I am SO excited to officially announce to you guys my AMAZING wedding planners, Nicole & Katharine from Exhale Events!

I knew before we even got engaged I would need a wedding planner. I was not BORN to be a bride, as my planners would say “I was not born with the bridal gene”. I have not dreamed of my wedding my whole life, so yes- I knew I was gonna need help.

ALSO- we are getting married in Copenhagen, which made my need for a professional even greater, & I had NO idea where to look. I went back & forth on getting a planner here vs. over there & was doing HOURS of research (with very little results)… when Katharine & Nicole of Exhale Events *thankfully* slid in to the dm’s at just the right time.

We got on email, they broke down how they work, there experience with destination weddings, & then they said the one thing that MF SOLD ME… & THAT ONE THING THEY SAID WAS….

“we could do custom ‘Zack & Erica’ rolling papers”. !!!!!!!!

I knew from that second, they GOT MY VIBE. I don’t want your typical wedding with burlap & fairy lights. I want something DIFFERENT, out of the box, & I want it to be a total experience for whoever makes the trek out to Copenhagen. I also am a really low key bride *so far* with very few opinions/wants/needs… I really trust my planners & I want them to get creative without me boxing them in. Plus, I don’t know anything about weddings, so there’s that.

Also, I want to mention, Katharine & Nicole are SO ORGANIZED it’s amazing. They have an epic system on the backend to keep everything in track including weekly notes, a to-do list for both me & Zack, financial spreadsheets, inspo boards, etc. It is making me feel about 90000 more times calm & although I know having a planner is a PRICEY thing, I’d forgo a big wedding to have planners any day!! Especially for the bride born without the bridal gene!!

SO- cause I am so clueless about weddings, when I first got engaged & decided on a destination wedding, I had 90000 questions… & my instagram audience did too! I combined all there questions + my top questions * figured- WHY NOT ASK THE PLANNERS!!!

LET’S GO….

ASK THE WEDDING PLANNERS!!!

QUESTION: What’s the best way to choose your destination?

Exhale Events: Choosing your destination can be challenging, but it’s important to take a few things into consideration. First, look at places you’ve been that you loved and list out the various attributes that you liked about each location and compare them. If you’re an adventurous couple looking for a new city to visit, make a list of some main things you hope to achieve in terms of event and guest experience so you can select a place that accommodates that. Additionally, you want to understand the cost of certain cities, and the impact that may have on the decision. We’re firm believers that you will know in your gut when a place feels right.

QUESTION: Cheaper options than having an open bar?

Exhale Events: Ah, the open bar! While fun, it can be costly. An easy way to combat that while not looking tacky is to offer a few selected drinks, rather than a full selection bar. This could be as simple as beer, wine or a few selected drinks. Beer and wine selections can be few or several based on your budget, and the selected drinks can serve as “signature cocktails” that represent you and your significant other.

QUESTION: How long before your wedding should you start planning?

Exhale Events: There is no right answer to this question – it really depends on the size, scope and scale of your wedding. We’ve made a wedding happen in less than 4 months and have some clients that book us two years out. The average length of wedding planning ranges from 12 – 16 months. This allows your time to research vendors and secure your favorite ones before they book up!

For a destination wedding- it’s ideal to have your Save the Date’s sent out a year in advance.

QUESTION: What’s an average number of guests to invite to your wedding?

Exhale Events: This question ties back heavily to your budget. Your guest count will heavily impact your budget, so if you’d like a design heavy wedding with lots of details, we recommend setting a smaller guest list. If the details aren’t as important you can probably get away with inviting more people.

What most couples fail to see is that an additional 10 people isn’t just more food, but it could also mean an additional table to seat said guests that you may have to rent, and with that table comes another set of linens, place settings, a floral arrangement… the costs can really add up.

QUESTION: What’s the average budget for a wedding?

Exhale Events: There is no right or wrong answer to this question but there are a few factors that play into this question. Budgets are very personal, so it’s important to have a discussion with your significant other along with any other financially contributing parties that will be a part of your day.

Averages can vary from city to city, so do a Google search to give yourself a starting point. (Make sure the article reference is relevant, dated within a year of your search.) Budget is one of the first things you should address in the process as it will dictate many things such as wedding size and what vendors you’ll be working with.

Our main piece of advice; don’t put yourself into debt to have a wedding.

QUESTION: What is the average cost for a full-service planner?

Exhale Events: Some full-service planners have set package pricing that can range from $5k to upwards of $10k. Other planners charge based on a percentage of your wedding budget, usually somewhere between 10-20%.

We typically recommend this kind of investment for couples that are well into their careers and don’t have a lot of time in their schedules to plan or for destination weddings where you aren’t available to attend vendor meetings.

QUESTION: Tips for a girl who can only afford a month of coordinator? Best things to DIY & what to avoid?

Exhale Events: Any type of wedding planner is a luxury, but it’s really a gift to yourself and your significant other for peace of mind on your wedding day. Month of coordinators are still beneficial for building a timeline with you and your vendor team and making sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be on the day of.

One thing we will caution against is doing your own floral arrangements. There are websites that are promoting “easy to assemble” arrangements where they send you all the pieces. What you don’t see is the hours of processing and treating the flowers prior to assembly that you can’t do until the week of the wedding. While this may save some money, you shouldn’t have that type of stress leading up to the day of your wedding. There are some things that are better left to the pro – and this is one of them.

QUESTION: How do you go about inviting people to a destination wedding?

Exhale Events: Destination weddings tend to result in a lower RSVP count, so if your goal is to have a more intimate group this might be an option for you. Sending out save the dates at least a year out is a great way to give your guests an opportunity to save up vacation time at work as well as budget accordingly for the trip.

QUESTION: Do you send invites to people even if you know they can’t make it to your destination wedding?

Exhale Events: If you have people who mean a lot to you and you’d genuinely want them there, then sending an invitation is still a nice gesture that communicates “We wish you could be there with us.”

Plus, we know if we were on the receiving end we’d want a reminder to stick on our fridge so we could send out a nice card filled with congratulations and warm wishes closer to the day of your big event.

QUESTION: If I am getting married in a foreign country- is it better to have my planner in the states or in the foreign country?

Exhale Events: There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and it really comes down to what you and your significant other are most comfortable with. Working with someone state side provides easier communication on your end and then communication between the vendors sits with the planner.

You will likely incur a travel and accommodation fee for a stateside planner. Working with someone at your destination might mean less in travel fees, and possibly even less in planning fees, but you may be subjecting yourself to off time phone calls and possible language/cost barriers that you might not understand.

QUESTION: How do you go about NOT inviting certain people although they for sure think they will be invited?

Exhale Events: It’s okay to tell friends and even family that you are choosing to have an intimate affair and you want to keep it small. If someone gives you a hard time about it, most likely it’s affirmation that not inviting them was the right choice.

QUESTION: If you’re having a destination wedding, what is the etiquette for a gift registry? Have one or no?

Exhale Events: If you plan to have a bridal shower, then a registry is still appropriate. Plus, from the stand point of a guest that was invited but might not be able to attend it’s nice to be able to send a gift instead and most likely it’s better that it’s a gift you’d actually want or need.

QUESTION: What if we get a lot of pushback from family or friends on how we want our wedding day to look like?

Exhale Events: Our golden rule here at Exhale Events when it comes to wedding planning is this: You can’t make everyone happy, so just make sure that YOU’RE happy. Have a conversation early on with your fiancé and set your non-negotiables so that if anyone tries to insert their unwanted opinions, you can present as a united front with consistent responses and politely ask them to stand down.

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