For the past couple years, I have had my eyes set on Azazie’s Lafayette dress. It was a beautiful flowy gown with gorgeous layers of tulle, floral appliques, and basically everything a girl could dream of in a wedding dress! Right after I got engaged, I signed up to be on the waitlist to be notified when one was available in my size through their at-home try on program.

Little did I know, that meant I would only have to wait a couple of days. I got the email that my dream dress was available to try on so of course I went to order it immediately! Through their program, you are able to “rent” up to 3 dresses for a week. At the last minute, I decided it was probably a good idea to add 2 other dresses to my box “just in case.”

The dresses took about a week to process and ship and I knew I wanted it to me more of an experience than just trying them on as soon as they got there, so I invited some family and friends to join in on the fun.

Of course, as soon as the box got there though, I promptly FaceTimed my mom and ripped it open! I just wanted to see the beauty in real life! I immediately had a few concerns with the details that were way more obvious in person than online and was so glad I decided to order some backup dresses.

Saturday FINALLY came around, (do you know how hard it is to NOT try on a wedding dress when it is just sitting in your room!?) and we turned our house into a bridal boutique! No girls day is complete without a brunch board and mimosas.

After brunch, we headed to our church to meet with the pastor and let our mom’s see our ceremony location then spent some time on our newly renovated main street in Franklinton! We sent Cody on his way to play golf and then came home for what we’d all been waiting for.

In my mind, I knew the order in which I liked the dresses and decided to put on my least favorite first and work up to what I thought would be THE ONE. As soon as I put on the first dress and walked out into our living room, I knew that poor Lafayette was going to have a run for her money. We added a belt and a veil and everyone ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it. Spoiler alert: this ended up being my dress!

I reminded everyone that this was originally my least favorite and we had 2 more to look at first! As much as we all loved the train on the second one, we couldn’t get over some of the details in the lace. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the nude underlay. We’re getting married in a fairly traditional church and don’t think our pastor would have approved either.

Finally, it was time for the dress I’ve pictured myself walking down the aisle in for years! As soon as Taelor took it out of the bag, I knew it wasn’t going to be my dress. We laughed and struggled to get me into the endless layers of tulle and I walked out. It was such a pretty dress, but ultimately not the one for me!

I am SO grateful that I decided to do this at-home try on process. It was so relaxed and laid-back and we got to make a whole day of it! I would totally recommend this to all my brides. Also, I am blown away by the quality of Azazie’s dresses. I knew they were amazing for bridesmaids dresses, but their wedding dress line is absolutely incredible, and so much more affordable than I ever could have imagined!

You’re engaged and now comes the hard part, wedding planning! You have all of these visions and Pinterest inspirations that you have no idea how to bring to life. Chances are, you have no wedding planning experience and it’s been 20+ years since your parents tied the knot and SO much has changed! Over the past 5+ years (and countless weddings) I have always made mental notes of things that help make wedding planning easier and less stressful. I’ve also asked my couples for some of their best wedding planning advice and am finally putting it all together!

Budget Comes First!
Nobody likes talking about money but you can’t start wedding planning until you have an idea of how much money you are able to spend on your big day. Whether your budget is $500 or $50,000 you can’t start planning anything without a set budget.
Before anything else, you need to sit down with your fiancé and any family members who may be contributing to your wedding and discuss your budget. Also, if your families would prefer to allocate money to specific aspects (your dress, the venue, etc.) it is important to make note of that as well!

“Start planning earlier than you think you need to. Time sneaks up on you! And have fun being engaged- its not all about the wedding day, its about the day after that, and the day after that one too.”

Do Some Research
After you’ve set your budget, do some research on what everything costs in your area. There are so many great budgeting tools (I love the one on The Knot!) where you can put in numbers for each category and see where your money will be going.

Choose Where to Splurge or Save
Every wedding is different and every couple has different priorities. Decide what is the most important to you (photography, food, venue, etc.) and where you’re okay saving some money (florals, favors, DJ, etc.)

“Make sure when you talk about a budget, know what your willing to sacrifice. For example, we did not realize how expensive wedding cakes are and we don't care about a cake enough to spend that much money. So we found creative alternatives that allow us to still have the cake cutting and still offer dessert.”
“Don't plan a wedding during a pandemic! But real advice: Over communicate and make sure the groom has his say. We had issues with the groom just saying ‘It's your day whatever you want’ and not actually giving an opinion unless it was about cost. Unfortunately for him, I'm stubborn and wouldn't take that as an answer because it's his day too.”

You Can't Set a Date Without a Venue
The very first step of planning is to pick a venue. Tour a handful to get an idea of what style venue matches your vision! Your venue will set the tone for your entire wedding day.

Check for Other Local Events
Before booking your venue and officially setting your date, take a look at the calendar and see if there are any other events happening on the same day. This is especially important if your venue is in a downtown location. The last thing you want is guests struggling to find parking or having to walk for blocks because there is a street festival right in front of your venue!

Ask About a Rain Plan
So you’ve found a venue that you’re absolutely in love with and can’t wait to tie the knot in front of their gorgeous (pond, mountain view, archway, etc!) But what happens if it rains? Make sure you are okay with your plan B ceremony location as well! The last thing you want is to hold your ceremony in some dark room that only gets used as a last resort.

Book One Event per Day Vendors First
As you’re going down your list of vendors that you need to hire, keep in mind some vendors can only book one event per day. People like photographers, hair and makeup artists, and DJs can only work one event per day so if you have a vendor that you have your heart set on, reach out to them first! If it is someone you can’t imagine your day without, you might even want to ask about their schedule before setting your date.
After you have locked in all of those vendors, you can move on to your caterer, florist, and bakery. They are able to do multiple events per day and are less likely to be fully booked for your date.

Hire Vendors Who Email You Back
This may seem like a strange thing to consider while booking your vendors, however, you shouldn’t have to chase down someone you are trying to spend money with! If you have to wait days for a response, what happens if something goes wrong or you have a pressing question? Each vendor should help alleviate some of your stress, not add to it.

“It helped me to create an Excel sheet to track vendor quotes and features included in their pricing. It enabled me to quickly compare and understand our different options, and also keep track of vendors who I had heard back from or was still waiting on more information.”

Make Sure You Actually Like Your Vendors
For all of those vendors who are going to be by your side for your entire wedding day, make sure you actually like them! A huge part of your wedding day is the experience.
The thing that you may not think about is the fact that you will be spending practically your entire wedding day with your photographer and videographer by your side. Think about that for a minute, you are going to be spending 8-12 hours on the most important day of your life with this person! You want to make sure that they are someone you can count on if something goes wrong (because something almost always does) and you want them to feel like a friend. Because by the end of your wedding day they will have probably seen you laugh, seen you cry, and possibly even cried along with you.

Ask for Recommendations
One of the best ways to find good vendors is through word of mouth. If you have a friend who just got married and you loved their DJ, ask them! If you’re still overwhelmed, ask vendors that you’ve already booked!
Every one of my couples fills out a detailed wedding day questionnaire that includes all of their vendors. I can tell you who we’ve had great experiences with, as well as who haven’t been so great.

“Hire professionals whenever you can! When we first started planning our wedding last year, we had no idea we would be getting married in the middle of a pandemic. We have been so lucky to work with amazing vendors who really know what they are doing. We are big believers in trusting the professionals and letting them do what they do best.”

Talk About Ideal Clients
Most of your vendors will have an idea of who their ideal client is. Ask them who that is to see if you’re a good fit.
My ideal clients are a couple who wants to have fun on their wedding day. They appreciate timeless photos but know that their wedding day should be about their love for each other and celebrating with the party that they’ve spent months of their lives planning!

“Focus on the important things and each other - and be prepared for things to not go as planned. In the end, it's all about the two of you, your commitment and celebrating with those closest to you.”

Think About Your Venue When Dress Shopping
As much as your venue sets the tone for your entire wedding day, so does the style of dress you pick! In addition to thinking about the season, long-sleeves during the summer probably isn’t the best idea, think about your venue and the spots you want to take photos while choosing your perfect dress.

Make Sure You Can Sit Comfortably in Your Dress
Your wedding dress is probably the only piece of clothing you will ever own that is perfectly tailored to your body. As much as you want it to fit like a glove, don’t forget that you need to be able to sit down! Before making it too tight, take a seat and see how it feels.

Pick Out Your Shoes Before Your Dress Fitting
Similarly, you want to make sure your dress is the perfect length, which is impossible without knowing what shoes you’ll be wearing. This is also a great chance to start breaking them in so you don’t end up with blisters on your wedding day.

Look to Your Home Decor for Color Inspiration
One of the hardest parts of planning your wedding is coming up with a color palette. If you’ve spent hours scrolling on Pinterest and still can’t narrow it down, take a look at your home and your wardrobe. You’re going to be hanging your wedding photos in your home and it only makes sense that they match the vibe you already have going on!

“Focus on the reason for the wedding - love. You won't remember the color of the napkins and the height of the cocktail tables 5 years from now.”

Have Guests RSVP on Your Wedding Website
One of the hidden expenses in a wedding is postage! An easy way to save money is to have your guests RSVP on your wedding website. This is also a great way to let people know how many people were invited and even let them choose their meals if necessary.
If you’re worried about your grandparents or great-aunt not being tech savvy enough to RSVP online, keep with tradition and send them a paper RSVP card with a pre-stamped envelope.

Assign Jobs to Family Members
If you have family or friends that will be hanging around while you’re getting ready, give them a task! Even if it is something as simple as setting out favors or asking guests to sign your guest book, it will make them feel useful and give you some space.

Have Your Families Switch Sides
It is tradition for the bride’s family to sit on the left, and the groom’s on the right. However, during your ceremony, that means that your family is going to see the back of your head. If you break tradition and switch sides, your family will be able to see your face as you’re saying your vows!

Have an Unplugged Ceremony
We are all guilty of snapping photos of every event to post on social media, but I always recommend an unplugged ceremony. Either a sign at the beginning of the aisle, or an announcement made by the officiant, is a great reminder to ask your guests to be present in the moment. As an added bonus, the photos of you walking down the aisle will be full of the faces of your friends and family, not their cell phones, iPads, and cameras.

Ask Your Officiant to Step Aside for Your First Kiss
As much as I’m sure you love the person who is uniting you two, they will be in plenty of photos during your ceremony. I always recommend to ask them to step aside for your first kiss!

“Forget everyone else, its about the two of you.”

Ask Someone to Bring You Appetizers
One of the biggest things every couple says is that they don’t get to eat on their wedding day, especially the appetizers (which are sometimes the best part) during cocktail hour. Ask either your caterer, wedding coordinator, or a family friend to bring you and your honey a plate of appetizers to munch on while you are doing photos after the ceremony.

Don't Forget to Make It Legal
Check with your state laws and make sure you get your marriage license with enough time before your wedding day. Also, set aside some time after the ceremony to have your officiant and witnesses sign your marriage license in order to make it legal.

Give Your DJ a "Do-Not-Playlist"
After you’ve picked out your first dance song and the songs you’ll be dancing with your parents to, think about the ones that are guaranteed to get your friends out on the dance floor! But don’t forget about those songs that drive you nuts. Not a fan of the chicken dance or other “line dance” songs? Make sure to let your DJ know!

“Don’t get bogged down! Make it a celebration!”

“Don't worry about all the little details and planning and expenses and stuff and just focus on the love of you and your soon to be spouse because the only thing that matters is that you two are happy! Doesn't matter about anything else.”
“Don't wait until the last minute to pull it together (like we have, haha)”
“Don't sweat the small stuff!”

Did I leave something out? Is there any amazing wedding planning advice you have received or have learned along the way? Reach out to me and share, I will gladly keep updating this blog for future brides!!

I Said Yes to the Dress, At Home!

20+ Tips for Planning Your Wedding

Budget Comes First!

Do Some Research

Choose Where to Splurge or Save

You Can't Set a Date Without a Venue

Check for Other Local Events

Ask About a Rain Plan

Book One Event per Day Vendors First

Hire Vendors Who Email You Back

Make Sure You Actually Like Your Vendors

Ask for Recommendations

Talk About Ideal Clients

Think About Your Venue When Dress Shopping

Make Sure You Can Sit Comfortably in Your Dress

Pick Out Your Shoes Before Your Dress Fitting

Look to Your Home Decor for Color Inspiration

Have Guests RSVP on Your Wedding Website

Assign Jobs to Family Members

Have Your Families Switch Sides

Have an Unplugged Ceremony

Ask Your Officiant to Step Aside for Your First Kiss

Ask Someone to Bring You Appetizers

Don't Forget to Make It Legal

Give Your DJ a "Do-Not-Playlist"

Zach + Jessica