Planning a wedding can be stressful, to say the least. Here are 10 wedding hacks, tips and tricks that every couple should know when they start planning their wedding.
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Get a planner or at the very least a DOC.
A DOC if you’re not familiar with the term is a day of coordinator. If a wedding planner is not in the budget a day-of wedding coordinator will help you keep everything organized and allow you to enjoy your day, and not be on your phone all day calling the florist and the caterer and anyone else who may decide to be late. They help keep everything structured timeline to ensure that everything for the day runs smoothly. They also have great recommendations for anyone else that you may want to hire for your big day.
Choose your venue wisely.
Ask lots of questions to get a feel of what the venue is all about, what’s included, and what is or is not allowed. Ensure that there are no food, cake, or other vendor restrictions so you can use to you want for your wedding and not be restricted to any in-house vendors. Unless you know that you want to use those vendors then that’s fine and dandy. Also, decide on a guest count and stick to it. Sticking to a guest count and staying within those numbers is going to help ensure that you’re not overpaying for a huge venue that you won’t use. Know those numbers and what the maximum is for the venue and it will help you get the most bang for your buck.
Choose your vendors wisely.
There are ways to save money and places you need to spend. Go with someone who has good reviews or has been recommended by another vendor. The services that the vendors provide are very specialized and therefore can be very expensive, so trusting and getting to know your vendors is very important to ensure that you are well taken care of on your big day!
Decide where the money is coming from early.
There’s nothing worse than getting a contract and an invoice for a vendor and having to argue over who’s going to pay the bill. Know who’s responsible for what before you start the planning process, it will keep you lovebirds in sync and excited about your wedding day. Set aside a separate account you can both put money into for the wedding. It will be apart from your other expenses and you know exactly what it’s for and where it’s going. I would also recommend putting a little extra aside for any unforeseen costs and circumstances that may arise.
Have an unplugged ceremony.
What is it unplugged ceremony you might ask? An unplugged Ceremony is where you ask all of your guests attending the ceremony to place their phones in a little basket or hide them away during the ceremony. This allows everyone to be present at the moment and enjoy this time that you have set apart for you and your partner to say “I do”. It also prevents anyone from jumping in front of your photographer and ruining your images. I’ve seen aunt Flo jump behind the altar with her giant IPad one too many times…
Have a timeline and do your best to stick to it.
A timeline keeps everything flowing seamlessly and helps build a stress-free day. Everyone knows where they’re supposed to be at what time and what they should be doing. That timeline will help keep you from having to spend your day directing everyone else. Also if photographs are super important to you or you spent a lot of money on your photographer, build your timeline to accommodate that. The photographer will guide you in how to make that happen and I myself am a huge advocate for photograph centered timelines.
Opt for a first look.
A first look is great for several reasons. First, it allows for more portraits of you and your partner. It also ensures that if something happens whether it’s inclement weather or the timeline is behind, you’ll still have plenty of portraits of you and your soulmate. It also relieves some of the jitters before you see each other at the altar, and it allows for the first look to be a super intimate moment of just the two of you, no one else around. We’ll talk more about the first look later.
Turn off your phones and enjoy the day, put it away and don’t answer if it rings.
Try to be totally present at the moment with all of your friends and family around. Don’t get sucked into answering a phone call by a family member that couldn’t make it to the wedding. This day is about you and your partner, and no one else.
Choose what is important.
Have a conversation about what things are going to be most important to you and your spouse and spend your money there. Don’t guilt yourself for splurging here and there. This day only comes around once so make sure that it’s the day that you’ve dreamed of your whole life.
Relax and have fun.
After all, it’s your wedding day! So have a glass of champagne or sparkling cider and laugh and love together.
Related: Start Planning Your Wedding
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