• Type:
  • Genre:
  • Duration:
  • Average Rating:

Month: April 2023

Is there really a wedding markup?

Q: Is there really a wedding markup?

VIDEO SUMMARY

It’s so bonkers to film a wedding.

Is there a wedding markup? Are wedding vendors just greedy jerks who want to fleece? You know, we are generally honest, hardworking, creative people who want to be paid fairly for our time. Yes.

You’re not crazy. There’s absolutely Wedding market and Libby Dollar. I’ve shot weddings in 26 states. So this is not regional commentary at all.

I would say wedding markup is definitely not a thing.

Is there a wedding markup on services? Kind of. But not without good explanation.

Why are some weddings wonderful and happy, while others are a struggle and stressful?

Q: Why are some weddings wonderful and happy, while others are a struggle and stressful?

ABOUT THIS WEDDING PRO

Have a Plan B attitude.

Why are some weddings fun and happy and others a struggle? In my opinion. And I have a few thoughts on this, but the top two would be logistical and emotional.

In my experience, it’s all about the personalities at play and that can range from the couple themselves their families and friends, wedding party or your vendor team.

This is all about who you hire. It is very important that you hire professionals that know weddings.

As a wedding planner, some of the biggest stressors that I have seen on the day have to deal with the weather.

How to schedule a wedding morning? Events, timing, etc.

Q: I can’t afford a wedding planner, what other options are there?

answers:

1 Videos
VIDEO SUMMARY

I think the priority for your wedding day morning should be relaxation and joy and not stress or making sure you have everything timed out to the exact minute. That being said, you do need kind of an order of events or a schedule for what’s going on the morning of your wedding because you’re usually not alone or not in a small group of people that are nimble and easy to get through those several very important hours. You often have the entire wedding party to account for both bridesmaids and grimsmen the couple. The parents are often involved in the morning activities and then at some point in your morning, all of your vendors show up with all their supplies or their services. So typically what my clients wedding day mornings look like is hair and makeup starts decently early. Obviously depends on what time your ceremony is, but I’ve seen hair and makeup start anywhere between 07:00 A.m. And noon. Depends how many people you have, if the hair and makeup people are coming to your hotel room or your house, or if you’re going to their salon, and then how long the hair and makeup artists say they need per application or per hairdo. I’ve seen that range anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes. So make sure you know how long they’re expecting to have on the day of. Always make sure you have food for everyone while they’re getting ready, both the bridesmaids and groomsmen or anyone else around during the morning. I know you want to look your best and you’re in this pretty dress and you’re going to be photo taken all day, but you have to eat something, otherwise you’re going to end up passing out in your ceremony or throwing up before your reception is even over. So hair and makeup once that is done, a lot of my clients do like the pajama photos if all their girls were in matching pajamas, maybe pop some champagne or throw confetti for some cute photos when hair and makeup is done but you’re still in your pajamas. And then I usually have the bridesmaids get dressed first and then if the bride and groom exchange like letters or little gifts that she might want to open in private, I’ll have her do that. Then if she’s okay doing that in her pajamas or like in her robe for the morning, we can do it later if she wants to do it in her wedding dress. If it’s being photographed or videographed. After the bridesmaids are dressed, the bride starts getting dressed. Because the bride getting dressed usually always includes the bride’s mom or the maid of honor or sister of some sort, both for the sentimentality of the moment and also usually physical assistance of getting into the dress and buttoning it up. So around that time I usually have photo and video already arrived, usually just when hair and makeup is ending. The bride might want some photos of the hair and makeup finishing, but definitely want those PJ photos. And then the bride getting into her dress with her mom or sister or something. If you want a lot of detail shots like those flat lay images of your invitation and the rings and the perfume bottle and all that, those usually need to happen before any of photos of your bridesmaids and you getting in your dress again, talk to your photographer. They may need 20 minutes for that. They may want an hour for that. Once the bride is in her dress, sometimes they do a first look with all their bridesmaids, a first look with a dad or grandpa, brother, really. Anyone else important that they want to have a moment with to show the big outfit at that point? What happens next between then and the ceremony? Depends if you’re doing a first look or not. If you are doing a first look, we usually do first look, couple photos and then wedding party photos. Especially if you have two photographers you can split and do bridesmaids and groomsmen at the same time. And then if you’re not doing a first look after everyone’s dressed, you would just do photos with your bridesmaids and then head to the ceremony. The timing of all that and how long each one takes is very nuanced. It depends where you’re getting ready, where the other half of the wedding party is getting ready, how far away you are from your ceremony venue, et cetera, et cetera. The guy’s schedule is way easier. They don’t have hair and makeup, but they also need to eat something. Everyone needs to make sure they’re not drunk before the ceremony. And then the guys just need to be dressed and ready, which still takes a surprising amount of time, like girls think about getting dressed as more. We usually schedule 30 minutes for bridesmaids to go get dressed and guys usually don’t expect that. They also need to budget that amount of time to get into everything in their outfit. But.

What should be in the welcome toast? Advice for a nervous groom.

Q: What should be in the welcome toast? Advice for a nervous groom.

answers:

1 Videos
VIDEO SUMMARY

Oh, a nervous groom. I’m sorry you’re even in this position and stressing about it. But I do have some ideas. Try not to do it alone. If your bride is going to be up there with you, then share the microphone and keep it short and sweet. So maybe you do the first part, she does a longer middle part and then you do the end kind of bookend her comments. Or if you’re willing to be creative and a little cute and funny, maybe kind of do like a mad libs kind of thing where she does most of the talking, but then you have figured out in advance certain words that you’ll say so she could say well, we want to thank you all for being and then you say here it really means a lot to us that you all took the time. Something like that could be cute. But I say, number one, definitely be yourself. Don’t try to be something that you’re not because it’s going to come off as inauthentic. So don’t be funny if that’s not your normal way of being. Don’t be serious if that’s not your normal way of being. Don’t try to be super emotional if that’s not who you are. So stay true to yourself. Don’t drink too much before you do it. A little liquid courage is fine, but don’t go overboard because that’s not going to be a good luck. And maybe have something waiting for you when you’re done, but definitely in advance. Keep the drinking reasonable. And I would say share that spotlight, share that microphone with your bride. And the things that you should make sure to say are thank yous. Thank yous to your guests for coming. Thank yous to your bridal party, for being so awesome and supportive. Thank you to your families, especially your parents, grandparents, siblings, and definitely, ah, say some wonderful things about your new wife and that’s really all you need to say. So keep it short, keep it sweet, share the mic if you can, and just be yourself. Bye.

Where do I wear my engagement ring during the ceremony?

Q: Where do I wear my engagement ring during the ceremony?

answers:

1 Videos
VIDEO SUMMARY

It’s during the ceremony, I recommend that you wear your engagement ring on your right hand. Or if it doesn’t fit, or you don’t want to do that, you can give it to someone trusted like your maid of honor, and she can give it back to you after the ceremony so you can add it to your stack.

I have a relative who wants me to wear a specific piece of jewelry on my wedding day that isn’t my style at all- what do I do?

Q: I have a relative who wants me to wear a specific piece of jewelry on my wedding day that isn’t my style at all- what do I do?

VIDEO SUMMARY

Just say no nicely. So you’re being offered a piece of jewelry that is meaningful to the person who’s offering it, but might not be as meaningful to you. I have two ideas.

This one is tough, and while they think they’re being very sweet, they’re putting you in a tough situation.

As a people pleaser myself, I totally understand wanting to honor and be super supportive of family members who want to gift you things, especially family heirlooms. I think there’s also this layer of protection that we don’t have to feel pressured to do everything our family wants us to do.

What is one wedding trend you wish would just go away forever?

Q: WHAT IS ONE WEDDING TREND YOU WISH WOULD JUST GO AWAY FOREVER?

VIDEO SUMMARY

Oh, my gosh, this one is going to get me in trouble….

But I’m just so over the burlap the Mason jars the whole, like, rustic eucalyptus vibes from a wedding planner’s perspective.

Can we please get rid of all of the wedding dresses that no one can walk in?

There is one wedding tradition I would love to see. Get the ax it’s the old school wedding corsage.

The one that needs to get eliminated is QR codes on your wedding stationery.

Can I get a big C ya never On the bride being handed over to the groom by her dad.

This little trend is annoying.

The wedding tradition that I wish would go away forever is sparkler exits.

Now give it up for your maid of honor and best man… can we not?

The new ish trend for weddings that I want to go away forever is bridesmaid first looks.

Hey, hey, hey a goodbye. That’s what I wish would happened to the Garter toss.

What is the biggest mistake couples make?

Q: What is the biggest mistake couples make?

VIDEO SUMMARY

I would highly, highly recommend not doing this.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see a bridesmaid that breaks my heart is that they don’t try on their wedding gown when they pick it up from their seamstress.

So, hands down, the biggest mistake that I see couples making with wedding photography is hiring a friend to do it.

Something that happens over and over and over that I’ve seen over the last 20 years. We hire a stylist for a job interview or for going on that podcast or TV show or what have you. But are you hiring a professional virtual stylist for your wedding day?

Why don’t vendors put pricing on their websites?

Q: Why Don't vendors put pricing on their websites?

VIDEO SUMMARY

Pricing is a very personal thing.

Are you tired of going on vendors, websites loving their work but you don’t see your price? Well, let me tell you why no one person, no wedding day. Nothing is the same.

I can speak from my experience as a wedding planner. The services that I offer are not often understood.

Personally speaking, I don’t include pricing on my site and ads because I find couples get lost in the number instead of the relationship that we build and the overall experience of planning that significantly led to a wildly successful wedding day or weekend.

Now, as a planner, I completely understand why some don’t. But frankly, being a bride myself and having to figure out my budget and pay for my wedding on my own, I was extremely frustrated.

There are generally three options for them. One is no pricing at all. Two is a starting point and then three is their full pricing offerings.

What wedding moment made you cry your eyes out?

Q: What Wedding Moment MADE YOU CRY YOUR EYES OUT?

VIDEO SUMMARY

There was not a dry eye in the ballroom. Everyone was crying.

What wedding moment made me cry my eyes out? I’m going to cry just thinking about it. When brides dance with their fathers.

Probably the thing I would cry most often would be the father daughter dance.

We have planned hundreds of weddings, but I will never forget this wedding that truly made me cry. And honestly, thinking about it now is getting me teary eyed.

I’m not generally a very emotional person. It takes a lot for me to get teary eyed or cry, But I would say the thing that really hit me hardest during the wedding day and can get me a little teary eyed tribute to late parents.

I know exactly the wedding for this question.

Scroll to top

Ready to answer our couple’s burning questions?

Here are some tips and tricks to film a great video that stops the scroll:

1

Start with a hook.

You’ve got 3-5 seconds to stop the viewer’s scroll. Be creative… start with a phrase like:

  • Oh hell no, just no…
  • Absolutely not…
  • Yes, yes, yes! You should do this…
  • It depends on one very important thing…

2

Give a super quick intro.

We’ll put your name and bio in the title and links, so you can say something more general like:

“I’m Robin, a photographer in Chicago and after shooting 500 weddings…”
Or
“I’m not only a wedding planner in Chicago, but a newlywed myself…”

3

Answer away!

Give them your hot take, and don’t hold anything back.

Examples of what we are looking for:

check out how Sal nailed it in this video and so did Megan in this one and Nichole told it straight (from her car).

Tips for filming

Filming vertically on your phone.

TikTok is vertical for good reason - Gen Z have spoken!

Good audio is more important than good video.

Find a quiet room (that isn’t an echoey bathroom!).

Make sure your face is bright enough.

Standing near a large window or lamp is helpful - You want to be brighter than your background.

Nothing works better than a good story.

If you have any experiences you can share to help answer the question, go for it!

Bring
the energy!

Down an espresso, pump yourself up, and let the answers pour out! Our couples want as much honesty as they can get.

Let's Talk about it!

You may think you are superhuman on your wedding day, but this is a recipe for chaos and stress. Wedding planning is an ideal time to master the art of the ask.

Kara Maureen has a fascinating job. She is a Bridal Coach that specializes in navigating all the family drama, identity issues, emotional challenges and mental transformations that come with planning a wedding.

Featured Question

Q: Is there really a wedding mark up?

Do you feel like the industry charges more “because it’s a wedding” and they know it’s an emotional purchase?

Do companies think that they can charge more for weddings since the bride and groom may be willing to spend more on their dream wedding?

Hey wedding pros – is this higher price tag justified? Why? Do you charge more for your service if it is a wedding?

This is a taboo topic, whispered but not discussed… until now.

Welcome to The Uncorked Project!

Join the conversation!

Welcome back to

Log in to continue