Best Wedding Advice Ever

At this point in your engagement you’ve probably heard it all, everything from don’t buy a heavy gown if you’re wedding is in August to plan on mortgaging your house to pay for everything! But some advice is well worth listening to and coming from an expert in the field, you can’t go wrong!

#1. Read the Contracts! Don’t be swayed into hiring someone whose contract does not completely state what they are providing. It should list all the details including time of set-up to how many hours of service it includes to a list of materials provided. There should be no doubt in your mind what you’re getting from the vendor when you hire them.

#2. Be Flexible with Your Flowers: If you have an exact image of your wedding flowers and only want that certain design, you might be missing out on something really special. A wedding florist is there to help make your dreams come true but they also have amazing talent at creating something unique and designed just for you. Their experience allows for them to think outside the box so give them some colors and flowers you like and let them create magic with it! Give them a little freedom with your wedding flower design and I promise you will not be sorry!

#3. Think Outside the Box: Why does every table need to look the same? Why does your cake need to be three symmetrical tiers? Why do you need to give out favors to your guests? Really think about every aspect of your wedding and ask “Why”? Is it tradition that’s holding you back? Your family? What do you want? If you really want the WOW factor at your wedding, step outside the box to make it memorable. There are lots of ideas online and ask your vendors too! They love to share new ideas and new trends!

#4. New is AWESOME for Your Gown, Not a Wedding Vendor: Price is important when shopping around for wedding vendors but please don’t let that be you’re only determination for hiring them. Most likely you will be spending over $10,000 for a fabulous party so why would you not want a professional to take care of everything? For example, there are so many photographers to choose from so why would you hire someone with little or no experience in weddings to capture all your special moments? Especially when you’re investing SO much into your wedding? All I can say is don’t do it…it’s never worth it in the end. Ask your coordinator or other vendors for referrals. We’ve been in the business for awhile and have some really wonderful vendors on our teams to create your vision!

#5. Wedding Day Oops! You’re wedding day is here and you have everything laid out to go perfectly but wait, Oops! Something is forgotten, something is broken, something is the wrong color!! Don’t freak out! No wedding is ever completely perfect and usually, your guests don’t even know something is wrong. They haven’t been involved in the months of planning to know every detail and how things are supposed to go. They are there for you and everything looks perfect to them. So take a deep breath and everything will work out. As a planner, I’ve seen it all from fainting bridesmaids to forgotten garters…And every time, the wedding is still as momentous and fabulous as planned!

#6. Wedding Gowns & Weight: From my experience in owning a bridal shop, the one thing brides say is, “I want to lose weight before my wedding day!” Everyone feels this way, believe me, I’ve heard it from brides of all sizes! While everyone wants to look their best, please remember that losing weight after purchasing your gown = Money! So if your plan is to lose weight, you need to be at your goal weight at least 6 months prior to your wedding date and then shop for your gown. Otherwise you will be spending a fortune in alteration costs! And if your gown is beaded along the seams, that could be around $500 easily and I’m sure $500 could be used for something more important, like more flowers!

#7. Wedding Websites: What an awesome way to share information with your guests! There are so many fabulous websites to create your wedding web page! Not only do they let you tell your story of how you met but they also let you share important information like hotels for guests, photos of your engagement, and directions to your reception site. Everyone is online now, even Grandma!

#8. Save the Date: People are busy and they book things months in advance. So get on their calendar as soon as possible by sending out Save the Date cards. There are so many cute and fun cards to send out including magnets and photos! Check out what’s available, talk to your photographer about options they offer and get them in the mail. I love to plan in advance and this way, it gives out of town guests plenty of time to make arrangements.

#9 Ask for Help: If you are feeling overwhelmed by the wedding planning, don’t be afraid to ask your friends and family for help. Most of them would love to be part of the planning but are afraid to assume you want their help. Be honest with your fiancé also, they need to know what’s going on with the planning and where they can assist also. You’re not alone and a wedding is a great way to bring everyone together as a team!

#10. The Kiss!: Simple right? You’re now pronounced husband and wife, you may kiss your bride! Hold it right there, just a little longer, move your hair out of the way, don’t smash your face together! Whew, that was super easy!! No bride and groom would ever think about how they are going to do their first kiss but maybe you should? The kiss is a moment to capture…it will be captured in a photo and even in video, you want it to look good right? So don’t kiss too quickly and don’t turn your faces from the center of the aisle otherwise the videographer or photographer might miss the moment. Think romance and movies while you kiss…this is your first romantic moment as husband and wife in front of 200 of your closest friends and family!! Smooch!