Alright, so you have a new piece of sparkly jewelry to show off, and now you’re wondering where to start? While every wedding planning team is going to be a bit different in how they operate, I think we can all agree that the most important thing is that you do hire a wedding planner for your big day! Whether that is for a month-of type of service (read more about why ‘day-of’ isn’t really a thing here), or you want a planner from start to finish, you’ll want to contract with someone whose process aligns with your goals. Here at Scarlet Rose Events, we utilize a signature three-phase planning process. We have found this is a great way to get all the things done, but truly enjoy your engagement at the same time. Keep scrolling to read more about why this process works best for our San Antonio-based wedding planning team.
If you’re one of our current clients or you’ve chatted with our team for any length of time, you’ve likely heard about our three-phase planning process. Listen, we’ll be the first to tell you that wedding planning can be stressful. But here’s the catch: only if you let it. Outside of hiring a wedding planner, how can you alleviate that stress and overwhelm? Insert: phase-based planning. This concept breaks down the months (sometimes years!) leading up to wedding planning in three simple steps: VIP Vendors, Design, Reconciliation. The best part? It allows for breaks in between as well! So if you have a life event you need to pause planning for (buying a house, grad school, studying for the bar, etc.), you can easily build those into your planning!
Scarlet Rose Events | San Antonio Wedding Planner
Phase 1: VIP Vendors
Regardless of whether you’re handling all your vendor communication and planning, or if our team is taking care of you with our Full Service Collection, we highly suggest you begin Phase 1 with your VIP Vendors. This means taking immediate action and focusing on those vendors that can only host or work one event in a day. Your venue, wedding planner, photographer, videographer, and band/entertainment are some of the first vendors you need to book. We also suggest including catering into this phase. While caterers can often do two or three events in a day, they’ll have a considerable impact on your budget.
Once you’ve completed your first phase of planning? Take.a.break. We tell our couples time and time again: you need to enjoy being engaged. Go on dates. Talk about things outside of the wedding. Dream those big dreams. Many of our clients have other life events that we plan our phases around. Whether that be moving into a new house, studying for the bar, or finishing grad school. Phase-based planning allows you the flexibility to monitor your progress, without the overwhelm.
Phase 2: Design
If you’ve followed us for any length of time, it should be no surprise that this is our favorite phase. Design brings all of the visual elements together. The Pinterest dreams and images you’ve thought about for years. If you’re a Full Service or Design client of ours, this starts with our Design Questionnaire. We want to get to know more about you, both as individuals and as a couple. What are your favorite things to do together? Where do you love to vacation? Fave happy hour spot for that perfect margarita? This is where we bring YOU into the wedding.
So what vendors are a part of the Design Phase? Floral, of course! Rentals such as linens, napkins, chargers, dance floors, and some of our very own Scarlet Rose Collective pieces! Stationery and other signage. At times we’ll incorporate cake in this section too, because it can have its own *moment* on wedding day. The ultimate goal is to create a visual experience for your guests that is cohesive. From the moment they receive that first piece of paper to the second they are greeted with your custom welcome sign. To the personalized bar napkins and drink stirrers for your signature cocktails. Every piece tells a story. Your story.
How to plan your dream wedding | Weddings in San Antonio
Phase 3: Reconciliation
Finally you’ve reached the final stage in planning: reconciliation. This is what we would refer to as the wrap-up stage, and it’s usually two or so months before the big day. Your RSVPs will start coming in, you’ll be able to make final decisions and provide vendors with final numbers. It’s during this phase that your planner will perform your final walkthrough to discuss layout and timeline items, and start to confirm vendor services for your wedding. Worried about forgetting details? Don’t be! Our Planning Checklist and Detail Tracker will be sure you’ve done everything you need to from start to finish, plus your planner will confirm that as well! This is when all the excitement, all of the butterflies kick in as you realize you’re about to marry your person!
As a San Antonio-based wedding planner (but hey we serve the hill country, Austin, and travel too!), it’s so important to us that you have a seamless, stress-free engagement with your person. We realize that not every client is in need of Full Service Planning, but we do highly suggest that every client adapt this phased-based planning process. With our package amenities, you’ll still receive our Planning Portal – a proprietary planning solution built by wedding planners who have seen it all! – full of the tools and checklists you need to complete our signature planning process.
Want to learn more about what we do and how we serve our clients so well? Fill out our contact form or schedule a consult today!
Think we’d be a good fit? Read more about our ideal Scarlet Rose clients here!
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