holy-ish you're engaged!! and you're sitting at home probably wondering where the hell do I even start?! Let me tell you, your Pinterest board you made when your were in high school or college... probably won't matter to you anymore because things have changed so much, so start a brand new one if I were you!
TRUST me, I was the same! Everyone though I was crazy to start planning right away! Especially my fiancé and BTW, if you notice your fiancé not interested in any of the planning... don't worry they will eventually... till the point that you may think their ideas are just crazy! for example, my fiancé wants Uncle Luke at our wedding... although the Miami girl in me would love it, but let's be real I think my Cuban father would judge me "hydraulic-ing" at our wedding lol!
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"It's YOUR wedding!!!! don't forget to do things how you want!!!"
@briquelme
take many moments the day of and soak it all in! everyone is celebrating you and your fiancé
@tatiana.marieee
As I go through the "tips" and "advice" from my #MWCBRIDES, I myself will give you vendors I recommend for your special day! BTW, they will be in no specific order!, but first as I promised I would share with you what I've done so far in my wedding planning.
Let's start with the top 5 most important things to do when planning a wedding!
btw, I've learned through out my process that Chris loves to be involved and in the loop through out the planning. Always hear out your future hubby-to-be idea's, no matter how tacky or ridic it is, he'll appreciate it!
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1. where the heck did i start?! well, let's Pick the right venue!
We automatically knew we wanted a hotel wedding. We went to go see about the
Palms Hotel,
The Edition and last
East Miami. We decided to move forward with
East Miami, I felt that it worked perfect in our budget and what they offered to us we couldn't beat it! Also, can we talk about the VIEW! If it was up to Chris, he'd want to get married at Key West. If you personally know me you just know I am not a beach wedding bride. Plus we live in Miami, I deffff do not trust the weather down here at all! Now, for brides who are all for beach weddings, my heart goes out to you and I encourage you to do it! I wish I had the guts to do it, but I don't! I felt that it was something Chris and I both could met in the middle too! the second you enter the ballroom you are able to see the water and the beautiful city skyline too! If you are headed for the hotel route for a venue getttttt ready to drop a large deposit. Orrrr you can be an asshole like my Fiancé were he REFUSED to give the East the required deposit... Bro que pena man, CON QUE CARA (with what face) was I going to tell the event coordinator of the East that, "my fiancé will not give "xyz amount" he only will give this amount. Luckily Kayla who has been nothing but amazing through out this process agreed to it and understands my shit show of a fiancé.
2. HIRE A DAMN WEDDING PLANNER, or at least a day of... you'll thank me later!
Do not think you can do it all, you can't! I'm speaking from the vendor side of me not even as a bride. You don't know how many brides make that mistake! At least hire a day of coordinator! *remember, just because I hired them for my wedding doesn't mean the other's aren't good* I hired Events by BBG, reason being, we work together 24.7, and I mean that too. lol, Both full time jobs at UM hospital and in our business too. Brenda will tell you right away, I have taken control to go into looking into my own vendors and hiring them too. She's great for giving her opinion and her outlook on certain things! Reality is, she'll be both a guest and my wedding planner for my big day. I'm way to much of a control freak to give her a mood board and have her take the lead, I've seen her do it and she's amazing, but again, I'm wayyyyy to much on a control freak to do that to her. If you need any recommendation for wedding planners here are my top 5, in no particular order I've worked with every single soul on here and let me tell you all 5 make magic happen! I love each and every single one of them equally.
3. hiring a photographer, who will make you IG extra L I T!
If you have been following MWC for some time now, you already know who I have hired as my photographer. Not only is she my Photographer, she's one of my besties andddd bridesmaid. If it wasn't for her art and skills my brand wouldn't be where it's at today!
Danielle Margherite Photography is just my go to for everything, but her photos for weddings just match my vibes! Let's be real... a photographer is going to be your top 3 most expensive vendors, but worth every damn penny! If you are stuck into hiring a photographer, or just don't know, here are my top 5 that I feel who kill it at every wedding, again in particular order!
- Danielle Margherite
- Arevalo Photography
- KG OHH SNAP
- Blissful Haze Photography
- Dipp Photography
"hire a badass and credible photographer!!!!"
@_arleneherrera
"have a lot of time for photos!!"
Melissa from @lashhouzz
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4. Florist Vibes
LOL, so fun fact. I wanted NO florals in my wedding. I wanted leaves and only monstera leaves. Until I got the death stare from my mom... Lol. But get ready because this will be another BIG expense for your wedding too. My recommendation is don't go cheap and low ball the florist either. Believe it or not, they are the last of the LAST vendors to leave your wedding. Their the first ones to really work sun up to sun down! I decided to move forward with my girl, Erika from Miami Centerpieces . Her work is just simple yet beautiful, she has supported me since day one! From my workshops to now my wedding! I mean, I can only say thank you by hiring her for my wedding <3 When she sent my my proposal, she knew my vibes! To the point that I was like can I just have a leaf bouquet? lol, she started dying of laughter. If your having a hard time looking up florist for your big day here are my top 3!
- Miami Centerpieces
- Ponce Floral Design
- Avant Florist
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Let's see some of the tips and/or advice our Brides have to say!
"ASK FOR HELP!" Don't feel like you have to do everything on your own!
- Taylor H. married on 02/06/2021
" 1. Make sure you eat! 2. Don't let the little things bother you day of, Just be present and enjoy!"
-Mags married on 12-7-2021
Let people help you!
-@barbievenus
Document every conversation with vendors & get ready, your going to want to kill your fiancé the week before the wedding!
-@tatiana.marieee
Eat before the speeches or you will be chewing during you video!
-@hana.banana.xx
do a first look and enjoy the moment, make sure to take it all in becuase it goes by way to fast!
-@nikkiedesigns
5. HOLY -ISH, your going dress shopping!
I think for me this was the day that gave me the most anxiety! I don't even know why nor will I understand why my nerves were outta control! I knew what type of dress I wanted and the style I was aiming for too. Luckily, Amable Bridal made my dress came true! I came to learn about the designer I wanted probably a few months after I was engaged. Because, let me tell you, your going to ask yourself okay... where the hell do I even start! Pinterest def helped me out, but of course here I was falling in love with a brand and they were not even in Miami, but Amable Bridal sure did make my dreams come true! Their located over at Coconut Grove and if you are looking for something small, intimate and private then Amable Bridal is your go too! The designer name of my dress is Sarah Seven, and man was it so effin' hard to pick!!! The day of me going dress shopping I ended up not putting my deposit down.(and i recommend you not doing it too!!!) It wasn't till the 1st week of May when I decided to go back and have my best friend tag along with me too. I also wanted to be 100% sure that my dress was the one... and it was!! you're going to have your moment where your going to tell yourself; "man, did I pick the right dress? " "Did I pick a dress just because everyone liked it?" I legit had a nervous break down because I wanted Chris to be with me, I wanted him to come with me to make sure this dress was the one- don't ask me why, but Chris is truly my best friend and although he may drive me insane 365 and 24/7, his opinion matters the most to me. I know, I sound so ridiculous right now, but you'll see what I am talking about when it's your turn.
"Get your wedding dress 8 months before!!!"
@tatiana.marieee
"you are never TOO early to book stuff or to dress shop!"
@marielchristina_
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That's all for now, I won't say too much because I prefer for the day and the photos to speak for themselves! but, if there is one piece of advice I have to say is make sure to involve your fiancé in EVERYTHING. Don't leave them out, even if they don't show interested, TRUST me they are. Next, for your engagement shoot, make it fun and original! For example, Chris and I met at E11even Miami, there's no secret... we know what it is and if you don't lol, well click on the link. But, I was ONLY there to support my cousin DJing at E11even, not for the actual "entertainment" LOL!!!! "iiiiregardless" I had part of our engagement shoot at E11even! fun fact: my outfit is a small replica of the one he met me in!
but overall- ENJOY THIS MOMENT AND TAKE IN EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT TOO. There are moments where you're going to tell yourself -F it, let's elope, but control yourself!!!
PHOTOGRAPHY: Danielle Margherite Photography
