When it comes to planning a wedding, there’s advice aplenty to be had, but sometimes that advice can shift depending on where you are in life. We gathered some tips from three women: one in the thick of the planning process, one recently hitched, and one coming up on more than 15 years of marriage. Even better? All three are industry professionals with an inside knowledge of the world of event planning.
Today we begin with Natalie Knowlton, who is recently engaged and busy planning her big day.
Natalie Knowlton
Cofounder and Macaron Director of We the Birds
Girl meets boy at a party in LA. They hit it off immediately but live in separate states and never expect to see each other again. They become friends on Facebook. Seven years later, they both end up living in Dallas. Boy reaches out to girl for a date. Girl accepts. And the rest, as they say, is history. Four years of dating later, boy shows up at girl’s office (aka We the Birds headquarters) and pulls a ring—hidden in a matchbox from their first trip to Italy, no less—out of his pocket. Girl of course says yes, and now, the rest really is history.
Natalie’s Advice:
Focus on what really matters: “It’s not the date, the venue, the invitations, or the time of the ceremony. What matters is the commitment to each other—the vows and devotion to strengthening your relationship forever.”
You won’t agree on everything: “Pick and choose your battles and remember that letting your partner get his or her way doesn’t mean that you lose. You both win because, ultimately, knowing your partner is happy is your reward.”
In the end it will all be OK: “There will be family drama. There will be hundreds of tiny decisions to be made for all the little details that make up one big day. If you start to feel overwhelmed or deflated, remind yourself: No matter what, it’s going to be the most beautiful day of your lives.”
Insider tip: Your vendors are often your greatest referrers. “Ask them anything, even if it’s unrelated to their craft or service. We all work together and love referring brides to people or businesses we know and trust in the industry.”
