Many of you are designing and planning your weddings on your own (or with the help of mom!). So today we thought it would be fun to give you a peek inside our wedding planner brains and share some of our top tips as both wedding coordinators and designers! These are the tips that we turn to again and again when planning our weddings and events. Tips that we find help make our weddings stand out for both our clients and our guests!

1. If you are planning on having food stations or a heavy-appetizer reception, we highly recommend that our couples take the time to eat privately before they go in to greet their guests.

This is one of our favorite things to do for our couples. We find a private corner of the reception space for the two of you to take 15-20 minutes to relax and take it all in. We ask the catering team to prepare a little plate of all the food being served. That way our couples can enjoy the food themselves and have the opportunity to be alone for most likely what will be one of the only times during your wedding reception!

2. If you want that truly "seamless" event feel, purchase all of your decor/design elements from the same sources.

This is in reference to any paper goods, signage, ribbons, linens, etc. Things start to look disconnected when you get invitations from one place, programs from another. Multiple fonts, colors, styles looks messy when you compile it all together for those detail shots on your wedding day. That's why we love when our clients come to us from the very beginning and let us be a part of the creative design process as it allows for us to think big picture with the overall event design. Buy your paper goods from the same paperie, purchase any signage from the same Etsy shops, etc. to ensure a wedding that ties together beautifully. Did you know we have an in-house paperie specialist who can help you with your wedding day paper goods and stationary?

3. The #1 way to cut your budget is to cut your guest list.

When you feel like your budget is spiraling out of control, consider cutting down your guest list. It is very common that our clients come to their initial consultation with their expected guest count and by the time they return for their next meeting it's gone up by sometimes 25-50%. When this happen you have to take into account the associated costs. More guests means more tables, chairs, linens, floral arrangements, and most importantly, food and alcohol.

4. You do not have to pick one color and stick to it for your entire wedding.

While we love a perfectly matched linen as much as the next wedding planner, we feel like weddings and events feel far more layered and styled when there is an overall color palate rather than one traditional "color." Ribbon, font colors, linens (both tablecloths and napkins), florals, bridesmaids dresses, are all opportunities to create your own unique palate. Just don't get too crazy, try sticking to similar tones, shades of the same color family, etc. so it feels more on purpose and less thrown together.

5. Ask your caterer to prepare a to-go box of all the food served to take with you in your getaway car at the end of the evening.

Even if you set aside time to eat, a lot of our couples are too excited to eat much. Therefore we always try to make sure we pack up a plate of food for our couples at the end of the evening. Especially if there is some tasty late night snack. Who doesn't want a burger and fries after a long evening of drinking and dancing!