Wedding Planning Podcast

A top-notch Wedding Planner or Day-Of-Coordinator is essential for any smooth and seamless wedding celebration. 

Today on the Wedding Planning Podcast, we’re reviewing 10 KEY POINTS to discuss with your planner so that you’re both on the same page and ready to tackle any planning, logistic, or execution challenges that may arise.

A sampling of these key discussion points:

• Who are your assistants or other team members, what is their role in the planning phase, and also at the actual wedding celebration?  Having a crystal clear set of expectations for who will be answering your questions and exactly who will be your point-person is critical!
• Can you share firsthand reviews & testimonials from past couples you’ve worked with?
• Does your past experience / areas of expertise fit naturally within our overall wedding vision, venue, and our top priorities?
• What can we expect in terms of ongoing communication, both frequency and style? 
• Tune in for lots more!

For a complete recap of today's show, visit www.weddingplanningpodcast.co

Thank you to this week's show partners:

Brilliant Earth’s mission is to cultivate a more transparent, sustainable, compassionate, & inclusive jewelry industry.  Check out all of their beautiful engagement + wedding bands at brilliantearth.com

Visit Generation Tux, where you can build your suit & tuxedo looks from home, get free color swatches, a free Home Try-On, AND manage your entire wedding party online.

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

Creating your wedding reception seating chart can QUICKLY become one of wedding planning’s biggest pains. 

Between crazy family members, divorces, step-parents, hook-up’s gone wrong, introverts, extroverts and lots of alcohol - your seating chart can quickly begin to feel like a jigsaw puzzle from hell.

This week on the Wedding Planning Podcast, we’re going to review some easy tips & tactics for designing your reception seating chart.  Simple stuff that will ease the pain, and take this task from dreaded to done!

Resources & links from today’s show:

• Find helpful online seating chart tool recommendations here,

• Search “wedding seating chart” on Etsy for lots of custom options,

• “Do It Yourself” seating chart signs here,

• Browse KVW custom place card holders here,

• And enjoy tons of creative seating chart ideas on this Pinterest board.

A special THANK YOU to this week's show sponsors:

Thousands of couples have planned simple, meaningful and affordable multi-day / multi-event wedding celebrations and you can do it too with Wedding Weekend By Design!  Full details at weddingweekend.co

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

Brilliant Earth’s mission is to cultivate a more transparent, sustainable, compassionate, & inclusive jewelry industry.  Check out all of their beautiful pieces at brilliantearth.com. 

There's a really common misunderstanding in "wedding planning world" that doing things yourself is always a good way to save money.

I get it - in some situations, you might have more time than money, and a cheap & easy DIY project makes perfect sense.

I bet if you think back, you can remember a time when "doing it yourself" was NOT the answer. We have to be careful in drawing the line between a few manageable, simple wedding projects that make perfect sense, and biting off more than you can chew.

Otherwise, you risk finding yourself in a spot of pure overwhelm and chaos months into wedding planning, and I don't wish that upon anyone!

On today's show, we're going to explore 8 important considerations and red flags to carefully consider when hosting your wedding at a residential property like a backyard or a rental home.

Our conversation today is a perfect lesson in creating boundaries as you plan between what you can realistically handle yourself, what should be left to a paid professional, and how to rearrange your priorities if you're stuck feeling like the cheapest possible DIY route is your only option. (spoiler alert - it's not!!!)

A special thank you to today's show sponsors:

• There are just 6 easy steps to planning an unforgettable wedding weekend experience. Access the proven formula when you visit weddingweekend.co.
• Check out beautiful wedding bands from our friends at brilliantearth.com.
• Get professional help planning your dream honeymoon when you email [email protected] . Don't forget to mention the Wedding Planning Podcast for $50 off your honeymoon OR $200 off your destination wedding!

This brand new BONUS show features the top wedding weekend planning mistakes I see couples make as they formulate the details of a multi-day, multi-event wedding celebration.

In this episode, we highlight 6 common planning mistakes, including:

• Feeling intimidated by the COST of hosting multiple events,
• Trying to accommodate ALL of your guests perfectly (spoiler alert - it's not possible, so don't even try!)
• Failing to consider the endless creative possibilities for food & drinks before committing to an overpriced & underwhelming caterer,
• Not communicating clearly with your guests before, during, and after your wedding weekend experience,
• Getting OVERWHELMED and losing sight of your most important priorities,
• Relying on a DOC to organize and manage things that are not actually their responsibility

Today's highlighted planning mistakes come from couples who I've worked with inside Wedding Weekend By Design, my 6-STEP PLANNING FRAMEWORK that's incredibly easy to follow, and works with any budget, any timeline, and any hosting format. 

Inside WWBD, I'll show you exactly how to:

• Design your master schedule,

• Budget for various events & pre-parties,

• Find the best venue to fit your vision,

• Uncover creative options & workarounds for food & drinks, 

• Get and stay organized, and make an airtight communication plan,

• And you'll even have access to sample wedding weekend schedules & menus so that you can get inspired by what other couples have done!

I can’t wait to see you inside  Wedding Weekend By Design!

Cheers, Kara

Over the course of 11 YEARS in the wedding industry, I've seen literally thousands of weddings unfold ... and all of them together have given me the priceless gift of HINDSIGHT.

In wedding planning, hindsight is literally a super power - so I've packaged mine up to share with you in today's brand new show featuring your Wedding Weekend planning questions!  

We're going to unpack, decode, and get to the bottom of your questions, including:

• How should we go about offering onsite cabins / rooms to guests in an order that makes sense?
• We’re torn between 2 very different "wedding weekend" visions - how do we decide?
• What are some tips for trying to pace events so we don’t feel overwhelmed? 
• My fiance and I have totally different visions for how to stock our own bar.  He wants to basically recreate a top-shelf situation with all the liquors and mixers, and I see more of a simplistic set up of beer, wine, maybe a signature cocktail.  Your thoughts?
• How can I get over feeling like we need to please everyone?

Today's highlighted questions come from couples who have followed Wedding Weekend By Design, my 6-STEP PLANNING FRAMEWORK that's incredibly easy to follow, and works with any budget, any timeline, and any hosting format. 

Inside WWBD, I'll show you exactly how to:

• Design your master schedule,

• Budget for various events & pre-parties,

• Find the best venue to fit your vision,

• Uncover creative options & workarounds for food & drinks, 

• Get and stay organized, and make an airtight communication plan,

• And you'll even have access to sample wedding weekend schedules & menus so that you can get inspired by what other couples have done!

I can’t wait to see you inside Wedding Weekend By Design!

Cheers, Kara

I’m willing to bet that you’ve heard from all your newlywed friends & family that their wedding day "came and went in the blink of an eye." 

The beautiful news is that your wedding celebration doesn’t have to RUSH BY IN A TOTAL BLUR!

Today on the Wedding Planning Podcast, I’m bringing on a very special guest to share the details of exactly how she designed a wedding celebration that left her saying this:

"I always get to look back and say that it was the most incredible 4 days of my life."

To go along with our conversation today, I‘m incredibly excited to introduce Wedding Weekend by Design, a digital planning package that walks you through a simple, 6-step framework to designing your perfect wedding weekend celebration ...

... so that when we flash forward a few months, you’re echoing what Kate just said - and not left feeling like you missed out, and it was all over in the blink of an eye.

To sign up for the Wedding Weekend By Design digital planning package, visit weddingweekend.co

The intuitive planning framework inside WWBD is designed to proactively steer you clear of the mistakes I see couples make over & over again, so that you can design your entire wedding weekend with CONFIDENCE + EASE.

You’ll enjoy a 6-STEP PLANNING FRAMEWORK that's incredibly easy to follow, and works with any budget, any timeline, and any hosting format. 

I'll show you exactly how to:

• Design your master schedule,
• Budget for various events & pre-parties,
• Find the best venue to fit your vision,
• Uncover creative options & workarounds for food & drinks, 
• Get and stay organized, and make an airtight communication plan,
• And you'll even have access to sample wedding weekend schedules & menus so that you can get inspired by what other couples have done!

I can’t wait to see you inside Wedding Weekend By Design!

xo, Kara

This week on the Wedding Planning Podcast, cozy up and enjoy a sampling of unique wedding scenarios, questions, and curiosities, including:

• Wedding "decision fatigue" and the priceless value of hindsight,
• "Conversations with my fiance have been frustrating recently.  We can’t seem to agree on anything regarding our budget, guests, or priorities.  What are some ways we can get back on the same page and embrace compromise?"
• Hiring a day of coordinator - what should we be looking for?  (Visit the episode dated 5/4/22, "Hiring Your Wedding Vendors" for lots more on this topic)
• DIY flower recommendations - this is an item that’s not terribly high on our priority list, what are some of your top tips for doing our own flowers?
• Help evaluating pros and cons of venues with more or less DIY
• Is a videographer really worth it?  Any alternate ways to capture video?

WEDDING QUESTIONS?

Planning a wedding celebration from start to finish comes with countless questions about logistics, feasibility, budgeting, etiquette concerns, just to name a few (I could go on, and on, and on ....)

Wouldn't it be nice to talk through your ideas & concerns with a down-to-earth, totally neutral 3rd party who has literally "seen it all" when it comes to weddings?

Now you can take advantage of personalized, 1-on-1 calls!  Wedding Strategy Calls are available to book now when you visit wedpodcast.com. 

Take advantage of flexible options including monthly subscription pricing, or simply book one call to clarify a few specific questions.  

Talk soon!

Visit Generation Tux, where you can build your suit & tuxedo looks from home, get free color swatches, a free Home Try-On, AND manage your entire wedding party online.

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

Today on the Wedding Planning Podcast, we’re doing a thorough review of wedding dress alterations, styling & accessories, & post-wedding preservation ideas, and so much more.

Our conversation covers the dress alterations process in detail, including pricing, money-saving tips, a timeline for when to get started, and alternative options for having your dress altered.

We also cover:

• What's a bustle, do I need one, and how much does it cost? (article on bustling I mentioned in today's show can be found here)
• Styling and shape wear options like bras, corsets, and compression garments,
• The importance of COMFORTABLE SHOES,
• Getting your dress home & last minute wrinkle patrol (the handheld steamer I mentioned can be found here)
• And some creative ways to preserve and / or repurpose your gown after the wedding.

I hope you love it, and congratulations on that beautiful dress!

Cheers, Kara

PS - I’ve been sharing my signature wedding planning advice on the podcast for 8 years now, and for the first time EVER, I’ve opened up my door to 1-on-1 Wedding Strategy Calls!

Whether you’re looking for just one session to get your wedding plans started, or a series of ongoing support calls throughout your engagement, I’m here for you. Get the details & book your first call today when you visit  wedpodcast.com .

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

Are you drowning in wedding "etiquette" & "rules"? 

Everyone has an opinion on invitation wording, cash bars, inviting kids, and what traditions absolutely SHOULD be included in the wedding day.

Today, let’s take a step back, and reframe things ... starting with your WEDDING MINDSET.

Where wedding planning can get overwhelming is when our expectations of what a wedding “should” look like conflict with our budget, our styles, and our personalities. 

And of course, an added layer of difficulty arises when you and your partner come from different backgrounds, and one of you thinks paying $10,000 for a photographer is completely reasonable, and the other wants to spend $10,000 total on the entire wedding.

But no matter where you’re from, I’m a firm believer in your wedding day being an expression and celebration of you & your partner.  At the end of the day, you’re making a really special commitment to one another, and looking to celebrate the occasion with your loved ones.  That’s it!

With that said, let’s look at these “wedding etiquette rules” with a fresh set of eyes.  We're going to make a pledge to let go of what “everyone else is doing,” and open up the possibilities way beyond that.

Please know that you always have the support from me to ditch what everyone else is doing, and craft your day, your way!

PS - I’ve been sharing my signature wedding planning advice on the podcast for 8 years now, and for the first time EVER, I’ve opened up my door to 1-on-1 Wedding Strategy Calls!

Whether you’re looking for just one session to get your wedding plans started, or a series of ongoing support calls throughout your engagement, I’m here for you. Get the details & book your first call today when you visit  wedpodcast.com .

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

There’s A LOT of conflicting information + confusion out there about tipping your wedding vendors, and today we're going to get to the bottom of it!

Tune in for a walk through exactly how to decide who should get a tip, how much, and even some extra special additional ways of saying thank you.

Today’s show is Wedding Planning Podcast classic, and we’re going to take a close look at some very common misunderstandings that are flying around out there surrounding tipping your wedding vendors.

Think you have to automatically package up envelopes with 20% tips for every single wedding vendor you hire?  Think again. 

Today I’m gonna save you hours on google, and likely hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars over that crazed couple who just takes the advice out there on tipping at face value and doesn’t bother taking the time to explore the nuances and undercurrents that are actually at play.  

So come along with me, and let’s uncover the TRUTH about tipping your wedding vendors!

A special thank you to today's show sponsors:

FREE Wedding Websites designed by independent artists?  Yes please!  Get started building your wedding website today with & take advantage of exclusive listener perks on save the dates, invitations & more.

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