Inspiration & Design Photography BLOG

Bridal Tip

These bridal tips come from my bride, Ashley Hart, married October 3, 2009.

1.  Have fun! It's your wedding, make sure to take some time to enjoy the day with your partner (find each other at the reception if you find yourselves separated for too long talking with guests, etc) - it will go by fast!

2.  Have a wedding coordinator/planner to take the stress off of you, your mom/sister, it is worth it! I used Liz Stevens of That Wedding and she was great.

3.  Spend your money on what means the most to you; (photography/video is worth it because you will have it after the event) flowers, music, whatever it may be and cut back on other items that you can do without, or spend less on.

4.  Meet with your vendors in advance, it helps to have everyone on the same team. Sending out your agenda to all the vendors will keep everyone on the same schedule.

5.  Get your husband/partner involved in the planning - delegate certain jobs (music, bar, travel, honeymoon) it helps to share the responsibility.

6.  Not everything will go as planned, family may have conflicts, your cake may be leaning, or your wedding programs may not show up until the day of, (yes, that happened) but just roll with the punches,  you will have a much better time.

Here are some images from her wedding.

   
 

 
 

 

   








 

Bridal Tips from Lauran

Tip # 1: I'll repeat the tip I mentioned in the earlier comment. Don't EVER, EVER skimp on the photography, it will be the lasting memory and tribute to that day to share with friends/family. It's worth every penny to get the BEST!! Debrah, you are truly the BEST! Thank you so much for our gorgeous pictures!

Tip #2: After not skimping on said photography, if you need to cut corners, borrow from friends who have already gotten married. I've lent out several of my things from the card (bird) cage to unity candle stand (which we ended up not using because our florist had one), to my VEIL! So there are probably quite a few things that you could get from friends, after all, you only need most of them for an hour or 2.

Tip #3: If you want a tasty cake by a person who will personally deliver it, and pick up her trays, etc. I would recommend Casey's Cakes. She's not a personal acquaintance, so this is a true recommendation- she was great to work with and very professional from the tastings at her home to the final product which looked exactly as I envisioned and the price was fantastic. I think her website is caseyscakes.com She also did a groom's cake for me for the rehearsal dinner. I wanted to see if Sloan's sports car could be recreated--she did a beautiful job, right down to the license plate!

Tip #4: Plan ahead who will take care of things during/after the wedding (ie tux returns, last minute details, parking guides if reception/wedding is at a personal home, setup/welcome at reception--hiring a caterer really helps to ease the strain on everyone depending on the size/style of wedding). You think you will have time, but in reality, you don't. Friends/family are usually happy to help, don't feel bad, take them up on their offers, it makes for a more relaxed day!

Floral dissappointment

A few of my brides this year have mentioned that their bridal bouquets didn't look like they expected.  The flowers were different or the arrangement was much smaller than expected, etc.  This is not a good surprise on your wedding day.  They have suggested that you have the florist agree to make a bridal bouquet for your approval before the wedding day at the time of booking.  And so it doesn't go to waste, you could always use it when you have your bridal portraits done.