If you’re going to take pre-wedding advice from anyone, we think wedding coordinators should be at the top of that list. We are thrilled to introduce our featured day-of coordinator for The Big Fake Wedding Denver, Laura of Blue Lace Events Colorado! Laura and her team know how to plan the heck out of a wedding, so asking her to contribute to our day-of coordinator blog series was an obvious choice. Today, Laura is telling us the 5 things to consider before you start planning your wedding!
Blue Lace Events Colorado is a wedding planning company specializing in the essential day-of coordination but can also manage planning every last detail so you can just enjoy. Over the years we have found that day-of coordination has become, according to our clients, the best spent money among all the vendors they hired. You spend countless hours perfecting every detail of your day why leave it to chance or take away the day from a close family member to ensure those details are handled correctly. You only get to plan and have this special day once, make sure it goes smoothly and contact Blue Lace Events Colorado.
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The First 5 Things to Consider Before You Start Planning
1. Dream Up Your Style
Before deciding anything, look at the big picture and imagine what kind of style and vibe you want to set for your wedding. Close your eyes and picture your fantasy wedding. What do you see? Is it a candlelit ceremony in a mansion? Are you walking barefoot on a beach in the tropics? Or maybe it’s a nature setting in the mountains or a botanical garden. While you’re picturing your perfect wedding, here are some key questions to consider: Are you wanting a vision of modern, classic, romantic, vintage, rustic or all-out glam? Fancy, casual or somewhere in between? To help you get a better idea of what you want (and what you don’t want), spend some time gathering inspiration – like looking on Pinterest. Check out magazines, books and real wedding photos online, but don’t limit yourself to the obvious sources. Something as unlikely as a wallpaper pattern, a scene from a favorite movie, or a family heirloom can spark your creativity. Bottom line: Always keep your eyes open for inspiration but get an idea of what your vision is for both of your dream weddings.
2. Destination or Home?
Now that you have a vision of what your day would look more like, it’s time to decide where you can accomplish that vision. Is it in the mountains of Colorado, or the beaches of the Bahamas?
3. Set a Budget
As much fun as it isn’t to set a budget, it will set the stage for the entire event planning process. Setting this number will affect every decision and purchase you make, so be sure to work out your budget before you start planning. It can be an uncomfortable conversation, but it’s better to get it out of the way now. It’s much easier to plan your dream day off of a organized budget then thinking up ideas that aren’t possible and then facing that reality.
4. Draft a Guest List
As you begin to build your guest list, you’ll need to consider a number of factors. Would you rather have quality one-on-one time with each guest or throw a once-in-a-lifetime party for all your friends and family? Keep in mind that more guests means higher prices, as catering costs are generally calculated on a per-head basis. Also remember to be realistic when considering who will be able to make it to your wedding. Yes, we would love everyone to be there but realistically can they make it? It’s a tough process but it will allow you to really utilize your full budget as well as allow you to see all the possible options for locations. So, in addition to your location, your budget will have a big influence on the size of your guest list.
5. Consider Professional Coaching
If you are a busy couple between work, friends, hobbies or kids, it might be in your best interest, for sanity reasons, to hire a planner to handle almost all of the details. If you’re the exact opposite and have some extra time to spend on the details, plus plenty of time to plan and just want to be sure that everything runs smoothly the day of, then consider hiring a day of coordinator. No matter what level of involvement you want, let’s discuss it and we can find the perfect amount of assistance that you both need. Keep in mind that the sooner you decide on assistance, the better off you’ll be by making sure you’re on track every step of the way.
These are 5 elements I think an engaged couple should consider first. Please do not forget to take one step at a time. When you look at the whole world it looks overwhelming but when you take one small piece of land at a time it’s much more manageable! Blue Lace Events truly wants you to enjoy this amazing experience with as little stress as possible! There is so much excitement, joy and fun memories to be made along the road of planning your amazing unity, don’t let that be hindered at all by becoming overwhelmed!
Photo Credits:
Maribeth Photography (1, 2, 3 + 5) | Bill + Kelly (4)
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