Valentina Ring
The Stars Inside – International Wedding and Elopement Planner

Once you’ve found your perfect wedding planner, they will guide you with next steps: if the planning timescale is short, you may hit the ground running right away, while if there is longer to wait until your wedding date, it may be a slower, more considered start. But either way, take their lead – they have the experience and knowledge needed to ensure that you make the most of your planning time, whatever it may be.

As you get ready to start working with the wedding planner you’ve chosen, here are some top tips for a meaningful, fun, and stress-free journey:

• Voice your opinions to your wedding planner, but be open-minded as well – they are 100% on your side, and will always make suggestions aimed at making your day more you, more true to your priorities, and smoother for your guests as well. If your guests’ needs aren’t met, it doesn’t really matter how gorgeous the day is – and your wedding planner will always keep the big picture of the experience in mind, at every turn.

• Let the timeline flow naturally. I know it feels like every single decision needs to made immediately, but remember that your wedding planner knows when is the best time for each element of your wedding to be decided. If you rush into design decisions too soon, for example, you may find yourself re-imagining them months down the line. If you’re worried about timescales, ask your wedding planner to walk you through what you’ll be working on, and when, and then respect that.

• Set an honest target budget, and talk about it, with one another and with your planner. Your wedding planner will guide you in match your expectations with the investment needed: if there is a mis-alignment, either the vision needs adapting, or the budget does, and it’s the planner’s job to make you aware of this early in the process, and help you make the decisions that are right for you every step of the way.

• Trust your gut, and your planner’s instinct too: if he or she recommends steering away from a vendor whose prices seem suspiciously low, or whose services seem unrealistic, there is a reason for it. Our job is to surround you with people who are looking out for you and your best interests.

• Try to keep things light-hearted. Wedding planning is an incredible opportunity to get to know yourselves as a couple: you’ll be making new traditions, weaving together cultures, and creating a legacy of who you are together. Think of it as a self-discovery, creativity, and collaboration. As with any journey, how you travel and who you travel with is way more important than the destination! Cherish this, through all the ups and downs, and continue to have fun – go on date nights, talk to each other so you can understand each other’s perspectives, and remember that your wedding is only the beginning.

• Spend time thinking of way to pay homage to your histories, and share your ideas with your wedding planner. If there is a place, memory, or scent that is special to you – a colour palette that reminds you of on another – or anything at all! Draw inspiration from yourselves, from each other, and brainstorm with your wedding planner. Our most important goal is to make your celebration completely unique to you: so that every one of your guests can walk into the space, and feel at home, welcome, and reminded of YOU.

• Invest in the things that matter to you. Be open and honest with your planner about your priorities, so they can help you allocate the budget in a mindful way. If there are things you are stressed about, or really passionate about, that’s where the majority of your budget should go! And as a rule of thumb: buy the very best you can afford when it comes to a photographer and videographer, to preserve those lifelong memories you put so much love and effort to create.

• Treat your vendors well. Your planner works for you, but is also a champion for the wedding industry as a whole, and – at the same time as planning you a wonderful wedding – is also trying to ensure that suppliers can do what they love, make a living, and serve you by delivering their best work. This comes from mutual trust and from open communication: pay invoices on time, thank your vendors, and respect their workflow and process. You’ll see some EXTRA magic on your wedding day if you do, I promise. The more love you show your vendors, the more they will go above and beyond for you – no matter what.
• Keep moving forward. The most carefree couples I see during my wedding planning process are those who make informed, quick decisions, without worrying or stressing about considering every single option.
• The most important of all: let go of expectations, pressure, and rulebooks, and do what YOU want to do.

I hope this has been a helpful and joyous reminder of all the fun yet to come!

If you’re looking for support for an intimate, sophisticated, heartfelt celebration anywhere in the world – I would absolutely love to hear from you.

Valentina
The Stars Inside

For more wedding planning advice please check out:

How to find your perfect wedding planner by Valentina of The Stars Inside
How to have a joyful wedding by Mwai Yeboah of Love from Mwai

Photo credits: Photo 2 & 3: Rebecca Carpenter Photography