Sadly, the whole wedding thing has gone out of hand -- we now have almost 60 tables, and 70% of the guests are people we don't know or rarely see. Wei Jien and I are OK with the idea of a big wedding, but we can't seem to agree on two things -- wedding gowns and wedding planner.
He thinks that I don't need a wedding planner, since I can design our wedding invitation, liaise with the hotel people on the wedding dinner package, coordinate with our friends and family on their supposed duties, arrange for the bridesmaids dresses and find a suitable printer for our invitation card. While I know a thing or two about design, I don't think I can take on this huge responsibility. A wedding planner would really come in handy. He/she can help me with the card design, liaise with the printers, hotel people, florist, photographers, videographers, emcee, etc...
It would really make life easier. Besides, wedding planners plan so many weddings in a year, they can do a better job than I can. With their big network, they can probably get more discounts from vendors so Wei Jien and I would be getting a better deal. We talked it out, and he has agreed to go with the planner -- if it's not too expensive. I think the stress mainly comes from family pressure and people insisting on "this gown", "this hairstyle", "this venue", "this theme"...etc. And when I cave into such suggestions, I become unsure of our initial plan -- a simple, yet memorable wedding.
We can't do anything about the number of guests, but we are definitely going to try to keep the wedding simple. That includes gown selection. We've decided to scout around for a good bridal studio package. It's more convenient that way. Hopefully, the wedding planner we eventually hire will help keep things simple yet elegant, organised and ensure the everything runs smoothly on the big day. The stress is getting to us, me especially. Wei Jien knew I'm bad at managing stress, so we agreed on a simple and very small wedding. Now that it's going to be a big one, we're hoping the stress wouldn't get to me, as it will affect us as a couple.
Having just gotten married in a reasonably small environment in passion road KL (~100pax), just a few tips based on experience looking back...
ReplyDelete1. Venue - try your best to get a small venue. It is single handedly the best way to ensure you do not go overboard with the number of guests. Much easier to resist caving under family pressure.
2. Contrary to popular belief, Wedding planners are not cheaper when it comes to items. They are however supposed ensure quality because whatever they recommend would be tried and true and they know exactly what the outcome will look like. If you have time and you shop around, you will probably come up with something more affordable, but you risk venturing into the unknown.
3. Don't skimp on the planner. Pick a good one and ask for a portfolio and they have got to have planned a wedding which is like something you want. My planner was good in traditional Chinese weddings, not the smaller more modern wedding I had in mind. I fired the planner, lost my deposit, and did most of the hard work ourselves in the end.
4. You can always justify the cost of the planner by using the time you free up to generate more cash (your copywriting etc) :)
5. If in the end you don't find a planner you like (don't settle), if you don't go OCD about it, planning your own wedding and running can actually be quite an enriching experience. Because I fired my planner, it was really stressful - but looking back at it, we pulled it off together and it was a great experience.
6. Just chill and don't be OCD (I know its hard as a bride). The little quirks and mishaps (as long as its not too serious) of a wedding usually are what make it more fun and memorable than if everything ran like clockwork.
Cheers
James from friedbeef.com
Thanks James! Will definitely look for a good planner. You were right about number 2. The wedding planners I spoke to couldn't get the prices for cheaper. I guess I have to look around for more affordable vendors.
ReplyDeleteWill keep you updated! :)
Will keep you updated
ReplyDelete