Planning a wedding can be stressful. From thinking about the venue, décor, theme, guests, and more, everything can get confusing especially when you have no prior experience. Hiring a wedding planner to help you navigate the different aspects of wedding planning would be an ideal option. You can benefit so much from their extensive knowledge, wisdom, and expertise. But if the budget doesn’t allow it, we have got you covered. In this article, we share with you expert tips and insider knowledge drawn from professional wedding planners. The shared tips can help you plan your wedding effectively and actually enjoy the process.
Choosing the ideal venue
When choosing a venue, you need to consider the capacity first. Wedding planners suggest making a rough guest list to guide you on the size of the venue. Next, consider how much you have allocated for the venue in your budget. Remember also that location is important. If you have guests coming in from far, you would want a venue that is easily accessible from the airport and accommodation facilities.
Your preferred season and wedding theme are also important factors when choosing a venue. If you want a spring or summer wedding, an ideal venue would have a beautiful outdoor space. If your desired theme is a chic and modern feel, you might want to look at warehouse wedding venues.
Before settling on a venue, remember to ask about supplier rules, food, and entertainment options. Some venues have in-house suppliers that they work with. Others don’t allow external caterers or some entertainment options.
Creating a cohesive theme
A cohesive theme is key to creating a harmonious environment and enhancing the guest experience. According to wedding planners, your first step is to choose a color palette. Ask yourself the emotions and atmosphere you envision for your wedding. If you want an energetic and lively feel, bold and vibrant color choices would be ideal. For balance and depth, consider incorporating neutrals and complementary shades as well. To create a cohesive theme, you want the color palette on different elements such as attires, flowers, tableware, and linens.
Besides colors, having a consistent style is vital in tying the theme together. Think of your tastes and preferences when choosing a style for your wedding. Then let your selected style guide the choice of entertainment, décor, and design elements. This includes materials, textures, patterns, lighting, table setting, and architectural designs among other elements.
Incorporating traditional elements
Having some traditional elements incorporated into your wedding is a good idea if tradition is important for both of you. It is always a good way to honor your family, culture, and religion. But the worry is always to have an old-fashioned feel in a modern wedding. Wedding planners advise thinking out of the box to find ways to modernize traditions that are meaningful to you. Here are some examples:
- Mix your vows with traditional readings – Write something yourself in between traditional vows. For instance, you might want to retain a phrase like, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” in a Jewish marriage contract ketubah. Then have your ketubah customized to match your theme or favorite art
- Redesign your parent’s wedding dress – If you want to preserve your family tradition to get married in your mom’s dress, have it redesigned into a modern style. The same goes for your grandparents’ rings. Find a good jeweler to create modern rings out of the old ones.
Selecting vendors that align with your vision
Vendors can make or make your wedding experience. It is only right that you find the ones that understand your vision and have the skills to deliver it. You can look for recommendations online and look for their past works. If you have someone you know whose wedding you liked, you can ask for referrals. Most venues also have vendors that they can recommend.
Once you settle on a number of vendors, arrange to meet them in person. Make sure to ask all the questions that you have regarding your wedding goals. You can also ask them for testimonials and visual guides of weddings that they have worked with previously.
Ensuring a seamless timeline
A wedding day timeline is an essential tool for the smooth running of your day. To create a seamless timeline, you need to keep several considerations in mind. These include when the venue will be available to start setting up when you are needed to be out of the venue, the time your vendors arrive, the weather, and the like.
Any wedding planner will tell you that deciding your timeline for the ceremony helps you set the rest of the activities easily. Decide when your ceremony is going to start and end, then work forward and backward to fill the other slots. For instance, working backward helps you determine makeup time, when you leave your accommodation, pre-wedding shoot, and the like. In addition, talk to your vendors to understand how much time you should allocate to each of them. Most importantly, add some buffer time for each activity in case things run late.
Conclusion
Planning a wedding without a planner can get overwhelming. But with reliable information, you can take on the process like a pro. Make sure to consider the above suggested tips from wedding planners who have the knowledge to plan different weddings.
