Brad Walters Photography: Denver Photographers and Colorado Springs Photographers | Destination Wedding Photographers

Being the beginning of wedding planning season, we are featuring some local industry experts on our blog.  We have asked for some insight into wedding planning from Stacy Pasani from Alexan Events in Denver.  We have worked with Stacy and her exceptional wedding planning team many times, so we thought we’d have her give our clients some insider information.

From a planner’s perspective:

Top dos and don’ts to help you save money and style your event flawlessly

Being a wedding planner, I spend an infinite amount of time listening to other peoples ideas and trying to translate them into something that will make their day uniquely theirs.  Over the years, I have found that a few things top the list on what you should and should not do when planning a wedding.  Though many other details and wedding day aspects should be considered when taking on the challenge of creating the perfect wedding, these 6 things, if carefully considered, will get you moving in the right direction.  For a complete list of all our top ten things please see www.alexanevents.com/blog

1-DO pay close attention to the existing surroundings and décor of your reception venue.

If you want to have an upscale polished event, consider having it in a ballroom, at a local country club or in a mansion rather then in a cabin at the top of Vail’s chair lift.  Working with what is around you will help you to minimize the amount of money that you need to spend in order to achieve a “look” or “style”.

2- DO limit your guest list to maximize the experience of the guests that you do invite.

People travel to the state of Colorado when they are invited, so the standard 2/3 yes 1/3 no ratio for RSVP’s does not apply here.  Knowing that a good majority on your guest list will come if they are invited in a timely fashion, you should seriously consider limiting your guest list if your budget is limited.

Which brings me to number 3- DON’T make people pay for alcohol.  Cash bars are an unfortunate way to thank your guests for flying, driving, walking or biking to your wedding.  If your budget is terribly limited and alcohol is questionable, just go with beer and wine

4- DO consider your photographer very carefully.  Maybe you have a friend that got married last year and you thought her photographs were nice, maybe you have a cousin that has a Nikon and has taken some classes in college, or maybe you just haven’t really thought about it that much, regardless of where you stand, take time to look around and ask professionals their opinions on photographers in the area. The photographs that are taken that day are going to be the ONLY tangible object that will move forward with you past that day.  They are what you will look back on to remember and they have to tell a compelling and complete story.  You have to be moved by them.

5-DO pay attention to your floral centerpieces, especially if your budget is limited.  Bouquets are beautiful, flowers at the alter are nice and, man, the flower girl’s halo headpiece seems precious, BUT these things are seen very briefly and should not take a huge portion of a limited budget.  Since people will essentially sit at the same table all night staring at the same flowers for 4-7 hours, you should find a way to maximize the centerpiece.

6- DO hire a planner to help you navigate the vendor network and to help make recommendations for other cost savings.    Some think they cannot afford a good planner because of budget restrictions, or because they simply have no idea how much they cost, but planners are available at all price points. Some can help you with everything from décor design and planning, others simple make referrals and help set appointments, other still help with just day of coordination.  Whatever your budget, there is a planner that can help.  One word of caution, as with everything else, all planners are not created equal and the best charge accordingly, so know what you want and do the research to make sure you are getting it before you sign on the dotted line.

Again, for more information on this subject visit the Alexan Events Blog

Happy Planning!