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Like most wedding professionals, we as a company are experiencing a BOOM! Twice the amount of weddings, quadruple the amount of work, and somehow less time all around. With more people getting married and the demand being through the roof, I thought it would be a good time as ever to go through some helpful tips on how to navigate the wedding boom while planning your wedding. Book Your Vendors Early If you are planning a wedding, you are going to want to book your vendors a HECK of a lot earlier now. Vendors are booking further out and wedding dates are filling up, so in order to secure your preferred vendors, you will want to lock them down ASAP. Give yourself at least 16-18 months for the venue, 12-14 months for a caterer, and at least 9-12 months for your supplemental vendors like florists and photographers. Be Mindful Of Long Response Times This is the most weddings our industry has ever seen. It is likely that vendors and wedding professionals are struggling to keep up with the demand. Be aware that response times will not be as swift as before. We are usually out in the field away from our desks during the week now, since more weddings are occurring during weekdays. Wedding pros are also experiencing an influx of emails and messages. Be mindful that their response times may be delayed. If having a vendor respond with a 48 hour time frame is important to you, be sure to ask the vendor ahead of time, what their typical turnaround time is for responding. Also find out what their dedicated office hours are, so that you are in the know of when they will be available for calls and texts. It is better to be prepared and know what to expect from them, than get frustrated later when it has been a week and you've heard nothing. Bonus tip: Be nice to us please. We are exhausted. We are drained. And we are trying. At the end of the day, we are service workers, who live to serve you on your wedding day, just donʻt be serving us attitude, because that's no fun for anyone! Be Ready To Pay A Premium Unfortunately, the wedding industry was not immune to inflation and we too have to keep up with the supply and demand. From flower shortages, an increase in cost of living, and having to outsource more help to keep up, most wedding professionals have raised their prices. If you received a quote back in 2019, know that the prices you were told are most likely not the current prices for their services. In an article by CNBC, wedding costs have gone up by 30% in 2022. That's a significant increase to make you rethink inviting all 250+ guests. Know that these prices are not a reflection of a vendor being greedy or trying to rip you off. This is a reflection of wedding professionals just trying to stay a float and pay their people a liveable wage. Shameless Plug: If the idea of spending more than what you budgeted for makes your hair stick up, then maybe you should flirt with the idea to elope. We wrote a whole blog on the pros and cons of doing so. We've also written a blog on budgeting to help figure out a budget and stick to it. Donʻt Let The Wedding Boom Scare You My last tip, and maybe the most important, is donʻt let the wedding boom scare you. Yeah, there are a ton of people getting married, and maybe that has meant that youʻve had to adjust a few plans, but donʻt let that throw you off your game. Plan the wedding you want. It is extremely common to make haste decisions out of the fear that the vendor you want might book out or that you need to pick a venue that you donʻt really love because it's the only one that has your wedding date. Come back to center and remember what this day is about – It is about the love you have for each other. Everything else is secondary. I canʻt speak for what 2023 has in store (though it is also starting to pick up), but if the planning process is too stressful, explore the idea of giving yourself more time and waiting out this wedding wave till next year. We hope you found this blog helpful. If you are interested in booking our services, please fill out the contact form here. Featured Photographers: Jaycob Sierra Moments by LM Cody Ketchum

My love of ʻāina (earth, land, etc.) from a young age has always pushed me towards sustainability and the importance of living more green. It’s a continuous and lifelong journey that’s always evolving. When I first got engaged I started researching weddings and one of my immediate thoughts was, WOW… the wedding industry wastes a lot of shit. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of ways to have a more eco-friendly and sustainable wedding! Attire Thrift your wedding attire, buy it second hand, wear a family member’s piece and have it altered. Your attire doesn’t necessarily have to be new. You can save a ton of money buying second hand and give a previously used piece a new life. Invites There are several ways to go about invites, I’m totally a believer in wasting less paper. For my wedding we opted to do Save the Dates as a paper invite to give everyone something tangible (specifically for the older generation), while we collected email addresses and built our wedding website. Going completely digital is the best option for those who want a sustainable event. However, for those who prefer paper invites, you can opt for seeded (yes, there’s actually seeds throughout the paper so you can plant it after), recycled, or compostable paper invites! These are fun options that are environmentally friendly. You can even buy plantable paper and print your own invites if you want to get creative. Favors Favors are a weird topic for some people. It’s a tradition, so you think you need it, but of course I always say forget traditions. Truthfully, not everyone does favors successfully. Oftentimes when we are cleaning up events, we’re stuck with tons of little jars of candy, small trinkets, etc. Instead of pouring tons of time, love and money into making favors, you can make a donation in your guests name to a charity or cause that is important to you both. Maybe give a small plant or succulent, or even native seeds they can plant at home. If you must do favors, pick something that everyone will WANT to take with them, or an item you won’t mind having a surplus of if no one takes it. Food This is a big area of waste! We’ve seen on several occasions where couples want to give their guests a plethora of food options, but in the end, a lot of food ends up going to waste either because their guests are picky eaters or because they just ordered way too much food. It’s heartbreaking to see how much ʻono (delicious) food ends up being packed up to go home with the couple or tossed out because no one wanted to eat it. Have a plan and talk to your caterer about what you want to do with the excess food. Do you want it packed up to go with you, your guests, donate the food somewhere; find out what your options might be to avoid throwing out food at the end of the night. Also, try to source a caterer who uses locally grown food. This is the most sustainable approach when it comes to this topic! Photography: Jeanne Marie Food: TM Custom Catering who uses local farms and growers Decor This was one of my top concerns as I scanned pinterest, “what the heck am I supposed to do with all this decor at the end of my wedding”. I had no space in my small apartment to house all of the decor and I didn’t know what to do with it all. Well now there are companies out there like WedCyle Hawaiʻi, who have a solution. You can rent beautiful, curated, and recycled decor items or collections to style your day! They’ve made it easy to shop for all sorts of decor you might want to add to your event. The pricing is reasonable and the items are all thrifted, recycled, or upcycled, so you know it’s a more sustainable option than buying brand new to use for just a few hours on your wedding day. Flowers Flowers, while beautiful, are the silent killer to a budget and also the environment. Cut flowers create a ton of waste and quite frankly for how much money you are spending, it is absurd how many blooms get tossed at the end of the night. Our favorite sustainable option for flowers is actually renting faux arrangements. There are a few companies out there now that rent out different collections of flowers that look pretty darn real. The centerpieces often come with the vases and they include pieces for the arch, bouquets, garlands, boutonieers etc. They even scent the flowers. All you just need to do is pack it all up to ship back once your event is over. Another substitute for fresh flowers is dried, paper, or wood flowers. There are sellers on etsy who hand make these flowers/ bouquets and you get to keep this piece once the wedding is over. I actually went the paper flower route, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to keep postponing my wedding or have a reception later on and didn’t want to have to buy flowers twice. I loved the way the flowers looked and they’re still being loved and used till this day. If you’re set on having real flowers, try to reuse pieces throughout the day. Your arch piece can be used for your head table after the ceremony is done, the bouquets your wedding party holds can be used for centerpieces throughout the reception, etc. And at the end of the day, consider donating your flowers to a nursing home, or another place for your flowers to continue to be loved and appreciated even after your special day. Photography: Kenzie Kate Photo Experience Consider renting dishware, plates, cups, etc. instead of using single use plastics. You could even buy special cups, mugs, or glasses for your guests to use and keep even after the wedding. Compostable plates, cups, and utensils is another option for a more rustic or tropical feel. Another tempting thing to do is release balloons, lanterns, confetti, or even sparklers for an exit or after you are pronounced, but skip these environmental no-nos and borrow a bubble machine (maybe from your friends' kids) or use biodegradable confetti (but always check to make sure that confetti is ok with your venue). These are more eco-friendly and fun options to cut down on unnecessary waste. I know this can be overwhelming and a lot to take in, but every little choice you make helps. What’s most important is doing what you can and not worrying about being perfect. Being sustainable and eco-friendly is a lifelong journey and you’re not always going to be able to do everything right or perfectly. Don’t stress about it! Know that every small decision makes a difference and even calling attention and sharing this information with others will help in the long run. I hope this list helps you make at least one eco-friendly decision about your wedding day and gets you thinking about more ways to be sustainable in your everyday life, too! Featured Photographers & Vendors: Attire: Megan Moura Photography, Dresses rented from Ka Lolehele Hawaiʻi Favors: The Singlers Photography & Jon Cu Photography Decor: Wedcycle Hawaiʻi Experience: Cody Ketchum Photography & E+E Photo

As a weddings and events planner, having bomb software is the secret sauce to being able to run your business efficiently. When I first started TGA, I was manually doing, pretty much, everything and it took up so much of my time. In an effort to streamline my process, I went through deep dives to source out the best software and apps that worked for me and made my life a little bit easier. Here are my favorite software applications as a wedding planner. HONEYBOOK I have talked about her before and I will talk about her again, but Honeybook is really great. I used to send all of my contracts and proposals manually. Like, I manually went in to update all the data. It used to take me about 30 minutes just to draft up a proposal and then another 30 minutes to send the contract out. That was an hour of my life for every new project. It was also impossible to keep track of where I was at in projects and see what phase clients were on. When I made the switch to Honeybook, I was able to send proposals and contracts out in under 10 minutes and keep track of the booking process. Honeybook also has a bunch of features built into it like - sending out emails directly to clients from the portal, accepting and receiving payments within the app (which is beyond helpful for accounting), and a calendar that makes sure you never double book! I love how professional my proposals look to prospecting clients and since making the switch we have increased our booking rate by 30%. I love it and I think you might as well. We are so grateful to Honeybook for offering our readers a huge discount. You can start using honeybook for $1/month for 6 months when you use our referral link. There are tons of classes that explain how to use Honeybook and an amazing team that assists you with transferring all your current clients into the portal, so that you don’t have to. Trust me! Check it out and claim your discount! TIMELINE GENIUS Timeline Genius is newer to the software family, but has seriously CHANGED MY LIFE. I used to dread making timelines and I know I am not the only planner who feels this way. Constant changes, so many moving pieces, and one last minute edit and you have to resend to all the vendors again. Ask any of my staff, they will tell you how frustrated I would get drafting out timelines and it is a big part of my job, so I was very happy to find Timeline Genius. Heather, from the Union Podcast - who we’ve done a few episodes with - was actually the one who put me on game. Anything that gives me back my time (and sanity) is worth investing in. This software helps build out your timelines by using the genius feature that takes your past timelines, previous and built in templates, and industry standard schedules to create the timeline you need in a fast and efficient manner. Gone are the days of building timelines from scratch, because the more timelines you make, the smarter the software gets at predicting future builds. I know that this software works, because it keeps a log of how long you have worked on each timeline and my spent time has gone down a ton since using the app. Timeline Genius also has a collaboration feature where you can add in your clients to be a part of the timeline building process if you choose. I know we sometimes have hands on couples who want to be a part of every aspect, so this feature allows them to make their own edits. Speaking of edits, if you have to shift the time back by 30 minutes, no problem. You can make mass edits to the timeline by clicking one button My favorite feature is the assign option, where you can assign each timeline item to the specific vendors who it is in reference to. How many of us vendors have received a timeline that has so much information on it, but only about 10% actually pertains to you? With this feature, you can select who can see what and create tailored timelines that are specific to them. Best part – when it is time to send out the timeline, the software has the ability to mass send directly to the vendors the timeline, details, and floor plans. I love Timeline Genius and I think you will too. They have a free week trial, so you can try before you buy! ALL SEATED Did you know that when I started out I used to make floor plans by DRAWING THEM OUT - like with a fricken piece of paper and pen. No wonder I used to charge peanuts! Now, I use All Seated. All Seated is an event floor plan designer that builds floor plans to scale, so that you can actually see how everything will fit in the space. You can view things in 2D or 3D if that particular venue is set up in the app that way. I will say the one downfall is that not all venues have their floor plans uploaded to All Seated, which means you can’t always get an exact scale of the space. However, you are able to make your own diagram using their custom feature. Within the software, they have hundreds of different rental items with exact measurements to choose from. You are essentially just dragging and dropping in the items you want into the floor plan. Technically, you can pay for this application, but there is a free feature where you can build up to 5 floor plans at a time. Usually that is more than enough for me, so I don’t actually pay for this one. If you are doing a higher volume, then I would still suggest investing in this app. There are other features built into, like their own timeline builder, but for me, I found the floor plan the most helpful! Check out this floor plan that we built out using the software! QUICKBOOKS I am sure everyone has heard of Quickbooks, but it really is an awesome software for all your accounting and payment needs. I used to take all my payments through Venmo, which made it really difficult to organize during tax season, since I also took personal payments there. It just wasn’t as professional and actually made things harder as our volume increased. I like that Quickbooks sends out invoicing that looks legit and deposits the funds right into our bank account. There are also other features like mileage tracking that is super helpful for accounting purposes. Since switching over, it has painted a clearer picture of where we are at financially and I like knowing where we are at. SQUARESPACE I know I will get some mixed reviews on this, but I really do like Squarespace. As someone who is a little technology illiterate and has hired a team of people to help bridge that gap, Squarespace makes sense to me. I built my first website on Squarespace and it was fairly easy for what I needed it to do. I wasn’t an online store, I didn’t have a mass influx of people flooding the site; I just wanted a place to house my work, my prices, and who the heck I was. As I started to grow, I got into the bells and whistles of the app and sure, there are other website builders out there that give you more abilities for plug ins and customizations, but for the less than tech savvy people like me, Squarespace creates professional websites that are easy to navigate and (in my opinion) has less bugs. You can try out Squarespace for free using their 2 week trial. Play around and check out their easy to use templates. Everyone needs a website, whether you are a micro business just starting out or a full blown company. I know this blog might have seemed like an infomercial, but I am so passionate about finding things that help your business grow. Yes, some of these are investments and cost money, but in the long run, you will thank yourself. One thing I found helpful is using the trial periods that are offer. If you are a skeptic (like myself) and want to see if you like something before adding it to your monthly expenses, take advantage of the free trial. I hope you found this blog helpful. Let us know in the comments if there is an app that you love that we have to check out!

To elope, or not to elope, that is the question. With this wedding industry boom, it certainly feels like everyone and their best friends are out here getting married, right? Because of this there is a lot more time that will have to go into planning your wedding. You’ll need to lock in a venue and a date earlier and book your vendors further in advance (or opt to enjoy the moment and have a longer engagement). Either way, you’ll make it down the aisle and have a wonderful wedding. But the burning question then becomes, do I want a big wedding, do I want a minimony, or do I want to straight up ditch the madness and elope? This can be hard to determine when you’re under the stress of planning a wedding and eloping starts to look like a very tempting situation. I’m here to help you clarify and ask and help answer the hard hitting questions to truly determine what option is best for you. Before we start, here is a breakdown of what we consider a wedding, a minimony and an elopement 1. How many people do you need at your wedding vs. how many people do you want at your wedding? The pandemi had a crazy way of making us all evaluate our lives and look at what was most important. What you WANT vs. what you NEED are two very different things. My partner and I had to take a moment when the gathering restrictions were really tight and think about who we needed to have at our wedding day and what the absolute minimum number of people we could possibly have at our wedding day would look like. Just our parents, siblings, grandparents, and our wedding party, and if we had to cut it down, could we go without our wedding party and just keep our best people? These are all questions to consider when deciding if you want to elope, have a minimony, or have a full wedding. If you’re good with just having the two of you or up to 5 other people in attendance, you can definitely elope. If you need to have up to 30 people there, then you can get away with a minimony. But, if you want more than 30 people there with you for your wedding, then you are looking at a full wedding. 2. Are you a more private couple or are you the party couple with a ton of friends? If you’re more comfortable with less people around and you’re a couple who appreciates privacy, a smaller wedding, elopement, or minimony might be the best option for you. Your big day doesn’t have to be BIG, it can be meaningfully big, but on a smaller scale. But if you’ve always been known to be the party couple, honestly, I think an elopement or minimony is out of the question for you. If you fall somewhere in between and can live with a smaller guest list, then a minimony might be a good fit. At the end of the day if you’re unhappy thinking about a huge day surrounded by a ton of people, do what is best for you as a couple and will make you happiest. 3. Do you have a large budget and a large guest list or smaller budget with a large guest list? How much are you willing to spend? Sometimes the most restrictive part of your wedding is what you can actually afford to do. If you want to have a very extravagant wedding but don’t have a lot of money to do so, you will need to cut down your guest list. You can afford nicer things if you’re not spending it on a ton of people. If you have a large budget, you have the freedom to do a bit more (large budget is also relevant to what you want to do with it). You can possibly afford to feed more mouths or buy nicer things if you have a budget to match the dream. The larger the headcount though, the less you’ll be able to spend per head (this includes how much you spend on decor). But if you’re on a tighter budget, you should consider an elopement or minimony. You can always go all out later on in life for a vow renewal or an anniversary party when you are more established as a couple and are more financially secure. We never recommend going into debt as your first act as a married couple. For me personally, I’m the more shy and typically quiet one in the relationship and for a long time we considered eloping, but with all the friends and family we have and how much my partner loves to party, we had to find a happy medium. We ended up having a smaller, more private ceremony with our family and closest friends and then inviting our close family and friends to the reception to have fun and party. We did collectively decide to cap our wedding at 50 people though because any more than that was too much for me to handle. We wanted to be able to spend meaningful time with our guests and relax. We didn’t want to have to play host and spend all night greeting 150+ people. Every couple, family, and wedding is unique, which is why there isn’t a perfect or easy answer to help you figure out what is best, but I hope these questions help you whittle away your worries and narrow down your vision. People will be understanding that you can’t invite everyone and weddings are expensive things to throw. If they’re not understanding, then they probably never should have been considered anyway. This day is about you and your partner and what makes you happy, don’t forget that. I hope these questions and thoughts help you make the decision for whether or not you really want to elope, have a minimony, or do the damn thing and throw a big wedding. We offer packages from full coordination all the way to an elopement! We have options for whatever event you plan to book. Contact us here and let us be a part of your special day!

When I started TGA it was just me. Well to be fair, Ipo was definitely there in the beginning as well, just more in a “I support you in anything you need” role. Eventually she came on full time as the business grew. It was just the two of us rocking and rolling every wedding, a little in over our heads. We then added on Lalea, who was my first employee who helped us out on event days, because running 150+ person weddings with just two people was completely nuts! Lalea was with us for about two years until we then decided to bring on an admin assistant, a social media manager, and another event assistant in 2021. As the business grew, so did our demand and I needed way more help. Now we are in 2022 and our ever growing team now has myself and Ipo, two admin assistants, one event lead, two event assistants, one media assistant, one social media manager, one website manager, and an accountant. Crazy to think that four years ago I was alone and now I have a crew of talented people working with us. So what is the point of this blog. Aside from introducing you to my team, it is also to talk about when you should take the inevitable jump to hiring (more) staff. There are certain signs that I used to cue myself when I needed more help and I am here to share some of those with you. Sign 1: Working 7 days a week, morning to night. I mean it goes without saying that when you are a business owner you are literally working all the time. I think I saw a meme that said, “I quit my 9-5, so that I could own my own business and work 24/7.” But if that is actually happening, where you feel like you have so much work that you have no time to actually enjoy the perks of being an entrepreneur, then it is probably time to hire someone. When I hired my first admin staff, she was working like 6 hours a week, but it made a HUGE difference. It legit gave me back 6 hours a week, so that I could actually log off my computer before 12am. Working like this creates burn out and I have experienced it first hand. It is miserable and takes a lot to get out of that funk, so prevent yourself from entering the burn out by hiring someone to help out here and there. Sign 2: You lowkey hate what you do now I think we have all been there as business owners where we lowkey question why we went into this in the first place. I have told myself before, “I could be having paid time off, a health care plan, structure, and co-workers I could talk to.” Usually this is coupled with the first sign of burnout, but if you start to hate what you do when the whole point of working for yourself is to do something you love, you probably need some help. In 2020, much like everyone else, I questioned why I choose to do what I do. I almost quit entirely and went back to the comfort of a structured job, but after I got some help from my team and they handled the tasks that were not the parts that I enjoyed, I felt better equipped to handle my role as the business owner. Sign 3: You have to turn business away. I am a yes person. Anyone who knows me, knows that I will figure out how we can make something work, even if all signs say it canʻt be done. So the worst thing for me is having to turn business away, because I physically canʻt take on more. I have had projects that I had to turn down that were amazing, because at the time taking more than one event a month seemed impossible. Now, doubling and tripling up in a month doesnʻt feel so hard and that was only capable because we had more hands to help. Sign 4: Your performance is taking a hit. I will start off by saying you cannot please everyone. Even with a fully staffed team, I still have clients who want the JLO wedding planner-planning experience and that is just not us, so their expectations will never be met. But if your baseline standard of service is taking a plunge and a ton of things are starting to take a hit, then it is probably (definitely) time to bring on more help. No matter how stressed out you are, projects you bring on, things you add to your plate, if your clients can't feel the lapse, then you are doing your job. If they do become aware that there is a shift in your performance and it is valid, then that falls on you as the owner to address. I am pretty passionate about this one, because I think everyoneʻs expectations of wedding planners is that we are supposed to be on call at all times and respond within 2.4 seconds, because it is the most important day for the couple and we work for them, but we are human and things do take time. BUT, if there is a definite lack of service on your end and especially if it has changed from when you all first started working together, then for sure you need to hire some people. Sign 5: You want to make more money. The last sign and also where I will leave you today is that you should enlist help running your business if you are ready to make more money. It's weird because you need money to pay your employees, but you also canʻt make more money if you canʻt take more business – We got a little chicken and the egg situation here. Truly, as scary as it is, you have to just take the plunge, especially if you are experiencing 3 out of the 5 of these signs. I am a firm believer that you do have to spend money to make money and investing in your business by hiring on staff so that you can build that business is money well spent. The first time I cut checks, my heart sank into my stomach and I thought “holy sh*t what did I just do, can I afford this?” And then that same week I booked a wedding that I otherwise would not have taken if I didn't have help. It all evens out in the end and what you are left with is a little better quality of life, more finances, and the ability to fall back in love with your business. I think that is a win, win!

So you just got engaged! Congratulations! This is such an exciting time filled with love and celebration of this next chapter in your life. Well, I mean it should be filled with love and celebration, but oftentimes that is not always the case. Weddings can bring out the best AND worst parts of your loved ones and even bring to light how unsupportive they really are. I know first hand what it was like planning a wedding with people who were not supportive at all and it, at times, was discouraging and just sad - especially when they were a part of my core family network. Having an unsupportive family/family member can look different for people, but the feeling is all the same. It's unhelpful, unfair, and frankly unwanted energy while you are planning a day about love. So what do you do? Well, here are 5 things you can do to protect yourself, your partner and your wedding day from these sour grapes. 1. SET YOUR BOUNDARIES The thing with unsupportive people is that sometimes they aren’t even aware of their impact. It is okay to address the issue head on and be vocal with how you feel. Beware though, the results won’t always favor your way. They may dismiss you or invalidate your feelings, in which your next response should be to set your boundaries. Know what you can and can’t handle from them and tell it to them directly. This is YOUR wedding, so you get to call the shots on what is allowed. Be firm with these boundaries as they are your first layer of protection with unsupportive folk. 2. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE We spend so much time focusing on what we don’t have, instead of focusing on what we do have. Instead of pining over those unsupportive people, surround yourselves with the ones who DO want to be around you. During my wedding, I had the most amazing chosen family who basically lifted Ipo and I out of the sh*t hole our parents put us in. Whenever we felt low, we leaned heavily on them to lift our spirits and show us love. They showered us with support in the areas where our parents SHOULD HAVE been, but weren’t. To this day, we reference to them as the unsung heroes to our wedding day. 3. CRY IT OUT Honestly, going through the pain is the only way towards healing. When people are unsupportive it is super sad, and I know for me, it broke my heart daily. I probably cried half the time during my engagement and was absolutely gutted that my mom was not going to be there. I was miserable and at times did not even want to get married, so I cried. And yelled. And online shopped. And said some horrible things about her. But, eventually the gaping hole recoiled back and I was able to show up on my wedding day a whole person. You have to let it out, be upset, sad, and all the emotions that this brings. Denying that it is going on is only going to hurt you. Feel your feels. 4. FIND YOURSELF A “DDD” Everyone needs a Designated Drama Defender. A “DDD” is someone who is not you or your other half to help you field all the BS that might (will) come your way. This is the person who can help you mitigate any uncomfortable conversations with these unsupportive people and can even absorb some of the drama. Think about who that person is and talk with them about what you need from them. Weddings are already stressful, so don’t be afraid to call on your loved ones to help out where they can with these people. 5. MAYBE DON’T INVITE THEM I know, I know. Easier said than done. But truly you will THANK yourself by doing this. I invited guests out of obligation and was let down every time by my unsupportive community. Simply not inviting them (as awkward as it is) is a lot easier than having them be at your wedding all salty, bitter, and sulking in bad vibes. We don’t want that for you! Be selective of the energy you allow around you on your wedding day. We support you and know that planning a wedding is a lot of pressure. Having an unsupportive family is a bummer on your day of love, but it is just one speed bump. Keep your head up, use our tips, and always remember that we are really fricken good at dealing with unruly people. Feel free to reach out to us and ask for help! Wishing you all the best in your planning!

Glasses up, WE’RE ENGAGED! My partner and I just closed out the year as fiancés! And the coolest part about it is that we were both anticipating and planning to propose on the same trip! I know, whadda… trip! For those of you who donʻt know me, I am Kami and I am one of the wedding assistants for TGA. I wanted to share some of my thoughts as I go through the entire wedding planning process and take you along with me through it all. As someone who is newer to the wedding industry and is also navigating this as a queer person, I hope that you find this series helpful if you are in the same boat. Okay so, here we are two months’ post-proposal and we’ve already been asked, “So when is this happening?” and “Where is it going to be?” These questions are normal and expected, which creates excitement, but also stirs up a certain level of anxiety. My partner and I found that there was a shift in our relationship since being engaged, which was beautiful, yet the “realness” of it has created some fear. Here are some of our thoughts and maybe you can resonate with this too. #1: Where do we begin? I’ve spent many late-night hours pinning wedding ideas, color schemes, dresses, themes, hair styles, you name it, to my “I DO” Pinterest board. Yet, actually getting started and from where you should start can be difficult. Even as a wedding planning assistant, this process is tough when you are doing it alone. The thought of the million tasks that need to be thought out when planning a wedding is overwhelming. The thought of planning an unorganized wedding is even more daunting. Maybe you are like me wondering, do we start with picking out a venue or finding our dream dress or tux? After talking with a few married friends, they’ve all started their planning in different areas. Whatever it may be, any start is a good start. Perhaps beginning where you feel more comfortable is the route that your planning will thrive in, carrying more excitement than stress as you check off each part of the wedding planning process. #2: “B*t*h better have my money” As like many couples who are engaged or who are in the process of planning their wedding, the money factor plays a huge role in creating the “wedding of your dreams”. To be completely honest, my partner and I have no idea where to begin when it comes to budgeting for our wedding. We have no number in mind as far as costs, what payment method we’ll be using to pay for it and how long it will take for us to save individually. Hence, why we are giving ourselves at least a couple of years to figure that out. With that shift I mentioned earlier, brings a distinct sense of urgency. Even if we see ourselves first enjoying our engagement for a couple of years, we are both saturating our brains with ideas that’ll create a money flow that will hopefully come sooner than later. If in the event we’re like, “You know what, screw it let’s get married in December”, we’d then have the money available to do so. So, here’s to side gigs, part-time jobs and selling whatever we can to make a few extra bucks. Hell, every dollar counts. We have a wedding to plan! #3: “It’s my prerogative” Another fear that came up for me when thinking about our wedding day, is explaining to family members or friends as to why certain people were invited while others weren’t. And I feel like my partner and I can agree on this one. The thought of having to explain ourselves on who we choose to invite or not invite causes us to stress out a little bit. Do we use the excuse of the fact that we are in a pandemic and must limit the number of attendees? Do we simply say this will be a “small” or intimate wedding? Do we keep it to family only? But then we’d have to think about the 30+ aunties, uncles, parent’s friends, cousin’s, sister’s best friend’s girlfriend and baby? I’m not sure we have the heart to exclude any extensive family members without feeling a little guilty. After having conversations with my fiancé and with some of our friends, we were reminded that we don’t need to explain ourselves to anyone. That it is our day and we don’t owe anyone an explanation for this or that. So, let’s make the list we want to make and include all those who have loved and supported us during our journey. Planning a wedding is no joke. Sheesh, planning a dinner with some friends is just as tough. But take a deep breath, pour yourself another glass, and take it one task at a time. Remember, this is YOUR season to celebrate you and your (brand-spankin’ new) fiancé’s love! And honestly, if you are in need of planning help you know where to find us. We do full coordination to day of coordination. Whatever you need, we are here to help! Cheers Queers!

So I did a thing. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Ipo. I rarely pop on the blog, but today I wanted to talk about a new thing that I started doing in the summer of 2020. I started officiating weddings! Here’s the thing – Officiating does not come second nature to me. It’s something I have to work on intentionally and put time into. I have never been taught by a pastor or traditional officiant, I was ordained on a website in about 45 seconds, and the only example I have of a really good wedding performer is from the officiant on my wedding day. We had our pastor at the time perform our ceremony. It had some traditions that were important to Zabrina and I, but we made sure that majority of the ceremony was pretty non traditional and queered up! My wife and I are queer and we made the intentional decision to be married by another queer womxn of color. She represented us in more ways than one. Not only in our identities, but our new found beliefs of decolonizing and deconstructing our Christian faith. I realized from performing a few weddings that non-traditional is the lane I am comfortable in. But what does that mean and look like? It means constantly queer-ing the lines of the hetero-normative boxes that weddings and marriage traditionally fall into. I build my ceremony timeline by getting to know the couple and their love story. I hop on a call (or two) and ask questions to learn and relate to the couple. The more connections I can make, the easier and more fun it becomes to write. I look at each time I get to officiate a ceremony as an honor and responsibility that I don’t take lightly. Photography: Kristen Iwalani Photo In addition to speaking on the couple’s love story, I also figure out if there are any traditions they would like to add, especially cultural traditions. I’ve performed traditional Hawaiian traditions, Mexican traditions, and a whole lot of new “traditions” that have impactful meanings to the couple. We see a lot of queer and non-queer couples without family, support, or participation and instead have chosen families step in, whether that’s during the ceremony or reception. Having special people come to the front to share a reading or two, and community vows have been new and beautiful traditions that I enjoy incorporating into a ceremony. Photography: Kenzie Kate Photo So why is this even important? I think being queer myself, I know first-hand it is pretty difficult to find an officiant to perform your cermony. We, i.e. queer folks, are still in the beginning phases of feeling fully accepted in the wedding and marriage industries. So, when queer couples choose to enter this space, the pickings are small for officiants who fully understand the gravity of their relationship. I wanted to be there for the folks who don’t have anyone to represent who THEY are as a couple. Our queer love stories are important and full, and colorful, and reconciling, and healing, and magic, and deserve representation. We deserve to have someone speak on our love with respect and the fullness that it is. Breaking traditions that only represent the hetero boxes is what I want to help couples navigate, whether queer or straight. Because any and all couples can also help break these boxes and traditions as well. At the end of the day it is about the couple and making them feel like their ceremony is a representation of them, their love, and the commitment they make to one another. Shameless plug, I’ve started an IG and would love it if you followed! Reach out and let’s talk more about these topics, and if you know any queer couples looking for an officiant, you can send them my way! @themahukahu Photography: Dearest Jane Photo

Photography: Tropical Media Group Budget – That very daunting, a whole lot confusing, sometimes hard to stick to number that couples set for their wedding day. When I planned my wedding, keeping my budget was a huge priority, since Ipo and I were funding our entire event. Like most queer couples, this idea that daddy is going to cover the wedding just isn’t the case. I was daddy, so I knew that if I didn’t want to spend the next 10 years paying off my wedding, I needed to stick to my budget. But like…how? I don’t want to say this is a full-proof method, but I have had some great success with these steps if they followed to a tee, so if that is interesting to you, keep reading my 7 steps to setting a realistic budget that you can stick with. Photography: Sharvis Ortega #1: Write Down How Much You Want To Spend Don’t think about it too long or hard. Just write down the number that you want to spend at MAX for your wedding day. Unless you have a ton of cash flow and are able to plan with no budget in mind, you will usually have an idea of a number that is your top line. For myself, that number was $15,000 in 2019, which I think in 2022 would roughly equate to about $20,000 in #inflation. That was my MAXIMUM amount of money I would spend and not a dime more. Hold on to that number, because we will come back to it. #2: Figure Out Where You Want To Get Married One of the hardest things for couples is figuring out how much money they want to spend on their wedding, because typically this is your first go around. You really don’t know how much this should all cost, so you are shooting into the dark about what you should spend. What ends up happening is you google “How Much Do Weddings Cost” and end up with a number that is not reflective of the place you plan to get married. If you are planning to tie the knot in Wyoming, that overhead cost might be lower than if you plan to get hitched in Hawai’i. The number that pops up on google search is an average of thousands of weddings around the country, so it's skewed. What you should do is figure out where you want to get married and then do your research of what things cost in that area. Don’t just google “How Much Do Weddings Cost In Hawai’i” – I mean really price out some of those big ticket items like venue, planning, photo, video, food. Get a gauge for what it will actually cost. #3: Figure Out Your Priorities Once you know what things cost in your area, now it is time to make a list of the top 3 things that are important to you. These are your must haves on your wedding day that are pretty non-negotiable. I know, everything is important on your wedding day, but some things are going to have to give if you are wanting to stick with a budget, so figure out what items are the ones that don’t have a lot of wiggle room. That could be having a completely open bar, your dream venue on the beach, having the clear tent with the lights and the pretty white dance floor, the all you can eat taco bar with 6 types of salsa, or maybe it’s more wholesome, like having time to spend with your guests. Whatever your top 3 is, those will be first and foremost on the budget. Everything else will be secondary to those three things. #4: Put Together Your Guest List I say this one with my chest, because I feel like it is the most overlooked thing when it comes to setting a budget, but how many people you invite will DIRECTLY affect your budget. More people, more money, and sometimes more problems (if you haven’t, go read our blog on why small weddings are the vibe). I had roughly 120 people at my wedding, which is quite frankly bonkers that I was able to keep within my budget of $15,000 with some of the big asks I had. Looking back, I know I would have been a lot less stressed if I shortened my guest list a bit, because it would have given me a little more wiggle room and I wouldn’t have had to make so many adjustments to fit my phat ass (aka my wedding) into a size 2 pair of jeans (aka the budget). I am not saying that you can’t have 200+ people at your wedding, but it is going to cause that overhead number to go up quite a bit to accommodate for that larger size. We invite out of obligation, not out of necessity, especially if you come from a big family. Remedy this by creating an A list, B list, and C list. Divide your guest list up into your must haves, kind of want, would be nice. That way as you start to price things out, you can decide on which list works best for you. Side note: Kid’s cost money, sometimes as much as adults. That is all. #5: Price It Out Now, you will combine steps 2, 3, and 4 and start by pricing out those must-have wedding needs in accordance with where you plan to get married. For example, your dream venue has a max capacity of 150 guests and costs $5,500, but they require you to use their food vendor. Roughly that is going to cost you about $65/person (not including tax or tip) at the venue of your dreams. You have 75 people on your must have guest list. That will be an additional $4,875. Your next must have is to have that photographer you have been following for years. For 6 hours of service, they charge $5,000. Lastly, you really want to have amazing flowers on your wedding day. For the florals you want and the 8 tables you have plus all the other vignettes, it will be roughly $2,800. For your top 3 things, we are looking at $13,675. Now start plugging in numbers, based on your initial research for the supplemental things that did not make that top 3 list. Every single thing you want at your wedding needs a price. This does not have to be exact number like how the non-negotiable items were, but it should again be reflective of the area you are getting married in. #6: Cross-Check and Adjust Remember your first step? How did it hold up once everything priced out? If that estimated cost for everything busted past the budget number you set, don’t freak out. Now, you want to go in and make adjustments. The beautiful thing about a wedding is that you are able to tailor this day to fit your needs and ditch some of the more traditional things you think you need, but really don’t. This is the time to go through your wedding with a fine toothed comb and really question each item if you really need/want it. Do you actually need all 75 people there or can that number go down to 40? Do you actually have to have a custom cake and desserts or can you opt to DIY a dessert bar with Costco desserts? Do you need a full bar of items, or can you just serve beer and wine? I am a firm believer that every budget is doable, whether you have $6,000 to spend or $60,000. What the big difference maker is, is how willing you are to make adjustments to fit that budget. Being realistic and willing to make adjustments to your ideas is one of the best ways to stick with your budget. It is either you or the budget that is going to have to be flexible. Step 7: Track What You Spend and Actually Stick To Your Budget This is a two step process. First will be to figure out how you want to track what you spend. Whether that is a spreadsheet of sorts, create a log where you can plug in the actual costs. Second, is to actually stick to the budget you set. My financial advisor made a really good point to me in one of our meetings that if you set a budget, but don’t stick to it, you are essentially just logging in numbers. Make these budget line items non-negotiable to you. If you set your budget for invites at $150, don’t go over that number just because you see something you like for $200. Create the mindset that you are not spending more than $150. The second you start going over some things, you will do that with everything and it is really hard to go back and adjust numbers once you set the precedent that this budget is flexible. Photography: HPW Productions I will leave you with this last bonus tip. As someone who was on a budget and now does this for a living, it is important for me to make sure that couples don’t go into debt over their wedding. What a terrible way to start your marriage. Don’t get it twisted – Weddings do cost money. So, if you are planning on taking that step as a couple, start saving early. Discuss your budget in the beginning stages of the planning process – well before you start booking your vendors. Make sure that the budget is a reflection of you both and not just one half of the equation. If you are the half that does not want to spend a lot of money on the wedding, while the other half is ready to blow it all, please talk it out. I fell victim to not fully listening to my wife who was definitely more frugal than I and I put us in a few years of credit card debt and a series of not so great money fights, that looking back could have been avoided if we just did these steps. We hope you find this helpful and if you need more help with budget setting, we love creating spreadsheets and budgets. Contact us here. Photographers featured: Jon Cu Photography Dearest Jane Photography Danielle Bennink Kenzie Kate Photography The Singlers Photography Jose Phesser

Photo Credit: Dearest Jane Photography I’ve always found weddings interesting, because of their deep relationship with traditions, which is why it was important for us to talk about why some traditions are not really necessary and can hit the road. You (the people getting married) have the freedom to do what you want and when it comes to your wedding, there are no rules you must follow, except to make sure you and your other half are happy with what you decide to put into your celebration and not make choices out of obligations. So what are wedding traditions? Where did they come from? Why do we do them? As far as I’ve read, most wedding traditions formed over the years from all over the world, in different time periods and beliefs! Some of these traditions date as far back as the Greeks and Romans. So, when you think about it, it can feel silly to think that your decisions today are being dictated by people who decided years ago that you “need” to do something on your wedding day for “good luck”, to “ward off evil spirits”, etc. Photo Credit: Sharvis Ortega Some traditions you’ve likely heard of include first dance, parent dances, throwing rice, something borrowed-blue-old-new, veils, your father walking you down the aisle, wearing a white dress, matching clothes for wedding attendants, wedding cake, having a bouquet, doing a bouquet and garter toss, and so much more. All of these traditions have old origins and you shouldn’t feel the need to follow them if you don’t want to. The traditions we follow often aren't even the original tradition and are modified or completely different versions of it! So, why stick to it if it’s mostly made up? I firmly believe that every couple is unique – your story, history, and love are special and unlike anyone else, so some traditions just aren’t going to work for you and you shouldn’t feel like you need to follow it just because “that’s how it’s always been done.” It’s a beautiful notion that the world is always evolving, so maybe it’s time your ideas of what wedding traditions are should evolve, too. One of the traditions we put a twist on for our wedding was the 1001 paper crane tradition. The act of folding 1000 cranes is said to be for good luck, to grant a wish, etc. The additional 1 crane is to add more good luck. The tradition I grew up knowing was that it was the bride’s responsibility to fold all of the cranes herself as a demonstration of her commitment and patience during her engagement. I found another tradition that said it used to be the responsibility of the father of the bride and he would present it to the couple during the wedding ceremony. We, as a couple, threw out both of those ideas and decided to fold the cranes with our closest friends and family as a project that harvested all of their love, happiness, and well-wishes for our union. It was symbolic of all their love and support for us over the years being carried into our wedding day and marriage. And while I’ve often seen these cranes made into beautiful flat works of art, framed and displayed at the wedding and later in the couples home, we opted to have most of the cranes strung and used as decor throughout our wedding. I could feel and see our family's love and hard work displayed at our wedding, and I loved that we chose to put a spin on this tradition in a way that felt meaningful to us. Photo Credits: Kenzie Kate Photography My best friend (and owner of The Gay Agenda Collective herself), Zabrina and her wife Ipo decided to take the first dance tradition and make it their own by asking their wedding party (myself included) to do a choreographed dance alongside them. This was a fun way to take a sometimes awkward, weird first dance tradition and make it into something unique, memorable, and truly your own. It was an experience I will never forget participating in and a bonding experience since we all learned this very intricate dance choreography in the matter of a few days before the wedding! Photo Credits: Kenzie Kate Photography The traditions you decide to change, replace, or make up don’t have to be elaborate or crazy. Here are just a few slight changes to some traditions you could try. Instead of inviting only single women up for the bouquet toss and putting all your single girlfriends on blast, you could invite all of your single friends or even non-single friends to catch the bouquet in the name of love, or something not marriage related. Another idea is to NOT throw your very expensive and beautiful bouquet you probably really love. Do a bouquet or garter scavenger hunt to make the challenge that much more fun! I’m not a fan of cake, so if you’re not either, consider a dessert bar of the kinds of dessert you like, donuts, pastries, cookies, smores, etc. Or maybe you both love boba. Do a boba bar is as a fun twist. Instead of waiting to see your partner at the altar, you could do a first look prior to the ceremony, get ready together, or even just do a private moment prior to the ceremony where you read your vows to one another. Do a first look with your wedding party or your parents Take a moment after the ceremony alone to read your vows privately Photo Credit: Peter H Weddings Non-traditional tea ceremony - maybe you want to incorporate a tea ceremony into your wedding because it is a traditional aspect of one or both of your cultures, or maybe having tea is special to you and your partner, or significant to the way you met, either way you don’t need to follow the tradition to the tee (or tea), but you can pick and choose aspects of the tradition that work for you. Don’t wear white, if you love a certain color, go ahead and wear that instead! Wear a jumpsuit, two-piece outfit, go more casual or formal. Wear what makes you happy. Instead of having a grand exit, you could have all your guests leave and do a last dance alone in the space with just you both and the photographer. Don’t forget, you have the freedom to do what you want on your wedding day, so make up new traditions to pass down in your family. There are no limitations to and what you can do on your wedding day! Have fun with it and make it your own. Other Artists Featured in this Post: The Singlers Photography Need some help sifting through the different traditions that you are wanting to include in your wedding? Letʻs have a chat and see how we can help make your dream day a reality

Well, it is engagement season. That time of the year (between November and February) where our feeds are flooded with newly engaged people flashing their fancy jewelry and big smiles. It’s an exciting time. It is also super effing scary if you are the one popping the question. I remember the moments before proposing to my wife, I felt my breakfast trying to come up, because I was a big ball of nerves. I had planned the moment for months, toured the location with my sister in-law twice, sent out invites to our surprise engagement party to all our friends, bought decor, hired a photographer – I did the works. I even wrote down what I wanted to say. Everything was planned meticulously. On the actual day though, the road to the proposal site was closed for cars. Instead, we had to hike from the park to Griffith Observatory, which was like a 30 minute upward trek that required me to puff my inhaler twice. It was packed - like pre-covid Coachella packed - and the spot I wanted to do it had way too many people. When it came down to it, I word vomited what I wanted to say instead of reading the paper I, so carefully, wrote. From the outside looking in, everything went wrong. But truly, it was perfect. In the moment, none of that planning mattered, because I was asking the love of my life to spend forever with me, under the stars (her favorite), just us two (and a few of our close friends), followed by a party with the rest of our community, excited and ready to shower us with love. To be honest, Ipo was so overcome with emotion she actually did vomit. So whatʻs the point of all this? For one, I just wanted to share my proposal story (like this blog if you want to actually hear the full double proposal Ipo and I had). The other reason was to give you some tips on proposing for the ones who are planning to pop the question. I would like to quickly put a disclaimer that proposals donʻt only have to be with the intent of marriage. You can also ask someone to spend forever with you, without legally binding yourselves. Any declaration of love works and so do these tips. Tip 1: Plan A Proposal Your Partner Would Actually Like I have to be honest, I found out Ipo was planning on proposing a few months prior to it happening. I was on her computer and I saw that our mutual friend texted her asking what time dance practice was for the flash mob proposal. I have never dialed the phone so fast. I called my best friend Ari and told her, “I donʻt want to know details, I donʻt want you to say anything, but if Ipo is planning to flash mob me and propose I will 100% say no.” I know that sounds ridiculous, but I am truly terrified of that sort of thing and it was without a doubt NOT something I would want for a proposal. Whatever discussion Ari and Ipo had, the flash mob idea was dead and gone and I instead was asked in a very Zabrina way. I think if you are going to ask someone to marry you, you need to do it in a way that feels like them and that they would actually like. Sometimes we search through sites like Pinterest for ideas of grand romance, but really you should plan something that your other half would actually enjoy. If they are simple and a little shy, maybe a flash mob is not the vibe. Or maybe they are full on romantics who want everyone and anyone to know they are getting married, in which case maybe donʻt keep it simple and instead pull a full on Travis Barker and buy every rose known to man. Whatever you decide to do, it should reflect your partner and you. Let it be an extension of your love. Tip 2: Donʻt Feel Like You Got To Invite Everyone To It Iʻll keep this tip short. The proposal is between you and your other half. You really donʻt need every single person you know there to share in that moment (unless that is 100% your vibe). Donʻt feel pressured to include anyone if you donʻt want to. If you are worried about not feeling all the love and excitement for your new relationship status if people arenʻt there to cheer you on, thatʻs what an engagement party is for! Tip #3: You Donʻt Have To Document It We live in times where we document every single thing. I am totally a part of that demographic. But, I just want to say this outloud for the ones who maybe feel like they canʻt do this – you donʻt NEED to hire a photographer for your proposal. This goes hand in hand with tip #2, but it is okay to keep it simple. My best friendʻs partner proposed while watching a sunrise with just the two of them. They had a couple of phone photos, but that was it. She took announcement photos later and shared those on the gram, but the actual moment was kept between the two of them. Super sweet and totally an acceptable approach to a proposal. However, if you are someone like me who documents the gum she chewed that day, I have a whole list of photographers who would take amazing photos of your proposal. Tip #4: Be On The Same Page The last tip and maybe the most important one…please make sure yʻall are on the same page about getting married. Like, please have had at least two or three conversations about taking that next step before planning a whole ass proposal and then awkwardly having to have that conversation after you are up to your ears with embarrassment (Iʻm talking about those cringe jumbotron moments where the girl runs away in complete and utter shock). Committing legally to one another is a big step, so make sure it is something you both want and are ready for. Additionally, do not feel pressured to pop the question if you yourself are not ready for that commitment. Even if you have been with your person for 10+ years and everyone you know is asking you when is it happening, you still have the ability to make that decision for yourself. Okay, so those are my tips. And honestly, if all else fails or this feels extremely overwhelming to you, hire a professional (aka hire us)! We have planned so many amazing proposals for couples and it is genuinely one of my favorite things to do. Our most popular proposals are picnic proposals. I love hiding in a bush and being a part of that magic moment. Proposing can be nerve-racking, but it is also an amazing experience (if you are into it) to declare your love for one another. Once you’ve gotten the magical “yes!”, don’t forget to check out our other blog on savoring your engagment by clicking here!

Being the detail oriented Virgo I am, it’s important we talk about Wedding Photo List! What is it? Why do I need it? What should go in it? Don’t worry, I’m here to give you a few tips and provide a sample photo list for you to reference! You’ve met with your photographer, asked them your questions, got answers, and decided who is right for you, now it’s time to discuss the photo list. What is a Wedding Photo List? Some photographers will ask you to provide a list of specific photos you want captured on your wedding day to make sure they don’t miss anything and you’re not disappointed when you receive your photos later on. If you’ve had a vision of your wedding day and really want certain photos taken, this is where it should be noted. Below are seven things to consider when creating your photo list. 1. Go through your entire day and break it down into sections Getting Ready, Pre-Ceremony, Ceremony, Post-Ceremony/Portraits, Reception. From there, decide if there are specific photos you want taken in each section and *STAR* or BOLD any photos that are absolute must haves 2. Think about the intention and deeper meaning behind parts of your day. Are there things only you really know and people may not notice, but you want documented? Does your wedding jewelry or accessories hold sentimental value? Does your decor have any special meaning to you or significance to your relationship? Did your sibling or a close friend make something for you that is at your wedding? Are certain dances or traditions you included in the wedding really important; a parent dance, generational dance, tea ceremony, etc.? 3. Sit there with your wedding invite list and make sure you have all of the combinations of people you want photographed with you. Weddings are important occasions that will be remembered for the rest of your lives and you may want formal photos with everyone closest to you. It’s, typically, easiest if you start with everyone you want photos with and then scale down from there. Your photographer can widdle away people and call out peoples names easier if you have it listed for them. Think big to small, and old to young. We’re trying to make this hectic portion of your wedding day as efficient as possible. Knock out photos with any of your elderly guests first so that they can be dismissed to cocktail hour and relax. After all the family photos are done you can move on to the wedding party and portraits of just you and your other half. Photo Credit: Dearest Jane Photo 4. Is having a formal photo with certain people important to you or can your photographer take less formal ones at the reception? Do you want more candids with your guests? Or do you want to make sure they go around to each table with you and take photos of you and your guests? All things to consider and note in your photo list and discuss with the photographer. Usually photographers eat when you eat, so if you want them to take photos at each table during dinner service, be sure to tell them. 5. If your partner is not the detail oriented type (assuming you’re reading this because you’re the detail oriented partner like myself), you should still go through the day and the list you have to make sure you didn’t miss anything they also want. 6. Once this list is pau (done), opt to run the list by a close person to you (whose opinion you actually care about) to make sure you didn’t miss any photos they want, too. 7. After you have finalized your list, send it to your photographer for their review and share a copy with someone (responsible) on both yours and your partner's side that knows everyone on the list. That way they can help step in and wrangle people, should your photographer need some assistance. Try to give your photographer some time and send your photo list at least 2 weeks before the wedding. Photo Credit: Dearest Jane Photo Hopefully this will help give you a better idea of what this list is, how to make one, and what you should consider as you make it. I trusted my photographer a lot. While family photos were the most important part of the list for me, I trusted her vision and loved her style. I told her as long as the family photos were checked off, I was good and excited to see the way she captured our wedding. She took the time to get to know us, our story, and hear me and my slightly crazy, detail oriented self discuss all of the intricacies of our day. Take it with a grain of salt and consider every wedding is unique and some things may or may not apply to you and your partner. Work together to decide what photos make the list and which are your priorities. Check out and download our sample Wedding Photo List!