Double You Weddings by Katarina Winbush

How to choose the right wedding planner for me?

Katarina — Sun, 03 Jul 2022 12:08:00 +0000

How to choose the right wedding planner?

There are many planners out there, but there are also many couples and many personalities. Many cultures and many languages. Many recommendations and even more expectations. But how to choose the right one for you? Based on the markets I know, the people I have met and talked to, I can help you with 7 important tips for finding the right wedding planner for you.

1. Why is Trust on Top?

It’s first on my list because trust is one of my top values. At the end of the day everything comes down to trust. You formed a partnership with yourself first. You are using your instincts because you trust yourself.
You said yes, because you trust your future spouse. You trust that she or he’s the one and you formed a partnership with your partner.

For the big day you need a solid, trustworthy, reliable partner. Your wedding planner. It will be one of the most important days of your lives, so trusting to be also able to openly communicate on both ends is the key.

Ask yourself: what is your goal when hiring the right wedding planner? What are your values? Do you feel comfortable to trust him/her and you feel the openness and trust coming your way as well?

2. Authenticity and Transparency

Speaking of open communication, clear communication is just as important. To be able to ask direct questions, to communicate your expectations clearly and expect direct information updates, without beating around the bush. You don’t want misunderstandings and you don’t want your time to be wasted. Transparency is effective work.

You are entitled to realistic expectations with no sugar coating and misleading. Why?
You should be able to be who you are. Not only when it comes to the wedding but in your life. It is your wedding and it should be according to your wishes.

Can all the expectations communicated also be realistically met? Wouldn’t you want the real info response and feedback when things might not go exactly your way for whatever reason? Don’t take me wrong, the service you’re getting should be professional and friendly. But the last thing you would want is “a yes, of course” person that just wants to “calm you down”, makes promises he/she cannot keep and at the end doesn’t deliver. Authenticity is how your expectations are met.

3. You are unique. And so is your wedding.

We have all heard the saying “one size doesn’t fit all”. This is very much true when it comes to wedding planning. Your personal touches and wishes are taken into the concept, because your story is unique, you are a unique couple and your wedding should reflect you.

Many wedding agencies have a standardized process and offers and they are trying to persuade you that this is what you want so they don’t have to “stretch” for your wedding. Have you heard of Givenchy’s quote: “The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress.”?

The right wedding planner should pay attention to details and the couple’s personalities, emotions and special customs to create the special, unique concept and wedding that is just yours and perfect for you.

“The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress.”
-Givenchy

4. Passion, Flexibility, and Professionalism

The first feeling you get when talking to the wedding planner is that he/she just absolutely loves the job. The natural service persona and solution seeker. The enthusiastic one with passion and determination to make it happen.

Of course flexibility, as humanly possible, is appreciated, so you can rely on him/her to be reachable for questions. The one that has experience in planning different kinds of events is used to everything and offers many different ways to be reachable-phone, email, WhatsApp, Voice Messages, in person, in the way that is the most efficient for everyone and possible to plan the wedding of your dreams.
The background helps to see if he/she is a narrow thinker and learned to do the one thing and this is how he/she does it, or he/she can think outside of the box and is creative.

Me, professionally coming from Event Management in from travel to tech, from corporate to startup environment, and from professional event agency to wedding planner, had a chance to collect all kinds of different planning experiences that are coming in handy and are valuable when planning weddings. Read more here.

5. Let's talk about money.

Because I come from different types of events-background I know exactly how events, wedding agencies and planners work. It should be in your best interest to have the best providers that work for you and not the one that promised commission or % to your wedding planner. You hire a wedding planner, because you want the result and you should actually get what you were promised.

Choose the right wedding planner, that doesn’t charge per work, process, hour done, but the one that charges per outcome and satisfaction. Here it would be good to revisit point number 2 about the clear communication of expectations on both ends.

6. Listen more than talk?

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
-Epictetus

Have you been around people that cannot stop talking about themselves and their recommendations, and achievements? Before you have a chance of even asking them a question you already got a list of name dropping and the fancy places they have been to.

The wedding is yours and it’s all about you, not the wedding planner. It shouldn’t matter if he/she planned the wedding for Megan Markle and Prince Harry or has been to Mars. If she/he doesn’t show interest in you, ask questions, and pay attention to details for the wedding planning, it’s time to have “an emergency” to end the call.
Unless this is what you like and you enter the bragging competition. In this case you probably fit and congratulations-you found your match.

7. Recommendations - yes or no?

The last point I saved for the recommendations, because it’s a tricky topic.

Do you trust the recommendation or your gut/heart?
Remember, you are your own, unique person, and you two are a unique couple. What are your values and priorities? Trust only recommendations from people you actually know in person. If you trust that they share the same values and have had this wedding planner they are recommending at their own wedding, it’s “a legit” recommendation and you should definitely contact him/her.

Everything else that is happening online, on social media, written recommendations on websites, think twice before believing it. I studied and worked in Marketing and I can say one thing you probably also know: Don’t trust the quantity, look for quality. And usually quality doesn’t need to brag and doesn’t need quantity’s help.

“Trust your heart, let nobody trying to convince you otherwise.”
-Katarina Winbush

Extra tip

You go to sleep before the wedding day. Where are your thoughts going? Your worries? How do you feel when you wake up and what do you actually need at that time? Who is there to help with what and why would you want it like this?

It would really help if the wedding planner also had their own wedding. Being a bride myself I know exactly how you would feel in certain situations, what you would think about, what you would need. There is no playbook on this. You have to live it to know it. I can share some insights and useful tips for sure.

But how do I know then?

Easy. Ask for a call/appointment. Ask your questions, communicate the expectations, have an in person conversation and see how you feel.

Trust yourself, you’re making the right decision.

For love, with love.

Katarina W

The post How to choose the right wedding planner for me? appeared first on Double You Weddings by Katarina Winbush.

How to plan your perfect wedding in 12 Steps?

Katarina — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 18:05:38 +0000

“Where to start?” “How do I start planning my wedding?”

Usually right after one of you goes on one knee, and the other one says yes, the first thought is “When and where are we getting married?”

You choose the months/dates based on your vision of how your dream wedding would look like.
And then the search for the right location begins. Where to start?

Let me share some useful tips, if you’re planning your wedding on your own.

12 steps to a perfect wedding:

1. Visualize your concept & style.

Once you decide on your concept of the wedding and the style, all of the venue and all the details, including the decoration and your wedding dress/suit will be adapted to it.

Tip: have a back up in your mind as well, in case you cannot find a location for the specific concept that fits in your budget. Create a vision board on Pinterest.

2. Create a first draft of guests you want to invite.

Before anything else it’s important that you have an idea of how many guests you will invite. A lot of further planning also depends on it. Consider family members and where they are from (will they need to travel?) Categorize the guests as local and traveling. You will have a better idea if shuttles or hotels will be necessary.

3. Be flexible with your wedding date if possible.

Have you decided on the year? Great! Start there. Then a season and maybe a region? Don’t define the date until you have chosen the location.

4. Define the budget.

Who will be paying for the wedding? Define a budget in a way that you always have some “reserve” for final costs, especially if you haven’t planned a wedding before.

5. Choose the venue based on your concept.

Will it be a modern city wedding? At the villa, or at a lake house? At the sea, on the beach or maybe in a barn? In the castle or in the gardens? It’s almost like “the sky’s the limit” right? Elimination method: do the venues fit into your budget? Is the venue available in the months you would like to get married? Is there space for the numbers of guests you would like to invite? Ask what else you should consider at the certain venue: until when they are operating, are there any additional costs for electricity, stationary, furniture,etc.?
If you get married in a church, you might also have to find a church that fits nearby.

6. Check with the officiant (and the church) if the date and location fits.

-Will you officially get married before at the registry office?

-Or will you have an officiant at the venue? In some countries officiant from registry offices can come to venue locations and officiate the weddings. In Germany, some venues are registered as an official wedding registry so officially getting married only at the venues is also possible.

-If you also get married in a church, check with the responsible in the church for the date and time.

-Will you get married unofficially as a free ceremony? A very common practice in Germany, where you can hire a ceremonial speaker to officiate the wedding-unofficially. Before or after you still need to go to the registry office to sign the papers or officially get married.

7. Decoration and Florist.

The most important thing is that decoration fits your concept. It will be seen in photos and videos and makes the whole wedding look, apart from you of course. TWhen creating your vision board, think about the decoration and flowers as well. Also, not every flower blooms every month, so you might want to check if the chosen flower fits your wedding month.

Tip: Many couples create decorations themselves, with their family and friends and can also enjoy this time before the wedding. There are many sustainable options to do decoration and save you some money.

8. Food and drinks

Do you need a caterer or does your venue provide the food and drinks?
Save on travel costs-find local vendors.
Caterer: Try the menu you choose. Ask how many service staff they will have and until when they will be available. What will be their additional costs, for example for cleaning, extra time or corkage?
Do the caterer or venue provide chairs and tables, table cloths, special cutlery and plates if needed?

9. Photo & Video

The most important: find the photographers/videographers that are professionals and you feel good and comfortable with them. Photos and videos will be forever memories even if you have a glass or two too many.

10. DJ or Band

Create your top 20 Playlist for the DJ. Will you have speeches? Think of how many microphones you will need. If you choose live music, check the playlist of the band you choose if it fits you and your guests. Is there audio equipment already at the venue chosen? If not, will the DJ / Band bring their own otherwise you will need to rent one.

11. Stationery: Unique, handmade, or DIY?

Would you like to have unique, special and handmade invitations, the ones that guests save for ever?
Tip: My recommendation in Munich: Papier Romantik.

What to order:
Save the date
Invitations with return RSVP
Seating Plan
Table Cards
Menu Cards
Thank You Cards

Tip: Alternatively you can order pre-made designs online:
www.paperlounge.de
www.kartenmacherei.de
www.carinokarten.de

Tip: Do you like digital better? Especially if you have guests from different countries and traveling in for your wedding, you can easily create your wedding website and share all the important information for your guests there, including invitations, RSVP, hotels and more. Try Knot or Eventective.

12. Create a timeline and brief your vendors

Create a timeline of the day; who is where at what time. If you share the information with your vendors involved in the wedding day timeline, you will be able to relax and let the day flow the way you have organized it.

Enjoy your day!

On your wedding day, enjoy every moment! Remember, not everything always goes smoothly, but it is your big day, so go with the flow and try to take in every precious moment.

Tip: To avoid hiccups and if you are not a person that can easily relax, even if you plan your wedding yourself, it’s always helpful to hire a coordinator for the day. In that way, you, your family and maid of honor can really relax and trust the coordinator to run things smoothly, with no hiccups.

If you need help planning your wedding, you can always contact me for support:
Apart from Full-Service Planning, we offer also:
We can take over from here
Consultation & support
Coordination on your wedding day

For love, with love.

Katarina

The post How to plan your perfect wedding in 12 Steps? appeared first on Double You Weddings by Katarina Winbush.