MOTEL's Tips for Planning Your Wedding:
Planning a wedding is an insane amount of work; conversing with caterers, deciding on furniture… managing budget. It can seem like an impossible task to take on alone, which is why this month's blog post is shining a focus on Wedding Planners, and more specifically helping you answer the question “do I need one?”.
Over the years, we’ve worked with a wide range of clients at MOTEL; we’ve seen it all! We can get booked directly by someone looking to plan their own event or wedding, sometimes we’ll be contacted by an agency working to organise an event on behalf of someone else, and we also regularly work with wedding planners.
If you’re in the early stages of planning your wedding and you’re ‘umming’ and ‘ahing’ about whether or not you need a wedding planner, we’re hoping that these questions will make the decision a little bit easier.
Question 1: Are you designy?
Are you someone that knows exactly what shade of linen you want for table runners? Somebody that already has your table plan designed and organised? If so, then you might not need a wedding planner. If you’re super-organised or work in design, you’ll already have a lot of the skills necessary to get the nitty gritty sorted. Contrastingly, if you’re someone that just wants a food truck and a dance floor at your reception because it’s the people that matter most, then you might not need one either. However, if you’re a perfectionist that usually has a crazy busy schedule or a high workload, you might want to think about looking into wedding planners. They’ll not only help you pick each fork and chair, they’ll be there to offer emotional support as well.
Question 2: Do you already have a caterer?
One of the most important things to think about, in terms of your wedding reception, is the dinner. If you already have a caterer you would like to work with, then you’re already a step ahead. However, if this is something that you’re not not decided on yet, I would suggest talking to the caterers we work with on a regular basis (and we can vouch for their scrumptious menu options) or a wedding planner, as soon as possible. The caterer is really important as the bulk of the day will revolve around their team and their food; so you want to know that you can rely on them.
Tip: Think about an evening snack for your guests… trust me!
Question 3: How’s your bar looking?
Another key element to your wedding reception is the bar. If you’re opting for an alcohol-free day, then this step will be a little simpler to organise and your caterer will probably be able to help you organise the refreshments. Alternatively, if you’re wanting to treat your guests to a free bar and you’re having both your ceremony and your reception in the same venue, it can get complicated; do you want drinks on arrival before the ceremony, after the ceremony, a drink for the speeches… So, I would recommend chatting with either Dita or a wedding planner and they’ll be able to advise you on how to map out your day. Dita, the Events Manager at MOTEL, will actually be able to assist with the complete management of your bar and can send you over a range of packages and different options, including wine with dinner (and a wine tasting session!).
Question 4: What’s your theme?
Don’t worry, I’m not talking about an all-out-80s theme… unless that’s what you want – in which case, go for it and definitely get onto a wedding planner! I’m more generally talking about your decoration. What will be on the dining tables, what sorting of lighting will you have, how will you dress the space for the ceremony… If you’ve chosen MOTEL as your venue, your decorations can be reasonably simple as the studios at MOTEL really do speak for themselves. A great selection of furniture and good lighting is enough to make the room look perfect – and remember, once your guests are inside, the space will really come alive. If however, you’re looking for big floral pieces or a bespoke archway for your ceremony, then you might want to look into getting help from a wedding planner. Yes, DIY ideas from Pinterest are a great money saver, but they’re very time consuming. Organising different companies and artists to design, deliver and collect pieces can be a stress. The best place to start would be to get in touch with Dita (our Events Manager), and she’ll be able to advise your next steps, realistically.
Question 5: Who’s your go-to on the day?
Staff from MOTEL will be on-site for the entirety of your wedding, setting up anything you’ve organised through Dita and ensuring everything runs perfectly. But, if you’ve organised anything yourself, you might need a point of contact (usually a trusted friend) to help keep things running smoothly on the day. This will ensure that you and your partner can enjoy the day and not have to worry about any logistics. But, if you’ve gone big with the planning, you might still want to look into partnering with a wedding planner. They not only plan weddings, but they also help coordinate the day.
Wedding planners, like an interior designer or stylist, work with you to help achieve your dream, but they also have their own style and flair. MOTEL is a really unique wedding venue, so this is probably why we get wedding planners returning to MOTEL all the time. If you’re interested in working with a wedding planner, this is good news, as our recommendations will already know the ins and outs of MOTEL.