Fan Friday—Planning Weddings


I have to say, this is the first wedding I’ve planned mostly via texting.

And I hate texting. I mean, it has its uses, such as when you need a quick, short response—and I don’t mean “k.” Like a yes-or-no question answer, or a time confirmation. Beyond that, just pick up the phone and call me!

Yeah, yeah, it’s 2015 after all, I get that. So I’m trying to be, what’s that word? Flexible. That’s it. Right.

My son is getting married Saturday, as in tomorrow. Naturally, I assumed that, since I’d given them ideas and tips and guidance a year ago, after the engagement (and engagement party that we threw for them, since her family wasn’t going to), that everything was planned.

It was not.

The date had been set last year, and they were going to get married at our church. That fell through, for various reasons. Then they were going to the courthouse. Ick. And having a reception, maybe at a park. It was all kind of vague . . .

So two months before the wedding, I started asking questions. Like who and how many in the wedding party, where should we have the rehearsal dinner, what is her family planning for the reception; all the normal things, right?

Wrong. Her family wasn’t doing anything. I’m still not clear on that, but in a nutshell, they’re not happy. Okay, I get that. But both the bride and groom are over 21, so what can you do? They’ve been together for, oh, a year and a half, and engaged for a year. Far as I know, they want to get married and no one has moved out or on in a huff at any time during this “courtship.”

Long story short, the “kids” are broke, and then some, and I felt bad about the whole thing. No, a wedding and reception does not make a marriage, but it’s still nice to have. Nothing formal, nothing elaborate.

I started planning three weeks out.

Yes, this is the shortest time in which I’ve ever planned a wedding.

No, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need an entire year to plan a wedding. My cousin once told me that she “couldn’t” get married for a year, because “all the books said” you needed that much time. Nope.

My first wedding was planned (yes, mostly by my mom) in two months, and so was my second (by me and my husband); and both were formal church weddings with attendants, guests, reception, etc. I’ve also planned a few professionally, and we catered our older daughter’s wedding.

Er, piece of cake, right? Mostly. A few kerfluffles. Just a few.

So anyway, we have a location, decorations, a cake, food, drinks, flowers, and even a minister—that courthouse plan got scotched, although I admit finding a minister within one week of the ceremony was a bit tricky.

Hey, maybe I should write a book . . .

 

 

Writer Wednesday—How Do You Get Your Name “Out There?”


I got to thinking today, and reading social media, and there are tons of ways to get your name noticed—and, by extension, your books. So I decided to list these, in no particular order. Some will work better than others, some might not work at all, but I know authors who have used them all. It’s up to you to decide what works for you, and which ones are worth your time.

Speaking of time, do keep that in mind—if you spend your entire day looking for publicity, you’ll have no time to write. And, too, some of these may only target other writers and not readers. Sure, writers read, but don’t focus all your energy on “exchanging” links and books with writers.

Social media—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and many others

Local author fairs

Book signings

Interviews

Blog tours

Your own blog

Your website

Make yourself an expert on____

Local libraries

Library associations

Writers guilds

Writers groups

Bookstores

Other retail stores

State book associations

Speaking gigs

What will keep any of these from working? You. Your lack of consistency, your lack of trying—or only trying one thing, and waiting for weeks for it to “work.”

Take advantage of every free and cheap resource—and I define “cheap” as anything under $50. Avoid expensive marketing and gimmicks and packages—the exception being hiring a publicist, a good one.

Run far away from expensive contests—do your homework and check out the company sponsoring that contest. Too often, I see authors all excited about “winning” when all they’ve won is a sticker that the legit publishing industry will laugh about.

I’m sure there are many more ideas that you’ll come up with—try them all, and keep track of what works best for you!