Tips to Save Your Sanity While Planning a Wedding, Plus What is Trending

We receive calls every day from potential clients needing help with the planning of their weddings.  Some clients don't have the time to plan, while others are doing this for the first time. We appreciate our clients and our ultimate goal is to assist them reach their goals.

We understand that weddings have changed dramatically over the years.  When I was a kid growing up in our family floral business, I remember how easy it was for our clients - they went to their favorite hotel or venue, hired their parent's caterer, florist, and bakery and even chose their own attire. Today's wedding is much for involved, which includes at least 150 hours to plan.

Here are some quick and easy tips to help you navigate the planning process -

1. Sit down with your planner and determine a realistic budget based on your style, wedding date (e.g., will it be a holiday weekend, what percentage of your guests will be traveling, will weather be a challenge, etc.) and guest count.

2. Choose a realistic date for the wedding.  You may wish to keep in mind school, work, financial obligations, plus other competing family and/or friend commitments.

3. Make sure your guest count matches your budget.  It is not unusual for a client to call us with a 250 guest count and 25 K budget.  These two numbers don't match and here is why:

Most venues and hotels have a food and beverage minimum of $30,000, especially on a Saturday night.

In addition to the above mentioned minimum, the following depicts a partial list of further items to budget for:

Coordinator
Attire
DJ or Band
Ceremony and Cocktail Music
Save the Dates and Invites
Transportation - Shuttle and Valet
Hair and Makeup
Video
Flowers
Photographer
Rings
Cake or Other Dessert Options
Officiate
Decor - Table Linens, etc.

4. Talk with reputable professionals who will be straight forward with you about your budget and expectations.  Sometimes clients want us to guarantee an out-the-door budget and I know it would be unrealistic based on the client's style and/or guest count. For an example, if our client's floral decor costs 30% of their overall budget this could be slippery slope for the planner to try and guarantee.

This ceremony set up could cost $1,200.00 and up.

5. Hire a planner who understands decor and design, budget, timelines, transportation, and contingency plans with access to a plethora of event professionals.  Keeping these expectations in mind, pair that with someone who is reputable. We recommend checking out your event professionals on Yelp and various social media sites.

If you need assistance, please call our office for more information.

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Wishing everyone a great day.  XO