YO U ’ R E E N G AG E D ! Here are the first 5 things you should do to start your wedding planning process... brought to you by Rochester’s leading wedding professionals.
CONGR AT U L AT IONS
O N YOU R E N G AGE M E N T! After the rush of texts, facebook posts and instagram ring pics has calmed down, you’re likely to find yourself wondering how to start planning for the big day. The wedding planning process will mark one of the most exciting (and potentially stressful!) periods of your life. As a group of seasoned wedding professionals, we’d love to help guide you through the early stages of this process and hopefully help you avoid some common pitfalls! We’ve put together a list of the first 5 things you should do post-proposal, to help get you started in the right direction. We also have sections dedicated to helping guide your selection of wedding vendors, with tips from Rochester’s leading experts in their respective fields!
CON T R I BU TORS
N ATA L I E
BRITTNEY
NATA LIE SIN ISGA LLI PHOTOGR A PH Y n spst udio.com
BL ACK L A BEL EV E N TS & DESIGN blacklabelevent .com
DEIDRA
K AT I E
IRON DEQUOITCOU N TRY CLU B irondequoitcc.org
LOV ELY BR IDE lovelybride.com
CHRISSY
S TAC Y
SPECI A L OCCASION H A IR DESIGN specialoccasionhairdesign.com
STAC Y K FLOR A L stacykf loral.com
T H I S G U I D E WA S D E S I G N E D B Y S U G A R A N D T Y P E . C O M
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BOOK A
WEDDING PL ANNER Wedding Planners provide you with a balance in the midst of all the craziness. A wedding planner should be your go-to person for all the questions you will inevitably have along the way. It is ideal to have one person as your main contact for all of your vendors, and to help organize your wedding day. A wedding planner will also help you find the perfect venue, look over contracts, and point you in the right direction for vendors and dÊcor that fit your style and budget. P R O T I P : Wedding planners don’t just plan. They will help you stay on budget and teach you where to cut costs. - BRITTNEY, BLACK LABEL EVENTS & DESIGN
PICK A
D AT E A N D V E N U E Decide if you’d like to get married on a special day, or if you’d rather have a particular venue. Depending on how far in advance you are booking, the availability of your venue will likely be a limiting factor. Upon visiting venues, it’s easy to get drawn into the aesthetics of a space.
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P R O T I P : You will want to get a good grasp on your guest list before picking a venue. Many venues cannot accommodate more than 200 people. Conversely, you do not want to book a venue designed to hold 300 people if you are only inviting 100. -- Brittney
READ REVIEWS Try to get the inside scoop: Does a venue have any rave reviews? Are there any venues or coordinators that are difficult to work with? Is the venue exclusive or do they host more than one event at the same time? Are there any spatial limitations you should know about? How’s the food? Google Business Places, The Knot and Facebook will be good places to seek out and even talk to other couples who have used reception venues you may be interested in.
CONSIDER LOGISTICS Once you have a list of possible venues and begin to visit them, you may find yourself focusing only on the aesthetics of the space. While it may be easy to fall in love with how a room looks, be sure to slow down and consider the logistics and flow of actually having a reception at the venue.
MEET THE STAFF Lastly, one of the most important things that can make or break a venue is the staff. Make sure you meet and feel comfortable with your point of contact at your favorite venue - you want to work with a team that provides great customer service to make your day special for you and your guests! - DEIDRA, IRONDEQUOIT COUNTRY CLUB
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3 S TA R T
WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING
Use this time to find a dress that will fit your body, style and budget. Choose the people you invite to go dress shopping wisely. You want to surround yourself with people you can trust to give you their honest opinion. P R O T I P : Do your first round of boutique visits by yourself, it’s surprisingly relaxing to drink champagne and twirl around with a professional stylist who will give you an honest opinion without the drama and competing opinions. - Brittney
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START EARLY Wedding gowns can take anywhere from 12 weeks to six months to come in - so plan accordingly! By 12 months out, you should be researching your options, and by 9 months you want to be ready to select “the one!” EDUCATE YOURSELF Do your homework before your appointments! Know what designers a boutique carries, their price points and have some photos of gowns you love. This will help guide the conversation with your stylist, and act as a jumping off point. Also give some thought to what you DON’T want.
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KEEP AN OPEN MIND Keep an open mind! Try on at least one dress of each standard silhouette – you might be surprised by what looks good on your body. - KATIE, LOVELY BRIDE
4 B O O K YO U R
MAIN VENDORS
The first vendors you should book are your photographer and a DJ or band. These vendors tend to book up quickly and you want to have your choice! Once you have chosen and reserved these two vendors, you will want to start looking for a florist and hair & makeup artist. After you’ve chosen these four vendors you can sit back and relax a little. At six months out you will want to book your bakery. P R O T I P : Carefully examine prospective vendor’s websites. A lot of couples will use the excuse “I have plenty of time before my wedding, I don’t need to book vendors now.” A vendor will take the first person to sign on the dotted line. The early bird gets the worm! - Brittney
PHOTOGR A PH Y
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A F T E R YO U R W E D D I N G DAY, the only thing that lasts are your photographs. Your wedding album is the only thing you will purchase today that will only appreciate over time. There are many different styles and types of wedding photographer out there – so it’s crucial that you invest the time to find the perfect fit for you! Here are some tips to help you on your path.
- NATALIE, NATALIE SINISGALLI PHOTOGRAPHY
EX AMINE THE PORTFOLIO It’s important that you emotionally respond to their photographs, and would like to see yourselves in them! Keep in mind, a photographer has chosen their portfolio images to represent the best they can deliver, so make sure you like most if not all of the photos you’ve seen from them. Ask to see several weddings they’ve shot start-tofinish, to ensure that you’re hiring someone who can consistently deliver quality images - not just by chance or under ideal time, lighting and weather circumstances.
GET TO KNOW THEIR PERSONALIT Y Your photographer is one of the longest standing relationships you will have with any of your vendors. Not only will their personality shape your wedding day, but you will continue to work with them long after your wedding is over. You want the experience to be pleasurable - and you will not look good or comfortable in your photographs if you do not feel at ease with your photographer.
SEE THEIR PRODUCTS One of the most important parts of meeting your photographer in-person will be getting to see and feel the products they offer. Some studios will only provide you with digital images and send you on your way, while others will take the time to craft an archival album designed to tell the story of your day to generations to come. Simply reviewing the “starting price” for several photographers only tells you part of the story.
FLOW ERS
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PERSONALIT Y Be sure to let your florist know a little about what makes you tick as a couple so that they are able to help integrate that into the designs of your special day.
G E T C R E AT I V E Don’t be afraid to make your own path and create something unique to you when it comes to your floral and event decor.
GET INSPIRED Interior design magazines can be a great place to find inspiration for your event.... don’t focus only on floral images. Colors, textures, art, evened designed spaces can be a great spark for a unique event design.
- STACY K, STACY K FLORAL
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HAIR AND M A K EU P
PLAN AHEAD Experienced and sought after wedding stylists book 12-18 months ahead of time.
B U I L D A R E L AT I O N S H I P Professional hair and makeup shouldn’t be left until the last minute! Find your stylist early so you can bond with them through the entire process. That way you can use them for your engagement shoot, maybe a boudoir shoot, styling for your shower and even your bachelorette party. The more experiences you have together, the better they will understand your style and the more comfortable and confident you’ll feel with them on your wedding day. - CHR ISSY, SPECI A L OCCASION H A IR DESIGN
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REL AX
Remember to take some time for the two of you! While planning a wedding you will receive a lot of opinions from family and friends, solicited or not. It’s easy to get caught up in the anxiety of the planning process. Your wedding should reflect who you and your fiancÊ are, and remember the most important thing about the wedding day is that you get to marry your best friend. - Brittney
We hope you have found this guide to be helpful! If you have any further questions or would like to meet with any of our contributors, you may contact them via their website listed on Page 2 :) Again, Congrats!
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