“Oh! So you JUST need someone to show up on wedding day? Okay, so that means before wedding day you and your fiancé are going to….
◽️Re-read all of your vendor contracts & review your invoices to cross check all of your details (Like…does your DJ contract state that they are including an additional set up for your outdoor ceremony?)
◽️Know what equipment is needed for your vendors (Psst…does your Photo Booth need power and Wi-Fi? Are they set up in a location where they can access those things? Do your musicians require armless chairs?)
◽️Confirm arrival times and service end times with each of your vendors (…and make sure all of those times line up correctly, don’t need to be extended, or shifted)
◽️Communicate the correct counts to the appropriate vendors (FYI: these counts aren’t a one number deal…do you have kids? Did you include yourselves? What about the number of vendors you’ll have, were they included?)
◽️Know the best layout for your vendor set ups, head count, and venue (Also, you guessed it…your layout also needs to be passed along to specific vendors)
◽️Create your ceremony order and communicate those details to the necessary vendors
◽️Create your pre-ceremony and post-ceremony order of events timeline for the best flow based on your vendors service times
◽️Communicate locations and parking details to each of your vendors
◽️Confirm final quantities with all of your quantity based vendors
◽️Ensure all cake flavors, meal selections, place setting selections, photo lists, song lists, etc are communicated and invoiced for
◽️Know what needs to be on your “don’t forget” list
If this pre-wedding day list feels crazy overwhelming OR if you had NO idea that majority of these things even needed to be done, then I highly recommend at LEAST getting a month of coordinator (and if you’re more than 3 months out, I would personally recommend a partial planner!)
Have you ever packed for a trip, gotten on the plane and thought “I feel like I forgot something?” Your wedding day is noooo different! Below is a list of items that I remind my couples about because they’ve been forgotten or needed way too many times to count!
👉 Decorative hangers - photographers & videographers WILL capture your dress/suit and unless you’re lucky and have an insanely creative photo team, they’ll just snap photos of that ugly plastic hanger that the dress shop or alterations store gave you
👉 Pre-ceremony food & drinks - both your wedding party and YOU need something to hold you over on wedding morning. Think sandwiches, snacks, and WATER!
👉 Phone chargers & bluetooth speaker - everyone is usually texting, calling, and snapping photos on wedding day so be sure to have a way to charge them AND have a speaker to blast your favorite hype songs while you’re getting ready
👉 Cake cutting set - SOMETIMES your caterer or venue might have one, but 9 times out of 10 you’ll be stuck cutting your cake with a butter knife if you don’t bring one!
👉 Cake box for your top tier - not everyone saves their top tier, but if you do, you’ll need something to take it home in, otherwise it is riding shotgun in the floorboard! Ask your baker if they can provide a box for you!
👉 Touch up kit - after your hair & makeup team has worked their magic, you still have a full day ahead of you plus there might be tears, sweat, or even Mother Nature, so pack a small bag of powder, lipstick, eyelash glue, etc.
👉 Here are a few quick extras to remember: invitation suite for detail photos, change of shoes (and socks) and pens for your guestbook
✨What other items should I add to this list??✨
✨MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY✨Just imagine the planning being over, the I Dos are done, and it’s time to grab that cocktail and get on the dance floor! You’ll officially be in celebration mode and it will be your moment to have the T I M E O F Y O U R L I F E with your spouse!
The wedding celebration is over and you + your spouse just drove off…now what happens?? Well….the answer to that questions fully depends on how well you prepared!
Did you confirm your vendors break down details? Are your vendors handling everything or do mom and dad need to roll up their sleeves? How is your bouquet and personal items getting home? Who’s taking home the top tier of your cake? Do you have to load up all the florals and take out all the trash? Who is packing up your signage, decor, and anything else your bought? What is your venues end of night clean up policies? And the biggest question of them all…how long do you have to do it all??
Pssst…a planner not only confirms all of those details, BUT is there to ensure the logistics are taking care of AND everything goes where it needs to so that you can head off on your honeymoon without a care in the world!
To any engaged couples in the midst of wedding planning and feeling a little overwhelmed 🫶
Remember the purpose. Marriage first, wedding second. The people that love you the most are coming together to witness the two of you start your journeys together. They are there to celebrate your love. They’ll remember the laughs, the tears, and the time spent with others. Everything else will become a blur. Know that whatever is causing you stress now will be resolved or won’t matter and your wedding will be exactly what it’s meant to be, a day where you marry your favorite person on earth 🤍
Cover Photo: @david.adam.films
✨Do what YOU want; It’s your wedding, not anyone else’s!✨
I’ve already planned my own wedding and did it exactly the way I wanted to. Our job as your planner is NOT to persuade you to do what we like, our job is to educate you, give you a list of pros and cons, and help you prioritize your values & budget. Of course, after seeing 100+ weddings I have my personal preferences & unpopular opinions on what I like and don’t like, but those are MY preferences, not yours!
Make your decisions and as your planner I’ll do my best to make it happen! If you’re undecided on something, not a problem, I’ll share experiences that I’ve had and give you some food for thought, but what I’m not going to is gaslight you into doing something just because its a personal preference.
Cover Photo @emilylizphotography
Let’s chat about your wedding budget! 💰
As a planner, we tend to have clients come to us with an overall budget that only encompasses the big vendor details and doesn’t include decor, fees, & other small details. Yes, the big things like venue, food, florals, photo, DJ, hair/makeup, and cake are definitely where most of your wedding budget is allocated to, BUT the little things like vendor gratuity, travel fees, & even postage will creep up on you and can quickly throw your budget off!
Obviously some of these things might be waived by your vendor, included in a package, gifted to you, or you simply may be opting out of them all together! 👉 Remember: It’s important to get a detailed proposal from your vendors with applicable fees included plus have a discussion with everyone contributing financially to the wedding budget so you can decide how to allocate everything.
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Cover Photo: @yoderand.co
