Featured Bride Kai K., Wedding Location: St. Paul, MN | Wedding Date: April 2, 2011

Choices, choices: Wedding planning advice.

Planning a wedding is just a parade of choices. The options are often times overwhelming, as there are hundreds vying for your attention. Nowadays, the attempts to snag your date aren’t limited to traditional methods. Instead, as a bride you can find yourself bombarded by emails, pop ups, or even more annoying-Facebook banner ads. But the truth is, how to tell all the options apart?

The caterer:

Let’s start with the caterer. If there’s no particular specialty dish that you are looking for, start your search by looking for vendors closest to your venue. Less transportation equals less overall cost. Next, look at the serving options. As always, serving dinner to your guests is always going to be more expensive than a buffet option. When examining costs, remember that taxes and other fees are added to the advertised price per guest. An option that is advertised as $16 per guest can quickly turn to $25 per guest when other fees are factored in. Networking with other brides to see who they would recommend can also be the easiest way to start your search. My recommendation? TrueTastes Catering of Saint Paul. Chef Jeff has done countless weddings including his own family’s and is very accommodating. www.truetastes.com

The photographer:

Next comes the wedding photographer, easily one of the biggest decisions there is to make. Your photographer is responsible for being the eyes of the day. Capturing all the memories you want to keep and also capturing the ones that you won’t have the time to see until weeks after. Your wedding photographer, besides being able to utilize their photography skills, must also be a people person. They need to be comfortable directing your wedding party and family in an organized way to make sure that all the essential shots are taken. So how is a bride supposed to find this type of a person? Those skills aren’t exactly written out in an email or pop up ad. The easiest thing, once again, is to network with other brides. Get their recommendations on who was fun, creative, and easy to work with. Choosing a photographer can be extremely tricky since the photography skills combined with people skills can be hard to find. As a couple, be familiar with wedding photography style options. Are you looking for someone who is photojournalistic, capturing simple moments without artificial posing, or trendy, capturing all the silly moments both natural and staged? Make sure to meet one on one with your photographers to make sure they are everything their ad or website says they are. Remember, finding a people person is a necessary component to the job. It is also good to compare prices with experience. Their prices should reflect their training and quality experience with wedding photography. My recommendation? Donae Cotton Photography. Ask no further than the countless brides she has captured with creativity but also fun! http://www.donaecottonphotography.com

The florist:

Finding a wedding florist can also be very tricky. You need to find someone who not only has the skill to put together beautiful arrangements but also to transport them safely. However, prices for flowers can really be tricky. If you pick an actual wedding florist shop you are paying for not ony the supplies but also the labor of multiple people. Once again networking with other brides would be the easiest way to start. My recommendation? www.joydefleur.com, a family friend who buys direct.

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