Lally G.

Wedding Planner Duties You Don’t Know About

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Wedding Planner

A wedding planner are professional people who assists a couple in designing, planning and managing a wedding. They take off the burden of planning from a couple and lets them enjoy their wedding day. Wedding planners usually have garnered connections through years of experience under the industry. This makes it easier for them to reserve popular wedding venue and book the best catering services.

Wedding planners does not need a college degree to be one. They can attend seminars or work under different event’s organizer to increase their experience in the field. When all of it is enough, they can establish their own events agency and slowly accept wedding planning duties.

Other Wedding Planner Duties

Wedding planners are more than just a manager and planner of one’s wedding. Some of them offers more than that. Here’s the other duties of wedding planner that people rarely know about.

1. Initiate Family Mediation – weddings mean making two families become one. As much as wedding planners don’t want to get involved with other people’s life, they need to talk to each party to understand their emotions and concerns. A wedding planner will serve as the mediator and will find compromises in order for both party to agree with each other.

2. Schedule Wedding Meeting – wedding planners does not only look for the best of the suppliers. They also make sure that you are able to book them ahead of the others. They set dates for meetings and blocks out the dream schedule of your choice.

3. Manage Wedding Finances – couples don’t need to worry if they have a steep budget. They just need to communicate with their chosen wedding planner, and they will immediately make a budget-friendly plan for you. They will make sure that even if the wedding is budget friendly, it will a memorable one for you too! Of course, you may opt to increase your budget if you want some necessary changes.

4. Design Elements – whenever people hear about wedding planners, they thought only provide planning, managing and wedding coordination. Wedding planners are creative individuals who has an eye for beauty. You may ask them for their services regarding the color palette, themes, décor and lighting.

5. Wedding Website – this is not known to everyone, but couples may opt to set-up a wedding website where they can upload photos during the wedding and even important events in their life after. A wedding website is a good souvenir for you and your husband.  Wedding planners provide this service and even sets up the website for you!

6. Track your Guests – RSVPs are usually forgotten once given out to guests. Wedding planners makes sure to keep track of the guests to minimize problems on the day of the wedding and at the reception. They call everyone on the list and ask for their response to it.

7. Wedding Customs and Etiquette – couples usually have some knowledge regarding wedding customs and etiquettes especially when they have attended a wedding previously. They may ask help from the wedding planner to determine which of the following should be included in the ceremony and which are not actually needed. They make sure to honor the tradition while providing a memorable wedding for the both of you.

8. Style Wedding Photos – styling events is a planner’s cup of tea, but it does not mean that they are limited to weddings only. They may also provide their styling services in wedding pictorials.

9. Manage Guests – Weddings means that there will be a lot of guests and sometimes, the couple can’t attend to all of them. Wedding planners are there cater to their need and also get rid of unruly guests that may cause a scene in the wedding.

10. No Moments Missed – weddings are moments that a couple wants to remember forever. Wedding planners will make sure that their loved ones are all present and will provide a “moment” that will be forever remembered in the hearts of the husband and wife and their loved ones too. 

Can Being A Wedding Planner Be A Side Job?

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Do you love events, especially weddings? You may have found a good side job – a wedding planner! Your passion for party, decorations, planning and events may just help earn extra money. Can your passion be a side job? Let’s find out.

Wedding Planner

Your passion for events and parties may help you earn extra money. You may try to work as a wedding planner on the side. Wedding planning is a field that is currently in demand for engages couples or partners who wants to have a hassle-free wedding. Wedding planning involves managing, organizing, designing and planning the whole wedding from the decorations, themes, venue up to the program during and after the wedding.

Wedding planners are professional individuals who have garnered connections throughout the years. Previous experience is a plus since it makes them more knowledgeable about different themes or receptions that some people may have no idea of. Aside from making the wedding stress-free for the couple, wedding planners are also good in sticking to the budget given by the engaged couple. They have the ability of making a budget wedding without compromising the overall feel and details of the wedding. Some wedding planners also offers designing for an additional fee.

Services Provided by Wedding Planners

Wedding planning is not all about the planning of the wedding. Here are the specific services provided by wedding planners to ensure a smooth and stress-free wedding:

  • Discuss with the clients regarding the planning of the wedding, the ideal date and the reception in mind. Also, talks about the budget if there is a need to increase or decrease it depending on the requests of the clients.
  • Look for a reliable florist and coordinate the ideal floral arrangement of the couple.
  • Look for suppliers for the wedding such as invitations, caterers, lighting and sounds.
  • Assist the bride in looking and choosing for the bridal gown and also dresses for the bridesmaids, groom’s wear and other needed wedding attires.
  • Assist in the picking wedding favors and look for suppliers.
  • Meet and negotiate with the suppliers and vendors in order to meet the client’s budget.
  • Schedules and initiates the wedding rehearsal
  • Manage the design of the reception area and ensure that all needed equipment is present.
  • Ensure that the wedding program flow will finish smoothly and deals with unexpected circumstances.
  • Making sure that the venue is clean, rental borrowed items are returned and the deposits are given back by the vendors.

Wedding Planning as a Side Job

Seeing that you have landed on this article means that you are interested in the wedding industry. There are many reasons as to why people are interested in wedding planning. It takes much research and guts to change careers completely. If you are one who is unsure and just testing the waters, then you may try wedding planning as a side job first. Who knows? This might be the career path for you.

People think that events such as weddings are continuous and has clients all-year-round. This is untrue, as the wedding and event industries have a seasonal component to it too. If you are lucky enough to be living in a tropical country or somewhere where it is hot all-year-long, then you might find yourself working all year. But if not, winter may be your enemy as it tends to discourage weddings or any types of events. Of course, it does not entirely mean that there will be no winter wedding anymore as we’ve seen some gorgeous winter weddings on magazine. Winter somehow discourages a lot of people to plan events resulting to a slow down during these snowy months.

If you are interested in making it as a side job, then the seasonal component of it may become an awesome opportunity for you. It gives you an advantage to work during the busy season without worrying about the slow months because of you still have your full-time job.

Like any other side jobs, there are things that you should consider before starting a new job:

  • Schedule – knowing your schedule will allow you to determine your free days where you can accept events.
  • Workload – if your work demand is heavy, then you may not have enough time to do wedding planning. You will have a difficulty multitasking and might lessen the quality of your work.
  • Company Management – is your management flexible enough? Do they allow you to go home once you finish your tasks at work? Do they allow their employees to have another job? Depending on the management, they may not allow you to work a side job according to the company rules.
  • Time Management – are you a good manager of your time? Wedding planning involves a lot of meeting and visits that may require you to take some days off at work. Are you confident that you can finish your task?

If you are confident of yourself and your planning skills, then you may earn more money by doing your passion – wedding planning. Let us know if you were able to start your side job and what have you learned during the process?

Using An Overseas Wedding Planner

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Interested in having a destination wedding? Preparing for the wedding may be quite a hassle due to the difference between the traditions and the wedding requirements you have to settle on a different country. An overseas wedding planner – who knows the roundabouts of weddings in your chosen country – is just what you need. Learn how to plan a destination wedding and how to hire the perfect planner for your dream wedding.

Destination Wedding Planner

Wedding planners all over the world has the same goal – to exhibit a couples dream wedding! Wedding planners are hired by an engaged couple to help with the planning of the wedding. The chosen wedding planner will be the one who will coordinate and look for the suppliers. They will also make sure that the ideas of the couple will bring to life. 

Destination wedding planners may cost slightly higher than your local wedding planner especially since there is a lot of planning and permits that should be taken prior to the day of the wedding. The wedding location, the planning services and the numbers of guests will also play a part in the total costing. Top wedding planners may charge at least 20% of your wedding budget. Here are the four ways that wedding planners’ price themselves:

  • Flat fee: for the day-of planners and packages.
  • Billable hours: the amount of time the wedding planner will be working is billed depending on hours.
  • Percentage of vendor and venue invoices: It is dependent upon the other wedding costs
  • Blended approach: the design, planning retainer and production fees are given at a flat rate, with vendor management and coordination at a 15-20% of those costs.

Reasons Why you should Hire a Destination Wedding Planner

Peace of Mind – All wedding planners aims to relieve the engaged couple of the stress that is involved in planning and managing a wedding. Wedding planners are there to answer your worries, give you the facts and offer an unbiased and professional opinion. They make decision making regarding your wedding easier and makes contingency plans when there is an unforeseeable event.

Great Experience – Aside from having the best background experience, top destination wedding planners will definitely give you what they promised. Their connections and relationships with suppliers and venues in the place of the wedding has been built through the years. Therefore, they know which ones the best is to execute your wedding ideas. Also, they’ve experienced almost every wedding glitch there is and so are able to manage them gracefully.

What Do Destination Wedding Planner Do?

Here’s the list of the common tasks that destination wedding planners are responsible for:

  • Guide the clients regarding the local laws, permits needed, marriage licenses.
  • Showcase the different vendors and venue that is suitable for the guest count, budget and idea of the clients.
  • Helps suit the budget based on the couple’s needs and desire and offer suggestions on where to cut some expenses and what’s worth splurging money on.
  • Offer travel guidance according to the knowledge and local research of the destination wedding planner for the clients and their guests to enjoy the country of destination.
  • Create contingency plans for unexpected events.
  • Coordinate with the suppliers and vendors regarding the wedding and the timeline.
  • Manage the reservations and guestlists.
  • Make recommendations for other services such as florists and audio and lighting equipment.
  • May suggest the best hair and make-up artist for the clients.
  • Negotiate, communicate and manage the catering.

How to Find a Destination Wedding Planner?

Not sure where to search for the best destination wedding planner on your chosen country or place? Here’s some ideas on how to find a destination wedding planner:

Social Media

Wedding planners who are quite popular often show their portfolio on their social media pages. This is a good medium for searching since you will also see the tagged photos of the clients themselves during their wedding and how much they loved the said planners.

Ask the Venue

If you are not really a fan of social media, then you may ask the venue you are eyeing for regarding their recommendations for wedding planners. Wedding planners often interact with these venues and knows which one the best is based on their customer service, vendor management, organization and professionalism.

Look for Testimonials

This is very important for anyone who’s business involves services. Read about other couple’s testimonials regarding the wedding planner. This will build your confidence and trust on them that they will be able to give you the wedding of your dreams.

Call

If you want to personally look for wedding planners but does not have enough time to go there, you may set up a call with a wedding planner that you are considering and talk to them regarding their fees, how it works and what their suggestions are. It is important to know also how these wedding planners will save the wedding during unexpected circumstances which requires fast decision-making. Lastly, ask for their portfolio and the most memorable wedding they’ve ever done. This will let you have a feel on why they love what they are doing.

Can A Wedding Planner Save You Money?

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Planning for the wedding of your dream does not only cost a lot of money but also takes so much of your time! A wedding is done to celebrate the union between two people who love each other. Some cultures have different wedding traditions and customs that an engaged couple will need to follow, and this might be taxing to the couple. You might need to consider hiring a wedding planner to make your wedding stress-free but if you’re on a budget is it ideal to hire one?

Wedding Planner

The Wedding is very significant to the couple since it is the celebration of their union. Their family, friends and relatives are all invited to celebrate and congratulate them on their happiest day. The most difficult part of a wedding is the organizing of it. Most couples are too busy with their jobs that they can’t give most of their time to planning while some brides opted to handle everything by themselves.

This is why wedding planning business became a thing. A wedding planner is a professional who provides services like design, planning, and management of a couple’s wedding. They basically make sure that the engaged couple will not be stressed out by the planning and their wedding day would be a day to remember.

Wedding planners are experienced professionals who have planned weddings all-over the city. What’s unique about them is that their skills and knowledge about weddings were not learned from the book but are mostly from their experiences from working from the wedding industry for years. Their previous experiences give them an edge especially during unexpected events in weddings. They are able to act and think fast to make sure that problems are solved before it even happens.

Wedding Planner Services

Planning a wedding is much harder than you think it is. Here’s some ideas as to the services that wedding planners provide:

  • Interview the couple to identify their needs and visualize their dream wedding.
  • Preparation of the budget according to the couple’s financial capabilities.
  • Designing and styling of event
  • Look for receptions or locations (maybe indoor or outdoor depending on the couple preference)
  • Book and schedule photoshoots
  • Planning a detailed checklist (months or a year prior to the wedding)
  • Preparation of the lists of guests and performers if warranted.
  • Booking venues such as the church, reception, hotels etc. needed on the day of the wedding.
  • Look for suppliers, wedding professionals, caterers who could provide the couple’s needs.
  • Contract signing with the chosen suppliers.
  • Coordinate and organize deliveries and services on the wedding day.
  • Have a back-up plan in case an event or a disaster happens.
  • Create the wedding program.
  • Help prepare legal documentation needed for destination weddings.
  • Involves in the event layout such as the dance floor, buffet, tables and chairs.
  • Coordinate the wedding day, conference and pre-event assembly and follow-up.

Can it save you money?

Wedding planners usually ask for a reasonable price for their services. The more experiences a wedding planner has the more expensive their fee is. But If you want a wedding planner on a certain budget, you may consider looking for wedding planners who are new in the business. Make sure to look at their portfolio as some of them worked previously under the guidance of popular wedding planners.

Wedding planners considers your budget when planning for a wedding. You just need to talk about the budget, the possible numbers of guests and the theme that you want. From there, your wedding planner will tell you if the budget you gave them is enough or you may need to increase it a little more to better accommodate your request. Some wedding planners can also provide their designing services. You may avail this with an added fee, this is great especially if you have specific details in mind that you want to add which some designing services can’t provide.

Getting a wedding planner may cause you some money but it is definitely worth it if you want to have a hassle and stress-free wedding. They are your wedding heroes! Who doesn’t want to have a fresh and younger looking face on their wedding day, right?

Common Wedding Traditions In The UK

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You found the partner of your Dreams; the question has been you said the inevitable – YES! Going through the preparations is tough enough! Lucky enough, you don’t need to think about making your own ceremony as we have wedding traditions, which has been passed down from generations to generations, that you can follow to have a hassle-free wedding!

Wedding Traditions

Stag Parties for Men and Hen Dos for women

Ever heard of bachelor or bachelorette parties? Well it is not popular in the Great Britain. Instead of that, the Bride’s friends celebrate the “Hen dos” while the Groom’s friends celebrate through “Stag parties”. This is done days or month away from the big wedding day. It usually involves travelling to a different country within Europe and involves a lot of alcohol, games and terrible fancy dress for women.

The White Dress

Wearing a white dress during a wedding has become a must all-over the world. It was not like this previously until the world saw what Queen Victoria wore to marry Prince Albert: An Ivory white gown. This instantly became a fashion statement for brides and has ever since became a symbol of love in weddings.

Giving Away the Bride

Giving away the bride in the most respectful way. The groom will ask for the bride’s hand in marriage prior to the wedding while during the ceremony, the father will finally let go of their daughter and allow her to be one with the groom. This can be considered as the most heartwarming, beautiful moment in any wedding. Although the reason behind this is not quite good to know. Daughters, before, were like properties of their fathers and is literally sold to the groom. It is fortunate that the meaning of this gesture changed and became a wonderful moment between the bride, the groom and their father.

Hats

Have you watched the wedding of Kate Middleton with Prince William? Did you notice how all of the guests wore such sophisticated hats during the wedding? Old-school wedding in the Great Britain involves wearing of hats during such occasions this has since then continued until now. They usually put a small headpiece pinned on the hat or on the head to make it more beautiful.

“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue”

This tradition or superstition came from an old rhyme by an English poet: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe.” It was said on the superstition that the bride should have four things on her as a person for good luck and prosperous marriage: something old refers to something passed down like a family heirloom while something new refers to an item recently bought. Something borrowed refers to an item not purchased and something blue is anything that has a blue color in it.

The Wedding Rings

What is a wedding without the wedding rings? The use of wedding rings was from the Egyptians, where circular shape symbolizes eternity. Since then, it was used in weddings. The couple wears the wedding rings on the left finger of the left hand. It is on the left hand that they believe that the “vein of love” is located which leads to the heart.

Throwing Rice

This tradition came from the ancient Rome where throwing of grains of wheat or oat at the newlyweds were believed to bring them fertility and wealth. Currently, some people still throw rice while some modified it to flowers or even confetti as it is more colorful and does not hurt unlike rice.

Wedding Ceremonies

Weddings in the UK often start around midday or one o’clock in the afternoon. Meghan and Harry’s wedding started at 12 noon. The British people are not used to having a wedding late in the afternoon and believes that the earlier the wedding the better.

The Groom can’t look back at the Bride while walking down the aisle

In other countries, the groom patiently waits for the bride while walking in the aisle to reach the altar. It is in this moment that the groom feels an overwhelming emotion that some of them even cry while looking at their beautiful bride. In Britain, the groom is not allowed to take even a peek at his bride who’s walking down the aisle. He should only keep his eyes at all times on the altar and the best man will be giving him encouraging words.

The First Dance

If you watched any British traditional movie then I think you are familiar with this. The first dance is normally the opening number that kicked off the party. It is a must that the host, usually the bride’s father, dances with her first, then followed by the groom.

The Bouquet Toss

This tradition may be one of the popular especially for the bride’s team. This tradition came from the 15th Century Britain, where guests would have to try and tear bits of the bride’s dress as a sign of good luck on them. Nowadays, it is no longer practiced. In order to keep the tradition going, brides now toss her flowers to the group of women who will run just to get it!

The Conga Line

It is a common scene in weddings or even parties in the UK. When a conga line starts forming, no matter how old or young you are, you are socially obliged to follow and get in the line. Note: You will never stop walking around in a line until the first person stops!

The Wedding Breakfast

After the ceremony, the guests will accompany the newly-weds to a wedding breakfast which include 2 kinds of cake. The 1st cake is like a fruitcake and is given in place of a traditional wedding cake. While the 2nd cake or the groom’s cake is usually chocolate flavored.

How To Start A Wedding Planning Business?

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Planning Events is a lot of work but is a lot of fun, too! Weddings are particularly fulfilling to plan as you are taking part on a lover’s journey to being one. If you have the right passion and drive, you may actually become successful in this field too! Here’s something to help you in planning that Wedding Planning Business that you want:

Wedding Planner

Being a wedding planner is not an easy task itself. It involves managing, organizing, designing, and planning the whole event while taking the client’s wants, needs and budget into consideration. Wedding planners are professional planners that helps arrange the whole wedding and allows the couple to have a stress-free event.

An experienced wedding planner has made connections with a lot of potential business partner and has successfully organized weddings before. Their previous experiences make them knowledgeable about certain reception venues that have the perfect scenery which the couples will like and enjoy. They are also capable to sticking to the couple’s budget without compromising the event details. Some wedding planners also share their creativity and involves themselves in the designing process of the wedding for a fee.

Wedding Planner Services

We listed down some of the services that a wedding planner should be able to provide:

  • Look for florist and catering services
  • Look for a supplier of wedding invitations
  • Helps choose the bridal gown, bridesmaid dresses, groom’s wear and other wedding party attire
  • Helps in picking wedding favours
  • Involved in designing the reception look and vibe
  • Look for lighting services and visual details
  • Look into small details
  • Meeting and negotiating with the vendors
  • Managing the deliveries and the venue itself
  • Setting-up the wedding rehearsal
  • Setting-up the wedding venue and reception
  • Dealing with unexpected circumstances
  • Making sure that the venue is clean, rental borrowed items are returned and the deposits are given back by the vendors.

Pros and Cons of Wedding Planning Business

All businesses have their own advantage and disadvantages. These are the things that should be known by people who wants to open a wedding planning business. Here are some things that you should know:

PROS

  • A wedding is a once in a lifetime event. Thus, many people are willing to spend a lot of money to have that piece of mind while planning and to have the best wedding they could ever have.
  • You don’t need any type of certificate, training or education to become a wedding planner. Being one takes a lot of experiences and it is a skill itself.
  • If you are a passionate individual, you will enjoy the romance in these weddings.
  • You can run the business even at home and does not need a stall to sell your product.
  • If a wedding you planned was liked by the couple and their, you will probably get a lot of referrals.

CONS

  • Since this involves planning an event, you may be involved in a lot family drama. There might be couples who are not agreeing on certain matters or family member bickering that will put you in an awkward situation as a wedding planner.
  • Booking venues and churches might not be easy especially for the popular ones. Some requires you to make a reservation a year prior to the wedding to make sure that the date you want is blocked.
  • Many people only get married once. Meaning, you will probably not have repeat customers.
  • This job does not have a break and therefore, you need to work even on weekends.
  • Lastly, you will encounter some problems during the event itself that you did not anticipate. This will require you to be calm and composed at all times.

Establish you Wedding Planning Business

Education

Recently, there are many educational programs and even accreditations that you can apply for if you are interested to be on the wedding planning field. Although these things are not a requirement, these programs are designed to help you learn more about the business.

Experience

In order to be successful in this field of business you have to experience various events. If you are just starting this business, you may try to talk to your friends and family members to allow you to plan their weddings or little events. Any events are a steppingstone to your goal. Don’t forget to compile these successful events in a portfolio that you can show to your prospective clients.

Company Image

Developing a company image is important as it shows your style when planning. The couple put their trust on you, especially the bride, and your ideas can either make or break their wedding. Your company image will show a lot about what you can offer to your clients. If you know a graphic designer, make them help you design a logo at a reasonable cost.

Realistic Financial Goals

The second most important in reaching your goal is having the right startup amount for your business. Setting-up a wedding planning business does not require a lot of money and you can start with just $1,000 or more. You will have to invest on a computer, software, office supplies and other marketing strategies that you could try to use to promote your business.

Marketing Strategy

The wedding planning business usually starts from referrals by previous clients. But if your name is not yet known, you may need to spend some money to create a low-cost marketing strategy. You can try mastering a certain style – which you can offer to your clients through wedding websites or paid advertisements. Make sure that your website has an optimized search engine ranking to bring the prospect clients to your company.

Register your Business

All businesses should be registered to be considered as a legitimate company. Consult an attorney and learn about the requirements on how to properly register your business. Requirements differ from each state or place of business.

Build your Network

If you hadn’t realized it yet, your business relies on trust and network. You’ll need to build strong relationships between you and your vendors who provides services that you’ll need for your business. Consider joining groups or societies that can connect you to different caterers, photographers, videographers, florists, and more. The bigger your network the more successful your business would be.

Starting a business is never easy. Just thinking of what business to start will make your mind dizzy. Luckily, you know couplwhat you want and all you have to do is to make it work. Just go with your passion and love your business. I bet in no time, you’ll be in your road to becoming the best wedding planner in town!

What Is A “Wedding Planner Checklist” ?

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Congratulations on your engagement! We bet you are as excited as we were on this new milestone in your life. Planning a wedding may be fun and a bit overwhelming for you at first. Worry not, with enough time to plan and sort all the needed details for your dream wedding, it will definitely come true!

Wedding Planner

Do you always hear other people referring to a certain “wedding planner” to serve as the moderator and coordinator for everything that is related to the planning of the upcoming wedding? Ever wonder what do wedding planners really do?

Wedding planners are your gateway to find the best vendor referrals and contract negotiations that can execute your vision for your upcoming wedding. The wedding planners are the ones responsible for the behind-the-scenes of the wedding, making the planning as easy as possible. The wedding planner also takes into account the couple’s theme and also the budget. They are the best at what they do. Planning is a skill they gained from years of experiences from working under different companies or from planning their own events themselves.

Aside from planning, the wedding planners, upon request, can also share their design or styling services that can help in the creative specifics of your wedding day making it as unique as possible. Making them your stylist means that you don’t need to hire a wedding stylist which can help you save a lot of money.

Wedding Planner Duties

  • Spends about 80 to 250 hours in total in wedding planning.
  • Looks for vendor referrals and negotiates the contract according to the requests of the client.
  • Schedules and attend meetings with the vendors.
  • Created a detailed timeline and floor plans for the wedding.
  • Helps the client know their target budget and manage it.
  • Do site visits and menu taste test.
  • Shares ideas and brainstorm together with the client for the design details of the wedding.
  • Coordinates with hotel or resort booking and transportation of the guests and the entourage.
  • Plans a rehearsal for the wedding and manages it.
  • Oversees everything on the wedding day. Making sure that all vendors are coordinated and are able to come at the designated time.
  • Ensures that the couple’s vision will come true

Wedding Planner Checklist

Many people nowadays opted to hire a wedding planner just because they are busy with their jobs and don’t have time to plan every detail for their wedding. Some just want a smooth and hassle-free wedding that’s why they got a wedding planner. Whatever reasons you may have, it is your choice if you want to hire a planner or not. Still, you may need to know the timeline and checklist of a wedding planner.

12 Months

Before starting anything, the most important thing to do is determine your budget. You have to figure out who’s paying for what and how much you can shell out for your wedding. From there we can make a break down for the said budget and make your envisioned wedding possible. This breakdown will either go up or down as you go along with the planning. If you are planning your own wedding, better track your spending in excel.

I bet you and your partner plans to invite almost every person that pops in your mind. OF course, you cannot invite everyone right? When deciding your head count, always keep your budget in mind. Think of how much you are willing to spend to your guest and how many people will fit in your chosen venue. If you and your partner are going to share for the bills, always assume that you’ll get 70% of the invites, while 30% will split for both sets of parents. List down your potential guests then negotiate with each other who you both want to invite until you reach a final number of guests.

At this time, it is also recommended to think of whether or not you are planning to hire a wedding planner. Again, always think of your budget at the back of your mind.

Lastly, have an intimate talk with your partner and have a mutual decision regarding the theme of your wedding, the entourage, and the possible wedding venues that you have in mind. It is important to consider and respect each other’s vision of the wedding.

11 Months

Your wedding may be the best event that only happens once in your life. Make it even memorable by selecting the best caterer that fits your budget at the same time provides the best quality of food for you and your guest. Enjoy the menu tasting of each caterer and select the best!

Choose a color theme and slowly start thinking of the overall design of your wedding. Gather all the inspiration that you can get and draw your vision from these. Also, look for vendors who book up quickly such as photographer, band, DJ and videographer. Some vendors require almost a year of booking prior to the event as their services are wanted by many.

10 Months

Start looking for your dreamy wedding dress. You may or may not know exactly what type of wedding dress you want but going around different boutiques will help you find the best wedding dress for you. Next, start booking hotel or resort- room blocks for your guests. Some dates are popular and booking early will lessen the chances that you will have a problem with the bookings on your wedding date.

You already booked the photographer, why not schedule an engagement session since most of the photographers include this in their package. It will be memorable on your photobook. Lastly, start looking at invitations. Get inspiration from Instagram or from a movie you saw or another person’s wedding. You may even create your own design as you like.

9 Months

Buy your wedding dress. If last month it is all about looking, now you should have found “the one”. Also, this is the best time to make the wedding official by sending out “Save the date” invite which is different form a wedding invite.

8 Months

Bring your entourage and start the scheduling of fittings for your bridesmaids’ dresses.  Let them tell you what they want to wear and cater to it as long as its within your budget. Make sure that their dresses are not mismatched and are in sync with your chosen theme or color.

Look for potential florists. Flowers makes everything vibrant especially on a wedding. It creates different moods using different sets of flowers. It is important to find someone who can execute your vision well but fits your budget.

7 months

Schedule the rehearsal dinner and book the venue. You can also make it a family dinner at the same time to better know each-other’s family and make it as a casual celebration for your upcoming wedding.

At this time, you should have found and ordered rental items such as sound system, draping, linens, specialty chair, dance floor etc. That you may want to add on your wedding to make it even more fun.

Lastly, don’t forget to hire an officiant for your wedding. To make it more intimate, you can hire a relative or a close friend to do officiate the wedding.

5 months

5 months before the wedding, hire a lighting technician. It is the most important detail that some couples forget. Better lighting, especially at night, can make a difference for your wedding dinner and after-party.

Book the limo or specialty car that the newlyweds will use. If it does not fit your budget, you can opt to borrow a nice car from a relative or a friend.

Lastly, book your much-awaited honeymoon! This should be a surprise by the groom but of course, you can plan it together. After-all, the two of you will be the one to enjoy this vacation.

4 months

Begin your premarital counseling. Whether you came from a religious or non-religious background you are required to talk to a counselor to provide you with healthy conflict solutions that you can use in the future. Also, the Groom’s tuxedo should have been bought already. The tuxedo should be tailor-made and flattering when worn by the groom.

You should also be done with the final menu tasting and should have chosen and ordered your wedding cake. You and your partner should agree on what flavor you want for your wedding cake.

Lastly, don’t forget to buy your wedding rings! This is the second most important during the wedding and should not be confused with the engagement ring.

3 months

Finally, Order the invitations for your upcoming wedding. Make sure to carefully check each name and details to avoid confusion and error in the invitations.

Write your vows for your wedding. This can take a lot of time so do it ahead of time while you still have 3 more months. You can ask for help when writing the vow. Make sure that it is unique as possible.

Select the bible verses that you want the readers to read during the wedding proper. Also, meet with the officiant at this time and invite him or her to the rehearsal dinner. Make sure that the officiant is aware of the specifics of the wedding and how you want the ceremony to go.

2 months

Start sending out the wedding invitations with the reservations due a month before the wedding. Also, send-out rehearsal dinner invitation to the family of the groom and bride.

This is the time for dress fitting! Last minute changes or alterations should be done two months prior to the wedding. Also, don’t forget to pick-up your marriage license. Different states have different requirements so better ask for these before going to getting your marriage license.

Give selections of your favorite songs to the band or DJ and choose the song you want for the ceremony itself.

1 month

Don’t forget to pay all of the vendors in full. Create a seating chart to balance the relationships, egos and potentials of your guests seating together. Make sure to have a final walk-through with the venue and there are no problems with it.

Final week!

Congratulations! After months of planning, your wedding will finally happen in a few days. Take a deep breath and smile because you deserve it! During the final week, focus on yourself. Pamper yourself by getting a massage, go to the salon, get your eyebrows done or go to a waxing salon.

If your honeymoon is scheduled immediately after your wedding, better prepare your bags now because you will be very busy on your wedding day. Practice your vows out loud to release all the tension and increase your confidence when saying it to your partner during the ceremony.

We hope you enjoy the whole process of planning your dream wedding! Feel free to use or follow our checklist and modify it according to your taste.

How To Plan A Wedding Under The Shadow Of Covid-19?

by
husband and wife wearing mask

It is every couple’s goal to celebrate their love by having a marriage ceremony in front of their friends and family. Due to the recent pandemic caused by COVID-19 virus, multiple countries have undergone 3 months of lockdown and gatherings (such as weddings) are not allowed. Is it still possible to plan a wedding and if yes, what are the changes you should be ready with?

Is it Okay to Get Married?

United Kingdom, like the rest of the world, is also affected by the pandemic causing a public health emergency. According to the Public Health England, the mode of transmission of coronavirus or COVID-19 is through droplets that is released when a person sneeze, cough or touch a surface that is contaminated. With this reason, social gatherings were temporarily prohibited until further notice.

wedding reception center table filled with cutlery and flowers

Recently, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government released a  “guidance for marriage and civil partnership” which was aims to assist people who were planning to get married or have a civil partnership, but was unable to do so due to the pandemic, to continue their wedding with some precautions. Here is the summary of the said guideline:

  • The marriage should only be done in COVID-19 secure places. Outdoor weddings can still be done as it is covered by the Marriage act, but restrictions should be followed.
  • The ceremony of marriage should be done in the shortest time possible and should only include important parts of marriage or civil partnership that is required by the law.
  • Religious communities who practice celebrations that last for more than a day or two should adapt only the traditional religious aspects. This is to minimize exposure and possible spread of infection.
  • Social distancing guidelines must be strictly observed. There should be at least 2-metres distance between people. If any guests or member of the household experiences any symptoms, the ceremony should not be pursued any further.
  • No food or drink should be consumed during the event unless required for the purposes of solemnization.
  • If rings are required or desired by the couple, the hands should be washed before and after the exchanges of the rings. Minimize handling of rings by different people.
  • If an infant is included in the ceremony, a guardian should be present and is responsible for holding the infant.
  • Large wedding receptions are not allowed. Gathering of more than 30 people will be permitted during the wedding ceremony this includes the photographer, videographer and guests.
  • Singing, shouting or playing of music is discouraged as this increases risk of transmission of the virus’ droplets from the air. If music is still desired, pre-recorded music can be played for the ceremony.

Getting your Wedding Dress

We cannot deny the fact that majority of the wedding dresses in the UK are manufactured in China. The recent government restrictions and bans may have caused you to panic or worry about getting your dress in time for your wedding. But worry not because many suppliers in China were able to produce the orders prior to the pandemic. To ease your mind, you may contact your boutique and ask them regarding the status of your order.

If you are still in the process of planning your wedding according to the recent announcement by the government, you may consider buying a ready-made gown or if you want to be a little bit more classic or thrifty, you may borrow your mom’s or sister’s old wedding dress and add a little personal touch to customize it according to your taste.

Honeymoon during COVID

If you are planning to have your honeymoon in the USA or in other parts of Europe or UK, you may need to have a change of plans. Due to the recent events, travels to and from Europe were banned by the USA.

Recently, Department of Transportation released a guideline regarding travel corridors and its exemption where passengers coming from these countries are no longer required to self-isolate upon arrival in England. This also includes 14 British territories. 

If possible, you may just delay your honeymoon next year but if you already made the necessary preparations and the country or place you are going to is under the travel corridors exemption then you may continue your honeymoon. Just don’t forget to have safety precautions: always wash your hands, wear a mask and limit exposure to crowded places.

Does Wedding Insurance Cover Cancellation or Postponement?

Many people and business were affected by the lockdown and one of which is the events industry. Multiple events were halted due to the pandemic and there are many questions regarding this. A little background regarding them, Insurance providers vary in their policy guidelines. Most of them are able to cover cancellations or postponement of the weddings due to an outbreak of a contagious or infectious disease which is what happened in the past few months. But there is an exception, it does not cover travel bans, flight cancellation and any government acts such as prohibition of social gatherings. To get a clearer idea, it is advised to inquire with your wedding insurance provider.

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-52811509

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors#travel-corridors-countries-and-territories-exemption-list

https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/will-coronavirus-affect-my-wedding-day/