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If you’re here, you probably just got engaged. If that’s you, first off, congratulations! Being engaged is an amazing time in life and comes with so much excitement. It’s literally the best. But you may not be a project manager or know the first thing about how to plan a wedding, so you may be wondering what comes next? Where do you start with planning? What vendors do you need and in what order should you book them?

Well, we aren’t wedding planners either by any means, but in our experience from working weddings we have picked up on some pro tips along the way, and now we are going to share them with you!

These tips will take you from overwhelmed and frazzled to easy-breezy, relaxed and ready to take in all of the good vibes on your day and leading up to it!

Enjoy Being Engaged!

Center yourself as a couple and talk about expectations VERY early on. Don’t get so caught up in wedding planning that you look back and don’t even remember what being engaged actually felt like. Most importantly, keep dating! Go out to your favorite spots and take intentional time together to not talk about wedding stuff at all.

Keep Your Relationship a Priority.

Grooms are usually not overly interested in wedding planning and that’s okay! Don’t pressure your man to be super involved or get super frustrated if he’s just not into it. Chances are, he will defer to you anyway because he wants you to have your dream day. If you’re dead set on having him involved, give him one thing to focus on, like a very specific task. Like, “Hey babe, I really need you to look into these 3 venues and find out their pricing and availability.”

Set a budget and guest list.

Your wedding day is so important, but it is one day of your whole life together, and it is not worth starting that off in debt. Go over your guest list and decide who’s most important to you? Who would you invite over for dinner or out for drinks? Who would you visit if they moved away? Who are the people that your parents are going to want to invite, especially if they are contributing financially? Who gets a +1? Talk about these things early on and then prioritize the items in your budget. We heard someone on a podcast we love say, “Chances are you don’t have a million-dollar budget, so don’t compare your wedding to a million-dollar wedding.” Your wedding will be amazing because you will both be there and all the people you love most will be there to celebrate you.

Consider Getting a day of Coordinator.

Having someone to be there on the day of to keep things on track is invaluable. You don’t want to miss time with people you love because they are busy doing things. Can you imagine your mom missing you putting on your wedding dress because she’s running around making sure the florist arrived on time? We’ve seen it happen. Planners and coordinators have experience and will keep things on schedule and put out fires so you don’t have to worry about it.

Trust Your Vendors.

We’re going to keep this one short, because it’s simple. Hire vendors you love and trust. Show them inspiration and allow them to do what they do best.

The Bridal Party.

Who do you see in your life in 5 years? 10 years? Don’t feel pressured to ask your best friend from 1st grade to be in your wedding party. If you have a big friends group, but you want to keep your wedding party smaller, consider asking them to be an usher or usherettes. Or include them in the getting ready period before the ceremony so they can still feel special and be in photos. At the end of the day, it is your wedding, and true friends will understand.

A list of different vendors to think about!
  • Venue
  • Coordinator // Planner
  • Photographer // Videographer
  • Catering/Bar/Dessert
  • Florals
  • DJ/Band/Entertainment
  • Officiant
  • Accommodations
  • Hair & Makeup
  • Wedding Dress or Suit
  • Calligrapher // Custom Designer
  • Venue Rentals
  • Transportation
  • Bridesmaids & Groomsmen outfits
  • Guest Favors

We hope you all enjoyed these tips – these are just a small snippet of what you’ll get in our Wedding Guide when you book us for your engagement session and wedding! We’re not kidding ya’ll, our Wedding Guide is a legit magazine. So many goodies in there for you.

What we want most for you on your wedding and all the days leading up to it are for you to be happy, stress-free and fully confident that we’ve got your back.

If you haven’t reached out to us yet, what are you waiting for?! Let’s get this party started!

ANNOUNCEMENT & GIVEAWAY DEETS

We are featured photographers in this year’s Big Fake Wedding in Charleston!

You’re like, “Okay, cool Justin and Lauren. Why do I care?”

The Big Fake Wedding is a bridal show alternative, meaning you don’t just show up and walk around to vendor booths. They put on a legit wedding and you get to bring your mom, your best girlfriend or even your fiancé (to hell with being traditional!) and watch all of the vendors do their thing in real time. This is an awesome opportunity to get inspired for all the details you may want in your wedding, find a venue and even book some or all of your vendors!

We have TWO free tickets to giveaway! This year the show will be at 159 Rutledge in downtown Charleston on December 3rd.

You don’t want to miss it!

To enter our giveaway and win your tickets, all you have to do is visit our Instagram and:

  • Follow our account
  • Like the post we have linked HERE
  • Comment on the post and tag an engaged friend or your bestie or whoever you want to bring with you! Each comment counts as an additional entry!
  • For a bonus 5 entries, share our post to your story and tell us how you met BAE. Be sure to tag us @justinandlauren and have your profile set to public so we can see it!

The giveaway will go through September 10, and we’ll announce our winner later that week!

Good luck, friends!

– Justin & Lauren