Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. (aside from having a child) For some people, planning their wedding is about telling their story through personalized and unique touches. When it comes to the wedding, the most difficult part can actually be planning it. It can be both stressful and emotional which makes it very important to do it right, the first time. There are no do-overs.
If you are planning your wedding and you are not sure where to start, hopefully, a few of these ideas may help you get started down the road on planning the best day of your life. And as if you can afford a wedding planner, GET ONE! It is one purchase you will never regret. We always say you can’t afford NOT to have us! You wouldn’t build a house without an architect.
Bride and Groom
THE WEDDING VENUE
The wedding venue is one of the best places to start. It is the place you will base most of your planning decisions. You will want to make sure that the venue not only fits in your overall budget, but also can handle your guest count, supports your vision, and that you are choosing a date that works well with the location of the venue.
When choosing your venue, you will want to think about your guests. Is it easy to get to? Do you need to offer transportation? Does it have viable Plan B and C options, in case you have to move your wedding due to weather?
PLAN YOUR MENU WITH YOUR GUESTS IN MIND
Vegan, Gluten-free, and Vegetarian diets are on the rise. So taking this into account when going through your guest list invites and planning your menu is very important. Don’t get us wrong, just because you are a Vegan, doesn’t mean we would encourage you to serve a fully Vegan meal. On the contrary, it is important to consider your guests’ dietary needs, so that everyone has something they can enjoy. This is why Food stations and buffets are on the rise in popularity because they can offer a lot more options than a traditional sit-down dinner.
SELECTING THE PERFECT WEDDING RING
One of the most significant decisions when planning your wedding is choosing the perfect diamond ring. The engagement ring symbolizes your love and commitment, and there are various factors to consider, such as the diamond’s cut, carat, clarity, and color. Choosing a diamond ring can also impact your budget, so balancing quality and affordability is essential. Additionally, consider the ethical and environmental aspects, such as choosing conflict-free or lab-grown diamonds, to align with your values as a couple. Ultimately, the diamond ring you select will be a lasting symbol of your love story, so it’s crucial to make a choice that truly resonates with you both.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY
Using a photographer is essential for your wedding to capture all the special moments. When picking a wedding photographer, you need to do your due diligence and check out their past reviews, stalk all their social media accounts, and make sure that you see an entire wedding from them so you can see the day from start to finish. It is hard to judge a photographer’s talent by their one-off money shots. Photography and Videography is NOT an area that you want to skimp. Videography isn’t a “must”, however, many of our clients tell us their biggest wedding regret is not having a videographer. We cant tell you how many stunning weddings we have done only to get the pictures back and hate them. They never make it into our gallery and it always makes us so sad. Also, there are a lot of “trendy” things in photography that you will want to watch out for, especially the muted brown filters that many photographers put on their shots. Might be trendy now, but what will you think in 5 years. We prefer photographs that capture the true, real color of the day and the pictures are vibrant and speak life into the wedding.
Once you have picked your photographer, make sure you work with them on a shot list. This will help keep things organized for you, your families, and the photographer as well as ensure that you get all the photos that you desired. We don’t want you to walk away and realize you don’t have one picture with you and all your siblings in the same shot. Also, if you do pick a videographer, you want to make sure that they will work well with the photographer. At a wedding, the photographer gets the #1 spot for the shot, and the videographer needs to understand this.
YOUR HONEYMOON PACKAGE
Another item on your important “to-do” list is thinking about your honeymoon. Oftentimes, the time of year you get married isn’t necessarily the best time for your dream location. So if you are wanting to go on your honeymoon right away, you will need to take this into consideration. Also, is where you want to go somewhere that has a hurricane season that you need to be aware of? Lastly, if you do decide to delay your honeymoon, we highly suggest taking a “mini-moon”. There is an actual thing called “Post Pardon Wedding Planning Disorder”…this is when the wedding is over, all your friends and family are gone, and you’re like “Is it that it?”. It’s a real thing… so make SURE you plan a mini-moon for a few days to relax and enjoy and reminisce. Then you can start planning the real honeymoon…then buy a house…then have a kid. You can thank us later.
CONTINGENCY PLANS
You have to plan for the possibility that things could go wrong on your wedding day. For instance, what if there’s a problem with your vendors and suddenly none of the wedding flowers show up? With a contingency plan, you could have already had a backup plan, such as with a company like Today Flowers where you can order bouquets and have them delivered on the same day. Therefore, the crisis is averted as you have backup flowers coming along. Follow a similar approach with most of your vendors – always keep someone in reserve, just in case your first choice fails you. In addition, plan for what you’ll do if it rains, or snows, or there are issues with the venue (or heck, maybe there is a pandemic). Hopefully, you’ll never need to use your contingency plans, but they help you avoid a disaster if you do. If there is anything we have learned this year, it’s that not everything goes according to plan.
XO,
Table 6