Jacksonville Fl Wedding Planner

Your wedding, for sure, will be the biggest party you’ll ever throw — and figuring out how to plan a wedding might sound like a daunting task at first. From engagement pictures to hiring vendors, making checklists, and choosing a wedding venue, there are a number of things that you need to coordinate before you utter those two magic words. I am here to bring clarity to that with the help of a top Wedding Planner in Jacksonville Fl.

I have sought out an amazing Wedding Planner, Jessica to give us the best-of-the-best tips for planning the perfect nuptials.

When you’re planning your big day, regardless of the time you have, focus on one task at a time, and you won’t lose your wits. If you’re in a real hurry, go ahead and fork over some of the errands to the friends and family — they’ll definitely be able to help you while you manage this whole process.

But If you feel that your wedding-planning checklist is a little overwhelming, below is a rundown of the quick steps you’ll need to follow to make sure your big day is a success.

So, let’s begin!

1.   Hire a Professional Jacksonville Fl Wedding Planner

Hiring a professional wedding planner in Jacksonville Fl is the first thing that you need to do. A competent wedding planner will not only know how to navigate the wedding event specific to your wedding locale but also serve as a completely impartial voice of reason whose primary objective is to accomplish your expectations.

They will be your guide and your footman to get all the stuff up and running for your wedding day. Consider your pro planner as your penultimate advisor throughout the planning process. He or she will know who to avoid and what to do besides catering for all whens, wheres, and hows for your big day – so that you can relax and enjoy the process.

Some couples prefer a family member as their “wedding planner.” In my opinion, however, while their feedback and input may be beneficial in many ways, but family and friends cannot make up for Professional Advice. You, therefore, need to opt for a professional wedding planner.

A professional knows the game, he/she can get you discounts and suggest options that you or your family have never even considered that too at the best price, and with the least trouble.

However, if you have a close friend or family member who you feel very strongly should be part of your wedding planning process, request them to tag along with a qualified planner, sign up for meetings, and design consultations in your stead.

Otherwise, it’s advisable to spare your loved ones the hassle and complications that can occur in planning a wedding, and just let the pros handle your planning woes.

2.   Set a Budget – Money Makes the World Go Round

You’re not supposed to do anything before you decide on your budget. I know it’s difficult, but the budget needs to be discussed and determined before anything else. Sit at the table with your parents, family members, wedding planner, or just the two of you. Work out who is contributing, how much they will contribute, and know what sums up to be your final budget.

In short, deciding on how to plan your wedding narrows down to how much you can spend on your wedding. This calculation may not be the best part of the process, but it’s an undertaking that really needs to be settled first.

The last thing that you would like is to fall in love with a venue or vendor that is totally out of your range. So, decide on a budget and stick to it.

If you think you might have a “wish list” that may pop up later at the time of the wedding, add them to your budget right from the start. Your aim should be to never exceed the amount you have set right from day one.

Remember! If you spend extra money on flowers, you’ll have to cut down on something else from your list. Prioritize the large expenditure and must-have items against the “wish list” items that can be slashed at any time.

3.   Work Out Your Guest List – Invites Matter

It’s a tough one! Because you want to invite everyone you know to your wedding. But, take it as a Warning: the more the invites higher the expenditure (This is why you do the budget first). 

Even though you don’t have to have a final guest list until a bit later, it’s vital to come up with an estimated guest count early in the time frame. You need to understand that there is a big difference between a 50-person wedding and a 300-person wedding, especially when it comes to choosing your wedding venue.

So, before you start browsing the wedding venues, get an idea of how many guests you’re going to host. You may also make use of this time to choose the people who will be standing next to you on your big day as bridesmaids and groomsmen.

4.   Choose the Wedding Dates

Deciding your wedding date may sound like a no-brainer at first, but there are several things you need to consider before you set this in stone. To be on a safer side, select 2-3 potential dates for your wedding just in case the venue of choice isn’t available on a particular day. Consider the time of year, weather, work schedules, holidays, and yes, even the football season or any other sport your fiancé and family are mad about. 

5.    Choose Your Wedding Theme & Style

A wedding style is something that determines and defines the look and feel of a wedding. There are so many to themes; vintage, modern, classical, eclectic, handmade, and rustic, to name a few.  

The thing with the “wedding styles” is that they also dictate the décor and color theme. Therefore, understanding it right from the start will help you later. There is no need to decide your whole wedding style, right away – just know the general layout and feel of how you want the event theme to look like.

If you know this, it will be easy to decide on the next point, the wedding venue. 

Note: The above steps (2-5) can essentially be done in one sitting.

6.   Choose and Book Your Wedding Venue

After you have decided on the above-mentioned points, you can start with the process of Wedding venue selection. First, shortlist the venues of your choice, make a call to check their availability on the desired dates, and then visit the venue in person. 

Give yourself a little time to visit all your options (depending on how long you’ve got until your wedding date, of course), picture your wedding there (or not), and then book your venue.

 When you have your wedding, venue booked (deposit made and contract signed), your date is secured, and you are knocking at the doors of the MARRIED Life. 

7.   Hire Vendors

Finding the right vendors for your wedding is crucial. There are so many options and you just want time to choose the right ones for you. When you’re doing your research, must check out the vendor’s portfolio, profile, pricing details (if available), and their blog. 

Look for any type of vendor you need. But if you’re not sure who to look for, here is a List of Vendors that are crucial and are required to be booked early. 

• Wedding Planner
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Caterer (if applicable). 

You may hire these Additional Vendors as well;

• Entertainment
• Florals/event décor
• Rentals
• Invitation
• Cake
• Hair and Makeup
• Transportation
• Tux rentals
• Favors, and any extras

So, when you are done with your research, and you know what vendors you need, contact them.  Check out if they’re available on your date, ask their charges and schedule a consultation session. The meet will allow you two the opportunity to know each other before you get to business.

 I suggest meeting up to three of each form of vendors, one, when you completely love them, and they’re selling you right away, two if you’re super keen and want to learn other choices, and three if you’re not sure. It just depends on you, your decision-making skills, and your taste.

Here is a Quick Advice!

After you’ve hired someone, do let the other vendors know about your decision. I know it sucks to do it, and yes, you may feel uncomfortable, but courtesy demands it.  A simple, short email can serve the purpose.

8.   Get Inspiration – Design, and Details

The big beautiful wedding world is almost entirely about design and details. By design and details, I mean how do you want your wedding to look like. This takes a lot of research, which we call Inspiration in the wedding world. 

You should make sure that you’ve got enough inspiration to be able to express your intent precisely to your wedding vendors. Don’t forget to bring your Inspiration to consultation sessions. It would be absolutely amazing if you could pull your Pinterest board and illustrate to your vendors how do you want it to look like.

9. Last not Least – Enjoy the Process

While planning your wedding, don’t forget to enjoy the process. After all, this is going to be the highlight of your life. Wedding preparations, as I mentioned before, are like a roller coaster ride. You’re going really fast at one moment, and the next, you’ll slow down, and then you’re going to speed up again. There’ll be ups and downs and twists and turns. And this is how it goes. The roller coaster trip continues until you get married and say those magical words – “I DO.”

So, while you’re on the roller coaster, you got to remember this – HAVE FUN!

Looking for the perfect venue near Jacksonville? Check out my amazing venue guide, CLICK HERE!

What can I offer you as your Jacksonville Wedding Photographer?

Hiring a professional wedding photographer you absolutely love and click with is such an important step to make sure that you can capture all the amazing moments you will have at your wedding. These photographs will act as a ticket for traveling back in time and having a look at all the beautiful memories you created with your loved ones.

I have been working as a professional photographer for over 8 years. Throughout that time I realized that the intimate moments in between the poses were the ones most cherished. My wedding work has been seen in places like The Knot, Wedding Wire, The Carolinas Magazine, Embrace Beauty Magazine and many other leading industry publications. I’m sincerely grateful for every single one of them, and for the others yet to come. But none of that matters without the experience, the fun, and the results that everyone feels when they look back through their photographs. If you think we’d make an amazing fit contact me today and let’s chat about your wedding!