Inspired by a recent conversation I have had on instagram I thought I'd put pen to paper and offer some of my thoughts... for anyone who is interested.
Obviously I am around a lot of weddings from a professional point of view but I also planned my own wedding back in 2017 and here are some of my thoughts.
Things that worked and what things we were fairly good at when wedding planning.
We had a budget and we stuck to it…I sat and did my research… what were the big budget pinch points? what were our priorities?
I was more conservative around some elements but also built in a bit of buffer around some of the other bits.
My old merchandising and excel talents fully coming into their own at this point.
We were quite good at shutting out the noise and doing things our way and there were quite a lot of elements that were fairly non traditional…
We were quite strict with the guest list; we were not inviting people for the sake of it and the list was fairly small.
I gave my suppliers my brief and fully trusted that they would deliver. This is so important to find those suppliers that you click with so that you can hand that responsibility over particularly with styling, flowers and the cake.
Not forgetting the photographer (obvs) who will capture the essence of your day. So long after the cake is eaten, the first dance is danced... the photographs will be the legacy... so so important that they get you and your vibe.
As a former bride here's what I would have done differently (with some insight the weddings I've been shooting)
I loved doing a lot of the styling myself… however I might have handed a bit more of it over
The day goes by so quickly.... build in time in the timeline for in between time. I think this is a bit I massively overlooked...relaxed and go with the flow means you need a skeleton frame to work with. An organised timeline means all your guests and suppliers know when and where they need to be and which bits of the day they should be enjoying... You can also be really clear on making sure that you get good time with your guests... as well as by yourselves as a newly wed couple.
From the guests point of view many might have travelled far and wide to spend your day with them... but also the day is about you as a couple saying 'I do' and becoming newly weds. I recommend working with your venue and photographer to identify the key points when you can sneak off for moments by yourselves with the photographer ... I recommend doing 2 or 3 short sneak offs as this minimises the time your away from your guests/drinks and snacks.
As a photographer I'm keen to capture the story of the day as it unfolds and capture all those authentic moments... some of them will be prompted when we are away from the guests whether that is couple time or wedding party time... but the majority will be documented candidly throughout the day as they unfold.
Entertainment;
So at the time when we got married our little one was 3 and a bit and we had lot of children so we were torn between the party element of the later eve.
However if I had my time again I would 100% be all party party party and get Djs with all the shinannigans. I wanna dance with my gals and sing my head off to those uni bangers!
Lose the favours
Me had a sort of dessert table with handmade biscuits; cake pops and chocolate dipped strawberries… the guests defo did not need favours (so much so that I have forgotten what they were) 🤣
I have seen so many discarded favours... the dessert table idea was good as people could help themselves if they wanted but not if they didn't take any.
How that would be different today.
I think that there is so much pressure now given the extent of wedding content on such a massive scale. Instagram, tiktok, Facebook… particularly with tiktok and instagram it can be an easy hole to fall into with ‘perfect’ wedding aesthetic when the reality of what those weddings cost.
I think brides today are sort of spoiled for choice and actually could prove quite overwhelming.
But what this does mean for brides is that it can be extremely competitive if you can nail down what you want and shut out all of the noise.
You need to find suppliers that you click with so they can get your vibe.
Trending wedding ideas; trends are trends and come and go... make sure they align with you as a couple
In summary; when wedding planning
Be realistic
You do you
Shut out the noise
Book suppliers that get you
Enjoy
Anything I have missed? I'd love to hear your thoughts on your wedding planning.
Are you looking for a photographer for your wedding to capture those wee moments right through to the big ones, please get in touch here
Thanks Sam xx
Looking for wedding inspo check out https://www.roseraephotography.com/post/wedding-inspo-my-top-3
*Disclaimer; I am no longer married but all my wedding planning advice still stands!