All Posts Tagged ‘wedding venues’

It seems only fitting with today being the first day of Fall that we talk about the hottest color trends for weddings…shades of Fall ~ Coral, Sage, Peach, Pumpkin, Brown and all colors of the earth.

We’ve seen them popping up in gorgeous bridesmaids dresses, like Lisa and Brad’s bridal party wore when they wed aboard RegentSea in Marina del Rey, to bridal shoes like Kalinda wore when she wed Keenan aboard RegentSea….not to mention the flowers and cakes!!

We’d love to see some of your favorite Fall Wedding Moments aboard the FantaSea Fleet and in the FantaSea Yacht Club. Send us your FantaSea Fall Wedding Photos to post. Thank you to ZoomTheory, Corbin Kell, Fotograpz Studios and Cakes and Kisses for your recent photos.

Kathleen Soto + Jonathan Gomez ~ April 15, 2011

Ceremony: Sacred Heart Chapel, Loyola Marymount University Reception Location: FantaSea Yacht Club, Marina del Rey Event Producers: John Williams-Jacob and Jasmine Lee Entertainment: IMP – Steve Chacon, DJ/Lighting Designer Specialty Linens: Elegant Designs Florist: Peony & Plum Photography: Kathryn Colby Wedding Cake: Torrance Bakery

Jonathan and I were engaged in December, 2010 and we knew we wanted to get married at our alma mater, the place where we became friends eight years ago, Loyola Marymount University (LMU). We secured April 15th, 2011 with LMU’s chapel and hoped that a decent venue would accommodate our wedding that was only four months away. After shopping around Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Downtown Los Angeles and feeling like we weren’t going to find a place that would deliver everything we wanted within our budget, we stumbled upon FantaSea Yachts and Yacht Club in “Here Comes the Guide.” We were pleasantly surprised to learn it was family-owned (for 30 years at that!) and immediately called to make an appointment to see the venue.

We booked an appointment with John who was extremely helpful and sweet. John was very eager to work with us to make it happen within our budget (which was extremely important to us). We fell in love with the breathtaking views of the marina, the size and uniqueness of the space, the large bar and we especially liked that the chivari chairs were standard! FantaSea Yacht Club was only a five minute drive from LMU; it was the warm and intimate, yet spacious venue we had been looking for. By the end of our first meeting, we were sold! And after we did the food tasting, we were sold for the second time! Everything we tried was delicious, the selection FantaSea offers is outstanding and we immediately knew we had found a place that would deliver a very memorable evening for us and for our guests.  Friends and family often asked me how the wedding planning was going during those few months and were always so surprised by how “at ease” I was. I would just smile and credit my venue; everyone at FantaSea was so helpful and accommodating. The vendors FantaSea recommended were also outstanding.

We fell in love with a florist they work with (Peony & Plum) who knew the space well and created gorgeous flower arrangements for our special evening. We also worked with Jasmine from FantaSea to finalize everything and very much appreciated her impeccable sense of style and attention to detail.

Our wedding reception was perfect; FantaSea delivered an amazing space with delicious food, an amazing wait staff and incredibly attentive wedding coordinators who made the wedding planning process so easy for us. Our friends and family can’t stop talking about how much fun they had that evening and it is thanks to FantaSea! Everyone at FantaSea went above and beyond to deliver a reception that was more than we could have ever imagined! We are extremely grateful and look forward to the next celebration we can have at FantaSea!

When you’re getting ready to plan an event, whether it’s your wedding, company holiday party, charity event or an anniversary party, there are key things you need to know to prepare and protect yourself when negotiating with your venue, caterer and/or vendors. Here at FantaSea Yachts & Yacht Club we have helped hundreds of brides, event planners, party planners and first time coordinators plan the best, most cost effective events. Here are some useful tips I’ve learned about the negotiating table!

1. Be Prepared. The three most important things about negotiation are preparation, preparation, preparation.  Learn as much as possible. The internet and magazines are a great resource to see what the competition is doing and what’s popular. I recommend creating a file with photos and articles that you have collected. This will help communicate your vision when working with your florist, caterer and other vendors as well as narrow down your choices.
2. Know What You Need. Now that you have a sense of style and vision, the next step is to zero in on your needs.
   1. What is your date?
   2. What is the time of your event? Afternoon, Evening, Lunch or dinner?
   3. How many guests? You don’t need an exact count, but a good ‘guestimate’ (example 25-50 or 150-175)
   4. What is your budget?  Many times my clients say, “I don’t have a budget, I’m just investigating right now.” The truth is, everyone has a comfort range. Is it between $3,000 -  $5,000? $8,000 – $10,000? $15,000 – $20,000?
   5. Do you want a buffet, a plated meal or appetizers?
   6. What kind of bar do you want? A cash bar or hosted bar?
   7. Know What’s Most Important To You.  If you have followed steps one through three you have a good idea of what you want.  Now you need to figure out what’s most important. Is it price? Date? Special décor? A combination of everything? You need to narrow down what’s most important in order to negotiate the best deal.
   8. Be Flexible with Your Date & Time. If budget is most important, then your ability to be flexible is key to negotiating the best price.  Just like a hotel or airline, most catering prices are based on supply and demand. If you’re planning your company’s holiday party, you’ll get more bang for your buck if you’re willing to have a week day evening or weekend daytime event than if you try for a prime Saturday night. By choosing off-times & off-season, you can negotiate 30% – 40% off a prime time, allowing you more money to throw a great party!
   9. Utilize The Venues Resources. Here at FantaSea Yachts & Yacht Club we are a full service event company. We will help you plan your event from invitation wording to liaising with vendors. Because we do so many parties and events, we can make money saving recommendations for anything you need. We are your event planners so you don’t have to spend money on outsourcing one. We want you to make use of our expertise!
   10. Understand the difference between bargaining & negotiating. Bargaining is a quid pro quo affair – it’s this for that, tit for tat. Negotiating is about psychology and building trusting relationships – it is really a mutual education.

So, When you are ready to plan your next event I’ll be here waiting for you on the other side of the of the negotiating table. I promise, by following the six steps outlined above, we will both leave the conference room with a smile!