"Let's Plan Your Wedding" Presents: A Complete Guide to Wedding Planning: Recent Episodes
Danielle Chandler
Let's be frank. You are ENGAGED!! you don't have time to listen to hours of podcasts just to glean theoretical knowledge. I've got you covered. Let's simplify and strategize how to plan your wedding in three simple phases. It's all right here so buckle up and let's plan your wedding! Right. Meow.
Meet Natalie and Cullin. A couple who worked hard to keep their dreams alive for an ocean view wedding on the California coastline. If you are a couple with a vision for your day that you feel passionate about, Nat and Cullin's story is the one you need to hear.
So if you are a couple who cares about the vibe, the decor, the flowers, the details, or the aesthetic, this story may be just what you need right now. Like that classic wedding anthem goes: "don't stop believing."
Have a listen.
Meet Jackie and Michael! A down to earth couple leaning on their community BIG TIME to have the wedding of their dreams come true despite small budget realities.
How did you find your venue... "We have a friend..."
What about flowers? "We have a friend.."
Who's doing your makeup? They've got a friend! Ya'll these are some ride or die friends!
Learn how to ask for help and put together a wedding yourself. Jackie and Michael will teach us the secrets to their success.
Moms are baking brownies, guests are stacking chairs, and the couple is thinking outside the box with vendors. Jackie and Michael are breaking it all down for us in detail. So let's dive in.
For the couple who is also running their own rehearsal ceremony- OR who needs to pass to a coordinator or friend who hasn't run before.
Let's allow my 16 year old self with all her church wedding training enter the chat. And, pro tip, if you are getting married at a church - let the flower girls and ring bearers ring the church bell! It'll be the highlight of their day.
Have a listen and here's the cheat sheet:
- Have everyone take a seat- give an introduction and a quick "safety talk"
- Explain the order of the rehearsal:
Order for Rehearsal
- Place people for their on stage places: where they will be at the end of the processional (or walking in)
- Practice recessional and where they will go to be hidden from guests
- Place people for processional, walk through the processional
- Practice ceremony high points- walking through any rituals
- Recessional and have everyone take a final seat
- Final announcements (if you need you can do a run through of the processional one more time and have people take seats but not usually necessary)
Things to determine before the Ceremony Rehearsal
- Do you want ushers to help guests be seated
- Bridesmaids and Groomsmen order
- Who gets a special walk down the isle (grandparents, parents, siblings?)
- Who is needed for walking VIP family down the isle?
- Do you want flower girls and ring bearers?- where will they sit after
- Who, if anyone, is walking the Bride down the isle?
Typical Processional Order- (Typically takes 5-10 Minutes)
- Officiant takes his or her place - nods at DJ- processional music begins
- Groom and/or groomsmen can also be walked in with Officiant
- Grandparents of the Bride walk down and are seated
- Grandparents of the Groom walk down and are seated
- Mother of the Bride is walked down and seated
- by her son or other family member or groomsmen)
- Mother and Father of the Groom are walked down and seated
- Groom can escort mother if they like or husband or family member can
- Groomsmen enter (unless they have already)
- Groom enters (leads the groomsmen in, or greets them each if they are already in place)
- Bridesmaids enter up the isle starting with the one who will stand furthest from bride
- Groomsmen and Bridesmaids can walk two by two as an alternative
- Flower Girls and Ring Bearers enter and are seated (either order is fine)
(Officiant asks guests to stand "All rise"- Music changes - Bride's entrance)
- Father of Bride's hand off (who gives this woman to be married "we do," hugs bride, shakes Grooms hand or hugs Groom, allows Groom to take Bride's hand and lead her to her place, father steps around the dress and is seated
(Bride hands flowers to maid of honor, takes her Fiance's hands and is ready for ceremony)
(Maid of honor hands off flowers for a moment to be hands free to "fluff dress" as officiant begins the ceremony, returns to her place, takes back the flowers)
Ceremony begins.
Season 1-3 taught us how to plan a wedding from start to finish... so what's next?
Listen to this short trailer and announcement to hear what's coming up in Season 4.
And if you or anyone you know is at the beginning of thier wedding planning journey and want's to be featured on the podcast- please reach out! I would love to chat with you!
Dani C: danielle@christopherandcompany.tv
Congratulations! 1 week to go! Woohoo! For ultimate productivity and peace of mind listen to this podcast and check these final items off of your to do list! You are almost there!
1) Confirm headcount and guest list for wedding day and rehearsal dinner
2) Finalize final seating chart display for wedding day (and rehearsal dinner if needed)
3) Finalize day of schedules, send to vendors along with day of contact for your coordinator and vendor contacts for each vendor
4) Give final headcount to catering and any other vendor that needs it
5) Connect for a meeting with catering. Re-confirm target start time for dinner service
6) DIY couples: make a gameplan for ordering and weekly preparations needed especially for items like food and/or flowers that need to be prepared close to the event to stay fresh.
7) Create Decor List: make sure you know what you are providing
8) Pack!
9) Load up your car with personal luggage, decor, gifts, favors, and anything else you need to take to the venue
10) Connect with wedding party, immediate family and ceremony participants to confirm where they need to be throughout the weekend
11) Confirm final photo list and send to photographer for the family portrait groupings
12) Prepare cash tips for vendors (optional)
13) Wrap gifts for Fiance, family, and bridal party
14) Drop off hotel gift bags (optional)
15) Wedding day emergency day kit
16) Complete beauty regiment
17) Clean and Pack Rings: make plan for rings (who is in charge of rings, what rings will you wear day of?)
18) Pass of Wedding Certificate to Officiant or Planner (be sure they know how to file it after the wedding)
19) Transfer vows to a book to read from day of
20) Hydrate! And manage stress with energizing outdoor activities
Imagine yourself naked... that's the way my visualization technique begins. Whether I am packing for a weekend getaway or a European vacation I have a tried and true packing method I will teach you today that if followed, you will not forget a thing.
Let's make piles, find luggage, organize based on where you are staying which nights, and double check our lists before the big day.
As a cheat sheet as you listen. Here are some main points to revisit.
1) Decide how you want to separate items over the weekend. Some people may want 1 big suitcase full of everything (better for flights). But others may want to pack separate bags they can more easily bring onsite to the venue to get ready or a getaway bag to throw easily into their car for the night of their wedding.
2) Check the weather! Leading up to the week of your wedding double check the weather to be sure you have what you need to thrive in the elements.
3) Start with the most important "looks" per bag. Visualization excercise will help you organize each "look." Example: Wedding day look, Rehearsal dinner look, getting ready look, day after brunch look.
4) Create post it notes and lists of items you need to buy, track down, or move from one bag to the next as the weekend goes on.
5) Don't forget gifts for bridesmaids/ groomsmen and fiance. Don't forget to pack decor items for venue and favors. Don't forget lay flat items like invitation, mirror, jewelry, special hanger for the dress.
Most commonly forgotten items
- The garter!
- Copy of the Invitation for photographer
- Specialized hanger for the wedding dress
- Comfortable shoes for "getting ready" in day of
- Jackets for nightly outfits (wedding rehearsal and wedding day)
- Dancing/ Comfortable shoes for wedding day to change into if needed
- Day of Emergency kit: Scissors, tape, fashion tape, bandaids, safety pins, bobby pins, tampon, sharpie, hand held steamer, tide to go pen.
Hey lovers! Pass this episode to your mother, father, maid of honor and anyone giving a speech at your wedding. We'll dive into the simple ways to give a great wedding speech that is short and sweet.
It doesn't take much to wow at a wedding. The magic of the moment lends itself to amplify a few thoughtful sentiments that will encourage the couple as they enter their marriage. What an honor to bless them on this important day.
Life gives us a few sweet occations to celebrate the people we love as we journey through life with them. Take the time to embrace this unique moment and formulate a great wedding speech.
My Simple Speech formula (3-5 Minutes)
- NAME, ROLE (Hi my name is Dani and I'm the cousin of the bride and the maid of honor)
- How you met person 1 (I grew up with my cousin and we were basically sisters...)
- Positive attribute about Person 1: (she is so caring and so sweet)
- Example/ Story or more detail about that trait (one time she saved a squirrel)
- How/ When you met person 2 (we started hearing about this guy from work...)
- Positive attribute about person 2 (I have seen how tenacious and industrious this person is)
- Example of positive attribute or story (one time we all got stuck in an elevator- person 2 figured out how to get us out)
- How these attributes will be so great together in marriage (how these traits will work together in their marriage)
At the end of the speech say "Cheers to the happy couple!" or
"Let's raise our glasses to Person 1 and Person 2: Cheers!"
The time has arrived!!!! 2-4 weeks before the wedding you need to decide your strategy for a seating chart. (deep breath) And then you need to make it. Before you dive in, you should know that creating the seating chart and the display is the most tedious element of wedding planning. FULL STOP. But, for 9 out of 10 weddings, I still HIGHLY recommend that you do it. So today we will talk about all the things.
WHY do it?
WHEN to start it
HOW to display it
TOOLS to make it
And answers to the most FAQs
1) Where do we sit? Sweetheart Table or Head Table?
2) What do we do with bridal party plus ones?
3) Difficult people: Where to seat estranged family members
4) Should I play matchmaker? Do I try to mix up the groups or seat people with their friends?
5) How do I not offend my guests with their seat assignment?
6) Should I have a "Singles Table?"
7) Should I have a "Kids Table?"
8) Who gets put in the cheap seats? Someone has to sit at table 19...
Featured on this episode
Sarah Greathouse | A Paper Flower Wedding
Listen to this episode: 1 month out from your wedding date.
Here's my top 20 things to do at this point
- Organize your vendors
- Get your marriage license
- Finalize your honeymoon plans
- Create an ultimate wedding day of schedule
- Create a decor gameplan
- Purchase Gifts
- Write Thank you notes for gifts
- Write your wedding vows
- Send an email to groomsmen and bridesmaids
- Communicate with family involved in the wedding
- Firm up guest count through a CALL DOWN!
- Begin your seating chart! (2 weeks before)
- Order programs for the ceremony
- Create a seating chart display (1-3 weeks before)
- Give final numbers to caterers- rental company, cake vendor, anyone else who needs it
- Meet with your venue and coordinator for final walk through (2 weeks before)
- Pack for your wedding weekend- rehearsal ceremony, dinner, wedding, any other events and honeymoon
- Schedule any beauty appointments
- Write thank you notes for any bachelorette parties or bridal showers BEFORE your wedding day
- Do a final review of your website
Hello Lovers!
Let's close our "bride eyes" and think like a guest for an episode. So many couples loose track of the guest experience as they work hard in their final phase to organize the details of the event. But you need to understand the mind of your guests to address their concerns, answer their questions, and get them to your event.
This episode is jam packed so here's a roadmap. In this episode we will go through:
- A visualization exercise to remind us of the guest's experience
- 4 Rules to Live By to understand the mind of a guest
- 3 Most Common Guest Concerns
- List of things you can do correctly in planning to stoke guest excitement, answer common questions and alleviate concerns
Since there's a lot to cover: I've listed a lot below for you to have access to it all in written form.
3 Most Common Concerns Keeping Guests from RSVPing YES!
- The Cost of Travel: especially for out of town guests
- Conflict of Date: your wedding conflicts with another life event
- Missing Work: guests who need to try and get work covered or plan to miss work
4 Rules to Live By To Understand Your Guests
- Guests are Self Focused: they see your event through the lens of their own lives
- The Cost of your Wedding is a Serious Consideration: especially for your out of town guests or anyone needing to book accommodations
- Adults Only Gatherings: could make arranging child care tricky for parents
- People HATE RSVP ing: it's a very unhelpful phenomenon - people hate saying definitively if they are going to attend.
How to address these truths
- Self Focused= Give guests ample notice and all the information they need early
- Concerns about Cost= Be gracious if people. Say you completely understand.
- Concerns about Child Care= Stick to your guns! You know what's best for your event guest list wise.
- RSVP hesitations: Do a call down once the RSVP deadline has passed
AND - Doing as many of the following items helps guests throughout the process get information they need and garners guest excitement for your event. Give yourself a gold star for everything you've done so far:
- You announced your engagement publicly
- You sent save the dates 6-8 months ahead (if your engagement was 8 moths to a year plus)
- You spoke positively about your wedding at family gatherings and parties when asked about it
- You made a wedding website and populated it with helpful information about your event like start time, location, details about parking or navigating to the venue
- You added a travel section to your website where you clarified nearest airport and lots of great hotels
- You have recently checked to see if those hotels still have availability and added more if needed
- You created a registry so guests can bless you with home goods or funds.
- You have recently checked to be sure there are still plenty of items in an affordable range for guests to purchase and you have added more if needed
- You have sent out an invitation to your guests: 2-6 months in advance.
- You have clearly communicated an RSVP deadline for guests that is at least a month before your wedding date
- Your envelope addressing clearly indicates who within a household is invited to your event- listing them by name
- if you are an adults only gathering- you have made this clear by listing it on the website, and/or limiting the number of RSVPs on the website to just the adults
- You have done everything you can to make getting to your event as seamless as possible- with venue name and “mapable” location, maybe even directions - clearly listed on the homepage of your website
- You’ve given informa
Hi Lovers! Here's something to do well in advance. Think through any thoughtful gifts you want to exchange as a couple or give to your family and close friends the day of the wedding. This is a new tradition and it is optional. Planning ahead will help you not break the bank but have a thoughtful gesture of gratitude for that inner circle of yours.
And whatever you do... write your hand written cards to accompany the gifts weeks in advance, not the morning of your wedding. Here's a quick win to gameplan and check off your to do list with plenty of time to spare.
You are a few months out from the BIG wedding so hey! Let's plan your rehearsal dinner! In this episode we will talk about guest list considerations, venue and what a rehearsal dinner entails. Feel free to share this episode with other people like parents or parents in law who are helping with this event.
Homework for the Couple:
1) Determine the Rehearsal Dinner guest list
2) Talk about what your wedding is missing that the rehearsal dinner can restore. Now is a great time to add back elements you couldn't do for the larger wedding with a smaller crowd.
3) What is your geographical gameplan for the wedding weekend. Where are people staying? Where is the wedding venue? Where does it make sense to have this rehearsal dinner?
4) Create a gameplan for invites and who will be in charge of sending them. This can be done 1 or 2 months before the wedding unless you have it set in stone much earlier.
Whether you are months away or in your final phase, Sarah Greathouse from A Paper Flower wedding, walks us through all the considerations for wedding day of schedule.
Here is a couple's homework for after the episode:
1) Wedding Morning: What's best for you?
2) Wedding Suite: Who is getting ready with you?
3) Glam Squad: Hair and Makeup schedule
4) First Look or seeing one another at the isle?
5) Photography comfort level
6) Grand Exit gameplan
7) Programming comfort level: how jam packed do you want your wedding "program"
Featured on this episode:
A Paper Flower Wedding | Website
Hi lovers!
We're back with an important episode to kickstart your ceremony planning. Of course you will lean on the expertise of your chosen officiant, but even still, planning your ceremony will involve many decisions on your part.
Listen through to hear lots of inspirational ideas to personalize your ceremony. At the end- take time to work through these ceremony planning exercises as your homework for the day.
Ceremony Planning Exercises
- When and where is the ceremony: discuss the place, the ceremony start time, and the ideal length of time for your ceremony.
- Imagine you at the front: visualize who is standing beside you. If you are not having groomsmen and bridesmaids: do you still have family nearby and a friend in the front row to help? If you are having groomsmen and bridesmaids: draw out the order of who stands where.
- Processional and who walks them down: list out grandparents and parents that will get a grand entrance in the processional. Talk through who will walk them to their special seat. Also do you want ushers? If so, who will you ask? Who will walk the bride down the isle or is she walking herself down? Where will the groom, groomsmen and bridesmaids enter from to get to their spots?
- Custom vows or "repeat after me" vows: decide what's best for you.
- Custom customs: do you want to add any traditions or customs? Perhaps you should google customs that are in line with your faith or heritage. Or have you been inspired by the episode to add sand mixing, unity candle lighting, a reading of a passage or prayer or poem? Discuss things you may want to incorporate.
- Comedic Relief: will you have children as ring bearers and flower girls? Be sure to plan a cute way to ask them if you haven't already and include their parents in the details for when to arrive the day before to practice at the rehearsal ceremony.
Listen to this episode when you are 3 months out from your wedding day.
Checklist:
For Couples with less than an 8 month engagement
- Announced and celebrate your engagement
- Find and Book a Venue
- Determined your Budget
- Built a Guest List and send Invitations
- Build Wedding Website
- Make Wedding Registry
- Buy Wedding Dress
- Asked friends to be Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
- Considered who you want for an officiant, flower girls, and ring bearers
- Make Wedding Day of Schedule
- Block off weekends you and your partner can wedding plan leading up to wedding
- Begin Booking all your Wedding Vendors
- Wedding Planner/ Coordinator
- Rentals: tables & chairs, wedding arch, plates, dishes, linens, etc.
- Catering
- Beverages
- Cake or desert
- Photography
- Videography
- Florist
- Music (DJ and/or Band)
- Hair and Makeup artist
- Photobooth
- Portable Restrooms (if needed)
- Shuttle Service (if needed)
- Valet Parking (if needed)
- Wedding Rings (wedding bands for both couples)
- Wedding Outfits for Groomsmen and Bridesmaids
- Wedding Dress and/or Suit for the couple
- Any additional decor
For Couples with more than an 8 Month Engagement
- (all the items above)
- Researched and book any vendors you haven't
- Book Honeymoon
- Buy gifts for bridesmaids/groomsmen/parents/partner
- Look at 3 month out calendar to plan peripheral events such as bachelorette/ bachelor party and bridal showers
- Create master list of all vendor contacts
- Make calendar reminders for upcoming deadlines for payment and homework for vendors
- (optional) plan out wedding looks for rehearsal dinner and other events
- (optional) research additional decor needs (but Pinterest carefully)
- Book all Beauty appointments needed
Listen to this episode when you are 6 months out from your wedding day.
Checklist:
For Couples with less than an 8 month engagement
- Announced and celebrated your engagement
- Brainstormed desires for your wedding (See Season 1 Episode 1)
- Determined your Budget
- Built a Guest List
- Researched and Booked a Venue
- Asked friends to be Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
- Considered who you want for an officiant, flower girls, and ring bearers
- Begun wedding dress shopping
For Couples with more than an 8 Month Engagement
- (all the items above)
- Researched and Book as many vendors as you can:
- Wedding Planner/ Coordinator
- Rentals: tables & chairs, wedding arch, plates, dishes, linens, etc.
- Catering
- Beverages
- Cake or desert
- Photography
- Videography
- Florist
- Music (DJ and/or Band)
- Hair and Makeup artist
- Photobooth
- Portable Restrooms (if needed)
- Shuttle Service (if needed)
- Valet Parking (if needed)
- Wedding Rings (wedding bands for both couples)
- Wedding Outfits for Groomsmen and Bridesmaids
- Wedding Dress and/or Suit for the couple
- Any additional decor
- Research and Book Honeymoon
- Look at 6 month out calander to plan peripheral events such as bachelorette/ bachelor party and bridal showers
- block off 4 weekends leading up to wedding for 1 month out planning
- Think about wedding weekend as a whole for any of the events that apply (rehearsal ceremony, rehearsal dinner, welcome drinks, day of schedule, and send off party/ next day brunch)
- Plan out when invitations will be created
- Fill in or create wedding website, registry, travel details before sending invitations
Great to To Together as a Couple after this episode:
- Revisit your initial brainstorm / do a brainstorm together as a couple (See Season 1 Episode 1)
- Fill out wedding worksheet (linked below)
- Create a Mood Board- Just For Fun! (see Season 1 Episode 10)
Wedding Worksheet Link
It's been years since an invite I have received as a wedding guest naturally avoided all of these pitfalls. Not all of these mistakes are intuitive, in fact, it's easy to not keep simple things in mind as the wedding host. The Guest perspective can be a hard perspective for you as the host to adopt but you need to be mindful of equipping guest with the important info.
So get competitive with this episode and put your invitation to the test. Does your invitation avoid these 6 SUPER common mistakes ?
I will be SO impressed if they do!
(also the thumbnail photo for this episode definitely doesn't pass- can you spot why?)
In my mind, you are the Willy Wonka about to pass out those golden tickets. And your golden tickets give guests entry to that AMAZING wedding you've been planning. Let's make sure you do your best to clearly indicate, through careful verbiage, who exactly is invited.
We'll talk through some historically overlooked details that cause couples MAJOR headaches with guest's confusion if they aren't thoughtful at this stage.
And if things get tricky as you go to name your guests, feel free to do additional google searches for trickier title-ing considerations. But hopefully for most of you, this is a one stop shop for getting you into gear on this last detail of your invitation- the envelope it comes in.
If you can hang with me there's a LOT of good food for thought in this one. Almost there!
My Mom: What are you going to talk about for a whole episode on invitations?...
(three episodes later...)
Clearly I'm obsessed with invitations- and you should be too. From a tactical perspective, they communicate all the details needed for your guests to arrive and enjoy your wedding. They also enable guests to tell you they are coming to the wedding! I know by now, you are eager to see how your numbers are going to shake out.
And hey, I love planning but you should also know that a wedding invitation is so much more than informative brochure. Invites are beautiful, evocative, emotional keepsakes that are the first real physical manifestation of your upcoming wedding. Perhaps you mailed a save the date and posted some photos of your engagement, but really, those were just first attempts at getting your community onboard. Now that your event has taken shape, it's time to unveil your event to your guests.
Invitations stoke guests excitement much like a good movie trailer does for a long awaited film premiere. I always call it a "golden ticket" as well. Guests will be so honored to see that they are invited to this important life event. So let's tackle some details that if mishandled, will mettle with your event's big release. Let's talk through invitations and website details that should be in place as you begin designing your invitations.
Send this episode to anyone who has offered to host a party leading up to the wedding or during the wedding weekend itself! Don't be scared of the length of this episode because the time code in the notes below allow you to skip right to the relevant part of this episode and I encourage you to do this.
Here's the thing. There are lots of events leading up to the wedding. And we are going to break down how to successfully plan each and every one in this episide. From events before the wedding (like engagement parties, bridal showers, and bachelor/ bachelorette parties), to the wedding weekend (welcome drinks, rehearsal dinner, maybe even a day after the wedding brunch).
Keep calm- and party on!
TIMECODES TO SKIP TO YOUR EVENT:
1:20 : Engagement Party
3:34: Bridal Shower
13:24: Bachelor/ Bachelorette Party
21:40- Welcome Drinks (For the Wedding Weekend)
23:13: Rehearsal Dinner
32:54: Wedding Brunch (The Day after the Wedding)
You know what's easier to plan than a wedding? A vacation! Let's tackle this with ample time to spread the word because your guests will LOVE contributing to your honeymoon fund via your registry! Plus dreaming about a honeymoon can be a timely daydream to boost your mood and get something checked off the list.
Honeymoon Planning Essentials
At least you know the guest list this time :)
When: Right after the wedding? The following week? The following year? How long can you sneak away?
Where: Domestic or International? Driving a few hours or flying far away? Consider weather, and your greatest daydream destinations.
How Much: Honeymoon Funds can help so can looking for deals on flights, or keeping it to driveable destinations. Luckily you should expect cash donations on your wedding- easy to stick in your wallet and use for your honeymoon.
Inspiration: Buy a physical guide book (hello Rick Steeves! or google best destinations based on the month you are looking to get away).
Final note: Don't voluntell your fiance its their job to plan some perfect surprise honeymoon (I see this a lot). It's usually said with a fair bit of resentment "they are in charge of the honeymoon planning because I have done everything else for this wedding..."
Better for you and your future spouse to regroup as a team to assess the tasks needed in the final months leading up to the wedding. We'll talk about my advice for how to reassess roles, and enable support.
Keep planning!
For our last vendor profile of Season 2, let’s talk about ways to personalize your venue space. Perhaps you want a few games and activities at your wedding: say cornhole (or what about pickleball!?). Maybe you are thinking through a creative guestbook or activity for guests to sign or contribute to upon arrival to the ceremony. Pinterest is filled with elaborate and beautiful ideas for seating charts and unique ways to tell each guest their table number.
By far, my favorite activity as a guest at the wedding is a custom photo taking experience like a photo booth. Today we will hear all about how this can enhance the day for your guests. You have likely been working VERY hard to find and hire lots of key vendors in this phase of your wedding planning. So let’s finish strong as you consider how else to make your wedding day as fun and special as possible for you and for your guests.
Featured on This Episode:
- Anthony Alcala | The Booth Bus
I'm a sucker for a great makeover moment in a movie. Miss Congeniality, The Princess Diaries, Clueless, Pretty Woman! They all take that dynamic ingenue and give her a glam transformation that leaves bystandards gobsmacked.
Weather you are hoping for a subtle increase to your everyday level of fabulous, or a full blown transformation, the most critical step is finding beauticians and experts you can trust.
We will hear today from the founders of MUAH all about finding the right stylists and solidifying your game plan. So you can feel radiant and confident on your all important wedding day.
Featured in this Episode:
MUAH Makeup and Hair: Instagram
There are so many often overlooked AV considerations and music related transitions within the typical wedding day format.
We are lucky to have a resident wedding expert back on the podcast to walk us through all the details to nail your wedding audio, music, and emcee services.
Musicians, AV teams and skilled DJs set a mood, smooth transitions, and create unforgettable moments throughout your event. So let's learn all about the tactical side of these services as you think through your whole day. From the opening notes of Canon in D... all the way to the bitter end of "a little bit louder now.." - SHOUT!
Featured in this Episode:
Anthony Karabetyan | DNA Entertainment
What do all your Pinterest photos have in common? Likely, they all secretly feature aspirational flower design! From bridal bouquets and boutonnieres, to the ceremony site, to the tablescapes, cake, and beyond, flowers are often woven everywhere within a wedding day. For some couples, they can't wait to go BIG and utilize a capable florist to elevate the event. For other couples, they are wary of the cost. They may not know where to begin, or what they can afford. Let’s talk through it all with an expert to understand the wide and wonderful world of wedding flowers.
Featured in this Episode:
Lisa | Expressions Flowers
Beyond just still images, your wedding will have movement and sound that is really meaningful to capture. Unlike photography though, wedding videographers are one of the vendors that couples are often on the fence about hiring, or not sure where to begin. So let’s talk to an expert to hear all about common considerations and important info to know before you book.
Featured in this episode:
William Cook | Website
Now here’s a vendor I find wedding couples EXCITED to research and book! More than perhaps anything else, a modern couple loves to find and hire great wedding photographers. This is time and money well spent, since your wedding photos will last a lifetime. Let’s dive into how to narrow down the overwhelming variance in photography styles and offerings out there. That way you can find and hire the photography that is in every way, right for you.
Featured in this episode:
Kelly Williams | Website
How to: have your cake and eat it too! This episode rounds off the food and beverage needs for your event by exploring the fantastic world of custom event sweets. Hear about how to brainstorm and execute your wedding desert, which is for a lot of couples, a memorable highlight.
So let them eat cake! Or ice cream, pie, donuts, candy, macaroon towers, or even... cake popsicles!
Featured in this Episode
Alexis Barry | Tart and Tin
Oh the commonly overlooked key player in your wedding day equation! We'll just have the wedding in my parent's backyard... I said. It will be so much cheaper... I thought. But do your parents have... 200 chairs.
Those considering private property, and even those with wedding venues, need to think early about the logistics and costs of supplementing wedding rentals into their event. For couples looking at their beautiful Pinterest page and wondering how its going to come together- rentals is a great place to start. These companies have absolutely EVERYTHING you could need to transform your space into your ultimate wedding world.
Featured in this episode:
Anthony Karabetyan | Chic Event Rentals
Your guests gotta eat! Perhaps you've selected a secluded forest, a scenic mountaintop, or a private backyard. This episode explores catering considerations for every wedding, no matter the kitchen (setup or lack there of). We'll also think through staffing details for all the food and beverage needs throughout the day for your event.
Featured in this Episode:
1) Laura Holmquist | Five Star Catering
2) Olana Sullivan | Pour Girl Bartending
Welcome to season 2: The Vendor Phase of Wedding Planning! Before you call all the people, let's talk about how to effectively compile trustworthy vendor referrals. For many of you, that might be done by considering help from a wedding professional such as a planner or final phase coordinator.
So let's first learn all about wedding planning and coordination services.
Featured in this episode:
1) Karissa Paxton | Karissa Paxton Events
2) Lia Adams | Lia Adams Events
3) Sarah Greathouse | A Paper Flower Wedding
- WEDDING DAY WORKSHEET LINK
- CANVA: Free Mood Board Maker
You made it to the end of your establisher phase! Congratulations! Now let's get organized and have a little fun. We will talk about making a mood board - a very fun and helpful visual tool for your wedding. We will also walk through the Wedding Day Worksheet (linked above) especially considering the brainstorming of all the events within your wedding weekend. Print this out and complete with your partner as you get ready to lock in all your vendors.
See you in Season 2!
How to build: Save the Dates, Websites, Registries, and Invitations
The best events require good communication between the host and your guests. So if you want 30-200 people to do literally anything (from giving you their food allergies ahead of time to showing up at all nevertheless on time for the ceremony), you need to have a game plan to drip them key info for the event, and receive key info back in an organized fashion.
Luckily, for the modern couple so many tech savvy tools exist.
So buckle up for a multifaceted episode about integrating physical mailings (like Save The Dates and Invitations) with your wedding website: the hub for all the wedding weekend info.
Can you have a "black tie wedding" in a forest, or request "cocktail attire" if you don't serve cocktails?
And do we need a dress code anyways? Short answer: no. Although whether you know it or not, your event already has one.
So let's talk dress codes...a little bit... just for fun. We will see if the choices you have made so far are leading you to a formality level you feel comfortable with, or if you need to inch the needle in a different direction.
And (spoiler) NO, under NO circumstance, would I recommend you print the words "snappy casual" on an ivite. Because what does that even mean!?
When to go: 5-8 months out
How much to spend: (in California) I recommend $1500 + (but there's options for cheaper)
There's also a ton of tricks for getting the best price. Sample sales and second hand demystified: have a listen.
I've had... a bad... experience.
So many couples bring their bad memories into this topic and just decide to nix stack ranking their friends. Whether you are FOR bridal parties or AGAINST them- let's talk about how to do them right.
For my couples with bridal parties in mind, we'll talk through those hard topics of family drama and when and how to ask.
For those who are a hard pass on bridal parties: don't alienate your lifelines. We will talk about how to keep everyone you want in the loop, involved. It's all here and more - let's dive in.
Why don't wedding venues post their prices? Are your google searches giving you no viable, in budget options? To crack the code: I will teach you my approach that I developed from my sales days. Call downs, template emails, and CTE ! (call, text, email). On tough wedding tasks like these: it's all about working smarter not harder. We'll also walk through unconventional wedding venue options and if the backyard wedding is right for you. Let's find you a venue!
In this episode we'll explore considerations for building your wedding guest list. So many couples refuse to tackle this task early on, convinced they know inherently the size of their wedding. When they finally write it out, after they've fallen in love with their venue, they find honing their guest list to a more reasonable size can be extremely challenging and stress inducing. We'll face guest list building head on, early on, considering adding costs, the benefits and potential downsides to larger gathering, as well as how exactly to build it out in Google Sheets or Excel.
Have you and your fiance had the "let's just elope" conversation yet? Every engaged couple does, and not because they aren't excited to throw a fabulous party but because the cost of weddings is so overwhelming and scary to even talk about. Be brave and tackle this important topic up front, right after getting engaged but before booking a venue and sending out save the dates. It's time to determine your strategy and ballpark a realistic budget. So let's talk money honey.
While the true origin stories of many common wedding traditions vary, explore the possible history of the white wedding dress, garter, bouquet, and more on this episode of the Let's Plan Your Wedding Podcast. We will also begin to put the pieces together of a typical wedding day ahead of venue shopping in order to equip you to imagine how the traditions you choose will play out in your unique location. Although I think this frameworking and brief history will be informative and helpful, disclaimer that the information is mostly just for fun.
Follow us on instagram @daniweddingplanning and our website www.letplanyourwedding.com
Are you recently engaged or hoping to become engaged soon? Spend a few minutes understanding wedding planning from a professional! On L.P.Y.W we dive into the larger framework of event planning from start to finish so you will always know where you are in the process. Afterall, you wouldn't sign up to run a race without understanding how many miles until the finish line right?
website: www.letsplanyourwedding.com
instagram: @daniweddingplanning