Today, we’re sharing our top wedding planning tips. When it comes to planning your wedding there are so many details to think about. And so much advice to sift through. As your wedding planners, we work hard to ensure the need-to-know advice is brought to the table at key points in the planning process. But there are some things we like our couples to know that perhaps you would have never thought about. We’ve compiled a list of our top five planning secrets that will make a huge difference as you look back on your wedding day.

An Unplugged Ceremony

We’re huge advocates of being completely in the moment on your wedding day. Our recommendation is to have an unplugged ceremony. This essentially means that weddings guests are asked to keep their cameras and cell phones tucked away. One reason for this is to help your guests enjoy the moment and focus on your exchange of vows and all those other special moments. Alternatively, some guests try to take over the role of your photographer and actually make it harder for your hired photographer to get those perfect shots! Finally, the biggest complaint we hear from couples once they get their photos back is the dreaded photobomb. You’d be surprised how many cell phone screens are captured in your wedding ceremony photos when your wedding isn’t unplugged.

Invitation Suite Photo

A good invitation suite not only has all key details but also reflects the couple’s color palette and wedding style. It’s no wonder that capturing the full invitation suite in a photo is so important. For that reason, we recommend having one envelope addressed to a fake address. The address can even be made to your venue’s location. This way, when the full invitation suite is captured in its entirety, you can rest assured everyone’s information is kept safe. Check out one of our favorite stationers in a recent blog post here.

Personal Details

Our recommendation is to share as much information about your personal details with your photo and video team as possible. Typically, your photo and video team have a questionnaire for you to fill out. But if you are unsure what to share, we also provide you with a list of items in our own questionnaire that we can share with them on your behalf. Some items, like the wedding dress or tuxedo, are standard but don’t forget sentimental items. This can range from a brooch from your grandmother. Or even the custom cufflinks you had made for the wedding day. The more memories your photo team can capture the better!

Don’t Stress Over Wedding Favors

Are you stressed about what wedding favors to hand out at your wedding? Trust us, this is one worry that you can cross off your list. In our experience, wedding favors get left behind more often than not. This is especially frustrating if you’ve spent countless hours assembling the favors yourself and have the task of taking them home after the wedding. Still set on giving your guests something to take home? We recommend opting for something your guests will hold onto like a custom bottle opener or similar item.

Compost or Donate Leftover Food & Flowers

While one of our core values is sustainability, this is one of our top wedding planning tips that most of our couples love hearing more about. Food and flower donation are oftentimes an afterthought. The wedding ends and now the couple is left with countless centerpieces to take home. This is why we recommend discussing options with your caterer and florist well in advance. Many times, your florist has locations they already partner with for flower donations. This gives your flowers a second life by bringing joy to someone in a nursing home or children’s hospital. Speaking to your caterer can also help you determine if they will allow you to bring someone in to compost or donate your leftover wedding food so nothing goes to waste.