Top Five Questions From Brides-To-Be Answered
So you’re engaged...first off, congratulations babe! You’re about to venture into an exciting, amazing and sometimes stressful time period…and that is wedding planning time! Planning your perfect dream wedding can feel like a monumental task and there will be lots (and lots) of questions regarding what to do, how to do it and when to do it. That’s why we are here! As wedding planners, our job is to walk you through the process and make sure everything is perfect, beautiful and most importantly STRESS-FREE. There are always a handful of questions that we get asked by every couple and we wanted to go over these here so we can hopefully help lighten your load. Of course, our team at Finerr Weddings and Events are always here to help answer any questions you may have but below, you’ll find the top five questions we get asked from our grooms and brides-to-be!
1. What Does My Wedding Coordinator Handle?
The first question we get asked by all of our couples, which is completely understandable is…what do we do as wedding planners? This is actually a very important question to ask as all wedding planners work a little differently and your planner’s role in your wedding day heavily depends on what package you select. At Finerr Weddings and Events, we offer anything from full wedding coordination, which starts from the moment you say “YES” after your engagement till you say “I Do”, to partial planning, month or and day of coordination packages. Or if you want to use our services as an a-la-carte option, for things like wedding venue tours, vendor recommendation, budget support and more, we have options for you! A wedding planner's job as a whole is to bring our expertise and help ensure all details are given attention, vendors are booked and in line, timelines are in order, budget is being maintained and everything runs smoothly. Most importantly, we're here to take that unnecessary stress away from you and your partner. This is the most exciting time of your life and should be treated as such. Nobody has time for wedding planning stress, babe! Find the package that best fits your needs at www.finerrweddingsandevents.com/weddings
2. When Should I Book My Vendors?
Shortly after figuring out what role their planner plays in their wedding, couples' next question is always “when should we book our vendors?” To be completely honest, the real answer to this questions is… as soon as possible. With so many couples having to reschedule, postpone and/or wait to plan their wedding with the uncertainty of the last few years, the industry is booming right now. This really has created a new standard for booking vendors. Where it used to be an average of a six to eight month booking window for vendors has now turned into 12-18 months…some vendors are already completely booked two years out already! Crazy, we know…but that’s why we are here!
The first vendor that you want to book is your wedding planner. This is simply because we are the ones who will help you find the right venue and vendors to fit your needs. We will help you secure your perfect vendor team and of course, get you discounts where we can. If possible, we tell our brides to begin booking their vendors 12-18 months before the wedding date. For those brides reading this who are less than a year out from your date and don’t have all of your dream vendors secured, don’t worry! A good wedding planner will have a great selection of vendors to choose from and it doesn't hurt to have connections and friendships in the industry. With Finerr Weddings and Events on your side, you WILL get yourself a wonderful team of vendors no matter the time frame…but definitely add booking your vendors to the top of your checklist once your planner and venue have been selected!
3. When Should Save the Dates & Wedding Invitations Be Sent Out?
Another super frequent question on our couples minds is “when should we send out wedding invitations?”. Now, if you are planning to send out save the dates, (which by the way we are totally on board with save the dates as they do help guests plan ahead but they are hardly mandatory and for some couples, not necessary. So, don’t feel like you have to send them!) you can do so as early as you would like! Some couples send them up to a year in advance. We will say, you should definitely make sure all of the concrete wedding details are set in stone like date, location and space capacity before sending save the dates. This way, you won’t have to backtrack and spend money resending this information if your date, location or capacity changes. Having to cut the guest list after sending out save the dates can be excruciating!
As for invitations, it is typically custom to send out your official wedding invites six to eight weeks before the date. If you are having a destination wedding, this timeframe increases to three months prior in order to allow travel arrangements for guests. For those couples who are in a time crunch and don’t think they can make the six week cut, definitely look into virtual wedding invitations! This way, you can get the important details to your guest immediately and won’t have to worry about the time delays that come with printing and mailing your invitations. It is super cost efficient as well!
4. Do I Tip Vendors and How Much?
This next question is an important one when budgeting for your vendors and wedding day…and that is- should you tip your vendors and if so, how much? The short answer to this question is yes. Although it is not mandatory, tipping your vendors is very much appreciated for a job well done so it is important to keep this in mind when putting together your budget. One very crucial factor to remember before planning out your vendor tips, is to fully read your contracts (this is also a great reason to hire the right planners as we can help you with this). Some vendor contracts already include gratuity in the pricing so you’ll want to get a grasp on which contracts do and do not include gratuity so you aren’t tipping vendors twice! Here is a really great wedding vendor tipping cheat sheet created by The Knot.
If tipping is truly out of your budget, remember there are other ways to show your gratitude (and even if you do tip, these are still truly appreciated gestures). Supporting your vendors by writing them reviews, tagging them in your wedding posts, giving them shout outs on your social accounts and simply recommending them to other couples are all really helpful gestures that don’t require money or too much of your time and do a world of good for your vendors and their businesses!
5. Where Can We Save On Budget?
We will finish off the list with a question that whether we specifically get asked or not, is always on every couples mind as they are navigating through the wedding planning process…and that is “Where can we save on budget?”. Let’s face it…weddings can be EXPENSIVE and things add up very quickly. From venue to catering to flowers…it can feel like you are *never going to financially recover from this*. So, here are a few places where you can save. First and foremost, hiring the right planner will do your budget a world of good! With a wedding planner comes vendor partnerships and connections…AKA discounts. We will also ensure you stay on budget and don’t overspend on the little things that end up adding up by the end of the planning process.
Some other ideas if you're looking to pinch a few pennies… florals. Flowers are often where couples go over budget. Choose to go with more greenery in your decor and opt for flower types that are budget friendly but still equally as beautiful. Look into renting your decorations. For some reason, couples tend to lean towards buying their decorations which 1. Cost them a ton in the end and 2. Have nowhere to go once the wedding is over. Rentals are cheaper and you don’t have to worry about finding a home for them afterwards! Another great place to save…skip the wedding favors! Many guests forget about them by the end of the night anyways and they typically end up being money wasters. These are just a few of many ways to save on budget and still have the wedding of your dreams!
To all of our future brides and grooms reading this- we hope we answered some of your questions or at least gave some helpful insight. Of course, if you have a question that we haven't answered here, we would love to talk with you! Finerr Weddings and Events offers packages to fit every couples budget and needs. No matter which package you go with, our team is here to make your dream wedding a reality! We pride ourselves on delivering high-quality events that leave your guests in awe! Our goal is to inspire, create the extraordinary, and leave an impression that lasts a lifetime. Learn more about what we offer at www.finerrweddingsandevents.com