Expert Insight – Five lessons I learnt when planning my own wedding.
For Laura of Laura Jane Events, who provides exclusive Vendor Sourcing for couples, planning her own wedding provided the impetus to begin her business. We know you, our readers, love to hear about the experiences of real brides – so we jumped at the chance to find out what an industry insider learnt about the planning process through her own wedding journey.
Here’s Laura’s story and her five top tips for wedding planning.
LAURA’S WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS (AND INSIGHTS!)
Getting engaged, finding out we were pregnant with our first baby, and then planning a full wedding in two weeks might sound impossible, but we managed to do it.
Setting the date.
My fiancé́ (now husband!) and I found out that we were pregnant very soon after we got engaged. We are both very detail-oriented people and knew that if we waited a year and a half until the baby was born to have a wedding, it would be too consuming.
Believing that anything is possible and full of love and excitement, we set out to plan our wedding for just two weeks!
Pro tip #1 – Find the right vendors to realise your vision.
It’s all about finding the vendors who are the right fit, who you can tell believe in your vision and most importantly, want to deliver. Whether you dream of a private property wedding but don’t know anyone with an amazing property in your special location or want a gluten-free and vegan wedding cake that actually looks like an amazing wedding cake (like we did!), it is all possible with the right vendor.
If you are still struggling to find what you are after, or if you don’t have time to do this then we can gladly assist.
Choosing the venue.
We were living in a coastal town in Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and had always dreamt of a private property wedding. After exploring options, we settled on a private property overlooking the water in Merricks. We decided to have only 30 close family and friends attend and didn’t want to compromise as a result of planning it in two weeks.
Pro tip #2 – It’s perfectly acceptable to have a small or no wedding party if you wish.
While it may seem controversial not to include your friends or family in a wedding party, not to mention daunting to do it all on your own, it may actually be less of a hassle and the best decision you make.
Loved ones can help you to research vendors if/when they have time, but at the end of the day, most decisions are for you and your fiancé to make anyway. For the budget-conscious couple, not having a bridal party will also save you quite a bit of money. You and your fiancé will be able to focus on each other and what you want on your big day instead of managing a wedding party, too, and your loved ones will still be grateful to attend your special day.
They can still assist you even if they aren’t part of a wedding party and can be included in other ways such as ushers, young children handing the rings to the celebrant from the audience at the ceremony, speeches, or a reading.
If you would still like someone to assist you on the day to be around, even for the small things, you can always hire someone to assist – which we are able to source for you.
The outfit.
Finding an amazing dress that didn’t show the growing baby bump that could be finished in two weeks was the most challenging. The most obvious option would have been to find a sample gown and alter it; however, I could not find anything suitable. Many off-the-rack gowns were too form-fitting for the bump, so I set out to contact designers directly to see if they had any options.
I visited KYHA Studios in South Yarra and was instantly impressed with not only the beautiful studio, the amazing service from when I first walked in, the beautiful designs of their gowns, but most importantly by each team member going above and beyond to get the dress in on time. Very fortunately, they were able to rush an order for a design I loved in my size and pull it from production. I tried on the dress and had it altered nearby just in time for the wedding.
Pro tip #3 – Give your vendors as much information as you can.
If you love a vendor, however, hiring them will break your budget, don’t be afraid to contact them to let them know and see what other options they may have. For some vendors, whose services may be based on products (e.g. florists, caterers) or packages (e.g. photographers or videographers) the offering they give may be able to be reduced to suit your budget without compromising on quality.
Some vendors would be happy to get creative and assist so that they can work with you. For example, if you want floral centrepieces on the wedding tables but the cost is too high, the florist may offer to use the off-cuts from the ceremony florals or the ceremony florals themselves as centrepieces, significantly reducing the quote. Keep in mind the ability to be flexible does depend on the time of year (if it’s the middle of a busy wedding season, vendors may be at capacity), the day of the week of the wedding, or individual vendor business structure.
Pro tip #4 – If a vendor is recommending other vendors to you, ask if they are collecting a commission for the recommendation.
This point is quite foreign to many couples; however, some vendors, such as planners, sometimes collect commissions from other vendors to recommend them. While there is nothing wrong with this, it’s good to know whether they are recommending a vendor because they provide amazing service and understand your vision or if they could be motivated by the potential commission that they would receive. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and that way, you can make an informed decision.
The celebration.
The ceremony was held outdoors, and a marquee was set up for the reception. It was in October and in prime wedding season, so sourcing vendors took a team effort between my fiancé and me to accomplish. Being a private property wedding, everything had to be brought in, which was a mammoth effort.
We managed to find amazing vendors who, despite the time frame, delivered on the day to beautifully realise our vision.
Pro tip #5 – If you are a couple who prefers more control, perhaps consider managing the wedding finances and budget yourself.
It may seem easier to hand over your wedding budget for a planner to pay vendors on your behalf. However, if you prefer to have full transparency around this, having to constantly wonder where the funds are going and potentially not receiving invoices or proof of payment can turn into a nightmare and cast a shadow over the event. In this instance, it may be better to ask your planner to send you all of the individual invoices so you can pay the vendors directly, and that way you know exactly where the money has gone.
If you need further advice or assistance finding your dream day vendor team, Laura Jane Events could be the perfect team to assist – by removing a stressful part of the planning process and allowing you to enjoy the planning, remain in control of the event, and arrive on your wedding day relaxed and ready for the best celebration of your lives to date.
