Image from Andrea and Ben Robinson’s wedding in Orlando, FL
Planning a wedding is a lot of work. Like, A LOT. No matter where you are or how you’re doing it, weddings take a significant amount of time and effort. Not to mention planning a destination wedding. My husband and I had our wedding in Dripping Springs, Texas a little over a week ago and I planned everything until the day of where my coordinator took over. Here’s some of my best wedding planning advice after going through the process.
Be selective when it comes to bridesmaids.
Choose the girls that have been there for you and the girls you know will be lifelong friends. One thing I noticed was that a lot of girls I thought were originally going to be in my bridal party ended up loving the idea of being with me at my wedding all day, yet many didn’t realize what goes into it. With mine being a destination wedding, many of the girls I asked didn’t realize all the effort that went into just getting there, let alone everything else. Choose your best friends that have the time and resources. If you choose girls that you know can and will be at your wedding from the beginning, you can avoid the awkward phone call where they tell you they cant make it.
Hire vendors you trust.
No one likes being told how to do their job. Yes, it is your wedding, but one thing I did from the beginning that has been something that kept me from going crazy was researching and choosing vendors whose work I adored. By taking the time, I knew that on my wedding day, my cake, photographs, my food, my décor, and everything else would be there without a hitch. You should not be booking vendors that you feel you have to micromanage anyway.
Email is your best friend, so have it connected to your phone.
In the world of a bride, nothing is more important than their wedding. What many forget is that our vendors are working with several brides just like us who think our wedding is the only wedding that matters.
When it comes to weddings, communication is key and I tend to be the person who likes to have a quick phone call and settle things in one shot. However, being so far away I’ve learned to utilize my email and with that I’ve also learned how to be patient. One of the best things about most of your conversations being via email is that everything is documented. You have it there for reference and it’s always there if you need it in case of emergencies.
Pinterest is life, but use it for inspiration NOT replication.
Most of the time, I wasn’t able to attend face-to-face consultations to have pictures in hand or go over things the way I wanted to. Dedicate Pinterest boards to specific aspects of your wedding, that way when your vendors ask what you envision, you can send a link to your Pinterest board and they can get a better idea, rather than having a rushed phone call or an email attempting to explain what you want in words. It is a great form of communication when it comes to giving your vendors an inside look to what you’re thinking.
HOWEVER… Pinterest should be used as a place for inspiration only. You’re never going to get exactly what you see on Pinterest. Every wedding is different and although Pinterest is a great tool, it should be used as a way to visualize an idea rather than to copy an entire wedding.
The family members you think are going to are going to be the most behaved tend to be the ones who cause the most chaos.
Weddings make people a little nutty. Consider yourselves warned. The family members that you feel like you wouldn’t have to worry about are exactly the ones you need to keep an eye on. Weddings tend to have that effect on people. Just take it with a grain of salt and try not to let it make you crazy.
And always remember…
It’s going to be so worth it. It’s your day and no matter what hiccups you may have, it will be one of the best days of your life so get excited!
