Hey, Cakies! We’re excited to have wedding planning pros Teissia and Alia behind Firefly Events here sharing a few of their best wedding planning tips, beginning with the biggest question of all: how to get started?! Read on to see what three steps you can take now to get the planning process started, and be sure to leave a comment for T + A with your questions at the end! xo 100LC
Let us guess—you’re over the moon at the thought of marrying the love of your life, but you kind of have no idea where to start when it comes to actually planning your wedding? You’re not alone! We’re Teissia and Alia and we’re wedding planners. We’ve been planning weddings all over the world for the past 9+ years with our company Firefly Events, and we know that sometimes the hardest part of this whole planning thing, is just getting started.
(Photo by Norman & Blake)
Planning a wedding can feel like a mystery wrapped in a riddle. There are tons of places to turn to for inspiration (and you’ve found one our favorites—100 Layer Cake!), but hardly any logistical resources. Well, that’s where we come in! We’ve been tweaking and repeating each piece of the wedding puzzle for almost a decade and now we want to pass the goods on to you. We’re going to be stopping by once a week this Spring, to help you get on the right track for planning your wedding and arming you with some of our favorite tricks of trade. In fact, we’re so passionate about teaching engaged couples all the knowledge they need to plan an amazing wedding, that we’re creating an entire online program called The Firefly Method, to do just that.
But in the meantime, let’s get started today with 3 simple steps that you and your partner can take *this weekend* to kickstart the planning process and get you ready to book your first and most important vendor—your venue! Plus, we’ve got a few bonus tips for you at the bottom of this post, so don’t forget to check those out!
(Photo by Trent Bailey)
1. CREATE A PRELIMINARY GUEST LIST
• Chat with your partner first and put together an “all in” list. This would be if the sky was the limit. It’s good to get all these names down on paper so you can look at the full picture.
• Talk to your families and share your list with them. See if they have anyone else they would like to add to the “all in” list. Let them know that you’ll likely need to pare down the list but want to get the conversation started.
(Photo by Erich McVey)
2. CHOOSE A GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
• Who will be doing the majority of the planning? If it’s you + your partner you might consider holding the wedding where you’re currently living. If it’s a parent or family member, you may want to consider holding the wedding local to them (if it’s different from where you’re currently living).
• Is the location easy for guests to get to?
• Is there a “destination” location that’s really special to you and your partner? Think: Where you first met, where you got engaged, a place you’ve always dreamed about visiting together, etc.
(Photo by Nick Radford)
3. NARROW DOWN A WEDDING DATE OR WINDOW
• In the US, high season is typically from May-October with some slower weekends in July and August. If you choose to get married at this time of year, you’ll probably need more time to plan as there is a lot of competition for these dates, especially with venues. It’s also a harder time of year to negotiate deals or lower rates because it’s a “sellers market”.
• Low season makes up the rest of the year, November-April, but most venues do eventually book up every weekend of the year. The difference is that these dates usually don’t sell until all the high season dates are taken, so there’s more room for negotiating lower rates with your vendors. You also don’t need to book these dates as far in advance as they often book up less than a year in out. So, if you’re looking for a shorter engagement, you may want to consider a low season date!
(Photo by D’Arcy Benincosa)
These decisions are going to set the stage for you to find and book that perfect venue, which is your first and most important vendor! We recommend starting with the vendor directory right here on 100 Layer Cake (just look up at the menu bar!), asking your friends for recommendations, looking at wedding planner instagram accounts in your area or other wedding vendors you might have come across, thus far.
We’re so excited to start this conversation with you and we’re dying to know what other questions or topics you would love for us to cover in this series. Leave a comment below and we’ll make sure to add it to our list!
*BONUS* Want to find out more about how to start planning your wedding like a pro? Click HERE for 2 more tips you can use this weekend, to help you find the perfect venue. Plus, we’re sharing our pro tips on how to approach family members and loved ones when comes to all those sticky topics like money and family dynamics.
See you here soon!
xx
Teissia + Alia
