When working on the timeline, I start with the ceremony time and work my way to the end of the night. I allot thirty minutes for ceremony and forty-five to sixty minutes for cocktail hour. Work with your caterer on how long it will take for dinner, but usually an hour to ninety minutes works. Keep in mind when you need to be out of the venue. The middle of the timeline is for toasts, cake cutting and formal dances.

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First, research and determine what style you like, such as formal, candid or photojournalist. Review your venue’s preferred list, and look at portfolios of photographers you are drawn to. Before meeting with them, figure out how long you would like them for and let them know if you are doing an elaborate getaway or not seeing each other before. Ask their opinion. But most of all you must like them. They are with you ALL DAY!

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On the wedding day, a day-of venue coordinator will take over. Their job is to ensure that everything related to the venue and their staff runs smoothly and follows the requests outlined in their banquet event order. They will make sure all the dietary restrictions and menu substitutions are correct, but at the end of the day they are responsible for protecting the venue, not calling your vendors or other tasks unrelated to the venue.

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A planner should be your advocate during the planning process, taking your vision and making it happen with the right venue and wedding professionals. There are times, however, when this might not be possible, so it is the planner’s job to work with the professional to try to make it happen, or give you options if the vision needs to be tweaked.

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Spend time with your fiancé. Do not jump into planning the instant you have the ring on your finger. Take a month and just be engaged, getting used to the fact that you are getting married. Take time to dream, to buy every wedding magazine, join every Facebook group, etc. Everything else can wait. Just enjoy the new journey of being engaged!

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