Planning a wedding, as exciting and magical as it sounds, comes with a lot of organization and delegation of tasks. While the couple spearheads the main events, the bridal party can get involved in a lot of ways. Your wedding party can ensure a smooth sailing at the event. Ultimately helping the couple have a stress free wedding of their dreams. Here are some ideas on how to get your wedding party involved in the event planning process.

Notify Wedding Party In Advance

Ideally you should notify your immediate family and friends within a couple of months of getting engaged. This could be anyone you’d like to be involved in your wedding planning processes. Notifying them in advance will give them enough time to adjust their daily schedules to accommodate for the planning process. Hence allowing them to make important introductions, making it easier for your party to communicate and coordinate with each other.

Choose Your Wedding Party

Your wedding party includes not only the people who will help you plan your wedding day, but also the people who will be by your side as you walk down the aisle and say the vows. These could be your parents, your friends, your most trusted coworkers, or your neighbours. These are people who know you well and understand what your wishes are for your special day. There are no set rules but keep in mind that your bridal party will be dedicating a notable amount of time and resources for your special day.

Choosing Bridesmaids/Groomsmen

Feel confident about asking your friends to take charge of certain events. They can assign tasks to the rest of the team. There are a lot of ways your party can get involved in the planning process. This can involve helping you decide your budget, choose a wedding planner, help you make appointments etc. Some of the bridesmaids can plan the Bridal Shower, while others can plan the Wedding Day Breakfast. Similarly, you can get their help with choosing a wedding dress, makeup necessities, party attires for family members, distributing party favours, and planning entertainment for guests. They can also coordinate with your event planner to carry out some essential tasks. The important thing to keep in mind is trust, reliability and flexibility.

Getting Your Event Planner Involved

Discuss all the wedding details with your event planner well in advance. Consult with them on how to distribute responsibilities. They can also give you advice on who to put in charge of certain things and who to choose as your advisory board. Event planners have tons of experience. So don’t hesitate to consult them on how to get your wedding party involved in the wedding process. See our service packages here to get an idea of how we, as your event planner, can help get your wedding party involved.

Moreover, a lot of couples choose to have their wedding planner assign tasks to the bridal party. Your event planner is your main point of contact during the whole process. Therefore, having your wedding planner distribute certain responsibilities removes the hesitation on the couple’s behalf. This becomes of high value for couples who may not feel comfortable assigning tasks to family members and friends. Needless to say, it reduces a lot of stress, leaving more room for the couple to enjoy every moment at their wedding.

Delegating Tasks

Assign roles to a particular person or a group of people. For example you can appoint three people to research different catering options. One person can compile a list of vendors. Another person can check for reviews and quality assurance. The third person can call these vendors to book appointments and check pricing. Have them greet and receive guests at the wedding reception, while you get ready. They can help your guests find their seating and offer complimentary drinks. This is a great way to make everyone feel included in the planning process.

Beyond Wedding Party

A lot of couples are afraid of leaving out a few friends/ family members from making the cut for the Bridesmaids or Groomsmen list. I’d like to emphasize that there are still a lot of ways you can get your beloved friends and family members involved at your wedding. Program distribution, ushering, train bearing, party favour distribution, checking up on guests, monitoring gifts table etc are to name a few. These may seem small tasks but they make a big difference in carrying out your ideal wedding. 

Setting Limits

Getting your family and friends involved in the wedding planning can be a huge stress reliever. It is crucial to choose a close group of people that not only know you well, but also respect you enough to help you make your own decisions. All this while giving you a healthy space to be yourself and make your own calls in the planning process.

Despite this, the wedding planning process comes with a lot of responsibility. In such situations, complications can happen. Sometimes, disagreements between party members may arise. These may vary from budget pricing to resource allocation to overwhelming involvement in the wedding planning. Be sympathetic, understanding and compassionate. Have an honest conversation about the clear expectations and responsibilities at hand. Assure them that you love them but also set limits to allow yourself enough space to make wise decisions. This will help address issues clearly to ensure amendments are made and things are up to par with your plan.

In the end, your bridal party is your wedding squad. They’ll be with you throughout the whole process to make sure everything works out as planned. So make sure to thank everyone involved in making your wedding special. Show them your love and appreciation, whether it’s by giving them a call or sending a Thank You note. A little goes a long way!

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Cake tasting is one of the most fun and delightful experiences of wedding planning. You get to spend a few hours savouring the delicious, melt-in-your-mouth desserts that you will potentially be offering to your guests on the day of your wedding. 

As exciting as it is, there are still some things that you absolutely do not want to overlook or forget while you enjoy your mouth-watering treats. Besides the presentation and taste, there are other factors, you want to keep in mind before you start booking your appointments with different bakers. So keep reading as I share some tips with you that can help you decide which cake you’d like to share with your family and friends on your special day.

Do some serious research

Look for different vendors, cake styles, flavours, decorations, fillings and textures. Once you have narrowed down your list, take the time to read reviews of your favourite baker. 

You can always call and have a preliminary consultation with different bakers. I would suggest being open to their suggestions, and suggestions from others (family/friends) who’ve ordered cakes from different vendors for different occasions. Have your list of questions ready so you don’t forget to ask important questions during your appointment.

Book your cake tasting 6 months in advance

Book your cake tasting appointments about 6 months in advance. This is something you don’t want to leave out for the very last minute. Having at least a  six month time period in advance will help you straighten out all the details of the event day, like theme, venue, event-day agenda, so that when you’re finalizing the cake you can give the exact location, presentation and timings of cake arrival to your vendor. 

Schedule appointments on different days

If you’re testing multiple bakers, do not make all your appointments the same day. Cake tasting usually takes about one to two hours, so schedule your days accordingly. You want to give yourself sufficient time to process different tastes, textures, flavours, aromas, decoration etc. And believe me, having cake after cake after cake, you don’t want to get sugar sick by the end of the day!

Know your budget and stick to it

Keeping a budget in mind will help you make a list of all the places that fall under your set budget. This way, you can discuss your budget expectations with your baker before you proceed with finalizing the details of the cake. A good way to keep track of things is by keeping a cake tasting sheet with you. This will help you keep track of different vendors, flavors, pricing, tastes, and other things you like/dislike about a particular vendor.

Have some ideas about flavour and style 

Once you research different bakers and their creations, you’ll get an idea of what flavour and style you want to have for your wedding cake. Have ideas about cake toppers and decoration and discuss these with your baker. If there are any dietary restrictions, make sure to mention them beforehand. 

Some people prefer having different flavours for different tiers. Ask your baker if they can accommodate that for you so you can maximize your options. You may also want to consider tasting the frosting and filling separately and see which combinations work best for you.

Eat before your appointment

Eat before your appointment, because being hungry might affect your taste buds. Everything….and I mean, everything tastes better when you’re hungry! Your sensitivity to sugar and salt increases and your perception of taste changes. So be sure to eat before your appointment so you can differentiate between different flavours and not get tricked by your brain, who is a lot less picky when you haven’t had a meal in a while.

Cleanse your palate between each sample

Cleanse your palate between each sample so your taste buds can enjoy the next slice without any lingering flavours from the last sample. Drink water between your tastings and remember to taste different elements of the cake separately. For example: sponginess, frosting, sweetness, moisture, decorations etc.

Connect with your baker

Once you’re done finalizing all the details, you want to make sure you take down the contact information of your baker. In months and weeks leading up to the wedding, sometimes you make some changes based on the new information you may get and you want to make sure you have your baker’s information handy so you can communicate these changes with them in a timely manner.

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE  BOOKING A SPECIFIC BAKER Find out if your baker provides a cake stand or if you’ll need to provide one Learn how large they consider a slice .This may affect how much cake you need to order Be sure to get a sketch of the design before finalizing the order Find out what time the cake will be delivered

Now that you know how to plan your cake tasting and what to look for, explore different ideas for cake decorations, flavours, tablescapes, and find inspiration in our lookbook here. If you need suggestions on vendors or how to decorate your wedding table, feel free to talk to us. We have a variety of recommendations based on your preference, that you may find helpfully delicious.

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