Covering the top 10 Essential Wedding Planning Tips and Tricks to help get you started!
When planning your wedding, there are things that are nice to know, and there are things you need to know! If you’re wondering whether there’s something you may have missed or feel like you have everything covered, check out these essential wedding secrets below.
10 Essential Wedding Planning Tips and Tricks
- Guests come first
I know – this doesn’t make sense! It is your wedding day, it should be all about you and your fiancé, right? This has more to do with your guest count and the space that you will need! Get a grip on the approximate number of guests BEFORE picking out your venue. This will ensure there’s ample space for your crew. - Prioritize your peeps
Pare down your guest list with the “tiers of priority” trick. Place immediate family, the bridal party and best friends on top of the list; follow with aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends you can’t imagine celebrating without. Under that, list your parents’ friends, neighbors, coworkers and so on. If you need to make some cuts, start from the bottom until you reach your ideal number. - Keep a “paper” trail
Get any nonstandard changes to your agreements in writing or send the vendor a confirmation email. Don’t just assume everything’s all set — sometimes, by the time the actual day rolls around the person you communicated those changes with may no longer be working there to vouch for you. - Listen to your mother – mother nature that is
Guests have been known to skip out early from hotter-than-hot summer tent weddings and improperly heated winter loft receptions. Always, always have a Plan B for unexpected weather snafus especially when having an outdoor ceremony. - Release rooms
As soon as you’ve picked a date, start to look for hotels in a wide variety of price points. Many hotels allow you to reserve rooms for guests under a special wedding block and a reduced rate. You can then release any unbooked rooms a month prior to your wedding! - Go over ground rules
Ask your ceremony and reception venue(s) for the list of restrictions (if any). For instance, is flash photography allowed? Can real candles be used? If our ceremony is outside, can we bring a tent? - Learn about marriage license
You can check your state’s license requirements online, but confirm with a call to the county clerk’s office to see when they’re open. Give a copy of your marriage license to your mom or your maid of honor (just in case you lose yours during the final days before your wedding). - Pay it forward
Let one vendor lead you to another. Your wedding photographer can tell you which makeup artist has the best tone matching capabilities and your reception manager should know which band/DJ consistently packs the dance floor. - Be realistic with your time
When it comes down to the last month of your planning, look at your mile long to-do list and cut two things. Not crucial things you just don’t feel like doing, such as picking a processional song or confirming final details with all of your vendors. Eliminate only the over-the-top tasks like baking cookies for all of the welcome bags. Cross them off and don’t think about them again. - And finally, take it one step at a time
Put together a wedding planning schedule and do things one by one, in a logical order, so you don’t take on too much too fast and end up with everything snowballing around you. If you are feeling overwhelmed at this point – it could be wise to speak with a wedding planner or talk to your venue to see if they have an on-site venue coordinator. Don’t know the difference? Here is a great article by I Do And Company, a local wedding planner in the area we have worked with several times.
There you have it – the 10 Essential Wedding Planning Tips and Tricks!
If you have any questions about wedding day airbrush makeup, please feel free to look at our blog post discussing airbrush makeup versus traditional makeup or head on over to our services page to get more information.
