Expert Advice Archives - Page 20 of 49

Category: Expert Advice

Your Wedding Planning BFF: The Southern Weddings Planner

by Emily in Expert Advice, News on December 3, 2015

It’s been just over a year since the Southern Weddings Planner debuted in the Southern Weddings Shop! We were all marveling over this yesterday, as in some ways, we can’t imagine life without having the Planner to direct brides to! It is without a doubt our number one resource, one of our proudest accomplishments, and the product that we most want to get into the hands of everyone we love who’s getting married. So far, we’ve succeeded in equipping over 2,500 couples with these beauties, and we hope you’ll be next! For all of our new friends that are joining us (and perhaps newly engaged!), we thought it was high time for a little reintroduction.

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Our office has a burning passion for getting really, truly GOOD information into the hands of our readers – the exact pieces of advice and the same resources we’d give to our sisters and best friends – and our Planner is the best way we know how to do that. This short (one minute) video from our friends at Good Earth Films helps share the heart of this product:

Introducing the Southern Weddings Planner from Good Earth Films on Vimeo.

From the “First Steps After Getting Engaged” to the “Anniversary Gift Guide,” our planner encourages brides to plan marriages more beautiful than their weddings, but also gives them the tools to feel confident and equipped throughout their engagements. True to the mission of Southern Weddings, it includes a special “Marriage Planning” section that will help couples begin married life in a joyful and intentional way!

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In addition to being ridiculously useful, we created our Planner to be a gorgeous keepsake for long after your wedding day, with a gold foil cover, watercolor tabs, and illustrations throughout.

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You’ll find it to be very interactive, with worksheets and bonus downloads to keep you organized, inspired, and on-track throughout your entire engagement.

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I know I speak for all of the Southern Weddings ladies when I say that this Planner – out of everything we’ve created over the last seven years – might be the product we are most proud of. It is useful, it is inspiring, and it is just so darn pretty. It’s worthy of accompanying you throughout your engagement, and we are honored to walk alongside you, too.

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The Southern Weddings Planner is available for purchase in the Southern Weddings Shop now! If you’d like to give the Planner as a gift to your favorite bride (lots of people do!), we also offer a gift wrap option and the signature SW gift set, which includes the Planner.

P.S. On the fence? Check out testimonials from other SW Planner brides!

Written with love by Emily

Bubbling Brides December 3, 2015 reply

This wedding planner is beautiful. The floral paintings are so pretty. What a great way to stay on track for the big day! I’m sure your bridesmaids will be happy that you have everything planned.

XoXo,
The Bubbling Brides Team
http://www.bubblingbrides.com

Southern Weddings reserves the right to delete comments which contain profanity or personal attacks or seek to promote a business unrelated to the post. And remember: a good attitude is like kudzu – it spreads. We love hearing your kind thoughts!

Ask SW: Should I Hire a Videographer?

by Emily in Expert Advice on August 20, 2015

For today’s Ask SW post, I’m tackling a very common question about a wedding vendor many couples are on the fence about: videographers. I think blanket suggestions about what to include or exclude from your wedding (or wedding budget) are silly, because we all have different priorities, so instead, I wanted to share some insight from our past couples and a few suggestions depending on which way you’re leaning.

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It’s only fair to get my bias out of the way first. We had a videographer, and we made major cuts elsewhere in our budget to fit them in (you can read more specifics here). Three years later, we are still VERY pleased with this decision. I watch the highlights film whenever I want a pick-me-up, and we always cuddle up on the couch and watch our 45-minute long-form film as part of our anniversary celebrations. Besides the fact that I am already looking forward to sharing these with our kids some day, I think my favorite thing about our video is that it includes all of our loved ones in living, breathing, moving color. Everyone looks SO (SO, SO) happy. I know they won’t be around forever, and being able to have this record of them is precious to me.

However, had I not been able to make enough cuts elsewhere to afford a videographer I was thrilled to hire, I would likely not have hired anyone at all. Personally, I feel like there is a big gap between “bad video” and “good video,” instead of a gentle gradient of talent. Had I not been able to hire my preferred video team, my plan would have been to collect as many GoPro cameras as possible (we have one and they take amazing footage!), handed them out to my most trustworthy, observant, and artistic friends, and created our own film after the fact. I’m not alone in this, apparently! One of our past featured couples, Erin and Joe, did exactly this: “We purchased a GoPro camera for guests to use to videotape the ceremony and reception instead of paying for a videographer. We were able to save money, and the GoPro provided more personal candid shots of the wedding, which was what we wanted.”

While it’s incredibly easy to find couples who were thrilled with their decision to hire a videographer (yay!), it can be a bit harder to find couples who were happy with their decision to NOT hire – and it does seem more common to find ones who wished they had. I was glad to find this perspective from one of our Southern Bride Bloggers, Jewel: “While planning my wedding, I read a couple things about people really regretting their decision to not hire a wedding videographer. Ben’s and my budget, however, didn’t allow us that luxury. And this made me sad. So I prepared myself for the regret and the disappointment in the months following our wedding, when I’d kick myself over and over again for not biting the bullet and doing it. Well, we’ve been married for eight months now, and happily, I haven’t even thought about having a wedding video until now, as I’m writing this blog post. In the past eight months, I have never said, “Oh, I wish I could watch a video of my wedding.”

So there you have it, belles! A few different perspectives on the tricky question of whether or not you should hire a videographer for your wedding. I’d love to hear: did you or did you not hire one? Are you happy with your decision? Have any budget-trimming tips for those who’d like a little more wiggle room? Do share!

We’re sharing a quick and simple piece of wedding planning advice based on our most frequently asked questions every so often! Feel free to email us with your own question, or pick up a copy of the Southern Weddings Planner for all of our best resources in one place!

Written with love by Emily

Alice August 20, 2015 reply

Every year on our anniversary at 5:00 (the time of our ceremony), we have a bottle of champagne and view our wedding. It is a wonderful way to start our anniversary celebration and relive that special day. As we’ve been married 27 years, we also get to see friends and family no longer with us. We haven’t looked at our pictures in years, but the video gets an annual showing.
- Emily August 20, 2015 reply
  
  What an amazing tradition, Alice! I love that!!
Whitney Trevillian August 20, 2015 reply

Well, obviously as a cinematographer, I am slightly biased. :) But YES!! We tell sweet couples all the time, PLEASE hire someone talented to capture your wedding – you don’t want just a video of your day, you want a film handcrafted with love and the long-term in mind!! We want our brides and grooms to be cuddling up on the couch and pressing play twenty, thirty, sixty years from now!! The greatest gift we could give to anyone making such an incredible commitment of love and determination is a gorgeous, love-filled film that truly captures the joy they shared while making it. :)
Haley W. August 20, 2015 reply

Although we did not originally budget for a videographer, we ended up hiring one for our upcoming wedding in October and I am so happy that we did. We actually really lucked out with ours, he was a friend of my sister’s from college and he ended up introducing us to our photographer. They are both so wonderful and they work together often so we knew it would be a great fit for everyone. When I talk with my married friends, the majority of them say that if they could go back and change one thing they would have hired a videographer to capture their day. I love that we will have a video to look back on to remember what a special day we shared with all the ones we love most!
Sheryl August 20, 2015 reply

Great article Emily, I honestly wish I would have read the GoPro comment three months earlier for our wedding!

I was the same as you, I only wanted a certain level of professionalism and unfortunately it was thousands of dollars over what we could budget. I sadly had to see a videographer as a add-on after we booked a wildly talented (and expensive) photographer.

But you know I would rather have amazing photographs with no video than average photographs with an average video.

One bonus to other brides who had to make this cut and were sad about it. Not having videographers & technology all around on my special day helped lessen my stress. If I was being filmed the whole time, I would have had extra pressure to make every moment camera-worthy.
Nichole W August 22, 2015 reply

We did not hire a videographer because it was not in our budget & I wanted to invest in a great photographer (which we did & were so happy with!) While I don’t regret not having a videographer to capture the entire day, I do regret not having someone at least record our ceremony. My advice if you are not hiring a videographer is at least having someone record the ceremony. Most likely a friend or acquaintance could do this or if you need to hire someone I aniticipate it wouldn’t be a huge expense.
E August 28, 2015 reply

Our wedding budget did not have room for my dream videographer, so we decided to skip it completely. Then, about a month beforehand, on a whim I asked a talented and creative friend to take some video for us, not expecting much at all. He did an incredible job, went above and beyond, and the video is something my husband and I truly cherish. It’s not what I thought I wanted, but it’s perfect for so many reasons! We especially enjoy having the footage since the photos from our dream photographer came up a little short of expectations. My advice? Don’t be afraid to get creative or ask a friend for help when the budget comes up short. You never know – you could love the end result!

Ask SW: When Do You Register for a Wedding?

by Emily in Expert Advice on June 23, 2015

There are so many to dos that seem to hit all at once at the beginning of wedding planning that registering can seem like an overwhelming — and kind of unwelcome — addition. Before I dove in, I remember thinking of registering as a very daunting prospect (so many choices that will affect THE WHOLE REST OF MY LIFE!), but if you break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks, it shouldn’t be stressful, and will likely be lots of fun.

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The first task? Simply opening a registry. If you know an engagement party is being planned for you, we recommend doing this as early as possible. Otherwise, make sure you do it at least two months before your first bridal shower. Guests may or may not choose to purchase a gift off your registry (especially for the engagement party), but it’s nice to give them a few options when possible.

Of course, you certainly don’t have to have your registry completely filled out within a month of getting engaged – even ten items that you know you love would be a great starting point! You can always go back and add items over time, as you have the space to do your research, visit the stores to look at options in person, and dream about the newlywed life you hope to live and the items that might enhance it.

Similarly, don’t feel you need to register at more than one store right off the bat. (Most couples choose to register at 2-3 different places, with at least one being a large, chain retailer with an online presence.) Choose one option to start that you know you love, and then consider adding 1-2 more as you have more time to research different options.

We’ll be sharing a quick and simple piece of wedding planning advice based on our most frequently asked questions once a week! Feel free to email us with your own question, or pick up a copy of the Southern Weddings Planner for all of our best resources in one place!

Written with love by Emily

Libby June 23, 2015 reply

We love nontraditional registries and think registering for experiences (dinners with your guy at your fave restaurant, etc.) beat stuff. Sign up to find out more as we build this thing for you!
http://www.firstyearregistry.com