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Keep It Professional — Tips from a Raleigh Wedding Planner

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Poppy Belle Design is a Raleigh wedding planner & florist. Feature photo by Lauren V. Allen Photography.

Raleigh Wedding Planner & Florist

Lauren V. Allen Photography

With the advent of Pinterest, the do it yourself wedding trend exploded. All of a sudden brides the world over had a digital forum to collect images and ideas in one place.

Sounds ideal, right? Tap the brains of the creative to not only plan a gorgeous event but do so on the cheap?

Well, in 2016 the so-called Pinterest weddings have begun to lose popularity, and I’ve got to say I like the trend. I’ve never been a fan of the DIY craze, and here’s why:

Raleigh Wedding Planner & Florist

Bellamanda Photography

  1. Cookie cutter wedding

So many people took ideas right from Pinterest, and, guess what? So many people wound up with the same event. Now, for the individual bride and groom, they may not even notice, but for those of us who attend many such festivities in one year, it becomes glaringly obvious. And who wants to go to a friend’s wedding a few months after—or even worse, before—your own just to discover they have half of the same decor? Be original; get off Pinterest, or at least use a variation.

Raleigh Wedding Planner & Florist

Russell-Killen Photography

  1. Dance of the amateurs.

There’s a reason there are professional wedding planners, florists, designers, photographers, bartenders, caterers etc. etc. We train to do our jobs just like in any other profession, and we’re equipped to handle the unexpected and adjust accordingly. Sure, your buddy from college who likes music can keep an eye on your laptop as it jams out some tunes for dinner, but what happens when the program starts acting up during the first dances? Or the toasts? Your best-laid plans for these family helpers can’t cover the unexpected because, well, you don’t have the experience at weddings that we professionals do. Not to say we don’t make mistakes, but we have a lot more tools in our tool chest to problem solve.

Raleigh Wedding Planner & Florist

Russell-Killen Photography

  1. More than you can chew

A lot of people love to get crafty for their wedding, and some of them pull it off without a hitch. The problem is often times brides take on a bit more than they can actually handle without realizing it, or they procrastinate thinking they’ll have plenty of time the weeks leading up to the wedding and then encounter unexpected problems. When the project is an extra detail or two for an already-prepared centerpiece that won’t make or break the night, it’s not as big of a deal. When it’s 500 cupcakes that will solo as your dessert or 300 mason jars you want to decorate by hand as escort cards, you’d better give yourself enough time—or bring in the professionals.

 

I’m not saying no one can pull off a DIY wedding, because it certainly is possible. But at the end of the day, choose one or two small DIY projects for yourself, and use a professional to ensure the polished look and stress-free event you deserve!

Looking for someone to help coordinate from start to finish? Give us a call at Knots ‘N Such and we’ll get you started off on the right foot.

Themes Have Their Place–Tips from a Raleigh Wedding Planner

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Poppy Belle Design is a Raleigh wedding planner & florist. Feature photo by Lauren V. Allen Photography.

Raleigh Wedding Planner & Florist

Lauren V. Allen Photography

Everything has a theme these days: birthdays, baby showers, family reunions, even the lawn party with your favorite neighbors. It seems you can’t throw a party without some sort of cohesive idea threading through.

Weddings are no different. But somewhere along the line, the whole concept of having a theme got a bad rap with mothers and mothers-in-law hounding exasperated brides for the common thread to help pick out napkins or invitations or what have you.

I’m not saying everyone needs to start planning Little Mermaid or Star Wars or Hunger Games-style events (though I firmly believe in the you do you mentality!). Many themes are much more subtle than that, sometimes as simple as having a consistent color palette or ambiance like rustic or woodland or citrus. And oftentimes these types of things emerge on their own without actual meditation—you pick your invitations or centerpieces and then find some cute signage that has the same lovebirds design and then run across some bridesmaid dresses that have the same teal hue as your envelopes and BAM before you know it you have this underlying tone that you hadn’t counted on.

And that’s OK!

Raleigh Wedding Planner & Florist

Bellamanda Photography

I know many brides consider having a theme as a more high-maintenance way to approach the big day, but honestly it can really help you weed through the mountain of choices you’ll face on a day to day basis! There are so many cute options out there, especially when it comes to decor, and you can’t possibly include them all. Knowing that you’ve already got some sliced wood slabs to hold your flower arrangements might help you key in on how you want to design your ceremony backdrop, for instance.

The thing about it is you really don’t need to think about it too much. As I said before, a lot of times your theme (if you want to call it that) emerges as you go through the process and start making decisions. It doesn’t have to be a conscious decision or something you hold to religiously, just a general guideline to help reign in the smorgasbord of potential options.

Need some help with your planning process? Give us a call at Knots ‘N Such! We’d love to help you out with your decor, flowers and all-over wedding needs.