“Ask The Experts” Award Winning Jes Gordon Part 2

Part TWO of my TWO PART Interview with Jes Gordon

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jes Gordon. Jes Gordon is an award-winning event producer & designer, author, and most recently, star of Rocco’s Dinner Party on Bravo (US TV network). She is the former host of Fine Living Network’s “The Perfect Party”, and the resident Event Planning expert on Style Network and MyStyle.com. She is the CEO and Creative Director for her design firm jesGordon/properFUN, and the author of Party Like a Rock Star: A Celebrity Planner’s Tips and Tricks for Throwing an Unforgettable Bash.

Some Tips for Planning your wedding if you don’t hire a wedding planner:
It’s very difficult because you get many opinions and advice from your friends and family. It’s a hard thing to do because they are going to differ so I suggest you go with your heart and your instinct. Also, always remember that it’s more about the marriage than the wedding. The wedding is one day so don’t about forget who you are together, what the goal is for your wedding and staying together and not breaking apart into sides and other people’s opinions. Also, sticking to budget and allocating it smoothly across the entire wedding so don’t just spend a million dollars on that 30 piece Motown band you’ve always wanted and nothing on alcohol, I mean you kind of need a little bit of everything so learn how to balance out your budget very equally like cream cheese on a bagel. Also, really remember that it’s not a funeral, it’s a party so nothing should be upsetting and sad it should all be positive so if you feel it going that way bring it back up, I mean it sounds very Sesame Street, but this is a happy occasion and don’t let people get you down. The people around you that are getting you down are not invited to your wedding.

4 Great Rehearsal Dinner Tips:
The rehearsal dinner is often where the families are meeting for the first time so it’s actually a very important event so it’s great to make it casual and not intimidating because, let’s face it, the following night is going to be the big blowout.

1.The rehearsal dinner should be in a very casual setting yet still chic and nice because it is a very important occasion but it’s conducive to conversation so your families can get to know each other.
2.It’s also a great time to really let the groom shine because a lot of the times it’s all about the bride the next day so a great grooms cake maybe surprising him with something awesome is fun.
3.It’s a great time to get all of your speeches out of the way so you’re not lagging the next night. You don’t want to break up the wedding with millions of hours of speeches so get them done the previous night at the rehearsal dinner.
4.Stay away from foods that are heavy in salt or gassy, I mean you want to wake up the next day feeling awesome.

After Party:
If you choose to throw an after party, you haven’t had an incredibly long day and you have a young demographic at your wedding an after party can be awesome. It really shouldn’t be more than an hour and a half to two hours because once it goes longer than that let’s just say things get really sloppy people are exhausted and they want to go home and then that way they can save a little energy so you can possibly see them at a brunch the next day where you can recap the previous night’s festivities, people are relaxed, they are in their slippers they are grabbing some good food that’s going to soak up some of that alcohol and they can really talk about the memories from the night before.

Some Very Interesting Trends In The Weddig Industry:
Mostly revolving around nostalgia which I kind of love. I love meeting with young brides who want to bring in elements from their grandparents wedding either the flowers or some great music or something that brings them back to an era that was before them. I think that’s really important because let’s face it, people have been having weddings for a long time we are kind of reinventing the wheel. I have also noticed that people are entertaining through the five sense where every part of the wedding is important the food, the music, the visuals even the smell where if they go to the bathroom a gorgeous candle or something along those lines where they are attacking everything at a really gentle level and I’m just noticing that it’s a hot trend right now.

What I’m Most Excited About In The Wedding Industry:
The amount of information we have which can be overwhelming but it’s also kind of magnificent because my brides and groom are really getting an education from everywhere they look from Pinterest to the Knot to Martha Stewart and it’s great because when my bride and grooms come in I actually feel like I’m having a professional conversation rather than guiding them down this pathway that they’ve never been down before. They really have an idea of what they like and dislike and they have an idea of the direction they’d like to go in but they don’t really know how which is where I come in. It’s kind if fascinating to have a discussion with someone that’s never been married before but knows a lot about it, I kinda like that.

What I Love About Weddings:
The romance and the promise and hope for the future and what can happen for to a young couple and how they are going to grow. Seeing two families get to know each other or two families that don’t get along actually get along for the day of the wedding. I love to see things come together, the different pieces of the actual back of house production the food, the design, and the music and walking in and seeing it all just come together in this gorgeous moment, I call it my “Ahh Moment” I love seeing a bride walk into one of the rooms I’ve designed and break down in tears because it’s everything she’s ever dreamed of…Weddings Rock!!