1) The struggle is going to be very real even with help, so do anything you can to make it easier on yourself! 2) Planning a wedding, even a small wedding, is like directing a play, a play in which it is very unlikely that a single actor is in fact, a real actor. So if you don’t have any real actors, you should probably consider a real director. 3) Every wedding is a (seemingly endless) series of steps, and the fewer you have to take, the less likely you are to stumble and fall.

So, that said, I am obviously of the opinion that virtually everyone needs some help when it comes to planning the perfect wedding. Using a planner through your venue certainly helps to limit needless complications, (usually in the form of arguments, misunderstandings, or endless phone-tag and email chains) which in the end simplifies your life, kind of the whole point right?

But the key is also knowing just how much help you want, how much control you need, and whether you need suggestions and ideas or just someone to help you make it happen. For example, I had a good idea of what I wanted, my husband had a good idea of what he didn’t want to deal with, and our venue based wedding planner helped turn that into a dream wedding. Not to make it sound like he didn’t help and I had some ‘Bridezilla’ visions I dictated to our planner, in fact he helped choose a lot of our arrangements and I fancy myself pretty laid back when it comes to these things, but we knew what details mattered the most to us and our planner knew how to get us through the rest of it with as little stress as possible. Believe me, when you first start planning, even if you think you know all the little details you will either need to design or approve, you have no idea. Seating arrangements, food allergies, decorations, table arrangements, crazy relatives, weather possibilities, and on and on and on… And just when you think you’ve thought of everything, there’s something else.

Look, at the end of the day no two weddings or couples are alike so the key is communication and finding someone flexible. From a ‘control-freak’ planning a wedding for 200+ to a ‘laid-back’ gal with 20 close friends, we all have things that we want out of our wedding day and there are great options out there to make sure that that vision becomes a reality. That’s why we provide a wide variety of wedding planning options here at Rocking TJ Ranch. From ‘Day of Planning’ for those do-it-yourselfers out there, to our ‘Six Month Coordination Plan’ for those who want to make sure every single detail is planned to perfection, we have the right options for you. From seating arrangements to vendor selection, we have the perfect team in place to assist you in making your dream wedding a reality. So no matter what your vision, let our planning team help you see it.