My Favorite Planning Tips That Will Save You in the Final Stages.
When couples get engaged their main focus is finding a dress, booking vendors, choosing a color palette, picking out the cake design and flavor, etc. but never the unexpected time-consuming things that are just as important but never thought about until the end. Things that should be worked on throughout planning instead of in the last 4 weeks of planning.
There are many tasks you can slowly work on throughout your planning process to save yourselves in the end stages of planning. In the final stretches of wedding planning, most couples are left with loads of DIY’s, curating the shot list, finishing up playlists for the DJ, starting their seating chart from scratch, trying to make all of their beauty appointments, and many other things most couples forget about that are left for the end. Learn about my favorite tips and steps you can take during the beginning stages of planning that you can continue to work on throughout the months to save yourselves in the end. Tips that earned 18,000 saves on TikTok.
Making the shot list
Towards the final stretch of planning your photographer will ask you for a shot list or any important photos you are looking to get on your wedding day. Think about this over the course of planning instead of scrambling to figure out exactly what you want at the end. Create Pinterest boards and wish lists over time so when your photographer asks for this you'll already have it complete. Doing this ahead of time and giving it the time and thought that it desevres will save you from the “I wish I got a picture of this” and the “Oh why didnt we think of getting a picture of that” after the wedding. Wedding day regrets are too common and this is one of the best things to do to prevent any photography regrets.
2. Creating Playlists
Music plays one of the most important roles on your wedding day. It creates the vibes, sets the tone and mood for each step of the wedding day, creates emotions amongst yourself and your guests throughout the day. So, you also will want to create your playlists over time. Or at least scheduled songs and a wish list for your DJ. This is also something you will be asked for in the very final stages of planning. Whenever you are out and about, and driving around, make note of songs you want to include in your playlists.
Create one for the cocktail hour, dinner, and reception and just add to these playlists over time! Doing this will save you in the end to where you may just need to decide on a few final songs for your timeline instead of starting from scratch.
3. Booking your beauty appointments
There is nothing worse than trying to make last minute beauty appointments and your hair stylist or facialist is not free when you need her, especially during your wedding week. Make your beauty appointments way ahead of time. They will all need to be strategically placed during the week of your wedding and the last thing you want is to not get availability with the people you always go to and trust the most.
4. Don’t save the DIY’s for the end
Don't wait until the end to print, create, and assemble all of your stationary items if you are a DIY bride. This is more time consuming than you think. If it is something that can be accomplished over time then that is how it should be done.
(I have had brides doing DIY’s the week of and our team is always helping them because they are frantically trying to get it done). Eliminate the unnecessary stress and unfinished projects by doing this throughout your planning.
5. Start the seating chart early
Start your seating chart early, even if you don't know who's going yet.
Most of my brides say this is the most stressful task towards the end of planning. It's better to do some tweaking at the end then having to start from the beginning. What you can do is place everyone where you want them and then tweak, replace, and remove as the months go by. That way in the end maybe you need to make minor changes and nothing else.
6. Guest addresses
Save all of your guests addresses and information in excel or an online planning tool. So many couples have to go back and ask for addresses twice after doing the save the dates and then having to ask again for the formal invitations. This is because they forget to write them down and save them. They often times have to go searching back through their texts or emails with their guests or asking parents to go back and ask what Aunt Lisa’s address is again. This can happen with dozens of guests and is another thing no one wants to do a month out from the big day.
Extra tips that will help you the day of
Organizing your decor ahead of time
Have separate plastic boxes for all the different tables. Cocktail hour decor box, welcome table box, dessert table box, bar accessories box, etc. this makes it 100 times easier and faster for your wedding planner the day of. Your wedding planner will thank you. They will have more time to perfect the small things if they can set up the main things quicker. Also, it lessens the room for error
Video your seamstress bustling your gown
On the day of this is a step that can take 15-20 minutes to do sometimes without practice or a video to refer to. A step that the bride has to stand up for the entire time after taking portraits for the last hour. Also, sometimes there is no room for 15-20 minutes to spare for bustling and can throw off the timeline. Speed this process up by videoing your seamstress doing it, send it to your wedding planner ahead of time, she will watch it, then the day of it can take 5 minutes instead of 15-20.
Make an appointment to get all of your jewelry cleaned 2 days before
One of the most commonly forgotten steps during the wedding week. While making all of your beauty appointments for the wedding week, go ahead and make one for your jewelry as well and as late as possible so it is as clean as possible.
Wear your heels around the house a few times (but tape the bottoms because your photographer will want to snap some shots of them the day of).
Especially with designer heels they are often times uncomfortable and stiff. These shoes have to stay on for quite a while and with all of the picture taking, dancing, and special moments you will have, you won’t want to be thinking about how bad your feet hurt the entire time.
Discuss with your venue if they will allow you to drop off your decor the day before instead of the day of
Another important detail that is so often an afterthought until it is not. This is something that makes a huge difference the day of. If you are allowed to leave your decor at your venue the day before or even two days before DO IT. No one wants to worry about unloading and loading up a trunk full (sometimes Uhauls full) of decor during the wedding day. The time where it is finally meant for relaxing, spending time with everyone, soaking in everything that you have planned, and treating yourselves like royalty. This small change is something you will be glad you did the day before and the day of your wedding.
