Where to start wedding planning?
Wedding planning 101
I would like to start off with a little background here. I am a professional wedding and portrait photographer in Springfield, Missouri. I have been working in the industry for several years. Now I get a chance to step outside this box and look at it from a different perspective. My daughter is getting married! Let's go on this journey together and hopefully this will help you plan your own wedding.
The First Steps
- First, say "Yes"!
- Then show everyone your ring
- Go through the next week floating on air
- The following week...watch out.
Yup, that! The questions will begin to flood in like a tidal wave! When's the date? Where's the venue? Am I invited? This will start the first of your web searches and stress.
Type where to start planning a wedding in a search bar. You will be given a huge list to choose from. One of the best websites to view is The Knot. They have an abundance of information for couples. ( Side note: I am also featured on the knot.)
Wedding Venues in Southwest Missouri
The first thing on your list should be the venue. Search for wedding venues or go to any Bridal show and you will find unlimited amounts of choices. Before you go looking, this is my tip. The venues tend to book up fast and well into the future! Plan at least a year out for the best selection. Next, follow these steps.
- Sit down and think about what you like to do together. ( hiking vs movies, etc. )
- Think about how you dress when going out on a date. ( dress vs t-shirt and jeans, etc. )
- Are you religious
- If you could have the perfect "Happy Place" what would that look like
Now that you have an idea of what you two feel most comfortable in. Now it's time to narrow things down. My daughter and her Fiancé love shopping, traveling, working out, and favorite date nights are watching the Bachelor/Bachelorette. His proposal was themed like on the show. Yes, she excepted the rose and the ring! They also are religious and wanted to incorporate a chapel.
With ideas from this list, we began to search for venues that offered lots of natural light and an abundance of nighttime lights. A possible chapel with a second building for the reception must be located on the same property. Room flip was not an option for them. They like to dress up for dates so I encouraged them to look for modern-style venues. They both like their privacy and space. I translated that into large suites with private bathrooms. Some venues do not have a private bathroom for the Groom or even a place for him to get ready.
The list helped narrow down the ideas to a manageable few. Next was to mark the open houses on the calendar and attend our top three. A bridal show would have to be on the agenda to hit up a large number of vendors. Personally, I like open houses because other vendors are there and showcase pictures of past weddings, unlike a tour. This gives you an idea of what the space could look like in a real wedding setting. Open houses also showcase other vendors who may not be able to attend the Bridal shows.
One of the top Bridal Shows in Southwest, Missouri is MetBride. They host two shows at the beginning of the year and then one right before the fall season starts. Insider tip: The largest wedding shows will be in January and February! As a professional wedding photographer trying to go as "just Mom", it is wonderful to catch up with friends aka other vendors. Warning!! Bridal shows can be extremely overwhelming! Go with an open mind that you are really there to dip your toes into the wedding world. From sampling cake, catering, and cocktails your head will be spinning and you may lay down way too many deposits. You could also walk away with an amazing airfyer though!
Once you have found your venue the next few vendors to get in this 12-14 months out range will be on my next blog. Cliffhanger! To check out more about me and my photography click here. To see a list of some of the vendors I have worked with in the past click here and tell them where you found their name!
Recap:
- Be excited to be engaged!
- Write out a list of what makes you an awesome couple
- Take that list and translate it to a must-have venue list.
- Window shop
- Bring on the open houses, bridal shows, and tours!
- Have Fun!
Thank you so much for reading and I hope this helped you along your wedding journey. If you would like to learn more about something I did not touch on, leave a comment below. If you would like to learn about our wedding photography services click this link. If you don't want to miss the next blog post in this journey hit the subscribe link below.
Please send me any questions you have on wedding planning or wedding photography services in the comments below. Also let me know if you would be interest in live webinars about wedding planning! What do you think?
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