It’s almost Christmas, and that means love is in the air, and so are diamonds! I have seen so many couples getting engaged recently and I am so incredibly excited for you!! After he pops the question, you may be wondering, “What’s next??” I’m sure you’ve been dreaming about the perfect wedding on Pinterest for years, but now that you are finally starting to plan, where do you even start?

Well, the first thing that’s important to all of your vendors is setting a date by booking a venue. However, you don’t need to have your date set before you start reaching out to potential vendors! If you’ve had your eye on a specific florist or photographer, I encourage you to reach out for their availability before you set your date, because this way there’s a better chance that they will be available to serve you on the big day! It’s the worst feeling having to respond to a bride with the “unfortunately I’m booked!” email. It isn’t fun for you, or me!

Once you have a date set in stone, then you can reach out to all of the vendors (or in my case, friendors!) to see if they are available for your wedding. Now you might be asking, where do I find vendors to reach out to and how should I do my research? One of my favorite places to search for other photographers and wedding vendors is Instagram! That’s right, Instagram! Most of my wedding inquiries either come from IG or word of mouth. With the ability to search for hashtags, it’s easier now more than ever to find vendors on IG and see their portfolio of work. You get a feel for who they are, what their style is and whether or not they would be a good fit for you. A lot of times, photographers and other vendors will tag the wedding vendor team in their images, too. That’s another way to find other vendors to possibly reach out to!

Once you have a date and are researching vendors, start thinking about what qualities you are looking for in each of your vendors. For example, are you looking for a photographer with a dark and moody style or a clean and vibrant style? This is incredibly important because no matter how much you may love a vendor, if you don’t love their style, you won’t be happy with their work. After you decide the style of your wedding, be sure to choose vendors that you LOVE. Your photographer will be with you for the majority of the day, your DJ will be hosting your reception and your officiant will be guiding you as you say “I do.” It is so important to connect with these people in a way that you can be confident that they will be a source of joy on your big day.

Planning your wedding should be a fun season of life, not a stressful one! I want to do everything that I can during your engagement to make it easier for you and to encourage you along the way. Once you have the venue booked and the photographer booked, the rest will hopefully fall into place (of course with lots of hard, but hopefully fun, work along the way!). If you have any questions throughout the process, I would love to help you! I have a lot of connections in this industry and I’ve seen and heard a lot, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Even if we don’t “officially” work together, that doesn’t mean that I won’t offer suggestions and help you along the way. Happy planning, brides-to-be! <3

PS – I do still have a few 2018 dates available, so if you think we could be friends, I would LOVE to hear from you!