Planning a wedding is tons of work, but the day of shouldn’t be! If you get all your ducks in a row and have our San Diego wedding planner by your side, planning will be a breeze and the day of, an absolute blast! Here are our 10 tips for a stress free wedding day:
1. Hire Wedding Planner/Coordinator
Let's be real, finding time to plan a wedding is no easy feat. There are so many details, deadlines, vendors and decisions to juggle. What should be an exciting experience often turns into a full time job BUT at Willmus Weddings, we like to keep the planning fun! Think of us as your wedding planning partners in crime. Not only will we make awesome vendor recommendations, but we will guide you throughout the process. We are here to keep you on track and make sure you hit all the important wedding milestones so it all does not pile up at the end! We like to encourage our couples to be as involved as they want and leave the rest up to us. The day flies by in a flash so the last thing you want to worry about is logistics and managing your vendor team. Let us take charge so you can enjoy every single minute with your loved ones. You invest so much of your time and energy planning the wedding of your dreams, you owe it to yourself to have someone execute if flawlessly.
2. Create Timeline
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of creating a timeline with your coordinator. It serves as a the ultimate guide for both the wedding party and your vendor team so there are no surprises day of. You typically book your wedding venue for a limited amount of time so maximizing every minute with your guests is imperative. As your coordinators, we keep everything in motion, everyone on top of the schedule and prep the vendors in advance so they are ready for each formality to come.
3. Trust Your Vendors
As professionals who are accustomed to doing weddings every weekend, we know what to expect. We understand what goes into every wedding and what needs to be done in order to make it a success. We are ready for every scenario possible and day of, we have solutions to any problems that may arise, big or small. Use us as your biggest resource since we have pretty much seen it all. We want make sure your big day is as awesome as possible so trust our expertise and listen to our advice. Let us guide you through any hiccups or bumps in the road.
4. Create Wedding Website
With every wedding there are normally some announcements that need to be made to your guests along the way. Easiest way to update them all at once is by creating a website! Does your ceremony take place on the beach or lawn? Remind the ladies to wear appropriate shoes! Will everything be held outdoors? Remind your guests to bring something in case it gets chilly! Will transportation be provided after all? Let them know the schedule and pick up points! Check out our favorite Wedding Website Builders.
TIP: While you are requesting guests addresses, ask for emails at the same time.
5. Give Decor To Coordinator
Lessen your load and give all your decor items to the Willmus Weddings team for set up prior to your wedding. Trust us! You will feel relieved once you officially do the hand off. We take care of setting up decor prior to guest arrival and will break it all down at the end of reception. One less thing to worry about!
6. Prepare Final Payments/Tips
Save yourself the hassle and responsibility of distributing final vendor payments + tips day of. You will have other things to worry about! Give them to the Willmus Weddings team in sealed envelopes and consider it taken care of. You can also pay your vendors in advance to get that checked off your list. Wondering how much to tip your awesome vendors? Look no further! Check out our Tipping Guide.
7. Be Fashion Ready
Set yourself up for success by making sure all the different components to your wedding attire work! Break in your shoes ahead of time so you can easily tear up the dance floor. Give Willmus Weddings a pair of flip flops to hide under your Sweetheart Table should you decide to change out of your heels. Put the Best Man in charge of your wedding rings. Have your Maid of Honor hold your lipstick and powder. Teach someone how to bustle your dress (take a video!) to avoid any delays.
*Helpful tip prior to the wedding: bring your bra & shoes to your dress fittings to get altered correctly.
8. Assign Point Of Contact For Bride & Groom
Given the many moving parts to each wedding day, it is a challenge to keep track of it all which is why you have Willmus Weddings on your side. We are here to support you, but the last thing we want is to overload you with questions on your big day. We highly recommend assigning two people as a bride & groom point of contact (often the Maid of Honor & Best Man) to answer any important questions we may have, respond to non-pressing matters, be in charge of your cell phone, hold your personal belongings and to keep things moving along with the wedding party. The Willmus Weddings will be right by their side for guidance and keep everyone one step ahead.
9. Be Flexible
Giving you the wedding of your dreams is, of course, the ultimate goal of your vendor team, but even with all our ducks in a row, things do not always work out the way they are supposed to. The biggest piece of advice we can give is to be flexible! Formalities can run late or early, wardrobe malfunctions can happen, but no worries! We are on it! We are here to help you avoid those uh-oh moments and put any fires out so you do not have to! There may be hiccups, but trust your wedding coordinator to keep things moving along and to always have a Plan B in place. Go with the flow and soak it all in. Just enjoy being surrounded by the people you love the most. Try not to get wrapped up in every detail and trust your vendor team. In the end, it is all about making the ultimate commitment to the love of your life and celebrating with all your favorites.
10. Eat & Drink Plenty
Between getting dolled up from head to toe to dancing the night away, wedding days can be pretty long so snacking up and hydrating are a must! While the Willmus Weddings team will make sure you are tasting everything delicious thing that your caterer has to offer and that your glass is never empty, be sure to eat a serious breakfast and load up your Wedding Party with snacks. It will help keep your energy levels up from tying the knot up to sailing off to your honeymoon.
