MYTH: I Don't Need a Wedding Planner!

           Let's face it, a lot of budget conscious brides and grooms think that winging it will save them a lot of money rather than hiring someone like a Wedding Planner to take care of their big day. Well in most cases this is NOT TRUE! Actually there is a huge chance that you will end up going above and beyond your initial budget with a lot more stress and headaches to deal with.

What we would like to do today is discuss your options. Yes, you have options when it comes to a Planner. The two main options are a Full Event Wedding Planner and a Day Of Wedding Coordinator.

What's a Full Event Wedding Planner?

• A Full Event Wedding Planner is there from the beginning to the end and changes with every bride. No wedding, bride, or groom are the same so each wedding planner must be flexible and innovative to meet their needs. They begin with vendor referrals, tastings, budget creation, month to month timelines, contract bargaining... you get what I'm doing here. They do it all! They even clean up for you after!

What's a Day Of Coordinator?

• Day Of Coordinator isn't really the best way to describe this crazy busy position. It's more like Month Before Planner! They basically play catch up on all things planning. They call all of your vendors and confirm dates, times, quantity, logistics, etc. They direct your rehearsal and show up on your big day with all "just in case" items. They then orchestrate the whole day from the rose petals down the aisle to when the DJ announces your send off.  

What Would Fit My Wedding Best?

I highly recommend that every couple have a professional help them whether it is through the entire planning process or right down to the day. 

Advantages to a Full Event Wedding Planner:

• Stress Free Planning- With a good professional, you should just be able to point and choose and they will make it happen.
• Vendor Referrals- You are a first time (and hopefully one time) buyer with all of your wedding vendors so if you are budget conscious they aren't really willing to work with you on price. Planners refer tons of brides and will have a better chance of persuading vendors on price because of that built relationship.
• Vendor Variety- These Professionals know people in the business and are more likely to have a better take on who is a good investment and who you should pass over. They will help you find the best vendors for the best deals.
• Keep You on Track- If you are trying to stay in a certain budget they will do all they can to keep you there. They are not afraid to set boundaries with you on choices because they have your best interest in mind. Your happiness is the most important part of their job because it leads to recommendations and further use. 

Advantages to a Day Of Coordinator:

• Double Tap, Double Check- Coordinators will make sure all of your decisions are doable and being executed by your vendors and you. If anything is wrong they will have it fixed before you even know, leaving you stress free and ready to get hitched.
• Your Guests Are Guests- In most DIY weddings, guests usually end up lighting the candles, calling the vendors, moving tables, setting up and tearing everything. They don't get to enjoy themselves as you had hoped they would. With a Coordinator, they wont have to worry about anything because the Coordinator will do all of this and more!

Some Things to Consider

      Consider this. A Wedding Planner wants your business whether the full event or just coordinating the day. Don't be put off by the price tag. Be honest when meeting with a planner and discuss your concerns, you may be surprised by how they respond. 

GOOD LUCK, GOOD WEDDING!

Guest Book Alternatives: Written Off The Pages!

Guest books are one of the most important things for a wedding! You always want to know who helped celebrate your special day but just a book can get rather boring and worn out. Here are some unique ideas for guests book that are far from boring!

This is a personal favorite of ours here at Evan Grace! Everyone loves a good game of Jenga so why not remember your wedding day and all who shared it with you AT THE SAME TIME! Each guest signs a Jenga piece! This obviously makes for a cute ring picture too! 

A photo book is becoming more popular with each wedding that we do! Each guest gets into a photo booth and has their picture made and each guest gets a copy and then the other copy goes into a book where you sign beside your picture! These pictures are always a nice touch because you can always tell your guests were having a great time! Our last wedding we did the bride and her mother influenced us to join them in there and the pictures were priceless! 

We have actually done this for a wedding as well! This is a canvas that can be made into a hanging picture after everyone has signed it. This is more of a guest book that could be displayed in your house after all of the wedding festivities are over! 

I actually LOVE this idea! This is a dictionary! What happens is each guest picks a word that they think describes the couple, circles, arrows, or high lights it and then signs there! This could get pretty risky though so be aware of your guests and how they would handle it! 

Puzzle pieces are fun too! This can be really cute if you make the puzzle pieces into an actual picture! You can use one of your engagement pictures and blow it up and make it into a puzzle! 

Finger prints are always a fun guest book especially if you have children involved or invited to the wedding! If you signed with your finger print the couple would know exactly whose print it was! Below are multiple different versions of this book and they are all AWESOME! 

This is just a different version of a photo book! You have to be careful with this one though to make sure you don't miss anyone!!! 

This is a display guest book as well! It's a shadow box! Every guest signs a little wooden heart or whatever shape you choose and drops it in! 

This is a great way to remember everyone that was at your wedding but also to get everyone's birthday's down! I know I have a hard time remembering birthdays so this is a great way to get everyone's at one time! 

The globe is really fun! Your guest could pick out wherever they wanted to sign and hopefully the world would fill up with love! :) 

We hope you choose something AWESOME as your guest book! :) Bring Originality!