Wedding Planning 101: Q&A With a Wedding Planner
Congratulations, you’re engaged! Now what?
It’s hard to know where you should even begin when it comes to planning the big day. That’s why we sat down with wedding planner Kaitlin Shea of Kaitlin Shea Weddings to ask the questions that will help you get started.
Planning a wedding is overwhelming, where do you recommend couples start?
Start by sitting down and talking to your spouse to be about what is most important to them because what they want to prioritize may not be what YOU want to prioritize. Marriage is about compromise, so what better time to start than during your engagement! Once you have a better idea of what you’re looking for, start by booking your venue (or your planner, they have lots of venue suggestions) because venues book out early, often over 1 year in advance!
Photo courtesy of Kari Geha Photography.
What are some of your favorite wedding trends?
Personally, I love creating something new with my couples! There have been plenty of trends that I have fallen in love with, like the geode wedding cake, but when wedding planning is your day job, it’s much more fun to help couples create something unique to them than to send them to the same old inspiration photos! Nothing (well…almost nothing) is impossible to include in your celebration!
What are some unique ways to personalize a space?
Couples often focus on the big ticket items to transform their venue, but it’s the little details that make the biggest impact! Yes, your guests will likely remember if you have incredible floral displays, but they’ll also remember if you had a quirky and unique signature drink, favors that they will actually want to hold on to, and other personalized touches that won’t break the bank.
Photo courtesy of Kari Geha Photography.
Traditions seem to be changing, what do you recommend couples keep/get rid of?
I’m a big fan of non-traditional weddings! If you don’t want to do the bouquet and garter toss, don’t. If you don’t want to wear a white dress (or a dress at all), don’t. Your wedding day doesn’t have to be cookie cutter, it can and should be a celebration of the uniqueness of you and your relationship. That said, I’m still a sucker for a cute first dance!
Why should couples consider hiring a planner?
A lot of couples think that with the help of friends and family, they don’t need a wedding planner. While you may have fully dedicated helpers, they don’t have the experience to know how to deal with a vendor mishap or other emergency, how to keep your timeline well…on time, and the answers to all of your million pre, during, and post wedding questions! A professional will always put you first, won’t crack under pressure, and will handle all of your wedding activities expertly. Plus, a professional planner doesn’t come with the emotional ties that your friends and family do and can look at your big day more objectively! Oh, and they have insurance. ?
Photo courtesy of Kari Geha Photography.
What do you want to say to 2019’s couples?
Have fun throughout the entire wedding planning process. Make each vendor appointment, shopping trip, and budgeting session a date day. Remind yourself that at the end of all of this planning, what you’re going to end up with is a spouse and not to let the little things get to you. Everything and anything can go wrong when wedding planning, and guests may end up being the bane of your existence, but you’re only engaged once, so enjoy yourself!
About Kaitlin Shea Weddings: Kaitlin Shea Weddings is a wedding and event planning company in the Denver/Boulder area. Owner Kaitlin has loved party planning as long as she can remember and decided to make it a career in 2015. She has experience working in bridal salons as well as working for a planning company south of Denver. Kaitlin Shea Weddings officially got its start in 2018 and specializes in curating out of the box weddings for creative couples. To learn more, visit her website.
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