This is it. The big moment you have been dreaming of since you were a little girl. Everything has to be perfect. Everything will be perfect – from the vendors, to the colors, to the flowers, to the dress.
The sparkling ring sits comfortably on your left ring finger. After what felt like a lifetime of anticipation, he finally popped the question, and your spirits are soaring heaven-ward with nothing to ground them… except the event itself.
Your fairy tale is about to come true, but who knew it was going to be so much work? Suddenly you are swamped with all of these nit-picky details you never dreamt existed, and that is only the little stuff!
No doubt about it, weddings can be intimidating, so to help you get started, we sat down with some area experts to hear their side of the story.
What is your best advice for me as a soon-to-be bride?
“First, budget, budget and budget,” said Kimberly Watt of Petal Pixie. “I cannot tell you how important it is to sit down with your fiancé, parents and anyone who has offered to help fund your wedding. Having a solid budget in mind helps so much in the beginning stages of wedding planning. It can help alleviate tears and disappointments in the future.”
Watt said she emphasizes to every client that the budget is largely determined by how many people are invited to the event.
“Once you have a budget, figure out what top three things hold the most importance to you and your fiancé on your wedding day. Is it the venue? What about the photographer? Maybe you always dreamed of specific flower arrangements since you were a small girl,” she said. “Whatever is most important to you is where you should lean heavily towards budget-wise.”
Watt also said she suggests brides figure out what their wedding vision is before doing anything else.
“What is your personal style, what colors are you drawn to, what things do you like doing as a couple, and what aesthetic do you like? Figuring these things out before you start planning, booking and buying dresses is crucial,” she said. “To create a clear cohesiveness to an event, you have to have a clear vision beforehand.”
While Watt said she is all for mixing and matching, she added that there is a fine line between an eclectic feel and a feeling of disconnect; this is where an event designer can help you combine your ideas into a more cohesive event.
Sally McKinley, the owner of the Wedding Company, said her number one piece of advice for brides-to-be is to hire good people.
“Trying to do everything yourself, you are going to end up spending more money and time, and you are going to get really stressed out,” McKinley said.
She said soon-to-be brides come to her feeling completely overwhelmed, but after speaking with her for a few minutes, they start to relax as they realize they are not on their own, allowing them to enjoy the experience more.
“There are only a few things that you will remember in your life, and one of the big things that you’ll remember is the day you got married, so if there is a time to celebrate, this is the time,” McKinley said. “It’s the time that you can remember and look back on. It doesn’t even have to be super elaborate, but it is important to celebrate.”
April Everett of the Rose Shop in Idaho Falls said her advice is to research vendors and then trust them.
“I love it when a bride comes to me with all her wedding ideas and is ready to trust me to make it happen for her,” Everett said. “If you have a vendor who knows what they are doing, they are going to be a fountain of information and can really help guide you in the right direction.”
What are weddings like from your perspective as a planner?
“There is a lot of planning that goes into it,” McKinley said. “People are so across the board. There are people who are super detailed and want to spend a big budget and have a big budget to spend, then there are those brides who have smaller budgets who aren’t wanting to spend that much money. There are creative brides who want to put their touches on it, so it’s nice to hire someone who can give you some larger pieces that turn out well in your entourage and then be able to create your own look.”
Watt said that from her perspective, the wedding comes down to many little details she is able to help tie together into one cohesive event.
“Weddings are also a highly emotional time, and I see lots of situations where being a good mediator comes in handy to help everyone feel like thinks are going to turn out perfectly and represent both the bride and the groom,” she said.
What kinds of services do you offer?
“I do mostly wedding flowers – everything from the bridal bouquet to the centerpieces,” Everett said. “Here at the Rose shop we also host receptions and ceremonies, so I also do the planning and set up for those.”
Everett said she tries to keep in continual contact with her brides after the order is placed. She said if she learns or thinks of something that might be good for that bride’s style, Everett will call or text the bride to see if that is something she would like to incorporate.
“I want the bride to not only be happy with her flowers; I want her to be excited about them!” Everett said.
Watt said she provides floral design, which includes everything from the ceremony, bridal party and reception flowers; event design, which includes everything from color palette, displays, venues and other visual elements; and planning services, which includes finding and booking vendors. She said this helps free up the bride’s time so she can enjoy the day, stress-free.
“The main thing I have learned with weddings is there are just some things out of your control and being a problem solver is sometimes necessary,” Watt said. “You get really good at figuring out solutions for unexpected situations and how to execute them flawlessly without your client knowing, so that when your bride shows up to get married, she has no idea there was any situations.”
McKinley said that the number one value in her business is that she has such a large variety – she is willing to do as much or as little as is wanted.
“A large part of weddings is the experience that you are going to have. I want each one of the brides and their families to have a good experience, and I want it to be a happy time,” McKinley said. “I like to lay it all out there, exactly: what it’s going to cost, what it entails for me and how much they want me to be involved. I’m happy to help them coming up with ideas; I’m happy to help them with their ideas and try to create what they want.”
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
“This is going to sound corny, but the most rewarding thing is seeing an excited bride when I hand her the bridal bouquet,” Everett said. “I mean it. I really put a lot of time and energy into making the wedding exactly as the bride imagines it. I love seeing a happy bride.”
Watt said her favorite moment is also handing over the bouquet.
“I love watching the months and months of planning come together for one magical moment,” she said. “Knowing I have provided the bride with their dream wedding is such a joy for me, and I never tire of hearing how much they love everything!”
McKinley said the most rewarding part to her is meeting people, as she loves brides.
“Making people happy and creating that calming effect so they don’t have to worry – that to me is rewarding,” she said.