Guest Blog Contributed by Chamber Member Kindred Spirits Planning & Design
You’re Engaged!!
Now is the time you start thinking about telling everyone and planning your perfect day! This process can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but no worries we are here to help! Here are our 10 Essential Wedding Planning Tips & Tricks to help make this time a bit easier and a lot more fun!
- Celebrate, enjoy the moment and tell your parents before posting on social media!! (Brought to you by a mother.)
Telling your friends and family is one of the most exciting tasks after becoming engaged. You’ll want to make it public, as soon as possible, that you are making this huge commitment with the love of your life! Celebrate this time and enjoy with your new fiancé (yes let that word sink in.)
When it comes to the announcement, you have so many options to choose from. We encourage you to decide together and do something that fits you as a couple, especially for social media! However, remember that there are people that are going to want to hear this amazing news in person (like your parents). Make sure to have your close family and friends in the loop before you put up that super adorable pic of you with your ring!
Fun ways to share the news:
Host a gathering. (Dinner or a little party.)
- Have a reveal. (Tell them in a way that fits you as a couple uniquely.)
- Tell them in private one on one.
- Pick a season, narrow it down to a date
You may think this is a weird way to start…” Why a season?” One of the first vendors that you will choose for your big day will be the venue. In most cases, venues book a year out and may only have a limited amount of dates for you to pick from. You want to be open to finding your dream venue and securing a date within a season that you love!
Factors to consider when choosing a season:
- Weather
- Flowers in season
- Outdoor or Indoor
- Seasons that you love together
- Decide on a budget
Budget is always a hard topic. There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing your budget. The biggest factor to consider, by far, is the funding (who is paying for the wedding?) We suggest that you ask these hard questions first so that you have a realistic budget when you start planning. Whatever your budget is your wedding is going to be absolutely amazing!
Factors to consider when deciding upon a budget:
- Who is paying for the wedding?
- Will there be financial support for some portion of the wedding?
- How much do you really want to spend?
- How much can you comfortably afford?
- What type of wedding would you like to have?
Gone is the day of traditions, and we are not mad about it!! There are tons of ways to tie the knot now, and like everything else, this should perfectly fit your style.
Types of weddings
- Elopements
- Intimate Weddings
- Traditional Weddings
- Outdoor Wedding
- Themed Wedding
- Pick a theme
This day is a reflection of you, your relationship and your personal style! Consider what story you would like to tell on your day and choose a theme. Themes could be something as simple as “rustic,” or you can have a more in-depth theme such as “Game of Thrones,” whatever it is, make sure it represents you!
Theme examples:
- Greenery
- Rustic
- Glam
- Shabby Chic
- Bookworm
- Harry Potter
The stars are the limit!!
- Choose your venue
Your venue is setting the stage for your entire day. You’ll want to look at venues that work within your budget, theme and season. We encourage you to look at multiple venues, in person, before choosing the right one for your big day!
Venues to think about:
- Vineyards
- Breweries
- Parks
- Urban
- Barns
- Pick your perfect wedding team
Your wedding team (photographer, videographer, planner, florist, etc.) are crucial to making your day flow seamlessly. You want to ensure that each of your vendors has as much invested in your wedding day as you do, that you are not just a number. To do this, we recommend interviewing up to three in each category on the phone or in person and hiring the one that you click with!
Check out our highly preferred vendor list by clicking here.
- Find your “yes person” for the day of
Now this person may not always say yes. However, they should know your vision as well as you do. On the day of you want to be sipping mimosas and dreaming about walking down the aisle, not answering a billion questions. A yes person will be there to answer those questions for you so that you can enjoy.
Examples:
- Mom(s)
- Maid of Honor
- Best Friend
- Aunt(s)
- Your planning partner!
- Set up takes longer than expected
Setting up wedding decor is no simple task, and you do not want to be caught off guard on the day of with things still left to do! Our team requires six hours to set ceremony and reception decor on the day of (anywhere from 2-10 people total.) A good rule of thumb is to plan for a bit of extra time on the day of for set up and to have someone else run the show. This is a great task for a family member that is wanting to help or your day of coordinator (since they are paid to help!)
- This day is about you two and only you!
This is the day you have been planning for, for probably most of your life. Your family has probably been planning for just as long and WILL have opinions, which is awesome. However, it is YOUR day. This day should be all about you as a couple, and you definitely should feel good making executive decisions based on that. You’ve got this!!
Happy planning! The Kindred Spirits Planning & Design Team