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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If you’ve watched “Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC, you are already familiar with all the emotions, the indecisiveness, the struggle, the tears… and oh, the drama, that doesn’t necessarily happen in real life, but hey! Who doesn’t like some laughs and giggles, right?! 

Dress shopping is fun. Now I know, you may say “Not really Paulette…” but what if I told you, that you can make your dress shopping experience exciting, enjoyable, interesting and stress free by being mindful of a few simple things?

When getting ready to shop for your wedding dress, there are a few aspects to keep in mind. I’ve come up with The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Dress Shopping that will help you “Say Yes to the Dress!”  So ladies, leave you stress behind, your vision ahead, and read on!

1. Do you have a theme in mind?

Is it rustic, country, whimsical, garden or a holiday wedding? Considering this will help you decide on the dress style, fabric and silhouette. Whether you want delicate work on your wedding dress, bold colors, embroidery, or jewels, it all depends on what the overall wedding theme is. Remember, you’re the star of your own fairytale!

2. Do your research

Before you start shopping for your ideal wedding dress, do some research on what is out there in the market. Depending on the theme you’ve chosen, look up for some dress inspiration online and check which vendors carry the brands and styles of your preference. This will save you a tremendous amount of time when you start booking your appointments.

3. Book an appointment

Once you have done your due diligence of researching what bridal stores you want to book an appointment with, it’s time to start creating a schedule for yourself.  Set aside different days and times for different places you want to visit. Keep in mind the commute time and leave some room for traffic delays and/or appointments running longer than their set times. Making a list of all the stores in a particular area so you can target them all on a given day, also helps you organize appointment slots better and reduces stress of rushing back and forth across the city from one store to another.

4. Know your budget

Set yourself a budget and stick to it! I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to set a budget for your wedding gown and stick to that budget. 

Keep a set price in your mind before you start trying on different wedding gowns. Avoid trying gowns beyond your budget. Trust me, this will save you a lot of unnecessary stress, and will help you narrow down your options so you can focus on designing the best style within a given budget.

5. Decide on a silhouette

Based on your body shape, decide on a silhouette but be open to try out things outside your comfort zone. Whether you’re petite, tall, pear shaped or hourglass, do some research before you start looking for different gown styles and cuts. Consider a style that follows the natural and feminine contours of your chest, waist, hips and thighs. However, if you feel confident in a particular dress, chuck out any rules that hold you back from feeling yourself wonderful in that dress.

6. Focus on the fit not on the size

Keep in mind that sizes will vary, depending on the dress designer. If you must try on a size medium instead of a small, know that it’s due to the store or designer sizing, not a reflection of your own body size. Remember one glove doesn’t fit all, and not all five fingers are the same. 

7. Bring the right undergarments and shoes

Everything will look better with the right foundational pieces. A nude strapless bra and a no-show pair of panties is the safest choice. Wrong undergarments can completely alter the appearance of a dress.

8. Narrow down your entourage

Bring friends that are going to be honest but who also understand your ideals of a wedding dress, along with your style needs. Sometimes, having too many opinions from different friends and family members can sway you from deciding what you had originally envisioned for yourself.

And lastly 

9. Be true to yourself 

Choose a dress that makes you smile, feel special and enhances your beautiful assets. It’s your wedding, and you should feel like yourself! Choose something that brings out the best in you. If you want to add a pop of color to your dress, or try a floral skirt with a top, then go for it and see how it looks. There is no right or wrong. Ultimately, it’s what accentuates your inner and outer beauty and makes you say “Yes, this is definitely the one!”

While all these things are important, above all, be patient with yourself. You want to allow yourself time to decide what looks great on you. You want to choose something that makes your heart filled with joy. A dress that goes well with your overall wedding theme, makes you feel like your true self, and the dress that will make your husband’s eyes filled with love and appreciation for the real beauty that is You!

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