image Suzanne HansenPlanning

Weddings, in some ways, will never change. The beauty, the emotions, the joy and spirit all combining to create an incredible, memorable event for you and for your guests.

Wedding planning on the other hand, has changed a lot! Weddings are no longer a matter of inviting your guests from across town to drive over to the church or temple and convene at a nearby club or home for a reception. Southern California weddings in particular involve many more activities, agendas and travel arrangements and don’t forget to add in the stress of unique relationship dynamics involving divorced or step parents and the myriad of other issues among families and friends that we must contend with in our time.

Your wedding is most likely going to be the only time in your life that you will gather your entire world together for a celebration of life.

This can be very top heavy, pressure filled, and possibly chaotic, however it also offers you the opportunity for greatness. A haphazardly planned wedding; an event without focus, feels stressful and sloppy. It never takes off into a higher realm because it too disjointed.

Your decisions on everything from location, flowers, music, tablecloths, and dress need to work together to create a cohesive feeling. In other words; a wedding is more than the sum of its parts.

And that is where effective planning comes in. The first step in planning a powerful and cohesive wedding event is getting focused on what you want; this can be challenging because there are so many wonderful things to choose from! Our Finding Your Style section will help you with ideas and styles to get and stay focused and organized. Begin collecting photos from magazines and online, see our expert advice planning articles and tips and our budget help section to find the right price range for your event and then start with location searching!

A Coordinator is the one event professional that you should book right from the start as they can assist you with so many details and save you countless hours and money.

After you have a set date and time then begin interviewing and booking the perfect professionals who will listen to your needs and ideas and manifest them. Have fun!