My Seven Years as a Wedding Planner & then some....

My last seven years, that just amazes me. Knowing that I have been privileged to do something I love for that long. 

I sometimes wonder if I carried a camera with me at all times snapping every moment of each one of my couples events.....what kind of books they would make. If I could of snapped their planning process leading to the day they said "I Will", what those stories would say. 

Through these years I have been just like everyone else....happy, excited, sad and angry. 

So many beautiful brides and handsome grooms who no matter what was going on in their personal lives, still managed to smile as they walked down the aisle to each other. I knew it was part of my job as not just their Wedding Planner, but their friend to keep them lifted. 

Without names, without dates and without photos I still feel the need to write about some of these couples who showed so much courage while planning what should be such a happy time in their lives.  

I have had brides who during their planning lost the one person they looked up to with childish eyes...their Mom. This has and still continues to be one of the hardest times my brides and grooms go through. Often times they hope and pray that Mom will make it to see them get married, but it doesn't always happen that way and my heart breaks for them. When dads can't be their for them to walk them down the aisle or have that little talk the couples so often know is going to happen and worry it will ruin their makeup. These little moments that can never be replaced....

To the couples that get the devasting news that they may want to move their wedding date up or push it back....these couples pull on my heart strings in ways I never knew they could. A closeness that gets built during planning a wedding is far more important than what else may be going on in the planning. Making sure every wish they want is somehow accomplished no matter if it's with 250 guest looking on or when they make the choice for just close family and friends....or just the two of them while I pronounce them husband and wife.....these couples never invited the stranger to their weddings. 

In short CANCER crashed their wedding! I can't tell it to leave we do not have a seat for it. I can't call the police and have it escorted out. I can't make it go away, but I can hope to plan with them a Day...just one Day that they might be able to put it away for a few moments like a stranger standing at the open bar that just keeps drinking...unaware that everyone knows who it is...it stays. Keeping a distance that may just allow a little fun for the couple. 

Again, I wouldn't change these last seven years and look forward to another seven years with beautiful amazing couples. Cancer is still crashing some of my upcoming weddings, but I hope to make each wedding as stress-free and to always be here for my couples....I'm their Wedding Planner 

Reality isn't always your Dream Wedding...

It's true.....your dream wedding doesn't always come true, after all it's just a dream right?

Unless....your a bride with an unlimited budget, Unfortunatly not many couples have an unlimited budget to spend and reality has to take over when the contracts start coming in. 

Making your wedding just a little more like your dreams can happen as long has you stick to that magic number....that number is your Wedding Guest List! As a wedding planner I hear every excuse in the book why you have to invite 300 people because.....well you just have to. Why, because you are trying not to make anyone upset in your families, at the office and at church. Guess what.....your office and church are not paying for your wedding and more than likely your families may not be able to contribute as much as they would like to. 

Grab your paper and pencil......got it? Now grab that guest list you have been working on, it might be on your computer or iPad.....print it off, I'll wait.......the first page should be printed by now so let's begin. 

List A                 List B.                                           List C

Family.                   Friends.                                Work, Church...oh and local bar, gym and book club

Moms, Dads,        Friends of Moms and Dads                    The girl you ran next to on the treadmill

Siblings                                                                                          Your favorite bartender

Close Relatives.                                                                        The co-workers next to your cubical

Close friends

List A is all the important people in your life, moms, dads, sisters, brothers along with their spouses and boyfriends or girlfriends as well as their kids (unless you are having Adult Only). Close Aunts, Uncles and their kids, you know the close cousins you grew up with....oh and don't forget their spouses and kids. Close friends, everyone has a few that they need to invite right? Remember their spouses and kids too.

If your from a large family you have the potential of 150 guest just for your list A. A couple years ago I wrote a blog about the guest list if anyone remembers here were the numbers back then if you just cut out 10 guest. One full table can cost so much more these days. See below. You can have your dream wedding as long as you cut that guest list down to where you are comfortable with the per person price point. Below the numbers are low, everyone always just thinks about food per person, but if you add in everything else you could be looking at $85.00 to $160.00 or more per person. 

Hope this has helped just one couple think about having the wedding of their dreams.

Food and Bar $60.00 per person = $600.00
Chair cover & Sash $ 4.00 per person = $ 40.00
Centerpiece $60.00 per table = $ 60.00
Invitations $ 5.00 per invite = $ 50.00
Programs $ 2.00 per person = $ 20.00
Favors $ 4.00 per person = $ 40.00
Cake $ 5.00 per person = $ 50.00