Top Tips for Planning Your Wedding: Part 2
So I promised I would write part 2 of this blog…so here it is!
Now that you have booked all your vendors, figured out your guest list and sent the save dates you can breathe a big sigh of relief. This is usually when I recommend my couples take a break from wedding planning and have some fun. Go away for the weekend and don't talk about the wedding - not a peep! Hopefully you will return feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the next stage of planning.
Ready, steady, go!
Tackle Your Timeline
Before you send out the invitations, it's important to create your timeline so that you have the correct start time on your invitation. I love creating timelines and I spend months reworking the timeline - this ensures that there are no surprises on the day and that everything runs smoothly. If you are working with a planner then they will handle many of the questions/answers below, but if not, here is what do you need to think about:
1. Does your venue have an end time?
2. Does your venue have a start time?
3. What time is sunset - hopefully you can factor this into the evening and sneak out for some sunset photos.
4. Ask the caterer how long it will take to serve the meal you have planned (is it one or two courses? Plated, buffet or family style?)
5. How long does the photographer need/require for photos and does he have a preference of when these are taken.
6. Are you planning on doing a first look....
Invitations
Before you know it, it will be time to send out the invitation. So I always recommend that couples start working on their invitation sooner rather than later. Over the years as weddings have gotten bigger and more complicated, I have found that there is more and more to do the last two months prior to the wedding. In order no to be stressed, I recommend having the RSVP be two months prior to your wedding for a destination wedding. And technically your guests should have the invitation in their hand for six weeks prior to the RSVP. So this means that invitations need to be mailed This will give you plenty of time to track down the remaining RSVP's, figure out table arrangements, shuttles, welcome bags etc. etc. There are great online options (Minted, Weddings Divas) or you could opt to work with a professional designer/printer sourced locally or via Etsy.
Details - Favors, Guest Book....
This is where you could go crazy and spend lots of money and pinterest until the wee hours of the morning. So the first big question is what is important to you? Stay true to yourself and your vision and don't get sucked into pinterest! Think about need to have versus nice to have. I encourage couples to think about ways to personalize their wedding with small, inexpensive touches that your guests will remember. For example, a personalized guest book instead of a store bought generic book. Favors that are experiences rather than something a guest will throw away the day after the wedding - for example, one couple had custom removable tattoos created (of the two of them!) and by the end of the night everyone was wearing a tattoo! It was so fun.
Pinterest Research - Setting yourself up for Success!
Let's face it, we've all done it when we started researching one thing and ended up pinning photos a million miles away from our initial research. Be aware - pinterest can be dangerous - many of the photos are from styled shoots and not actual weddings making it hard to recreate what you see. Also be aware that as you go through the wedding planning process your style may change and that's okay! Some brides start off wanting a formal wedding and then realize that actually they want the opposite and vice versa. Embrace the change!
Here are my top tips:
1. Set yourself a time limit for your research.
2. Stay focused and don't get side tracked.
3. Pin whatever you want
4. Then go back through and delete everything that isn't true to your vision.
Happy Planning!
Alex
