1. She* can’t read your mind. Just like your fiance couldn’t give you one good reason why you’re mad at him, your wedding planner won’t know exactly what you want unless you tell 
her. She may be able to figure some things out, but, unless you’re giving up all control to her on this important day, make sure she knows about all of your expectations and all the little details she needs to take care of. (Bottom line: Good communication is key. Keep the paths of communication open and functioning. Don’t be afraid to tell her what you don’t like or what needs to be changed. Don’t be afraid to call or send her an email. She is there to answer your questions. Also, don’t hesitate to ask her for updates. It’s her job!)
2. She asks to meet with you and for certain information for specific reasons. Your wedding 
planner doens’t want to waste your time or hers. When she asks to schedule a meeting, it’s for a reason. Perhaps she wants to make positively certain that she has the day’s schedule of events down or wants to tripple check the list of songs, or a plethera of other minute details that have very likely left your mind completely. So meet with her that one last time, and don’t be late! (Some planners will charge you for being late to appointments, so ask in advance, just in case time slips away from you easily.)
3. She is your advocate, but can’t get you absolutely anything you want. While yes, she may be able to pull all of her strings for you, she still can’t get Michael Buble to sing at your 
wedding for a mere five grand. Also, she is working for you and wants to make you a very happy customer, so if she is any good, she’ll go above and beyond to get you what you ask for, but at the same time, when she says something just won’t work, listen to her. Chances are, she’s already tried it.
4. She can’t keep some things from happening. Like rain. Or an ice storm. However, you’ve 
hired her to make sure if these things do happen, you’ll have a back up plan. So, while it’s easy to be upset that it’s raining on your wedding day (which some believe is good luck!), don’t take it out on your planner. Be happy that she arranged for a back up tent to be set up or that she has made special arrangements for an attendant to be ready and waiting with an umbrella and other rain-repellant objects to transport you from the limo to the reception building.
5. Assistants are more than just good company. Weddings are a big ordeal. If you’ve hired a 
wedding planner, you’ve probably already felt the weight upon your shoulders that a wedding can bring. Now imagine you are the only one that needs to set up for the reception and ceremony and check in with all the vendors and make sure your day progresses with as little hiccups as possible. Yeah! Stressful! That’s where assistants come in. They do more work than you see and are definitely a necessary helper.
6. She puts in more work than you’d think. You may only meet four or five times before your 
wedding day, but that doesn’t mean that she’s only putting five or six hours into your day! Before you met for the first time she made sure she was prepared to meet with you and answer your questions. Between meetings she contacted vendors, built schedules, organized people and various other little details. And even after the event, there is follow up work involved. So while you may not have a lot of face time, she is definitely hard at work.
All in all, if you have a wedding planner that you just click with, things will go a lot more smoothly. But even then, as the wedding date approaches and nerves raise, remember the things above to keep your relationship with her great!
*Or he
The oh-so-popular Wedding Planner, J.Lo. She put wedding planners in a new light!
somewhat “small” (which, true, is a relative term). That being said, the temptation of hiring family or friends for wedding-related services and products can be a slippery slope when trying to navigate through etiquette, feelings, and everyone’s opinions.
is not exactly how you pictured it or the wording on your invitations is just a little different than what you had expected, you should treat your agreement with any friend or relative you “hire” like any other vendor you hire. Have a written letter of agreement and outline all of the specifics. And perhaps more importantly, make sure she /he takes her/his job seriously as well. If her/his service to you is also her/his career, she/he probably will, as she/he wants you to be another happy customer!
humans! We all make mistakes. And yes, while your wedding might be the happiest day of your life up until this point, for all of your vendors, it’s just another day at work. For your friends and family, of course, they are more connected to you than most of your other vendors and are probably more happy about the day’s events. But, that being said, any friend or family member you ask to help you out will probably be less focused on providing the perfect product or service and more on seeing you blissfully happy which believe it or not, can cause more problems than you’d think. So, prepare yourself for little hiccups and don’t let them “ruin” you day. After all, as long as you’re married at the end of the evening, the event was a success, right?
afford a monetary gift or your helper may simply refuse one, that doesn’t mean you can’t say thanks and really mean it! Perhaps sending some flowers or a basket of goodies would do the trick. Above all else, make sure you include a very well written and meaningful thank you note. Nice stationary, neat hand writing, and mention of specific tasks your helper did for you along with a few lines of how truly grateful you are should work nicely!
volunteers their services or offers to provide something for you, make sure you know exactly what she’s/he’s up for. Perhaps she/he just wants to sew you a ring pillow – not all of your bridesmaid’s dresses. Know what she’s/he’s willing to do and don’t try to push her/him into doing more than she/he volunteered for.
big day (she was always so great at slumber parties!) does a horrible job during the test run and you can’t stomach seeing what she might turn your hair into for you wedding day, make sure you have a way out. Perhaps a note like this: “Thank you so much for doing a test run on my hair! I think, though, that I might just go to the salon instead. That way you don’t have to invest in any tools you don’t need to make my hair look like the pictures I had. And, you don’t have to deal with my crazy nerves and super picky taste! I really appreciate your offer!” And don’t forget, don’t set things like this in stone unless you are absolutely positive that she can provide you with what you want. Save yourself from hurting feelings if you can!
wedding isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just know exactly what you’re getting yourself into!
As we all know, wedding planning can be stressful! No matter how much fun you are truly having, you can’t avoid vendors and family needing to change plans last second, unexpected changes in the schedule, and that pesky little blemish on the right side of your nose right before your hair and makeup test run. And of course, there is the relationship with your soon-to-be. Little things can turn into big issues as the days and weeks and months of wedding planning pass by. So how do you spend a little time with your honey and keep the wedding stress to a minimum!? Here are a few fun ideas (just remember, no wedding talk during the activities)!
the treadmill and weights. Working out together will help inspire you to look fabulous for the big day, without actually talking about it.
projects you need and want to do to make it “just right”? Get as much finished as you can pre-wedding so you don’t have to worry about it when you come back from your honeymoon. Get together and paint the walls or restain your kitchen table.
them, take a few hours out of your week, order a pizza, and get to writing. (And don’t forget about the gifts you receive on your actual wedding day once you return from your honeymoon!)
guests have to look forward to is the upcoming work week. For the guests that want to linger, or those who just do not want to throw in the towel, think about having an after party for them! After parties comes in more ways than just one. Here are a few ideas if you are thinking about doing a little something for your guests.
night away. Mix it up by creating a completely different style than that of your wedding. Pump the music and let the drinks flow.
Maybe your reception will be coming to a close just in time for an evening pot of coffee. Or, perhaps, everyone will have partied so late that the morning will get there before they know it. Help your guests get back into the swing of things by creating a relaxed atmosphere and serving some coffee, tea, and some light snacks. Create the space from scratch, or talk the owner of a coffee shop near to your venue into opening up extra early.
It’s good to give thanks. In wedding world, it’s especially good to give thanks in the form of a thank you note. What you should not do:
Getting married is one thing. Planning a wedding is another. We will just assume you are getting married for the “right reasons” and that you’ve put all that serious thought into the life-changing decision. On to the “fun” part!
Working with a tiny budget? You don’t have to spend lots to get something “unique”. Buy 
simple dresses and spice them up with hand-made accessories or “extras”. Get a simple cake and add your own personal decorations. Reception centerpieces don’t need to be made up of flowers and candles! And you definitely don’t need to serve chicken and green beans for dinner!
pieces? Insist that Fifi walk down the aisle as the flower girl, or Fido as the ring 
bearer? Do it! Always dreamed of getting married beneath the stars, late at night? Don’t let anyone stop you. As long as it’s what you want and something that won’t make your guests uncomfortable (ie asking all your guests to throw on an air tank so you can tie the knot under water….probably asking a lot unless they are all diving enthusiasts), go for it. If nothing else, it will be memorable.
Don’t be afraid to go for something a little unexpected. Just because your brilliant idea isn’t “traditional” doesn’t mean it won’t be fabulous!
grand exit in a helicopter? Planning on singing a song for your new spouse at the reception? Go for it! If it doesn’t happen, no one will know!
butterflies, quotes, borders, etc. in many different colors. They’re based in NYC. This is a great way to add decor to a church aisle when they do not allow flower petals on the aisle. If you are also worried about a way to dress up that long trip down the aisle. 
personality. Some of them were made of cheap plastic which just didn’t look very good on the tops of gorgeously decorated wedding cakes. The good news is that you can now buy wedding cake toppers in hundreds of styles, particularly if you shop around on the Internet.
For example, if you are having a traditional wedding, you’ll want to pick a cake topper that is also very traditional, although you might want to avoid plastic figurines and opt for nicer ceramic ones.
They can be used as monograms or to spell out a word, such as “Love” on the top of the cake. However, these toppers can be pricey at around $100 per character.
different types of flowers, you can choose to create wedding toppers that are real or silk flowers 
matching your theme. Lovely silk roses or tulips can look beautiful on an intricately decorated cake, particularly one decorated with sugar flowers. One advantage of choosing silk flowers over real ones is that you’ll be able to keep your wedding topper as a keepsake.
of appropriate toppers, including castles, horse drawn carriages, or unicorns. On the 
other hand, if you’re having a more gothic-themed wedding, you can find cake toppers that look like crows, scary houses, gravestones, vampire couples, coffins, and bats. These dark-colored toppers can look amazing on a cake covered in dark red icing with black icing for the trimming.
a groom trying to escape from his bride. While not all couples will find such a topper funny, this might be a good choice for brides and grooms who can find humor even in the 
Another option is a truly personalized cake topper. Today, you can have photographs of yourselves placed on hearts or other designs which are then used to top your wedding cake. Not only is your topper completely unique to your wedding but it will make a priceless keepsake of your special day. For the photographs, you might choose your engagement photo or another special picture of the two of you taken specifically for the topper.
Not a flash-back-to-8th-grade-cliques feeling, but just a feeling that you’re not quite getting a personal connection to the couple. Maybe you don’t know them well or maybe you’ve lost touch over time, but you definitely don’t feel personally included in all the festivities.
know you now but not when you were young. When you and your fiancé briefly tell your story and how you met, you fill in the gaps for guests and they get to know you better. You can tell your story in your program, in a short slide show or speeches at the reception. 
any other key people in the program. Giving a little information about how you know them, why they are special to you, even a short, quirky story gives guests insight into your life and makes them feel like they know you better.
from other religions or cultures, you can explain them in the program. This helps guests follow along whether you are jumping the broom, crushing the glass or tying the knot.
