With everything that is going on in the world, it is hard to even think about the future. Money is tight for most and just the overall scare of everything related to Covid 19 is beyond what many even want to think about.
So now what? Should you plan your wedding now? Wait until it is all over? I have found in my life, that simply put, life goes on. Yes, we will lose loved ones. I just lost my dad about a month ago, but he would not want me to just sit around and do nothing. He'd say, get on with it already. At the age of 84, he'd know a lot about getting back on his feet.
The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to get the help of a coordinator. Let them take some of the burden off and help you stay organized. A disorganized wedding, one where often the bride is having to help get things done up to the last minute is one that no one wants to see. Why? Because that stress is shown on their faces. This means it will show up in nearly every image captured. So unless you found a partner who is very organized and knows how to get a wedding done, find a coordinator. I know some amazing ones. They will spend time with you minute by minute setting up a time line that works and your day will be as smooth as silk.
But before that, you really need to get your budget set. How much are you going to spend? Is anyone else going to help and how much and when? My suggestion to you is to open a bank account, one with you and your fiancé's name on it and start putting in what you are going to spend. If at all possible, avoid using credit cards. It has to be a bad feeling when you are celebrating your 5 year anniversary and you are still trying to pay a credit card bill for it all. Don't spend more on your wedding that it would take you to pay for it within one year. Use your engagement time to start that savings up so when you get there, most if not all of it is paid for. This way, your honeymoon dance can be used on your honeymoon and not on the chocolate fountain.
Now that you have a great foundation, it's time to find that dress! Having worked with nearly every local dress shop in Pasadena and surrounding areas, I can certainly help you find amazing places for your dress. Just ask.
Now one that can be a hard to do and takes most of the time. Where to get married. For those of you that belong to a church, this can be an easy decision. For those that want to have a wedding and the reception in one place, again I can help you with what your vision is for your wedding day. I have shot over 800 weddings and if you can explain where you want to get married and an idea of what type of venue, I can certainly help as well. There are a lot of amazing looking venues in California and some of them have the worst staff. Other places are not so eye appealing but you will leave feeling like royalty. I have seen the "behind the scenes" of so many of these places. If I have been to a venue, I will be honest and give you some feedback. I also suggest you read Yelp reviews. Ignore the best and with worst and read those in the middle and you will have good idea of what it is really like. Some venues I can highly recommend are The Houdini Mansion, The Thursday Club in La Canada, Noor in Pasadena, The York Manor in Los Angeles, The Bonaventure Brewery in Downtown LA, The Langham in Pasadena, most of the Wedgewood properties but especially the one at UC Irvine and the one in Fallbrook, Callaway Winery in Temecula, Palomar Winery in Temecula, The Pasadena History Museum and the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey. I have strong relationships with these locations. Others I can recommend are The Oviott in downtown LA, USC Keck in downtown LA, The Los Angeles Athletics Club in downtown LA, The Grand in Long Beach, The Queen Mary in Long Beach, The Reef in Long Beach, The Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia, The 1909 in Topanga Canyon, The Colony House in Orange, and others. You can see most of these locations with images I have captured there from multiple weddings on our gallery page.
So this should have helped you be calm and get focused to get your planning started. Even if you don't hire us for your wedding, feel free to text me anytime and I am happy to help you with your wedding.