It’s hard to believe, but Kyle and I are quickly coming up on our 5th wedding anniversary! I’ve been reflecting on our day and going through photos to reminisce. It’s unbelievable how quickly time has passed, and I wish I could’ve slowed down time during the year that we were planning our wedding.
Since we’re in peak wedding season here in New England, I wanted to share some of my planning tips to help newly engaged couples enjoy process. There’s so much you don’t know that you don’t know when you get started, and these are the things I found to be the most helpful in the planning process.
My Pinterest wedding board
1. Start by picking a color palette
One of the best ways to get started is to pick a color palette. Choosing a handful of colors to carry throughout the day is the easiest way to narrow things down and get the ball rolling. Having a palette to refer back to makes for a smoother decision making process when it comes to aspects like bridesmaid dresses, suits for the groomsmen, florals, and decor. I loved using Pinterest as a planning tool, especially at the beginning stages. Pin a wide variety of images that you love and over time, you’ll probably start to notice that you’re gravitating towards certain colors. For me, the colors were a seafoam green and pops of gold & pink florals!
2. Design and send your invites
Once you’ve gotten your color palette down, it’s time to move on to designing save the dates and invitations! I’m a total lover of paper products and love customizing my own pieces. My favorite resource of the moment is Basic Invite. They have an incredible palette of color options and once you’ve selected your design, you can customize any color element to over 180 colors. I also love their new options like rose gold foil and the clear collection. Interested to see their designs? Check out some of their wedding invitation examples here. You can find a design to fit almost any theme and they’ll send you custom printed samples of your invitations so you can see exactly what they’ll look like before placing your final order. You’ll feel great once your invites are finalized and in the mail! It makes everything feel real, and the sooner they’re out, the more time you’ll have for the next steps of the planning process.
As a side note: I just used Basic Invite to print branded stationery for my business, Shade Made Creative and I’m in love with the final product. The designing and ordering process were smooth and the stationery arrived in just a few days.
3. Create a Wedding Website
We learned that having a wedding website is so key! It makes life a million times easier to have the details of the day in a centralized spot. It’s also a great place for guests to get a first impression of what to expect on your wedding day. Be sure to include important details like the schedule of the day, venue addresses, and dress code on your site. You can also add in fun extras like the story of how you met your fiance, photos of your bridal party, and nearby activities for guests who will be spending extra time in the area. Conveniently, Basic Invite also offers free wedding rsvp websites. They have so many gorgeous options which are totally customizable, just like their invitations. One of the BEST features is that guests can RSVP directly on the site so that your guest list is in one convenient place.
4. Add personalized touches throughout the day
My favorite part of wedding planning was adding elements that we’re totally unique. As a vintage lover, we had plenty of vintage props as a part of the day. We also hand stamped all of our place cards which were displayed on twine between two vintage ladders. Another way to add a unique personal touch to the day (which would be a lot less time consuming than hand stamped cards 😂) are custom coasters wedding favors. Add your names and wedding date to drink coasters, or even a photo of the two of you! Guests will enjoy finding all the special touches that you’ve added.
5. Let your vendors do their thing!
This is a big one! Once you’ve hired your vendors (caterer, florist, photographer, DJ, etc.) let them do what they do best. It’s great to give your vendors an idea of what you’re looking for, but once you’ve given some direction, step out of the way and let them take care of everything. I found that our vendors were most excited when they had creative freedom in the process — and it showed in the results. For example, I asked our florist for “some pinks, some dahlias, and over the top romance” and then let her do her thing. She nailed it, and surprised us with other little details like adding pink flowers in the water feature along the aisle to the ceremony. If you’re not micro-managing you’ll have more time to relax and appreciate the process, and your vendors will thank you for it.
On a personal note, to celebrate our Fifth Wedding Anniversary we’re heading to Copenhagen, Denmark in November! My husband studied abroad there, so I’m excited to have a tour guide and to check out the Christmas markets.
For those of you who are already married – what did you find to be the most helpful when you were planning for your wedding day? I’d love to hear your tips!
*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Basic Invite, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
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