For most couples, planning a wedding is an overwhelming process that often leads to stressful situations. This is especially true for anyone planning a destination wedding who may be unfamiliar with the Asheville wedding market.

At Carolina Love Events, our intention is to make wedding planning stress-free and fun! We like to team up with couples who are interested in making intentional planning decisions to ensure their wedding day is a reflection of them as a couple. While each planning process is unique to couples, we wanted to offer a few tips on how to make wedding planning as easy as possible.

Choose Experienced Vendors

Since Asheville is such a popular city to get married in, it’s quite saturated with a variety of wedding vendors. So, it is more important than ever to choose wisely. Here are a few steps to take as you are researching possible vendors for your wedding day:

• Review vendor websites for experience, packages, etc.

• Read a few reviews (but don’t get too hung up on just the negative ones!)

• Get in touch. Whether it’s via email or a phone call, get to know the vendors you are researching.

• Use your venue or wedding planner as resources.

  • Most venues and wedding planners in the area have had experiences working with a multitude of vendors. Ask them for recommendations that fit your needs!

  • Double check with your venue about any required vendors. Make sure to check off this list before moving forward with other vendors.

  • As you book vendors, they may have some referrals and recommendations, too. Don’t be afraid to ask for their suggestions.

The most important piece of advice we can offer when finding vendors, is this: book someone you vibe with! This is why it is so important to schedule a phone call or video chat before booking with them. Get to know the vendor and find out more about their company, why they are in the industry. You may even develop a friendship with them during the planning process!

Be sure to reach out to your wedding planner about specific questions and details you may need to review with vendors before booking with them.

Create a Planning Timeline & Checklist

To help keep yourself on track, create a system to remind you of deadlines, vendor payment dates, etc.

Coming up with an overall planning timeline is a great start! A few examples of this include creating personal “deadlines” like the ones below:

• Twelve months out:

  • Choose a date.

  • Book the venue.

• Ten months out

  • Have hotel blocks booked (super important for destination weddings)

• Seven months out

  • Create a wedding website (helpful way to communicate with guests).

• Six months out:

  • Find a dress and/or suit.

  • Send out Save the Dates.

• Three months out:

  • Send invitations.

  • Plan and book rehearsal dinner.

If you are overwhelmed by tasks and confused about where to start, reach out to your planner! We are a great resource and it is part of our job to help stay you on track. Having a smooth planning timeline will also ensure you are not running behind on deadlines, payments, etc.

Speaking of payments, another way to keep things as stress-free as possible is to…

Create a reasonable wedding budget.

What is a reasonable wedding budget?

A reasonable wedding budget is one that will not stretch your financial resources and allow you to plan a perfect wedding within realistic monetary means. One way to keep things simple is to create a firm overall budget, but be flexible within it. We have reviewed this in detail on our Average Cost of an Asheville Wedding blog post.

Be sure to include all wedding expenses in this budget. For destination weddings this includes things like travel, lodging, etc. Don’t forget to include things like wedding day attire and accessories!

Need help creating and sticking to your wedding budget? Our full service planning package may be the perfect fit for you!

Make the most of it!

While you are planning your wedding, be sure to make time to enjoy your engagement.

Focus on the details that matter most to you, and don’t get hung up on the rest.

If you are planning a few visits to Asheville for cake tastings, dress fittings, etc. why not make a weekend out of it and explore the city?

We know that planning a wedding can be stressful, especially if you are doing it remotely and are from out of town. This is why it is so important to work with an experienced wedding planner so you can make wedding planning fun and not stressful.

At the end of the day, just remember that you are getting ready to marry your best friend and celebrate your love for each other with all of your favorite people.