Planning Regrets – Not with Party of 2!

May 14, 2010 by Jen and Deb, Party of 2
Filed under Featured, Planning Tips, Weddings

Party of 2 often has those moments when we meet with our couples and we hear those dreaded words we sometimes don’t like to hear. They usually go something like this….

“We weren’t planning on having a videographer at the wedding or we just thought we would have everyone seat themselves, what do you think? ”

As wedding consultants, we mentally count to 10, smile, and remember, this is probably our couples’ first wedding and that we need to let them know from our experience and education what is the best course of action for this couple. You may be surprised by our answer or not!

Our first piece of advice usually to impart to the couple is that they need to understand that as consultants we are there to provide several key things to them.

One, we will provide to them the understanding of what is the proper wedding etiquette expected.
Two, we always impress upon them the fact that anything they do or decide should present themselves in the best light of how they want to be represented to their guests. In other words, this is the first event they will be hosting as husband and wife, how do they want to be remembered, and then base their decisions on that basis.
Third, we point out to them the importance of the comfort of their guests. For example, it’s probably best not to seat someone elderly right next to the DJ or musician speaker or when selecting entrees keep your guests in mind, not just your personal tastes as the number 1 criteria for menu choice.
Fourth, we try to point out, how will you feel and how will others feel about your choice a month after the event, 6 months, a year, 10 years, etc. This can really change how a couple views a decision.
Lastly, we then bring up the factor of cost, is this something you can truly afford. No wedding item should become a financial burden.

As you can see from this discussion, we do not “make” the decision for our couples, so this may be the “surprise” factor for those readers concerned about a wedding planner “taking” over their wedding. At Party of 2, that is just not how we work. We work with our couples to jointly arrive at what works best for our couples. Here are some examples of past planning regrets made by brides recently posted by the Perfect Wedding Guide, and ones we might add, we always caution our brides on!