For a day in your life as important as your own wedding, it’s hard to not want all the best things for your big day. The reality is that in the present, weddings have become almost prohibitively expensive for all parties involved in them, that is why many people are finding smart and crafty ways to go about them. Jamie Wolfer and Heather Loree Fier speak with a high-end wedding vendor, Meghan Makela. Pulling from her own experience, Meghan shares her story of being a budget-conscious bride while working in the more luxurious sector of her industry. This is a unique insider perspective that you’re not going to want to miss!
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About Meghan Makela
My name is Meghan I live in Long Island, New York. I interned for vogue magazine in my early twenties and began working in interior design. From there I began working luxury weddings doing day-of coordinator as well as working full time for a tent and party rental company servicing New York’s elite.
I want to show brides who are also in the same demographic as me that not all weddings are upwards of 50k and to not fall to the pressures of social media styled shoots and Pinterest boards. You can create a beautiful wedding on any budget!
High-End Wedding Vendor And Budget-Conscious Bride With Meghan Makela
Jamie: We are interviewing Meghan Makela. This girl is such a gem and on top of that, she has much experience in the wedding industry. Working for a rental company, doing some day-of coordination on her own on the side and now she has the wonderful opportunity of being a bride herself. We dive into what that looks like working with these gorgeous, beautiful high-end events. What it looks to plan a wedding with a budget that is not the same as the weddings that she works with her 9:00 to 5:00 job and figuring out what that balance looks and how to be making wise and healthy choices for her budget and for her sanity.
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Heather: Meghan, thank you for being here. It is a pleasure to have someone as experienced in the wedding industry as you and also that’s in the trenches planning her wedding right now.
Meghan: Thank you. I’m excited to be here.
Heather: You have an interesting background since you having this double life of the bride as well as an industry pro. Can you give us a little background on the wedding you’re planning as well as how you work in the industry and how these two sides of your life are a little bit different and a little bit the same?
Meghan: I initially started in interior design when I graduated from college in 2010. I realized how much I loved decorating beautiful spaces. I’m extremely detail-oriented and I love to pay attention to all the small details from flowers to the escort cards and beautiful linens. I began freelancing on the side while I was working my interior design day job, doing day-of coordinating and styling with wedding planners on the side here in Long Island. I realized that the wedding rental company brought together the best of both worlds for me because I was working with beautiful furniture, interiors, and rentals, while also servicing brides as well. It’s been a lot of fun because I’ve gotten to do a few weddings in Connecticut and Westchester County, as well as Manhattan.
If a client says they can't afford you, it's best to just let them go. Click To TweetI’m sure you guys have heard about the Hamptons, which is always fun to be doing weddings out there. For myself, I’m a little bit different because my brides that I work for come from extremely affluent backgrounds where there is no budget cap off when it comes to their day of. For me, it’s wonderful because it gives me creative freedom to create a beautiful tablescape and work with a highly talented florist and leaning companies and stuff that. For my own self, I don’t have that budget. I’m trying to create something beautiful but to keep budget-conscious and stay in mind with that.
Heather: Can you tell us a little bit about your wedding and what you’re planning and the budget you’re aiming for, being that you’re probably one of the most expensive areas of the country to plan a wedding?
Meghan: For New York, the national average for about Long Island is $60,000 to $100,000, which is a lot. It’s hefty. For my fiancé and me, he comes from a more rural part of Pennsylvania and we knew that that wasn’t attainable for us. Our budget was about $25,000, which still comes in a little bit less than the national average for the rest of the company, for the rest of the country. I knew I was going to have to do a lot of digging around and working with different vendors and trying to figure out the best way to give myself a beautiful intimate wedding, but still, keep it within that price point. For me, our biggest thing was cutting our guests list down. We are down to 65 to 70 people.
That was my biggest take from this is fewer guests. It has given me more creative freedom where I can focus on having a little bit nicer linens or if I want to get a nicer charger plate or something that. Also, I’m doing wine and beer as opposed to a full open bar which is also helping us cut some costs there, as well as doing a buffet instead of a plated meal. Guests love buffet anyway. I’ve noticed that it’s trendy along with food trucks and stuff like that. I was like, “I’m going to think a little bit outside of the box from a plated dinner where the cost goes crazy around here in New York.”
Heather: From what I understand out on the East Coast, those more formal setups for a wedding. The plated meal, the full bar, all that stuff is a lot more the standard. Out here on the West Coast, I can say, I feel it’s been a little bit more casual. We take it easy out here in California and I feel it’s common to go with those options out of the gate. There are a lot of wineries, so folks do have weddings where it’s just wine or wine and beer. That’s a smart move you made and definitely ways to cut back a little bit without your guests having a different experience.
Meghan: Another thing for me is I love florals. I’m such a flower girl. Florals are important to me for my day, but I received quotes from a lot of beautiful and talented florists that I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Even though I’ve had these vendor connections, these quotes for me were still above my price point. I’m getting quotes for $3,000 for flowers for 70 people, which is a little absurd. Another thing is I’m working with a local farm stand here on Long Island and taking what is seasonal and in season and doing DIY with flowers like that. Pulling in beautiful dahlias, mums and gourds and working with what the season provides us.
Heather: Jamie is the DIY queen. She probably has some questions for you here or you two could go on for hours on the different things you could craft and create.
Jamie: I’m a sucker for DIY stuff. As you’re saying all of these things, I’m nodding and I’m proud of myself for not clapping you through all of that. Like, “Yes, this is so good. I love the idea.” You’re killing it. All of the suggestions that I would have for someone in your position, you’re already doing.
Meghan: Also, for me, I was lucky to have a photographer friend of mine. She shot some gorgeous engagement photos for us. Those are on my social media account as well. I knew for my wedding photos, these photos are for life and there’s something important and I don’t think that’s a vendor that you want to be stingy on, but I do think I didn’t need the photographer for eight hours. As opposed to hiring her for eight hours of my day, I’m having her come in for about five, so she can shoot the formal family photos, take pictures of my work and my tablescapes because that is something that’s important to me. As far as later in the night photos of my guests dancing and celebrating and whatnot, people have iPhones nowadays and stuff where the quality of those photos is fine for something like that. That honestly saved me a good chunk for photography. I do tell women that, as well, other brides. I’m also cutting back on the guests. Having a photographer for fewer hours, I don’t need as many photos with the smaller guest count.
Jamie: It sounds like you’ve got an excellent perspective in all of this. You know the areas that you value and the areas that you want to splurge more on, but how do you do that effectively? The biggest thing is you want to make these splurges but you still want every penny to be used effectively and used wisely.
Meghan: One of my girlfriends as well. I was talking to her. When I’ve worked in the day-of coordinating, you see behind the scenes what items aren’t necessarily used throughout the night and what things are unnecessary and different splurges. I knew when it came to a cake, I’ve seen a lot of cake go to waste and they’re these beautiful cakes. I spoke with one of my girlfriends and I said, “Let’s make a small, intimate, nice cutting cake. What can you do for me for $100 that I can keep their tradition alive, cut the cake, have that special personal moment with my fiancé and me, but also not see that go to waste at the end of the night as well?” That was something that I was happy about being frugal with. I’ve told the other vendors, “This is the price point. What can you give me within this price point and how can I work with you within that?” A lot of them have been accommodating. The ones that aren’t able to accommodate, I tell them, “I admire your work. You’re truly talented. I understand. Unfortunately, for my own budget, I can’t use you.”
Jamie: What a graceful way to navigate through that because that is difficult. I’m sure being on both sides of the industry, that’s got to be something that’s hard to do.
Meghan: That was the hardest thing for me, I’m not going to lie, at first was when I get engaged and you’re so excited. I’ve worked in this industry for a while now and I’ve paved my way through and I’ve made many wonderful connections with many talented vendors. For me to then sit back and look at my own budget and think to myself, “I personally cannot afford the vendors that I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating and working with, so I need to work around it where see how maybe they can accommodate me in some way. If not, I’m going to have to accept that I am personally not one of the luxury weddings that I worked for.
Heather: It’s super helpful that you do have the perspective of the cost that goes into a lot of the weddings that you see on Pinterest, on Instagram that other couples are amazed by and looking at and going, “This is what I want.” They have no idea of the price tag associated. Since you can see behind that curtain, that’s working in your favor to know, “That’s not realistic for me.” It puts you a step ahead. For you giving advice to other couples on that point, how would you recommend they approach it? What if they have no idea what their local florist would cost and they don’t realize they’re thousands of dollars probably away from what the price point would be? That same approach upfront of contacting them and saying, “This is what I can afford.”
Meghan: For me, another thing is I’ve been lucky that I’ve gotten to style and work with several beautiful styled shoots. I’ve even told other brides, and in the industry when we’re doing a styled shoot, it’s other vendors working with other vendors. It’s wonderful. I love seeing girls collaborate and work together, but we’re putting our best foot forward and remarketing and we’re trying to sell. These styled shoots are beautiful on social media but it’s not real life. I try to explain that to brides that these beautiful style shoots aren’t the real deal. When you are going to a florist and you’re inquiring about these beautiful images that you see on Pinterest and Instagram, you’ve got to remember that these aren’t real-world weddings.
Not having a tight budget cap allows you the opportunity to have creative freedom. Click To TweetI say these weddings that I have been lucky to style and it’s much fun. I said, “I’ve met many talented women and whatnot, but they’re not real.” Brides need to know that because you look at these beautiful Bohemian setups and these beautiful nautical picnics and it’s all of us putting in blood, sweat, and tears and hard work to want to advertise our work. If you’re a regular girl and you’re on your phone before you go to bed and you’re scrolling through your phone and you see this, that’s not reality. That’s hard because it’s like I said, “It’s the smoke and mirrors.” You see this and you want this. You go to meet your local florist and you get a price quote and you’re like, “To create that cost that much money.” People don’t understand that. I try to explain that too. It’s not real life, but you can still create something beautiful within your own budget. You’ve got to be conscious of it.
Heather: Use those photos as inspiration and recreate them. Personally, I have a love-hate thing with these styled shoots. It’s amazing for vendors to showcase their work. It is a great opportunity for photographers to build up their portfolio, but everything should be a little more transparent. If vendors would say, “This floral display I made in this photo would cost about $3,000 to recreate.” It puts something that out there you’d find in a Vogue magazine. When you look at an editorial photoshoot, the price for that fancy Gucci outfit is listed there in the corner. You can go, “That is cute and that is out of my budget.” You look at it and you go, “I will look for something with that pattern and not this one,” and move along.
Whereas the way the wedding industry works and with folks not putting pricing out front, it can be hard for couples who look at these photos, make a vision board, think that that’s what they’re going for. Later as they go down the road, they find out the pricing and they’re defeated out of the gate. They’re miles and miles apart in the pricing. That and the fact that it should be disclosed that they’re styled shoots or inspiration shoots, whatever you want to call them because there’s a big difference between for a photographer, their photos on a wedding day look when they’re rushed, when there’s a bunch of other moving parts and on a styled shoot day where it is a photoshoot.
Jamie: You’re working with models who are getting top of the line hair and makeup artist and not your ordinary regular bride who’s looking her best on her wedding day.
Heather: Feel the emotions and a lot going on and all those relatives in town. It’s a swirl of emotions and it’s a little harder to nail those poses that those models easily do when you’ve got stuff going on. I’m definitely not one to talk about nailing the photoshoots. My headshots, I was like, “I’m sorry, I’m ruining 90%.
Meghan: I’m always behind the scenes girl. Like primping the linen and aligning the escort card and stuff like that. That’s another thing that had been hard for me too is because I’m a perfectionist in my craft. Realizing because I personally am not hiring an entourage of vendors for my own day because I am taking it on much DIY to save that money. I’ve had to swallow that pill. I’m not going to have the whole wedding planner there that is going to be styling my table while I’m drinking champagne and getting primped. I’m the one putting in 90% of the work.
Jamie: With that in mind, what are the challenges or struggles that you’ve been facing while planning your wedding that you didn’t expect or you didn’t even know existed from your end on working in the industry?
Meghan: The main thing for me is I work these insanely high-end weddings. I immerse in the day in, day out, creating proposals for brides where there is no budget cap off. I have this budget cap off but I feel a certain type of pressure to deliver for my own special day because of the work that I’ve been able to deliver for other brides. Because I’m doing a majority of my wedding DIY, I have help from some certain vendors. I’ve had to accept that my wedding is not a styled shoot and I cannot be succumbing to the pressures of Instagram and Pinterest and these glossy magazines. I know our wedding will be filled with love and laughter, but it’s been tough to not go overboard with all of the small details of the signature drink signs and specialty napkins and small beautiful items that I love that add certain touch, but when you look at the price tag, it adds up quickly.
Jamie: I can imagine that. It’s because I’m such a visually-driven person as well. It’s interesting. I worked in interior design for a while. I worked for wholesale vintage furniture in Porter and we sold to all of these groovy little stores in beach cities in California. I would do all this styling and then I got into wedding planning after that. I hear you so hard on that. Look at these beautifully curated images. I’m a sucker for styled shoots. I am inspired by them because they’re visually nummy. I love Heather’s perspective of, “Maybe you should list the pricing for some perspective.” In my mind, I’m like, “They’re pretty.” I can understand looking at all that and then creating all these weddings and being a part of them that are four times the budget that you have. You crave that visual beauty and attention to detail and then having to remind yourself, “No. Scale back this effectively for a fourth of the cost.”
Meghan: My hardest thing has been I can deliver it for other brides. I’m very well versed in it and trained in it and I know I can deliver something beautiful like that. When you don’t have those infinite funds to spend it, it’s hard. When you have other vendors and people on social media that follow you and admire your work, which is nice, I appreciate it and I love it, but I get anxiety and I feel pressure because these people are like, “We can’t wait for your wedding, Meghan. It’s going to be beautiful.” I know it will be beautiful. I do feel this certain pressure that my wedding won’t be to the caliber of what I have to create for other people. I’ve realized it now, but at first, that was definitely difficult for me because I knew I wouldn’t be able to deliver that.
Heather: It sounds like the social media era position in this industry is compounding the pressure that an average bride might feel that you’re even feeling it stacked on a little heavier, this pressure.
Meghan: For me, social media has been such a wonderful thing that I’ve gotten to collaborate, meet and work with all these wonderful vendors and other women and get my work out there. At the same time, it’s been my own worst enemy because then that’s where I start nitpicking things and falling into these Pinterest spirals of things I want and things that I would love to have, but it’s not attainable in a regular, normal girl’s salary and budget.
Heather: With all that in mind, how do you think you’re going to change how you approach your work with this shift in perspective from this experience?
Meghan: I consider myself lucky that I get to work for the type of clientele that I work for, but I’m also aware that this is not the majority of this is not the reality for the majority of the United States. The weddings that I get to work are for a certain affluent clientele in this part of the country. At the same time, if there are brides elsewhere, if I was to even go a little bit outside of the tri-state, it’s a completely different world. I’ve noticed that even more now planning my own that not every girl in Long Island and New York can afford that. I’ve been aware too of my job, which is a luxury, not a necessity.
I’ve always considered myself lucky that I’ve gotten to do what I get to do. I do realize that it’s not a reality for a majority of this country. Especially for a lot of women that are budget conscious and see these styled shoots and seeing these beautiful Instagram photos and these social media photos that aren’t attainable for everyone. It’s a little bit unfortunate because brides are already so stressed out when planning their special day and they shouldn’t have to be any more than they already are.
Jamie: It was a percentage that Heather and I came across quite a while ago. I know we’ve mentioned it before that it’s 80% of couples getting married in the United States do so without any wedding planning assistance at all. Whether that’s a lunch wedding planner, a day-of coordinator, nothing. I could imagine that a bunch of them would be like, “If we had the money, we would.” It’s strictly from a budget perspective. When you look at our country as a whole and think that 80% of the people are choosing not to hire somebody or simply can’t afford it, that’s a huge bulk of the people. That’s grounding and that certainly gives perspective.
Meghan: I know that my job is a luxury and it’s wonderful to be surrounded by these couples and the love and being a part of their special day. I also know that a lot of brides can’t afford it. For me, if I weren’t having the help of some sweet colleagues and friends, I personally wouldn’t be able to budget in a day-of coordinator for my own day either. I understand how for most brides it’s stressful if you don’t have that right-hand woman with you during the whole wedding planning process.
Jamie: What guidance would you offer to other wedding vendors to help them better serve couples now that you’ve seen both sides of the spectrum?
Meghan: One of mine is a couple of vendors that I had reached out with and that I had collaborated with in the past. I couldn’t afford them with the quotes that they had given me. They still were being pushy. My advice would refrain from being pushy because while I would have loved to have their services, it wasn’t within my tight budget. For them to keep trying to sell me on it, continue to make me feel flustered because I couldn’t afford their work. Another thing is I’m a big fan of Venmo and it’s great that I’ve met some other vendors that accept that as a payment plan or a form of payment because a lot of younger couples and Millennial couples and stuff, that’s been a big form of a payment they like to use.
Heather: I can see the pressure to push people into buying something that’s out of their comfort zone, that’s out of their price range. It puts the couple in such an awkward position. When you had these folks that you, you told them, “I love your work, I respect you. I can’t afford you.” One thing I suggest to couples that I work with is to let the vendor know if down the line they decide that they can add their plan to allow for something in their budget range. Say a few months before, a florist is like, “Normally my minimum is $3,000, but suddenly I’m going to be able to do $1,500 and that’s more your ballpark. Maybe if we’re still at a point where I could bring you in, we’d love to do it, but there’s got to be a little give and take.” It’s hard to step up to the negotiation table how you did. It takes a lot of confidence. Sometimes leaving it open that these vendors can come back to you if they end up two months out from your wedding day and they have nothing else to do and they’re like, “I’ll fit it in. I’ll take a little smaller budget weekend. Sure, why not?” That’s a big thing you did to be that confident to go out and negotiate and to open that communication.
Meghan: For me, it was certain vendors, this was another thing we’re in. It came to my scaling back. I appreciate wedding videos. They’re beautiful, but if the videographer was something that wasn’t in our budget, we had to pick and choose what we wanted and what we weren’t wanting and the video wasn’t one of them. I told the videographer. I let them know. We’re getting married in October, which is a popular time of year. I was like, “If you can get a job elsewhere, I don’t want to take away from you landing another wedding and getting that bride and that money and whatnot.” For stuff that, I didn’t want that vendor to feel they were waiting on me for an answer because they truly couldn’t fit into my budget at that time. That was tough.
Heather: It feels like vendors and couples sometimes come to this moment where they are both trying to read if the other is going to make a move or not. There’s this awkward point where they’re playing chicken, so to speak, or the vendor is like, “Are you going to go for it? Do I need to adjust my price? Should I book another couple?” They’re both throwing out. I had this vendor email me and say, “I have another wedding potentially that weekend. Sign a contract now or otherwise, I’m giving up your spot.” There’s a push and you’re like, “Is this for real or are you just saying this?”
Meghan: That’s how I felt and I was like, “If you have these other inquiries and don’t let me take that from you. Please take these other inquiries. I want you to do business, I want you to do well. I am not your girl. Another thing I picked up on because I am fairly connected in my local industry where I work and do have a fairly decent social media following, they were even a little bit pushier with me for their own business reasons to get that tag or that like or whatnot. As flattering as it was, I kept telling them, I was like, “I’m sorry. I cannot afford you.”
Jamie: It’s back to something that Heather and I have spoken about too, is that these vendors clearly have a scarcity mindset. It’s like, “We’ve got to book you. It has to happen. We have to close this deal.” I actually think they clearly have that. There’s that element of that. I don’t care for it. There’s business everywhere. If there’s another couple, go for it. Go with God. It’s like, “I can’t afford you. It’s not going to work out for us. We wish you well. If we can find someone else to fill that spot, great. I’m not going to spend $3,000 on video. I don’t have it.”
Meghan: It’s money that I didn’t have and don’t have. Another hard thing for me was a photographer I’ve done a couple of styled shoots with. We work wonderfully together and I’m happy for her. She’s made herself a luxury photographer that she can take on these insanely affluent weddings. When she then gave me a quote when it came to my time, it was hard for me to have to reject her and tell her no because I personally cannot afford her work. I stated that she’s talented and I wouldn’t want her to lose a wedding so she can maybe cut a price a little bit for mine. I understand what her talent is and where it lays, but that was hard for me to have to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t fit you in my budget for now.” Because it’s a lot of these vendors, they’ll want to work with you, but if they’re not willing to work with your budget or meet you halfway or figure out something like with the photographer, I ended up going with who cut the hours in half. It’s hard because if a client tells you they can’t afford you, it’s best to then let them go.
Heather: It’s brave on your end too to be communicating that, but also to have the faith that there are other vendors out there. You didn’t get yourself stuck in that feeling of, “This has to be the photographer. If I don’t book this one, I’m going to have no photographer.” Many couples I work with get panicked like there are only two photographers in town. I’m like, “There are plentiful vendors and many will love their style and many are in your price point. Keep chipping away. It can feel overwhelming as you’re going through that phase of talking to vendors and on the search, but you will find the right person that matches up on all of those different friends.”
Social media is a wonderful thing that you can use to initiate new collaborations. Click To TweetMeghan: I’ve noticed too that and even through social media, I’ve connected that there are many wonderfully talented women out there that are photographers, that are makeup artists, that do day-of coordinating. If one that you had your heart set on isn’t in your price point, you might want to pick the girl who might’ve been in the industry a couple of years less or who might’ve graduated school. If they have a nice portfolio and they can deliver the work and they’re at your price point, I fully suggest giving those girls a try too. We all started somewhere. That’s a great way to cut costs as well. You might be caught up in one makeup artist, but her price point isn’t going to be feasible for you and your whole wedding party and everything that, it all adds up.
Heather: I shared a lot of amazing wisdom and support. I feel like you’re leading the charge here with all the other budget-minded brides being like, “We can do this and here are some ways to help.” I love that. Do you have any other tips or ideas you’d want to share for the couples who are out there planning their wedding on a budget?
Meghan: I’ve had to even sit down with myself with this too after I got lost in a Pinterest and Instagram spiral. In the end, it’s about the love between you and your partner. Your wedding is the beginning of your journey together. While it’s a wonderful celebration with your family and your closest friends, but at the end of the day, it truly comes down to the two of you. I’ve fallen victim to it and the chaos and the outside voices and wanting it to be beautiful. At the end of the day, it’s your marriage and not the wedding day itself.
Heather: I’m going to tell you, Jamie and I are both past our weddings and once you get a few years out, you start looking back and you’re like, “That was awesome. It was a great part of their great memories.” Every little minute detail doesn’t stick in your mind quite as well as you feel it’s going to. Realize it’s going to get a little hazy in your memory. You’ll have beautiful photos to look back on. Some of the stuff that as you’re in that tunnel vision of wedding planning can be overwhelming and heavy, it fades away after a little bit of time. Not that you shouldn’t do your best and make it beautiful and put your heart into it, but give yourself a little grace.
Meghan: I keep reminding myself too, it’s a wonderful celebration that we’re getting to celebrate with our families and we’re so lucky that we are celebrating our families, we’re having our families with us. No one’s going to remember your charger plate or something silly like that. I know it’s hard to get caught up in, but no one looks back and remembers that. What it comes down to is the love and the strength of that love between you and your partner.
Jamie: In five years you’re going to look back and be arguing over how dishes are loaded in the dishwasher. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter if you had plates on the table or not on the table because you’re going to end up fighting about how plates get put into the dishwasher eventually. That’s where marriage goes. You can do it wrong.
Meghan: I keep reminding myself how often are you that lucky that you get to have everyone you love surrounded by you there to be celebrating you and your love and your happiness that day. That’s what it comes down to in the end.
Jamie: Despite all these challenges, there’s much beauty in this industry. All three of us are in it and I know we love what we do. What has been your favorite part of planning your wedding?
Meghan: I’ve dreamt of this day since I was a little girl. Haven’t we all? Tight budget aside, I’m excited to bring my beautiful vision finally to life and share it with my family and friends because they all know how much pride I take in my work. I’ve been lucky enough to create such beautiful things for many other women that, budget aside, I’m excited to have my time finally and have my vision and get to see that come together. I know it will be beautiful minus the ridiculous price tag.
Heather: Make sure you take time on your big day to stop and look around and enjoy it. Don’t get fixated on fixing the crooked napkin or something like that. Let it go.
Meghan: That’s my biggest fear. I’m nervous. Thank you for telling me reminders over that.
Heather: Don’t even stress because at that point, be in the moment and let all that aspect of yourself with the little bit of controlling-ness about the details since you’ve been on that side of it so long. Let that go, be there, soak it up, enjoy some champagne, enjoy your time with your new spouse and love your day. Be there in the moment.
Meghan: Everyone keeps telling me, “We better not see you out there in a robe and hair curlers arranging the table.”
Jamie: One thing I will say to that is I was the person that wanted to do a set up on my wedding day. I was glad that I got talked out of it because I did not end up doing the setup. I was organized but what I did do is I walked through the reception space before the ceremony even started. I got hair and makeup and ready to go. It was after our first look and I walked through and they’re like, “Do you see anything you want to change?” Honestly, my nerves were buzzing much that I didn’t even notice things that needed to be changed. I felt I was going cry because it was finally there. If your heart is still feeling anxious about it, totally walk through the reception space.
Meghan: That’s great advice because that is something I’ve then where I feel the most anxious about. I don’t have my budget for a day-of coordinator, so to not have someone play the role that I would normally be doing for another couple, I feel a little nervous. I want to make sure that I can enjoy my morning and enjoy it in the presence of my girlfriends and my mother and my future mother-in-law. Let go of that perfectionist side a little bit because everyone is there to celebrate my fiancé and me.
Jamie: I would say let that walkthrough be something to settle your heart, not for you to be like, “What do I need to fix?” Go in and it’s here, this is a private moment that you can squeal and freak out because your DIY florals and the gourds are on point. It’s your private moment to enjoy what you’ve designed, not an opportunity to go in and fix everything because then you might look a little bit crazy. It has to be centered, but be like, “This is mine. I created it and it’s beautiful.” Do that when no one else is there.
Meghan: I am having the help of some wonderful girlfriends who will be there that morning to put them on the table and whatnot. I totally trust in them that they’ll do great. I’m excited to get to see my vision finally for my own self and come to life without going and breaking the bank.
While a lot of vendors will want to work with you, they just can't fit in your budget. Click To TweetHeather: We are excited to see how your day comes together too. I hope you keep us posted. Readers can check back and see what this day looks like.
Meghan: I love sharing stuff like that and I hope that I can help other brides out too who are in this journey and process as well. My word of advice to them would be don’t succumb to social media and your day’s going to be beautiful. No matter what your price point is, as long as your heart is into it and it’s made with love, it will be good.
Jamie: Your family and your friends are there to celebrate you and your love. Focus on that, and the rest of it is the beautiful scenery. Thank you for joining us. We are glad you were here. Such a great, unique perspective you were sharing with us, so we appreciate it.
Meghan: Thank you. I’m happy you, guys, picked me. It’s been such a wonderful opportunity to get to speak with you finally.
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