vacation

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!

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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!

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.

Advice for Entrepreneurs: Seeing the Bigger Picture

March 3, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Today, I’m just jumping right in friends!

After a full year of getting kicked around by Covid, what could possibly give me the right to say “Just relax guys! Don’t get stuck in the day-to-day! See the bigger picture!”

Well, nothing really. Except for the fact that it’s probably something many small-business owners (especially those in the hospitality industry) need to be reminded of right now. I know I did.

“The combination of hard work and smart work is efficient work.” – Robert Half

A business exists to serve you as the owner, the owner does not exist to serve the business. You should always remember this. Why did you start your business? Probably not because you loved answering emails and phone calls all day.

I didn’t just want to be a wedding planner, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. Growing up I was inspired to watch my father trailblaze his own career path instead of climbing a pre-structured ladder. I loved the idea of building a business that encompassed specifically who I was as a person, including my strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes. And honestly, I wanted to take a vacation whenever I wanted!

So what are some steps you can take to separate yourself from the day-to-day, continue to love your work, and hopefully scale your business along the way? Here’s a few to start with:

Define the Vision

So what is your answer to why you started your business? When you think about your why and who you are as an owner and a person, do your current services and methods of operating your business line up?

If they don’t, that’s okay! It just means you’re now being presented with an opportunity to reevaluate. I personally started working with a business coach about a year ago, and in our time together I’ve done a lot of reflection realizing that for my first few years of my business I was just going through a lot of motions. I would just sit in front of my email each day and wait for business and tasks to come to me, then address them as they came up. I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do next, but figured that if I always just did a good job at whatever came my way good things would happen right?

Some good things happened, yes. I’m very proud of the work I accomplished during that time, and frankly continually proud of having the guts to just start the business. But since about a year ago, when I did actually define and write down real goals of where I want to be in the future.. Wow have things happened.

I build my weekly to do list around my goals, and I work very hard to prioritize those over day to day operations. The day to day still gets done though. It’s amazing how efficient you can be when there is a true purpose of what you’re working towards.

Think Ahead

“You’re on time if you’re five minutes early. You’re late if you’re on time.”

While I can’t say I’m in love with this Drumline quote, it’s accurate and applicable here. It’s also been in my head since the January NACE Evolve conference I attended.

As a planner it’s my job to continuously be looking forward to what’s happening next, soon, and later. If the first dance is supposed to start at 8pm and I don’t think about it until 8pm, it’s not happening on time.

So where are there opportunities in your business to be building processes and thinking ahead? Take marketing for example. Many people don’t worry about marketing until business is slow. However if they just kept up their marketing efforts when they were busy, they wouldn’t have to worry about ever being slow.

Set those goals and have touchpoints along the way to make sure your work is continuously driving those goals.

Stay the Course

Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. If it was a sprint, we’d all be extremely bored trying to come up with new things to do, since we have no desire to go back to the day-to-day of corporate life.

If you’re still wondering how am I going to make it both personally and professionally through the pandemic, reflect back on what you’ve accomplished. It’s been nearly a year, way longer than anyone thought it would be, and you’re still here. You’re someone who cares enough about his or her business to read this blog and hopefully have some takeaways. That is the attitude that is going to take you somewhere.

Remember who you are and why you started this business. Did you do something today or this week that put you closer to those goals? Then you’re doing great.

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.

Getting Married Before Your “Wedding” – Yay or Nay?

May 24, 2017 By Sarah Davidson

I’m going to start this week by sharing a lesson of how I became Sarah Davidson. My husband and I were legally married in May of 2013 at a resort in Mexico with a ceremony and dinner of about 25 people. In November of that year, we threw an entire additional wedding in our hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. This included a second ceremony so we could celebrate with all those who weren’t able to attend the first one.

Getting legally married in Mexico was a pain in the butt. We had to provide all sorts of documentation we weren’t confident in, get blood tests done on-site, and have a local judge at the ceremony to legally pronounce us after our pastor had finished. Many people suggested just getting married at the courthouse ahead of time, but we knew we were going to have a ceremony in November as well, and the idea of going through it three times seemed a bit overwhelming. We’re all good now– with a marriage license in Spanish to prove it!

The reason that I wanted to share this experience is because I have seen it happen all the time! Reasons for getting married “early” or before your official celebration can include travel reasons like ours, legal reasons such as immigration or adoption, religious reasons, or just wanting to keep things personal and intimate. Whatever you decide the process to be, it’s completely up to you.

There may be people who scoff about how they are not attending your “real” wedding. Feel free to explain your reasoning if you want, or just ignore it and mention how excited you are to still celebrate with them when the party rolls around. You’ll find that the second “big day” is just as meaningful as the first, and you’ll probably even feel a lot less nervous than you would having everything rolled together in one day. Everyone still gets to dress up, food and booze will be served, and entertainment will be had.. which are all the main events that your guests care about anyways!

The ultimate goal of this post is to scream “You do you!” As I’ve said many times, the people that matter will support you and those w won’t don’t matter. Happy planning!

Featured Photo: Twig & Olive

Destination Weddings: Is it for You?

July 6, 2016 By Sarah Davidson

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.