Expert Wedding Planning Advice

Special Moments Event Planning has been planning Tampa Bay weddings and events for 17 years. Additionally, our owner and Lead Dream Maker, Tammy Waterman, is one of only 47 Master Wedding Planners in the world.

So, when publications, news outlets, and websites are looking for expert wedding planning advice – we’re happy to get the call and share our expertise.

 

Did you know that Special Moments Event Planning is also the only company in the world to have TWO Master Wedding Planners on our team?

 

Tammy’s been quoted in multiple wedding planning blogs by our local colleagues Marry Me Tampa Bay in the last month alone.

Here are some of the features and a few more wedding planning tips related to what they shared.

 

Expert Advice: 7 Candid Tips About Wedding Planning

 

Tip: Don’t Delay Money Talk

“People by nature hate talking about money, but having uncomfortable discussions surrounding money and your wedding needs to be the first step. In many cases, parents have thought about what they might contribute to their children’s weddings, regardless of the amount, but the conversation can be uncomfortable. Though, those conversations are necessary to begin the process of creating a budget and to start planning,” Tammy Waterman, owner and Master Wedding Planner of Special Moments Event Planning shares.

We’ve found over the years that people like to have a little input in how the money they are sharing gets spent. It can get tricky with the possibility of multiple sets of parents, you as a couple, and other relatives contributing.

So, the answer is to allocate money contributed to a specific part of the wedding. “Thanks, Grandma. We appreciate you helping with the wedding. We’ll put that money toward our wedding cake!” This way, Grandma can’t make too many suggestions on anything but the wedding cake.

 

Tip: Know Your Guest List and How it Affects Your Budget

“After budgeting, a guest list is a must-do. It’s hard to find a wedding venue if you don’t know how many people the space has to accommodate and what you can realistically afford. If the package price is $100 per person and you have 200 wedding guests on your list, you’re looking at $20,000. Plus, check if the tax and service charges are part of the number or added to the final bill,” Tammy explains.

“Setting up a spreadsheet helps you make sure you don’t duplicate names because mentally, you might have accounted for a lot of friends you and your fiancé have in common, but think about parents’ lists too. A spreadsheet is also a great way to add columns to track RSVPs for wedding events, gifts, and thank you notes.”

With the holidays right around the corner, if you as a couple and your parents are sending out holiday cards, it’s the perfect time to start finalizing that spreadsheet. You’ve all got family and friends’ addresses out!

 

Mistakes Couples Make When Choosing A Wedding Venue

 

We love this blog post as not only does it feature some great advice, but it also features our couple Paula and David in the cover image. And, they tucked in a fantastic photo of Priscilla and Josh’s Harbourside Chapel wedding too!

 

Mistake: Not Providing Enough Information

“Unfortunately, many times, couples fall in love and book a venue without doing all of the prep work. Beyond having a wedding date in mind, you want to create a rough guest list and a working budget, including your priorities. Couples can book a venue that is too small for their actual guest list or overspend, leaving themselves’ house poor’ with no money for the things that are important to them.” -Tammy Waterman, Master Wedding Planner, Special Moments Event Planning.

Prioritizing your wedding budget is HUGE! Start by each of you making a list of the five most important parts of the wedding. Then compare notes, work out a compromise and put together a list of the top five areas and budget to make sure those things happen.

 

Mistake : Choosing a Venue that is Too Small

“Use the three-quarter rule. Venues want to maximum revenue by filling a reception space, but that might make the seating a little closer than you’d find comfortable or a smaller dance floor than you’d like. For a guest list of 75 guests, you might consider a venue that accommodates at least 100 for a seated reception.” -Tammy Waterman, Master Wedding Planner, Special Moments Event Planning.

Many times, venues’ maximum guest estimates push the limits of the space. Using the three-quarter rule allows plenty of space to move about the room. On occasion, we’ve seen spaces where you end up having the buffet or your bars outside in the hallway to make room for tables.

 

Mistake: Not Allowing Enough Time

“If you are planning your wedding ceremony at a house of worship, be mindful of the distance to the reception venue you are considering. If it’s too far, you might have guests that skip the ceremony or get delayed/lost in traffic.”

Timing on your wedding day is crucial. If you start behind, you’ll end up behind. Our Special Moments Event Planning team connects with all of your wedding vendors to construct a timeline that allows plenty of time.  We look at the big picture and piece everything together.

We love when we can share our years of training and experience! So, what wedding planning question do you have for our Special Moments Event Planning team?