Wedding Wise Tips: August 2018

Photo: Liz Coopersmith

Los Angeles Wedding Planner

Wow, this year is getting out of here in a hurry, isn’t it? August’s tips included beach blues, #hiddencosts, things left #forgotten and a little bit of #wedding budget help. Follow me at @SilverCharmLiz or on the Silver Charm Events Facebook page for daily wedding tips.

8/1 – Wedding Wise Tip # 213 – Beach wedding? Head’s up: Sand gets EVERYWHERE. Make peace with it.

8/2 – Wedding Wise Tip #214 – Aisle runner – ask your florist to use ribbon to tie off the start of the aisle, so guests can’t walk on/get it dirty They can get seated through the ends of the rows.

8/3 – Wedding Wise Tip #215 – How to keep the hem of your wedding dress clean: You can’t. Make peace with it.

8/4 – Wedding Wise Tip #216 -#thingsthatgetforgotten EXTRA trash bags. 

8/5 – Wedding Wise Tip #217 No, seriously, give your DJ a DO NOT PLAY list. Ask them to help you put that together, if necessary.

8/6 – Wedding Wise Tip #218 – As I’ve said before, guests will bring physical gifts, no matter how many times you tell them not to. Have a space to put them in the front, OR someone to hand the gift, to put away. I prefer the latter one, personally.

8/7 – Wedding Wise Tip #219. When your florist hands you the bouquet figure out the best way to hold it so it doesn’t stain your dress. Or make sure there’s wrapping at the bottom of the stems.

8/8 – Wedding Wise Tip #220 – speaking of saving money for your wedding party, bridesmaids can rent their dresses, too. Come to think of it, brides can rent their wedding dresses. I did.

8/9 – Wedding Wise Tip #221 – Guest books? Debatable. If you are going to have one, do one that you can, and WILL, hang in your house.

8/10 – Wedding Wise Tip #222 – You can’t finalize your rental list until you finalize your catering menu.

8/11 – Wedding Wise Tip #223 -Take 30 minutes and put all of your upcoming wedding balances into your calendar NOW, with alerts for one week before and two days before .

8/12 – Wedding Wise Tip #224 – Dessert table? Put a separate stack of cocktail napkins on it.

8/13 – Wedding Wise Tip #225 – #hiddencosts Delivery fees. Ask.

8/14 – Wedding Wise Tip #226 – #hiddencosts Same day pickup. Ask.

8/15 – Wedding Wise Tip #227 – #hiddencosts re: Same day pick-up. Ask your venue if next day pick-up is available. Sometimes it is, doesn’t hurt to ask.

8/16-17 – Wedding Wise Tip #228 – #hiddencosts staffing over 8 hours. Usually time and a half. Ask.

8/18- Wedding Wise Tip #229 – Make sure the phone number you have for each of your vendors is the one they’re answering on your wedding day.

8/19 – Wedding Wise Tip #230 – Non-refundable deposits are pretty non-negotiable.

8/20 – Wedding Wise Tip #231 – Before you sign a contract with any vendor, go over the cancellation clause. What if you do? What if THEY do?

8/21 – Wedding Wise Tip #232 – Before you say “Yes” to the upgraded rental, multiply by 100 and add tax. #weddingbudget

8/22 – Wedding Wise Tip #233 – Hair and Makeup. If you’re the bride, give yourself at least 2 hours for both. You might not take that long, but give yourself the time anyway. And check with your stylist. Don’t rush yourself.

8/23 – Wedding Wise Tip #234 – If you need help with seating arrangements, allseated.com is pretty good. Go in and search for your venue. If it’s not in there, your venue can send a layout to them so they can load it up. Great customer service, too, and I only WISH I was using an affiliate link for this!

8/24 – Wedding Wise Tip #235 – #forgotten Cake knife set

8/25 – Wedding Wise Tip #236 – If there’s a conflict or miscommunication with a  vendor, schedule a direct meeting or a phone call/skype them. If it feels urgent, put it in the calendar and clear it up.

8/26 – Wedding Wise Tip #237 – #forgotten Most (room block) hotels won’t let you check in until 3~4pm, and check out is usually between 11am~12pm.

8/27 – Wedding Wise Tip #238 – Don’t worry so much if one of your wedding party can’t make it to the rehearsal. Figure out how everyone is coming in and lining up, and slot the MIAs in the next day.

8/28 – Wedding Wise Tip #239 – If you’re having your wedding in your backyard – or someone else’s backyard – hire someone to monitor and clean the bathrooms while guests are there.

8/29 – Wedding Wise Tip #240 – If your wedding is the same day as a the birthday of a relative/friend/wedding party member, it’s very sweet to acknowledge it by singing Happy Birthday to them!

8/30 – Wedding Wise Tip #241 – If you are thinking of having a “kid’s table” designate an adult to watch over it. You can hire people for that, too.

8/31 – Wedding Wise Tip #242 – #forgotten Speaking of kids, do any of them need high chairs?

Let’s talk about your wedding. Complete the form below, and I’ll get back to you today to schedule a free consultation. Or, contact me directly at liz@silvercharmevents.com or call/text me at 323-592-9318 9318. 

And you can check out our services here!

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz