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.
It’s uncomfortable for 95% of the people there. Some grooms don’t know how to dance, and it just becomes weird. Some brides are like, My parents are looking. You’re going up my dress. Let’s get rid of the garter toss.
As a wedding planner, I am passionate about creating unforgettable experiences for couples on their special day. With years of experience in the industry, I have honed my skills in organization, communication, and attention to detail. From selecting the perfect venue to coordinating with vendors, I work tirelessly to bring my clients’ visions to life. My ultimate goal is to take the stress out of wedding planning and make the process as enjoyable and memorable as possible. We have been featured in Southern Bride, People and Currently in the Hall of Fame for Weddingwire and The Knot.
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It makes sense with the groom or even with the bride’s dad, but the bridesmaids are there to help you get ready. What ends up happening is you totally get some faces of your bridesmaids, like, Oh, my God. But like, most of them are faking it because they know what you look like. They’ve already seen your hair. They may have helped you pick up the dress just let them be in the moment and let it happen.
Libby has photographed over 200 weddings in 26 states since she shot her first wedding in 2009. Her work has been published many places, most notably the New York Times, and she is a photography and wedding industry educator, focusing on clear, authentic communication between vendors and clients. She is a self-taught photographer who went to college for Sociology, music, and political theory, and also spent over a decade working in hospitality as a bartender and restaurant manager–all things that come in handy with weddings. She is based in Houston, Denver, and Tulsa, and lives with her partner, Caleb, and her teenaged daughter, Alessi. The worst thing about being a wedding photographer is having to watch people get excited about “The Cupid Shuffle.”
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I am so, so, so. Over wedding party introduction, they take wasted time. That’s not necessary to line everybody up and the time it takes to introduce each couple. They’re cringey they’re awkward, and nobody’s planned it. Not to mention the couple doesn’t even get to watch what’s happening half the time. Please, let’s just stop doing wedding party introductions altogether.
As a former venue manager, wedding sales director, catering director, venue coordinator to now a full service planner and designer, I have seen it all behind the scenes from many unique perspectives. I have a profound respect for the other vendors in the industry and love collaborating together!
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Most of the amazing sparkler exit photos that you see are completely staged. They’re not actually an exit because let’s be honest, if you wait until the end of the night after you and all of your guests have been enjoying your signature cocktails, do you really want to make people responsible for flammable objects? No, no, we do not. No we should not. Sparkler exits need to go away.
When I decided that I wanted to become a wedding photographer, I knew that my couples had to have an experience that would leave them feeling valued, loved, and served from our first meeting to well beyond their wedding day. I passionately believe that your wedding photos should look and feel like your memories of the day. I’m committed to providing my couples an experience that I wish I could go back and have.
– Featured in WeddingDay Magazine, Modern Weddings, How They Asked by The Knot, Tacari Weddings, and Brides & Weddings
– Best of Zola 2023
– Best Wedding Photographer in Ann Arbor 2022
– Top 10 Wedding Photographers in Ann Arbor by WeddingRule, Peerspace & Giggster
– Professional Photographers of America, Fearless Photographers, and Rising Tide Society Member
CHECK OUT MORE FROM KELSEY NAAB
Let the couples, kiss whenever they want. Don’t be forcing them to be kissing every few minutes. And that’s my little annoying trend that I would like to see you go away. It’s just. It just annoying.
Shannon has been part of the wedding industry for the past years, functioning as Lead Wedding Planner of her company Periwinkle Events NW. Over these years, she has provided wedding planning services to 90+ amazing couples, and led a team of vendors for ‘Portland’s Venue Crawl’ who turned a downtown ballroom into a wedding reception showpiece. Shannon has also been featured in Art of Weddings, Bridal Musings & PNW Weddings magazine.
Design, vision, and working with others are Shannon’s strong suit. She has planned and facilitated multiple styled shoots, where vendors are able to come together and collaborate to create content. With this experience, she is able to lean into that knowledge when creating a design that brings her couple’s vision to life.
When she is not knee-deep in timelines, vendor correspondence, or designing a sweetheart table, she enjoys experiencing the northwest with family and friends. She loves reading a good book by the fire, listening to live music, walking on the Oregon Coast and visiting as many wineries, brew pubs, and amazing restaurants as she can. She is a native Oregonian and loves living in the PNW, however, she is always daydreaming of her next destination wedding or new place to explore.
CHECK OUT MORE FROM SHANNON HUFFMAN
Now, I know traditionally when we run our rehearsals were supposed to put the bride’s hand into her father’s and have him hand her over to her groom where she’s then brought to the altar. But it’s 2023, y’all. We are not living in a day and age where anybody is anyone property. We’re not exchanging dowry. We’re bringing villages together here. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had a bride looked at. It’s like, Excuse me. What? We are big girls. We are walking into this relationship of our own free will and we do not need to be handed off by our daddies to our groom, though if I have one trend to say it’s not a go, it’s the bride handoff.
Our award winning planning and design team has been bringing our client’s heart bursting events to life for over 10 years! From celebrity award show events, to your commitment to your partner, there’s nothing that fires us up more than a great celebration full of community, and of course a lovely design.
CHECK OUT MORE FROM KIRIN WHITE
When think of QR codes, I think of restaurants, I think of bars, I think of alcohol menus. They do not belong on your wedding stationery. Why would you have your grandma pick up her phone and try and scan a QR code RSVP? There’s so many other ways that you can get everybody to RSVP online. It’s just not necessary. If you’re looking for a way to eliminate stuff and save a buck, ask us. We can help you with that. The QR codes and your wedding stationery, they just do not belong together.
We are a sister team!!! Latina sisters that live in Indiana and Colorado. We have been in the wedding business since 2016. We’ve designed invitations for people in California, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, and Chicago.We have been featured in Wedding Magazines and Blogs as well showing off our collaborations with wedding vendors. We love mingling.
When working with XOXO Invites you are working with a professional Graphic Designer that graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts majoring in Visual Communications. So when we talk I am already starting to envision what I can create for you. I have been designing since 2005 and have won the 2010 InHouse Design Award in GD USA Magazine. I have designed for some big name places like the City of Chicago and Sears Holdings. I truly enjoy designing and it’s not a hobby.
CHECK OUT MORE FROM JACKIE MURAWSKI
The old school wedding corsage. I mean, whether you’re having people pin it to their gown or wear it on their wrist, allocate that money elsewhere. And trust me, the women in your family will thank you for not obligating them to wear 20 lbs of ribbon as they walk down the aisle for your ceremony.
Sal Pavia is a native New Yorker, a proud Dad, husband, and the founder of Flora + Dean: A Boutique Floral Studio. He was a professional actor for over a decade until Covid-19 put a pause on the Entertainment Industry. In order to continue contributing to his family he sold floral arrangements out of his kitchen with flowers purchased from Trader Joe’s. Fast forward 3 years and floral design has become his focus and future. Sal has designed florals for companies such as lululemon, Baked by Melissa, and Bonne Maman and has curated wedding florals for countless couples.
There is something so unique about Floral Design. It’s creative, innovative, and can deliver the same adrenaline rush as opening night does.
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Get rid of all of the wedding dresses that no one can walk in. The brides don’t like them. The bridesmaids don’t like them. Photographers hate them because they have to edit all the dirt and all the things off of them. But all these brides keep buying these dresses that are gorgeous and they spend all this money on and then they have to take 30 minutes out of their wedding day and bustle them, fix them up, stain remove them. All this stuff they can’t see their cute shoes they bought. If I had to pick something to get rid of the long dresses that no one can walk in.
I’m Amber… 8 year wedding planner turned full time day of coordinator! I’m the chief chaos coordinator of 6 coordinators who work out of the cutest converted shipping container in Durango, Colorado. Every couple—and every guest—deserves to enjoy every moment of the big day. The Perfect Day Co [formerly Durango Event Planners] is a team of got-your-back [and your bouquet!] planners and pros who create charming moments, stress-free experiences, and F-U-N events—no matter your budget, guest count, or style. We can’t wait to party with you!
CHECK OUT MORE FROM AMBER ANDREW
it’s time to just move on from rustic eucalyptus vibes 20 years from now, when you look back at your photos, they’re going to just look outdated. I’m all for timeless and romantic. Let’s make sure you love your photos forever and let’s move on.
Diana Dorsey is a certified wedding planner and owner at Simply Elegant by Diana. Founded in 2010, Diana has planned hundreds of weddings and events all over the country, but is based in San Francisco, CA and Las Vegas, NV.
Diana has built a six-figure business, executed over 300+ weddings, and averages 45 weddings per year. She has been published in Party Slate, Martha Stewart Weddings, Modern Weddings, Brides Magazine, Maharani Weddings, Glamour & Grace and voted one of Top 19 Bay Area Wedding Planners for 2022, by SFist.com.
Diana is recognized within the event industry for her calm and pleasant demeanor. Her goal is not only for clients to enjoy the planning and day-of experience but also, for all vendors involved to enjoy the process as well. Her “eagle eye” attention to detail and willingness to go above and beyond, is what makes planning an event with Diana such a delight!
CHECK OUT MORE FROM DIANA DORSEY
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!
2 comments
I have been asked this so many times... does the wedding industry inflate prices when they hear it's a wedding?
Here is my honest answer (as a former wedding photographer)... NO. Did I charge more for a wedding than a 50th birthday party or a family portrait session? Yes, absolutely. I charged A LOT more for a wedding.
Was I taking advantage of the emotional sell? Absolutely not.
The main reasons I charged more for a wedding were: the unseen amount of work involved in the 12+ months leading up to the wedding, the skill level needed on the day, the INTENSE pressure to create perfect "portfolio level work" no matter what the reality of the situation- but mostly it is to compensate for the time AFTER the wedding in post production.
Little known fact about wedding photography - the real job is sitting at a computer editing photos. Photographers spend many hours behind the computer carefully selecting and editing photos. They make adjustments, crop, and adjust colors to ensure each image it's best. Don't forget the time it takes for batching, renaming, importing, exporting and uploading the photos and preparing them for delivery.
Do you think this justifies why photographers charge more for weddings than for other types of shoots?
Couldn’t agree more! And on the videography side its an absolute ton of data + editing discipline.
Its a double sided coin- weddings are extremely high pressure but also high reward when we nail it.
Our products (photo video) in particular are the only thing that genuinely will last forever . Having fun and ALSO nailing the product is worth the price of entry and frankly more.