Why use a Wedding Planner?

When someone writes a great article, I think it’s a shame not to share it – so click here for one of my faves.

When you hire a planner, you aren’t relinquishing your part in the planning process (unless you choose to do so), but you are gaining an experienced assistant whose sole purpose is to help you and your groom pull your ideas together, make the day run smoothly and assist you to save money by offering cost-saving tips and discounts from vendors you might not get on your own.

I’m going to go out on a limb here – hearing “my friend or relative is going to help me plan my wedding” is one of the most frustrating things to hear from a new bride.

Not because it is business I will lose, but because the average wedding takes hundreds of hours to plan, and you may end up essentially putting your friend/relative to work. Time and time again, I have seen this pressure add immense stress to relationships and lead to a very stressful wedding day all around.

The last thing you want is your loved ones to dread hearing the word ‘wedding’ and wish they had never offered to help.

A wedding planner is a third party who does not have an attachment to either bride or groom and can step in the middle of disagreements about planning details when family want to add their input. We are there to review contracts and make sure you are getting a fair price and there are no hidden fees. We have purposely developed relationships with trustworthy wedding vendors and can save a couple money (as well as heartache) from hiring vendors who may provide a sub-standard service. These are often things friends and family members have no experience with.

So when you have a friend or family member getting engaged and they want YOU to help with their wedding… please say no. You will be doing them and yourself a big favour. Instead, show them this article or any article that explains the benefit of a wedding planner.

They will thank you later.

What’s Trending in 2017?

Given it’s a brand new year, what are we likely to see in wedding colours and trends in 2017, I hear you ask?

2017 is going to have a clean, fresh, simple palate of both colours and styles. Soft, romantic, whimsical and sometimes delicate.

Colour-wise think about using white with lush greenery, or classic black and white but playing with texture rather than blocks of black. Rather than choose one defined colour, say royal blue, go for a matching palette of tones in medium-dark blues. This will give a softer effect. Or pair neutrals with foliage and wood – think understated. Go for brushed metallics rather than glitter. 

When thinking about the design and styling for your 2017 event, think simple, natural. Less is more. I think the use of vintage-looking items like wooden pallets/creates, old suitcases, and probably a good amount of hessian and lace, will continue to be popular in Australia this year, due to its easy and inexpensive availability.

Wedding dress-wise, I think we will continue to see more lace and dresses with simpler, sleeker lines rather than big ball gowns. Given our warm weather, I think this is a good way to go! We will also see a re-emergence of the one-shoulder look, and lots of no-shoulder action as well for bridesmaids as well as brides.

If you are looking for a little inspiration, check out the Aisle Society (www.aislesociety.com). That’s my hot tip for 2017.

Something old, something new, more borrowed, less new

Sorry to adjust the old wedding adage, but with most couples feeling financial pressures around their big day, I figured I could get away with it.

It is tempting to want everything for your wedding or engagement to be purchased new off the shelf, but there are many ways, with a little time and creativity, that money can be saved by a little shopping around, or looking at things a little differently. Using items that are pre-loved can often add a memorable, intimate touch to your special day.

Upcycling – this is a bit of a buzz word at the moment, but it essentially involves taking items that you (or others) already own and giving them a second lease on life. So many items we have around home can be re-purposed for a wedding rather than buying something new.

A good example is the way people are using wooden pallets for everything from creating outdoor furniture to wedding photo boards. With a little bit of love, Pop’s glass bottle collection (that’s been gathering dust in the shed since the 70’s) can be used for whimsical table centrepieces. Gran’s old dressing table and glass jars can become a stunning candy buffet. There are millions of ideas out there; Google is your friend if you can be specific with what you are looking for.

Online purchases – now this can be a little risky, don’t get me wrong, but if you’ve done your research, know what you are looking for and are willing to take a chance, then you can find some amazing bargains. Etsy, eBay and Gumtree are old favourites. Tip – try not to buy things last minute, that way if they don’t work out you have time to source an alternative.

Another relatively recent emergence is location-based buy/sell/hire sites specifically for weddings. Have a look on Facebook, under Groups, there’s at least one for most capital cities, and some regional centres as well. You can pick up anything from wedding dresses to car ribbon to fairy lights and bunting, often only used once (or not at all) and cluttering up someone’s garage or spare room – often selling for far less than it cost. There are also many smaller vendors advertising on here – things like red carpets, flower walls and pre-cut wood log slices.

For an event as important as an engagement or wedding, you want everything to be perfect. But perfect doesn’t always mean paying retail!

Honouring missing loved ones at life events

Weddings, birthdays and anniversaries are times to celebrate all that’s joyous about life, but for many there are bittersweet moments when thinking about loved ones who won’t be there to share in the day. With a little thought and a little time, there are so many ways to honour those who have passed on long before we were ready.

Before we move through a list of ways you might honour your deceased loved ones, there are a few things to consider first.

How recent is the loss? Where you, and others, are in the grieving process is likely to have a big impact on how emotional a tribute may become. Keep in mind that there are others feeling that loss too, but they may be processing it differently than you.

Should it be a private or public tribute? Everyone deals with loss differently – consider if your tribute should stay privately personal, or if you want a public message of love (or a combination). For any public tribute, you will need to make sure you let others affected by the loss know of your intentions ahead of time so they can prepare themselves.

What would the loved one(s) want? Consider the personality of your loved one, their hobbies, and what bonded the two of you. Taking a look at your relationship will help guide what might be most appropriate.

Some sweet private, and public, ways to honour the memory of cherished loved ones during festivities:

• Wear a piece of their jewelry
• Create crystal family photo ornaments, or charms, to hang from bouquets or centerpieces
• Leave a photo, flower or something meaningful at the event to save a spot for them
• A Photo wall or a memorial table displaying loved one’s photos
• A balloon release or butterfly release at the at the end of a ceremony
• Have a moment of silence and reflection to remember them before the ceremony or event begins
• Raise your glasses in a toast at the start of the meal or reception, (keeping the speech short and sweet)
• Offer little take home packets of Forget Me Not seeds to plant in honor of your loved one
• Share a special family recipe by making a batch of your loved one’s famous treats
• Japanese lantern lighting ceremony if your venue is by a body of water
• Share a dance with the spouse of a missing parent or grandparent to a special song.

Don’t be afraid to incorporate little touches of beloved memories into big life events. It is very often those loved ones who helped shape us into who we are today and for that we honour them.

What is a Wedding Planner?

Many of us have seen Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner – someone who wears colour-coordinated suits, issues orders over a microphone headset and carries water spray inside her jacket to revive nervous fathers. But what do wedding planners really do?

We give wedding dresses that final perfect fluff before the bride walks down the aisle. We take frantic late night phone calls from emotional brides (and grooms). We have calm conversations with protective Mama’s and stressed caterers. We have a florist on speed dial. We have a wedding day emergency kit that would make MacGyver jealous. We are awake long into the night going over every minuscule detail of one of the most important days of someone else’s life.

Why on earth would we want to do that, you ask?

Have you been around two people deep in love? It’s refreshing, it’s uplifting and it’s contagious! Having a slightly-OCD love for organising everything and having plans run smoothly certainly doesn’t hurt. 

I get to use my experience, drive and creativity and apply it to a situation that many people are only in once in their life. To turn it around, if you are planning a once-in-a-lifetime event, why wouldn’t you want someone with experience to help you out?

Do I have any regrets about the long hours and Saturdays away from family? Nope. Have I had any wedding disasters? Nope, not a single one! How many weddings have I planned? 36, at last count. Do I have the best husband in the world? Absolutely (sorry ladies)!

The only negative about being a wedding planner? We never get any cake.

Seriously. It’s a problem.

Back at the beginning

Have you ever had a blinding moment of inspiration, a flash of illumination on what you were supposed to do with your life? No? Yeah, me neither. The direction my life has taken seems to be more of a slow burn 

I’ve always loved to organise. Pretty much anything… filing cabinets, kitchen pantries (except my own), budgets, recipes, any kind of gathering. At parties I’m far happier in the background making sure things run smoothly than out in the crowd, always have been. It’s definitely come in handy now that I’m a mum of a very busy nearly two year old!

I don’t know what it is about weddings, but there’s something contagious about two people planning an enduring life and future together; that excitement, that fresh spark of love. Somewhere along the line, planning weddings and other social events just became part of who I am, not just what I do.

I remember planning my own wedding at 21; there were so many options, so many suppliers, so many ideas. So little time and so many bridal magazines with timelines, budgets and checklists. It was overwhelming. I wish I knew then what I know now, and I think that is very much part of the reason why I am a wedding planner. At some point, I realised that my love of weddings, financial/project management experience and creativity with designing beautiful events made a great wedding planning combo.

The idea behind The Hitching Post was for a friendly face in all the online event clutter. Somewhere to find down to earth discussion on wedding and event ideas, trends, etiquette, do’s (and maybe a few don’ts) as well as a close-up look at some of my recent events. I’d love to hear from you – questions or topics you’d like explored.