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Archive for the ‘Financial’ Category

My Riviera Wedding’s Top 10 Wedding Planning Money Saving Tips

Posted in Financial, Wedding Related Articles, tagged on December 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

1. Send your invites & save the dates by email
Wedding stationary can be an extremely expensive affair if you go for a tailor-made option. You could end up paying as much as 2 euros per card excluding postage which means for a 100 guest wedding you could end up paying as much as 300 euros on invites and postage or double that if you have decided to send out save the dates too. If you are computer savvy, you could create your own invite using adobe Photoshop, illustrator, Microsoft’s Publisher, Powerpoint or Mac’s iwork Pages programme that you can either send as an attachment or paste into the body of an email. You could even get a professional invite made for you by a graphic designer for around 100 euros.
2. Hold your wedding on a week day
Saturday is the most popular wedding day as it does not necessitate guests getting a day off work. Due to the fact that it is the most demanded day, Saturday is also the most expensive. There can be considerable discounts to be had in certain wedding venues on week days.
3. Have your wedding off season
Between the months of October and April, venue prices will be considerably less than during the summer months of May to September. An Autumn, Spring or Winter wedding can be as beautiful as a Summer wedding and you can theme your wedding to match the season. In addition, both flights for guests coming from abroad and accommodation will both be cheaper off season.
4. Be your own DJ
With an ipod or computer and a decent sound system, you have everything you need to be your very own DJ at your wedding reception. For song ideas why not ask guests to each request a song in advance and integrate them into your wedding play list. You can even ask guests to bring their own ipod and organise an ipod battle. An ipod battle is when two people compete to play songs that they will believe people will be most receptive to. The winner is the one who gets the most people up dancing.
5. Hire trainees
By contacting educational establishments you can source a load of different suppliers. For hair & beauty, contact a beauty school, get in touch with a catering college for food at your reception, for photography contact an artistic establishment, for filming a school with an audiovisual department, a music conservatoire for a string quartet, a college with a florist course for your wedding flowers… Hiring a student will be considerably less expensive or even completely free and you will be giving a young person a step onto the professional ladder.
6. Play on the shabby chic, vintage look
Vintage shabby chic is so in right now and can be a brilliant money saver as a wedding theme. Go to second hand stores for fun fabrics, decorative objects or even furniture. The possibilities can go as far as your imagination. For a total vintage look, customise your mum’s old wedding dress or look for one in a thrift store.
7. Abandon the seated dinner for a cocktail & canapé party
If your guests are predominantly a young crowd then you should consider going for a cocktail and canapé reception rather than the traditional seated dinner. With a choice of cold and hot, savory and sweet options, allow approximately 15 canapé pieces per person. Include a cheese, cold meets and bread buffet and a pasta bar to provide more substantial options.
8. BYOB
To make sure that your food and drink budget does not get out of control, you could think about asking guests to bring either a bottle of wine or champagne to your wedding reception (1 for each couple). Depending on the type of venue you go for, you may however have to pay a corkage fee.
9. Rent it
Renting at your wedding does not have to stop at the car and the mens’ tuxedos, on the internet there are load of companies who specialise in the rental of bags, jewelry and accessories. You can even rent a designer wedding dress that you would never to be able to afford normally.
10. Utilise your entourage
If you have an opera singer friend, if you know an amazing cook, if your future brother-in-law is a budding photographer, your cousin is a hairdresser or your sister is fantastic at handy crafts, then use the talents of the people in your entourage to help you organise your wedding.
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Wedding Planner billing methods

Posted in Choosing a Wedding Planner, Financial, Getting Started, tagged on November 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Wedding planner billing methods can vary greatly as with a wedding planner’s fee structure. You may either be invoiced directly with the individual supplier that you select with the help of your wedding planner, or alternatively all billing may pass through the wedding planner. On one hand some believe that it is more practical to pay only one bill to one company (the wedding planner) or on the other hand others feel more comfortable settling with the supplier directly so that costs are controlled more easily.

In the case that a wedding planner charges a management fee, for time spent or earns their fee through commissions, your wedding planner could give you the option either to pay suppliers directly or to pay one bill to the wedding planner who will in turn settle with suppliers.

If the wedding planner is using the ‘mark-up’ method, it is highly unlikely that they will give you the option to pay suppliers directly.

To find out about the wedding planning services I offer, please contact me by email on kerry@my-riviera-wedding.com.

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A French Riviera Wedding Planner’s fee structure

Posted in Choosing a Wedding Planner, Financial, Getting Started, tagged on November 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Wedding planners on the French Riviera, as anywhere in the world for that matter, can generate their income in a number of different ways. Detailed below are four of the most common fee structures employed by wedding planners. Be aware that it is possible that a wedding planner may use a combination of all of the below methods or they may operate using one or two only. Make sure you are aware of your wedding planner’s fee structure and billing process from the beginning so that there will be no nasty surprises.

  1. Management fee: a fixed percentage of the total cost of the wedding. The total cost being sum of the purchase prices from all suppliers.
  2. Margin / mark-up: some wedding planners mark up on each item purchased from a supplier therefore the price presented to you will include a hidden mark-up charged either as a percentage or a fixed amount.
  3. Time spent: many wedding planners charge for the time they spend on the preparation in advance of the wedding and the time spent with the client on site during the actual wedding celebrations. Usually the cost for onsite time is greater than the preparation time and time is charged either per day or per hour. Each wedding planner sets their own rate depending on the fixed charges they need to cover in order to make a profit (office rental, salaries of employees, taxes and social charges etc.).
  4. Commissions (AKA Kick-backs): revenue from commissions is a real phenomenon in the South of France in a range of different sectors. By commission I mean being given a golden “thank you” for the referral of business to a supplier in a similar way to how an estate agent takes a commission as a percentage of the overall sale price of a given property. If you are either going to be billed directly by a wedding supplier or if a wedding planner bills you for any given service, either way there may be a commission for the “business bringer” integrated into the price which will be billed back after the payment of the service. This can be a rather strange concept for Anglo-Saxons as referrals usually do not come with a price tag in the UK or US, however this is very common business practice on the Cote d’Azur so don’t be alarmed

To find out about the wedding planning services I offer, please contact me by email on kerry@my-riviera-wedding.com.

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Wedding Planner rates on the French Riviera

Posted in Choosing a Wedding Planner, Financial, Getting Started, tagged on November 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

The French Riviera is not the cheapest place in the world by any stretch of the imagination and wedding planner rates are no exception to the rule. However, since the economic crisis, the weddings and events sector in the South of France has become much more competitive and wedding planners have learned that they must in turn be competitive in terms of price to win business.

The amount earned by a wedding planner in fees can equate to between 10 and 30% of a total wedding budget. I have however heard of some cases where this amount has been much higher! It is worth keeping in mind that self-employed, independent wedding planners may work out cheaper than larger wedding planning companies due to the fact that they do not have as many fixed costs. Governmental charges for business are extremely high in France as is office space rent in the towns along the Cote d’Azur. An independent, freelance wedding planner on the Cote d’Azur will most likely work from home or in an office share situation and will certainly has a great deal less charges to pay.

By obtaining quotes from a few different wedding planners, you will be able to compare prices and make sure that you are getting maximum value for money.

To find out about my wedding planning services and rates, please contact me by email on kerry@kerrybrackenweddings.com or visit my website www.kerrybrackenweddings.com.

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Payment terms and conditions in France

Posted in Financial, Practical Information, tagged , on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

In France, a company can set their own payment terms and conditions. Usually, the first payment instalment is due upon the signature of the estimate or quote (estimate / quote = ‘devis’ in French). One example of a common payment schedule detailed in the company’s terms and conditions would be 40% upon signature of the ‘devis’, 30% 60 days before the wedding and 30% 30 days before the wedding. Another example might be 30% upon signature of the ‘devis’, 50% 60 days before the wedding and the final 20% within 30 days after the wedding. You should be aware that after a certain point in the payment schedule, instalments may be non-refundable. This is more often than not the case for the first installment.

It is of course advisable to read the small print in any company’s terms and conditions in detail before signing anything, however if they are provided in French, do not hesitate to ask for an English translation. Even if you are supplied with an English version of the company’s terms and conditions, you should be aware that only a signature on the French version will be legally binding. If a company or venue is unable to provide you with a copy of the terms & conditions in English, you could use the services of a professional translator. I very good friend of mine who has her own translation company in Nice, Serena Diiorio, is a French to English translator. Don’t hesitate to contact Serena by email or give her a call on +33 (0)6 31 54 20 93.

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Wedding insurance cover

Posted in Financial, Legal, Practical Information, tagged , on October 28, 2009 | 1 Comment »

You may not have thought about it but making sure that you are covered for any wedding mishaps may be a very good idea. Wedding insurance policies vary depending on the provider but the majority cover the following:

  • Cancellation or rescheduling of wedding
  • Bride and groom attire including rings
  • Wedding gifts
  • Wedding transport & the wedding car
  • Deposits lost in case of cancellation of suppliers or the venue
  • Personal and public liability
  • The theft or damage of any equipment used by suppliers or the venue
  • Honeymoon travel insurance

If you are using a wedding planner, make sure that they have public liability insurance (‘assurance responsabilié civil’  in French). Your wedding planner should in turn ensure that all suppliers are also insured. Marquee companies should be particularly attentive as any structural problems could be a health and safety issue as should any entertainment companies who book potentially dangerous performances for your wedding celebrations such as fire eating, stilt waking or snake charming.

If you are wondering about where to find wedding insurance, ask your housing insurance supplier or search online for a company specialising in wedding insurance. A few of the British wedding magazines I read recommend E and I Insurance. Bride’s magazine had a link to this price comparison website in their last issue: http://www.compareweddinginsurance.org.uk/. Wedding Plan, Protect My Wedding and Wed Safe also all seem to be a good insurance companies.

I have recently read on another blog called TheFizzCoUK that wedding insurance might not cover venues in countries other than the country in which you have taken out the insurance policy, so make sure that you check with your insurance provider before you sign up to anything.

 


 

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Signing estimates in France

Posted in Financial, Legal, Practical Information, tagged , on October 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

In France, you will be asked by venues, suppliers and wedding planners to sign an estimate / quote or ‘devis’ in French to confirm any bookings. A service is only confirmed and thus legally binding when the ‘devis’ is signed by both the client and the company providing the service.  The ‘devis’ should detail each service or product provided with the amounts before (HT) and after (TTC) the addition of French VAT. The VAT rate should be detailed for each service.

The ‘devis’ should also detail the terms and conditions of payment and sometimes include the general terms and conditions which by signing the document you are agreeing to. The terms and conditions are usually only provided in French, however some companies may include an English translation (they will however only accept a signature on the French version for legal purposes).

Each estimate has a number which will figure on the invoice (‘facture’ in French) you will receive from the supplier or venue after the service has been carried out. The‘facture’ will detail any payment instalments already paid and any remaining payments that need to be settled. In the case that you order any extras that were not allowed for on the estimate, you should be billed with an extras invoice most likely apart from the final invoice.

The French are extremely strict about the signing of estimates; they will very rarely accept a verbal confirmation. In my option this is a good thing for the client too so that once a price has been agreed, you will be less likely to find yourself with any nasty surprises in the final invoice.

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VAT in France

Posted in Financial, Practical Information, tagged on October 28, 2009 | 1 Comment »

In France, VAT (TVA in French) is chargeable at one of two different rates. The standard French VAT rate is 19.6% and the secondary VAT rate reserved for certain sectors such as transportation.  Food sold in restaurants and by catering companies has recently been relegated from 19.6% to 5.5% to be in line with takeaway food outlets. This government initiative is an attempt to give a boost to the restaurant sector. Soft drinks are also subject to 5.5% VAT but alcohol is subject to 19.6% VAT. When receiving quotes from caterers or restaurants, the difference in price between the food and alcoholic beverages can be rather shocking sometimes, this can be explained by the 14.1% difference in VAT.

In France, companies refer to prices as being either HT (French abbreviation for ‘hors taxe’) or TTC (French abbreviation for ‘toute taxe comrprise’). HT is literally translated as ‘without tax’, this is the net price before any VAT has been added. TTC can be translated as ‘including tax’, which of course means that the price is inclusive of VAT.

The price that you, the end consumer will have to pay, is the TTC price, inclusive of tax. The actual amount that a company will usually earn will be the HT amount exclusive of tax. The difference between these two prices is the amount of VAT which companies pay each month to the french government. Be aware that companies in France tend to quote in HT more often than TTC. It can be a little confusing when trying to work out how much things are really going to cost so don’t hesitate to ask in advance for a quote in TTC.

Certain companies in France are VAT exempt depending on their annual turn over, their sector or activity. You may find that if you rent a villa or other private property for your wedding that VAT will not feature on the estimate. This is because VAT does not apply to accommodation when it is booked exclusive of any additional services. Also a photographer or independent wedding planner may also be VAT exempt if they have a ‘self-employed’  status (‘auto-entrepreneur’ in French) . In both cases, if VAT is not mentioned then the price quoted will be the price you pay.

If you by any chance have your own VAT registered company through which you are going to pass the expenses related to your wedding, you may be able to claim back the VAT which you have paid. There is a company which specialises in the recovery of VAT; they earn their money through a commission on the funds they manage to get back on your behalf. For more information, you can contact the company TEVEA International by email: mail@tevea.fr.

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