Wedding planner reveals 4 common mistakes couples must be quick to rethink to avoid jaw-dropping disaster

Your wedding day is a huge investment, not just of money but of time and effort. You want it to go smoothly but it might all backfire if you are doing any of these things.

Changing your mind too many times

Oakview+Terrace+Wedding+-+Bridal+Portraits-83We know it can be tough to commit to one idea, color or concept- there is so much beautiful inspiration, you would do all if it if you could. But you can’t. It’s one thing to think you want one thing and then change your mind, we can deal with that, it happens! Now if you change your mind multiple times, before, during and after meetings and consultations- this is where it gets tricky. Have you ever tried to navigate through an email feed that contains 27 communications trying to find the most recent requested changes? Having to update notes too many times can result in something being forgotten or overlooked, we’re human and it can get confusing. Another issue that stems from this that couples get upset over is that every time you change your mind, the price changes. This leads to having to update another quote and emailing that off, which takes more time. It also means you have less time to execute or place orders because nothing has been concretely decided.

Procrastinating until the last minute

Now, if you wait too long to make decisions (possibly because you keep changing your mind!) this will work against you. Of course we aren’t saying to rush into anything, this is your wedding, you want to think things out clearly and determine what you both want and what works within your budget. However, if you wait until a few weeks before to make choices about crucial elements like décor, entertainment, flowers, food/desserts you will be in for a shock. Vendors get booked fast for wedding dates by couples who know what they want. Certain décor items may already be rented if you wait too long to decide. Flowers must be ordered way in advance or you are looking at a significant increase in price and the possibility of the flowers you want not being available. To wait too long will cost you!

Not starting your seating chart early

Oakview+Terrace+Wedding+-+Reception-19You’re probably thinking “but why? I should just wait to get all my RSVP’s in…”, we guarantee that you will not get all of your RSVP’s in by the deadline date. In fact, we guarantee you will have to designate someone to call people to get their confirmation. If you know off the bat which guests will absolutely come, get those names on a tentative excel sheet and organized into a table. If they need to be swapped later that is fine but get their names, family members and plus 1’s on there. Waiting until you get all of the RSVP’s means you will be way too close to the wedding date trying to get this done and if you’ve chosen to do it yourself, you will not have as much time or energy as you think. Also, keep track of who you invite but don’t give a formal invite too, we’ve seen guests show up and NOT be on a seating chart because they were forgotten!

Micromanaging your wedding planner

We know you want your day to go perfect and we know your organizational skills are superb but so are ours! That’s why your hired us! The day of the wedding is when you relinquish control (cringe…yes we said it), and enjoy your day. Let us worry about making sure Uncle Joe doesn’t get his hands on a microphone, your limo shows up on time and that no one in the family takes it upon themselves to try to change the seating chart the day of because they don’t’ like it (yes, we’ve had that almost happen). Your planner is more than capable of handling those things and more while you spend time with your nearest and dearest and celebrate your beautiful day. Let us do what you’ve paid us to do!

If you choose not to hire a planner, here’s a Wedding Planning Check List PDF you can download to help keep you on track!

100 Insanely smart tips to help a busy bride stay on budget and save money while planning a beautiful wedding

  1. Keep your guest list small
  2. Choose flowers that are in season
  3. Consider a Friday or Sunday wedding
  4. Create & print your own invites- here’s a discount code for Minted
  5. Get married on off-peak season (November-April)
  6. Skip the plated meal and do a buffet
  7. Have more comfort food and snacks vs formal food options
  8. Rent certain items vs buying them
  9. Choose a non-traditional wedding venue: municipal park or beach
  10. Google local sample sales and trunk shows for your wedding gown
  11. Shop local outlet stores for bridesmaids’ dresses
  12. Purchase handmade items directly from the seller e.g. Etsy
  13. Ditch favors or limit them to 1 per couple
  14. Keep the ceremony and reception at the same place to cut down rentals, transportation and décor
  15. Rent your wedding dress
  16. YouTube makeup tutorials or go to Sephora for a makeup lesson then do your own makeup
  17. Swap in a sweet table instead of a dessert course
  18. Buy your own booze for the wedding
  19. Only serve appetizers during the cocktail hour
  20. Find a music student(s) to entertain during cocktail hour or for the ceremony (have them audition first!)
  21. Find a newer cake artist to make your cake
  22. Swap your cake for smaller cupcakes or tarts
  23. Limit the bar hours or have an alcohol-free wedding
  24. Instead of multiple shooters, only have 1 photographer
  25. Use wildflowers as fillers in your centerpieces
  26. Opt for sparkling wine over champagne
  27. Use a credit card to pay for vendors etc that has points or rewards so you get something back
  28. Google local wedding shows to get deals on potential vendors
  29. Use coupons or Facebook Marketplace to score deals on accessories or décor items
  30. Hire a wedding planner; what you pay them to do will end up being made up in savings because they can negotiate contracts and save you time
  31. Schedule to do cake cutting and first dance earlier in the evening to cut down on photography hours
  32. More than 3 courses for dinner might be excessive, guests should be fed but don’t overdo it
  33. Have a smaller cake created for display and cutting and have a larger slab cake in the back that gets served to guests
  34. Have a smaller bridal party to cut down costs and possibly hassle
  35. Ditch the bridal party altogether and just have a flower girl and ring bearer to save on gifts
  36. Use a playlist for the cocktail hour and dinner and a DJ for the reception party
  37. Cocktails and mixed drinks are usually more expensive at the bar so limit the options to beer and wine
  38. See if the venue has larger tables so you cut back on the amount of centerpieces
  39. Use something other than flowers for your centerpieces such as candles, picture frames, lanterns
  40. Elope or do a pop-up wedding
  41. Consider emailing your “Save the Dates”
  42. Only invite people you are close to you (you’ve seen and hung out with them in the last 5 years)
  43. Stick to the house wines offered instead of specialty ones
  44. DIY certain wedding items
  45. If one of your friends recently got married and kept some of their décor, ask to borrow it
  46. Buy things like candles and favors in bulk, the price is usually less (buy more than 50 pieces)
  47. Have your shower or rehearsal at home instead of a restaurant
  48. Naked cakes look lovely or instead choose buttercream icing over fondant
  49. Kids meals are cheaper so be sure to ask for a kids menu if you plan to have kids at the wedding or have no kids at all
  50. Only have 1 or 2 options for vegetarian or vegan meals, the more choices the more money
  51. Borrow accessories from friends or a family member instead of buying them
  52. Have the wine at dinner served rather than sitting on the table so consumption is staggered during the evening
  53. Don’t forget tips, shipping fees and taxes and gratuity to be factored into your budget
  54. Decide if you are allowing +1’s or not, additional guests can impact your budget greatly
  55. Negotiate pricing on some contracts
  56. Read over contract carefully and ask questions, it’s very easy to misunderstand something and then get overcharged
  57. Enable people to RSVP on a website instead of traditional paper RSVP’s, plus it’s easier to track
  58. See if your venue has a list of preferred vendors, sometimes they want you to use them but it might cost you. Ask if you are permitted to use outside vendors. They may require approval
  59. Find a venue that needs minimal décor
  60. Get married in a backyard garden to save on venue and décor costs
  61. Price shop for vendors to before booking anything to see if there are comparable prices available
  62. Avoid getting married on a Saturday or a long weekend, it’s the most expensive day to get married
  63. Keep appetizers between 2-3 pieces per person and keep in mind the caterer will likely try to up sell you
  64. If you are wearing a longer dress, no one will see you shoes so why splurge?
  65. Go through each item on your budget to see if there are ways to trim it down
  66. Everyone loves a good wedding trend but they are usually pricey because they are in high demand
  67. Hand write your place cards/escort cards or design them on Minted
  68. Research various wedding budgets and revise yours based on what your research finds
  69. Thank you’s to the bridal party are lovely but don’t have to break the bank
  70. Consider one big single bloom for the bouquets
  71. Don’t let vendors rope you into more than you want too (a planner can help with this) you can politely decline any add-ons
  72. Florists typically charge more for labor so buy your own flowers in bulk to save
  73. Stick to a signature cocktail during the cocktail hour and have it passed around. It will not only save on alcohol but will add a nice personal touch as well.
  74. Can we say: “Free wedding stationary printables” We said it.
  75. Instead of renting a nice car, can you borrow one from someone you know?
  76. Keep all of your receipts so you can monitor what you’ve spent
  77. Ask guests to email their RSVPs to you directly and keep an email file folder of them
  78. Choose a venue outside of a major city. Costs of downtown venues and parking can make sticking to your budget difficult
  79. Wait for a good deal to take your honeymoon instead of right afterwards. Check out Skyscanner or Next Vacay
  80. Get a dress that actually fits instead of off the rack and needing expensive alterations
  81. When in doubt, don’t buy a dress a size or two too small, it’s easier to make a larger dress smaller than the opposite
  82. For any out of town guests, ask hotels close by the wedding venue for reduced rates based on rooms booked
  83. Instead of expensive centerpieces, have empty vases on the tables and use the bridesmaid’s bouquets as centerpieces
  84. Troll Instagram and wedding websites for contests and giveaways
  85. Go to Wedding Wire and see if any vendors you need are offering discounts on their services
  86. Buy as much as you can in bulk (food, flowers, candy) rather than specialty stores that will have higher prices
  87. Shorten your planning time, you will be much more decisive with a strict timeline
  88. Only have the photographer and videographer cover just the ceremony
  89. See if videography can be added to your photography package instead of hiring 2 separate vendors
  90. Any leftover wedding items you have, sell them online
  91. Use the word “wedding” only when necessary (like with venues and photographers) sometimes there’s an up charge
  92. Only splurge on ONE thing like good food or music
  93. Find out if there is a minimum spend at the venue if they have in house catering. Usually if you make the minimum spend, they waive the venue rental fee
  94. Keep your invites to a singe sheet, pretty but simple. It will save on postage
  95. Ask friends to help where they can, as ushers, officiant, MC, DJ
  96. Sew your own table runners with fabric you purchase yourself
  97. Silk and paper flowers go a long way
  98. Skip the traditional wedding dress shops and go to major retailers like Le Chateau or Etsy for your dress
  99. Consider a different time of day: Morning or afternoon so you save on dinner food
  100. Make sure you and your partner are both on the same page on where to splurge and where to cutback!

Top 5 Wedding Floral Trends for 2019

Greenery has been at the top of wedding florals for the past 2 years and its likely not going anywhere but other trends have made their way into the wedding industry. If you are saying “I do” this year, there are some big trends that have everyone swooning.

Monochromatic arrangements

Textural detailing is the main focus in this trend, from bouquets to centerpieces; monochromatic blooms in lovely neutral tones or all white are a big hit thanks to the minimalistic wedding trend. Adding some dried elements or sparse greenery add dimension and pretty aesthetic and don’t overpower the simplicity.

Monochromatic

Dried flowers and Grasses

Pampass grass is everywhere and its by far our favorite trend right now! It’s a beautiful feathery light brown grass that looks stunning in floral installations, bouquets and ceremony backdrops. It pairs well with baby’s breath and dried lavender for a more bohemian wedding style. Wheat grass, bunny tails work well as alternatives or added elements to bouquets and centerpieces as well.

Pampass

Ferns

Keeping in stride with the boho wedding style, ferns are an organic and beautiful accent to bouquets, centerpieces and garlands.

Living Coral

This gorgeous color is the Pantone for 2019 and we can’t wait to see how its used. A pop of color in a floral arrangement can go a long way. Calla lilies, ranunculus, poppies, peonies, roses, snap dragons, tulips and dahlias come in coral and are great options depending on the arrangement.

041 - www.wlws.ca

Big Blooms

Protea and Anthuriums are just 2 insanely gorgeous flowers you can add one or two to a bouquet or a centerpiece and make a huge impact. 

Protea anthurium

Style Shoot: Woodland Escape

I had the privilege of being able to do outdoor shoots last year for Elegant Wedding Magazine. I shared the first one with you all, Spring Garden at the Toronto Botanical Gardens in Toronto.

This shoot was very different and I loved it for that reason. It was paramount that as many natural elements were included to maintain an organic feel. It’s not often an outdoor wedding can utilize most of the natural elements outside to contribute to the overall tone of the event style. But it can be done!

Here are some of our favorite shots of this simply stunning shoot!

To see more head on over to the Elegant Wedding Magazine blog post Moody Woodland Forest Wedding

Vendor Credits:

Venue: Fantasy Farms
Photographer: The Butterfly Photography
Florals: Divine Flowers Toronto
Dresses: Mona Lisa Bridal Gallery
Table Top Decor: Plate Occasions
Rentals: Chairman Mills
Decor and Props: Cre8ive Studios
Stationary: GM Calligraphy
Cake and Confections: Dolce Vita Cakes by Albina
HMUA: Makeup Couture/ Hair Couture

The Top 15 Wedding Abbreviations for Brides

As a soon-to-be bride new to the wedding industry hoopla, you may find yourself lost in a whirlwind of “wedding jargon” and struggling to understand! It’s one of my favorite aspects of planning because it’s like a completely different language that we planners and wedding vendors speak.

Here are 15 abbreviations that all brides should become familiar with:

 

AI                            All-inclusive

BM                         Bridesmaid/Best Man

GM                         Groomsmen

DW                         Destination Wedding

EP                           Engagement Party

DOC                       Day of Coordinator

FH                           Future Husband

FW                         Future Wife

FI                            Fiancé/Fiancée

FOB                        Father of the Bride

MOB                      Mother of the Bride

MOG                     Mother of the Groom

FOG                       Father of the Groom

MOH                     Maid/Matron of Honor

BP                           Bridal Party

Ease planning pains with our NEW services

Happy Summer everyone! AVPEvents is super excited to launch and share our new service menu with you all!

It’s taken us some time to re-create our services to give more options to brides with different needs. All 4 services are unique and are designed to cover various aspects of the planning process.

Short & Sweet

Just as the name suggests! One of the most daunting aspects of wedding planning is at the very end when you have the paper details to complete. So, we sit down for a 3-hour session and complete the day of timeline, reception timeline, ceremony layout and contact list. Once we’ve finalized this with you, we then email it out to all the vendors who need it and voila!

Smooth & Flawless

Should a wedding ceremony be anything less? Well our job for this package is to give you the “Short & Sweet” package and then coordinate the rehearsal of the ceremony run through twice! The day of the wedding, we show up an hour before the ceremony to check over last minute details, line up your processional, fluff your dress and send you off down the aisle.

Polished Production

This package comes with 6 additional hours of planning on-top of the benefits of both the Short & Sweet package as well as the Smooth & Flawless. We also finalize the details of the reception set up. Once the reception has been executed according to the timeline, our last task is to ensure your personal belongings are packed and ready to go!

Quintessential Package

Your equivalent of partial planning is this service! The previous 3 packages are included and in addition, couples receive 15 planning hours allocated to whatever areas they like!

Of course, we offer full planning for those couples who want assistance through every aspect of planning. A sit-down consultation is required for this service so each couples needs and vision can be properly assessed.

Royal Wedding Details: Inside the fairy tale

The bells have rung, the aisle has been walked, the vows have been said and the kiss was sealed! I don’t know about anyone else, but I am still in awe of this past Saturday’s Royal Wedding. I find myself reliving so much of it and still getting giddy and excited while looking at the photos.

Meghan was so lovely in her custom Givenchy dress designed by Clare Waight Keller. It was incredibly simple and elegant with clean lines and took 3,900 hours in four months to make! Meghan’s veil also had the sentimental hand-embroidered detail of a Californian poppy representing her homeland.

There are some mixed feelings about the overall simplicity of the dress, some loved it and other’s thought it was anything but flattering. Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I didn’t mind how clean the lines were but what I didn’t love was that at different angles it looked frumpy and not completely tailored. Of course, if the new Duchess of Sussex loved it- who am I?! Meghan’s veil was stunning, her hair being pulled back only made sense considering the neckline of her dress and to add to her “Markle sparkle” she wore the breath-taking Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara loaned to her by the Queen.

Besides the moment Harry told her “you look amazing” and melted all of our hearts, what got me ugly crying was the emotion he showed singing the hymn “Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer” which was sung at Princess Diana’s funeral. It was sweet as well that Harry handpicked Meghan’s bouquet of his mother’s favorite flower “Forget me Not’s”. Of course, in conjunction with honoring his late mother, the name of the bloom itself in relation to his mother not being there was enough to make us sob.

Overall it was more beautiful than I imagined it would be and absolutely worth getting up insanely early to watch. As a woman of color, I felt a twinge of pride seeing not just Meghan marry the love of her life and break through barriers that have never been challenged before. To hear a gospel choir and see people of color involved in various aspects of the wedding just made me burst!

To finish off all the fairy tale feels, Meghan wore a mind-blowing gown by Stella McCartney for the post wedding festivities. I have to admit, I adored this dress in comparison to her actual wedding gown. With all of this being said, I’ll leave you all to the photos and a huge congrats to the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex!

Danny Lawson PA St George Chapel
St. Georges Chapel  Photo by Danny Lawson/PA
Reuters Harry and William
Photo by Reuters
Getty Images Meghan and mom
Photo by Getty Images
Reuters Meghan dress
Photo by Reuters
Reuters Meghan and twins
Photo by Reuters
PA Meghan and Charles aisle
Photo by PA
Reuters Meghan Harry alter
Photo by Reuters
PA lifting veil
Photo by PA
Reuters married
Photo by Reuters
PA Outside
Photo by PA
Gety Images the kiss
Photo by Getty Images
Reuters carriage
Photo via Reuters
Alexi Lubomirski Royal portraits
A Royal Portrait- Photo by Alexi Lubomirski 
Stella
Photo by Steven Parsons/PA Wire

Royal Wedding: Updates on Meghan & Harry’s big day

It’s been a whirlwind these last few weeks leading up to what will be the biggest wedding of our time- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle!

I can’t tell you how excited I am- she’s lived in our city, is a talented actress, she’s half-black and beautiful, down to earth and essentially “one of us” in the sense that she has zero royal blood.

The guestlist includes Priyanka Chopra, Sir Elton John, George & Amal Clooney, the Spice Girls and Victoria Beckham will be bringing her husband. Others who will attend are her bestie Jessica Mulroney and her husband Ben and 3 children who’ve been named page boys and flower girl. Serena Williams, her Suits co-stars and designer Misha Nonoo.

As for her dress some speculate British designer Ralph & Russo as the brand designed Meghan’s stunning dress for the engagement photos. Another possibility is a final “bow out” for Christopher Bailey of Burberry. However when her mother arrived on Tuesday, she was carrying a Burberry garment bag- so maybe not. Stewart Parvin, one of the Queen’s dressers, could be in the running as well since he has been personally approved by the royal family. Some bets are on Alexander McQueen who designed Duchess Kate’s lovely gown but perhaps she will go with a Canadian designer? In any case, we are bursting with anticipation!

The most recent and unexpected update is that Meghan’s father will not be attending due to health concerns. I can’t imagine how devastating it must have been for her to find this out just days before her wedding. She made her first statement yesterday from Kensington Palace:

Statement

Some have voiced their disapproval of her careful choice in wording when she mentions “I have always cared for my father” but guys cut her some slack. She is a royal now and it has never been encouraged to openly express emotion and is likely considered inappropriate. If you don’t believe me, find clips of Princess Diana’s funeral- you won’t see a tear on her sons faces. We all know she’s devastated.

It was announced earlier today that she has asked her future Father-in Law His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St. George’s Chapel.

Statement2

However, he will not be escorting her the entire way, she will walk most of the processional alone making royal history as she will be the first British royal to enter her ceremony alone. You go girl! She will be met by a clergy member at the doors and walk unaccompanied through the chapel with her bridesmaids, pages and officiant walking ahead of her. Once she reaches the Quire, Prince Charles will walk her towards Harry but will he will not be giving her away- she will walk the last few steps to Harry by herself.

The royal wedding is tomorrow starting at 7 a.m EST so if you are willing to sacrifice your Saturday sleep in sesh to tune in for this- you will be with me!

NEW website and features

The warm weather is FINALLY here in Toronto (it only took us 6 months and an ice storm) it was hard to stay inspired this past winter. However, we managed to redo our entire website which made me very excited!

Of course, there are some tweaks to be made still but overall, I am very happy with it! It’s cleaner, better images, new logo, the ability to book a consultation online and download a planning checklist!

The option to sign up for free advice, tips and special offers is also something I am happy we were able to make happen. I think its important for a website to be more than just a collection of photos and services- we should be able to showcase we have to offer!

That being said, for the month of May we are offering 10% off of all our Partial Planning Packages! We know engaged couples have a lot on their plates and a partial planning gives you 20 hours of my time allotted to areas of planning determined by you.

Some couples use this for things like:

  • Budget creation & management
  • Vendor recommendations
  • Seating chart arrangement
  • Booking/attending vendor appointments
  • Creation of “day of” schedule

And the best part of this package is that it also includes our Day of Coordination Package.

As a final send off on this post, we encourage you beautiful couples to download our FREE wedding planning checklist to help keep you on schedule!

 

The Shocking Revelation in the bridal industry!

One subject amidst the bridal industry that I really feel people tiptoe around is that of lack of inclusion in wedding blogs and web/print publications. Maybe this isn’t something I am supposed to talk about but…here I am- and I’m not sorry.

It’s not to say there aren’t diverse publications that cater to multi-cultural audiences, it’s great but why separate publications? I grew up in a community where I was, for many years, the only bi-racial kid around and believe me when I tell you- it was hell. Different skin color, different body type, different hair, different facial features, plus a family of limited means. From public school, throughout high school it was just me and then I moved to Ottawa for university. It was then that I experienced being around people who looked like me, people I could relate too. I can’t describe to you the utter joy I felt living in a city where I didn’t feel like the literal “black sheep”.

When I first joined the wedding industry I made a point to get familiar with certain wedding publications and while I was enthralled (to say the least) with all the work that was showcased, yet I was shocked.

The stark reality is that there are publications that are for separate demographics and it can work…sort of. Of course, when you become a planner you must decide your niche market and how best to target them. But in doing so, it seems to create a distinct barrier.

I do realize I may be stirring the pot but here is the reality- I’ve had clients come up to me and tell me that have purchased certain magazines for inspiration but didn’t see themselves as any of the brides or models. They weren’t able to identify with what they were seeing and for them it was frustrating but that was their experience. So, I ask “Why don’t publications, magazines and blogs make a point to include a certain number of multi-ethnic shoots as features, editorials or submissions?”

But far beyond race, size and sexual orientation, recently the popular online blog Style Me Pretty pledged their dedication towards creating a space that focused on inclusion on their Instagram. While this was a huge step for them, some of the comments on their Instagram post even went to the point of highlighting other aspects of inclusion being overlooked still:

  • Special needs couples
  • Brides with natural hair/Afros
  • Budget friendly (pretty doesn’t have to be pricey)
  • Hiring people on their staff who understand diversity

Simply some food for thought.  In a society as liberal as ours it would be nice to see more inclusion in the larger magazines and blogs. If brides cannot see themselves in the dresses, with the flowers then it’s a huge missed opportunity and the message these real brides take away is this: the world’s beauty standard women have fought so hard against hasn’t changed in the bridal industry. On the bright side, it is my sincere hope to start seeing a wider range of  inclusion much sooner rather than later!

 

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