You’re engaged, congratulations! There’s so much to do and think about that it can be extremely overwhelming to know where to begin. You’ll need to figure out when, where, who, how…the list goes on! As wedding invitation designers, we’re not experts on the whole process necessarily, but we’re happy to help you get an idea of the wedding vendors you’ll need to consider hiring.
A Wedding Planner
Wedding planners are usually different than venue coordinators. If you think about it, a venue coordinator is paid by the venue to manage events but also to look out for the venue’s interest. While there are definitely fabulous venue coordinators out there who can manage your whole day for you, an independent wedding planner is hired only by you.
People often book the date and venue before hiring the planner and that’s okay too, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that a wedding planner can likely provide some helpful insight before confirming your date and place. For example, if peonies are a must-have, you should not book a fall wedding. Another good example is that planners may be able to give you a better idea of a realistic total cost at different venues knowing what has to be brought in, what their clients spend on average, rules that may apply in one place and not another, etc.
Also note that some planners offer in-house services such as florals and rentals, so committing to a planner as one of your first moves is a good idea to avoid any conflicts there.
The Destination and the Venue
These days even the city is part of the “where” decision with wedding planning. Very few people live in their hometowns and often when couples get engaged they’re living in a city temporarily and may not necessarily choose to wed there (i.e. medical residencies, school, etc.). Dodeline Design is located in Charleston, one of the biggest wedding destination cities in the US (for good reason!) and we often hear couples tell us they chose the Holy City because, if everyone was going to travel anyway, they might as well go somewhere cool!
Once you’ve narrowed the city down, you can look into venue types. Do you envision an outdoor ceremony on the beach, under an oak tree, with a mountain view? Or are you more of a black-tie ballroom affair? Perhaps a rustic barn with food trucks and string lights? The possibilities are endless, and especially if you choose a city like Charleston, all of the above is available and more.
Besides the style and aesthetic of your venue, also be sure to look into some of their rules and regulations. Some venues provide in-house catering and would charge a fee to bring in an outside wedding cake, for example. Others might do the same for bar service. Does the venue have any tables/chairs you can use, or would everything have to be brought in? How about bathrooms? It’s not a fun pretty topic, but it’s a necessary one!
Catering and Bar Service
If your venue doesn’t provide catering and/or bar service, that will be the next vendor you’ll want to secure. Your wedding planner will have lots of recommendations for you there and, depending on the size and scope of your wedding, you will likely get to enjoy a tasting to finalize your menu. One of the big things to decide in this space is whether you want to have a seated dinner, a duo (everyone gets the same thing but it’s sort of ‘half and half’ like ‘surf and turf’), buffet or stations. These will later affect whether you need assigned seating or not.
Photographer
We always say you should genuinely like your photographer’s personality because they are pretty much going to follow you around the whole day. More than anyone, you’ll be “hanging out with” this person quite a bit on your wedding day! Of course, also check out their style, what they provide, etc., but you’ll definitely want to hit it off personality wise too.
Stationery
This is where we come in! Once you have the big things in place, pick your stationer. We like to start working together about a year out if possible. That way we have plenty of time to design save the dates (sent 6 – 8 months out), wedding invitations (6 – 8 weeks out) and wedding day paper. That way we have time to explore all sorts of design ideas, everything from a Charleston wedding invitation to a watercolor wedding map to formal black tie invites to wrapping the whole thing in silk ribbon or twine – we’ve got you covered!
Flowers, Rentals & Décor
Again, this is where a wedding planner really shines. They can help you organize your thoughts, get the right # of candles and holders and vases and all the other accoutrements that finish out a beautiful wedding day design. You might need several vendors to accomplish your aesthetic or you may be able to do it all with one.
Music
Band or DJ? This is another one to lock down ASAP if possible – the best band can only play one event at a time!
Transportation
Depending on where your venue is, you may need to provide transportation. Uber is only so reliable, and often your guests will be without cars in your wedding destination of choice. Shuttles are a great way to be sure everyone is on time, too!
While this list is not everything, it should give you a good idea of where to begin and how to start thinking about some of the major wedding planning decisions. If you have any questions, never hesitate to reach out to us at Dodeline!
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