Top 5 Wedding Planning Tips
10 years ago today, I had my first date with this stud muffin. He walked me to my car after dinner and we had our first kiss. I drove away and immediately called one my best friends to tell her all about the butterflies in my stomach. It was wonderful! 9 years ago today, we went to dinner and he asked for my hand in marriage. It was a year to the day of our first date, at the same place as our first date, and it was perfect. My heart skipped a beat and I said YES! 8 years ago today, I married my best friend and love of my life.
The last decade has gone by so fast and contains the biggest and most special moments in my life. Meeting Dan, getting engaged, married, having our two beautiful babies, and growing more in love by the day with a man that still makes me laugh and feel special. I feel so lucky, loved and blessed.
Because it’s our 8 year wedding anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share my top 5 tips for wedding planning. There are A LOT more things to share – but this is my short list. I hope you find them helpful, and that your own special day is magical! xo
- Make a spreadsheet with all your expenses (even the small ones) so you don’t lose track and end up way off budget. Use tabs to organize your expenses (reception, ceremony, etc), and add a tab with all of your vender information so it’s in one place (flowers, photographer, DJ/band, videographer, etc.). I got a lot of small things off of Etsy and it was really helpful to keep track of what I purchased, how much those little items were, if they arrived, etc. It also helped me to know if I was missing something that we needed – it was like a checklist as well.
- Find a florist that will help you pick local/in season flowers that will also give you the look that you want. You’ll save a lot of money that way. Also, ask to have the bridal bouquets used as part of the centerpieces. My bouquet was used at our sweetheart table as a centerpiece. My bridesmaids bouquets were also used as part of the centerpieces at the dinner tables. The water kept them fresh, they added to the overall decor, and saved us some $ in the end. The girls still got to keep their bouquets, but it was nice that they didn’t have to find a place to keep them all night long. Big win!
- If you plan to serve alcohol at the wedding, decide what you want the party to be like. We paid for wine, beer and champagne without hesitation. We had a cash bar available for those who wanted to pay for their own hard liquor. The reason we decided not to do an open bar, was to keep the party going longer. We’ve been to a lot of weddings where it gets shut down early because people had way too much to drink. It’s easy for the party to get out of hand when it’s a cash bar. People still had plenty of wine/beer/bubbles to have a great time – but having to pay for their own shots and mixed drinks meant lots more dancing and less people getting sloppy. It was a big win and we’re both so happy we went that route.
- Look for a venue that provides tables, chairs, linens, etc. They may not provide everything (which is normal), but if they do have a couple of things that are included, it will save you a lot in the long run. If they only provide the venue, you’ll have to rent tables, chairs, place settings, linens, etc. It adds up FAST! Don’t be afraid to ask what is included in the cost and negotiate so they include some of those items. Our venue included tables, they had table settings on site for a fee (smaller than if we had to rent them), and we had to rent linens. We worked on the cost with the venue and came up with a deal we were all happy with. Asking never hurts – see what they can lump into the total cost to bring it down! 🙂
- Bigger isn’t always better. That goes for the centerpieces (flowers that are too tall make it hard to see people across from you), the guest list (think about who you want and make a spreadsheet prioritizing guests. Friends of yours are most likely higher on the list than some random friends of your parents), first dance (make it sweet and not over complicated so you aren’t stressing trying to remember all the steps), etc. In the end, it’s about sharing this big day with friends and family – not about showing how big or complicated things are. Enjoy each moment – it goes fast!
About The Author
Chirag Diyora
10 years ago today, I had my first date with this stud muffin. He walked me to my car after dinner and we had our first kiss. I drove away and immediately called one my best friends to tell her all about the butterflies in my stomach. It was wonderful! 9 years ago today, we went to dinner and he asked for my hand in marriage. It was a year to the day of our first date, at the same place as our first date, and it was perfect. My heart skipped a beat and I said YES! 8 years ago today, I married my best friend and love of my life.
The last decade has gone by so fast and contains the biggest and most special moments in my life. Meeting Dan, getting engaged, married, having our two beautiful babies, and growing more in love by the day with a man that still makes me laugh and feel special. I feel so lucky, loved and blessed.
Because it’s our 8 year wedding anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share my top 5 tips for wedding planning. There are A LOT more things to share – but this is my short list. I hope you find them helpful, and that your own special day is magical! xo
- Make a spreadsheet with all your expenses (even the small ones) so you don’t lose track and end up way off budget. Use tabs to organize your expenses (reception, ceremony, etc), and add a tab with all of your vender information so it’s in one place (flowers, photographer, DJ/band, videographer, etc.). I got a lot of small things off of Etsy and it was really helpful to keep track of what I purchased, how much those little items were, if they arrived, etc. It also helped me to know if I was missing something that we needed – it was like a checklist as well.
- Find a florist that will help you pick local/in season flowers that will also give you the look that you want. You’ll save a lot of money that way. Also, ask to have the bridal bouquets used as part of the centerpieces. My bouquet was used at our sweetheart table as a centerpiece. My bridesmaids bouquets were also used as part of the centerpieces at the dinner tables. The water kept them fresh, they added to the overall decor, and saved us some $ in the end. The girls still got to keep their bouquets, but it was nice that they didn’t have to find a place to keep them all night long. Big win!
- If you plan to serve alcohol at the wedding, decide what you want the party to be like. We paid for wine, beer and champagne without hesitation. We had a cash bar available for those who wanted to pay for their own hard liquor. The reason we decided not to do an open bar, was to keep the party going longer. We’ve been to a lot of weddings where it gets shut down early because people had way too much to drink. It’s easy for the party to get out of hand when it’s a cash bar. People still had plenty of wine/beer/bubbles to have a great time – but having to pay for their own shots and mixed drinks meant lots more dancing and less people getting sloppy. It was a big win and we’re both so happy we went that route.
- Look for a venue that provides tables, chairs, linens, etc. They may not provide everything (which is normal), but if they do have a couple of things that are included, it will save you a lot in the long run. If they only provide the venue, you’ll have to rent tables, chairs, place settings, linens, etc. It adds up FAST! Don’t be afraid to ask what is included in the cost and negotiate so they include some of those items. Our venue included tables, they had table settings on site for a fee (smaller than if we had to rent them), and we had to rent linens. We worked on the cost with the venue and came up with a deal we were all happy with. Asking never hurts – see what they can lump into the total cost to bring it down! 🙂
- Bigger isn’t always better. That goes for the centerpieces (flowers that are too tall make it hard to see people across from you), the guest list (think about who you want and make a spreadsheet prioritizing guests. Friends of yours are most likely higher on the list than some random friends of your parents), first dance (make it sweet and not over complicated so you aren’t stressing trying to remember all the steps), etc. In the end, it’s about sharing this big day with friends and family – not about showing how big or complicated things are. Enjoy each moment – it goes fast!
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10 years ago today, I had my first date with this stud muffin. He walked me to my car after dinner and we had our first kiss. I drove away and immediately called one my best friends to tell her all about the butterflies in my stomach. It was wonderful! 9 years ago today, we went to dinner and he asked for my hand in marriage. It was a year to the day of our first date, at the same place as our first date, and it was perfect. My heart skipped a beat and I said YES! 8 years ago today, I married my best friend and love of my life.
The last decade has gone by so fast and contains the biggest and most special moments in my life. Meeting Dan, getting engaged, married, having our two beautiful babies, and growing more in love by the day with a man that still makes me laugh and feel special. I feel so lucky, loved and blessed.
Because it’s our 8 year wedding anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share my top 5 tips for wedding planning. There are A LOT more things to share – but this is my short list. I hope you find them helpful, and that your own special day is magical! xo
- Make a spreadsheet with all your expenses (even the small ones) so you don’t lose track and end up way off budget. Use tabs to organize your expenses (reception, ceremony, etc), and add a tab with all of your vender information so it’s in one place (flowers, photographer, DJ/band, videographer, etc.). I got a lot of small things off of Etsy and it was really helpful to keep track of what I purchased, how much those little items were, if they arrived, etc. It also helped me to know if I was missing something that we needed – it was like a checklist as well.
- Find a florist that will help you pick local/in season flowers that will also give you the look that you want. You’ll save a lot of money that way. Also, ask to have the bridal bouquets used as part of the centerpieces. My bouquet was used at our sweetheart table as a centerpiece. My bridesmaids bouquets were also used as part of the centerpieces at the dinner tables. The water kept them fresh, they added to the overall decor, and saved us some $ in the end. The girls still got to keep their bouquets, but it was nice that they didn’t have to find a place to keep them all night long. Big win!
- If you plan to serve alcohol at the wedding, decide what you want the party to be like. We paid for wine, beer and champagne without hesitation. We had a cash bar available for those who wanted to pay for their own hard liquor. The reason we decided not to do an open bar, was to keep the party going longer. We’ve been to a lot of weddings where it gets shut down early because people had way too much to drink. It’s easy for the party to get out of hand when it’s a cash bar. People still had plenty of wine/beer/bubbles to have a great time – but having to pay for their own shots and mixed drinks meant lots more dancing and less people getting sloppy. It was a big win and we’re both so happy we went that route.
- Look for a venue that provides tables, chairs, linens, etc. They may not provide everything (which is normal), but if they do have a couple of things that are included, it will save you a lot in the long run. If they only provide the venue, you’ll have to rent tables, chairs, place settings, linens, etc. It adds up FAST! Don’t be afraid to ask what is included in the cost and negotiate so they include some of those items. Our venue included tables, they had table settings on site for a fee (smaller than if we had to rent them), and we had to rent linens. We worked on the cost with the venue and came up with a deal we were all happy with. Asking never hurts – see what they can lump into the total cost to bring it down! 🙂
- Bigger isn’t always better. That goes for the centerpieces (flowers that are too tall make it hard to see people across from you), the guest list (think about who you want and make a spreadsheet prioritizing guests. Friends of yours are most likely higher on the list than some random friends of your parents), first dance (make it sweet and not over complicated so you aren’t stressing trying to remember all the steps), etc. In the end, it’s about sharing this big day with friends and family – not about showing how big or complicated things are. Enjoy each moment – it goes fast!
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10 years ago today, I had my first date with this stud muffin. He walked me to my car after dinner and we had our first kiss. I drove away and immediately called one my best friends to tell her all about the butterflies in my stomach. It was wonderful! 9 years ago today, we went to dinner and he asked for my hand in marriage. It was a year to the day of our first date, at the same place as our first date, and it was perfect. My heart skipped a beat and I said YES! 8 years ago today, I married my best friend and love of my life.
The last decade has gone by so fast and contains the biggest and most special moments in my life. Meeting Dan, getting engaged, married, having our two beautiful babies, and growing more in love by the day with a man that still makes me laugh and feel special. I feel so lucky, loved and blessed.
Because it’s our 8 year wedding anniversary, I thought it would be fun to share my top 5 tips for wedding planning. There are A LOT more things to share – but this is my short list. I hope you find them helpful, and that your own special day is magical! xo
- Make a spreadsheet with all your expenses (even the small ones) so you don’t lose track and end up way off budget. Use tabs to organize your expenses (reception, ceremony, etc), and add a tab with all of your vender information so it’s in one place (flowers, photographer, DJ/band, videographer, etc.). I got a lot of small things off of Etsy and it was really helpful to keep track of what I purchased, how much those little items were, if they arrived, etc. It also helped me to know if I was missing something that we needed – it was like a checklist as well.
- Find a florist that will help you pick local/in season flowers that will also give you the look that you want. You’ll save a lot of money that way. Also, ask to have the bridal bouquets used as part of the centerpieces. My bouquet was used at our sweetheart table as a centerpiece. My bridesmaids bouquets were also used as part of the centerpieces at the dinner tables. The water kept them fresh, they added to the overall decor, and saved us some $ in the end. The girls still got to keep their bouquets, but it was nice that they didn’t have to find a place to keep them all night long. Big win!
- If you plan to serve alcohol at the wedding, decide what you want the party to be like. We paid for wine, beer and champagne without hesitation. We had a cash bar available for those who wanted to pay for their own hard liquor. The reason we decided not to do an open bar, was to keep the party going longer. We’ve been to a lot of weddings where it gets shut down early because people had way too much to drink. It’s easy for the party to get out of hand when it’s a cash bar. People still had plenty of wine/beer/bubbles to have a great time – but having to pay for their own shots and mixed drinks meant lots more dancing and less people getting sloppy. It was a big win and we’re both so happy we went that route.
- Look for a venue that provides tables, chairs, linens, etc. They may not provide everything (which is normal), but if they do have a couple of things that are included, it will save you a lot in the long run. If they only provide the venue, you’ll have to rent tables, chairs, place settings, linens, etc. It adds up FAST! Don’t be afraid to ask what is included in the cost and negotiate so they include some of those items. Our venue included tables, they had table settings on site for a fee (smaller than if we had to rent them), and we had to rent linens. We worked on the cost with the venue and came up with a deal we were all happy with. Asking never hurts – see what they can lump into the total cost to bring it down! 🙂
- Bigger isn’t always better. That goes for the centerpieces (flowers that are too tall make it hard to see people across from you), the guest list (think about who you want and make a spreadsheet prioritizing guests. Friends of yours are most likely higher on the list than some random friends of your parents), first dance (make it sweet and not over complicated so you aren’t stressing trying to remember all the steps), etc. In the end, it’s about sharing this big day with friends and family – not about showing how big or complicated things are. Enjoy each moment – it goes fast!