Wedding Planning Tips: Plan Your Wedding Like a Pro!

April 22, 2020

Styled wedding sessions are all the rage. Some of the best wedding vendors in the industry come together to create magazine worthy creations. But when it comes to planning your day, you might find it hard to translate what you are seeing in the magazine to your actual day. Here are a few wedding planning tips that can help you create the wedding of your dreams with an experience your guests will remember forever!

Hire a Wedding Planner

If you really want your wedding to come together seamlessly, then hire an experienced wedding planner. Planners can really take your vision to the next level AND they have a team behind them. Most experienced wedding planners have trusted wedding vendors that they have been working with for years. It’s those relationships that will help take your day to the next level.

Color Palette & Mood Boards

Most wedding color palettes include three to four colors to help set the tone for your wedding. Softer colors normally represent a more classic or elegant tone, whereas something more vibrant may feel more fun and like a party. Your color choice can really set the mood for your day.

Mood boards are a great way to help the whole day come together. It is a great way to pull in not just your colors, but textures as well. Boards can be shared back and forth with your planning team. Pro tip: it might be easier to break boards up into sections like florals, reception, ceremony etc.

Personalize

Want to really elevate your wedding? Personalize the guest experience! Calligraphy is a great way to do this with beautiful invitations, seating charts, and escort cards. Writing a personal note to a family member or guest letting them know how appreciative you are that they came could be another way to really make guests feel special. 

Budget

Every good wedding professional has set a budget for the day. Some budgets are small and some are limitless. Whatever your budget is, I recommend spending the money on things that will make memories last a lifetime. This includes a great venue, photography, and food! Guests will remember how they were treated on your day, so if creating a great guest experience is important to you and you are on a limited budget, it might be best to try and cut your guest list down. 

Trendy vs. Traditional

Let’s be honest, having a boho wedding like the images shown below can be fun. But if you live in a high rise condo and wear White House Black Market seven days a week, then a boho wedding is really a trend that doesn’t reflect who you really are. I love to see weddings that fit couples’ personalities, so if you are a boho type of gal then go for it. But trying to fit into something that just isn’t who you are will feel outdated and out of character when you look back on it twenty years from now. Your wedding should be a reflection of your personalities coming together as one. 

Catering

Catering really can make or break your wedding. A dry cake or under cooked filet is something that guests will remember. Even more so than how many bridesmaids you had. Some venues already have in-house catering and offer taste tests, so make sure that you take the time to try their menu.

It is also fun to add things during the reception like a donut bar or a table with some of your favorite late night snacks. If there is going to be a break in between the ceremony and dinner, then I would highly recommend tasty appetizers. Have enough to go around so that your guests are not starving by the time they get to dinner! Again this is where budgeting to create an awesome guest experience comes into play.  

Venue

Finding the venue is one of the most important wedding planning tips I can share. It’s definitely one of the most important parts of the experience, along with finding your perfect photographer. The wedding venue can really make or break your day. The right wedding venue should be not only gorgeous but also has an amazing support staff.

If you are wanting a winter themed wedding, then getting married at an outdoor venue with a small indoor space probably isn’t the right fit. Finding the venue that fits your personality and your vision for the day is important and spending a little extra to really make the venue your own is even better. Adding fresh flowers, extra lighting, and calligraphy wall art can really set the tone. 

a couple celebrating their wedding at Higuera Ranch

Timeline

Some of us just don’t like being told what to do! I get it! But if you really want a magazine worthy wedding experience, then a few things need to happen. Your dream team needs enough time to take the space from basic to fabulous. You want to set aside enough time for your wedding photographer to capture all of the details you invested in. AND you don’t want your guests to feel like they are being rushed from one activity to the next. You want to give your photographer enough time to capture sunset images, those important family portraits, and even pictures of the food plated beautifully just the way the catering team likes. This all can’t happen without a timeline that allows it.

Photography

Where do I even start with this one?! I may be biased, but I think this is one of the most important wedding planning tips! You’ve spent thousands of dollars on your day and you want images that feel like you stepped out of Wedding Sparrow! Finding the right photographer to embrace the tone of the day is key. If you are planning on bold bright colors then you probably want a photographer who can really make your colors pop! Soft elegant colors and tones are perfect for that fine art film photographer like myself! The mood has to be right, so are you a dramatic energetic personality? A dramatic lighting photographer might be right for you! This is one of those areas that when it comes to photographers, you should take the mindset of “what you see is what you get!”

If you want a bridal magazine wedding then don’t be afraid to slow down and surround yourself with a team that can help bring your vision to life. I hope these wedding planning tips are helpful! If you have any other tips, comment below and share with others! 

Vendor List:
Planner & Creative Director: Jessica Schmuckle Photography, Denver Ryan Collective
Host: Styled Shoots Across America
Venue: Higuera Ranch
Florals: Aurelia Flora
Bride & Groom: @rymbowers @bobcat_rawr
Bridesmaids: @valynator @andeemarie._ @avery_blayne
Wedding Cake: Pardon My French 
Invitation Suite/Menus/Place cards/Vow Books/Seating Chart/Painting/Signage: Sam Allen Creates
Tart & Raw Mini Cakes: Gypsy Crumbs
Sweets: My Favorite Sweets
HMUA: Tami Bernard, Nichole Hair
Bridal Gown: Reclamation Design Company 
Bridesmaid Gowns: BHLDN, Lulus Weddings
Handcrafted Hair Accessories: Epanoui Grace
Menswear: Friartux
Rentals/Glamping Tent: All About Events
Table Top Rentals: Rustic Peony Co
Vintage Vehicles: Three on the Trees
Bar Tending & Specialty drinks: Copper and Crystal
Wine: Timbre Winery
Tapestry: Leman Floral
Arch Rental: Jessica Schmuckle Photography
Custom wine, shot & champagne glasses, hangers, flask: Everything Done to a T
Custom Perfume: Dragonfly and Spruce
Table Number & Cake Topper: Lightbox Laser

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