We know that planning a wedding comes with so much excitement and sometimes just as many questions. That is why we compiled a few of our top tips we give our own clients when chatting through their wedding experience. As your local Dallas-Fort Worth Wedding Photographer we know a number of insider tips that are specific to the area! Without further ado, here are our tips for planning a wedding:

Wedding Planning Tip no. 1: You Should Hire the Wedding Planner

I know all of us believe in our own capabilities & think that hiring a wedding planner is like handing over the reins to your entire vision. However, it’s almost entirely the opposite. They remove the tasks that hurt you rather than help you when it comes to having a peaceful and seamless wedding planning experience. This is our ultimate tip for planning a wedding, as they literally help you plan it lol.

A wedding planner takes something called the mental load off of your shoulders. If you are as chronically online as me, you know what this is. If not, the mental load is considered the tasks no one can see but consumes a considerable amount of time. For example, figuring out how you’re going to tell grandma where she needs to be on the day when she doesn’t own a cell phone or read email. Carrier pigeon maybe? Instead of spending your time fretting over whether or not grandma will accept your invitation by owl or pigeon, you can focus on what pattern of linen you want. 

Wedding planners are also experts in the field & know who can be trusted, as well as whenever something seems off in a contract. They are your advocate with vendors, intrusive family members, & even when you scroll on Pinterest 2 months before your wedding and want to change the entire design. Hire. The. Planner. 

Wedding Planner Friends:

• Treasured Heart Events
• Plan Revelry
• Hats Off Event Co
• Turn the Paige Events
• According to Plan

Wedding Planning Tip no.2: Your Entertainment Matters – Band vs. DJ

If you are the girl (or guy) dreaming of screaming to Mr. Brightside with fifty of your closest friends, entertainment is incredibly important. I cannot tell you how many weddings I’ve done where the DJ does not know how to mix or allows awkward silences. I would recommend going with someone who your planner suggests or someone who works in a group of DJ’s. If you are going for a band, hire the brass section. I swear, you will thank me later – three trumpets on the dance floor during Crazy in Love will actually bring tears of joy to your eyes. Everyone will talk about it for YEARS. That is why it is a top tips for wedding planning, as it really hits home on the human sense of sound, which can evoke memories long after your wedding day.

Bands We Love:

• Jordan Kahn Orchestra
• Emerald City Bands
• Intensity Bands

DJ’s We Love:

• DFW Parties: Rod Baker (our wedding DJ)
• Le Force
• It’s Your Night

You Want Full Weekend Wedding Photography Coverage

Another one of our tips for planning a wedding is when it comes to wedding planning we can often zero in on the day-of that we forget our nearest & dearest friends from across the globe have come into town. That sweet bridal brunch your aunt is throwing will be filled with college friends you wont get much face time with on the big night, the rehearsal dinner is the night with your husband’s favorite people, & the afterparty is where the crowd goes truly wild. You want those moments captured, I promise. For so many of my brides, those smaller gatherings are just as vibrant as the day itself. Those parties tell an even more gorgeous & lasting tale to your wedding story. We believe coverage of the following make an even more incredible impact:

• The Rehearsal Dinner
• Welcome Party
• Bridal Brunch
• The Afterparty (our favorite)
• Group Outings
  • Day Trips to the Winery
  • A Cooking Class
  • The Boat Tour

Physical Wedding Albums Mean the World to Your Family

My family always took a trip to Colorado for a month at the end of each summer. It was epic! We swam in mountain lakes, rode horses through the aspens, & did so much fishing. Sadly, when my mom went to print the images from the summer she realized the family camera had been stolen on the trip home. You see, she kept all of the last three years of photos on the SD Card in her camera. Meaning, three summers of epic Colorado adventures were gone. She has always said she wished she had just printed the images while she could. Now please know that I have literally six forms of back up for my wedding clients, but that experience made me even more fond of the physical copies of our life in photos.

Your parents and grandparents all printed their love stories into albums & have shown them off to friends and family throughout decades. They will do the very same for the images of your wedding – there truly is no better gift than that of memories in print. Just imagine sitting with friends you make ten years after your wedding and pulling out your album for them to thumb through. They too will see your love story right before their eyes, despite not being there.

Wedding Dress Alterations Take 4-6 Months

I don’t have much to say on this but I feel it is super important to know.

A few random but helpful tips for planning a wedding:

Do the big shopping day with your mom & bridesmaids.

Buy your veil on Etsy.

Bridesmaid drama can be eased with face to face interaction. You will remember why you like each other.

EAT on your wedding day, I beg of you. Also drink water with electrolytes.

Don’t book the 8am flight to your honeymoon the next morning.

Make Sure Your ENJOY Your Wedding Vendors

We are not just here to do our job, we are here to get to know you and cheer you on throughout the entire wedding experience. Some of us start the day bright and early with a coffee and hot tools, others ensure every detail of the day is perfect. As photographers, we are there from your hair and make up last touches to when you say goodnight. We are right by your side laughing at inside jokes, holding our breath as you walk down the aisle, and dancing to Doses & Mimosas as the night rages on. Choose someone you truly enjoy!

Have more questions or want to work with a photographer that will cheer you on like a best friend? Let’s chat!!