Author: envisioneventmanagement

‘Wedding planner plans her own wedding’ – Tips and Tricks!

envisioneventmanagement

Candace and Lachlan

Well we did it – we got married!

It’s one month in and now we’re in the stages of photo albums, videos and thank you cards. In amongst the post-wedding follow ups, I feel there is a sense of responsibility to pass on my knowledge as both a wedding planner and a past Bride to all future couples!

So as promised, here is the second instalment of my blog. Stick with me as I share all the things I learnt along the way from two points of view – my professional and personal side.

So you’re engaged! Now what?!

As a wedding planner, the one question I get asked a lot is – where do I start?  It’s always hard to know what to do first, and you can be easily swayed by Pinterest and its black hole of wedding searching but my first order of business is always:

1. The Guest list

Is it a wedding of 30, 50 or 200? What happens if you love a venue that only fits 50 people but there are 150 on your list? Or you have invited everyone from your childhood doctor to your great aunt’s grandmother and you are way over budget? These problems will be solved by starting with the guest list. It’s also a great way to involve both partners and families. Start with a list of your immediate and close family, then close friends and finish with acquaintances. Put everyone on the list and then cull if you have to!

2. Budget

The guest list will then help to form your budget. If you end up with a bigger guest list than anticipated, then you may have to cut out the champagne tower or the horse and carriage you were hoping to have. Always slightly over-budget on each item. You are better off finding you saved money instead of spending more!

3. Venue and all the rest of the fun stuff

Now that you have started with the business end, it’s time to get to the fun stuff! Venue is the next thing as many wedding venues book out a year and a half to a year out. What time of year would you like? If you’re having an outdoor ceremony how hot will it be? Generally speaking, winter is always slightly cheaper as is a Friday or Sunday. Keep a look out for public holidays and special events in your area to stay away from. If you’re in Adelaide and want to have your wedding in Mad March, then book early!

That’s all from me for now.  Stay tuned for the next instalment. Thanks for reading!

Love,
Candace x

Event planner plans her own wedding…OVERSEAS!

envisioneventmanagement

Hi guys, Candace here. Thanks for checking out my blog about me planning my own destination wedding! EEEPP! You might also find out some tips and tricks for your own wedding along way! 😉 So, stay with me here, we’re THREE MONTHS out from our big day in Boracay, Philippines and it’s time for the countdown!

Firstly, let me start by saying that this was NEVER the plan. Coming from a big, loud, all up in your face Filipino family, I always envisaged a giant, extravagant wedding in Adelaide. My Fiance, Lachlan and I got engaged last year (after 8 years of being together) and of course I had everything pretty well organised…what kind of wedding planner would I be if I didn’t have my own wedding sorted?? I already had a secret Pinterest board, a budget excel spreadsheet, a draft guest list and the bridesmaids colours picked out. Now, for those of you who know me, you’re probably reading this with no surprise at all lol. I’ve ALWAYS loved weddings, always loved planning events and can style anything – including a workmate’s desk for her birthday (I created a balloon arch for a special colleague this year ;-))

SO IT BEGINS…
It was all set. I had lined up venues to look at with Lachlan and we were headed for a March 2019 wedding. The vision – a vineyard ceremony and a charming, rustic but modern barn for the reception. Though it sounded idyllic, every venue we went to always had something wrong whether it was too expensive, too modern, too rustic, too function centre-y (nothing wrong with this! Just wasn’t for us). Lachlan grew up on a beautiful farm in Kangarilla and this was also something we were looking into, but it would require building a reception venue from scratch with a marquee.

BUT…
Pretty soon the stress started to seep in, and it was still more than a year away! It seemed everything we did, we were trying to please someone other than ourselves and we kept chopping and changing to make it feel right.
TOP HINT: This is not how you should plan your wedding! I’m sure everyone tells you but sometimes it’s good to have a reminder. Your wedding day is about you and your Fiance! Yes planning can be stressful, but if you took the stressful things out, it should be one of the best days of your life. One you’d want to relive over and over again!

BORACAY HERE WE COME!
So one day, a blog post by a Filipino site Bride and Breakfast popped up, reviewing a wedding on the beach in Boracay, Philippines. Everything from the invitations to the reception marquee and clear blue water made me want to pack my bags and ELOPE!!! We even joked about it. However, as mentioned above – my giant, Filipino family would never forgive me if I did. So I thought of the next best thing…DESTINATION WEDDING! Luckily the article linked to all the suppliers as well as the venue so I could easily research everything. It seemed like it was all too easy! So, next was to call our family and bridal party and get their thoughts. Excited cries all around and holidays for everyone!

CONCLUSION
We are getting married on 8 January 2019 at Discovery Shores (pictured), Boracay Philippines!!

So stay tuned for the next instalment as I go through what to do once the venue is booked! I get lots of Brides asking what order to do things so I’ll give my tips and tricks in the next article.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Candace x