One thing for certain when it comes to wedding planning is that you’ll receive countless opinions from everyone. Your parents, your siblings, your friends, your future in-laws… It’s inevitable that not everyone will agree with your wedding decisions, and we’re here to let you know that’s okay. The important thing to remember is that this is your day. Make decisions that make you and your fiancè happy, and try to limit the other outside opinions and their effect on your big day.

Your guests don’t want the favors.

Let’s be real, unless I can eat it… I likely do not want it. As an avid wedding koozie collector, this one was hard for me to put on paper, but take my word for this. Guests do not want another bottle opener. The cute sunglasses with your names on them… Nope, they don’t want those either. Spending anywhere from $1-10 per guest, we think you should spend this money elsewhere. I promise, your guests would much rather enjoy a signature cocktail or a late night snack with that money you saved not buying the mini candle favors.

Buffets have their perks.

For some reason, buffets have a negative connotation, and we’re not sure why! Sure, a lot of couples choose this as the cost efficient option, but let us share some quick facts with you…

Buffets offer:

• More variety
• More flexibility for dietary restrictions
• Better portion sizes

Now, hear us loud and clear – you should definitely have servers to serve each guest as they go through the line rather than having guests serve themselves. This will help upscale the buffet experience while helping guests through the line quickly and efficiently.

Never account for everyone to eat the cake.

One of the number one things we tell our couples is to never account for all guests to partake in eating the cake. There are a number of reasons that this is so, but we advise our couples to order enough cake for only 60-70% of your guests, assuming cake is the only dessert option. If you’re having a dessert bar, you can lower this percentage even more and offer your guests more of a diverse selection of sweet treats to end their night!

Don’t let the busyness of the weekend and pressure of seeing one another before the aisle keep you from spending time with your partner.

One of our most recent grooms said something that stuck with us. Although this was the most important weekend of their lives thus far as a couple, they spent less time together than they ever did otherwise. With the hustle and bustle of wedding weekend, it’s easy for you to get caught up and miss out on time with your partner. We try to remind our couples of this, and when building your timeline, please think this one through.

Have the first look! And if you can, have it early! Some of our happiest couples have had an early first look that allowed them to spend quality time with their partner prior to the ceremony. Not only does this first look help you enjoy more of your cocktail hour by getting photos out of the way early, but it also allows you priceless time with your partner that you’ll never get back. Soak it in while it lasts. After all, this day is all about celebrating the two of you.