Engaged couples are STRESSED out and for good reason! From the moment you got engaged, your inbox filled up with advertisements and vendors constantly "following up". Friends and family fill up your house with paint chips (to find your wedding color palette), bridal magazines, and then the DIY decor starts to pile up in the dining room. It's overwhelming!
My best advice for wedding couples is this:
Marie Kondo your wedding.
Wait, what? Isn't that about folding clothes? Stay with me, it's a life saver!
Take the Marie Kondo question: Does this spark joy? If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, toss it! This method applies to everything from physical items like your registry and wedding favors to stylistic decisions like your color palette and music.
For example:
When you're choosing between Ariana Strings ensembles, listen to samples of each of our groups. Which one filled you with joy? There's your answer! All of our groups are incredibly versatile and can play classical and pop songs. If you're torn because you love the sound of two ensembles, ask if you can include both (one for the ceremony and the other for cocktail hour) OR contact me and tell me about your wedding style. I can help you narrow it down easily.
When you're choosing your wedding music, look down the list and pick your favorites. Why choose music that you've never heard of and have no attachment to? If you LOVE Frank Sinatra and Ed Sheeran, include them both in your ceremony. However, if you know you would like classical music, but aren't familiar with titles/composers and you know you want a specific style or feeling, that's where we can step in and offer sound advice (pun intended).
Most importantly
When you're selecting your wedding vendors, go with your gut. Really! Did this vendor make you feel at ease or did you feel like you were on the other half of a bad sales pitch? The vendors that made me feel at ease gave me the best experience on my wedding day. The vendors who rubbed me the wrong way before I hired them did not get any better. (That doesn't mean that your vendor isn't trying their best or isn't qualified. It just means that they're not the right one for you.)
By simplifying your wedding planning and keeping your Marie Kondo question in mind, you'll make planning a lot easier and it'll be fun.
Happy wedding planning!
-Ariana
