Here's our Best Wedding Day Advice

Your wedding day is a whirlwind of emotions, moments, and memories. It's a day you've meticulously planned, eagerly anticipated, and dreamed about. But once it arrives, it goes by in the blink of an eye. At Elegant Affairs, we’ve seen it all and helped countless couples navigate this special day. Here’s our best wedding day advice to ensure you savor every precious moment and make it as seamless and joyful as possible.

Stop and Take in the Moment

One of the most important pieces of advice we can give is to simply stop and take in the moment. Your wedding day will fly by faster than you can imagine. From the moment you wake up to the final dance, it will feel like a beautiful blur of emotions and events. Here’s how you can ensure you soak it all in:

1. Mindful Moments: Plan a few moments throughout the day to pause and breathe. Look around, take in the sights, sounds, and feelings. Whether it's during your makeup session, right before you walk down the aisle, or during a quiet moment with your partner, these pauses will help you remember the day vividly.

2. First Look: Consider having a first look before the ceremony. It’s an intimate moment where you can connect with your partner without the eyes of all your guests on you. It's a perfect opportunity to ground yourself and appreciate the significance of the day.

3. Guest Interactions: Make sure to spend a few minutes with each guest, thanking them for being part of your special day. This not only makes your guests feel appreciated but also gives you a chance to create more personal memories.

Pre-Wedding Evening Tips

The night before your wedding is crucial. It sets the tone for the big day, and how you spend it can greatly affect how you feel on your wedding day. Here are our top tips:

1. Early Night: Avoid staying out too late. It might be tempting to have one last late-night hurrah, but remember that you need to be fresh and energized for your big day. Aim for a full night's sleep to ensure you wake up feeling rested.

2. Limit Alcohol: While it’s okay to have a drink to calm the nerves, avoid overindulging. You want to wake up feeling your best, not nursing a hangover. Stick to water or herbal tea for most of the evening.

3. Relaxation Routine: Create a relaxing routine for the night before. This could include a warm bath, reading a book, or meditating. Anything that helps you unwind and ensures a restful night.

Wedding Day Morning Routine

The morning of your wedding sets the stage for the entire day. Starting off right will help keep you energized and in good spirits. Here’s what we recommend:

1. Hearty Breakfast: Start your day with a nutritious and filling breakfast. Think proteins, whole grains, and fruits. Avoid anything too greasy or heavy. This will keep you full and prevent any hunger pangs or 'hanger' later on.

2. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Dehydration can lead to headaches and fatigue, which you definitely want to avoid. Keep a water bottle handy and sip regularly.

3. Stay Calm: Surround yourself with calming influences. Whether it’s your bridesmaids, family, or a calming playlist, make sure the atmosphere is relaxed and positive. Stress is contagious, but so is calmness.

Hire a Professional Wedding Planner

Our biggest piece of advice for a truly stress-free and enjoyable wedding day is to hire a professional wedding planner. Here’s why:

1. Expertise and Experience: A wedding planner brings expertise and experience to the table. They know how to handle any situation that arises and can ensure everything runs smoothly.

2. Stress Reduction: With a planner handling the logistics, you can focus on enjoying your day. From coordinating with vendors to managing the timeline, they’ve got it covered.

3. Guest Experience: A planner ensures that not only you but also your guests have an amazing time. They handle the little details that make a big difference, allowing everyone to relax and enjoy the celebration.

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Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 19 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.

The Role of a Wedding Planner

I’ll never forget the wedding when a guest came up to me and asked, “Who are you? JLO?” We all know JLO from the classic, “The Wedding Planner.” Now, she was a wedding woman. Complete with her emergency blazer, ear pieces, and all the knowledge. Now, you may see us at the weddings we plan and coordinate, wear ear pieces in and dressed in all black - I mean we like to blend in like the secret service. But, even though for that night we think quickly on our feet and blend into the vendor world, we play such an important and large role in your wedding day. So, the question boils down to what is our role as a wedding planner? 

We’re going to take you on a journey on what our journey looks like with our clients from start to finish. We want to clarify that each journey is different. Although we offer a variety of packages, we really work to customize towards our clients’ personalities and needs. We always start with the initial consultation. This is a time where we get to have an honest conversation about your needs and what we can support you with. We talk about the basics, like wants, needs, and of course the budget. Once we come to an agreement with potential clients, we move forward with signing the contract and alas – our role begins!

We like to consider us your guru, your bestie during this season of your lives. We help with budget creation, we will be honest with you if those blooms you love will bust your budget, or if dahlias are out of season in January. We support you with finding all of your vendors. This includes a detailed list of preferred vendors. These vendors are our ride our dies, they are the ones we can count on and collaborate with on a regular basis. We can even set up meetings with vendors and handle all the “back end” work to get the ball rolling. This includes, gaining proposals, reaching out to vendors to ask about availability and pricing, and we never turn down a catering or dessert tasting.

Beyond the selection and coordination of vendors, we help you with all the decisions leading up to your wedding day. Depending on the package you select, we may help you substantially, or we may just provide check-ins to ensure your stress levels are down. We offer design support, can attend rental or decor meetings and even support with DIY, when agreed upon in the contract. We are here as a shoulder to lean on and to provide support with the decision making process. 

One of the biggests perks of hiring a wedding planner, is that we help execute and ensure that your wedding day has a timeline and maintains that timeline. We sit down with you and coordinate with vendors, the arrival times, departure times, and determine what needs to be done to ensure they have everything they need at the venue. Through careful communication, we create and distribute the timeline. We keep it up to date, and provide copies to all vendors on the day of. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and each detail of your day is accounted for and carefully executed.

On the wedding day, we are there, sometimes from start to finish. It is really up to the package selected or the hours agreed upon. We support set up, ensure that vendors arrive on time and have everything they need. We ensure that decor is placed and we’ve even put together floral arrangements and bouquets a time or two. We support your guests, make sure that Uncle Jo doesn’t have one too many drinks and that you are able to check all the items off your timeline during the ceremony and reception. We are ALL in during your wedding day, just as we have been during the planning process. 

What you see us do on the wedding day is really just the tip of the iceberg. The bulk of our planning and execution of details happens before the big day. But, the wedding day is truly magical, because it is our planning, endless calls, countless hours of work, coming to fruition as your wedding day.

And at the end of the day, as long as our couples enjoy a stress free day – our job is done. We love our couples and our role is truly to support them on this journey from the beginning to the end. We always tell our couples, we can do as much as you need, or provide as little support as you need. 

If you’d love to know more about the services we offer, we’d love to sit down and chat with you. We truly love to customize our roles, to what our couples need. So, if you’re ready to make that decision to hire a wedding planner – we’d love to be your gals. 

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Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 19 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.

DIY Wedding Decor Ideas That Look Professional and not DIY

DIY is a term that is prevalent in the wedding industry simply meaning, do it yourself. A lot of couples jump to DIY because it is deemed more affordable. But, if you’re truly going to do it yourself, there’s a few things that you must know. You’re going to want to do your research. Ensure that going the DIY route will serve a purpose. Whether you’d like full control of your decor, or you want to save money on the budget – be sure to double check your options that DIY is the right route for you. And last, you’ll want to make sure that you have the skills necessary to complete your projects and the time. Ok, now that we’ve got the fine lines out of the way– let’s talk about how to create do it yourself decor ideas that will look professional and not “DIY”. 

#01: Don’t Over Do It
We’ve all been to that wedding – CLUTTER. The bride may have gotten a little Pinterest and DIY happy. It’s over done, it’s overworked and there are too many pieces to be cohesive. The key to DIY is to choose a few key items that you can do yourself. Whether it’s your invitation suite, escort cards, or centerpieces. Select just a few items to complete on your own. Then leave the rest to the professionals. Going this route will create a polished and cohesive look. 

#02: Reuse and Take the Recycled 
One of the best ways to skip the professional is to reuse any extra wedding decor or signage, that fits your aesthetic of course, on your big day! Check with your family and friends and see what they can share or part with. Or spend a day date thrifting with your loved ones to find pieces that will fit your needs and wedding theme. If you’re on social media platforms, there are many groups that have individuals who are parting with their wedding decor. 

#03: Stay Away from Decor that is TOO Trendy
If you’re going to try some do it yourself decor pieces, it’s best to stay clear of items that are trendy. Trends come and go, and while it’s tempting to opt for trendy decor items, create DIY pieces that are timeless and look like they can stand the test of time. 

#04: Consider the Big Picture
Before you select your DIY projects or start your Pinterest hunt, you’ll want to start with the big picture and consider it all. Define the vision that you want to create, curate your color palette, conceptualize your space, and then narrow down your needs and wants. Determine what professionals you can hire and what your skill level is. You don’t want to get in over your head with DIY projects that you are not equipped to carry out. Consider your strengths. And remember to consider your venue and how it can be utilized.

#05: Create a Plan for Execution 
Alright, you just created a stunning arch, but what is your plan to execute it? Execution of the DIY is what makes or breaks it. You will need to plan on how to transport, set it up, tear it down, bring it home etc. And you definitely don’t want to be setting up your own wedding, so you need to ensure that you have a team of trusted friends or families (or wedding planner) that can help you with all of the DIY details. 

#06: Order Wholesale Flowers
If you’re planning to make your own bouquet, you’ll want to spend a portion of your budget on quality flowers. Many of the local grocers or box stores will have quality florals that you can order wholesale. But before you even try, we recommend trying to create a bouquet on your own before making the decision to DIY or hire a professional. You can create small affordable bouquets with big blooms such as hydrangeas, peonies, mums, or dahlias. Always, always, always pair it with lush foliage or greenery. 

#07: High Impact Florals
While we are on the topic of floral arrangements, one of the easiest and quickest ways to add luxury to your wedding is creating high impact floral arrangements. If you pour your effort and a good chunk of your decor budget into florals, you’ll create a statement. Skip the clutter on the table, say goodbye to the table runners, signage, and random favors. Create DIY centerpieces that can be used at the ceremony and reused at the reception that will create a high impact. 

#08: Create Quality Over Quantity 
As you DIY, keep your DIY projects on the minimalist side of things. As much as we love maximalist approaches to wedding decor, airing on the side of caution with DIY decor will ensure that your wedding keeps the professional flair. Create what you can, but then leave the rest to the beauty of the venue and the professionals. 

There’s nothing wrong with doing it yourself, but you should not opt for doing everything yourself. Consider the big picture and select the projects that are within your skills set that you can tackle yourselves. Choose items that will add to the details or create a high impact. Don’t create unnecessary clutter and keep your DIY basic, but high impact. Happy DIY’ing! 

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Lori Losee is the owner of Elegant Affairs, a Seattle Wedding Planner with over 19 years of experience. We create awe-inspiring experiences—Events filled with meaning and refined elegance. Behind the scenes, our experienced team collaborates on each stage of the process, executing your vision and a wedding, celebration, or corporate event that is unique to you.