Top 10 Tips for Planning Your Best Day Ever!
TO SPLURGE OR NOT TO SPLURGE
Working with a budget sure does take the romance out of things, am I right?! Where should you allocate more of your budget? The list of important items will be different for everyone. We think your first priority should be your memories (they are really one of the only things that will last once the day is over!) Second priority: when you look back on your photos, what do you most want to remember in them? That answer is different for everyone, but we think the question can help focus where you may want to splurge!
Friends, Friendors, + Vendors
When selecting your vendors, choose people who are like-minded! Whether you have a friend in the industry, or you find a professional, make sure that they don't just know their stuff, but that they GET you. If the vendor will be present at your wedding, you want to like them!!! How do you find these people? Get referrals from those you love, and make sure those vendors have LOTS of stellar reviews! If you hire someone that you know, make sure you get a clear idea of what to expect and make sure everything is official to avoid any awkward surprises (ie: make sure you have a contract).
It Takes a Village
Not only to raise a child, but to get that child married!!! Pull from the experiences of your most trusted friends and family. What was the best decision they made while wedding planning? What was the worst? Did they forget to do anything or wish they had thought of anything before hand? Take all that advice, and then remember that it is YOUR (+ your fiancé’s) day, and make your own decisions.
The Big Day Binder
Most brides carry around their “official wedding planning binder,” filled with contracts and ideas and pamphlets galore! We think you need a second wedding binder, what we like to call “The Big Day Binder.” This binder contains the blueprints to your wedding and is going to be given to a trusted friend or wedding coordinator in charge of your day-of prep. Include a timeline, vendor list (complete with contact person, phone numbers, emails, etc), & photos of all of your details the way they should be setup the day of the wedding (ie: the sweetheart table, the guestbook table, etc)! Make life easier on everyone by numbering your photos and matching them with your detail boxes (ie: set up your cake table items, take a photo. Print and number that photo. Put your cake table items in a box, number it with the same number that you have on the photo. Boom. Wedding-Setup-By-Number!)
OMG Kit
There are lots of emergency kits on the market, but we think it is better to make your own because you will better remember what is INSIDE the kit when you are the one who put it there! Must-have items: Aspirin, Bandaids, Bobby pins, Deodorant, Eye Drops, Hairspray, Lint Roller, Lip Gloss, Lotion, Mints, Mirror, Nail Polish, Safety Pins, Sewing Kit, Stain Remover, Tissues, & White Chalk (a Quick Gown Fix!).
beauty details
Keep makeup, perfume, jewelry, veil, garter, etc, together so nothing gets left behind! Keep undergarments in a bag with your dress! Makeup tip: Exfoliate your lips, avoid spray tans, & use a little eye cream! (If you do spray tan, avoid using any kind of fashion tape in the month before the wedding as the tape can remove your tan and make things patchy and weird!)
Photography Details
Bring your stationary (save the dates, invitations, response cards, etc) for photos! Take those photos to the next level by including ribbon, personal trinkets, florals, etc, for your photographer to style with your invitation suite! Also, don’t forget a pretty hanger for your dress! Simple wood hangers look ten times better than anything plastic or felt!
ceremony details
Wedding bands, ring bearer pillow, flower girl basket, unity candles or sand, & your vows! You already know you need all of that. Our biggest tips: if you will be reading your vows, write them out in pretty vow books instead of your phone! Make your life easy post-wedding, and assign a friend or family member to make sure your marriage license is signed & turned into the city on time!
Bon Voyage!
Pre-pack luggage, complete with checkbook, license & IDs, credit cards, cash, keys, & any tickets & reservation confirmation info! Have trusted wedding party members get your luggage to the get-away car!
wrap up
Pre-write final checks for vendors, arrange for your dress, gifts & keepsakes (cake knife, toasting glasses, etc) to be taken home after the wedding, & for your groom’s tux to be returned. You will also want to order thank you notes within a few months of the wedding so pick some designs you like before the Big Day even arrives.