Tips for a Successful Wedding Day

Photo Credit: MJay Photography

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

This old saying still rings true today! And how should planning your wedding be any different? Get the right tips to help you stay focused now so you can save time, money and headaches later one!

Keep reading for some helpful tips!

I don’t know about you guys but I am one of the rare people who have this need to plan everything in my life! And I do mean everything…so wedding planning is kind of a natural thing for me as this is just how my brain works! Great for me…annoying to my loved ones lol!

Naturally as I am prepping up for the 2018 wedding season that is upon us I am also thinking about next year’s wedding and the couples who have already booked me up and the ones who have yet to come over to my side! (I will sway you over!) I know how less stressful it will be for my brides who are taking control now to plan their wedding for next year. Engaging my help along the way has also removed the anxiety that can befall them.
So I wanted to pass along some Wedding Planning 101 tips to those of you out there who are elbows deep in your wedding planning for 2019 or to those of you who may be just getting engaged over the summer – it’s not too late, I promise…you can still pull off a fab wedding!

First off, misconception numero uno! A lot of people believe that you need 12-18 months or more to plan a wedding. I am here to tell you that is simply not true! Now I will say this though, if you have your heart set on a swanky, exclusive location for your big day then yes this may be the case as many of the venues can book up 2 plus years in advance. (Whew that is wayyyy to long for my brain LOL)

For arguments sake, let’s say you’re not one of these and you want just a typical Calgary and area wedding venue. It IS possible to find a great spot with less than 12 month notice. The key to this is being somewhat flexible on your date. It is much easier to go to a hotel or an event venue and ask “what dates do you have open for the month of…”  If you have your heart set on the wedding in October but are flexible on the date then you will have a much easier time nailing that perfect location.

Numero due, in keeping with the above theme. As I said I encourage you to set your wedding date around the venues availability. Keep an open mind! If you have a specific date on your heart that’s ok but just know that you may be waiting a longer time to get it. Another great option is to think of a weekday wedding! Yes I said it…a weekday!! OMG it’s unheard of!! Well… not really anymore. Some great venues are soooo expensive on the weekends that if you are really crushing over that spot you could ask for their availability and prices for say a mid-week rental. Many times if you have a lot of guests traveling from out of town anyways this option is great! They don’t care what day it is their on vacation!! So live it up and be that adventurous couple….get married on a Tuesday!! 

And finally, numero tre…book your wedding planner, photographers and catering right away! Once you know where and when the big day is going to be set get the rest of us booked! We can also book up fast so it’s important to be the early bird and book sooner than later. A great first question to ask when inquiring is “are you available for this date?” It is less stressful for you to know up front if we are free or booked. Along with this know your budget for your vendors but also be flexible. Sometimes to get the right person you will have to pay more than you thought, as long as it’s reasonable.
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Happy planning wedding peeps!