THE WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS

Congratulations! You’re engaged. Now what?  Here is a timeline of what to expect. Every couple has different needs and begin planning at various periods of time before the wedding date, therefore the schedule can vary from wedding to wedding. This is simply a guideline.

UPON BOOKING VENUE:

Once your wedding planning contract is signed and the initial payment has been made this is what needs to be done:

• Schedule a monthly 30 min touch base phone call with your wedding planner
• Select a wedding date(s) – in some cases flexibility in date will give you more options
• Determine the approximate number of guests if you haven’t already
• Decide on your wedding budget. Does it include wedding gown, rings, or planning services? Let us know and we will create a detailed budget for you
• Decide on a colour scheme and/or theme or general aesthetic for your wedding. This could affect the types of venues we suggest. Having a Pinterest board can be very helpful or even a few inspirational photos. We will often create our own “Inspiration Board” to nail down a look

5-8 MONTHS PRIOR:

• We will suggest caterers if your venue doesn’t have in-house catering. We will set up meetings and tastings
• Book caterer (if required)
• We will research accommodations for out of town guests and set up hotel room blocks
• We will help you book all of your transportation needs for you and your bridal party (we are happy to organize shuttles to and from hotels for your guests as well)
• Select bridal accessories i.e shoes, handbag, hosiery, headpieces to bring to fittings
• Schedule fittings
• Consider wedding insurance
• Order wedding rings
• Plan honeymoon
• Decide what to do for invitations i.e. work with a “stationer”, order online, e-vites etc.
• If using physical invitations we will recommend stationery companies that fit your aesthetic and budget
• For a Jewish wedding order Yarmulkes and Ketubah
• We will provide options for many established hair and make-up stylists for you and your bridal party. We highly suggest doing a trial before deciding. It’s also a great idea to plan this in conjunction with your engagement shoot so that your all dolled up for it
• We will recommend great options and alternatives for wedding cakes. We will organize some tastings for you and you can book your wedding cake or alternative of choice

1-2 MONTHS PRIOR:

• We will set up a meeting with you to finalize the ceremony and reception itinerary. This includes everything from hair and make up schedule right until the end of the night when the bride and groom depart
• We will communicate all timings and logistics with vendors
• Purchase cake knife, singing book (or alternative), ring pillow, singing pens, flip flops (for your guests to dance in) etc
• Finalize ceremony details with officiant and musicians. Select readings etc
• Attend bridal shower
• Get marriage license
• Attend final fittings
• Finalize transportation
• Collect RSVP’s and start deciding on seating arrangement (not a very fun job so we recommend doing it over a bottle of wine). Decide if you are doing place cards, seating chart, or both. Some venues require place cards at each place setting with an indicator for which meal was selected i.e Chicken, Beef, Fish, Vegetarian etc

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE DAY OF:

• Morning – We always like to stop in on our bride and groom in the morning whenever possible. We like to make sure that everyone is calm and having fun, and that everyone is eating and not drinking too much! We sometimes personally deliver your flowers and help pin boutonnieres on the gents. Once you depart to do your photos the assistant coordinator will be with you until you arrive at the ceremony. Simultaneously the lead planner will go to the ceremony/reception site to oversee the load in and set up of all items. We will set up your place cards/seating charts, table numbers, favours, and any little personal or DIY elements you may have
• Ceremony – At the ceremony we will line up the bridal party, make sure everyone is looking their best, make sure nobody has their cell phone, is chewing gum and generally looks pristine. We will cue the officiant, photographers, and musicians when to start and will then cue everyone when to walk down the aisle. After the ceremony we like to ensure that there are refreshments and cocktails awaiting the bride and groom in their bridal suite
• Cocktail Reception – During the cocktail reception there are sometimes additional photos taken of the bridal party and family. The assistant coordinator will be there with shot list in hand to help ensure that no shots are missed. At the same time the lead planner is making sure that the reception room is set up and ready to go and that the photographers and videographers have captured all of the details before allowing guests to enter. We will also ensure that guests are happy and that there is plenty of food and beverages flowing during cocktails
• Reception – During the reception we will line up your bridal party for entrances. Cue band/DJ, MC, photographer/videographer, and venue. We will be communicating with the kitchen and all vendors to ensure that service is impeccable. We will cue any and all speakers before it is their turn to give a speech. We will be personally checking in on you to make sure you are having nothing but the best time. We will ensure that we stay on schedule as best as possible. We will be on site to avert any potential issues. If there is an issue our goal is to draw on our years of experience and to quietly and quickly find a solution so that you never even know about it
• End of the Night – Unlike many other wedding planning companies we don’t leave until the bride and groom do. That means we stay until the very end. We want you to end the best night of your life on a high note. We don’t want you cleaning up, shlepping boxes and gifts or generally having to worry about anything at all. We will make sure all of your gifts and personal belongings make it into your limo.