11 Adorable Ways to Include Pets in a Wedding

Everyone will be there—mom, dad, brother, second cousin once removed, so why not Fido? Our thoughts exactly! With their sloppy kisses, cold noses, and outstanding love for their owners, a pet is the perfect guest to invite on the big day—you can even give them a special part to play. Check out this 11 adorable ways to include pets on the big day!

1. Flower Girl or Ring Bearer

Don’t have a flower girl or ring bearer in mind to walk down the aisle? Why not a furry friend? And no, not the soon-to-be brother-in-law—a pet! Keep in mind though, the pet might steal some spotlight so be willing to share.

Our advice for this idea is for you to attach a faux ring to the collar. You don’t need a lose dog wandering off with a pricey ring attached. And if you’re thinking about adding decor to their leash or collar, make sure it’s not toxic for them. Florists know which flowers to avoid, and which will be the perfect substitute—trust them!

2. Charm or Cufflink

Ever thought about personalizing your wedding attire? If not, consider designing cufflinks or a charm to help keep your pet at your side during the wedding. Talk about sentimental feelings!

3. Getting Ready

If you’re thinking, “hm, maybe having a pet during the event wouldn’t be a good idea,” don’t worry, you can still include them—just differently. When you or your clients are getting ready, you can always invite the pet to be a part of it. Photographers love to capture pictures of the bridal party getting ready, making this a perfect time to snap a few pictures with your furry friend in the background.

Our advice, make sure the venue you are getting ready at is OK with pets, and try to have your pet professionally groomed before their big photo opportunity.

4. Vows

You’re making a vow to each other, ever thought about adding your furbabies into the commitment too? Promise each other you’ll commit to raising and loving your children (no matter if they’re furry or not). Why not start that commitment by adding a line about your pets in your vow!

5. Formal Photoshoot

Pets love pictures, so why not include them in some after the main event? Dress them up with a tie or flower collar and take some shots with them. Photographs can capture your love and your pet’s love in the same moment. Plus, it’s something you can hold onto forever. How sweet is that?

Our advice would be to ensure that your pets get all of their wiggles out. They’ll need to hold still for the photographer.

6. Engagement Photos

Engagement photos are taken months prior to your event, and are a good time to include your pet. If you’re worried about who will take care of the pet during the event, or who will watch it over the honeymoon period, maybe it’s best if man’s best friend misses the big event. This is where engagement photos play an important part! You can book a session with a photographer for a day and capture all the great memories without the worry.

7. Photo by the Guest Book

Find the cutest picture of the pet, decorate the frame, and place it beside the guest book. This is the surest way for guests to catch a glimpse of the special, furry family member. You can attach a caption along the bottom of the frame to welcome guests to the event from your pet friend.

8. Wedding Favors

You have the wedding favors set, but did you include a favor for your guests’ pets? You should! Including a dog treat with a cute message from your pet to theirs is a nice added touch.

Our advice, however, is to either purchase dog treats or ensure that if you make them you only add ingredients that are safe for animals.

9. Bouquet Charm

Why not purchase a small token or reminder of your pet and add it to your bouquet? It’s a simple decor that can bring happiness to you and your spouse every time you look down at your wedding flowers.

10. Cake Topper

Dedicate a small portion of the cake to miniature replicas of the pets. You can either purchase a cake topper that represents you, your new spouse, and your pet. Or, you can just add a small token along the bottom of the cake. It lets your pet share in the special moment (and enjoy the cake) with you.

11.Stationery

OK, so maybe your pet is too rambunctious, and you’re worried they might steal the show in a not-so-good way. Well, they can still be a part of the big day, but maybe in 2D format instead of 3D. You can hang or set pictures of the pet on tables, in your invitation, save the date, etc. The options when it comes to stationery and your pet are endless.

Our advice is to be sure you worked the extra cost of printing images on photo paper into your budget. 

So whether they’re furry, have four legs or have wings, be sure to do something special for those who spend their whole life loving you unconditionally. Although we would love to watch the pet for the big day, we’re still here to help you with any of your event planning needs. Did you know we offer world-class 24/7 support? But in closing, make your day that much more special by finding a spot at the event for all the furbabies! Because really, who could resist a face like this?

Read More »

Inspherio Integrates SmugMug

One of the most innovative ways to optimize and automate a business operating within the event industry is provided by the web-based business management program Inspherio. Launched in January 2013, Inspherio celebrates their one year anniversary by announcing their integration with SmugMug, the leading photo hosting service for photographers. 

With Inspherio's integration of SmugMug, photographers no longer have to bounce back and forth between

programs to manage a single event. Now photographers can manage all aspects of their business in one place, from managing leads to recording payments to uploading images with their synced SmugMug account. This makes completing tasks even faster, creating extra time that photographers can invest back into their business or taking some personal time to truly admire their great work. 

About Inspherio

Inspherio is an easy to use, web-based business management program designed specifically for wedding and event professionals. Its creators understand that event professionals have a lot on their plate: working with clients, vendors, employees, and variety of administrative tasks that steal time from the creative process. The old event management process that required four to five different programs: spreadsheets, word processing, accounting, etc was outdated and obsolete. Inspherio has streamlined the entire event management process in one single program: from organizing leads, generating and e-signing contracts, uploading photos with the new SmugMug integration and everything in between...

• Leads - Seamlessly import leads from websites or other sources, as well as, create leads within Inspherio. All the information stays organized and easily accessible, simplifying the process of following up with potential clients.
• Pricing Packages - Users can send pricing packages or custom quotes to potential clients with just a few clicks or even from their iPhone or Android device. This means no more missing out on clients because of out-of-office meetings.
• KYE (Know Your Event) Form - Exclusive to Inspherio, the KYE Questionnaire helps event professionals collect specific information from clients. The questions are easily customizable and put the client in charge of entering detailed event preferences. Never get caught up in last minute preparation guessing or miscommunications again.
• Contracts - One of the unparalleled features that Inspheriooffers is the ability to create, send, and electronically sign contracts.
• Year-End Financial Reports - Effortlessly prepare for tax season by running year-end financial reports with a few clicks, and these features are only a glimpse - Inspherio offers so much more!

Inspherio provides live 24 hour U.S based support. For event professionals who want to see Inspherio in action, a complimentary 30-day trial is offered along with live 1-on-1 product demos, and free account set-up.

Read More »

Over The Top pt.2 - Trash The Dress Photo Trend

You only wear your wedding dress for one day, so why not Trash It and create amazingly Over The Top wedding photos? These brides went above and beyond the traditional wedding photos and trashed their dresses to create unforgettable images.

How do you trash a wedding dress?

Light it on Fire!
Well maybe not really light it on fire (let Photoshop be the pyro), but you can make it look like your love is so hot, it literally ignites.

 *Photo courtesy of Del Sol Photography

Play In The Mud!
Just tell everyone you wanted a creative/dramatic rendering of your inner child.

 *Photo courtesy of Bigler Productions

Paint It!
Get your husband involved and let him express his artistic side.

 

*Photo courtesy of photographybyyvonnie.com

 ...Or go for the more exciting Squeeze Bottle Paint Fight! All is fair in love & war.

   

*Photo courtesy of  Chesler Photography.

 Make a Splash!
The beach makes a perfect location to trash any beautiful white wedding dress.

 *photo courtesy of maria-angela.com

Soak It!
 Dive in and create amazing underwater photos.

*Photo courtesy of Del Sol Photography.

All The Above! 

Combine all your favorite Trash The Dress trends..Wear it to the Ocean, Cover it with Paint, & let Photoshop Light It On Fire!

*Photo courtesy of White Studio

Read More »

Wedding Industry Legal Tips: Q&A with Rob Schenk

In the wedding industry, there are contracts upon contracts, clauses upon clauses. With contracts, inevitably, will come lawsuits. Even if you think you have done everything perfectly, if one tiny thing involved with the wedding goes wrong, the search for a scapegoat will begin.

In order to protect yourself against frivolous lawsuits, you want to have a good grasp of the law. That being said, I contacted business law attorney Rob Schenk, who represents wedding industry professionals. He was kind enough to take the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.

Wedding Industry Law: Rob's online resource for legal news and education about the wedding profession

What is the strangest wedding industry case you have seen? 

I love the lawsuit where the Groom sued his Wedding Photographer SIX YEARS LATER claiming that the photographer showed up late, failed to capture portions of the event, and did not have knowledge of the venue as claimed. What makes this one awesome is that the Groom demanded $48,000 to fly everyone back to NY and reenact the missing portions of the Wedding! What makes this one TOTALLY awesome is that he's now divorced! You can check out more info on the case here. 

If a contract does not explicitly say that a retainer or deposit is refundable/non-refundable, how will a court view any dispute between a vendor and their client? 

It will depend on other language in the contract, and sometimes, who the Judge believes. This is why it is extremely important that contract terms are explicit and the age old question, "What happens if I cancel the wedding X days before the wedding," should be clearly spelled out. 

Do you have any recommendations for wedding/event planners regarding injury liability? For example, say a guest gets hurt at a venue that the planner booked for the event. 

I routinely see Wedding Venue Operators requiring that the Bride/Groom acquire Event Insurance to cover these type of issues. Better safe than sorry.

Who owns the rights to wedding photos/video: bride & groom or photographers/videographers? 

This will depend on what the contract says. Generally, the person capturing the images (still or video) is the copyright owner. This means that the photographer/videographer has exclusive rights to distribute, duplicate, sell, burn, whatever. This would be the case even though the services are paid for by the Bride/Groom. Unless, as stated, the issue of copyright ownership is laid out in the contract. 

What is the top piece of advice you would give wedding professionals across the board?

Work only with a written contract. Work only with a written contract that you understand and that covers the issue of MONEY, CANCELLATION, and VENDOR DUTIES. 

We'd like to thank Rob for taking his time to provide us with some excellent legal advice. You can check out some case studies and more great advice from Rob at weddingindustrylaw.com.

About Rob:
As a business law attorney representing wedding industry professionals, Rob Schenk concentrates his practice in two areas: advocating for clients currently engaged in litigation and counseling clients on how to avoid litigation. Understanding the common disputes that arise from the ‘big day,’ Rob provides advice on a daily basis regarding contract provisions and business methods that help reduce the risk of a lawsuit with Bridezilla. 

Robert's Social Media: Twitter,  Facebook

Read More »

All About Inspherio

It’s time to get your Event Business organized with Inspherio - the most advanced business management program for Event Industry Professionals.  Inspherio provides solutions for businesses of any size, no matter if you are a one person operation or a full crew with many employees.  No other tool allows you to manage your entire business from one place - even employees and payroll!  

The exclusive Enterprise Version of Inspherio is leaps and bounds beyond any other program on the market today!

No other program offers a Truly All-In-One Solution, allowing you to:

• Schedule Your Employees & Assign Them to Events
• No more wasting time on an antiquated scheduling process
• Give Your Employees Account Access with Individual Login Information
• All your company information in one central place
• Automate Your Payroll Process & Track Expenses Intuitively 
• Eliminate that shoe box full of receipts & tax info
• Gather All Event Info From your Clients Automatically Add it to Contracts in Real Time
• Inspherio eliminates redundancies wherever possible
• Create Contracts in the Cloud & E-Sign Them From Anywhere
• Always Be Closing, no matter where in the world you are
• Generate Comprehensive Reports at Tax Time & Throughout the Year
• “Planning Your Success” is our motto, but can also Measure Your Success

With Inspherio, you are not alone.  Our customer support team is always available to offer heroic help whenever you need it through phone, email, & chat support.  Just give us a call at 704.234.6000 or email us at support@Inspherio.com with any questions you may have.

These are just a few examples of what Inspherio can do for your business. Join Inspherio Now to checkout the above features and more!!! Get started for Free!  NO Credit Card required to check it out!

Read More »

Getting Organized With Inspherio!

It’s time to get your business organized with Inspherio - the most advanced business management program for Event Industry Professionals.  Inspherio provides solutions for businesses of any size, no matter if you are a one person operation or a full crew with many employees.  No other tool allows you to manage your entire business from one place - even employees and payroll! 

The exclusive Enterprise Version of Inspherio is leaps and bounds beyond any other program on the market today!

No other program offers a Truly All-In-One Solution, allowing you to:

• Schedule Your Employees & Assign Them to Events
  No more wasting time on an antiquated scheduling process
• Give Your Employees Account Access with Individual Login Information
  All your company information in one central place
• Automate Your Payroll Process & Track Expenses Intuitively 
  Eliminate that shoe box full of receipts & tax info
• Gather All Event Info From your Clients Automatically Add it to Contracts in Real Time
  Inspherio eliminates redundancies wherever possible
• Create Contracts in the Cloud & E-Sign Them From Anywhere
  Always Be Closing, no matter where in the world you are
• Generate Comprehensive Reports at Tax Time & Throughout the Year
  “Planning Your Success” is our motto, but can also Measure Your Success

With Inspherio, you are not alone.  Our customer support team is always available to offer heroic help whenever you need it through phone, email, & chat support.  Just give us a call at 704.234.6000 or email us at support@Inspherio.com with any questions you may have.

These are just a few examples of what Inspherio can do for your business. Join Inspherio Now to checkout the above features and more!!! Get started for Free!  NO Credit Card required to check it out!

Read More »

Use A Great Program to Manage Your Event Business

If you are in the Wedding Business or if you would consider yourself to be an Event Professional, you are probably too busy preparing for your events to worry about all the meticulous details to run your business properly. 

If this is true, you are not alone.  Thousands of event professionals around the country are not taking advantage of the full potential of their business.  This common trade-off occurs when an event professional decides to go after more work and make more money, or devote less time to new jobs, and more time organizing their business. 

Thanks to Inspherio, no one should have to choose between staying organized & staying busy with new jobs.  Inspherio allows a business owner to manage their leads from start to finish as well as manage their finances, receive online payments, send Electronic Contracts, and much more! 

With a web-based event management software program for any type of Event Professional, you can stay busy doing what you love, because Inspherio helps you take care of all the meticulous details behind the scenes.  just think of how beneficial it would be to only enter your contact's information once, and from then on, it will auto-populate on all the required forms like contracts, invoices, an agenda for the event, and more.

Read More »

Wedding Decor Trends

The official start of summer is just a few days away.  While our fellow wedding planners are busy working on their next magnificent event, let’s take a moment and see what trends are out there.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a wedding? 

Of course, it’s a bride dressed to the latest season’s fashion. We will talk about dresses some other time.

What is the second thing?

What about wedding decorations?

There are few parallel trends this season when it comes to wedding décor. Some go with glamour, decorative lights, but the trend that stands out the most; is natural, organic weddings.

All decorations should look natural as if they were put together in a bliss by loving family members, featuring fresh flowers from the garden nearby, organic textures, such as burlap, tree bark, rocks, fruits, vegetables and, of course, candles.

Flowers have been a wedding staple since the beginning of times. So what is new this season? The trends this season is unexpected flower arrangements, whether that flowers hanging from the ceiling in place of a chandelier or centerpiece flowers submerged in water, which gives them that magnifying fresh look that any wedding decorator is striving to achieve.

Of course any wedding look takes lots or preparations and coordination. To help yourself put your next event together, stay organized with Inspherio, one of a kind, cloud based software that does most of the work for you, so you can dream and stay inspired!

Check it out at www.inspherio.com.

 

Pictures source: Pinterest.com

Read More »

Did You Get My Message?

We can all remember our first cell phone. The gratification of being able to talk to someone anytime, anywhere! Nowadays, if someone doesn’t answer our call, we find ourselves texting and emailing them until they respond back. We want answers and we want them now!
Inspherio allows you to communicate with your client directly through the program. If your client has a question, they can log into their client portal and send you a question. You’ll then receive an email notification with their message, can log into Inspherio, and respond. Why is this useful?

How many times has a client had a question and they call, text, and email you! Or you need to remember something they asked but don’t remember if it was through a text or an email? Inspherio keeps all communication between you and your client in one location. Allowing you to access any necessary information quickly and keeping you organized along the way.

Read More »

When You Think Innovation, Think Inspherio!

There are many products on the market that assist you in the managing of your business. You may have one that handles your leads, another for your expenses, and then your handy dandy calendar; but did you know that  Inspherio can handle all of this for you? What about all of the exclusive features that can only be found in Inspherio?

• The KYE Form --> A customizable form that allows you to quickly gather pertinent information for your client’s event. Receive real-time feedback of your client’s responses and notifications if anything is updated at a later time. 

• Communication --> You and your clients are able to chat directly through Inspherio, allowing you to easily keep track of conversations with clients. Receive email notifications every time you have a new message!

• Maintaining Your Identity --> One of our biggest goals with Inspherio was for our users to feel that they could use our program and their business was still the main focus. That is why we made sure that you are able to brand any email, form, or website used within Inspherio. Change the font, color, and background to match your own; even upload your companies logo to accompany any outgoing documents. We know that our users have worked hard to build their name and it should stay that way!

• Full Accounting System --> Keep track of all income and expenses through Inspherio and see how easy it is to do your taxes! Print a few reports and you are good to go! Income is automatically recorded as your clients make payments, all you have to do input any expenses.

• User Friendly --> How many times have you started using a program and had no idea where to start? Inspherio ensures that you understand every step of the way and offers descriptive Help Text to answer any lingering questions you may have. We have also provided a road map of Inspherio to guide you along in setting up your business. 

• Super Support System --> The Inspherio Support Team are available for your convenience around the clock via email! You may contact us either via telephone or live chat Monday through Friday, 9AM to 6PM EST. Take advantage of our Support Team’s expertise and schedule a 1on1 training, as they walk you through the program and answer any questions you may have. Our Inspherio Youtube Channel offers over 30 tutorial videos to explain and demonstrate the many features Inspherio offers. 

See for yourself why Inspherio is the top choice for professionals in the event planning industry to manage their business. Start your full-version free trial today and start Planning Your Success!

Read More »

Keep Your Identity Within Inspherio!

We know that the users of Inspherio are accomplished entrepreneurs who have worked hard to establish their name and business. This is why our team has made it our goal to ensure our users maintain their identity while using Inspherio.

Inspherio provides each user with their own domain within the program. You have the option of publishing your site directly through Inspherio or embedding the code into your site as just another page.

By embedding the providing code into your website, no one would ever know that Inspherio was powering your Contact page! You are able to customize the font, color, layout, even add your banner to the top of the page or as the background image. Your potential clients fill out the contact form and the information is directly imported into Inspherio !

Read More »

How much is marketing costing you??

We all know the most important piece of our business are the clients that we bring in. In today’s day and age, the avenues of marketing our business seem endless! Sometimes keeping track of these campaigns and their success can get lost in translation. Not only will Inspheriohelp you manage your time but also your money you’re investing into your business!

Inspheriomakes it easy to track which clients were referred by which campaign! You input the campaign name and when your customers use the Contact Us form, they choose the appropriate campaign. It’s that easy! Want to check your return on investment and see which campaigns to run again? With a click of the mouse, Inspheriowill generate you a report to analyze your results!

This is just another way how Inspheriois dedicated to help you “Plan Your Success”!

Read More »

The following article was originally posted on DigitalBrandMarketing.com by Megan Harris


The wedding industry is not only high-grossing but highly specialized. According to the 2011 BRIDES American Wedding Study, the average wedding costs $26,501. While that figure has fallen about 5% since 2009 due to the economic recession, weddings are still very high-paying and nearly recession-proof business. Even in tough times, couples like to celebrate their nuptials in style, which is often not cheap.
As a freelance writer and editor, I have had experience with the wedding industry from the first article I wrote for a client trying to break into this competitive market. Here are some key points I have taken away from my work in the wedding niche in regards to business branding. Perhaps those in the wedding industry and beyond can find these tips helpful!

Supply a Need in Your Products or Services

Does your startup do what everyone else does? Chances are, if it is part of the wedding industry, it won’t take off. It’s a harsh but true reality that following the crowd will not get you noticed, and this is especially true in weddings.
Businesses must fill a unique need in their products or services. This is how BridesView, a wedding inspiration community, went from being a small startup to being featured on Mashable in a very short amount of time! They found a unique need to fill and found it in linking vendors and brides together through a photo sharing community.

Provide Value to Clients and Customers

One of the biggest hurdles in the wedding niche is getting noticed. It’s a competitive market, and you can bet every major city in the U.S. is teeming with photo booth rentals, DJ and lighting professionals, and floral designers anticipating that busy summer season. However, if you are not the kind of professional that provides outstanding service, you’ll get left behind!
Some of the best businesses not only are great at branding because of what they do, but because the mission of their brand shows through their work. I have had clients that are widely recognized from the five-star reviews they receive on WeddingWire and repeatedly gain recognition for their work.

Network, Network, Network!

One of the best ways to grow your brand is to partner with others in the wedding industry. Partnering with other businesses not only helps you gain their trust and expertise, but can help you come up with all new ideas!
Let’s say you want to provide a unique wedding editorial blog to your region. Why not partner with a wedding photographer or graphic designer to get your blog some traction? Perhaps they can send their clients your way once the blog is up and running. You will gain more exposure with partners and can likely find help in an area you do not know from an expert.
Regardless if you are working in the wedding industry or not, you can learn a lot about branding from it! Successful wedding businesses fulfill the needs of their client base; provide high-quality services or products; and are not afraid of working with others to improve their business. Try using some of these strategies in 2012 to boost your business!


This Blog was originally posted by Megan Harris on DigitalBrandMarketing.com on 1/29/2012
Re-Blogged by Inspherio on 2/7/2012

Read More »