The Consultation

I don't think we're ever getting married. Every time we agree on a location/venue, it isn't long before I start googling again. I'm always on the hunt for something 'better'. Never fails. What is wrong with me??? Is it because I only intend on getting married once in my lifetime and I want it to be perfect?!? Ugh, the pressure! Moving along...

Since we love to travel, it would be a no-brainer to hold our nuptials somewhere other than our hometown. We currently have four options in mind. Yup, four. Selecting a location should be the easy part; finding the people to help execute our day may be a little more challenging. So, how do you make your wedding  dreams come true? You can always take it upon yourself to do the work (which can totally be done), BUT if you find yourself extremely overwhelmed, I suggest inquiring about a wedding planner or a day-of coordinator. A wedding planner? Day-of coordinator? What for? We've got this under control! Yes, but sometimes we bite off more than we can chew. 

If you want your day to run smoothly (especially if you plan to wed in another city), you'll need some guidance. We recently had a phone consultation with a wedding planner from Wyoming.  It was our first time actually speaking to a wedding consultant. The phone conversation lasted about an hour. It was the most intense hour of my life! We were so unprepared! The questions they asked were very specific."What theme are you going for? Would you like a sunrise or sunset ceremony? Musicians? What kind? What will you do after the ceremony? Candlelight dinner? What type of cuisine do you like?" Hold the breaks! What have we gotten ourselves into?!?

This consultation scared the crap out of me. I didn't want to proceed any further. We decided to postpone our planning. After my mini freak out, I realized that the planner's intentions weren't to scare me away, but to figure out exactly what we wanted. A planner needs to know your vision or else they can't meet your expectations.

Before consulting with a wedding specialist, jot down your ideas and exchange them with your partner. This will give you a little more direction. We had no idea what to expect when we called. We just thought the consultant was going to paint a pretty picture for us and we would agree with everything she had to say. I mean, she's the expert here. We've never planned a wedding before so what would we know! 

A few weeks later, the wedding consultant sent us a follow-up email to see if we wanted to move forward. I informed her that we decided to push back our wedding since we were unsure of our destination. She told me she could send me a list of vendors for a small fee. A vendor list is an awesome way to see what vendors service a particular area. You can google search, call or email these professionals to see if they meet your needs. This also helps if you want to do your own planning and just need some additional information. Like I've said before, small weddings require some sort of planning. Don't be afraid to ask an expert for help if you really need it. Who knows, you might be surprised by what you learn.