Wednesday, September 9, 2015

5 Lessons I Learned From Planning My Own Wedding

Aside from working for myself- planning my wedding was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Gathering all the elements for my big day was fun to a certain extent (hello Pinterest), but there was so much to consider. From deciding on a location, to selecting the menu to floral arrangements, your girl was definitely in over her head. Because I am a control freak, I really wanted to be in the driver's seat spearheading this auspicious occasion.


My friends and family were really vocal in expressing their desire to help but I wanted to challenge myself. To see if I really plan a large scale production solo.

I really learned a lot about myself and other people while planning our special day. I wanted to compile this list to help out any future brides or their friends/family on tips I picked up along the way. Let's kick this thang off

1.  Don't just offer to help
Once I officially kicked off the wedding planning process, I had so many phonecalls/emails/whatsapps flooding me with offers to help in any capacity.
I was so thankful for that, support is absolutely needed. While I was grateful for their kind words, what I loved was when my people would get really specific about how they wanted to help. See the example below:

"Hey Makho! Congratulations on the wedding"

"Thanks so much, I am SO excited!!!"

"Listen, I would love to help out with the wedding. I am really good at calligraphy and I can write help with any penmanship needs you may have"

"Oh awesome, thanks so much. I will let you know once I am ready"

The bride is inundated with so much to do, she's practically drowning in the early stages. Give her a life vest by helping her to focus on your skill set. Conversely, don't write a check your behind can't cash. In other words don't commit to task that you have no desire of doing.

2. You can't please everybody
The thing about planning a wedding that no one else ever tells you-  is that you will piss someone off. For us, invites were really REALLY tricky. Deciding on who to invite or how many people to have was the bane of my existence for at least four months. Hubby and I had to honest about setting a budget and sticking to it. It really just came down to that. To the folks still mad- sorry, we still love you though!

3. Pick a theme
It's really important to decide early on what your vision for your wedding is. Is it a destination wedding? Modern? DIY? Narrowing down the theme really helps to set the groundwork for the ancillary work that needs to be done. Because human beings are all wired so differently, selecting the theme will help you communication your vision concisely to your lovely team helping you out.

4. Don't be a bridezilla
A photo posted by erica garnes (@ericagarnes) on

Planning my own wedding stretched me so much emotionally - a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into making the day special. I will be the first to admit that I had a few moments of bridezilla-ish behavior. In my defense though, I really tried my best to stay calm. My philosophy was if I as the bride was not stressed, I didn't want anyone to stress me out as well.

5. Pick your tribe wisely
Even with planning my own wedding, I still needed a core team of people to help me out to make the day a success. My videographer, photographer, florist, caterer etc..we all instrumental in making everything flow seamlessly. My advice? Pick them wisely. Audition them just like a casting director would. Ask to see their work, check out samples of the food and most importantly make sure to read all contracts before you sign. During the wedding planning process the last thing you need is to be stressed out by people that you are paying for a service.


That's it for now! I hope these tips helped. Did I leave anything else out?

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1 comment

  1. Your post is offering a very useful yet significant knowledge and tips about wedding preparations. Everyone wish to make their big day special and the post includes some very important factors to achieve that.

    Thanks
    Riya

    ReplyDelete

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