By Christina Apostal
As every bride knows, the devil is in the details! And if you’re a Type A personality like this bride-to-be, it’s easy to get caught up in planning a wedding, even if it’s for a smaller event (like in our case; we’re inviting a little under one hundred guests).
My sweet guy asked me to marry him in May 2016 and I began planning about a month after our engagement. Although I’m a corporate event manager by trade, I learned quickly that the whole wedding planning process can become overwhelming. Luckily, websites like Pinterest and Etsy make planning a breeze! Here are some suggestions for making wedding planning as seamless as possible:
- Buy an organizer/binder as soon as you set a date to keep all of your ideas/contracts/samples, etc. I purchased this planner and it has been my saving grace. Although it’s fantastic to have online resources to save your ideas and favorites, it’s still great to have everything on paper so you can keep track of everything! Having everything in one place keeps me organized.
- Start a Pinterest wedding board, if you don’t already have one! I can’t tell you how many vendors asked that I send my Pinterest boards to them so they could help plan flowers, hair, make-up, centerpieces, etc. It saved a ton of time and research!
- Browse Etsy before purchasing from other vendors. Honestly, what did brides do before this amazingness? Escort cards, favors, guest book, bridesmaid gifts, accessories…the list goes on and on! We purchased our invitations from Knots and Pearls, and we could not have been happier with the end result. The final product was a perfect bridge between our laid-back personalities and nautical theme while eluding an understated elegance — plus they were relatively inexpensive, which was a great perk!
- Smile gracefully and happily accept the opinions of others, but in the end, do what you want (within reason). It’s YOUR day! I am a people pleaser by nature, and my fiancé recognized early on that I was going to get swept up in wanting to make everyone else happy because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. He helped steer me in the direction of doing what works for us, while also being respectful of the people we love. I’m glad we did because although you can’t please everyone, I know we’re going to throw one hell of a party!
- Don’t be afraid to ask your fiancé for his opinion…or to get you a glass of wine. Your partner wants to be included…Enough said!
At the end of the day, there’s so much involved with planning a wedding, but the special details and accents are what make it YOUR day! Don’t let anyone tell you what you should and shouldn’t do. My wedding might not be everyone’s dream day, but it’s my dream wedding with my dream guy. That’s what makes it so special…including every little detail from the corsages all the way down to the champagne we drink after we’re officially Mr. and Mrs. Caron!
Happy planning!
