%20(3).png)
You did it! Here we are, at the final stop before we dive into selecting your venue and securing your wedding date. The last piece of the wedding planning foundation we’ve been building is related to wedding style, or vibes if you prefer.
At Marryment we know that not everyone has that “dream wedding” or that this step has been something they have necessarily wanted their entire life. We’re here to meet you where you are in terms of envisioning your wedding day. This week’s blog post will feature three activities to help you select your wedding venue.
We highly encourage you to listen to this episode of 52 ‘Til I Do on Spotify or Apple Podcasts as you are doing these exercises. Be sure to grab our free downloadable too!
read this in a calm meditative tone to yourself
Put yourself in a place where you are imagining yourself on your wedding day.
What is around you?
What do you see?
What do you smell?
What foods are you tasting?
What things are you touching?
What do you hear?
Most importantly, what is it that you are feeling at this moment?
Other factors:
Do you want to feel calm or energized?
Do you want to feel playful or whimsical?
What are those things you want to experience?
All of these things are fundamentally influenced by your venue. (Ex: If cozy is the vibe you are going for, let’s not look at industrial spaces.
Setting a 20-30 minute timer (yes - that's it!)
*Once the timer goes off, go get yourself a beverage or slice of cheese (cause you know what makes wedding planning better? Cheese.)*
Things To Think About
Is there anything that is surprising to you? Had you been thinking of a beach wedding and all of a sudden your board is filled with evergreen trees? Is there anything you thought you were gravitating towards and that’s just not the case?
Was there anything there that really resonated with you as including or excluding your favorite hobbies, places, colors (things you have enjoyed both individually and as a couple) Think about what is it that you and your partner like doing. Are those things represented here?
What words just hit differently for you? Consider setting, season, venue types, and personal style here. Jot down words that describe how you’d like your wedding day to feel.
Keep in mind - feeling words mean different things to different people, just know that it can be very individual to you and that it is what you want it to be. We even struggle sometimes and think to ourselves things like.. is this whimsical or is this eclectic?
Venue type (are we thinking country club, marine, mountain-side? You can use whatever words resonate with you and as you're going through the venue search, then you can assign the verbiage you find meaningful to those spaces.
Theming (to theme or not to theme often feels like the question at hand) Some examples we’ve seen; Disney, league of legends, star wars, pokemon. Just like there’s ways to work elements into your day that incorporate elements of your personal interests, there’s ways to make your entire wedding day themed around dungeons and dragons & we are here for it!
What are your thoughts on announcing your engagement on social media?
Pros: You’ll get more advertising for more wedding-related things than you ever have before, you’ll see trends, vendors, venues, ect.
Cons: Be aware that these targeted ads can be really tempting, not to mention they’re scientifically formatted to make you spend money.
Trying to let everyone near and dear to you know about the engagement prior to posting it on social media if you’d like to avoid hurt feelings. By posting you can run the risk of people inserting themselves into your wedding who you maybe would not like to be involved.
What does the process look like / how does one go about searching for a vendor in the social media space?
You are not alone if this feels overwhelming! There is a lot of misinformation on social media (shocker!) On wedding pages for couples, oftentimes we will see someone reach out with a “Hey I’m looking for a florist” and if you look at the comments it quickly will be 127 comments of people all suggesting someone enthusiastically telling you that they’re the best.
Having a planner is so helpful here, because we have preferred vendors that we’ve worked with that we trust. We are going to listen to your needs for your day and your budget and suggest 5(ish) DJs who meet your criteria, and if those 5(ish) or so don’t work for you we will send more. We start with a much smaller scale here. There’s a lot of scams on those pages as well, so be very careful with the information you’re getting from social media.
What are your thoughts on Pinterest when planning a wedding?
Great for options & ideas, but it can cause you to change your mind up based on the sole amount of ideas out there. It’s all beautiful, it will show you everything (including things that quite frankly don’t exist) You might see this incredible bouquet for example, and when you take that photo to a florist they may tell you it's an AI generated flower or a hybrid situation. Styled shoots also are often on Pinterest and are crafted just for one photo, which oftentimes is not realistic for an entire wedding day.
What are your thoughts on joint bank accounts, specifically when payments are due?
It can be helpful as payment installations are due, and along the way in the planning process when large sums are due all at once. A trend we’ve been seeing is that a surprising amount of our couples are getting married legally ahead of their celebration. For budgets, taxes, healthcare, and a number of other reasons couples are trending in this direction. Just make sure your planner knows, we understand you not wanting to make it public knowledge or maybe not even telling anyone ahead of time. But it is important we know and your officiant knows as it can affect your planning process as well.
Thoughts on engagement parties?
Pros: it allows you to feel celebrated, share about your big day, and discuss plans. It can be as formal or informal as you desire, it’s a special memory to share with those closest to you who want to support you and celebrate you in this season.
Cons: family dynamics & drama can play a big part into this when it comes to weddings in general, added stress, added planning, how much you’re asking of your VIPs.
Viewer Question: How does family availability affect your wedding date?
Once you can narrow your list of VIPs so it’s not too broad, you can reach out and get a sense of if it’s important to celebrate on family dates or special days that have tradition behind them? Are there any upcoming travel plans to avoid planning on? Are there city-specific things going on like festivals, holiday celebrations?
Venue Coordinator vs. third party coordinator?
Many venues have a coordinator, they’re great and they are wonderful support for us. But unlike a venue coordinator, we are there for you from the beginning of the day through the night managing that timeline that we build for you while working with you and establishing that relationship. If you do not have someone managing your timeline the day of the wedding, it will fall to someone in that VIP circle, and it will result in them not being able to fully enjoy the day.
What is the difference between a planner and a coordinator?
Same expert team, different verbs. Planner - a person planning anything that is happening ahead of your wedding day. Coordinator - the person there on your wedding day making sure that your timeline and vision is coming to life. At Marryment, with any package you select there will always be aspects of planning involved.
Why should people have a wedding coordinator?
When it comes to pulling it all together, building out that timeline, and massaging the timelines provided from your other vendors in a way that allows your day to flow. We are so intentional with adding buffer time, making sure your other vendors are there setting up, that the cake has been delivered, that everything is matching your vision. Coordinators are able to think on their toes and address minor issues or mishaps as they arise. There’s so many moving pieces throughout the day that it would be impossible for someone else to notice all of the little details that we put focus into.
If you’d like to hear the story of how Laura and Denise met, or their personal philosophies on meeting strangers for coffee, listen to this episode of 52 ‘Til I Do on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you love to stream!
Photo Credit to JNA Visuals
Schedule your free planning call with us.
Planning tips, wedding inspiration, and exclusive offers—straight to your inbox! Join our community and get the latest updates to make your wedding journey even more joyful.
