Back to Basics: Wedding Planning 101

Today we want to talk about creating a basic overview that you can use as a guideline as you walk through the motions of getting your big day in order. As we discussed last week, it can be overwhelming to get engaged and move into the planning phase when you don’t know where to begin. We walked through what to begin with directly after your engagement and now we will take a step further to look at the process as a whole. Let’s get some major tasks pinned down!

Guest list. The guest list is probably one of the most important facets to planning a successful event. You need to know how many people will be attending, including how many kids. This will help decide how kid friendly you will need to design your reception and what your menu will look like. It will also aide in beverage decisions (i.e. open bar vs. cash bar).

Bridal party. Make a complete list with your other half of those you want in your bridal party. Make sure to follow through with this step all the way and include who will be walking down the aisle with who. During this step, also think about who else will be walking down the aisle. Do you want the officiant to already be in the ceremony area? Or would you prefer him/her to walk down the aisle to begin with? Who will be escorting your grandmother or grandfather? Lastly, agree on a flower girl and ring bearer.

Venue shopping. After you’ve gone through the beginning motions of finding your season and setting a date, begin to brainstorm where and what kind of venue you’re looking for. When you have an idea of the style you like, begin to search around the area you’re aiming to wed. Budgeting is important during this step, so be aware of your spending limit.

Find that dress. Next up; the dress. You’ve got the styles you like and don’t like and you know what will flatter your figure best. Choose one dress shop you’re curious about and make an appointment. Take it one appointment at a time. If you don’t find anything you like at the first shop, pick out another and make an appointment a few weeks later. You want time for your brain to decipher why you didn’t like any of the dresses at the first shop and help you gain some perspective of what you’re specifically looking for.

Catering/dessert. Now that you know what your guest list looks like and how many people you’re expecting, you can begin to narrow down catering options. Getting recommendations from someone you trust is important. Pick two different caterers and set up a tasting. If you like neither, pick two other catering companies you want to try and make a tasting appointment for a couple weeks later. Like finding a dress, it will give you some time to marinate on what you’re looking for. Use the same technique for choosing your dessert.

Florist. Go through magazines and photos of flower scenes that best match your taste and color choices. Then, pick out a florist that has great reviews near the venue you chose. You want them to be nearby so the flowers don’t have to be in transit for an extended period of time.

We hope this guide gives you some relief as you begin planning your special day. This is only the beginning and on Thursday we’ll expand this overview to highlight what’s to come next. Stay tuned everyone!

You've Got The Bling, What's Next?

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! 

And that's a Wrap 2017!

Disclaimer: Yes, I know it's been nearly 5 months since our last blog post and this will never happen again I PROMISE. Blogging on a weekly basis is one of our 2018 Resolutions!

As I sit here staring at this photo, it's hard to believe 2017 is nearly over. What a crazy, but exciting year it has been. Where do we begin to describe everything that has happened?

We started the year with a few new members on our team and they were ready for any challenge to come their way and they were wedding hungry.

We officially kicked off wedding season in March and formed some great new partnerships with vendors and venues and are excited to continue to foster those relationships into the new year as well as other amazing vendors with whom we have loved working with over the past 12 years.

As for our favorite memories are highlights for the year, honestly there were too many to pick just a few.

In July, we were lucky to have two of our former EA Wedding Planners tie the knot. From Jen marrying her college sweetheart Cole up in Roche Harbor to Kim marrying her childhood sweetheart Chas at her family's home, there were a lot of tears and laughter watching members of our family complete the circle of wedding planner to bride.

Photo by Caitlyn Nikula 

Photo by Meredith McKee

We were blessed to have several of our weddings and all of our editorial styled shoots featured on several websites including Seattle Bride, Modern Wedding, Wedding Chicks, Every Last Detail, and Borrowed & Blue. We have many more to come in early 2018 and cannot wait to share those with you too.

There is one top secret project we worked on back in November and cannot wait to unveil it! We were asked to join with Blue Nile Diamond Company to style their commercial and print campaign just in time for engagement season and Valentine's Day!

November was indeed one special month for us, not only did we have the commercial shoot, an editorial shoot (that will be unveiled soon) we launched Project Proposal. Partnering with one of our new photographers that had the pleasure of working with twice in 2017 and several times in January, thank you Erin Perkins Photography for collaborating.

Lastly, we were blessed with all of our 2017 couples and cannon wait for all of our 2018 couples to have their big day. Stay tuned to see what we have up our sleeves.