Ask the Planner with Desirée Adams: A Wedding and Event Planning Podcast

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineNOTES:Did you know that most weddings have an average of 12 wedding vendors, but many of mine hire 30 or more. And then, each vendor breaks up their payments into at least 2 or 3 different installments. That’s easily 24-30 different payments you need to keep track of. In today’s episode, I give you some quick tips on how to make sure you don’t miss any of those payments and you send the right amount to the correct vendor. And if you want more wedding budget and payment tracking help, make sure you check out my wedding budget bundle in the Resource Shop at shop.verveeventco.com. Connect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineYour budget is your spending plan for the whole wedding. It’s an expression of your priorities. If you don’t talk about it and put together a solid budget early in the process, you’re either going to run out of money or spend more than you planned. This episode will be helpful no matter where you are in the wedding planning process. If you’re just starting out, it will help make sure you have a good plan for your spending. If you’ve booked a lot of your vendors already, it will still be helpful because it will help you prioritize what’s left of your budget. Here are the 5 Main Factors that Drive Your Wedding BudgetLocation Guest Count Design Personal Style Time of Day Read the episode show notes at verveeventco.com/21And, if you want to make your life SUPER EASY, you can visit my new Resources shop and purchase my wedding budget bundle, which takes SO MUCH out of the guesswork of budget creation. I’ve had people tell me already that it’s pointed out expenses they didn’t even think of. You can find the resource shop at https://shop.verveeventco.comIf you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/. And if want to learn more about planning a wedding, send me a DM on Instagram at @asktheplannerpodcastConnect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineNOTES:How’s that wedding budget going? In today’s Wedding tip Wednesday, I’m calling out 2 popular misconceptions about Wedding Budgets that need to be cleared up. And in case you missed it, The Ask the Planner Resources Shop is now open! One of the first products I made sure to include in the shop is a wedding budgeting bundle, which comes with both a wedding budget template and a wedding vendor payment tracker. Make sure you use code Launch20 to get 20% off everything in your cart until the end of this month. But be careful. This code is limited to 1 use per customer, so make sure you get everything that you want before using the code. You can visit the shop at shop.verveeventco.com And now, on to today’s episode.According to The Knot, 45% of couples spend more on their budget than they originally planned by $7,000. The best way to avoid this kind of budget creep is to have realistic expectations about your wedding budget - and that doesn't mean using a wedding budget calculator on a website like The Knot or Wedding Wire. In the next set of tips, I'm going to expose the lies behind wedding budget calculators. Like Lie #1, A Magical calculator can predict how much you should spend on your wedding. I don't care how good their algorithm is or whatever they use to calculate your budget. An online calculator can't accurately predict how much you should spend on each item. There's no one-size fits all. It just doesn't exist. To find out more on what's a better predictor of your wedding budget, visit my blog post Why Wedding Budget Calculators are Misleading at https://verveeventco.com/budgetcalculatorWedding Budget Lie #2: Every wedding vendor's price will fall between a specific range.Guys, there are a lot of items that will affect how much a vendor charges - that's the beauty of capitalism. You have a choice as to how much you want to pay and they have a choice as to how much they need to charge! A couple of things that will definitely affect this will be their level of experience, quality of work, location, and the specific services you book. To find out better predictors of how much your vendors will actually cost, visit my blog post Why Wedding Budget Calculators are Misleading at https://verveeventco.com/budgetcalculator. Connect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineYour wedding day timeline is used by all of your vendors to understand the flow of the wedding. It also can make or break your day because if things fall behind, it has a domino effect and the rest of the day can get really off the rails if something goes wrong. So it’s important to spend time putting together a solid day-of timeline.  I’m going to break down the process for you in 7 simple stepsStep 1: Pick the Start time for your Reception and CeremonyStep 2: Choose Your Reception End TimeStep 3: Build in time for Photos  Step 4: Choose a Getting Ready Start Time Step 5: Plan Out Your Dinner Step 6: Build in Transition TimeStep 7: Add in Your Vendor Setup & Departure TimesRead the episode show notes at verveeventco.com/19And, if you want to make your life SUPER EASY, you can visit my new Resources shop to download pre-made timelines that are beautiful and all ready for you to tweak and personalize to your specific day. These timelines use the framework I use with my own clients and will make sure you don’t forget very important elements, like travel time and transition time between key events. You can find the resource shop at https://shop.verveeventco.comIf you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/. And if want to learn more about planning a wedding, send me a DM on Instagram at @asktheplannerpodcastConnect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineNOTES:I love Trello and that's what my clients and I use to communicate and track all of our tasks. It's a free app and available on your computer and mobile device, so you never have to wonder what you should be working on. You can also set calendar reminders so you never miss a vendor payment. For more on wedding planning organization, check out my blogpost "The #1 Tool You Need to Organize your Wedding Checklist" at verveeventco.com/weddingchecklistIf you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/Connect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineToday we’re talking about how to pick the right wedding photographer for you and what criteria you should be using to evaluate your prospective photographers. This is such a great topic because I know so many couples book their wedding photographer first after the venue and wedding planner. Sometimes even before their planner. But they don’t have a lot of experience booking a vendor at this point, so I think a lot of this will apply to booking other vendors, too. Read the episode show notes at  verveeventco.com/17.----If you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/. ----And if want to learn more about planning a wedding, send me a DM on Instagram at @verveeventco.-----For more about Zola and Honeyfund, visithttps://verveeventco.com/zola  and https://verveeventco.com/honeyfund.Connect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineNOTES:There are so many wedding photographers out there. It's hard to know which one will be the best fit for you. In this case, Instagram is your friend. Start with a local hashtag such as #hudsonvalleyweddingphotographer or #newyorkweddingphotographer. Look at people's portfolios and try to understand what you like and don't like about their photos. All photographers have different editing styles. Some like their photos to look lighter and brighter. Others like their photos to be a little warmer. Some like their photos darker and moodier. If you don't know what you like, knowing what you don't like will still be helpful. Interview your top 3 prospects either in person or with a video call. They'll be with you for the majority of the day and capturing your most intimate moments, so you want to make sure you're not just comfortable with them, but love them too.If you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/Connect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineWhere do you even get started with your wedding design? In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the wedding design process into 4 basic steps so you can plan a gorgeous and cohesive wedding from start to finish. Whether you’re just starting to plan your wedding or your Pinterest board is one endless scroll, this episode is going to show you how to put together a beautiful and cohesive wedding design that’s unique and personal to you. I’m going to break down how to design your wedding into four basic steps. 1: Find Your Inspiration - what details about you do you want to include in your wedding decor2: Do a Pinterest Purge - delete the details and images that don’t resonate or excite you anymore3: Pick a Theme for the Day - having a theme will help bring everything together and give you one direction to follow when you’re picking all the different items4: Create Your Wedding Design - Focus on the details and wedding decor elements that excite you and the rest will fall into place.Read the episode show notes at verveeventco.com/15If you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/. And if want to learn more about planning a wedding, send me a DM on Instagram at @asktheplannerpodcastConnect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineNOTES:Today’s Wedding Tip Wednesday is a preview for next week’s in-depth episode: How to Design Your Wedding. Many of you listening are struggling with your wedding design because you’re not sure where to start. This quick tip is going to give you places to get inspiration, some of which may surprise you.When you're just starting to plan your wedding, it can be overwhelming to think of the many places where you can get inspiration for your wedding. I love getting ideas from the couple's story - where they met, hobbies they enjoy together, or even how they decorate their home. I also love getting inspiration from sources outside the wedding industry, such as interior design publications and artists. There are so many shapes, palettes, and patterns in this world that can inspire the aesthetics of your wedding. Look beyond Pinterest and Instagram and you'll have a unique wedding that's like no one else's.If you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/Connect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com

Text the Wedding Planning HotlineOn today’s episode, I’m walking you through the 4 steps of the wedding venue selection process. Whether you’re just starting to plan your wedding, or you already have your venue chosen, this episode is going to be helpful because I’m going to talk about important things to consider when you’re making any kind of decision or choice for your wedding, not just your venue.  So hopefully this episode gives you a lot of helpful info so that the venue selection process is much more enjoyable and smooth.I’m going to break down the venue selection process into 4 steps. Step 1: Think about the TYPE of venue where you’d want to have your wedding. Step 2: Finding Potential VenuesStep 3: Visiting Your Venue OptionsStep 4: Picking Your VenueRead the episode show notes at  http://verveeventco.com/13If you liked this episode, please SUBSCRIBE and connect with me at  http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/. And if want to learn more about planning a wedding, send me a DM on Instagram at @asktheplannerpodcastConnect with the show!📞 Leave us a Voicemail: (585) 210-9485 (New number!) IG: @asktheplannerpodcastTikTok: @asktheplannerpodcast💻: http://asktheplannerpodcast.com/💌: asktheplannerpodcast@gmail.com