Today we’re going to chat about a handful of ways when trying to "save" money on your wedding can totally BACKFIRE. 

Aside of college educations, new homes and new cars, your wedding likely has one of the biggest price tags you’ve ever paid. You’re spending tens of thousands of dollars - of course you’re trying to save money when possible!

FULL BLOG POST HERE >>> www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/wedding-pitfall

In today's show, let’s explore some common areas of wedding planning where couples to try to cut a corner, save some money, leave something out, and then sadly have it backfire in terms of lost money, lost time, lost sanity - and sometimes all three.

If you find yourselves at a cost-saving opportunity crossroads and you don’t know which way to turn, I have some smart questions to ask yourselves, and potential vendors, that I hope will guide you towards making the best decisions for you and your wedding day.

So when you find yourself wondering, hmmmmm ... should we cut that corner? What are the potential outcomes or pitfalls that might come of it? Hopefully after today’s show, you’ll have some solid answers to some of the most common situations, so that you can make the best decision for you.

For one wedding, that might mean hiring a photographer off craigslist for $500. For another couple, that will NEVER be an option that’s on the table. And you know what? Both sides are totally fine ;)

Full blog post available at www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/wedding-pitfall

A special thank you to today's show sponsors:

Take advantage of expert travel planning services for your all-inclusive, cruise, or exotic honeymoon AND get $50 off when you book!  Simply email susan@susanstravelservices.com to get started.

This week on the Wedding Planning Podcast, we're going to sort out some common misconceptions and FAQ's about wedding planners and day of coordinators. 

Today's show is a de facto "Part II" from last week's conversation, where we ran through a general overview of hiring a planner and / or DOC.

When I got married, I wasted a lot of time researching and interviewing planners before I realized that A.) I didn’t HAVE to hire anyone, and B.) John and I had all the tools we needed to plan OUR perfect wedding day.

And side note, shocker - obviously, none of the wedding planners I interviewed ever mentioned to me, hey by the way, did you know that you could actually just do this on your own?  

Thankfully I came around to that, but it took lots of wasted effort and stress to get there.

Flash forward to today - I literally created the Wedding Planning Podcast so that any engaged couple could tune in and use the episodes and the tools we review in the weekly shows to plan their own wedding - no professional or pricey wedding planner required. 

Spoiler alert before we even dive in - I definitely DO NOT think you have to spend thousands of dollars to hire a professional wedding planner! 

Some alternatives?  Try checking out the sites we mentioned in today's show, including your local Craigslist postings, Thumbtack.com,  taskrabbit.com and fiverr.com

I also know that there are countless wonderful wedding planning professionals out there, and for some couples it’s a really smart investment … and we’ll get into all of that that much more in today’s show.

Click here for the full blog post from today's show.

A special thank you for supporting our valued show sponsors who made this week’s free episode possible!

Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!

FREE Wedding Websites designed by independent artists?  Yes please! 

Get started building your free wedding website today when you visit weddingplanningpodcast.co/minted.  Even better?  You'll also receive a $50 credit towards wedding stationary when you use a Minted Weddings website - no code needed!

"The more thought & intention you put into your wedding plans throughout your engagement, the richer your wedding celebration will be."

Should we hire a WEDDING PLANNER / Day of Coodinator? 

In today's workshop-style meeting, we’re going to review a list of critical guidelines to keep in mind as you tackle this super important part of your engagement journey. 

A full show recap (AND a sneak peek into next week's episode!) can be found in this blog post >>> weddingplanningpodcast.co/hiring-a-wedding-planner

A special thank you for supporting this week's show sponsors, who make these free wedding workshops possible!

Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!

FREE Wedding Websites designed by independent artists?  Yes please! 

Get started building your free wedding website today when you visit weddingplanningpodcast.co/minted.  Even better?  You'll also receive a $50 credit towards wedding stationary when you use a Minted Weddings website - no code needed!

Your wedding planning questions, answered!

Tune in for answers to all of your tough wedding situations, including:

• We're having a hard time choosing a date that works best for our closest loved ones, how should we decide?
• What's the etiquette when inviting just a couple of people from a larger social group?
• Are we obligated to provide vendors a meal / include them in the final head count for catering? 
• Recommended all-inclusive resort for a bachelorette party?
• Food truck wedding logistics - we love this idea but feel unclear about the best way to approach the set up to make sure our guests have a smooth experience.
• Want small & intimate, but every event gets blown up and magnified out of control.  I feel shy, anxious, and uncomfortable in large crowds of people and would so much prefer a quieter, small group setting.  How can I manage these feelings through the next few months, and especially through our wedding itself?

To submit your wedding questions, please visit our website >>> www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/contact

A special thank you to this week's show sponsors:

Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!

Take the stress out of meal planning this New Year when you visit factormeals.com/wedding50 and use code wedding50 to get 50% off!

Need a little help decoding the complex, often frustrating process of creating your wedding GUEST LIST?  Finalizing who will actually receive a wedding invitation is a process that will likely take some time, revisions, cuts, and LOTS of patience.

In this week's featured wedding planning meeting, we’re uncovering the KEY CHECKPOINTS to crafting a guest list that honors your wedding vision & budget, and reflects your top priorities.

Once your general wedding budget and a venue are decided on, compiling a finalized guest list is the next key step in the early stages of planning out your wedding celebration.

Family & friends are the centerpiece of our lives, and naturally you'll want to include your closest loved ones in this very special celebration.

That's the easy part ...

Planning your wedding involves a ton of strategic research & decision-making, yes - that’s the stuff you can look up on Google.  How to book a wedding photographer.  Cheap wedding invitations.  Top wedding venues in my area.   

But there’s an entirely separate dimension of your engagement & wedding planning journey, that you’ll hear me call “the all new way to plan your wedding” - and that’s all stuff that you can’t google. 

No internet search engine in the world knows your priorities, your personal values, or can spit out a truly personalized road map to the wedding that YOU WANT by typing a few words into a box.  You can’t google “how do I confidently sail through my engagement on-budget, stress-free, and loving the process?”  

Computers can do a lot, but they can’t replace the priceless value of human connection and introspection … that’s what the Wedding Planning Podcast is here for, and I hope you love today’s workshop on crafting your wedding guest list!  

A special thank you to this week's show sponsor, Susan's Travel Services:

Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email susan@susanstravelservices.com . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!