TBWPP: Premium Feed

#133 White Ink Calligraphy

Episode 133 White Ink Calligraphy*Special Announcement! We’re heading to Boston for March 29-31, 2019. We are hosting a meet up on Saturday, March 30! Email us if you can make it and we’ll give you details.Claire White is a Nashville based owner of White Ink Calligraphy. It started as a side hustle but has since grown to her 2nd full time job. (That’s right, she works full time as an attorney.) She has been practicing pointed pen calligraphy for over 4 years now and has been working under her brand name for 2 years. Her work is gorgeous, y’all. Check out her website and insta - links below, of course. You can see the different styles that Claire specializes in and how calligraphy can be used for so much more than just addressing invitations. Although that is a very nice touch on those invitations! It’s traditional and beautiful and stylish and elevates all signage and paper products. We love it. And we’re pretty fond of Claire too.Big TakeawaysMost of what Claire does is signage for weddings and invitations and the other part of her work is special custom projects for clients. Like welcome signs for wreaths and family names for large blank walls and song lyrics for a child’s nursery. Fun stuff! The sky is the limit!Claire has a few distinct styles, a modern lettering style with some block letters mixed in (you’ve definitely seen this style all over instagram at weddings lately - like the last 5 years. Think wood plank welcome sign.). A copper-plate style (traditional cursive - more formal, old world style). And Claire’s signature style is sort of a combination of the two.A lot of times, the rental is necessary too for signage. Claire also has an inventory of stuff like this...wood planks, mirrors, frames, etc...for her to write on. Calligraphy and rentals together!Claire asks for the seating chart list the Wednesday before the wedding. Because changes happen! That’s why she only does seating charts for local clients.$2.50/envelope for front addressing. That gives you an idea of pricing...the more she writes, the more you pay. For a large sign that Claire has to do on-site, it’s approx $150/hour. It’s surprising to hear how affordable to large format pieces are. Maybe something you see on Pinterest is actually attainable!Links we referencedhttp://www.whiteinkcalligraphy.comhttps://www.instagram.com/WhiteInkCalligraphy/The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#132 Credit Card Hacking Your Wedding

Is it possible to pay for your honeymoon (or at least the flight and hotel accomodations) using points you earned when you spent money on your wedding? Yes! This episode breaks down how. We’re happy to have Keith King on the podcast because we too need to learn about our credit cards! Miles, points, travel hacking - woohoo!Keith King is quickly rising the ranks as a blogger, and freelance writer. The travel bug was planted in him when he was young. That was when his love for planes started. It continues to this day, as it led Keith to become a licensed pilot. His other love is writing. After all, it's what he does for a living AND a hobby. He's a TV news executive by trade.At KeithKingReport.com, you'll find Keith's experiences with travel, budgets, and more. The goal for this blog is to make sure you can do more than just live to work. Rather, we want you to work to live.Keith's first book, Cracking the Code to Travel Hacking, was published in November of 2017. A great read if you're interested in jumping into the world of travel hacking with credit cards.Big TakeawaysDisclaimer: We are not affiliated with any financial institutions or credit card companies! We’re speaking from personal experience and it’s very limited! Keith King is a hacking and travel expert and his opinions are his own. Don’t come back and blame us if you rack up thousands of dollars in debt on credit cards and wedding planning! Even credit cards that give you incentives and points are ONLY worthwhile if you pay them off every month. The interest incurred for a balance due will never be less than the rewards or points you are getting. There is a reason why credit card companies make money! Don’t be that reason. And don’t spend a lot of money on your wedding that you just don’t have. Unless you are ok with debt and interest piling up and in that case, do you. We encourage you all to always pay off your credit card statements!Who would this whole thing work for? Responsible adults who pay off their cards on time! If you are in credit card debt, or if you can’t pay off your debt in a cycle or two, you shouldn’t apply for a new credit card. Pay off the debt you have and then once it’s clear, you can get the card with the points that you want. Also, it will work specifically for you if you love to travel and plan on traveling on flights and staying in hotels for your honeymoon! Double awesome if you also want to host your wedding in a hotel._Cards that are awesome for the ‘starter hack’: _--#1 suggestion right now - Chase Sapphire Reserve and/or Preferred - depending on the card -- 2 or 3 points per dollar at restaurants and travel (good card to use if you're reception is at a restaurant). You can transfer these incentives to the travel partners like hotels and airlines. Super easy to use, Michelle loves it.--Chase Freedom Unlimited (1.5 points per dollar on everything)--Amex Gold (4 points per dollar on dining and supermarkets)--Barclaycard Arrival Plus (cash back)--Capital One Savor Cash Rewards (cash back)Links we referencedhttp://www.keithkingreport.com/ - he has a book! And a great blog too for travel hacking and travel tips.https://twitter.com/The_KeithKingThe Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#131 Rethinking Flowers with Amelia’s Flower Truck

SURPRISE! BONUS EPISODE. Today’s guest is entrepreneur Mattie Bush - who started a flower truck in Nashville and is killing it! Flowers and weddings go hand in hand, but in this episode, we are digging in a little deeper and talking about unique ways to incorporate flowers into your wedding - in an action station way. Something for guests to do and create and leave with...and it’s beautiful and makes for a great photo op. Flower Trucks, flower bars, DIY bouquets....enjoy!Mattie is a young entrepreneur that started Amelia’s Flower Truck in Nashville less than 3 years ago. What started as a modest idea to make flowers more accessible to Nashville, has now turned into a three truck operation and she has just recently opened up her first Brick & Mortar in Franklin, Tennessee.Big TakeawaysFavorite flowers to work with garden roses - high petal count, gorgeous colors like violet and burnt orange. Perfect for a couple on a budget. They’re similar to peonies, but less expensive and sturdier.MVP bloom? The most popular stems are limonium - a sea-lavender. Blue-lace limonium is Mattie’s favorite. It is full and sprays and looks gorgeous combined with other, more delicate blooms. Trust us, you’ve seen it in plenty of arrangements and bouquets, but you didn’t know what it was! Silver dollar eucalyptus sprays are very popular too, in garlands and arrangements. (If you’re DIY-ing flowers, make sure you see if they are not poisonous before you stick them in a cake…)Flower Bars at a wedding are SO fun! It makes for a great photo op, like we mentioned above, but a flower bar at a wedding kills several birds with one stone (pardon the analogy…). First, millennials love unique experiences at weddings - a flower bar is tactile and entertaining and inviting. Plus, it definitely adds to the decor of an event. And - the guests get to take their creations home, so you have the favor taken care of! What’s not to love?You can book the full flower truck for a wedding and just use it as an awesome photo backdrop, OR you can book the truck for an event and guest’s can create their own flowers. Amelia’s will include vessels and vases if the client wants them, but most clients keep the truck as an action station for favors. (Rather than building centerpieces for the event itself.)We think there is something romantic and personal about a hand-picked and put together bouquet.At the end of this episode, Mattie goes into a little about the history and reputation of flowers - Queen Anne’s Lace, Mums, babies breath and King Protea...oh my!Links We Referencedhttps://ameliasflowertruck.comhttps://www.instagram.com/ameliasflowertruck/The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#130 Must-Ask Photographer Questions With Kathy Thomas

Kathy Thomas is AWESOME. We love talking to photographers on the podcast and we’ve had a few episodes with guests that are professional wedding photographers. Kathy has great advice for hiring a wedding photographer - stuff we haven’t heard before. She even surprised us with some of her tips and tricks - specifically for couples heading to their initial consultation with a photographer. You know, the meeting where you decide if you want to hire this photographer or not! It’s important! We talk a lot about how this decision isn’t just about budget. There’s more to it, much more, and Kathy is showing us the way...she’s wise. We loved having her on the podcast.Big TakeawaysA photographer’s ‘ideal client’ for weddings is a couple that trusts the photographer. Kathy knows she will be a great fit with the client when there is an immediate connection between her and the couple. You can’t fake that connection. She takes the initial interview as a way to really get to know them. She is clear that a client (couple) has to let her in for the relationship to work, and the product to be what the client wants.An engagement session is important! It allows the photographer to get to know the couple. It helps to start with a cocktail! (She is not the first photographer that told us this.) But Kathy doesn’t consider the engagement session totally necessary. But the face-time is what’s really important. So if you aren’t going to have an engagement session for some reason, make sure you at least get to have one face-to-face meeting with the photographer. You need this familiarity.Things you can ask your photographer (before you hire them!) And do a little research ahead of time so that you are prepared for different answers...
What camera equipment does she use?
How does she back up her files?
Does she bring extra equipment and backup batteries etc on the wedding day?
What’s up with the assistant? Is the assistant a second shooter? Will Kathy review and oversee the assistant’s photos after the event? Does the assistant have their own company? Can you see the assistant’s work too?
Do you edit the photos or outsource that service?
How will the time be spent during the wedding day? (Like half and half with bride and groom each getting ready, for example)
Will you create a wedding day timeline for us? The important thing is to be forthcoming and honest!
Links we referencedhttp://www.kathythomasphotography.com/https://www.instagram.com/kathythomasphoto/The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#129 You Ask, We Answer - 15

YAWA! It’s a good one this month. We’re talking about everything from lesbian wedding processionals to boring transportation timelines, to ex-girlfriends...and everything in between. We’re starting this episode off with a voice message and ending with a bang! We love these episodes and we love you. Keep sending emails!Voicemail Question #1Ask: To summarize the question about transportation from this bride...almost all of the guests are traveling in for the wedding. The ceremony is about 30 minutes away from the reception venue. The hotels are near the reception venue.Second part of the call was about ‘cocktail-style’ receptions - which are very cool in New Orleans, where this wedding will be. But our caller is concerned about how to make one work for her family that will be expecting a traditional sit-down reception!Email #1 Same Sex representation and lesbian wedding questionsAsk: Another multi-part-er! (Would be perfect for a consultation!)
With a heterosexual wedding, the man usually waits for the woman to walk down the aisle. Both my partner and I will be wearing a beautiful dress and plan to walk down the aisle together. I have an idea in mind but I'd love to hear examples of other LGBTQ weddings and how they made the walk down the aisle special.
How much time should a lesbian wedding plan in advance? Since we have extra women as part of the bridal party that means extra makeup, hair, bouquets, etc!
The budget has been a bit tricker for me since rather than thinking of one dress, there are two dresses, two diamond rings, two hair dos, etc. Are there any lesbian budget templates you have come across or any tips you can give to make this process a little easier?
Email #2 Written with a heavy heartAsk: How to honor a recently deceased loved one - in this case a groomsman..and what is the best way to set up a registry donation link in his name?Email #3 “Ex-girlfriend on the guestlist? I don’t want to include her!”Ask: (This one is juicy, yall.) My fiancé and I are trying to decide whether or not it’s ok to exclude his ex-girlfriend from our guest list. The ex-girlfriend left my fiancé for his best friend, Tom. Tom and the ex-girlfriend are now married. My fiancé is still friends with Tom and wants to invite him to the wedding. Is it okay to invite Tom but not his wife (the ex girlfriend)? We live in a small town and see the couple out and about often. There are no bad feelings between any of us but I feel somewhat uncomfortable having the ex-girlfriend at our wedding. I also don’t want to be rude. Should we just invite both of them and hope she doesn’t come?Links we referencedhttps://www.instagram.com/thewedexperience/?hl=enhttps://www.experiencewed.comhttps://www.zola.com/bigweddingwww.patreon.com/thebigweddingplanningpodcasthttps://www.thebigweddingplanningpodcast.com/destination-wedding-retrospective-trisha-and-suttonhttps://dressanomalie.comThe Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#128 Cocktails With The Aero Bar

Brian Fuente, his right-hand woman Amberly, his parents, and his director of operations all met with us at the warehouse to show us the bars, talk business and cocktails with us, and to put a nice bow on our Nashville trip before we headed back home. Brian is the founder and owner of The Aero Bar, an uber cool and chic trailer bar that gets booked for all the hippest events in and around Nashville. With craft cocktails made to please and a super friendly staff of bartenders, Brian’s goal was to make sure that the drinks enhanced and lived up to the wedding they were served at. Customer service is a priority from start to finish and Southern Hospitality is alive and well at The Aero Bar, just like Nashville itself. Belly up and learn with us, dear listeners!Big TakeawaysHow are bars evolving and changing at weddings? Are signature cocktails still a ‘cutesy’ thing expected at every wedding? What is the bar owner’s favorite cocktail of all time?? These questions and more are answered by Brian! But the general gist is...more and more couples want to put some thought into their bar...the drinks served are thoughtfully decided on. The recipe, the booze, the fresh fruit, herbs, edible flowers, organic syrups, just-juiced-juice and delectable garnishes...everything was curated. Couples want the bar experience to feel upscale and inventive. They want their drinks to look and taste amazing, and for the whole bar to be memorable. The taste level is high, and the expectation is for each and every drink to be topnotch.The Aero Bar has been used at all kinds of events and can serve anything. It’s a different bar every time. Coffee Bar, corporate branded water bottle bar, dessert station, full bar...plus people LOVE to take photos in front of this bar. Think outside the box! We love the double duty here...if you’re going to spend a lot of money on a specific element of your wedding, make sure it’s available for photos all night!How does a bar service like The Aero Bar deal with liability and insurance? Typically, caterers focus on the food and food service, and the bar company provides the bar and everything that includes: coordinating glassware rentals, insured and licensed bartenders and staff, all ingredients, set up, breakdown...you get it. We have a whole episode about liability insurance and it’s important! Make sure you cross your Ts on this one, y’all.Crowd Pleasing drink of 2019? Brian says the classic Old Fashioned cocktail is always a winner (especially in Nashville). Asking for local favorites and products is always a good idea, though, if you’re looking for signature cocktail ideas for your destination wedding.Links we referencedhttps://www.theaerobar.comhttps://takecareof.comhttps://www.theaerobarsocal.comhttps://www.instagram.com/theaerobar/The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#127 Simply Eloped

Janessa White and her partner Matt witnessed so many close friends spend tons of money on large weddings that were stressful and difficult to plan. After noticing that many of these friends didn’t enjoy their weddings, the duo realized that there must be a better way. With that, Simply Eloped was born and the two set off on a mission to make getting married, fun, easy and affordable!Big TakeawaysFAQ: “The first order of business is to decide your ceremony date, time, and location. We also like to know how many guests you’ll bring along. From there, we’ll help you choose from our various elopement packages. After that, we’ll get to personalizing! We personalize everything from the ceremony, to the photo styles, to the flowers. Our firm belief is that your ceremony should be a reflection of your relationship! Easy. Peasy. Lemon. Squeezy.”Even a simple elopement needs some planning. Outside of going to the drive through marriage chapel in Vegas. Simply Eloped helps with the logistics, the care and the customization of the event. Personalizing your wedding comes from working with the vendor team that SE refers you to. And they help with the legality of the marriage license process, which is not sexy, but totally necessary.There are 10 markets for the Simply Eloped packages now - everything is listed online. Hawaii, New Orleans, NYC, Colorado...all styles, various packages and then an ala carte menu to curate specifically to your needs.Price counts. SE defines an elopement as 20 guests or less. A lot of their couples are choosing not to spend a ton of money on their wedding...either because they don’t have it, or they want to spend it on other things (student loans, a down payment on a house, traveling). Having a really meaningful, beautiful, personal and private ceremony might be exactly what you two need...don’t have a big wedding just because other people in your life want that! At the end of the day, a wedding is truly about the two people getting married.Many clients are doing an elopement and then having a big reception later, maybe back home. Couples want the destination of the elopement...it’s not as easy to hike up to the top of a mountain with 100 guests. So they’ll do it together, alone.Also - if you’re reading this and you’re already married...VOW RENEWAL! Simply Eloped is perfect to help you with this. And we LOVE vow renewals. If you do it, let us know!Links we referencedhttps://simplyeloped.comhttps://simplyeloped.com/blog/ - they have a great and informative blog, yall!https://www.experiencewed.comThe Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#126 Unique Venues, Unique Perspective: Mayflower Venue’s Veronica Armstrong

Hey! We should get married in an apple orchard! Or a castle! I want a private garden for the ceremony and a rustic but elegant open barn for the reception. WHERE CAN WE GET THAT? Check out Mayflower Venues, y’all. They might just feature the perfect venue for you. Here’s teh blurb:Mayflower Venue’s platform and proprietary event planning software enable nontraditional eventspaces (farms, family estates, orchards etc.) to market, book, coordinate and host custom weddings (or events) for couples who demand more unique and customizable venues.Big TakeawaysSo. It’s a site for venues. Unique, private estates for people to rent for their event day. But the MV platform is so much more than that - we wouldn’t just interview a guest about private venues, right? (Although a lot of listeners ask us about unique venues and how to find them…) We are learning about Mayflower Venues from their marketing director - the property listings are awesome, think AirBnB for wedding venues - but what’s even more awesome is the way that MV walks you through the process both to choose your venue AND to actually host a party there. Vendor recommendations, all pricing online, measurements and specs, rules, schematics, help with communicating logistics to vendors...it’s all a part of the Mayflower process. How cool it that??It takes a lot of planning - like creative problem solving, you don’t know what you don’t know planning - the unsexy, but critical stuff - to plan a wedding at a venue that isn’t an exclusive event venue. There are a lot of things to think about - flooring, restrooms, parking, tenting, how to light it, do you need a generator? Insurance? Is there wifi? Mayflower Venues helps you with ALL of this as you plan your wedding at one of the venues they represent. They help you implement the vision so everyone on your wedding team is set up for success.Unique Wedding Space, Location, Properties...why are they awesome? Pick a venue that speaks to you as a couple.We talk about the wedding venue industry in this episode - there are elements that you, as a person planning their own wedding, might not know about. Like ‘pay to play’ sites, commissions and kick backs. This is not all bad or negative, it’s how the world works in some ways. But we’re talking about it with Veronica because at Mayflower Venues, part of their mission is to be transparent between the properties they represent and the clients.Links We Referencedhttps://www.mayflowervenues.com/wedding-venueshttps://youtu.be/WBzK5keTt6Ahttps://www.instagram.com/mayflowervenues/The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#125 You Ask, We Answer - 14

Big TakeawaysWe LOVE getting listener emails with questions! And if you want our attention for a full two hours of one-on-one consulting, hit us up and we can schedule a video chat meeting. 2 hours, $200. Easy peasy! So valuable and fun.Announcement!Wed 2019 - We are the emcees for this day-long educational wedding event in Boston. Join us! (links below). We are SO excited about this event and trip.1 Email - Is it too late to fire our wedding party?Ask: Wedding party drama alert!This couple is in their thirties and their planning a destination wedding. They have groomsmen bitching about buying a new suit, bridesmaids worried about money and traveling, and friends that feel excluded from the wedding party. How to loosen things up and make everyone happy??2 Email - Boxes, crates, garbage bags?Ask: My question is about organization of all things weddings! We have been purchasing things for our 9.1.19 wedding and I’m officially at the place where almost every room has a pile of wedding stuff. This includes everything from little items for those ‘details’ lay flats to tote bags for the bridesmaids to big lanterns. I want to store things in the best way possible so it doesn’t take over our house but also so it’s organized for the weekend. Any suggestions?Answer: Email #3 To First Look, or not to First LookAsk: My body seems to go into shock during high-stress, high-attention moments like this. I almost passed out when we got engaged for some reason...my hands go numb...I have no Idea why LOL. I'm worried and terrified this will happen when I get to the aisle and would love a first look to get my nerves settled. Have you two ever come across compromises with first looks? How do you two feel about them? I really would love to see his face and talk to him while respecting his wishes for the big day. Where's a good middle-ground here?Email #4 “Too many ideas! Where to spend money?”Ask: My fiancé loves comic books, and Star Wars, I love Disney and Harry Potter. We both love movies so we are trying to work in some hints of everything into our wedding but we don’t want it to feel cheesy, or themed. We took some fun engagement pictures in a theater with some of our silly movie themed props. We had a friend illustrate our save the dates to look like a Pixar movie short/comic strip. Our plan is to name our tables after movie locations rather than just numbers (OZ, Hogwarts, Gotham, Atlantis etc) my main question it how much is too much? What are the parts of a wedding that take a theme well, and what might lead us to cross the line into tacky?Links we referencedhttps://www.instagram.com/thewedexperience/?hl=enhttps://www.experiencewed.comhttps://www.zola.com/bigweddingwww.patreon.com/thebigweddingplanningpodcasthttps://rentmywedding.comThe Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#124 Planning Education with Whim Events

“Natalie Pinney and Moira Thompson are the co-founders of Whim Events, a full-service wedding planning, design and floral studio in Boston, MA. (We LOVE Boston!)Together over a lot of coffee, crazy ideas and a mutual love for making people’s dreams come true, Moira & Natalie founded Whim Events in 2011. They have designed and planned hundreds of weddings throughout New England, and were named Best Wedding Planner in Boston by Boston Magazine.With over ten years of experience, the two specialize in joyfully and thoughtfully guiding couples through every stage of the engagement, and believe planning should be as joyful and fun as the day itself.In addition to planning and producing weddings all over New England, Moira and Natalie are also active in the Boston small business industry and are passionate about uniting other local creatives in the community to engage in collaboration over competition.”These ladies share their take on wedding planning and wedding flowers, East Coast style, and the retrospective wisdom of hundreds of couples they surveyed after the wedding day.Big TakeawaysWhim is a planning company that only does Full Wedding Planning with floral and design. They also offer floral design separately. But if they’re the planner, then they’re doing the flowers. This set-up ensures that the Whim team takes the clients from start to finish and the design is completely cohesive in the actual logistical planning of the event.Moira does utilize pinterest to help create her client’s vision. She still has to sift through things to make sure budget is considered with each and every pin. It’s helpful to see what elements many of the photos have in common, and it’s also helpful for Moira to see pin boards that aren’t necessarily wedding related. Like seeing a client’s home can really inform a designer of their style, and priorities.The biggest thing that came back from the survey Whim did was that people did not know how to budget for the wedding. It’s difficult! It’s overwhelming. Also, it’s expensive. The best thing you can do is to learn as much as possible about the actual costs of wedding vendors and services in your area, educate yourself before you sign contracts and pay deposits. Research ways that you can save money (Friday wedding? Small desserts instead of a huge cake? DIY flowers? Maybe!) and decide what your wedding priorities are.How much time does it take to plan a wedding? For Natalie and Moira - they’ve tracked it and for full planning by professionals, it’s 265 hours in a year. We think you can easily add 100 hours of browsing Pinterest alone.WED. This is an education and inspiration event for wedding planning. There are going to be speakers and panelists from all over the country that are going to have honest conversations about costs, services and processes. Boston, March 31. Not a wedding expo. We’re going to be there and we would love to see you!!Links we referencedhttps://whimevents.comhttps://www.experiencewed.com - remember you get a big discount when you buy a ticket for WED, promo code BIGWEDDINGThe Big Wedding Planning Podcast is...Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez.
Edited by Veronica Gruba
Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics
On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention!
Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook.
Easy to get in touch with. Email us at thebigweddingplanningpodcast@gmail.com or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode
On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices