When we work with our clients, one of the best things we offer (in our humble opinion) is unlimited availability for questions from start to finish. But, sometimes, our clients book us late in the planning process and it’s too late for us to give them all of the advice we can. So, here’s a list of our top tips. Basically, this is the best advice we have (until you book us and then there’s a lot more where these came from!)

Enlist help…and not just from us!

We do everything we can to make sure your wedding day runs smoothly, but it’s always helpful to have a few key family/friends in the right places. Specifically, we love us some good USHERS! Enlist a couple of friendly, helpful people to usher so your guests feel welcome the minute they walk in. (Bonus if you have some programs for them to hand out). Two ushers is perfect for most ceremonies.

Don’t forget to eat + drink

When you start planning out the day, keep in mind that you’ll need to eat something before you get to the reception. Plan a hearty breakfast or light lunch (or both) and make sure you eat it! Once you get to your reception, we’ll make sure you eat dinner, but before that, you’re on your own, so eat up. Also, water keeps you standing – a bride cannot live on mimosas alone. Make sure you drink a couple of waters during the day so you stay hydrated!

Timing is everything

The last thing you want to feel on your wedding day is rushed. So, plan for everything to take longer than you think it will. Think it will take 15 minutes to get from the hotel to the church? Try more like 30. Between make-up checks, wrangling wedding parties and Chicago traffic, we know that everything takes twice as long on a wedding day. When we timeline your wedding, we’ll build in extra time, but keep it in mind when you’re booking vendors too. Additionally, act like your wedding is the weekend before it really is. Plan to have everything completely finished a week in advance. Once your family and friends start coming into town, it’s game over. And there should be no tying ribbon or making place-cards after your rehearsal dinner the night before your wedding.

Delegate, delegate, delegate!

On your wedding day, you may think you’ll have time to take care of a few minor details. We hate to break it to you, but you don’t. The day goes by so FAST you won’t believe it took so many months to plan something that’s over in a flash. On your wedding day, your job is to be the bride or groom. Don’t plan to lift a finger on your wedding day. Have fun! Don’t stress! And let us do the heavy lifting (literally and figuratively). There just aren’t enough hours in the day for you to do more than get ready, take pictures, get married and party down!

We know this goes without saying, but if you haven’t booked us yet, contact us now and we’ll start taking stuff of your plate! Need to know more? Head to our Nitty Gritty page to get all the details.

*eye candy courtesy of Tim Tab Studios (photo 1), Mark Randazzo Photography (photo 2), Jeremy Lawson Photography (photos 3 & 5) and Ryan Moore Photography (photo 4).