As a wedding planner I have always known how much easier it is for our clients to pay to have other people do things for them on their wedding day rather than trying to do things themselves (they are the VIPs of the day after all). However, I had never really practiced that philosophy in my own life for an important event until I went on a big vacation.
My boyfriend and I decided to go on an Alaskan cruise, and neither one of us had ever been on a cruise before. We flew into Seattle to leave for it, also some place we had never been before. My boyfriend handled the cruise part of it, booking the cabin (upgraded to a balcony room) drink and Wi-Fi package and excursions. I handled the airfare, hotel the night before the cruise, and transport getting us to and from the airport.
A few days before we were set to leave, I got to thinking about how I could make the first leg of our trip, to Seattle, as smooth and successful as possible. The answer was an easy one: upgrade our economy plane tickets to first class. This would mean we could each check two bags so we didn’t have to stress about how much to bring, we would get a meal on the flight so we wouldn’t have to figure out a meal at the airport, we would board early so less fighting for space in the aisle, and we were able to enjoy a pre-flight drink on the plane while people in the back of the plane struggled with overhead bin space and elbow room.
Were the first-class seats twice as expensive as the economy seats? Yes. Would I do that again to ensure a more relaxed experience on the way to a big vacation doing something we hadn’t done before? In a heartbeat, and as a matter of fact, upgraded our seats again on the way home.
Check out the amazing views we got to take in while being completely relaxed on our vacation! Because we treated ourselves like VIPs we got to actually take in the views and savor them. Not just snap a picture and move on.
The same philosophy can be applied to your wedding day. It’s a big day and you are most likely doing something neither one of you have done before, so sometimes you need to remember to treat yourselves like the VIPs you are and just spend the extra money to make the day go more smoothly.
These are the top things where your dollars will go a long way to taking the stress out of the day:
- Transportation for the wedding party – This is especially true if the wedding party needs to travel from one place to another for the ceremony, pictures or reception, and it is better if they stay together as a group. Trying to have several cars find a spot to park at St. Anthony Main on a Saturday in June so the wedding party can take photos is not a good idea.
- Have an extra hair and/or makeup artist if you have more than six people getting services – Hair and makeup running behind is one of the most common ways to have a stressful morning and one person can only work so fast.
- Pay to have your florist come back to strike and pick up their items – It may seem like a good idea to just say you will bring the items back to the florist, but then you need to remember that someone needs to take them that night and have room for them in their car. Unless it’s just one or two tubs, these items can end up being a lot more than you expected and more hassle than you want at midnight.
- This one may seem obvious, but hire a professional wedding planner or manager – We are the ones who handle all the things that can stress a couple out: the timeline, vendor questions, wedding party questions, guest questions (yes, everyone has questions on the wedding day no matter how much we plan) and reading the room to know when the couple needs to take a minute to themselves. If you’re not sure where to start, contact us! We are happy to chat through any questions with you.
I know these aren’t exactly the pretty or sexy things to budget for in your wedding but they are absolutely worth it so that your reaction can be just like this on your wedding day! Trust me, you are VIPs and should be treated like it too.
