Planning a wedding is an anxiety inducing nightmare full of bridezillas and doom grooms so joyful wedding planning is impossible, right?

Bwahahahahahhahahahaha heck no!

I love bringing joy into people’s lives, to help them create moments and memories that they’ll cherish forever! And as I was thinking about starting my wedding planning business, I kept coming back to the idea that planning a wedding doesn’t have to be some sort of frustrating activity that ends in breakups and family fights, it can truly be joyful, despite all the decisions and the family pressures. So today I’m going to share with you my Do’s and Dont’s of joyful wedding planning to make your wedding planning process even more joyful!

Full list of Do's and Dont's here: https://joyfactorweddings.com/the-dos-and-donts-of-joyful-wedding-planning/

The wedding planning process can be anxiety inducing and stressful and hard - but remember, it’s your day, and there’s always a way to make the process more enjoyable!

Links:
Wedding Activities That Will Make Your Guests Go Wild! https://joyfactorweddings.com/wedding-activities-that-will-make-your-guests-go-wild
Creating a Perfect Wedding Itinerary: https://joyfactorweddings.com/creating-a-perfect-wedding-itinerary
The Dance of Anger by Harriet Learner: https://a.co/d/8PmWoUm

00:01 Intro
01:08 An un-joyful wedding planning story
01:50 The do’s and dont’s of joyful wedding planning

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

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Wedding day itineraries are just fluffy things that event planners pretend are important, right? Wrong! If you don’t have your itinerary written out the day of your wedding, it’s going to make the entire process a lot more difficult and complicated to manage - so why not make it easy on yourself and plan out your wedding day itinerary from when you wake up, to when you go to bed?

I’m serious when I say that you need to plan exactly what’s happening on your wedding day, down to the minute, so that you can easily share it with anyone that may be helping you on the day. Not only that, but when you’re sitting there getting your hair done, or trying to tie your tie, you’ll know exactly what’s coming next so you won’t feel any unnecessary stress or anxiety. Win-win, right?

Let’s get into why you should have a super detailed wedding itinerary!

• It will be easier for other people to help you.
• If something needs to shift in the schedule it will be easy to see what else will be affected so you can make quick decisions
• Your wedding day itinerary may shift as you get closer to the day, that’s normal

Full blog post here: https://joyfactorweddings.com/creating-a-perfect-wedding-itinerary/

00:01 Intro
01:06 Why you should have a wedding itinerary
03:19 What goes on a wedding itinerary
04:24 How to create a wedding itinerary
07:45 Wrap up

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Watch full videos on YouTube https://youtube.com/@joyfactorweddings

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

Follow me on Instagram @joyfactorweddings
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Follow me on Facebook @joyfactorweddings
Watch full videos on YouTube @joyfactorweddings

If you’re paying a wedding venue the big bucks to host your big day, shouldn’t they be responsible for every single detail? Well, not quite - so I’m going to give you a list of 57 things you should be asking your venue BEFORE you sign a contract!

Although wedding venues ask us to shell out tons of cash to get married and have a reception, they may not provide everything you’ll need on your wedding day. So as you do your research it’s important to make sure that you are asking all of the important questions that could affect your wedding day BEFORE you sign a contract with a venue.

I fell in love with my venue the instant I found it doing a google search for “unique wedding venues Toronto”. Junto studio is a photography studio at Ossington and Dupont in a giant old warehouse. It’s a huge loft space that has been expertly designed and curated by its owners Theresa and Rana, it is truly gorgeous! I also did a brand photo shoot there literally a week after my wedding, LOVE IT!

I pretty much knew right away that we were going to sign the contract, however I definitely let my excitement get in the way of some key questions I really should have asked - especially as an event planner! Can you believe I didn’t realize that I needed to rent chairs? But I was excited about my own wedding, and when you’re excited about your own wedding it’s very easy to get caught up in all of the emotions!

That’s why it’s great to have a wedding planner with you to ask the important questions! So Today I wanted to share with you 57 different questions to ask your wedding venue before signing a contract. Keep in mind your wedding might not need all of these different items that we’re covering - but some of these questions might spark other questions that you’ll want to ask, so stay tuned!

Full list of questions here: https://joyfactorweddings.com/57-wedding-venue-questions-you-didnt-know-you-should-ask/

Just because you’re paying for a wedding venue, doesn’t mean that they’ll take care of all the tiny details! So make sure you write down all of your questions before you do your site visit to make sure you’ve got everything covered. And hey, if you need someone to point out very obvious things (like the fact that you need to rent chairs at a chairless venue) I’ve got your back! Send me an email at [email protected] to see how we can work together.

00:01 Intro
01:03 My wedding venue story
02:40 Questions to ask your wedding venue
12:35 Wrap up

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

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Watch full videos on YouTube @joyfactorweddings

If you’re not planning fun activities for your wedding guests, you are missing out on one of the most important pieces of wedding planning!

Lately (and I mean for the last few years) my friends have been telling me how dull they think weddings are. And who can blame them? It’s annoying as heck to sit around for 2 hours while the bride and groom do photos at a venue in the middle of nowhere, where there’s no access to food or water (or drinks). Not to mention that not everyone enjoys dancing for 4 straight hours after dinner! Wedding activities are changing because people are expecting to be entertained more, and yes, this day is still about you, but there are some very easy ways to make your guests feel appreciated, while you are still the star of the show!

I’m going to encourage you to look at this in three different ways:

• Have a fixed program
• Have activities that can be done at any time
• Find your own spin on traditional wedding activities

You can find the full list of wedding activities here: https://joyfactorweddings.com/wedding-activities-that-will-make-your-guests-go-wild/

Highlights:
00:01 Intro
01:30 How to not have a boring wedding
02:01 Getting the vibe right
03:58 The three things to consider for your programming
05:53 Fixed activities
09:08 Unfixed activities
12:20 Putting your spin on traditional activities
20:02 Wrap up

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

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Watch full videos on YouTube @joyfactorweddings

Should you really DIY that one thing for your wedding? Or would this particular element be better left to the pros?

I’ll be honest, it’s amazing to DIY things for your wedding, especially if you love to DIY! But just how far can you really take it, before it becomes too overwhelming, and takes away from your big day?

I DIY’d the majority of my wedding, because I LOVE to DIY, but I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone. 

Here’s a quick list of what I DIY’d. 

• sewed my husband’s jacket
• made the cake and several dozen sugar flowers
• designed all of the stationary: invitations, scavenger hunt cards, mad lib cards, programs, signage, thank you cards
• did my own hair and makeup
• made all the vendor and travel arrangements 
• bought and organized the decor
• picked most of our playlist
• organized the AV and video cameras
• catered the whole thing with a lot of help from my dear mom

Do I recommend this? Absolutely not, unless you have lots of people with specific skills to help you on the day. 

But the most important thing was, I had a great support team behind me for every step of the way, and, I had an incredibly detailed plan on how to get it all done. However I think the key thing here is that I have a lot of experience in most of what I listed, so I wasn’t trying to learn new skills while working on projects that I ultimately wanted to end up in our wedding.

So, should you DIY or not? Here’s what we’re going to cover in today’s episode:

• Do you have previous experience doing the thing you want to DIY?
• How much time do you have before the wedding to get this done?
• Have you considered budget vs. stress levels?
• Do you really want to be worried about it on the day?

While it’s awesome to DIY as much as possible for your wedding, there are some circumstances where you should probably leave it to the pros!

If you found this video useful I’d be so grateful if you subscribed! Drop a comment below if you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning video, so until then keep it joyful!

Links:

Ali Syed https://www.instagram.com/moments.by.ali/

TAKROC Music https://www.youtube.com/@Takroc_Music

Highlights:

00:01 Intro

00:42 What I DIY’d for my wedding

04:09 Do you have previous experience doing the thing you want to DIY?

05:44 How much time do you have before the wedding to get this done?

07:59 Have you considered budget vs. stress levels?

08:44 Do you really want to be worried about it on the day?

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

Follow me on Instagram @joyfactorweddings
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Follow me on Facebook @joyfactorweddings
Watch full videos on YouTube @joyfactorweddings

Is any wedding truly perfect? When it comes down to it, no. Never. BUT, I’m going to tell you how you can have a perfect wedding despite it all!

I firmly believe that no event is perfect, technically. But I do believe we can change our perspective on what makes a wedding perfect. Why? Because we can plan all we want, but sometimes the dog gets into the cake. Or your maid of honour forgot her shoes. Or heck, maybe you even forgot your marriage license at home and you need to rush back to get it! Although I seriously hope that never happens for anyone. 

The point is, there’s always something wild and wacky that’s going to happen that you didn’t plan for, but you can’t let that take away from the true perfection that is your wedding.

So we need to adjust our outlooks on what “perfection” is. Perhaps it’s appreciating how your friend arranges your centrepieces differently than what you had expected, or going with the flow when something takes more time than you thought it would. No matter what happens, there’s a way to find perfection in your wedding day.

I used to be a perfectionist and now I call myself a recovering perfectionist, but this outlook didn’t come without some hard work to really be mindful of everything going on in my head - so I’m going to share with you my favourite ways to have a perfectly imperfect wedding. In this episode we’ll discuss:

• Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong
• Be open to the possibility of change
• People will do stuff their way
• Choose to see the imperfections as perfections
• Try your best to focus on all of the positive elements of the day

So, If you can choose to look past the quote “imperfect” elements of how your wedding played out, you’ll quickly see that your wedding day CAN be perfect.

If you found this video useful I’d be so grateful if you subscribed! Drop a comment below if you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning video, so until then keep it joyful!

Highlights

00:01 Intro

03:18 Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong

04:38 Be open to the possibility of change

05:56 People will do stuff their way

08:08 If things go REALLY wrong…

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

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Are stress-free weddings just a myth? Let's debunk this together! I, Emily Decloux, take you on a personal journey of planning a wedding with minimal stress. It's not all roses and rainbows, but it's definitely not impossible. From tackling the most daunting tasks to not letting small hiccups affect the overall experience - we've got it all covered. I also share personal anecdotes, tips, and practical advice based on my experiences to help you avoid falling into the stress trap.

Transform wedding planning from a stressful endeavour to a joy-filled journey with me! This episode is not just about managing stress, but about infusing joy into every step. I share my insights on maintaining the joy factor amidst all the planning chaos. And look, I’m not going to sugar coat it, there will be stressful moments. But they don’t need to be end of the world earth shattering events, or catastrophic relationship ending ordeals. In this episode we’re going to talk about:

• You get to choose what stresses you out.
• Always budget for miscellaneous expenses
• Remove toxic people from your existence 
• Plan for your plans to not go how you planned
• Don’t leave things to the last minute.
• Focus on the big picture

You can have a stress free wedding if you CHOOSE to. But you gotta choose it, friend! 

Highlights: 

00:01 Intro

00:30 Planning a stress free wedding is a pipe dream

02:44 Letting yourself be stressed out

03:34 You get to choose what stresses you out

05:04 Always budget for miscellaneous expenses

06:03 Remove toxic people from your existence

08:13 Plan for your plans to not go how you planned

09:22 Don’t leave things to the last minute

10:58 Focus on the big picture

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

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Watch full videos on YouTube @joyfactorweddings

Ever felt like your wedding day was just a blur of events? You've spent months, if not years, planning for a single day, but when the day comes, you find yourself worrying about the tiny details instead of savouring the moments. Hi, I'm Emily Decloux, and I was in your shoes once. But guess what? I figured out how to stay present on my wedding day and enjoy every bit of it, including dealing with last-minute hitches and managing anxiety. And in this first episode of our series, I'm going to share with you the five practical ways I used to stay present throughout my wedding day.

Here's a sneak peek of what you'll learn. I share how visualizing every part of the day, even the smallest moments, can ground you and help you remain present. I talk about the importance of accepting that things will go wrong, and how to handle those moments without spiralling into panic. With my 10 years of event planning experience, I've got plenty of advice to offer. So join me every Thursday for more tips and tricks to make planning your wedding day the joyous, memorable season it deserves to be!

00:01 - Intro

02:01 - Staying present on my wedding day

04:27 - Practice noticing on a daily basis

05:56 - Talk to everyone at your wedding

07:06 - Take up a physical healthcare routine

08:44 - Hire a day-of event manager

09:58 - Breathe

10:55 - Wrap up

If you found this episode useful I’d be so grateful if you followed and shared this episode with a friend, or your fiance! If you have questions about staying present and I’d be happy to share what I know to help, drop me an email at [email protected]! I’ll be back next Thursday with another wedding planning episode, so until then keep it joyful!

Follow me on Instagram @joyfactorweddings
Follow me on Pinterest @joyfactorweddings
Follow me on Facebook @joyfactorweddings
Watch full videos on YouTube @joyfactorweddings