New Year, New Bride

Happy 2019! Wow what a year it was! Getting to be a part of this growing company, Carats & Confetti, has been such a joy and pleasure. We have met some amazing women, both brides and vendors. We are so blessed to get to work with and for such a beautiful community of people. We are coming off of the holidays, which is peak engagement season. The question I hear most from many newly engaged couples is, what do I do first?! To kick off the New Year I interviewed a couple brides, both recently married, to hear about their planning process. These two have been in your shoes and have felt your exact anxiety! Let’s call them Kate and Kelly for privacy’s sake. Here’s what they had to say…

When you get engaged what is the first thing on your to do list?

“Hit all your major points first: venue, photographer, caterer. So many of these heavy hitters are booked up a year in advance. Sometimes you have to pick your date around their schedule! Your engagement shoot usually comes next, especially if you’re not having an extremely long engagement, then you want to get your shoot done so you can send save the dates out. And side note, use the same photographer for engagement and wedding, then its more cohesive.” –Kate

What is something you wish you would have done sooner?

“Delegate, delegate, delegate! I cannot emphasize this enough. The week of the wedding you’ll be thinking of a thousand things you wish you had done. Do not start a new project this week! You’ll drive yourself crazy! Nametags, guest favors, gifts for bridal party and family- all that stuff can be ordered ahead of time.” -Kelly

What is something you regret not having at your wedding?

“A hired, experienced, professional coordinator. So many people cut corners here because they are trying to save money. But having someone to put out all your fires for you is the biggest help. You can’t be in a million places at once, that’s why you need an army. You gotta ask yourself what type of planner are you? Do you enjoy doing all the DIY projects and scheduling things and making lists? If so you may only need a day of coordinator. But if the entire process stresses you out, hire a planner for the entire year so you are sure not to forget anything. You won’t ever regret this decision!” - Kelly

After everything is said and done, what is the biggest piece of advice you wish you could have given yourself during your engagement?

“There’s a lot of girls that have been planning their wedding their whole life, but there’s just as many girls that have no idea what they’re doing. If I was going to give advice to girls like that I would say look up a checklist. Also, weddings have become so “trendy.” Sparkler send offs, cupcake ladders, multiple dress changes. That’s all great, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep up with the Jones’s.” -Kate

“The biggest surprise was the stupid bridesmaids dresses. You need a solid 4-6 months to order bridesmaids dresses. It may take 4 months to receive and then they need to be altered. And the sizing is weird! Your wedding doesn’t have to be Pinterest perfect. You can pick a few things that are going to make it your taste and style and be wonderful and it doesn’t have to have a million little details. It can be simple and beautiful. On the day of, allow yourself ample time. Everything takes longer than you think, so don’t make a stressful day even worse by being late.” -Kelly

“When all is said and done, and you wake up on your wedding day after months or possibly years of planning don’t forget that the most important thing is that man waiting for you at the end of the aisle.” -Kate

Cheers to another year of love!

Sophia