Wedding Planning… the Hard Way – Lessons Two and Three:

Just to be clear, I am not a “I-loved-planning-my-own-wedding-so-much-I-started-my-own-business” event planner. I have worked in meeting and event planning for both corporate and non-profit entities. However, I did learn a few things in the process, and in order to save you a bit of wedding planning grief, I share these lessons with you:

Given my background and experience, I had never really seen a wedding with centerpieces at the tables, so behind the scenes my in-laws arranged to have their friend make them out of artificial flowers. They were god-awful things – super fake blue and maroon flowers of an in determinant type in orange-y brown handle baskets. I appreciated the sentiment, anyway. For the bouquets, boutonnieres, can corsages, I was informed that I certainly couldn’t afford anything more than carnations for my wedding flowers, and I made the mistake of believing it without further investigation. I gave up any thought of the dark red roses I had envisioned, and a nice woman who did freelance floral design made the personal flowers from pink, dark red, and white carnations with lots and lots of baby’s breath and leather leaf fern.

Just typing this gives me a facial tic. I’m emotionally scarred to this day… please don’t ask me to use baby’s breath, it gives me flashbacks! Must redirect…..
I just ordered beautiful peonies and David Austin Darcey and Rosalind roses for a client…. aah… OK… I’m better now.
Had I done the research, or given it any serious thought for that matter, I might have used fewer nicer flowers. I certainly would have done something else for centerpieces – perhaps a candle arrangement. Unfortunately, I just didn’t take any time to think it through and I certainly didn’t voice an opinion.


Lesson Two… do your homework. Just because “they” say it can’t be done on your budget doesn’t necessarily mean something nice can’t be done on your budget. I haven’t had a “sky’s the limit” client yet (if you’re out there CALL ME!) so finding ways to make a bride’s vision fit her budget has become a specialty of mine. I can’t do miracles, but I do take it personally when someone is told they can’t do it.


Fortunately, I was so happy to be marrying the love of my life, so it was easy to keep things in perspective. Which brings me (quickly) to:

Lesson Three… keep things in perspective. A wedding is a day or two of your life, the marriage ahead is what is really important.