5 Tips from a Wedding Planner
We’re going to keep it real with you, planning your big day is joyful, but also stressful. We sat with an experienced wedding planner to gather the best tips and hear about couples’ choices to help you on your wedding day. We talked to wedding planner Lauren LaGreca to share tips and recommendations about popular wedding questions! Lauren planned and executed over 500 events during her career, so we couldn’t wait to hear her best tips and tricks and some unique features at her wedding.
Should I Hire a Wedding Planner?
If you are asking yourself this, you are not alone! Many people struggle with the decision to hire a wedding planner. A wedding planner’s best service is advocating for the couple. This looks like reaching out to venues and ensuring they can provide everything the couple wants and needs, helping find unique themed pieces for the event, managing large guest lists or seat-planning problems, keeping the planning rolling while you are away or at work, and staying on track with what you want among a sea of family and friends’ opinions. A wedding planner can also help throughout the day of the wedding! Think assisting guests in finding their seats, helping guide transition times between areas or venues, or solving day-of problems before you notice they are there. This allows you to focus on enjoying your wedding day and having a helping hand when making game-time decisions. Ultimately, the decision is yours! It depends on how much time you have to plan, tour venues, and interview vendors. A wedding planner can cut that time in half. 
What Vendor Should I Hire First?
One of the difficulties of planning a wedding is the seemingly endless options, choices, and opportunities. Although having many options is wonderful, sometimes a blank slate makes it challenging to make decisions: there are too many possibilities! Having limitations or certain features defined will make designing your wedding much easier. Lauren’s answer is to secure your venue first! The venue is the knot that ties all the strings together. Your venue will have specific limitations and features that will shape the wedding. For example, once you have your venue, you will know how many guests can attend your wedding, which helps narrow down the guest list. You can choose a catering service depending on the venue’s kitchen capabilities. You will know the scenery and your favourite spots on the campus, which will help you book a photographer based on the style of photography you want, or the locations you want to be pictured in. Venues can be booked far in advance, especially if they are a wedding destination. This is a reason in itself to book the venue first.
Do I Need Entertainment at My Wedding?
When we asked Lauren what she would suggest is a non-negotiable feature at a wedding, she said, “Professional entertainment! I often hear couples wondering if they could do the music or entertainment themselves, or have a friend be the DJ. I understand why people want to do it themselves. They want specific songs or a specific style of music.” “I suggest professional entertainment because playing music at a wedding is difficult. First, you need the equipment and the knowledge to use it. Then, you need someone to dedicate the whole night to playing music, which can be difficult for a guest to do. They may have something go wrong without any way to fix it. Work with a DJ who will allow you to create a playlist, mix it for you, and then play it on your wedding night! If you want live music, talk to a band about what you want to hear, or anything you do not want them to play. Adding entertainment responsibilities will stress anyone out, so I suggest working with a vendor on this one.” If you are looking for wedding day tips on a budget, consider creating a playlist for the cocktail hour and reserving your live entertainment for the reception.
Lauren LaGreca blows out candles on her birthday cake.
Unique Wedding Ideas from Real Couples
The best moments at a wedding often come from moments that speak directly to the couple’s relationship. We asked Lauren if she and her husband had any unique wedding ideas at their wedding, and here is her answer.
“My husband Kris and I got married on my birthday! I wanted our anniversary around my birthday so we have a special time of year to celebrate the significant milestones together. To celebrate, we had two cakes. One was for the wedding, but the other was my birthday cake. I got to blow out my candles while surrounded by all the family and friends I love on one of the most important days of our relationship! So yeah, it worked out really well.”
Final Wedding Advice from Planners
We wanted to finish off with a few final wedding tips for brides and grooms!
- Stay flexible. Things may not go 100% as planned, and that’s okay. Having a plan B will save you from last-minute surprises.
- Trust your team. You hired your vendors for a reason—let them take care of you.
- Take it all in. Set aside a few minutes with your partner during the day to pause and be present.
- Good food, flow, and entertainment will make a big impact!
- Do your thing! Create creative and unique memories for your relationship, even if they are a little out of the wedding standard.
Plan Your Event at Oaks Manor
At Oaks Manor, we can offer wedding space for up to 180 guests, offer outdoor ceremonies, and have a brand new carriage house that is perfect for cocktail hour. Get in touch with our team, and we will set up a time to take a tour.