the journal

Okay! Here’s where we get down to the nitty gritty! The details of Wedding Planning! I think that everyone could probably agree that there is SO much to do to pull a wedding together! The first thing I like to do after the wedding planning initial consultation (which you can read about here) and signing a contract is creating a collaborative Pinterest board! Usually between me and the bride! I will take everything we talked about in the wedding planning initial consultation and start a Pinterest board specifically for YOUR wedding! Having something visual to go off of is such an important part of planning! And then you and I can add comments to the pins that are relevant to your wedding. Maybe you see a pin of a floral arch that you really like, but you like it because of its shape, not because of the colors of flowers that are on it. Or maybe you want your wedding to look exactly like the pins you are putting on that board! You can put a comment on there saying you want it to look exactly like this! … This helps us to be on the same page with what you are expecting all the little details of your wedding to be like!

The next thing I do is create a budget spreadsheet (for clients that want me to handle the overall wedding budget). Same as with the Pinterest board, I will share this with at least the bride, but usually the bride and groom so we are all in the loop. I create a line for each vendor, the total allotted cost for that vendor, the actual cost, if they are booked or a deposit has been paid, the remaining amount due, and the payoff date. I’ll also include the whole wedding budget at the top so I know what to allot for each vendor.

This leads me into suggesting vendors! This is usually dependent on your budget and what you’re looking for. I’m sure most of us know that the higher your budget, the more flexibility on vendors you have. You can pick and choose what you want. If your budget is lower, you won’t have as many vendors to choose from. But that doesn’t mean that your wedding can’t be everything you want! That’s where I come in! I pull from my network and find the vendors that will work best with you and your budget and meet your expectations!

Throughout the details of wedding planning, for most packages, we will have multiple consultations with at least 1 at your venue. While at your venue, I will help you with the event floor layout. We’ll decide where the ceremony will happen, where pictures will happen, where you want all the tables and chairs, where you want the dance floor and DJ to set up, where you want the cake table, etc! I’ll help you remember all the details and put it together in a way that will create the flow and experience you want for your wedding! I will also make a drawing or graphic of the event floor layout for you and all the vendors to have! And if you are having a seating chart, we’ll go through a similar process for that too!

The next behind the scenes post will be about working with vendors, the wedding budget and finalizing a day of timeline for your wedding! If you’re curious about a behind the scenes look at photography, you can read about that here!