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Monday, February 8, 2010

Monday Coffee: staying true to your vision

We always tell our clients that we are here to help bring their wedding vision to a reality. We also strive on providing a super fun planning process and wedding experience.

Here are our favorite tips to guarantee you have a fun and successful planning process and stick to your vision, whatever that might be:

1. smile. seriously. don't get weighed down by the sometimes overwhelming world of wedding planning. if you don't have a planner who will keep you on track, be sure to create a timeline to keep the planning process going in the right direction. trust us, it feels great to stay organized and give yourself time away from planning as well. don't look at the planning process as a huge list; break it up into months/weeks and you'll breathe much easier.

2. stay true to you. you and your significant other are not the same as "Joe" and "Samantha" whose wedding photos you might have seen on a wedding blog. while it's great and helpful to get inspiration from magazines and the internet, focus on elements of flowers, colors, photos, food, and music that you like rather than trying to style your wedding completely after someone else's.

3. get creative. don't try to simply replicate your cake, flowers, and lighting from those photos you've seen online by bringing said photos to your vendors and asking them to copy. again, inspiration is fantastic (and we create vision + inspiration boards all the time to help guide our clients), but...asking all of your vendors to replicate another's wedding really isn't a reflection of you. Let your vendors get to know you and help you with some amazing ideas you might not have thought of. after all, they are the experts.

4. brainstorm. consider what story you want to tell to your guests. are you an adventuresome couple? brainy? love to travel?

5. incorporate you. see #4 above and really strive to incorporate pieces of you both in your ceremony and reception. not every aspect of a wedding has to be structured or super formal - have fun with it! whether it's creating an amazing first dance mixing your favorite Etta James song and a hip hop tune, bringing in an ice cream or taco truck for late night snacks, or wearing citrus shoes - do it! Whip up some funky save the date cards with photos of you on your travels. Name your tables after your favorite movies (yes, as out there they might be!). We see so many of our clients have so many amazing, fun, and unique vignettes in their weddings when they follow this advice.
*image from peach-pearl.blogspot.com
*image from intimatewedding.com

6. share the duties. you're entering into a lifelong marriage and why not start off on the right foot? break up your wedding tasks into a) things you like and want to tackle (like floral design or selecting a chic color palette), b) things your sweetie is eager to handle (maybe it's creating an out-of-this-world bar with signature drinks or making an awesome play list for the band) and c) those things you want to do together and will cherish throughout the planning process (maybe it's assembling invitations, planning your honeymoon, or working out a scrumptious and unforgettable international menu your guests won't forget)

7. have fun. really. your wedding is a celebration of you and those who you love are there to support you. be sure to laugh throughout the process. don't take things too seriously.

8. eat cake. this is a personal favorite and makes for a fun afternoon. :)
Happy planning! Aleah + Nick


Frank Ross Photography

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