During these times it’s hard to even think about starting to plan your wedding even if it’s in 2021. But with our current state of social distancing and working from home, this can give you a one-up on your wedding planning. Though it might not feel right or exciting, with 2020 Brides postponing to 2021, this will certainly provide a shortage of availability for key wedding vendors you’d potentially like to work with.
BABY STEPS
But you can, and should take a few baby steps to test the waters. If anything this provides you time to research, pin and really curate your wedding. So here is what I personally suggest you start doing now:
You probably have a vision of your wedding in mind. So now is the time to start pinning inspiration, if you haven’t already. Once you have exhausted Pinterest, you should create a NEW board with only 25 curated images from your original wedding research. These images should represent the essence of your wedding and the vibe you’d like to achieve. All images should start looking more cohesive. The BIGGEST MISTAKE you can make is pinning images that have filters. STOP! The best way to create your board is in true color because that’s how your wedding day will look to the eye. I’ve had clients turn down gorgeous mood boards because it was too “light and airy”, having forgotten that once I put a filter on all those images- it’s what they want and envisioned in their own minds!
Having a clear vision of your wedding is key. If you have 100 + images to show your vendors it’s much harder to communicate your ideas. It’s better to focus on the main elements than 1000 misc details. The details come later once a design style has been established. Then you can create another board for those elements.
2. Start researching. Get on instagram and start looking for vendors in your area which seem to reflect the same esthetic as yours. Start and IG file so you can keep track of your faves. Cross reference their websites and Pinterest pages. If your styles don’t match but you like them for some other reason, forget about it. Asking a vendor to do or create something they aren’t specialized in - leads to disappointment. Now is not the time to think about costs or budget - that comes later! ;)
3. The vendors which you should “invest in” and pay the little extra- are your Planner, Venue and Photographer. I say this because your Planner is your biggest key to success in considering: design, budget, organization, communication and management. Venue and Photographer secondly, because they will be your emotional ties that will bring back all the feels when you look back on your photos and drive by your wedding venue in the future. Decor and Florals can be a big part of your budget - BUT, you can design beautifully in all the right ways to make it look gorgeous and within a reasonable budget.
4. Now that you have your curated Pinterest folder and a wish list of vendors- it’s time to reach out to those wedding vendors for pricing and availability. Keep in mind, in this day and age Thursday-Sunday weddings have never been more acceptable. Unless you live in Europe - they happen any day of the week. Bottom line, your guests will want to be present on your wedding day whether it’s a Thursday, Friday etc etc. What we call “off-dates”, can lead to more availability and vendor price flexibility. I rather have a 60k wedding on a Thursday than spend 80k just for a Saturday date, catch my drift ;)
5. Once you have compiled your vendor pricing for Venue, Photographer and Planner, your going to want to book your Wedding Planner first. This is important because they’ll review your vision board, consider your choice for venue and photographer as well as other vendors and may have a few cost saving suggestions or advice you haven’t yet considered.
6. Your Wedding Planner will then negotiate your Photography contract and your Food & Beverage quotes / Venue pricing.
Then you can Pause!
Why pause? Because you’ve just booked the key vendors that can’t take on more then one client a day! Once these stages are complete your wedding planner will guide you through the rest of the process. it’s just that simple!
Hopefully we’re on your wish list!
XOX Elise
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