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Day 1541 – Happy ONE Year Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Rupert!!!
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Author Archives: 365 days of marriage
Day 1540 – Planning Your Wedding In Baltimore Maryland – Finding Your Photographer
This was my favorite post to write…hmmmm, wonder why? 😉
I think the most important part of finding your photographer is clicking with them as a person. You spend soooooo much time with them, it’s kind of a big deal! Not only do they spend 6-10+ hours with you on your wedding day, they’ll spend 3-4 hours with you at your rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (not all photographers do this, but we do and we include it for free), they’ll spend 2-4 hours with you at the consult, picture viewing and emailing about your wedding.
You also want to make sure you like the style of your photographer. Do they show a lot of formals, but you want more candids? Do they do extensive Photoshop work and you want to see more natural shots? Do they show a lot of candids, but you want more formals? Chances are the photographer who shows a lot of candids can do formals just fine, but her favorite shots are candids. Just ask to see more!
What is your budget? Make sure you only contact photographers around your budget. A lot of times photographers will list starting prices and/or sample packages. If your budget is under what’s listed on their website, it might not be worth contacting them. Now, if you LOVE their work, maybe ask if they have some options for you. Some photographers allow you to order prints, albums and DVDs after the wedding. The only downside to this is that the pricing might go up when you’re ready to order. By purchasing everything before the wedding, you can lock in the current prices.
Harsh truth – most photographers will require the full balance before the wedding. Some photographers will let you do a payment plan.
Make sure you start looking for your photographer soon! Some photographers book very quickly! This is especially important if you are getting married on a popular date!
Do you want someone fun? Well, that’s us!
Day 1539 – Planning Your Wedding In Baltimore Maryland – Your Dress And Accessories
One part of weddings that I LOVE is looking for and buying the wedding dress! I’m so grateful that I get to hang out at K&B Bridals pretty regularly!
Here are a few things I’ve learned from hanging out there!
– Make sure you try on all types of dresses. A lot of times, you’ll LOVE a dress that you had NO interest in when you were looking online. (This happened to me!)
– Dresses look a lot different on a hanger versus on you. Trust your bridal stylist to pick out something she knows you’ll love!
– Make sure you give PLENTY of time to find and order your dress. It’s best to give at least 12 months. It takes a while for the dress to come in and then you have to take into account the alterations!
– Don’t be afraid to buy on the first visit. If you fall in love with a dress (if you or someone with you cries, that’s a step in the right direction!) don’t put yourself through the struggle of trying on a ton of dresses that won’t measure up to THAT dress.
– Try not to take TOO many people with you to the appointment. Sometimes lots of opinions can make it harder to find your dress. If you do take a lot of people, make sure you’re ready to go with your gut and not worry about someone’s opinion.
– Have fun with it! 🙂
Here’s one of my favorite dresses from K&B!
Also, you’ll want to take some time picking your accessories. This doesn’t HAVE to be done when you order your dress, but it can help! One of the benefits of shopping at K&B is they have an on site accessory designer, Randie of Faye Daniel Designs! What’s great about Randie is that she’ll CUSTOM make your jewelry! WOW! Her stuff is stunning! One of these days I’m going to get her to make me my own accessories!
Day 1538 – Planning Your Wedding In Baltimore Maryland – Hiring A Wedding Planner
It’s no secret that I LOVE Moore & Co Event Stylists.
You may be thinking, well, I have a pretty small budget…I can’t afford a wedding planner! I’m not going to lie, I thought the same thing when I was getting married. Ha, how little did I know! The truth is, a wedding planner can save you lots of money!
Here are a few reasons to hire a planner, according to Moore & Co’s website:
Saving Money – “Hiring a wedding planner can save a great deal of money. Because wedding planners provide so much business to vendors, they are often able to negotiate discounts for their clients.”
Minimize Stress – “When it comes to the day of your wedding, the most important thing is that you are able to relax and enjoy it.”
Can Be Your Mediator – “A planner is a safe neutral person to point to for direction. It’s easier to tell your future mother-in-law, ‘My planner thinks we need to….’ instead of “I think we should….’ ”
Also, make sure you reach out to a planner early on in your planning. If you can book them before booking your venue, you can save even more. (This was something new I learned very recently!)
Also, they can bring all of your ideas together in a beautiful way. Check out this AWESOME reception set up by Moore & Co.
Day 1537 – Planning Your Wedding In Baltimore Maryland – The Budget
Being a wedding pro, I have an inside look on weddings. I’ve developed many relationships with vendors and have heard lots of great advice on weddings over the years. I wanted to take 10 days to share some of those things with you!
Today, we’ll chat about the budget!
Note: I am NOT a planner, but have seen a lot of different types of weddings in my almost 9 years of shooting. The examples I’ve used are based on actual weddings, but I won’t tell you which ones. 😉 Also, note to my vendor readers, I am by no means negating ANY of your vital roles in a wedding, just giving a few options!
One of the BEST pieces of advice I’ve heard on this topic is:
Pick 3-4 of the MOST important things to you and your groom.
A few examples:
Focus on guests budget
- Lots of guests
- Time with guests
- Great pictures
Maybe you have a TON of friends and family who have had a big impact on both of your lives, but you just can’t manage your dream venue.
Solution:
- Find a venue that holds a lot of guests that fits in your budget
- Do a first look so there are less formals to take after the wedding
- Since you’re saving in other areas of your budget, you can splurge on a photographer
- Have your wedding in the early afternoon (after lunch) and serve your guests dessert
- Don’t have alcohol at your wedding
- Have an after party at a local bar where you can hang out with guests (and friends you couldn’t invite to the wedding) and drink
Great food, top notch cake/desserts from the boutique dessert shop with your closest family and friends budget
You and your groom to be are big time foodies, LOVE desserts and want to share those loves with only the closest of your family and friends.
Solution:
- Book your favorite restaurant for the afternoon before their dinner rush and have a set menu
- Bonus points if the restaurant has music pipped in, so you can forgo a DJ
- Get a cake or a ton of desserts from your favorite dessert shop
What Bret and I did with our budget!
I figured you guys might be interested in OUR wedding! The most important thing to us was lots of people and a relaxing day.
Solution:
- To save on a venue fee, we had the wedding at my parents’ house (this is a saver in some ways, but we had to rent a LOT of stuff including – potties, tables, chairs, etc), but it was a very relaxing location. The kids at the wedding got to run around and play all afternoon
- We purchased white linens that have since been used multiple times
- We used the same chairs for the ceremony and reception
- We had a family friend do the flowers
- We had a friend do the cupcakes
- We got lunch meat trays with sides from a local supermarket at $5 a person and my mom had a bunch of her friends make sure all the trays stayed full
Bonus: If you can book a wedding planner BEFORE your book your venue, they can save you even more!
Since I won’t tell you which weddings I’m talking about, I’ll share a picture from ours. 🙂
Photo credit: Shawna Sherrell Photography.
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