We are SO excited that you are here! At Simply Elegant, we have been in the planning game for over a decade, and have a team of over 40 planners, so to say we have some knowledge about planning is an understatement! We know how stressful it can be to plan, so we wanted to give our current & hopefully future clients some tips when it comes to the art of Wedding Planning! Throughout the years, we have met with people from all walks of life, who have different visions, budgets, style, and needs when it comes to wedding planning & their big day, so we got together, brainstormed, and have created our Top Ten Wedding Planning Tips that can help any couple!

1) Let’s Talk Registry: We highly recommend that you register at a minimum of three different stores, with one or two at least being common department stores such as Nordstroms, Macys, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, or Crate and Barrel. This way if your guests are from out of town they will most likely have one of these stores nearby. Then for your other store, you can choose a cute boutique or start an online registry on incredible websites such as HoneyFund!

2) Unplugged Ceremony: Want to communicate that your ceremony is unplugged & leave the capturing up to the professionals you hired? You can either have this announced by your officiant prior to your processional so phones are not in your walking down the aisle shots, OR you can place a sign where guests are entering, letting them know your expectations of an unplugged ceremony.

3) When to do a First Look: If your Ceremony, Cocktail Hour & Dinner Reception flow one right after the other, we recommend doing a First Look. Not only will this allow you to spend more time with your Husband or Wife, but it will also allow you to take all/most needed photos prior to your Ceremony so that you can spend your Cocktail Hour possibly having a Moment to Yourselves, taking those Family Photos at the altar, or just joining & enjoying your Cocktail Hour with your guests (also allows you to mingle just in case you cannot say hi to all tables during dinner). Plus a First Look does bring tears to our eyes, and allows you to truly take in that you are getting married with the person you love most!

4) Speaking of… DO a Moment to Yourselves during Cocktail Hour: This will be the only chance that you & your new spouse will be able to spend ALONE time together on your own wedding day! Make sure your planner/catering team brings you both plated apps & drinks of choice to the venue’s bridal suite so you can eat, drink, and give yourselves some needed time to enjoy & relax with one another before joining back in with the party!

5) Speech Timing: Try to keep all speeches at or under 5 minutes, and a total of 3-4 speeches during your Reception. Anything over 5 minutes and over 4 speeches, you really start to lose your guests’ attention, which means delaying your timeline (i.e. pushing back dinner & dancing), and the likelihood that guests are going to start talking during these important speeches. Set expectations with those speaking of their time limit, and if you have more than 4 speakers, try to ask that they make their speeches shorter, or you can ask some of them to speak the night before at your rehearsal dinner.

6) Let your Bridesmaids choose their style dress: Asking all girls with all different body types to wear the same exact dress is not going to make your girls happy and you will be able to see it on their faces in your photos if they are feeling uncomfortable. You can get specific as to a designer/fabric/color & then just have them choose the style of the dress so that they are extremely similar, yet have those small differences that can make all the difference to their confidence! You can also be as easy going as to giving them instructions such as a floor-length black dress and allow them the freedom to choose their style and their price point.

7) Size of Tables for your Seating Chart: First indicate the size of the Guest Tables your venue/caterer is providing. If it is a 66″ Round, this can fit between 8-10 guests per table, and if it is a 72″ round, this can fit between 8-12 guests per table. Try to be consistent and try not to go lower than the minimum guests per table since this will make those tables look empty or that you have a lot of “no-shows”.

8) When booking Vendors, take a look at 3 things: their Instagram Page, their Website & their Reviews! (Let’s say that last one again… reviews are HUGE, make sure other couples have enjoyed working with them!) These three items will reflect the care the company puts into their business which results in the care they put into their clients.

9) If booking a DJ/Band: ask to see videos or ask to go see them live somewhere so you can see how they run an event/being the MC, if they excel in the style(s) of music that you are looking for, and how they can read a crowd. (And what a fun engagement date night?!)

10) ENJOY the planning process, all of the events celebrating your upcoming marriage, and of course your Wedding Day! We cannot tell you how many clients we meet 1-2 years out thinking they have a lot of time, and then we get to the 1 month out or days out, and they are in disbelief that time flew by as quick as it did! Enjoy those that are around you, appreciate every moment you spend celebrating, and make memories that you will cherish forever!

Are you feeling better already?? We SURE hope so!! If we can take some stress off your plate, if we are working together or not, THAT is what we are all about at Simply Elegant! But if we could make you breath a little bit easier in just a quick 5 minute read, IMAGINE how we could make you feel if we got to be along side you during the planning process and on your beautiful wedding day??!

For any couple that took the time to read this blog, we are offering 5 additional planning hours for FREE when you book a package with our team. We know the difference a planner makes during this process. We want you to feel taken care of and relaxed on your wedding day!

Connect with our team today by clicking here