Let’s face it.  It’s our fault. 

And by “our” I mean the wedding industry. Photo after photo after photo of wedding couples in lush gardens full of blooms, on beaches, beside lakes, along the river banks.  And all with the soft glow of a spring or summer sunset on their faces.   We’ve gotten ourselves into this spot and brought most newly engaged couples along with us as they seek out the ideal spring or summer weekend for their wedding celebration.

But guess what?  There are 52 weekends a year and all of them are happy to host your wedding celebration!  Even those overlooked late summer weekends when the temperatures might be a little bit… well, thick.  And certainly those snuggly winter weekends where the warm glow of a fireplace offers a perfect backdrop for your champagne toast!

If you find yourself with something shiny and new on your finger and are about to jump into the Find-A-Wedding-Date-After-Covid Olympics, might we suggest considering the benefits of an off-season wedding date. 

Photo by Vesic Photography

Five Benefits of Having an Off Season Wedding

Discounted Rates

Remember the basic supply and demand lesson of Economics 101?  While not all vendors offer off-season rates, venues often find themselves with more open dates in late summer and winter and so they gladly offer discounted packages to entice couples. Once you have your venue secured, you may find that other vendors like caterers and photographers will follow suit with their package pricing.

Less Venue Competition

If you’ve begun the planning process with your heart set on a Saturday in May, your first phone call to the venue you’ve been stalking on Instagram may have been a disappointing one. You’re finding out that the most amazing vendors and venues are often booked months, if not years, in advance for the most popular wedding dates. Planning your celebration during the off-season gives you a much better chance that the most popular vendors will be available on your date.

Photo by AJ Dunlap Photography

Guests More Likely to Be There – less wedding fatigue!

How many invitations have shown up in your mailbox over the years for Saturday weddings in the summer?  Yes, they are beautiful and something to behold!  Yet they can also lead to scheduling conflicts for invited guests. As you are well aware, a lot of other things are planned in the summer months too! Family vacations, graduation celebrations, family reunions, not to mention the many other weddings on their calendar. All of this can significantly impact your guest attendance and may even lead to hurt feelings as your friends and loved ones are forced to choose what to attend. By hosting your nuptials during the wedding off-season you’re more likely to have all of your favorite people available to celebrate. Just swap the mimosa bar for a hot cocoa station and you’ll be ready to embrace the season with family and friends.

Photo by Heather Beerman Photograhy.

Winter Charm

Of course, there are many things to consider when hosting a late summer or winter wedding and having a terrific planner involved will make a big difference. (But that’s another blog altogether!)

However, if weather concerns aren’t a deal breaker for your big day, winter weddings can be incredibly romantic! It gets dark earlier so candlelight can play a major part in setting the mood, fresh garlands and unique winter florals can adorn your tables, and just think of the photos of you and your sweetie in the snow with a cozy blanket embracing you both! Consider it a major bonus if you choose a wedding date around the holidays for instant decor options. In fact, your venue may already be dressed up for the holidays giving you more bang for your design budget.

More Decorating Options

And speaking of design… rather than trying to make your spring décor look unique and different from everyone else’s spring décor, as the summer becomes fall and fall fades into winter, a myriad of décor options open up!  Structural branches and berries, ice sculptures, hosting your rehearsal dinner at an ice rink for skating après dinner! An off-season event gives you permission for a unique approach to creative expression.

Photo by The Barn at Reynolda Village

Ready to consider an off-season wedding?  At The Barn at Reynolda Village, we offer two options:

·       July and August Packages are discounted but still offer all the amenities of our spring and early summer events.  And yes, The Barn has fabulous air conditioning!

·       Discounted November through March Reception packages are budget-friendly with options for small ceremonies to take place indoors or to pair with the church, synagogue or off-site ceremony venue of your choice

Call our Sales Manager to learn more and to schedule your site visit: 336 758 BARN

We are honored to have guest blogger Becca Atchison from Rebecca Rose Events behind the pen this month with an incredible article about the value of a full-service planner. You’ll want to print this one for your wedding binder!

There are so many reasons it’s important to work with a wedding planner, and because of the difference it makes to have professional guidance and oversight on a wedding day, it should come as no surprise that many venues – The Barn at Reynolda Village included – either strongly suggest or require their clients to work with an event manager (often referred to as a “day-of coordinator”) at a minimum. That said, there are some important distinctions between the level of service you can expect from a coordinator offering event day management and a planner or firm that offers full-service planning. 

Photo by Heather Beerman.

Though this topic could probably consume the pages of an entire book, we’re going to break it down to share three key differences and reasons to consider working with a full-service planner, so that you can discern if it’s the right choice for you! 

1. The Big Picture & Budget Stewardship

When you set out to plan a wedding, you can bet that you’re going to be making a large investment. I’m not talking about an investment that’s merely financial in nature, it’s also an investment of your trust… trust in vendors, professionals, and services to deliver a final result that meets your expectations and represents you as a couple in a way that feels authentic, joyful, and enjoyable. 

Just as you might hire a financial advisor to help give you guidance, inform your decision-making, and/or actively manage your investment strategy, an experienced full-service wedding planner can often serve you in this same capacity when it comes to the investment you make on your wedding. Be wary of online budget calculators that tell you what “the average weddings costs.” They’re rarely accurate, and they’re never going to be in tune with your specific/individual preferences or priorities. When we work with our clients – no matter the size or scope of the project or budget – we always begin by creating a comprehensive itemized budget to help give our clients a firm understanding of what they need to expect, where they can choose to save or cut back, and what options are realistic (or unrealistic). As a full-service planning firm, one of our most important responsibilities is budget stewardship, and we take it seriously. 

Without an understanding of the full picture, it’s incredibly easy to overspend and make critical mistakes without even realizing that is happening. Many couples book a venue, hire a photographer, and book a band – then they reach out to us to inquire about our services. The sad truth is that they have often spent over 70% of their budget already without realizing everything they were still going to need. Good investments require sound decision-making – and that doesn’t easily happen without industry-specific expertise and experience at the helm of your research and planning process. 

(My best tip: hire a planner first and enlist their guidance as you research and choose your venue and vendors!!) 

Photo by Corbin Gurkin.

2. Time 

Here’s a hard fact that might blow you away. When our team plans and designs a wedding, we know that we’re typically going to spend upwards of 500 hours on that project – and that’s not including the 150-200+ additional team hours we put into the week of the wedding itself. Keep in mind that our team is highly experienced and efficient, but it still takes that kind of time. 

Do you have that kind of time? Realistically, it will be more time than that if this isn’t something you do regularly. The number one stressor for couples planning a wedding is the sheer amount of overwhelm that creeps in due to the time that has to be spent putting together something so complex. 

Every couple is unique, and for some, time is more abundant, and the process is fun. But if you’re a busy professional with a full-time career, or a student in college, law school, medical school, graduate school, etc. – it’s an undeniable fact that when you plan a wedding on your own, you will essentially add the equivalent of a full-time job to your plate. 

A full-service wedding planner gives you the time and space to enjoy the season of your engagement and the planning process. Your enjoyment and peace of mind are invaluable. 

Photo by Perry Vaile.

3. The Right Team for the Job 

As with many things in life, the adage is true: you will get what you pay for. The common reason to avoid hiring a full-service planner is cost. And in the context of a wedding, it’s true that you can have a wedding without a planner. After all, the only things you really need to have a wedding are two people who want to be married, a legal officiant, and a marriage license. Everything else is a choice. But remember, that if you’re choosing to invest in a celebration with your family, friends, and loved ones, the choices you make will determine (a) how much you spend, (b) how enjoyable the planning experience will be, (c) how enjoyable the wedding day will be, and (d) how well your memories are both created and captured. 

Some of the most important decisions you’ll make will involve choosing your team of professional vendors, which include but are not limited to the following: the venue, a caterer, a cake baker, a photographer, a videographer, officiant, ceremony musicians, reception entertainment, floral design, transportation, tabletop rentals, furniture rentals, audio-visual & lighting, stationery, a calligrapher, hair and makeup artists, fashion elements, guest accommodations, and more. 

The bottom line here is that all of the vendors you hire need to function exceptionally well together as a team. They should be insured, experienced, licensed (when applicable), and play well with others. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many individuals and companies there are operating in the industry that don’t meet that criteria, and that’s why we spend so much time researching, vetting, and cultivating strong relationships, so that we can make recommendations and source options for our clients with confidence. 

Consider this: your team of pros may have never all collaborated together before – and may never do so again. They need to do exceptional work, and they have one shot to get it right for you, because there are no advance rehearsals and no do-overs for your wedding day. And all of this means that you need the right team for you, not just a random selection of folks from lists of vendors. 

A good, experienced planner will take great care to help you source an incredible team. Your planner will spearhead research, the vetting process as needed, and take on countless hours of communication to make sure the vendor team is equipped with all of the information and details they’ll need to do their best work for you… and then that same planner is there onsite to actively orchestrate everything seamlessly. The right team synergy makes a world of difference! 

Photo by Olivia Suriano.

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I hope this is helpful, but know that it’s truly the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a lot more to consider. If you’re on the fence about whether you need or want a full-service planner for your wedding – I highly encourage you to reach out to some to find out more. It will be well worth your while. 

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Rebecca Rose Events is a full-service destination wedding planning, design, and production firm based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Their studio is conveniently located in Reynolda Village just across from The Barn at Reynolda Village! Learn more at rebeccaroseevents.com and follow along on social media for more tips, insights, and an ongoing behind-the-scenes look on Instagram (@rroseevents). 

Let’s face it…we all pretty much lost a year of our lives didn’t we?  We unexpectedly found ourselves consumed by health concerns for ourselves and our families, learning what social distancing means, and worrying about the state of the economy. And somewhere in all that, we may have also been learning new ways to do our jobs and hopefully, keep them!

Our hope is that as you read this, you and your loved ones are healthy and your lives are moving forward in strong and positive ways.  We also hope that your profession has proven to be resilient and your team is ready for the next step!

With that in mind, here are some reasons that there has never been a better time to plan and host a company retreat:

Photo by Heather Beerman

1. Eye on the Prize

Research has proven time and again that a change of scenery can not only boost staff creativity but can enhance productivity! Being in a new space that is solely dedicated to a certain project or task will help your company gain more focus. Employees feel dedicated to the cause. Better focus leads to more productivity.

2. Getting The Band Back Together

After more than a year of Zooms and remote work, you are long overdue for some good, old-fashioned bonding!  Team building activities, games, face-to-face debates and conversations will bring a renewed energy to your team, guaranteed!

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

3. Mix It Up to Fix it Up

Putting your heads together to work on an issue in a new environment generates new ways of thinking.  You’ve all stared at the same dry erase board for long enough!  Imagine how invigorated you and your colleagues will feel to see lovely green space outside and to be able to take a calming, flower-filled stroll during your breaks!

4. Show You the Money

Did you know that in the long run, you can actually save money by having a staff retreat? Especially if some of your team members live out of town.  A staff retreat can be budget-friendly by helping your business save money throughout the year on:

• Meetings without much advance notice, leading to more expensive short-notice flights and increased costs related to employee fatigue (and burnout): on the other hand, a business trip that’s planned months in advance leaves more room for scheduling and communication among colleagues, plus the increased “personal touch” between colleagues after a retreat helps make video meetings easier than ever.

• Travel costs associated with the above: it’s more cost-efficient to book all tickets at once for the entire workforce in your company (and even capitalize on offers and package deals), rather than separately at different times. 

However intangible the benefits are, when a corporate retreat is executed well, it can be a real financial boom to your company in terms of increased morale, productivity, and engagement.

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

5. Who’s a Rock Star?  You’re a Rock Star!          

A corporate staff retreat is the perfect time to recognize the various departments and areas of your business that others may not be familiar with and to bring some of your unrecognized groups to the forefront. Doing so opens up the channels of communication between siloed departments and supports employee engagement.  

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

Ready to think outside the office box and unify your colleagues at the same time?  Plan a staff retreat in a welcoming space with an agenda that includes some fun. You’ve got nothing to lose and a lot of great momentum to gain!

For more information about the terrific spaces for retreats at The Barn at Reynolda Village, give us a call at 336.758. BARN or visit us at our website. We can also help with an art activity and group exercise sessions.

“Expect the Best, Plan for the Unexpected”

OK, so they’re not the most inspiring words you will hear related to your wedding, but it is the mantra of many a seasoned operations manager and event planner! And with good reason.

Most people will agree that there are few things as romantic as an outdoor wedding celebration! Your friends and family gathered on the soft, green garden lawn as you make your way down a flower-strewn aisle, all while a light breeze dances across your gown.

Photo courtesy of Julia Wade Photography.

Until that light breeze is actually a precursor to a late afternoon thunderstorm that howls through a nearby cherry tree, sending leaves and debris hither and yon!

Ask, ask & ask again.

Whether you’re planning your outdoor ceremony at a local wedding venue, country club, beachside resort or even in your parents’ backyard, before you sign a contract, you need to ask about Plan B. And don’t just settle for an “it won’t rain'' or “don’t worry, we’ll handle it.” You, the venue manager and your wedding planner should discuss the bad weather contingency plan in great detail so that everyone concerned is just as familiar with the contingency plan as they are with Plan A.

Photo by The Barn at Reynolda Village.

If the outdoor venue you find yourself madly in love with doesn’t offer a built-in weather back-up plan, ask about the ability to create your own Plan B. Your wedding planner can work with a local tent rental company to reserve a tent for the outdoor location that you have your heart set on. In the event of a perfect 75-degree, sunny day which leads to you canceling the tent, you will incur financial penalties. Know what they are in advance and consider that it may still be money well spent if having the tent reserved has allowed you to relax for months about Plan B!

Photo courtesy of Landon Jacob Photography

Share the Love

Once your contingency plan has been solidified and details firmed up, make certain to share the plan with all your wedding vendors well in advance! The last thing you need is the stress that would accompany non-stop phone calls from your florist, your photographer, the cake people and the string quartet, all wanting to know “what do we do now?!” while you’re having your make-up applied and your nails touched up!

Plans C, D and E

Naturally, rain is the most worried about and planned for weather condition when preparing for outdoor wedding events. It is certainly not the only scenario that you should be ready for! If your event is taking place in a particularly warm climate at a hot time of day, is there available shade? Are you allowed to provide bottled water for your guests? Is your outdoor site prone to being windy? While you can’t do much to prevent your hair from rising on the breezes, you can talk with your floral designer about securing arbors, trellises and other floral décor, so they don’t end up lying where they should be standing. You may also need help keeping linens in place and ensuring that your program attendant has a way to secure the programs until he or she is prepared to hand them to the guests.

Perhaps your event is completely indoors, and you and your snowboarding fiancé have planned a winter wedding so that you can head to the slopes as soon as it’s over! Will the venue’s maintenance staff de-ice the sidewalks and clear new accumulation that happens on your wedding day?

Photo courtesy of Just a Dream Photography

No Secrets

An informed guest is a happy guest, so don’t hold back information! Let them know in the invitation or on your wedding website that a portion of the celebration has been planned for outdoors. They will be delighted to plan their wardrobes accordingly and perhaps even adjust their arrival time. (It’s a nice added touch in warmer climates to have special indoor seating for your elderly guests that they can enjoy until just moments before the ceremony begins!) With so many wedding events breaking the traditional church-to-fellowship-hall mode, the more your guests know about your location and agenda in advance, the more relaxed and happy they will be!

Photo By 1703 Restaurant & Catering

Learn to Love the B

Ideally, you will have a Plan B option that is just as desirable to you as Plan A. And, if it happens that you find yourself going with your contingency plan, roll with it and don’t let it distract you from what is at the very heart of your wedding day! After all, surely your makeup artists and hair stylists have agreed to stay a little late for touch-ups, right?

Call The Barn at Reynolda Village to talk about the weather back-up plan we provide for our one-day packages or how you can customize the tent of your dreams! We’d love to hear from you via Facebook, Instagram or our website.

We are so pleased to have guest blogger and wedding photographer extraordinaire, Hillary Muelleck, share her thoughts this month on three ways to make your wedding photos stand out!

Photo by Guest Blogger Hillary Muelleck

I always tell my couples that 100 weddings can be photographed at the same venue but all look completely different because of the unique details used.

The details you choose for your wedding are what sets yours apart from another couple getting married at the same venue. So how do you make your wedding unique from all the others?

Today I’m sharing three ways you can make your wedding photos stand out!

#1- Ceremony Greenery 

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

Rather than doing a floral arch, consider having your florist hang greenery to create a more neutral and organic backdrop. I love the simplicity and it can go with any color palette. Consider having your guests sit in clear, acrylic ghost chairs instead of wooden chairs, which would also give a neutral and modern touch to your ceremony!

#2- Sofa Lounge for Cocktail Hour

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

Most cocktail hours consist of guests standing around with their drinks and hors d'oeuvres while waiting for the reception area to open so that they can sit down. To create a more relaxed atmosphere, have a sofa lounge area so that your guests can sit and enjoy conversation. You can have any theme of sofas and chairs depending on the vibe of your wedding. I personally love a good velvet option with lots of end tables around for setting down drinks.

#3- It’s all in the Reception Details

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

Many couples just go generic for their reception tablescapes with silver flatware and one floral centerpiece. To really amp up the guest experience, consider gold or black flatware and add candlesticks for a more romantic feel. You can even take it a step further and add custom menus designed by a calligrapher to each place setting. This adds an even more personal touch.

Photo by Hillary Muelleck

There you have it, three  ways you can make your wedding photos stand out. Don’t play it safe and do what everyone else is doing. This is your wedding, so don’t be afraid to be different and go bold! You’ll be glad you did and your wedding photos will look so much more unique because of it!

Hillary Muelleck is a film and digital photographer who tells stories through photos using romantic lighting and timeless editing so that they never go out of style. She believes that candid photos of the “in-between” moments are just as important as the portraits, and that the details are what makes a wedding truly unique and personal. When she’s not photographing weddings, you can usually find her in the middle of a house project with her snoring dog next to her and a seasonal candle burning in the corner. 

To see more creative wedding photography and planning ideas, check out The Barn at Reynolda Village and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.