5 Tips from Brides on Planning your Perfect Wedding | Grand Rapids Weddings
If you are engaged or dreaming about your future wedding, you know how overwhelming it can be! There are endless options for literally every single aspect of your day! So how do you even know where to begin? I recently asked my couples what advice they would give to someone who is navigating the crazy world of weddings. Here are 5 of the tips I received on planning your perfect wedding!
Utilize the Apps
There’s a lot that goes into planning a wedding, and it can be hard to keep track of it all! How long before the wedding should I book my DJ? When do I send out save the dates? How much should I spend on favors? When I got engaged over a decade ago, my Maid of Honor bought me a huge wedding planning binder. It was a great place to write down notes on quotes and full of helpful tips. By the end of my engagement, it was packed full of papers and heavy! And I dragged it around with me everywhere I went. But now there is a much easier way! With smartphones, you can stay ahead of important deadlines in your calendar, keep your list of vendors in a Google doc, and track your RSVP’s in a spreadsheet. OR, like Samantha did, you can use a wedding planning app! “The apps are phenomenal now! I preferred the Knot; their online RSVP was way better than Wedding Wire.” Check out the different ones and see which one works best for you and planning your perfect wedding!
Avoid DIY Fails
“If you’re not a DIY person ordinarily, don’t expect to love your money saving DIY results!” As someone who personally has failed at about a dozen DIY projects over my life, I absolutely agree with this tip from Grace! Weddings have so much that goes into them, and unless you’re a professional crafter, trying to DIY the invites or flowers may just cause unnecessary stress and frustration! I’ve also found that in the long run, it costs MORE than hiring a professional in the first place! This leads me to the next tip…
Lean on the People Around You
Emily says, “At first it might feel like you need to control it all, but the people around you and your support system can handle it!” You don’t want to look back on your wedding day and remember all of the headache and frustrations that went into it all. You want to look back and remember how beautiful everything was, and how much your support system was at your side! People WANT to help you – so let them! Not only your wedding party and family, but also the vendors you hire! If you insist on making your own invites (guilty as charged), have an assembly party to make it easier! Even on the day of, I absolutely HATE seeing not only the bride and groom, but the parents of the bride and groom doing any work! Assign a special aunt to help move the centerpieces from the ceremony to the reception, instead of having your mom rush away from family photos to set everything up. Or even better, hire a wedding planner!
Overschedule & Plan
“Day of, don’t look at the schedule or care. Just enjoy and let others handle things.” I am a big believer in this piece of advice from Katy! That’s why from the very beginning, at our first consultation, I like to draft out a timeline for your wedding day. It’s a great idea to have everyone on the same page on the when and where’s, and it also allows us to add in buffer time for the unforeseen! That way, you can let everyone else on your wedding day sweat the small stuff for you, and you can just relax, knowing that everyone else has your back for a smooth day!
Forget About the Trends
“Don’t worry about what other people think. Make your wedding a reflection of yourselves as a couple.” An excellent tip from Katie that I love to share with my brides – there is NO rulebook on what has to be done at your wedding! Want both your parents to walk you down the aisle? Don’t like cake and would prefer wedding pies? Or maybe you’re like me, and want your Father-Daughter dance to be to a polka instead! Guess what? These are all ok! It is YOUR day! You do not have to let anyone else’s preferences, ideas, or obligations dictate what you do! I just heard the best tip the other day: imagine you and your fiancé share a birthday. What elements would you include at your birthday party that truly embody the two of you? Try to incorporate those features into your wedding day!
I hope you found some helpful advice here on planning your perfect wedding! Anything I didn’t cover here? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram, or head over to my contact form! I’d love to help your visions come to life!
