photo by Dennis Mock

As you wind through your journey of wedding planning, wearing several different hats along the way (planner, designer, psychologist…), you would be in the minority if you didn’t feel like you could use some help.

Below you’ll find Sharon’s top 5 Tips to all brides

1) You don’t have to win every battle to, ultimately, win the war.

Remember to give the groom, mom and maybe even his mom “a win”, at least one. Your husband to be does not want to feel like one of the guests, he wants to feel as though this party has something to do with him. Take an item that doesn’t matter that much to you, perhaps the meat option on the menu or the type of alcohol that will be served, and let him choose it without your influence. This will make him feel that his opinion is important to you, now and in the future, and he will be more invested in the big day to come.

Remember to give that “win” to mom too, this will allow you to have freedom of choice when selecting the articles which are actually important to you.

2) Be consistent.

I don’t know how many times I’ve expressed this rule. There will be about five versions of this wedding which will look and feel absolutely fabulous to you, pick one and see it through, consistency is everything.

3) Don’t fight your venue.

Choose a venue which embodies the feel of your wedding. Choosing your venue first will give you your date, but also the theme of your wedding. Don’t fight the look of your venue, it will never be quite right and cost you far too much money. If at all possible, pick a venue which can hold your ceremony and reception. This will alleviate headaches for you, your guests and take an average of 75 cars off the road for 20 minutes.

4) Pre-interview your potential vendors.

Your time is valuable and you shouldn’t spend any of it with vendors who don’t already fit your criteria. Call or email potential vendors in advance, not to make an appointment, but to discuss availability, price and style as well as to get a feel for their personality. If they, at least initially, fit the bill then you set up an appointment. Within three vendors per category, you really should be able to make an educated decision if you do your homework. We, as other vendors do as well, take the opportunity to use our website as an online catalogue. Don’t be afraid to ask what a design on the website costs, the more informed you come to your meetings the more satisfied you will be when you come out knowing you made educated decisions.

5) Choose YOUR vendor.

Just because your sister, who’s style is nothing like yours, got married a few years ago, doesn’t mean you have to pick up her list of vendors and hire all of them. Pick vendors who already produce the look and feel of what you’re shopping for. Don’t ask a comedic actor to play “the killer” (unless it’s Johnny Depp because that man’s just brilliant). Pick a vendor who won’t have to stretch in order to produce what you’re looking for.

Best of luck and enjoy the ride!

Sharon