Wedding Wednesday: Picking Your Team

Hey y'all!

I hope y'all are having a great week & are ready for another Wedding Wednesday installation in my Wedding Belles series :)

Today we're going to talk about one of the most important things when you're planning a wedding...

picking your team!

I'm talking about your wedding planner, photographer, seamstress/tailor, videographer, venue, caterer, etc.

This was super difficult for me, but simple at the same time because I knew exactly what I wanted out of each position...so I'm going to jump right into it!

-Wedding Planner-

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I didn't hire an "official" wedding planner in the traditional way.

Down South, it's almost a tradition for friends of the Mother of the Bride to help plan and execute these special moments.

One of my mother's sweet friends is helping us plan out the whole day and handling all the little details so that I can spend my day relaxing and enjoying the process of getting down the aisle!

She also has help from several of my mom's other friends, as well as the friends of my Mother-in-Law.

-Photographer-

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When choosing our photographer, I was kind of at a loss.

I knew what I wanted, but I wasn't sure where to look.

The photographer that we use for all of our other pictures doesn't do weddings and I wanted someone who was close to the area that our venue is in. . .

so naturally I asked the owners of our venue!

They recommended Amy Sullins and so I checked out her work and fell in love.

We decided to go with a package that included an engagement session, bridal portraits, and of course our wedding!

When we met her the day of our engagement shoot, we knew she wasn't feeling well-but y'all if we hadn't been friends on Facebook (how I knew her ear was bothering her!) then she would've never let on!

She was so patient and hilarious (both of which are important when dealing with my fiance' lol) and since then I'm happy to tell y'all that I believe we have truly become friends!

I keep counting down the days until my bridal portraits and our wedding, so I can see Amy!

And that's how organic a relationship between you and your photographer should be, because if you aren't comfortable around them then it will come across in your pictures.

-Seamstress/Tailor-

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Your wedding dress is probably the most important (& expensive!) dress you'll ever buy, so you want to take it to be altered by someone you trust.

I naturally asked the ladies at The Quality Shoppe where I bought my gown who they recommended.

They did not disappoint.

I was sent to Mr. Morris of Morris Alterations and he and his staff took such great care of me.

My dress was WAY too big and I had one point where I was panicking and thinking I didn't love my dress anymore.

He totally fixed it and calmed my fears, all the while making me feel like I was his only (& most beautiful!) customer!

Find a seamstress/tailor who makes you feel good about yourself and who takes the time to really focus on you and what you think.

-Videographer-

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We hadn't originally budgeted for a videographer, but after talking to the owners of my venue..

I pulled something that Southern girls are famous for

I changed my mind.

It's the most important day of my life and once it's over, all we'll have left are the pictures and videos!

A group of people that I went to junior college with are currently majoring in film and they have a small company that does wedding videos!

I am so excited to be supporting them, especially after seeing several of the other weddings they have done, their work is great!

I suggest looking for students if you're on a budget or if you're willing to spend a bit more ask your venue owner or photographer!

-Venue-

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This isn't technically part of my "team", but the owners of our venue have honestly become part of us!

Bobby and Ginger are texted weekly with questions and concerns, they are so great at calming my nerves!

We had seen our venue many months before we were even engaged and I had told Chris that I wanted to get married there some day.

Thankfully, when he proposed we went to check it out and they had a date that worked for us!

It was love at first sight, not only with the venue (& the venue is fabulous-all I could have ever asked for), but the owners truly are like family now.

To find your perfect venue, I suggest googling, obviously.

But other than that, ask around to other brides that have recently gotten married.

There are probably way more venues closer to you than you realize!

-Caterer-

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My number one tip for everything is to ask the owners of your venue, but it's because they see these people's work on a weekly basis and can vouch for who they recommend.

The small company that was recommended to us by Bobby and Ginger was The Glass House Catering.

They let us do a tasting for four (us and my parents).

The food was SO good, but more than that there was once again that magical connection that every girl wants. :)

Make sure the caterer has your vision in mind, whether they're doing dinner or appetizers, make sure that the food being served is a reflection of you!

We're also using the same company for our cakes because it's so much easier than having another vender around our venue.

-Hairdresser/Makeup Artist-
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This is a great point where you can ask the girl (or guy!) that does your hair regularly if they do wedding hair or know someone who does!
When choosing the team of makeup and hair professionals to take care of myself and my girls,
I chose the lady who has done my hair in the past for formal events, like my senior prom.
I know I'll be comfortable with her and I know she'll do a great job.
You can also call salons local to your venue if you're willing to venture out!
Just be sure to do a makeup and hair trial before the big day...
mine is on Monday, I'll update y'all on how that goes!

-Florist-

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When choosing a florist, I suggest looking at their work.

If there are other brides that you're using as a contact for vendors ask to see their wedding pictures.

Do the same if you're asking the owners of your venue.

We're using a florist in our hometown and I love having him close by so if he gets samples of fabric or flowers in, he can shoot me a text and I can just stop in and see what he has.

Also, it's super convenient to use someone you already know because they then can base their design off of your personalities. 

I can't wait to show y'all the work he is planning for our wedding...it's going to be gorgeous!

I hope this has helped y'all, if I think of any more vendors that might be a part of your team that I'm forgetting right now I will add them and update the post!

 Or, if y'all have any more for me to add please just comment below and let me know!

Until next time. . 

xoxo,