Sincerely Sarah

Considerations for your 2021 and 2022 Wedding

July 21, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Weddings are BACK here in Wisconsin and coming in bigger and better than ever. Hosts and guests alike are all overjoyed to be together after a long year apart and things have picked up right where they left off.

As people start to plan again though, there are many new timing considerations that need to be made, especially to secure your dream team of vendors that will work to execute your vision. After sitting dormant in 2020, demand for event services is now higher than ever, forcing many couples, as well as vendors, to reevaluate what is most important to them as they are moving forward. Given this, some advice from us:

If your wedding is still in 2021

If you still have anything or anyone that you need to book, DO IT NOW. At this point we’re seeing many vendors with closed availability through at least the fall, if not longer, thanks to all the postponements from 2020 into 2021. And we’re not only talking about small businesses like photographers, planners, etc. Even large businesses with great capacity such as rental companies are stretched thin.
Given the above, be prepared to be flexible. You may need to bend on either vision or pricing depending on your situation. That being said, there are always creative solutions that exist!
Continue to have grace with your guests, and be understanding about any feelings or concerns that may still linger about the safety of gathering in a large group.

If your wedding is in 2022

We recommend booking things sooner rather than later. There were quite a few postponements also from 2021 into 2022, as well as people who got engaged in 2020 that waited to start planning until they knew things were safe. In our area of Southern Wisconsin, typically booking vendors a year in advance is enough time to get who you want, but at this point you more likely need to be booking 15-18 months in advance to have that assurance.
If you have not yet set a date or booked a venue, consider that you may have more flexibility and feel less pressured by setting a date in 2023 instead, if that is an option.

Moral of the story – the time to plan is now! Additionally, sending out those Save the Dates will be more important than ever, with everyone’s calendars starting to quickly get full again. We always recommend sending those out 6-8 months before your wedding date.

Are you currently planning a wedding and experiencing what we’ve detailed above? Drop your comments below!

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.

Featured HUE Blog: What to do When Friends and Family Visit Madison (With Destination Madison)

June 9, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

If you haven’t figured it out yet, we LOVE Madison! Our beautiful city in summertime is the *chef’s kiss* of experiences. There are lakes. There is good food and drink. And there is so, so much more.

A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to partner with Destination Madison to do a featured blog on their site, covering this very topic! I won’t give away all the secrets, but we discuss the above suggested activities in-depth, along with several others, all perfect for your friends and family coming to visit.

Hop over here to their blog to see that post and then pour yourself that next Terrace beer, friends, because summer is HERE.

Destination Weddings: Is it for You? (Throwback)

May 26, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Hey friends!

May has been INSANE in the land of HUE, as we maneuver through our local area finally reopening post-Covid, engage in tons of cool project-based work, and in general launch into our busy season. Due to all of that, I’m taking the opportunity to again throwback on today’s blog to a topic near and dear to my heart.

There’s a few reasons I chose this one:

I’m headed down right this moment to my friend’s destination wedding in the Dominican Republic <3
Kevin and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary this week of our own destination wedding <3

Considering nuptials outside the US of A? Read on to learn more about if it’s right for you!

_________________

It was January 2012 and I was on a trip to San Diego. My boyfriend (now husband) and I were strolling along the beach with the iconic Hotel del Coronado background, and I remember that being the first moment that having a destination wedding crossed my mind. I couldn’t help but be entranced by crashing waves, warm temperatures, and walking alongside the guy I was fairly certain I would end up with. I was hooked, and from there knew that one day I would get married on a beach.

It definitely took some convincing and was not a decision we made lightly. Destination weddings can be just as expensive (if not more) than a traditional wedding and no matter how you approach it, you’re immediately putting a lot of pressure on your guests. Traveling is as natural as breathing in both of our families, so luckily both sets of parents were immediately on board. There were many others to consider though – grandparents who could not travel easily, and friends who didn’t have a ton of disposable income to drop on a big trip. In the end, we decided to still do the destination and ended up with about 25 people at the beautiful El Dorado Royale, but also had a full-blown traditional reception at home, so we were able to celebrate with everyone that we loved.

There are hundreds of other “destinations” out there besides the beach. My cousin is getting married this year on a cruise ship through the Bahamas. My colleagues have clients getting married at castles in Ireland. And hey, Vegas is just as classic as it ever was. My point is, if you’re not sure about the traditional wedding setting, you’ve got options!

Some ways to help control the costs for your guests is to research travel deals, offer various activities they can say yes and no to, and make a no gifts policy. And know in the end that you need to be a very understanding host if some guests can’t swing it, but also know the people that matter will be there. You will (hopefully) only have one wedding in your life, and you have the right to do it how you want.

If this something you are considering, I would recommend putting thought into the following areas before booking:

Why do you want a destination wedding? Are you just not happy with your available options, or are you truly excited about this one? Do you think it will be cheaper? (Because it’s usually not). For all the reasons listed above and more, you want to make sure you’re choosing this for the right reasons. No matter how you go about it, there are bound to be some hurt feelings from those who either cannot partake or are not invited, so make sure you are prepared to have conversations with them as needed.
How do you feel about wedding planning? Destination weddings attract many people at first because they think it will be much easier to plan, but unless it’s just the two of you leaving to elope, that’s probably not the case. There are just as many, if not more, logistics to coordinate and the potential for higher stress levels. I would highly recommend considering hiring a travel agent or wedding planner that works specifically in the destination wedding market, or discussing with your chosen venue their available staffing and options.
How meaningful is the actual ceremony to you? Depending on your destination, you might have to jump through a lot of hopes to obtain a legitimate marriage license. Many locations outside of the USA actually recommend that couples even get legally married at a courthouse before traveling, leaving the on-site ceremony to be purely symbolic.

I wouldn’t change anything about our wedding and will always recommend considering destination weddings to those with whom it could be a good fit. At the end of the day, no matter where you get married and no matter who is there, it will be the best day of your life. Make sure it is the best reflection of YOU that it can be!

Why I Outsource: Tax and Accounting Edition (Throwback)

May 13, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

In honor of an extended tax season this year, I’ve chosen to throw this back to an oldie but goodie. If you aren’t yet using an accountant for your yearly business tax needs I highly encourage you to do so. Without even looking at the numbers I’m positive ours has saved me well beyond what I’ve paid her over the years, both in money and in time. Love you Steph!

Original post: April 12, 2019

Four years ago, I decided to take the plunge and hire a tax and accounting consultant. There were two main reasons for this:

I had just started Harmonious Union Events and NO idea what sort of tax things were all involved in being self-employed.
We had just purchased our first home, which felt like the jumping off point into official “adulting”, and we knew that would be just the first step of many new things we would encounter in our lives that now played a big factor into filing taxes.

This is one of the best business and personal decisions I have ever made.

(Photo included because this topic is best discussed with a drink in hand)

I know that everyone has their own approach, but as a mom, entrepreneur, and someone who at least tries to have a social life, my time is one of the most valuable things in the world to me, along with my sanity. Anything that I can do to help preserve those two things nearly always comes in at a high priority.

Here is just a short list of tax/accounting related things that a consultant can guide a small business owner through:

Filing quarterly, which you’ll want to do so you don’t have to pay a HUGE amount during your normal annual spring filling. When you’re employed by someone else, your tax owed is just taken out of your paychecks throughout the year and you don’t have to worry about it. When you’re self-employed (or get paid as a contractor, such as Uber driving, etc) you have to remember that you owe Uncle Sam around a third of every single payment that comes in.
Deductions, which ROCK! Mileage, supplies, and meals related to your business are just a few of the categories that can be deducted when going through self-employment taxes, and you’ll want to make sure that you get the absolute most out of those as you can.
What needs to be taxed and when. Personal services? No. Rentals, floral, and photography? Yes. Something that you purchased online that didn’t include tax? Make sure that’s added in somewhere. Also, this varies state to state and if you did business in another state from where you’re located you better believe that you’re filing taxes there too. HALP!
General bookkeeping. How do I need to categorize this? Did that payment come in? What receipts do I all need and what info from each? There’s people out there that actually love this stuff you guys.

(Still making sure you’re with me.. just listen to the pretty music!)

And don’t forget about your personal life! A few things we’ve gotten major help on:

All taxes related to owning a home, including what deductions are now involved in having a home office. This would also be a major tax component for you if you do Air BnB or other short term rental programs.
Babies, babies, babies. There are all sorts of fun child related tax and deductions to consider, as well as what goes into college investments, etc.
We’re involved in some business ventures that have unique tax forms at the end of the year, require us to file in multiple states, and also don’t release the tax forms until just a few weeks before April hits. Because our accountant is so organized and ready to just drop this info in as it comes, we feel absolutely no stress around this, even this year with a new baby due on April 6.

Of course there’s a cost to everything, but this is really for you to decide on what is the tipping point for you. Are things simple enough still that the time is no big deal? If so, that’s great! However, for me, I’m now freed up to do two major things:

Spend ample time with my family, my friends, and be available to manage the most important and favorite aspects of our personal lives.
When I’m not doing Number 1, growing my business in major ways, including right now devoting ample time building a social media presence, the CRM software component of my business, and my personal vendor database.

(Okay all done, time to party)

Hope this helps in your decision process – and Happy Tax Day!

If you’ve been swayed or have already considered reaching out to someone, I’d HIGHLY recommend my accountant and fellow girl boss, Stephanie Strupp, steph@strupptax.com, who works remote and is available for hire no matter your location.

Featured Image: XO Azuree

Vendors We Love: Hampton Inn + Suites Madison Downtown

March 24, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Last week I partnered with Destination Madison to take part in one of their Madison Minications. This campaign was launched as a way for locals to explore and take advantage of the great hotels our area has to offer and is currently running through April 12, 2021. With Lila turning four this month, we had been searching for an idea to celebrate that got us out of the house but felt safe, and this overnight hotel stay was the perfect blend of both!

While there are many Minication options, The Hampton Inn + Suites Downtown Madison was ideal for us for a few reasons:

We wanted something easy and family friendly. Just having a pool and Lila getting her own bed on the pullout couch would’ve been enough to celebrate, but the downtown parking, hot breakfast, and location ready for exploration really made this for us. Throw in the $30 Food Fight Restaurant gift card and bingo scavenger hunt included as a part of the Minication package and we had an action packed 24 hours!
I refer sooooooo many couples to this hotel for their wedding room blocks! I’ve always been comfortable doing so because of its good reputation and feedback from my couples on their positive experience. However, it makes me feel 1000% percent more excited about it now that I’ve personally gone through a stay there and can speak to my own experience.

Our arrival and check-in process was extremely easy, from parking the car to a smooth and safe check-in at the front desk. As soon as you stepped foot on the property you could tell that they embraced their Madison location and proximity to campus, with tons of local-focused artwork and accents around, including one of the Buckys on Parade (Pucky)! Izzy and Luis at the front desk were extremely kind and even had special birthday treats ready for Lila, which she loved!

We stayed in a King Studio Suite, which included a microwave, mini-fridge, and pullout sofa, on the seventh floor with views of campus. The Hampton has several room options available depending on your needs, and we were extremely happy with how clean and cozy our space was. As you can see below, Lila claimed her space pretty quick! For weddings, the different options and price points would make things easy for anyone on your guest list to find something that works for them.

After unpacking it was time to head to the pool! We were having so much fun I wasn’t able to get great pictures, but this area is perfect for both kids and adults alike. The hot tub has a beautiful waterfall feature and the pool is large with plenty of space for splashing around. The temperature was perfect and we were able to burn a bunch of energy before heading out to dinner.

The Minication package came with a $30 gift card to any Food Fight Restaurant. We opted to spend this on breakfast for dinner at Bassett Street Brunch Club, directly connected to the hotel. While mom and dad enjoyed a bloody mary and spiked horchata (respectively) to toast four years of parenthood, Lila went for the kids menu french toast with a HUGE chocolate milk. Needless to say, we were all pretty satisfied with our choices.

When we returned to the hotel, Luis from the front desk kindly obliged when I asked if they wouldn’t mind showing me their meeting space, which is easily accessible off the lobby. I could tell this would be the perfect space for a wedding party to rent for a hair/makeup getting ready room. That’s a biggie that I didn’t know was an option for this trip, but will now certainly be sharing with everyone!

We ended the night relaxing in our room with a good movie and some snacks. It was the earliest I went to bed all week and felt so good! #momlife

I’m a hot breakfast type of person, which is ALWAYS what gets me excited to stay at a Hampton. They offer FREE hot breakfast to all their guests! When we woke up the next morning I immediately hit up the coffee station upon entering the breakfast area and then we staked out a table to start the morning off right. There was something for everyone, with eggs, sausage, and bagels for mom and dad and Lucky Charms and chocolate muffins for the birthday girl. When we wrapped I sent the other two up to the room to prep for another swim session while I took a minute of peace near the fireplace with my coffee. For breakfast I could tell they had several team members assigned to make sure everything stayed safe and clean, from team members serving instead of self-serve, to regularly wiping down common area touchpoints.

After getting in one last swim, the final thing that we did was the Bingo Scavenger hunt included as a part of the Madison Minication. This was such a fun family activity to complete, sending us all around the hotel to make sure we didn’t miss any unique detail of this place. Definitely don’t miss this part of the Minication package because major prizes are at stake!

I want to thank Destination Madison for the opportunity to take this trip and The Hampton Inn + Suites Madison Downtown for such wonderful hospitality. If you’re a couple hosting your wedding in downtown Madison, we at HUE by Sarah Davidson highly endorse this property as a safe, modern, and comfortable location to host your guests. If you’re into the idea of a Madison Minication and want to figure out which one is right for you, check out this post.

Until next time!
Sarah

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.