Hi Everyone!
My name is Stephanie and I blog over at ChalkSouthernToMe, I'm so excited to have the opportunity to share a few things that I'm incredibly thankful that I decided to splurge on for our wedding day!
We all know that a wedding is expensive, but I truly believe it is worth every penny, every meeting, and every decision to bring your dream wedding day to life! When I was newly engaged, I created a {very} detailed spreadsheet that would help me document every expensive and ultimately keep me within our budget. It worked! And I highly recommend creating a spreadsheet or having some form of organization so you see exactly where your money is going. Everything adds up quickly so it's easy to lose track of the amount of money that you're actually spending. I'm also happy to share the spreadsheet that I created and used with anyone, feel free to email me!
Looking back on that amazing day, there are 2 things that I'm so, so, so happy that I splurged on!
1. Our Photographer {Renee Sprink with Renee Sprink Photography}
We met with dozens of photographers, either face-to-face or over the phone, and I knew that I wanted to find the perfect photographer for us. To find that "perfect" photographer may seem impossible but it really isn't, I promise!
I wanted someone that I instantly connected with, someone that I felt comfortable around and someone that shared my same style and vision when it came to photography. The style of photography that I wanted would be described as classic, southern elegance and timeless. When I looked through the samples provided by our photographer, I realized her style and vision aligned perfectly with what I had imagined.
I can't stress enough how important it is to know what you like and dislike when you look at wedding photos. Some photographers are more "trendy" versus "traditional" or may edit in a way that you like or don't like so take the time to determine your style of photography before you make a decision.
Our photographer was absolutely amazing. She has now become one of our dearest friends and will be our forever, family photographer. She gets us. She makes us feel comfortable which allows her to capture the most beautiful and special moments. But most importantly, she goes above and beyond to make sure we are happy with our photos and the quality of the photos.
Splurge on your photographer! Your pictures will allow you to relive your special day over and over again. Plus your photos are the only thing that you have to look back on and share with your children, grandchildren or great grandchildren!
2. Weekend Wedding Coordinator {Kailey at A Southern Soirée}
I knew from the very beginning that I wanted a weekend wedding coordinator that would be there to help with the final details, handle all the weekend logistics, make sure our family, wedding party & guests had all the information they needed to have a stressless weekend, and to help organize and check on the vendors throughout the weekend.
I can confidently say that this was the BEST decision that I made. Our wedding coordinator and her assistant made the weekend run smoothly, allowed me to enjoy and take in every moment of our wedding weekend and she handled any big {or little} hiccups that came up during the weekend. They are focused on making sure you and your soon-to-be husband have the best day of your life, seriously!
Even if you have a wedding coordinator at your church or at the reception venue, I still highly recommend a weekend or day-of-wedding planner because the church or reception venue coordinators have a lot of other responsibilities in addition to your wedding day events. But the goal of hiring a personal wedding coordinator is to make sure the bride and groom have the perfect day. They are there to coordinate every, single detail - they'll even making sure you have food, bottles of water and glasses of champagne waiting for you in your hotel room on your wedding night :)!
If you're like me than you can relate when I say that I've been dreaming about my wedding day since I was a little girl. So it's absolutely okay to have someone there to take care of you and remove all possibility of stress.
Our wedding coordinator is another person that I was so thankful to have by my side on our wedding day!
I'm happy to provide any other help or advice if you are currently planning your wedding! I hope you stop by ChalkSouthernToMe and say hello.
Thanks again to Ashley for letting me take over he blog while she is soaking up the sun! I hope you're enjoying your vacation!
Xo,
Stephanie
6 comments :
Oh agreed!!! I had a close friend work as my wedding coordinator and it was the best decision I made! Made the whole thing run more smoothly and saved me on the stress!! And as a photographer myself I have to say, photos are always worth the splurge!
Hear hear to the photographer. We didn't have a wedding coordinator, but the venue provided us with one for the day of. One of my friends also jumped on the bandwagon and started positioning everyone and making sure everything went right, We never asked her, but we are so thankful she did it! It definitely takes the pressure out of it!
Lucky you to have a close friend in the wedding industry! A wedding coordinator really does make the day and weekend run so smoothly! Xo, Stephanie
What a sweet friend, I am sure that was a HUGE help and made all the difference in the world to have someone there to organize everyone! Xo, Stephanie
Thanks for the shoutout, Stephanie! If there is one thing that brides shouldn't cut corners on, it's the photography. At the end of the day, you'll walk away with your spouse, your ring and your wedding photographs. Those are what you'll pass down to your children and your children's children...it's in essence, your legacy!
Thanks for the shoutout, Stephanie! If there is one thing that brides shouldn't cut corners on, it's the photography. At the end of the day, you'll walk away with your spouse, your ring and your wedding photographs. Those are what you'll pass down to your children and your children's children...it's in essence, your legacy!
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