From Budget to Bride: Wedding Planning Dos and Don'ts

 

[Originally at From Finalizing the Budget To Overspending on Flowers, Here Are 50 Wedding Planning Do's and Don'ts by NICOLE PAJER]

There are so many steps involved in planning a wedding. From choosing the perfect date to finding a venue that can host the ceremony that you’ve long been dreaming about, and perfecting your centerpieces, wedding planning can a very involved process. For couples that are just starting out on their journey of putting their big day together, the process can seem extremely daunting. But one of the best ways to get your wedding planning off on the right start is to pick up tips from those who have gone through the journey themselves. Parade talked to a mix of former brides and wedding industry experts to bring you this guide to 50 do’s and don’ts to consider when planning your upcoming wedding for the best wedding planning tips.

Wedding Planning Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s:

1.Do throw the rules out the window. “The first rule of wedding planning is to remember that there are no rules,” says Samantha Iacia, associate editor of WeddingWire. She notes that as the couple, it’s your special day, and the important thing is that you make it everything you’ve dreamed of—“even if that means disregarding the status quo or politely declining your loved ones’ opinions.”

2. Do finalize your budget. This, says Iacia, should be the first step in your wedding planning process. “Once you have a budget, you can start mapping out the rest of the logistics, such as the wedding date, venue, and guest count,” she explains. Iacia adds that if your parents or relatives are contributing to your wedding budget, keep in mind that they’re also entitled to an opinion in the decision-making. “If someone offers to pay, consider asking them to put money toward a specific wedding vendor or detail where you’re comfortable sharing control, such as the flowers, music, or attire.”

3. Do include your wedding dress, tuxes, shoes, accessories, nail appointments, etc. in the overall wedding budget. “This is often not included, and is such a large, integral line item/budget category that can cause you to unintentionally exceed the overall wedding budget,” says Kristen Gosselin, owner & creative Director, KG Events & Design.

Related: 101 Best Wedding Planning Tips for Brides-to-Be on a Budget

4. Do start a Pinterest board. “It will help you organize and get creative with or without a wedding planner,” Autumn Weimann

5. Do get your ring cleaned “so it’s beautiful and sparkly the day of,” says COVID bride Hannah Anglebrandt. This little gesture made her feel a little extra special on her big day.

6. Do put yourself first. “Initially when planning my wedding, I kept thinking of all of the guests and what would be the best experience for them…but then I quickly realized it’s not about the guests, it’s about my husband and I. It’s our special day, not theirs,” says Brittany Furlan, who married Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, in February 2019. She suggests turning your wedding focus to what you and your husband-to-be want/envision, “not what your parents or your Aunt Cathy wants. This is a memory that you and your husband will hold dearer than any of your family members so make sure you’re both happy with what you decide to do.”

See the rest of the dos and don’ts at https://parade.com/1105756/nicolepajer/wedding-planning-tips/ or read other awesome stuff at Bunn Co Raleigh DJs

Weddings can seem overwhelming. There’s just so much to do! But when you’re able to break everything down into manageable tasks, it doesn’t seem so formidable. That’s why we always recommend lists like this to our Bunn couples

Morgan and Mark’s wedding at Umstead Hotel

[Originally at An Umstead Hotel Wedding for Morgan and Mark by by Randy Bennett]

I always LOVE playing at The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, NC!  This time, it was for Morgan and Mark’s wedding on September 1st (the day before my Birthday).

Their ceremony was held earlier in the afternoon on the back lawn of The Umstead with Minister Ed Sansburyand music by Save The Date Music.  Morgan and Mark had lots of things for the 80 guests to do on their few hours break before the wedding reception later in the evening.

When I arrived I was greeted with a “Happy Birthday” from several staff members of The Umstead. Then, I saw a box left for me on my DJ table by baker Ashley Cakes!  Not going to lie, I kinda teared up a little.  My favorite cake that she makes (snickerdoodle) with my logo on top waiting for me!!  OMG!  So, I delicately moved it under my table and set up for the reception (and dreaming of eating that cake later!!).

The cocktail hour was held in the prefunction area outside of the ballroom I was in and The Umstead handled the music.  When the cocktail hour was over, the guests were invited inside the ballroom by planner extraordinaire GINA from A Southern Soiree.  The room looked beautiful with floral arrangements by Tre Bella, as did Morgan with makeup by Ashley Mooney. I can’t wait to see more pics from photographer Danielle from Blissmore Photography! I left music playing and went to line the wedding party up with Gina.  I introduced them to “I Gotta Feeling” and Morgan and Mark to the chorus of “Something Just Like This” by Coldplay.  They came in to loud applause and Morgan’s Father welcomed everyone.

Read the rest at https://bunndjcompany.com/raleigh/an-umstead-hotel-wedding-for-morgan-and-mark/ or more awesome stuff at https://bunndjcompany.com/weddings/

Having vendors that know and work well with each other always leads to things running smoothly. Even more importantly than that having vendors that work well together makes the party way more fun. When vendors are having a good time the service is always that much better.

Merrimon-Wynne: Always a Pleasure

Wedding Music and Ceremony Perfection A Bridal Party That Knew How To Dance We’ve been in the Raleigh wedding DJ business a long time. And though we’ve expanded, Raleigh is still in many ways our home base. And it’ll always be where we really got our start and made a name for ourselves. On top [...]

How To Plan Your Wedding As A Team

 [Originally at 6 Tips for Planning Your Wedding as a Team of Two by Raven McMillan]

The more involved your other half is in wedding planning, the more likely you may butt heads. If you don’t have a tell-me-where-to-show-up kind of partner, it’s a good idea to put a few systems in place to help keep the peace while wedding planning side by side. Below are a few tips and expert insights on how to plan a wedding with a hands-on partner—without the fight.

Create a Wedding Email 

Set up a wedding-specific email account so you both stay in the loop with vendor communication and meetings. “This will make it easier for you to prioritize tasks that need to get done and keep it separate from your personal/work emails so nothing gets lost in the shuffle,” shares Kristie Meluso of KMEvents. You can set a plan to check it together every evening at a certain time and go over what needs to be done. That way you also avoid one partner marking an email “read” before the other has seen it.  In addition to setting up a wedding-specific email, you should also create a shared calendar. That way both partners can stay in the know on upcoming meetings, deadlines, and more.

Paper Your Priorities

Individually, make a prioritized list of your three most important aspects of the wedding vision. When you come to a stand-off on a certain decision, the partner with that priority highest on their list should be responsible for the final call. “This could be helpful if having a disagreement,” says Kate Caffrey, Event Coordinator at The Event Group. “If the groom has food as one of his top priorities, he’ll get the final say over deciding on something like what the final hors d’oeuvres will be during cocktail hour if they can’t come to an agreement.”

Plan by Numbers

You may have already tackled the budget talk, but once you’ve assigned roles, you’ll want to agree on a budget for each individual component of the wedding. The catering budget may be set at $15,000, flowers at $6,000, and so on. “A lot of arguing happens during wedding planning because the bride or the groom wants to spend more money on what's important to them,” says Lynn Goldberg, founder of Ms. Wedding Planner. “So, getting specific budgeting numbers early on avoids problems later. That way if the bride is choosing the flowers, she knows not to go over $6000. If the groom picks food under $15,000, the bride will probably be OK with it.”

On the topic of finances, JoAnn Gregoli, owner of Elegant Occasions by JoAnn Gregoli, also advises that co-planning couples set up a joint bank account strictly to manage the wedding expenses. “Only use this account to pay deposits and the vendors; this way you both know what the account holds and there will be no problems in keeping track of spending.”

See the rest of the tips at https://www.brides.com/wedding-planning-without-the-fight-5085150 or read other awesome stuff at BunnDJCo.com

Wedding planning is definitely a two way street. And in our experience, we’ve seen weddings go best when both parties are involved in planning. It’s a day to celebrate the both of you! Also, planning is absolutely something your friendly DJ company can help with.

DJ David Fox Highlight Video