As a wedding planner, we pour our time and dedication into each of our clients weddings, for each couple has entrusted us with helping plan their special day. We are passion about it. We love it!
If you have hired a wedding planner (we hope it might be us) then congrats! This section of your life devoted to wedding preparations are about to get more organized and manageable. We are here to work as a team. For us to help achieve our best work, there are actually a few ways you can help us out too! We've provided a couple quick and easy tips you can use to keep us all efficient and effective during this special time of planning.
Curious what our company (Sweet Love Designs) uses? Aisle Planner! This is a spectacular tool to help keep our team and you (our lovely clients) as fluid and efficient as possible. If you are planning your wedding with us, or just curious about the site, follow this link to sign in or get more information.
WHAT YOU CAN PROVIDE US
1. Send us your inspiration!
We gladly welcome any helpful pictures or links. Do you have a Pinterest board? Share it with us. Did you love something a friend did at their wedding and have a photo? Send it to us, and tell us what you liked about it. Visuals are a great place to start, especially if you are overwhelmed with ideas, or just need help describing a item you want to use as inspiration (bouquets, dresses, alter decorations, centerpiece ideas, etc). Pictures can really help us visualize what specific style you are going for, or at least give us both a start in the right direction.
2. What do you envision?
Do you constantly daydream or envision how you want your wedding day to go? We obviously can't see inside your brain to know exactly what you're thinking, so we need you to help us out a little! Take a few moments and really try to visualize yourself at your wedding. Is there gentle live music in the background, or is a DJ leading a dance party? Do you have a style or theme you are trying to get across? (Ex. Romantic, Vintage, Garden Party, Winter-wonderland, etc.) Or maybe there's just a color or two that you want to base the decor around? Perfect. Let us know!
As you spend time envisioning the wedding, it is also critical to understand what specific aspects of this celebration are important to you too. Try to come up with around three items and rank their priority. For example: 1. Photography/ 2. Entertainment/ 3. Food. Giving us this list can help us adequately budget and plan your priorities.
3. Any information you already know.
Depending on when you hire a wedding planner and where you are in the process of planning, it is important to catch us up to speed. Whether we are helping plan full, partial, or just day of coordination, any information is courteous and beneficial.
As the bride and or groom-to-be, you are obviously our main focus, but friends and family may play a role in the planning process as well. If this is the case, we want to know their involvement ahead of time! If you have grandparents that want to help, a Maid of Honor/ Best man that will have assigned duties, or even an Aunt who is making the wedding cake, introduce us! It is very likely we will be in communication with them throughout the planning process. We also understand that there are certain situations where family members try to give opinions or want involvement that you may not necessarily want, this is the time to give us a heads-up as well.
Some additional items to send us:
-Any vendors you have already chosen (contracts, their contact information, etc.)
-Any Excel spreadsheets, google docs, or other documents you have started
-Timelines, important dates you know
-Any items you have already perhaps ordered for decor
4. Tell us what you need.
Communication in this process is critically important, so feel free to let us know what you need from us. You are unique, and so just as we help tailor every wedding to be uniquely exquisite, we want to help tailor the planning process too. Are you a visual person? How often do you prefer to meet?
Like we mentioned before, we use Aisle Planner, and it's a beautifully adaptable planning tool. If you are working with us, this will be our 'go-to' site for putting in or referencing information. Why do we love it? Well, if you are a visual person, there are inspiration boards you can create with color palettes. If you are on a strict budget, there is a tab that can shows how much has been spent. If you likes checklists, Aisle Planner has ones we can create to keep us all on track. Pretty cool, huh? That's why we ask those questions and want to know preferences, because it gives us an inside on how to best fit your needs.
5. How involved do you need us to be?
Whether that's just helping finalize decision, or being really hands on and sharing our opinions, setting up tastings, helping choose colors, or even cake design...this also applies to vendors, and sharing your expectations for them too! Remember, we are here to help YOU.
We're sure you are anxious to start knocking things off your to-do list, and so are we! Planning such an important time in your life can be stressful, but with a wedding planner on your side, who says you can't also enjoy the process? That's why we are here, right?! By providing us with what you can from our helpful suggestions above, we are also getting to know you, and thus able to better understand/ implement the best planning actions. We hope you find this helpful since it's our job to make your planning life easier. If you want to get to know us better or have further questions, check us out on social media or send us an email!
Happy planning,
Your Sweet Love Design Team
P.S. Want a chance to meet us in person? Check out our upcoming Ethnic Bridal Showcase happening in San Diego on February 10th!