Navigating Wedding Planning: What Couples Often Misunderstand

As the best day of your life approaches, so does extensive planning and preparations. From the first call with your planner to the ceremony itself, many moving parts have to work together to seamlessly deliver the day of your dreams. Couples are often faced with many question marks along the way - Does my planner have to be local? Will my budget cover my wants and needs? Will I have enough time to devote to the planning process? How do I set boundaries with family and friends?

As full-service wedding and event planners, we’re unpacking (and debunking) some of the concerns that couples face and are diving deeper into our roles, so that you can confidently step into the planning process knowing exactly what to expect. In the end, it’s not about the destination — it’s about the journey to your perfect day. Even with all of the logistics, coordination, and details to navigate through, your vision can become a reality.

The Need for a Customized Planning Approach

The truth is, your ideal destination may have a breeze, but planning by yourself would not be. Since no two couples are the same, no two events are either - which means, your approach must be custom to your own unique vision, needs, and preferences. Destination weddings often require even more expertise to handle long-distance coordination and even cultural nuances or language barriers, making the right planner invaluable.

If distance isn’t an issue, other obstacles that come with planning an extravagant day might be. 

Many couples come to us wanting design help - because they often can envision their perfect day, but don’t necessarily know where to start when it comes to executing it. For couples that are starting with a clean slate, we start the inspiration process and begin curating ideas based on the time we’ve taken to understand their individual love story and personalities. For those that have a more firm vision, we collaborate with what they have in mind while focusing on the wide range of logistical intricacies that go into planning upscale events. 

If you’re hoping to host an over-the-top event, custom and full-service planning is likely the way to go. After all, your dream wedding should be a celebration, not just a series of challenges to overcome. And if challenges do arise - let the pros handle it. 

Your Destination Planner Doesn’t Have to be a Local

Planning a destination wedding is far from simple, yet more than worth it. It’s a chance to celebrate your union in a home-away-from-home location or adventure to a venue abroad. What truly makes traveling for your big day special is getting to experience a unique blend of culture and intimacy, while making lasting memories alongside those you love. 

Regardless of where your chosen destination resides, your planner doesn’t have to. A big part of our job is being able to adapt to new locations and use our skills and expertise to source the best local vendors, venues, and entertainment - even in places that we haven’t visited before. While we have roots planted in Savannah and New England, we’ve been fortunate to help couples plan weddings and events from coast to coast. So, how do we seamlessly do it? 

First things first, we understand that searching on your own can be overwhelming. The good news is, you don’t have to. However, it is important that you can help identify what you’re looking for in a specific vendor or venue, along with how much you value that area financially, overall. Then, we help source according to availability, style, personality, and product delivery - all while staying within your desired budget. 

Setting *Realistic* Expectations

Yes, weddings can be pricey and outlining a budget is an essential factor to your planning process. Most couples come to us with a number in mind, but not always a firm understanding of how much their vision will actually cost or what it will really take to achieve your design. That’s where we come in to help guide you away from disappointment and towards your desired outcome.  

“Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation readily available surrounding the cost associated with planning a wedding. We look to create accurate budgets for our clients based on the experience they hope to create for their guests. When people ask how much it costs to have a wedding, I always say it is like building a house for a day. Home prices and styles can vary greatly depending on the size and location, just like a wedding. Our job, as planners, is to help you build the right “house” for your budget.” - Tara Davis, Director of Events

Are you wanting to host a wedding weekend instead of a single-day celebration? It’s important to not underestimate the level of detail, coordination, and effort required to execute a multi-day event seamlessly. From managing vendors and timelines to ensuring every experience is curated to perfection, the complexity of such celebrations goes far beyond a single day. Not to mention, if you dream of hosting a tented reception, you’ll need to carve out a few days in advance for setup, too. 

Lastly, the key to a successful and stress-free planning process is to set boundaries early on with friends and family. With all of the excitement, our loved ones often want to be involved. A great wedding planning team can help manage over-enthusiastic (or even difficult) family members, so that you can feel relief, not pressure. 

Trusting the Process, Celebrating the Moment

Let’s face it, life doesn’t stop just because wedding planning has started. Juggling work, travel, and leisure activities is time consuming enough as it is, so it’s important that your planner is working on a majority of the behind-the-scenes and knows you well enough to include you in the areas that you find most important and enjoyable. 

"Our couples trust us to execute every detail of their wedding weekend flawlessly, so they can fully enjoy the time with their guests who’ve traveled to celebrate with them. They rely on us to be fully present, never stretched thin, and ready to respond to their needs at a moment’s notice. That’s why we carefully build a dedicated team for each event, tailored to the unique complexity and vision of every couple’s special day." - Allison Newton, Lead Designer

Your wedding planner’s role is to demystify the process, align your expectations with your budget, and bring your multi-day wedding vision to life without the stress. When it really comes down to planning, you’re leaving your vision, budget, timelines, and designs in someone else’s hands - make sure it’s someone you trust to flawlessly execute it. 

Dreaming Up Your Day

Are you planning a 2025 or 2026 local or destination wedding? Let’s bring it to life. We’ve captured the hearts of many from coast-to-coast and can’t wait to continue expanding to new locations with amazing couples. Get started today.