You have ideas! Now what?

If you followed the steps from our previous blog post on Tuesday about what to do after you’re newly engaged, you may be concerned with the step entitled “brainstorm.” You may be thinking, “okay, so what do I do now that I have a binder and boxes full of ideas?” Well, today we will answer that question as we walk through how to organize your ideas and turn your dream wedding into a reality. Follow along and take notes!

One of our June Brides, Nelly transformed her dining room into wedding planning central complete with her vision boar and tablescapes. We always loved visiting her planning studio!

Season. It’s very helpful to begin once you have narrowed down the season you want to get married in. We want you to gather up four photos (magazine snippets, paintings, anything) of inspiring scenes from each season and lay them out in front of you. Immediately eliminate the photos that don’t strike your fancy if you know there’s a season you absolutely don’t want to get married in. If there is more than one, don’t worry because by the time we’re done guiding you here, there will be only be one left. Don’t ruminate or overthink different photos; simply choose what you like first.

Colors. Go to your local pain store and pick out four paint swatches with the same color but different shades. Then pick out four complementing colors of the same style and match them with each of the four you already have. There should be four pairs of colors at this point, eight total swatches. Take these home and match your favorite color combination to with the season you have left. If you have more than one season left, match which color combos you like most to each of them.

Ideas you’ve collected. Now that you have a general idea of how the creative juices in your head are flowing, pull out anything you’ve saved for wedding planning purposes. You’ll begin to see a theme with your taste and it should be fairly easy to categorize which items fit into which season/color combo now.  Decipher which season/color combo your favorite flower related ideas belong in, venue, décor, etc.

Photo by Jerome Tso Photography

Attire. Look for the fashion photos, fabric swatches, etc. that you’ve saved and pair them with your favorite season/color combination. Formulate what you see your guests wearing, the dress you are aiming to wear, and what the bridal party will be wearing.  This will help narrow down exactly what you’re looking for aesthetically.

Food/Dessert.  At this point it should be fairly clear which season/color combination is your favorite. After you choose which you like best, think about what kind of food will be in season. As for deciding on dessert—it’s going to be delicious no matter what so just choose what tastes best to you and your other half. J

All White dessert table for Angela + George's December Wedding. Photo by Corliss Photography.

You should now have a general overview of the atmosphere and style you’re aiming for on your special day. We hope this process helps narrow down all of your ideas and reveal the most important to you, eventually showing what you really want. Your day will be unique because you are inimitable, so take this chance to let it all shine through!  

You’re engaged! Now what?

Getting engaged can come in a whirlwind and often times knock you right off your feet. You don’t know how to start planning because you don’t even know what to begin with, and it can spiral out of control into stress overload from there. Never fear our beautiful brides-to-be and handsome almost-husbands! Elegant Affairs is here to help you map out your big day beginning with the basics. There are a few key areas we want to spotlight for you two that will make everything else that follows SO much easier.   

Notify family, friends, and the rest of the world! First thing’s first…take a deep breath and call everyone you know.  All your loved ones want to be included on this monumental event and they also want to be aware that there is a wedding in their future!

Choose a date. This doesn’t have to be immediate because there is absolutely no timeline on when you decide to tie the knot. It could be in 6 months or 2 years; it’s completely up to you and yours. Just remember that you’ll want to send your Save the Dates as soon as you can to secure that time frame on guest’s calendar. So, as soon as you do decide on a date, get those calendar markers out there. Serious planning and strategizing will begin to take place after you take this step.

Brainstorm. Everyone is different. Some people have been dreaming about their weddings since they were a little kid and others could care less as long as the respective parties are there signing the correct legally binding documents. During this stage, let your ideas get the best of you. Go through magazines and pluck out the pages that inspire your creative side, it doesn’t even matter what it is. Maybe it’s a color you really love or a scene of a field of wildflowers. Let yourself add anything you see and like to your list of décor, venue, food, beverage, dress, dessert, etc. ideas. You can sift through all of this when you start getting more serious about details.

Ring rangs. Get that finger sized and pick out a ring with your fiancé that you’ll look forward to wearing for the rest of your life. This is a simple step but often gets overlooked because of that very reason, sometimes on the verge of almost forgotten. Note for the day of; make sure you have a responsible ring bearer.

Engagement pictures. Not everyone takes engagement pictures and you certainly don’t have to if you don’t want to. However if this is something you plan on doing, the sooner, the better. These photos can be sent with your Save the Dates if you’d like, which are always important to send out as soon as you set a date so guests can mark it on their calendar. They are also another added expense, so it’s better to spread out the wedding costs to make them easier to keep up with.

Last, but certainly not least, hire your girls at Elegant Affairs! 

Okay all, after you get these small tasks marked off on your to-do list, planning can really take off! The beginning always starts off a little rocky, but as soon as the basics are under your belt you will feel so much better and excited to continue planning. And don’t forget; Lori and her team are always here to help if you need the extra hand! Happy planning! 

Game Day Essentials when you don’t have Home Field Advantage

After you’ve identified the basic logistics of your out of state wedding, the details for the day of are next. You don’t want to be caught unprepared for anything that might come your way. You won’t have easy access to items you may have been able to retrieve easily from your mom or aunt as when you are close to home. Here are a few items we feel are important to keep on hand for any destination wedding.

Basic emergency kit supplies. You should always have a basic emergency kit, near or far. This should include things like safety bins, scissors, band-aids, cotton balls, Q-tips, a bleach pin, needle and white thread (including thread colors matching your bridesmaid dresses too), super glue, tissues, baby wipes, extra shoe inserts specific to your wedding shoes, bobby pins, and anything else you can think of that may be of help just in case something goes awry. You can also find pre-made wedding day emergency kits on Amazon or at your local Target.

Wardrobe. Be sure to make a list of everything you know will be necessary for your trip specific to the day of. Be sure to pack all indispensable apparel that you know you can’t replace at the destination you choose.  For example, the dress and shoes you plan on changing into for the reception, the robe or button up that you plan to wear while you’re getting ready, or any other unique apparel you know you can’t easily replace (i.e. YOUR WEDDING DRESS).

Carry ons and checking bags. Be sure to plan your arrival at your destination far enough ahead of time to retrieve lost luggage if you know you will be traveling by air. Make a plan to pack your most valuable items in your carry on and pack the most replaceable items in the luggage you’ll check.

Pharmaceutical necessities. It’s always good to be prepared in any scenario; cold medicine or anything that will help in the case of a random headache can be lifesavers when you’re unexpectedly feeling under-the-weather. Hopefully you won’t need this on your special day, but being prepared is essential for a joyful event! Give yourself plenty of rest in preparation and consider taking something like Airborne if you plan on flying to strengthen your immune system.

Vendors. When choosing vendors, consider choosing those already located in the area you wish to travel to. This will make transportation so much easier and keep costs low. We strongly recommend choosing a local florist and baker. This eliminates the extended amount of travel time that will keep flowers fresher and your desserts safer during the move from bakery to venue kitchen, and eventually reception. Consider a makeup artist and hair stylist nearby as well. This will decrease transportation issues such as a chance of delay in travel (flight delays, weather problems, etc.), ultimately keeping your wedding day in check and on schedule.

You want a smooth event, and the better prepared you are for anything, the higher the chance for a successful day! We hope these tips and tricks are something you can incorporate into your destination wedding planning.