Every little reason you need to book these 5 vendors first for your wedding.

You’re newly engaged? Congrats! It will be the best time of your life so soak in everything as much as you can and don’t sweat the small stuff. If you are anything like me, you’re organized and sleep better knowing everything is done. This bride style can be beneficial but it also can cost you more money if you jump the gun too soon on certain wedding planning tasks, so I am coming at you today with a very detailed list of the top five vendors worth booking first. I also provide you my tips and tricks to save money if your budget is tight and you feel overwhelmed with the top five. You may have an overwhelming binder/planner in front of you right now that makes you feel like YOU MUST DO THIS, THIS, ANDDDDD THIS 12+ MONTHS BEFORE YOUR WEDDING or you will have a horrible wedding. That is not true, throw that thing away and allow yourself to enjoy the planning process and save the small stuff for later, because it really is small stuff in comparison.

1. Venue first.

It is almost impossible to book anything or send anything out without having your venue and a date. Tour venues with your fiance and when you have found the one that you can see yourself 50 years from now still in love with, go with that one. Once you have found the perfect venue in your budget that makes your heart swoon, ask yourself what season would you like to wed? Do you want an indoor wedding or outdoors? I love fall and summer but 1. I live in Texas, which ultimately means I would probably be a hot mess from the humidity if I had a summer wedding and 2. Fall is the most popular time here and that can mean the most expensive. It really comes down to where you live and what your budget is unless you’re planning a destination wedding. We opted for a low season wedding in December, because we are both from the north so a little cold air would not hurt us or our guests but we also had to wait for baseball season to be over. We toured a few venues and realized what we wanted and did not want more so by seeing it in person. We and our families are not from Texas, so we knew we would have to have a domestic destination wedding, so we chose the Austin area to get the northern California vibes that Josh is accustomed to. We picked Villa Antonia in Jonestown, Texas the second we arrived on site. It was honestly love at first sight. We booked right away and set our date, so now the fun could begin.

2. Photographer and Videographer

We got lucky with Lucille Photo because she is a hot commodity and we waited to book our photographer until summer, eek! (She travels! & Shoots film as well!) We just so happened to beat another couple to it and get her booked for that day. Your photography, videography, and beauty team are the three most important vendors to book up front because they provide you memories and the look that you will cherish forever. No one really remembers the food you served 20 years later, let alone 20 months later, but they remember the venue and the photographs first and foremost. Your cousins brothers uncle might have a canon digital camera and offer to shoot your day but investing in who takes your photos will make you a happier bride post wedding. TRUST. When you book your photographer they will likely suggest a package that includes engagements, bridals, and wedding. TAKE IT. Less is not more when it comes to your wedding photos. If they have a second shooter available, TAKE IT. You will be happier knowing everything is being captured. Your engagement shoot is essential because these photos can be used for your save the dates and wedding website. Bridals are a wonderful bonus shoot because you can schedule them to be right after your beauty trial and see how you like you hair and makeup with your wedding dress on in photos prior to the big day. My one regret from my experience is that my dress was not ready for bridals or for my hair and makeup trial, so I did not get to take advantage of this opportunity. When it came to searching for videographers, we did not do this until TWO months before the wedding, I do NOT recommend this. In the beginning, we were both were like “we don’t need video,” then we began to watch videos and we both said “we cannot NOT have video.” All the videos we loved online, those videographers were all booked because we waited and waited. We were bummed but we ended up finding a team that had a larger staff and were able to accommodate us at last minute. Moral of the story, these are the photos and the movie that capture your love story and fairy tale day. The moments he or she see’s you walk down the aisle for the first time, the rare moments that both families will be together at once, and your special dances. It all goes by so incredibly quick the day of, it is worth the investment to book this as early as possible. They are used to people booking them years out so it is important to jump on it quickly!

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3. Your Glam Squad (Dress + Tailor + Hair + Makeup)

Now that you have your venue and your memory makers booked, it’s time to dress shop and find the perfect hair and makeup artists for the look you are trying to create. Your dress will more than likely need to be altered so do not wait too long to do this, and alterations typically cost about half of what you paid for your dress, depending on the work that needs to be done. For my dress shopping, I went to a boutique in Houston. I had the entire bridal boutique to myself on a Wednesday morning and only had my mom with me due to my girls all living out of town. It was very intimate and went quicker than I expected. I had an amazing girl named Victoria to help me find “the one”. I did not go into dress shopping with a single type of dress in mind because it never fails when you go shopping and are looking for something so specific, that you never find it. I did not want to be disappointed so I went in very open minded and I fell in love with the Essence of Australia collection. I found myself trying on majority of their line that ranged from white lace dresses to vintage inspired moscato and pink hued dresses. I chose the D2147 in moscoto with a long ivory beaded veil that gave me a long train and was not the standard white dress. When my dress came in a month later, I had lost more weight than I had planned and my dress did not look like the one I fell in love with the day I said yes to the dress. I then took the dress to a tailor in hopes it would be a quick fix. Bless their hearts, they had to completely re-make my dress and it was very emotional for me because I no longer felt beautiful in this dress. They took their time with it and had me in over six times to make sure it was perfect, which is why I could not partake in a bridal photography session but come wedding day, my dress fit and felt amazing. If you plan to lose weight before the wedding, still buy the dress a size up instead of down and take it in to get the alterations done as soon as possible. Better to be safe and take away from the dress than sorry and unable to add to the dress. Give yourself two to three months for alterations to be complete. If you are hitting the gym and happen to build muscle quicker in certain areas of your body, DO tell them and keep that in mind when you’re setting expectations of how you want it to fit in certain areas.

I wish someone had told me this, but sit down in your dress at your first alterations appointment and your last. I cannot tell you how uncomfortable it was on wedding day when my photographers wanted shots of me putting my shoes on and I could not bend over without feeling overly uncomfortable.

You hair and makeup team are equally as important in the process as your wedding dress. Study your face shape, your eye shape, your eye color, and your hair type before you go to your trial. Train your hair and focus on its health because it will take a beating with your trial and wedding, and all the little events throughout wedding planning. I recommend following @JasmineRaeHairCo on Instagram for amazing hair training tips and tricks. Exfoliate your skin. Arrive to your trial with a clean makeup free moisturized face, this allows the artist to apply the makeup and it stay where it should. Remember, sunscreen can oxidize some makeup so be weary of that if you’re using your own foundation. The day before your trial, get a good night sleep and wash your hair so it’s dry and natural for your trial. Clean dry hair holds better and is essential to get that full wedding look. Your artist will likely prep your hair when you arrive so no need for you to put in any leave ins or extra product that can weigh it down. If you plan to use new extensions, make sure you wash them before your trial. Lightly hairspray them a couple times and brush them out so they are easy to work with and have volume as the hair on your head does. When getting my roots touched up prior to the wedding, I was told it is best to schedule it two weeks before and bring your extensions with you if you’re using those to avoid a color discrepancy. Our photographer gave me great advice before my trial, she said to work out after you get your hair done (after bridals of course) or do active things so you can test how your hair holds and makeup stands as it will when you’re dancing and running around at your wedding. My session with her before the wedding was very important as it let me know my venue was not cut out for me to wear my hair down. I wanted to wear it down but our venue was at very high altitude so the wind during our shoot made my hair look greasy and crazy. It was sticking to my makeup and very uncomfortable, but it was also very helpful in the end. This let me know that for my trial I had to find something more pulled back that would hold my extremely heavy veil and take kind to the wind. We booked Lola Beauty after I went and spent hours on instagram looking up the vendors in the Austin area. It was a very easy choice once I found Lola. They were beyond amazing and so talented. I was lucky to have Ariel for my hair and Joseph for my makeup. If you’re in the hill country area, highly recommend them.

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PS. If you plan to get Botox and have never had it done before, my recommendation is to go to a trusted dermatologist, not anywhere random that advertises their services on Groupon. It may look good on some celebrities but you should know if you like it on yourself…. months before your wedding. It can take up to two weeks for results to show which is why it is essential to try this out early on. I tried it early in the year and our engagement photographer kept telling me to open my eyes more, but I couldn’t so I then knew probably not the best idea for me. It is definitely not for everyone but some love it.

4. Catering

This is going to most likely be the most or second most expensive vendor of the five depending on the amount of guests you will have and if you are limited to certain caterers per your venues rules. Some venues have an all inclusive option but there can be a hefty minimum for food and alcohol, some have a list you can choose from, and some are more laid back and let you bring whomever you choose. We were given the option to choose from a selected list of caterers that our venue knows and trusts as they want to keep their great reputation of a wonderful serviced wedding venue. This came with positives and negatives. The positive was they were all clearly great if they were chosen to be on the list in a city known for its food options. The negative was that they know the bride and groom have a minimal set of caterers to choose from and they can set prices based on that knowledge, because every quote required to name the venue. Some caterers have their own linens and some use third party rental companies, check your quotes for this and make sure to ask them what rental company they use if they are not the source. This is important because if you wanted to rent space heaters, decor, or any other wedding related items you can ask your caterer to add it to their order and you end up paying only one fee instead of two. Another reason this matters is because it allows you to see if the catering company is upping the price on linens to profit and you in turn, can order them yourself from the same or a different rental company. Many catering companies also allow you to bring in your own alcohol. This was a huge selling point for us because we wanted specific Texas style beers and spirits, and it was easier for us to get it rather than giving them a list. It also allowed for us to pick up a case here and there whenever we were out, freeing up some money in our budget because we were not having to worry about a large sum due by a certain date. Our venue did not allow kegs but if yours does, it is a smart idea to go with that option and tuck it somewhere behind the bar that will not cause an eye sore and take your guests back to their college days. Now that our wedding is over and the hangovers have vanished, I can share this little bit of sneaky info with you. We saved quite a bit of money by purchasing cases of wine from Trader Joe’s. I am a bit of a wine snob and I happen to love two buck chuck despite its coined name and “cheap” reputation. I have it at home and cook with it so I was all for it. My mom was not a fan of having that on display so she ordered simple wine bottle stickers that were wedding themed so no one would know it was inexpensive. (She is probably hoping none of her girlfriends see this). The internet has a ton of generators to tell you how much alcohol to purchase based on your guest count but study your guest list and make your decisions based off of that. What do your biggest drinkers like? Red wine might be a favorite to some but most do not risk it at a wedding out of caution for their dresses, teeth, and that super sexy post wine chapped red lip line one glass can give you. Another way to save money on the catering alcohol is to provide signature drinks. We still did this despite having an open bar because it is fun and you can really make it custom to the two of you or a theme. We needed to have at least one part of our wedding dedicated to baseball, so we did a “The Golden Glove” drink that was simply whisky and ginger beer and a “The Bambino” drink that was Tito’s vodka, grapefruit juice, soda, and a rosemary garnish. I was shocked how even though we had an open bar, many guests went for the signature drinks instead. So if you are on the fence about an open bar or a beer and wine bar, a beer and wine bar with a signature drink or two is a cost effective way to do it. Another aspect of your catering budget will be allocated based on your choice of serve ware, the most cost effective option being acrylic. This was one I battled myself on because I have been to several weddings and I have never remembered what I ate off of so I did not see the point to get china for the extra expense. On the other hand I wanted to have a nice tablescape that brought my vision to life and suited the venue. I somehow landed on dollartree.com when looking around for charger plates to purchase and found perfect white with gold rim china plates (they are available around the holidays and posted below) , and they were so beautiful for just a dollar each. This allowed the guests to go get their buffet style meal on the acrylic plates and set it down on the china and it looked like a charger and we did not have to pay an extra $4-$5 a person. The food and alcohol with the catering is the bulk of the expense but you’re also investing in a staff and service so it is important to not hold off until last minute with your catering company. If your budget is tight do not panic, the companies want your business and I am sure they will work with you so it is beneficial for both parties.

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5. Floral

Floral is the last major vendor I think is vital to book early. Your visions and desires more than likely are going to change while you’re planning so I would not finalize every detail up front, but make sure you gather quotes and find inspiration in photos from previous weddings at your venue. I chose this as the last of the big five because florists want to know your colors and you should wait to know the venue, what decor will dress up the venue if needed, your wedding party colors, your hair style and if you will want flower crowns, and what floral colors will compliment your dress. Most floral companies costs average around $2,000-$3,000+ a wedding, and these prices can rise if you want event styling. Yes that is a thing. Because this is one of the heavier costs, booking it early but not too early will allow you time in your budget to add things or take things off your initial quote if your inspiration changes. We started our journey looking at florists and we had one set in stone but with me being the creative type of person I am, I decided I would purchase the same amount of flowers wholesale at Costco and Sam’s (shout out to Uncle Bob for coming through with that membership BTW!). I figured since all my girls were traveling in early for the wedding, we could set aside Thursday morning to make the bouquets, centerpieces, wrist corsages, boutonnieres, and ceremony decor prior to the Saturday wedding. It may sound overwhelming but it was actually VERY fun, and who knew we all now have a future in the flower business. For our bouquets, boutonniere’s, and corsages I went with Bloominous . Bloominous is a DIY wedding flowers site, that ship everywhere. Everything was delivered Wednesday and we quickly followed the instructions, stored them away after they were prepped, and then on Thursday we put the bouquets together. The company provided us all the ribbons, pins, wire, tape, instructions, names of the flowers, etc. It was very affordable and they have many collections to choose from to fit your theme or you can customize your own. I ordered three 25ft garlands from Costco that were only $75.00 each and saved us almost $600 from what I was quoted for just one garland from the wedding florist we originally planned to use. We attached roses we ordered from Sam’s to the ceremony garland and it turned out beautiful and perfect to accommodate the backdrop of our ceremony. Following the ceremony, we had the ceremony garland placed across the head table as the focal centerpiece. Some florists will do a la cart wedding flowers if you ask them, this is good for those who want a look their florist cannot provide on one or two minor things. Going the wholesale route is a little extra work leading up to the big day but if you have a great group of friends and family who are there to help and can keep things alive, its a fun activity and rewarding to see it come to life on your wedding day.

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What’s next?

Well now you have heard our true testimony of just how important these five vendors are to book early. They are the foundation of your forever memories. I hope I was able to get your creative juices flowing and get you excited for the planning process. Your wedding comes once (knock on wood) and how you do it and the order you choose is totally up to you but remember to just have fun!

xoxo, Alyssa & Josh

• Bridal Boutique (Houston, TX): Misora Bridal 
• Wedding Dress: Essence of Australia
• Hair and Makeup: Lola Beauty
• Photography: Lucille Photo
• Videography: Photo House Films
• Venue: Villa Antonia
• Bridesmaid Dresses (Silver Sage color): Show Me Your Mumu
• Groom and Groomsmen Apparel: Mens Wearhouse
• Floral: Bloominous