100+ Essential Tips for Weddings in LA & OC
Browsing through the magazine shelves of store, you will find wedding magazines with each showcasing hundreds of inspirations and ideas. To save you time, I’ve brought and read over every one of them in 2019, then listed the best ideas based on my own experiences in Los Angeles. I’ll update the list periodically to provide up to date information. Enjoy!
6 Online Wedding Planning Hacks
1. Inspirations from Pinterest:
Pin Images, Infographics and create boards which serve as sources of inspiration. HOW TO USE: Boards can be created for every stage of a wedding: engagement announcement, wedding shower, bachelorette party and even guest gifts. You can also share your boards with your photographer, florist, makeup artist and wedding planner.
2. How to utilize Instagram
Instagram has a large size of collection from every aspect of wedding inspirations and vendors too. HOW TO USE: Follow the top Instagram account and special wedding hashtags like #Bridetobe2020. Although Instagram allows you can bookmark posts, you can’t share them with others. Many couples today create a special hashtag for their guest to tag on the wedding day, some even to go the extend of adding saving features using apps like IFTTT. But Don’t get too caught up with Instagram. Today’s cool platform could be tomorrow’s joke. Would you still download your photos Myspace page?
3. Facebook Wedding Groups
Facebook is still a powerful presence that could provide useful tools. HOW TO USE: First is the Facebook Groups: We have joineda group called Wedding Planning Club and few others. Over the year, we have observed active discussions for a wide variety of topics and have learn a great deal from savvy brides to be. Second, we have also been using the Marketplace feature, this is great for buying and selling goods quickly. Combining your post at the general Marketplace with multiple groups will get your good sold in no time.
4. Save money from Etsy and Wish
Etsy is great for getting unique items for your wedding, a special dress hanger or a wedding day robes, although be aware that you might be able to obtain the same item via Wish or Amazon for much less. Wish is great platform for unbranded and use once items. BEWARE of the item quality that might be quite different from the display photos.
5. Online Co-Planning Space
Although most couples may not need such online system. It is becoming popular for vendors to share information and chat online. HOW TO USE: Slack and BaseCamp actually offers free online working spaces, where you can chat, set to-do lists, discuss topics and share files. WeddingWire and The Knot are also offering a similar co-working online space, and it’s beginning to become useful (however you may have to hire all vendors from their respective site).
6. Online Dress Shopping
While shopping on the web for your dress may appear the more advantageous choice, visiting a marriage salon is a rare involvement in various advantages of its own. First off, you'll get vis-à-vis connection with a wedding dress master to help control you, removing the mystery from finding your ideal size and outline. Also, you have the chance to contact and feel the dresses you're thinking about, so you know precisely what you're paying for. Trust us—while dress photographs may look fantastic on the web, there's an enormous contrast between top notch textures and embellishments and low-quality ones face to face. Down to earth perspectives aside, your salon arrangement is above all else a unique minute. It's an opportunity to praise your up and coming pre-marriage ceremony, go through a day with your loved ones and appreciate achieving a colossal minute in your wedding arranging process. HOW TO USE: Alternative options would be to select the dresses online for in-home tryouts, which has been gaining popularity in the recent years. There are few websites to choose from and they would often send you 5 dresses to try.
Planning your wedding offline? Here is a wedding planning printable. Click on the button below to download and use it.
8 Money Saving Hacks
1. Enjoy the Sunday – Friday Discounts
In California, wedding season is basically every month. So to save, choose any day other than Saturday. Since the majority of couples plan their wedding for a Saturday, choosing any other day of the week can be a huge cost saver. The most expensive elements such as the venue rental and reception fees can decrease by as much as 50% for weddings held on a Friday or Sunday. A great way to make this work for you is to choose the Sunday of a long weekend. Since everyone has Monday off, Sunday is just like Saturday!
2. Free Sweepstakes
Go visit bridal shows for free sweepstakes. Most of the vendors in the bridal show would actually be offering a special package or a giveaway. Enter a few and you might just win some free stuff. The downside to these is you will be getting a lot of promotional emails, so use an alternative email address.
3. Credit Card Bonus
This is good time to get the credit card with high introductory bonus and fulfilled the bonus requirement with the wedding expense and preferably a 0% APR for 12-18 months.
4. Negotiate on Prices
If you’ll be making a large purchase from a particular vendor, don’t be afraid to negotiate. Since wedding couples acquiring cost is so high, most independent vendors will be willing to offer a better rate. But don’t overuse this strategy, as many high-quality vendors can be offended.
5. Hiring an Experienced Wedding Planner
This may sound counter intuitive but hiring a highly experienced planner can help you to potential get great deals and provide reliable source of recommendations. In fact, since referrals is valued greatly in the business many wedding vendors (florists, lighting, catering) will provide a special pricing for the planners.
6. Streamline your printing
You can make your invitations, menu, programs and thank you cards online for $10 or less. You can purchase a collection of templates from Etsy simply change the name, date and location in Photoshop or hire someone from Fiverr. You can also find templates and design them directly at Canvas App. From there you can print them at any online printing stores. We recommend Costco, where you can setup online or in person and pick them up locally.
7. Smaller Guest-list
Keep the guest list small. Bigger is not always better (although many times its not up to the couple, you know). One of the most difficult tasks you’ll face while planning your wedding is deciding who to invite. You’ll undoubtedly start with a list of hundreds of people – the average number of guests at a wedding is 150 - but a wedding on a budget cannot accommodate inviting your mother’s best friend from high school just because “they used to be so close”. In LA, most places cost $100 - $300 per head for a wedding dinner, you have to be realistic. Some couples find it works to determine how many guests you can afford to invite, then divide that number into quarters. 1/4 for the bride’s parents, 1/4 for the groom’s parents, 1/4 for her friends, and 1/4 for his friends.
8. Cutting the Flowers
Use creative decorations instead of cut-flowers. Fresh flowers can be one of the most expensive part of your wedding, especially if you have many tables to fill. Instead, borrow some props, a glowing moon or artificial plants such as ficus trees (everyone knows at least a couple of people who have some). They’re a great way to add greenery and for a romantic look you can add white mini lights! If you would exchange the flowers for an extra happy hour, who would say no. You can also use the bridal party bouquets as decorations. Instead of leaving the bridal party bouquets out of site, use them to decorate head table. Simply put them in vases of water down the length of the head table and you have instant floral arrangements that match your color scheme - and doesn’t cost anything extra!
How to Create a Wedding Timeline
With First Look (Recommended!)
12:00PM – 12:30PM photography / videography team arrives, scope out location.
12:30PM – 1:30PM getting ready/detail shots. Bride & groom getting ready photos.
1:45PM – 3:00PM First look and couple portraits and wedding party and family formals (optional)
3:00PM – 3:30PM Ceremony area detail shots.
3:00PM – 3:30PM Bride & groom freshen up for ceremony
3:30PM – 4:00PM Wedding Ceremony
4:00PM – 4:10PM Family Formals
4:15PM – 5:00PM shoot room details/open reception hall shots
4:30PM – 5:00PM additional couple photos and bridal party portraits
4:30PM – 5:00PM coverage of cocktail hour.
5:00PM - bridal party grand entrance, and party time!
Without First Look
12:00PM – 12:30PM photography team arrives, scope out location.
12:30PM – 1:30PM getting ready/detail shots. Bride & groom getting ready photos.
1:45PM – 3:00PM Separate groom & bride portraits. Separate bridal party portraits.
3:00PM – 3:30PM Ceremony area detail shots.
3:00PM – 3:30PM Bride & groom freshen up for ceremony
3:30PM – 4:00PM Wedding Ceremony
4:00PM – 5:00PM Family formals and couple portraits and wedding party
4:15PM – 5:00PM shoot room details/open reception hall shots
4:30PM – 5:00PM coverage of cocktail hour.
5:00PM - bridal party grand entrance, and party time!
For more detailed timeline guide: check-out our timeline blog here
Wedding day Hacks
1. First Look is Recommended
Regardless of whether out of superstition or strict reasons, numerous couples swear off seeing each other before walking down the aisle. And keeping in mind that that is totes an individual decision, it doesn't mean you can't score those charming "first look" photographs you see all over Insta. On the off chance that you would prefer not to have a vis-à-vis with your adoration before the service, why not attempt a first touch instead and share your vows with each other? But If you are doing a first look, you will have more time to finish all of your photos and videos even before the ceremony, all the while your makeup and hair is freshly made. In spite of what you have heard; there really is no right or wrong way to do it.
Over the years, we have successfully documented weddings with, or without a first look. However, my experience has shown me that if a couple elects to do a first look, we can usually fit in an extra 45 minutes just for bride & groom portraits. It is your big day and you will choose how you will remember the day! It is about a 65/35 split for my couples. More than half of them will opt for first look.
“Instead of first look, why not attempt a first touch instead and share your vows with each other.”
2. DIY Cocktail Party
This is considered as incredibly fun way in order to get the guests to be more involved with the evening reception. You might set up a bubbly bar wherein guests could wander on over in order to make their own champagne cocktails. It would be a creative alternative from serving simple glasses of bubbly as well as perfect ice breaker activity encouraging the guests to mingle.
3. Creative Bar: Boba Milk Tea, Ice Cream Station, Claw Machine
Specialty drinks and foods are going to be quite popular amongst newlyweds. Visiting an Instagram-famous boba or ice cream branch have slowly become a new social trend. Popsicle styled Ice cream station has been quite popular in 2019.
4. Song Request RSVP’s
You might ask the guests to send you a song request along with the RSVP and so this would save you time in creating the ultimate wedding party playlist and it would also mean that there is no excuse for the guests not to get up and dance in the reception once their favorite tune comes on.
5. Video Guest Recording
Rather than a traditional guestbook you might be a bit interactive and hire video kiosks as an alternative with written messages. You might as well set up something for yourself and in this kind of moment
6. Midnight Snack Pack
As the clock strikes midnight, the couple and the guest might feel the need for a bit booster or a certain recharge to get second wind on the dance floor. You might consider serving delicious food and fruity cocktail drink. In order to be extra creative, you might serve them with individually wrapped paper bag treats as for the guests could nibble and once they please.
Digital over Film
I have to argue that the days of film camera being a main and only camera for weddings are over (except for Jose Villa, of course). Cutting edge DSLRs can take up to 10-20 images per second, and we typically capture over 5000+ images per wedding (often 10,000+ images with two or more photographers). I like to call it the era of Big Data photography, where photographers today spent most their time is evaluating all the formal and candid moments rather than asking the couple to pose for hours to obtain these images.
At our studio, we use top-of-the-line DSLR to capture each wedding and engagement session. We use a combination of brands like Canon, Nikon, Sony, Leica and Fujifilm, each offering an ability to create a storytelling style of wedding images.
Quality over Style
There are few different styles of photographers, but in general, they offer a similar collection of images. Therefore, the question is whether a photographer can offer quality images. If you think all the images are similar, you may have to just a bit more research because there are obvious differences in framing, lighting and coloring. An easy way is to ask yourself, if an image could appear to be blockbuster movie scene or fashion magazine.
Unnecessary traditions: Gendered Practice
Many weddings these days have a mixed wedding party and it is becoming a new tradition, whether it’s a bride’s sisters, or a wedding without any gender roles, your setup shouldn’t come down to choosing traditionally assigned sides. It’s important to make your day about what’s best for you as a couple and those closest to you.
Don’t Count on the Unplugged Ceremony
As our phones gets more cameras each year, A simple note on your wedding website and a small, concise sign advising guests that you’re having an unplugged wedding or even a spoken rule from church usually won’t stop the people from using their phones and iPads (sigh….), unless of course the phones are confiscated from the people.
Following the light
When filling your heart with joy of course of events, it's imperative to factor in the Golden hour—that pined for time of day when photographers love to shoot to catch the romantics. Shooting in the most ideal light has a significant effect, both for engagement shots and wedding day pictures. An easy tip is to plan about an hour and half before sunset for your engagement session and to begin pictures about an hour prior to sunset on your wedding day."
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