Expert Tips For a Memorable Wedding & Event

Jul 30

Despite the popularity of weddings nowadays, with everyone and their brother invited to one, planning a wedding post-pandemic is not as “easy” as it was before, between inflation & high demand, causing shortages of location availability and resources, we wanted to get expert tips in this “new normal” for those who are getting married and those helping & supporting on the “sidelines.”

We recently spoke with Debra Thompson, wedding & events planner and owner of Weddings by Debra, who we got to know after she received a gift of VeroVino wines from a friend whose niece’s wedding she planned.

Debra, on the right, in action doing wedding planning on-site with the florist.

We got loads of tips for planning a special wedding which we are sharing with you in the article, from this woman entrepreneur who has her own inspirational story: starting as an outsider in the industry, then losing her husband to then raise her daughter on her own, leading to her own award-winning company she started from the ground up.

From Commodity Finance to Wedding Planning

Debra is a Brooklyn native whose first career was in finance, specialized in commodities at the New York Mercantile Exchange. After 10 years there, she moved and started a family in the NY suburbs of Westchester.

Then, in the year 2000, she was faced with the death of her husband and the responsibility of raising her 9 year old daughter on her own. She decided then to forgo the commute to the city to instead work for a local country club in a new career of Banquet Management.

It was a courageous decision as not only did she not have the background in catering but also she was the only female in the building. Despite these odds, she proved herself, starting a track record of hundreds of bookings leading to high sales, and exceeding expectations, and then getting more responsibility, including leading up large corporate events.

But her core success was in networking, selling and booking hundreds and hundreds of couples’ weddings, and at a certain point she realized that she could do it on her own. So she started Weddings by Debra whereby word-of-mouth alone was bringing in customers. In fact, one of her first clients, who had already booked a wedding at her former employer and found out that she left, said “I am not getting married there without you.” This man was a news anchor, which lead immediately to great publicity. She was so moved, as it was a courageous and difficult decision as a single mother to go from a secure full-time job to starting her own business, yet she saw this as a sign from her husband that she was on the right path.

After 16 years of running a successful wedding & events planning company, we asked Debra, what’s her secret sauce? She said “You treat everyone the same.”

Wedding planner Debra Thompson, greeting one of her brides.

Clearly, Debra is very competent, but it’s her passion that is the spark that draws her clients and puts their trust in her. Proof of the pudding is her winning numerous awards including 5 times “Best of Westchester” for Party Planning and being in the Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame.

Let’s hear directly from Debra as we ask her advice on planning a wedding planning that will live on forever with beautiful and special memories.

Q: What are some trends & challenges that have come around post-pandemic for wedding planning?

A: “Trends come and go pre/during/post pandemics. You still have large bridal parties, but post-pandemic I am seeing smaller groups (primarily family and close friends). Hand sanitizers everywhere! I hope these are here to stay. Back in the days, there were hand sanitizer stations at locations, but I have observed through the years, these stations became few and far between.

In wedding planning, we have many new challenges post pandemic most of which center around staffing, whether it is the labor to ship, the labor to grow, the labor to serve, the need to increase salaries as they relate to the increases in product.

Then, aside from that, there are always challenges at every event, whether the vendor’s truck runs out of gas, the wedding cake falls, the shuttle bus doesn’t arrive for the guests. It is production! You handle it. There is always a solution to every challenge.”

Q: What is your advice for selecting wines and organizing wine service for a wedding?

A: “I can’t tell you how much bad wine I’ve tasted after working at so many events. First and foremost, I find guests will drink what is offered, but, if it is a good wine, they will always remember it.

When I work with clients and their bar selections, I recommend that they know their guest list. Consider if it is a group that drinks wine, give concentration to wine. Have some variety but also limit your selections to your favorite white wine and your favorite red wine for a wedding.

When you serve a wine, beer, or cocktails by the glass, you have some control regarding the amount that is needed, and can calculate accordingly. Traditionally, I recommend to base wine on 3 or 4 glasses per bottle. A guest can drink an average of 1 – 1 ½ beverages within a cocktail hour and by end of reception, on average of 3 – 4 beverages are consumed per guest at an event.”

Q: Wedding favors vs welcome gifts

Boutique extra virgin olive oil makes a great wedding favor.

A: “A wedding favor is given to all guests who attend an event, whether it is one per guest, one per couple, one per single guest while a welcome gift is traditionally given to guests upon checking into a hotel for the event weekend. A nice bottle of wine works great as a welcome gift so it can be enjoyed during the event weekend. In my experience, guests look for the welcome gift over the wedding favor. Depending on how the favor is distributed at the event determines if the guests will see it and take it at the end of the event. To that point, the size of the favor is important and how and where to showcase it.”

Q: How do you feel about wine or olive oil as a wedding gifts?

A: “Guests love edible and items that can be utilized instead of a candy dish that will eventually be tossed in the trash. In recent times, many guests are foodies, cooks, and chefs so they appreciate an item that they can experience and enjoy.

I believe wine is a perfect wedding gift for those who enjoy the experience and knowledge of different wines, blends and regions where production takes place. Wine as a wedding gift is for the mature palette. Also, I believe it works well for those special people, such as parents, godparents, or the officiant, to name a few, who you would want to acknowledge in a special way.

Wine can be an expensive gift to give as a favor, but I prefer a fabulous bottle of wine as a welcome gift for your guests vs. a favor, however cost and budget are always a factor during the planning process of an event.

Olive oil works great as wedding favor since it is small and light enough to tuck into luggage., and anyone at any age can enjoy.”

Q: Do you see couples ordering gift certificates as ‘thank you gifts’ or ordering online gifts that could be sent to people’s homes after the wedding?

A: “I believe thank you gifts will always be in trend and with many of my clients, they always are in search of something special to say THANK YOU and we are so moving into the digital world of gift giving.”

Special touches at weddings make the difference.

Q: Do you have any other insider tips for couples to have a memorable wedding?

A: “Spend time with your guests. Be present in the moment. Guests remember if you felt and touch them if only for a moment throughout your special event. This is what they take away from a memorable wedding. “Share your love story” with your families and friends!”

A: What is your favorite wine to serve at a wedding? Your personal favorite wine to enjoy?

A: “A big trend at wedding events is the Rosé and Prosecco among the younger generation (age range of 21 to early 30s), but for the mid to older generations, their palettes are a bit more mature and will favor wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet [for an alternative try a Tempranillo that is like a Cab Sauv!].

Of VeroVino wines, I’ve only tried the Canalino’s Brunello and Aldo Clerico’s Barolo Ginestra and I loved both. When you sip them, you savor every moment like a fabulous piece of chocolate, or an amazing cup of coffee. Both are filled with so much body, aroma and flavor.“

Let Us Help Give a Wedding & Event an Extra Special Touch

Now that you are armed with loads of tips to plan your own wedding or help someone else do it, contact us to see how we can help make yours extra special with unique, farm-to-glass wines and extra virgin olive oils. We sell to consumers and businesses across the US and ship directly to you.

Browse our full selection of small production natural wines and organic EVOOs here. Our sommelier staff will help you select hard-to-find, artisanal natural wines and olive oils that for your event, along with welcome gifts and party favors and put together a customized proposal to surprise and delight you and your guests.

We also have gift cards or you can order to have gift boxes sent directly to your loved ones and guests so when they get back from the wedding they find special tasting sets waiting for them at home. This way guests don’t have to worry about lugging gifts home from the wedding. Some ideas are our Champagne Tasting Set, Barolo Set, Extra Virgin Explorer Set, all with shipping included.