It finally happened. After years of looking for the right man and months of dating said man, he’s popped the question. Needless to say, you’re over the moon with happiness, but as the glow of the proposal wears off you realize you now have to plan the wedding.

You’ve always prioritized getting married and envisioned exactly how the big day will go. It’s time to make all of those ideas a reality. Weddings are a huge undertaking even if the guest list is small and you keep things simple. It’s a good thing there’s a whole industry of professionals who have experience making weddings go off without a hitch.

Wedding Planner

The most obvious source of bridal assistance is a wedding planner. You can go with an individual wedding planner or an event planning company. The team at Wonderstruck advocates for the latter. They know that weddings are high-stress situations that require tight coordinating. Having more than one person that you can call on is a real stress reliever.

You’ll spend a lot of time interacting with your wedding planner, so it’s important to find someone that you get along with well. The planner should also have a firm understanding of the type of wedding you want – not the wedding they think you should have.

Today, themed weddings are extremely popular. Your wedding planner should help you come up with a theme that reflects your relationship in a unique way. Choose carefully because the theme will influence just about everything else.

Caterer

If you only nail one thing at your wedding, make it the food. It’s amazing how great food can make guests forget about everything else. That all comes down to who caterers your wedding.

The caterer can help you plan out the menu based on your personal preferences and budget. They can also suggest the best types of place settings for the food, help coordinate the setup at the venue and bring everything that’s needed for eating.

Florist

When we think of weddings one of the first things that come to mind is flowers. Big, beautiful flower arrangements, table centerpieces, bouquets, decor dripping with delicate buds.

These amazing displays of nature’s beauty are created in the minds of florists. A talented florist can work natural wonders no matter what flower you pick for your wedding. They can also provide advice if you aren’t sure what type of flowers you want to use. Is having environmentally-friendly flowers a top priority? There are florists that specialize in that too.

Photographer

After putting in so much time, energy and way more money than you ever thought possible on a wedding you’ll want to commemorate every aspect of it. Guests are sure to take countless pictures, but a professional photographer goes above and beyond to capture the most magical moments you’ll want to remember forever.

Experienced photographers understand how to work with the tight schedule of a wedding day. They plan their shots out in advance so that they can be in the right place at the right time. Before the wedding, you’ll want to provide the photographer with a copy of the day’s schedule and go over the shots that you definitely want to get. The photographer can also suggest times where you can sneak away for intimate shots with your groom.

Depending on the size of your wedding and the planned events, you may want to hire a team of wedding photographers.

Venue Operator

The venue is one of the largest costs of most weddings. Knowing the venue inside and out is a necessity if you want the wedding to go smoothly. That’s where the venue operator comes into play.

When you’re touring venues, keep in mind it’s also an interview. You want to work with a venue operator that is seasoned and understands how to make the property shine for your event. They should know just about every detail down to each outlet. This kind of venue operator will be invaluable during the planning phase and the day of the wedding.