We are so excited to have Mandy with Modern Whimsy Events on the blog today! She is sharing some REAL, honest wedding advice today and it is so needed! Mandy is an incredible coordinator and designer and we trust her so much. Her advice for you big day is so important! And here is a picture of the amazing work that Mandy does! And also a picture of her gorgeous face (this picture is by Brio Photography).
Hello, beautiful people! I’m Mandy, head honcho at Modern Whimsy Events, where I design and plan weddings all the live long day. When the ladies at France Photographers asked me to share some insight into planning on their blog, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give you a little peek into my brain, some things I love about planning, and how we roll over here at MWE. So, here we go.
Designing a wedding that fits you and your person is one of the most fun things to do, ever.
I take a multi-faceted approach to designing weddings for my clients. There are the basics, of course: what time of year you’re aiming for, what general style category you lean towards (boho, modern, eclectic, etc), what colors you love/hate. But I always try to go a bit further. Is there something about you and your partner that makes you especially proud, or defines you as a couple? How do you want your big day to feel, and what characteristics are important to you for your event? Some people care a lot about the catering experience. Others want the vibe to be casual and fun, others really love elegance and class. I like to know what your home style feels like, what restaurants and spaces you enjoy going to because of the atmosphere. I gather all kinds of information via questions, Pinterest boards, and context clues, and craft your day from there. It’s so incredible to see ideas come to life on a wedding day!
I love trying something new and different.
If you’ve got some fun idea noodling around in your brain, let’s explore that. Could be a design idea, a special dance (totally had a flash mob at a wedding a couple of years ago- a complete surprise for the bride and groom!), an off-the-wall dessert…lots of options to mix things up. If we talk it through and it looks like it won’t work…hey, that’s ok, we can still get something out of it, I promise. It’s WAY more fun to see how we can experiment and think outside of the box to make things more personal and unique. This is YOUR day, after all.
Those little details are so very important. Until they’re not…
Let me explain. I LOVE special touches at a wedding. Little moments that tell a sweet story about the 2 lovebirds, the perfect vase for those flowers, the best font for the menus, the right size and color taper candle.…I could go on and on here. BUT, as soon as a detail brings about too much stress on you and your partner, as soon as arguments arise because of a napkin color, the moment you want to pull your hair out over a wedding favor…then it’s time to rethink things. Is it an element that we can create or accomplish more efficiently by changing the design? Are we thinking too hard about something and need to step away for a bit to gain clarity? Should we scrap it all together? These are all questions I ask when things start to get stressful.
Family issues are not that weird, please don’t be afraid to tell me about them!
Weddings are EMOTIONAL. No doubt about it. Families are often complicated, and bringing everyone into one big space to sit and have a meal and talk to each other for hours on end (with alcohol, no less)…well, don’t be surprised if some things bubble up to the surface. During the planning process, tensions may rise, stress levels increase (because yah this is a HUGE thing, and likely you’ve not ever planned an event like this before!), and you/your partner/your parents/your BFFs may exhibit some characteristics that you didn’t even know really existed. That’s ok, y’all. Part of my job is to help you navigate through that stress, and keep things in line so that you can all stay somewhat sane throughout the planning journey. It may not always be the easiest, but having an impartial human in the mix can totally help bring things back to center line. Which brings me to my next point:
I like to think that I’m part event planner, part therapist.
Now, I’m not sitting there while you lay on a couch with a box of tissues and tell me your worst childhood experiences, but I am there to lend an ear when and if things get messy. And it’s super important for me to know if there is any long-standing tension between family members or guests at your event, because I want to be able to head that off, should something arise. I’m not gonna get involved in any heavy family disputes, of course, but if I know that Aunt Jane has beef with Dad and they can’t really be at the same table together lest they start another world war….well hunny, we won’t seat them near one another and if I catch a whiff of some dissent, I’ll approach with the good ol’ “How are y’all? Having a good time? Can I get you anything?” A friendly, smiling stranger holding a clipboard and offering you a drink will likely level things out, at least from what I’ve experienced in the past.
I have a love-hate relationship with sparkler exits.
They’re so so pretty. You get amazing photos! It’s fire, yay! But y’all, this may be the toughest part of my night. Trying to get upwards of 100 drunk folks to line up in an orderly fashion after just having come off the dancefloor, and then giving them a firestick but telling them to wait until I light it…well, they’ve already stopped listening at this point. I’ve been yelled at, burped on, hit on, burned…but I’ll keep doin’ your sparkler exits because I love you, and they look oh so good.
My favorite thing about wedding and event planning is the people.
I love learning about you. I love knowing how you and your person met, and how you do life together. I love finding those “aha!” moments when we find that element to add to your big day that just FITS. I’ve created some really lovely connections with my clients, and I’m forever grateful for the trust that is put into me to make your big day come to life.