Image Credit: Sweet Ice Cream Photography

Congratulations future bride, wedding planning can be a difficult process especially if you are unfamiliar with the process. I wanted to share some of the simple mistakes that I made during the wedding process. Especially since I almost headed to the courthouse and skip the wedding planning process altogether.

Phone a friend.

I know it may sound silly but you will need someone to bounce ideas off of. This does not mean turn your wedding plans over to someone else or take on someone else vision for your wedding day. But you definitely will need someone besides your partner to talk to, about the wedding. Believe me, you will thank me later. At no point in the day did I rest from wedding planning. I literally locked down all my wedding details in about 2 months and that because I consistently reached out to my friends for opinions, suggestions, and referrals.

Save all your Inspiration Photos.

I cannot tell you how many times I found a photo that was exactly what I envisioned and I failed to click save. Later I found myself spending hours trying to search keywords to locate the photo again. So if you like what you see in the least bit, save it (to your desktop, laptop, phone, etc.) because finding inspiration photos can be difficult. If you use Pinterest to find your wedding inspiration (at the least click save, at best create a board either way you keep track). Here’s my Pinterest wedding board, keep in mind I am OCD so as I made a decision I purged photos that no longer fit with my wedding day vision.

Create a Wedding Planning Binder or Organizer.

I know some of you do not like planning or planners. But there is nothing worse than looking all over the place for your inspiration pictures, business cards, receipts, etc. So take it from me and create a wedding binder where you keep all your wedding-related details. This really just makes for an easier planning process and less stress wedding.

Record, Record, Record

Record everything, take photos of all the venues you visit, items you see in the store that you buy or like, vendors you speak to, etc. I would recommend also taking notes of all conversation you have with vendors. You will find out really quickly about bridal brain, all the details quickly become foggy.

Here are some of my favorite items from our wedding. Click on the image to grab yours!

Delegate

Do not, I repeat do not attempt to do everything yourself. I know it is tempting and seems easier than asking for help. But you will regret it, believe me. I do not suggest delegating big decision making, but find things that your fiance, mother in law, mother, bridesmaids can do to help make the wedding planning process easier for you. Even if that just means picking up the flowers, liquor, finding a premarital counselor, folding napkins, etc. There is a ton to do when you’re planning a wedding so work smart and not hard. I personally delegated a lot of tasks to my fiance, I think it helped keep him engaged in the planning process and allowed me to rest. After, all it’s not just my day, it’s our day so I wanted to keep him as involved as possible.

Flower on a Budget

Purchase your flowers from a warehouse or bulk type store (i.e. Trader Joes, Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Costco, and Sam’s Club). Also before purchasing from any of these stores, be sure to find out the following. It is very important you get to know the people in the flower department before ordering. Pictured below is the bouquet Kim created based on my inspiration photo.

  • Visit the store and take a look around at what they have in store
  • Ask how much lead time they need for orders
  • Find out if any of the staff make arrangements. Ask if you can have any left-over petals, this is great for enhancing your table decorations.
  • Ask if they provide samples for you to create a test arrangement (if they don’t have anyone in store that makes arrangements)
  • Ask if they will discard bad flower at their cost. The last thing you want to do is be made to purchase wilted flowers.

Find a simple centerpiece design that is easy to create. Use flowers that are large in like hydrangeas, peonies, etc. these are great options for getting more for your money with less. Incorporating greenery is also a great way to save money and mix up the colors of your centerpiece. Pictured below is one of the inspiration photos I showed to Kim (from the Fresh Market in Marietta, Ga), the centerpiece is simple and beautiful.

Arrange the flowers yourself. But keep in mind if you do so you need to have an empty fridge (probably 2) to store your arrangements until the special day. I would recommend doing your arrangement no more than the day prior to the wedding. The store should be able to provide you with instructions for aftercare, to ensure the longevity of your flowers.
If you are scared of creating the arrangement yourself. I would recommend contacting several florists near you and finding out how much they charge for labor only. If the design is simple enough it should not take them very long to create your centerpieces.

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