specialized lights on your features or decor so the beauty and craftsmanship can be showcased to your friends and family.

Every wedding ceremony or reception is unique in its own way. Every venue has seen their site organized a plethora of ways. Each layout will have a personality of it’s own and it should match the feel and style of the bride and grooms desires.

Unfortunately, the pre-installed house lighting systems can’t always cooperate.

There will often be dim or dark areas, building features that are less than desirable, over-lit areas that are too bright or wash out your colors, or in the case of many outdoor venues, just plain no lights at all! Incorrect lighting can hide or erase the beauty that your hired artisans put into your place settings, floral design, bakers or chefs. You’ve chosen your vendors after carefully critiquing their design skills. Why commission their work if you cant show off their talents?

Welcome to the wonderful world of lighting design. Whatever your point of interest is, perhaps your beautiful centerpieces, cake table or desert station, buffet line, guest book, seating chart, dance floor or any other piece of decor, it can be lit with the right color and amount of light allowing it to shine its lovely character. As with any craft, the sky’s the limit. Professional vendors turn no’s into yes’ and cant’s into can’s! Be sure your decor glows like the faces of your guests!

We are so happy to tell you about our featured central coast wedding venue for the month of July: Avila Lighthouse Suites!

We’ve had the pleasure of working with Krysta, Avila Lighthouse Suite’s event coordinator, several times now and we are ALWAYS impressed with their facilities, organization and beauty of the hotel and surroundings. We’ve decided to ask her a few questions about choosing Avila Lighthouse Suites as a wedding venue. Here’s what she had to say!

ALS: Yes, we offer ceremonies directly on the sands of Avila Beach or on our ocean view sun deck for up to 120 guests.

Receptions for up to 120 guests are held in our lovely Point San Luis Banquet room equipped with an outside patio area that is perfect for a cocktail hour. Cocktail hours can also be held on our ocean view sun deck if the ceremony is taking place on the beach.

What months are best for a beach wedding in Avila Beach?

I think that the fall is the best time of year here! It is typically warm with no fog and not as crowded. Avila is a pretty quaint, quiet town in general but it does get very busy here come July and August. Rates for our suites drop after August so that is another plus! We are blessed with nice weather year round though and Avila is located in a protected inlet so we do not get as much wind as other beach areas. I consider Avila the hidden gem of the central coast!

For the ceremony we offer your option of having it either directly on the beach or our glass sheltered sun deck. We do the complete set up and take down of our new padded white resin chairs, white arch and any other tables needed at the site. We also have an on site coordinator to help with the coordination of the rehearsal and ceremony. Our reception package includes again, the complete set up and take down of the tables and chairs, white linens that drape to the floor, and an ocean front honeymoon suite!

We have a noise curfew of 10pm. So, the weddings do have to conclude by then. However, for the ones who would like to continue the party, Mr. Ricks Beach Bar is within a three minute walking distance!

We do not have a restaurant on property so weddings are able to bring in any licensed caterer of their choice. This is nice, because it offers the couple flexibility, they are able to shop around and compare prices/options. I have a list of local caterers that I send to every couple.

Prices for the suites vary depending on the time of year. They range anywhere from $169-$499 on average. I am able to hold a block of suites here for the out of town wedding guests and depending on the month I am typically able to do so at a discounted rate. I think that it is so convenient for guests when they can enjoy the wedding and then when it’s over, just walk right up to their suite.

For brides wearing high heels, be prepared to kick them off before you walk down the aisle, or wear flip flops. Walking in the sand is not easy in stilettos!

String Lights, sometimes called garden lights, are a tried and true addition to any wedding decor. They can be used during a ceremony, reception or both. If planned correctly, a lighting designer can focus the energy to the most important areas. They can separate and create boundaries around an area accentuating the areas of interest, whether it be the dance floor, head table or a complete “net” of light to catch all the fun. They emit a soft warm glow mimicking a star filled sky or for a more full look, can be enclosed in varying sizes of translucent paper Chinese lanterns.

Get creative! The stars are the limit ;)

Chuck and Nicole really have an eye for beauty. It’s no surprise that they chose Dolphin Bay as their ceremony site or the S3 Barn at Varian Ranch near Arroyo Grande. They also wanted a little more decorative flair for their guests viewing pleasure, which we were happy to provide.

The carefully chosen colors were up-lit in such a way that the combination of cool and warm lights really accented the negative space of the barns structure. The shadows separate the squares of beautiful color and the starr-night effect adds a dynamic feel with its slowly wandering soft green stars.

Chloe at Mike Larson Photography got these awesome shots of the barn, but you should definitely check out all the pics she got of Chuck and Nicole’s fabulous wedding day. Corinne at panacea event floral design also showed her talents the the bouquets, boutonnieres and of course the bar and table decor (panacea’s post here). Check out the awesome glass hurricanes filled with white cymbidiums that adorned the bar:

You can really see how important pin-spotting and accent lighting is when you look at unique features like this one of a kind cake. Or even the occasional Elk ;)