Wedding planning is such a fun & exciting time in our lives but, let’s be real, it can be A LOT. So, this week I’m sharing some wonderful advice given to me by past Kalli June brides on what they would tell anyone currently planning a wedding. Who better to listen to than the person who was very recently in your shoes? Let’s see what they had so say…

Get a great coordinator. They are 1000% worth it. Also make sure you bring them along to any of the venue meetings so things don’t get lost in translation. There will most likely be no time to communicate and check-in with them the day of!

Also consider not getting a hotel block. In the Airbnb economy, this ended up being REALLY stressful for us. Of course I wanted a place for people to stay but, if you get a block, just make sure you KNOW people are going to use it. There are so many other options for lodging these days.

Last thing I'd say is to care less about everyone who is in your wedding and attending it. I don't think I could say this enough, but we cared so much about making sure things went well for guests -- I wish I would have put that energy toward making sure the day was how WE wanted to spend it. Of course we had fun - but prioritizing guests over yourself is no good. I would go back and tweak some things to make my life easier.

Keep your guest list small. Our wedding venue was the main reason we had to downsize our guest list but I’m SO GLAD we did. We both have big families and our parents have a lot of close friends so this wasn’t easy. But your wedding day is about you and your CLOSEST family and friends. (So don’t worry about your 3rd cousin or parents friend that you haven’t talked to in years) Our wedding day was so cozy and intimate, and our reception was a BLAST. I don’t regret a single thing.

We would say that it is so important to take one thing at a time. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the whole process and lose sight of WHY you are doing it all in the first place! You are marrying the love of your life - that is something to celebrate. You shouldn't be worried about the little details, but focusing on the bigger picture. Take a few moments, a few date nights, whatever and celebrate the fact that you are engaged. In our process, we sometimes forgot to take it in and celebrate that fact because we were so busy with everyday lives and the wedding planning process. All-in-all, planning a wedding is stressful, but it is so vital to your relationship to take one thing at a time and piece by piece, everything will fall into place!

I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely saw an overarching theme throughout all of this great advice. Enjoy the process, take it in, remember why you’re really doing all of this & don’t forget to make it a day that YOU want to remember forever.

If you’re married & there is anything you’d like to add, feel free to drop a comment below!

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Kalli is a playful, laidback, adventurous wedding and senior portrait photographer based out of Southern Indiana. She loves incorporating a documentary style into her work with movement and flow. With every session, her goal is to capture those raw and genuine moments that come from just being yourself.

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