Rolecosplay: best wedding planners

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I am less than 6 months away from saying “I do,” and reality is setting in for Phil and I! While we are both jumping for joy and counting down the days, we are also overwhelmed with our ever-increasing to-do list. It seems no matter how many to-do’s we accomplish, more magically appear… and in greater numbers. Stress is inevitable when you’re planning a wedding and if you lead busy lives like Phil and myself, it’s easy to see why hiring a wedding planner makes sense. In fact, I would go as far to say that everyone should consider hiring a wedding planner depending on your needs and budget. I sat down with Austin’s premiere wedding planner, Becky Navarro of Pearl Events , to better understand the importance of hiring a wedding planner and to get some advice for my own wedding!

Photo by Briana Purser , Design by Pearl Events

Why Hire a Wedding Planner?

According to Becky, hiring a wedding planner will give you the opportunity to really enjoy the wedding planning experience. A wedding planner can basically build your dream team of vendors and take care of everything come the day of your wedding and all of the little details leading up to your big day. The last thing you want to worry about on your big day is something tedious like whether or not you have someone to cut and serve your cake. A planner doesn’t only bring an extra pair of hands, but he/she will advise you on budget, logistics, vendors, decor, etc. Wedding planners truly are experts and you’re paying for their expert advice and opinion on top of coordination and design.

What is the Difference Between a Day-Of Coordinator and a Wedding Planner?

Some couples choose to hire a day-of coordinator instead of a wedding planner. Day-of coordinators usually come with your venue, and some wedding planners also offer day-of coordination as a package. However, Becky says to be wary of hiring someone who only shows up for 1 day. While the price difference may be attractive, day-of coordinators are not in the planning process with your for months like a full service planner. So, if you do decide to hire a day-of coordinator, make sure that you can trust this person to show up and know exactly what to do come your wedding day!

Wedding planners like Becky know their stuff. They come with years of experience and are pros at all things weddings. Here are some questions I had about my own wedding that I decided to ask Becky while I had a moment to chat with her!

Photo by Pinkerton Photo

Becky says to definitely have a Plan B, and maybe even a Plan C! If you’re considering an outdoor wedding, you’ll want to have a backup indoor wedding space just in case. Apparently a tent isn’t the best place to be during a lightning storm! If your Plan B is a tent set-up, you can try to cut costs by splitting the cost of your tent with a couple getting married at your same venue right before or after your wedding. If you’re renting a tent through your venue, they can assist with coordinating the split costs. This way, if it does rain, you’ll only feel half as bad about renting a tent! Speaking of tents…

Photo by Savo Photography

While pole tents can give your wedding that trendy festival look, they aren’t very practical. In terms of rigging, Becky says that frame tents are the best. You can be much more creative with your light fixtures, draping, and other decor if you choose a frame tent. It may seem like I’m stating the obvious, but remember that there are poles at the center of pole tents, so your reception layout will be different if you choose a pole tent over a frame tent. However, the downside to frame tents is that they can be pricy, while pole tents generally tend to cost less.

Photo by Terra Lange Photography

This became a heated debate between my mother and I. She insisted that round tables are better for mingling, while I argued that rectangular tables are perfect for styling and can give your wedding an intimate look and feel. Becky gave me some great advice that solves everything: use both! She also suggests utilizing square tables, which is definitely a genius solution to my table problem.

Watch the Full Interview!

Thanks to Becky Navarro and the entire Pearl Events team! If you’re planning a wedding in Austin, you definitely need to give Becky and her team a call!

Next time on From Blogger to Bride, I’ll be discussing how to announce your wedding! From save-the-dates to wedding websites, I’ll have all the details on how and when to notify your friends and family about your big day!

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Over the last few years the Junebug team has frequently asked our brides, “What is the best decision you made when planning your wedding?” By far the most popular answer is, hiring a wedding planner ! With a substantial financial investment, and between 200 to 400 hours allocated to planning the average size wedding, it’s no wonder so many couples are grateful to wedding planners for helping them navigate the many details of their wedding planning process.

Photo by David Campbell Imagery

What does a wedding planner provide?

An experienced wedding planner offers you sound budget and management advice, contract negotiation, timeline creation, vetted vendor and location selection, along with stylish design aesthetic and execution. Contrary to popular belief, wedding planners can actually save you substantial amounts of time and money while ensuring you and your guests are delighted with your decisions.

Photo by Taylor Lord Photography

What does a wedding designer provide?

Designers are experts at creating atmospheres that blend complementary decor concepts throughout your entire celebration and they generally work with your planner, lighting crew, decor rental companies, and photographer to transform your venue into an unforgettable experience. Celebrity couples and couples looking to make a one-of-a-kind statement frequently employ wedding designers. The wedding planner you choose may also be an experienced wedding designer, and if not, you may decide to hire a designer separately to create the overall visual aesthetic of your wedding.

Photo by Lena Larsson Photography

Top Tips for Hiring Your Wedding Planner:

Whether you choose to hire a planner, designer, or both, here are five tips for choosing the professional that’s right for you.

Look to your friends, family, co-workers, and highly-vetted resources like Junebug Weddings to create your own list of wedding professionals. Visit their websites and blogs, and read client reviews. Be sure the companies you’re considering have orchestrated numerous weddings from start to finish before you trust them with yours (we ask our members to have at least 50 weddings completed before they join Junebug Weddings).
Choose 3 to 5 planners to interview, and pay attention to how well they listen, and how comfortable you feel with their ideas and responses. Ask them for multiple references and check them. Trust is the most important component of a great working relationship, so choose someone who you believe will keep your best interests at heart, and who you are looking forward to spending time with in the months ahead.
Set a budget upfront and let your wedding planner and/or designer make the most of it. Your budget will include your wedding planner so keep in mind that wedding planners charge for their services in several different ways. Some charge by the hour, others charge a percentage of your overall budget (generally 10-20%) and still others charge a flat rate. Be sure the pricing structure you agree to fits your needs and desires best.
Share your style, history, and dreams with your planner, and let them know how involved you would like to be in the planning process. After all, you want your wedding to fit you to a tee so the more your planner and designer knows about you and your expectations, the more likely they will be to exceed them.
Keep in mind that your wedding will be much more than a party. Chances are your guests will vary in age and interests, (and even dietary restrictions) and the scope of your celebration from the days leading up to your wedding and the days after will be full of details, logistics, and frequently unforeseen changes that can cause you unnecessary stress. If you decide to plan your wedding yourself, or if you’re going to let your friends and family do it, you may want to consider having a day-of coordinator with you on your wedding day; a professional to help you manage logistics and last minute details so you can relax and enjoy your wedding day unencumbered with worry, and overjoyed by the all the little moments that will never come again.

Photo by Heather Elizabeth Photography

Junebug Weddings has spent years compiling our World’s Best Wedding Planners and Designers Hotlist . Every planner and designer we recommend is highly sought after and trusted for their talent and expertise, and every one of them is ready to make your wedding planning more fun and easier than it could ever be without them. Don’t miss it!

Photo by The Oberports

Don’t forget to stop by our coveted World’s Best Wedding Planners and Designers Hotlist to find your planner today!

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Bright, citrus-y wedding color palettes are an easy fit for outdoor weddings, but what about when you want to bring them inside? I love this inspiration photo shoot created by Urbane Montage Events because she and her amazing team of collaborators tackle just that question, and show us two versions of creative citrus wedding decor – perfect for day and for night! Check it out!

From the designer, Faith O. Folayan of Urbane Montage Events : What’s more fun than a fresh, modern, simple citrus-infused celebration in the city? We decided we wanted to showcase ways in which both an outdoor space and an indoor space can be transformed into the perfect modern wedding by incorporating two distinct looks: “day” and “evening.”

With all of this in mind, we gathered a team of talented artists for a modern citrus-styled shoot to inspire brides to embrace bold, bright, and fresh colors. This inspiration shoot includes the color palette of tangerine and chartreuse, accompanied by slate. The palette is complemented with a clean, crisp, elegant design with fresh oranges and limes incorporated into the shoot. The design elements of the “day” included milk glass pieces and white chiavari chairs while the “evening” included glass pieces and clear chiavari chairs: all in the heart of Minneapolis!

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts recently opened their doors to hosting weddings. We were thrilled at the opportunity to feature the museum in our shoot. The MIA’s Target Park was the perfect setting for our “day” look and the Reception Hall of the Target Wing fit the setting for our “evening” look.

And indoor, for a dramatic night time take on the citrus wedding decor look…

The shoot turned out to be more than we could have imagined and we are thankful to have worked with extremely talented individuals! With the stunning combination of the design elements from our wardrobe consultants, our calligrapher, our food design team, and our florist, we created a beautiful and cohesive look for the modern bride. From the flawless paper production of Gretchen Berry Designs to the effortless design of the dessert table by Cocoa & Fig , and the breathtaking blooms of Sadie’s Couture Floral & Event Styling , the shoot was a hit. To top it all off, RE:live Films did a wonderful job of capturing the shoot and telling a lovely story of the beautiful couple.

Photo Shoot Team:

Models: Maconnie Dukuly and Bryce Lin
Venue: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Photography: Cadence Cornelius Photographs
Event Design & Production: Urbane Montage Events
Cinematography: RE:live Films
Floral Design: Melissa of Sadie’s Couture Floral & Event Styling
Stationery: Gretchen Berry Design Co.
Calligraphy: Crystal Kluge
Wedding Cake & Dessert Table: Cocoa & Fig
Bride’s Attire: L’atelier Couture Bridal – Day gown: Vera Wang Eloise, Henriette Sash, Colette Veil. Evening Gown: Elizabeth Fillmore Garbo
Jewelry: Penny Larsen for L’atelier Couture
Clutches: NELLE – Delphine, Warm Olive Classic and Ivory
Hair & Makeup: Stephanie Robinson
Groom Styling: Ray of Nardo Wardrobe Consultants
Groom’s Attire: Elsworth Menswear , William Park
Wedding Rings & Bands: Continental Diamond
Rentals: Midway Party Rental

Big thanks to the whole talented team of wedding professionals for sharing this shoot with us today!

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Cricket and Casey, you’re making my day here with your Great Gatsby and Coco Chanel inspired wedding ! Who wouldn’t adore attending an event with such an elegant vintage feel to it? From the pale pink florals to the sophisticated fashion, I’m absolutely loving it all in these photos from photographer Christine Farah !

The Goals: Cricket and Casey wanted a day filled with love, beauty and fun, and in their search for the perfect wedding venue, they were thrilled to find Maravilla Gardens . “We loved the outdoor venue for our ceremony and reception. The gardens were so lush, well manicured and so thoughtfully landscaped, it was perfect for our Gatsby inspired wedding.”

The Design: With the help of wedding planner Alexandra Rembac of Sterling Engagements and florist Susan Tom-Nellis of Peony and Plum Floral Design Cricket and Casey chose wedding colors of blush, dove gray, black and white to create their elegant, vintage, garden environment.

Their wedding invitations were simple but beautiful white card stock with black calligraphy, a black ribbon on the left side, and their C monogram in Tiffany blue. The three tiered wedding cake from Fantasy Frostings was beautiful of course, covered with fondant and decorated with black ribbon and a blush peony at the top. The cake’s bottom tier was funfetti with cream cheese frosting, the second tier was triple berry yellow cake, and the top layer was a black and white cake with a coconut creme.

Instead of traditional wedding favors, Cricket and Casey wanted to give back after all the natural disasters that had recently occurred, so they made a donation to the American Red Cross in honor of their guests.

And perhaps one of the most fun details of the day was the inclusion of Cricket and Casey’s beloved pups! “Casey and I are all about our dogs so we incorporated them in the wedding. Layla and Maggie were our flower girls along with our 2 year old goddaughter, Sydney. They wore handmade dove grey tutus with garden roses in their hair. Rocky, our male chihuahua, wore a black bow-tie and the handmade ring bearer pillow. We also incorporated them into our table numbers. Casey created silhouettes of our 3 chihuahuas along with the other doggies from our family.”

The Look: Cricket fell in love with not just one, but two wedding dresses – one by Tara Keely and one by Jim Hjelm . She pulled her hair up for the ceremony and then wore it loose with large barrel curls for the reception – so fun! For the wedding party, Cricket says, “I wanted them to look and feel GORGEOUS. I chose a soft palette for the girls and had them choose from a number of dresses, not repeating any style or color. My aim was to have them look like a runway collection and not a group of girls wearing the same dress. The guys looked sharp in their classic black tuxes with suspenders and dove grey ties.” Agreed.

The Moments: Because Cricket is Catholic and Casey is atheist they worked hard to make their non-denominational ceremony a perfect blend of their values and beliefs. “We thought a lot about what was going to be said at our ceremony because of our differences in religion. Every word meant so much to each of us and crafting what rang true to us and coming to a compromise was a great journey on its own. The whole ceremony for us both was out of this world. Hank, our pastor, was perfect, and declaring our love to our family and friends felt powerful and awesome.”

For the reception Cricket and Casey choose a formal dinner created by Command Performance Catering that started with a crepe brie and fig salad, then a choice of four different entrees with three amazing sides. They served two signature cocktails comprised of their favorite things; the Golden Groom included Crown Royal, Amaretto and a splash of sprite, and the Blushing Bride was a classic French martini. YUM!

Following all that incredible food, DJ Predakon , a good friend of Casey’s who flew in from NY for the event, spun tunes all night. “There was never a dull moment thanks to him. Jazz, Bossa Nova, Rock, Oldies and Top 40 kept everything well paced.

The Pros: To learn about all of the wedding professionals who helped create this wedding day please visit Cricket and Casey’s page in our Real Wedding Library .

Thank you Cricket and Casey ! We’re so honored to get to share your wedding – what a day!

Readers, to plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, check out our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists , and to find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, don’t miss our World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist !