Wedding Planning, Where Do I Begin???

WEDDING PLANNING, WHERE TO BEGIN???

Congratulations, you have just become engaged to your soul-mate! Once the excitement of that calms down a  bit, the reality of the wedding planning details begin to overwhelm you.  The question most commonly asked by the couple is, “Where do I  begin?” Hopefully, it begins with the decision to hire a wedding coordinator, but sometimes the couple needs to go through some processes of planning before arriving at that conclusion. So, here is some advice on where to begin with your wedding planning.    

HIRE A WEDDING COORDINATOR:  A Wedding Coordinator will help you with the planning process. The coordinator will also facilitate and orchestrate the wedding day so that you can enjoy it!  Wedding planners know how to arrange and handle all of the details, including the important ones that the couple does not consider until it is too late.  Wedding planners may also be able to save you some money by offering their discounts and commissions to you. Most importantly, wedding planners are there to make executive decisions, troubleshoot and orchestrate ALL of the elements of the wedding day and help to make everyone feel at ease as much as possible. One of the biggest mistakes brides and grooms say they make is NOT hiring a wedding coordinator to  handle the many details and challenges that occur on the day of, including vendors and guests calling for information, confirmation, and direction. 

photo by Jessica Pearl, Pearl Wedding Photography

WEDDING STYLE: Your Wedding Style You must think very early in the process about what style of wedding you want, and how formal or informal an affair it will be.  Although your wedding will be in Hawaii, do you want a Hawaiian wedding, a traditional wedding in Hawaii, or a combination of the two? Is this going to be a casual affair with Aloha wear and flip flops (or what we refer to as slippahs), or is this going to be a more formal affair with cocktail dresses and suits/tuxedos? Is this a vintage wedding, a rustic wedding, an outdoor country wedding, a black tie elegant wedding, an all white wedding, a Great Gatsby wedding? You get the idea…This decision sets a tone for the entire wedding, and all decisions will be related to this choice. The tone of your wedding begins with your invitation, so it is important to decide how you want to convey your wedding style. The style and formality of the wedding will also influence your decisions about your attendants’ attire, your wedding decor, and presentation. The time of day that you hold your wedding ceremony and reception may also affect the level of formality that you select.  For example, a morning wedding and brunch reception will have a more casual style than an evening ceremony and reception. 

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These are the elements of your wedding to consider when beginning your wedding planning.  If you start with some sort of vision of your wedding in your mind, and come up with a flexible, realistic budget, you are off to a good start. The most important decisions to make once you have established your decisions to these basics, reserve your ceremony and reception sites. It will be difficult to hire any professionals until the location(s) is/are determined. There are many other decisions to make along the way, but this will get you started and eliminate some of the overwhelming feelings you may be currently experiencing. 

Article written by Tori Rogers, Hawaiian  Island Wedding Planners, 12-20-05 and revised 2008, 2011, 2013

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