The first 11 wedding pros best wedding planning tips can be found at this link. Read on for more wonderful wedding planning advice from the pros!

Jeanenne La Bella of La Bella Planners, LLC

“The most difficult part of planning a wedding is juggling everyone’s opinions. Sometimes you have a bride, groom, mother of the bride and other family members all chiming in. As a bride, the best way to overcome that is to develop your opinions and convey them to your wedding planner. He or she will be able to back you up and make it happen.”

Photography by Chris Lippolt of Brett Matthews Photography. Used with permission.

Tracie Morris of You’re The Bride

“I would say the most difficult part of planning a wedding is when a couple doesn’t have a set budget. Couples need to know the big picture of how much money they have to spend so I can recommend vendors that will fit into their budget as well as suit their personality and style.”

Tracie also adds that “You get what you pay for, especially when working with ‘frienders’ (friends who are working the wedding). I will say, however, that I have only ever seen good experiences happen when a friend gets ordained – they usually take that role seriously, which is a relief!”

Photography by Stela Zaharieva Photography. Used with permission.

Kourtney Marquis of Marquis Events

“It can be very difficult to balance what the couple wants versus what the parents want. Finding a happy medium comes from honest and open discussion.”  To make wedding planning more efficient for everyone involved, her favorite thing to do is provide as many guides along the way as possible.

Photography by Forged in the North. Used with permission.

Jung Lee of fete

“A short wedding planning period is actually a blessing. It forces couples to focus and make good, quick, smart decisions.”

Styling by Fete. Photography by Brian Dorsey. Used with permission.

Andrea Freeman of Andrea Freeman Events

“Busy professionals tend to have the hardest time wedding planning because it’s difficult for them to relax and trust that everything will come together. If they could just enjoy the process of getting to the altar a little more it would be great.” She feels that there’s nothing better than a power check-in call or in-person meeting; “I can cover a lot more with them in a shorter amount of time!”

Photography by Brian Leahy. Used with permission.

Heather Vickery of Greatest Expectations

“The best way to plan a wedding easily and efficiently is having an amazing team and working with top notch vendors!”

Photography by Steve Koo Photography. Used with permission.

Lindsay Bishop of Lindsay Bishop Events

Lindsay comes from a finance background, so the loves working with a budget. However, the hardest part is “educating clients about wedding costs they don’t experience in everyday life, and helping them determine an accurate budget based on what they can afford. It’s important that I help set them up for financial success after their wedding, so it can be really daunting!”

She recommends Aisle Planner for both planners and couples, as it houses everything you need to track while planning a wedding.

Photography by Rachel Red Photography. Used with permission.

Ingrid Asoni of Asoni Haus

“I love to truly unlock what my client wants and needs. They often come with a wealth of ideas that aren’t always a cohesive vision. I connect with them and help them refine their inspiration into a beautiful event style.”

Photography by Asoni Haus. Used with permission.

Nicole Batiste of Events by SB.

Nicole relies on “Lists, lists, and more lists! I cannot live without a well-constructed list of to-do’s. I encourage all of my couples to take a look at and rely on my wedding-planning checklist. I find that once everything is out of your head and on paper, it’s so much easier to think clearly about the needs, wants, and must-do’s. It keeps the stress levels to a minimum, and the enjoyment levels to the maximum – which is ultimately the BEST way to plan your wedding, or any celebratory event.”

Photography by Joanna Fisher. Used with permission.

Nicole Marie Harris of One Last Frog

“My favorite way to make wedding planning efficient and less time-consuming is to prepare a detailed timeline. The timeline should be top-heavy, meaning that I lock down the venue and vendors early so the small details can be more easily managed.”

Photography by One Last Frog. Used with permission.

Trish Simitakos of Trish Star Events

Trish has a wealth of tips, tricks, and workflow techniques that she has developed over twenty years of event and wedding planning. The most difficult part of planning a wedding, she says, “is balancing the various policies and procedures each vendor has.”

Photography by Trish Simitakos. Used with permission.

Brooke Sheldon of Lilybrooke Events

“Nothing is perfect and weddings don’t necessarily have “problems”, they have situations that arise and questions that need to be answered.  Decisions to be made.  A plan is just a plan, but the magic comes through how things are set up and executed.”

The best way to keep a wedding on track and going smoothly is to make sure that all vendors are on the same page when it comes to the big day timeline.

Photography by Brea McDonald. Used with permission.

Laura Irizarry-Garcia of LIG Events

Have an idea of what you want! Laura likes to give her couples wedding homework. These small planning tasks are manageable and ‘bite size’ but aren’t able to be done by anyone other than the couple. “When couples are indecisive it really holds up the planning process.”

Photography by Claudette Montero. Used with permission.

Anthony Navarro of Liven It Up Events

Anthony knows that you can’t always control every minute of a wedding – or of the planning process. Sometimes things happen and the plan has to change. Evolving and being able to handle anything that comes along is what makes a wedding planner a great asset.

Photography by Rick Aguilar Studios. Used with permission.

Millie Mathis of Southern Touch Events

Millie loves to make sure her brides and grooms enjoy their special day to the fullest. To accomplish that, she is on top of handling any wedding day emergencies and situations so that the couple doesn’t even know about them until after the big day! She recommends that every couple “at least have a coordinator. You are spending a lot of money on this day – there are no ‘do overs’. You need someone who is there looking out for you, executing on your plan and maintaining the wedding day vision.”

Photography by Kaila Lassey Productions. Used with permission.

Shawn Rabideau of Shawn Rabideau Events and Design

One of the hardest things to do is help brides and grooms understand that not everything on Pinterest and Instagram is a good idea or within their budget. “I want to help them realize that the monogrammed napkins and matching straws don’t make the wedding day special – it’s the feeling of the day and who is there that matters the most.”

“Very often couples say that everything is important when it comes to their wedding, but my job is to get them talking about their ideas and help them determine the wedding priorities. This helps get everyone on the same page and possibly avoid arguments in the future.”

Nicole Kaney of NK Productions Wedding Planning

“We love using Google Docs to coordinate and share information between our team and the couple. It makes the wedding planning process go really smoothly!”

Photography by Ryan Joseph. Used with permission.

Patrick Peel of Hello Destination Management Company Las Vegas

Patrick is a member of the International Live Events Association – Las Vegas, and he says that one of the hardest things is “working with brides whose Pinterest pins don’t reflect what is available in the season their wedding will take place. The cost of florals out of season can affect their vision of what they want, so communicating about what works within their budget can be tough.”

He loves to meet with the couple and hear about their ideas for the wedding and help bring it to life in a beautiful, magical event!

Photography by Imagine Studio. Used with permission.

Alicia Strom of Before I Do Events

Alicia mentions that one of the most challenging parts of being a wedding planner is staying calm during the high-stress situations that almost always arise. “Problems are inevitable, and it’s our job to MacGuyver every issue without our clients having their day affected.”

One of the reasons a couple should have a coordinator or wedding planner is so that they don’t have to deal with these situations on their wedding day themselves!

Sabrina Cadini La Dolce Idea Weddings and Soirees

Sabrina loves to leverage technology to increase productivity, including event management tools, paperless solutions and sharing systems with her clients. She loves to create memorable experiences that are individual, unique and reflect the couple’s personalities and heritage.

Photography by Tim Wirick of 8twenty8 Studios. Used with permission.

Danielle Rothweiler of Rothweiler Event Design

For Danielle, it’s all about the schedule. She keeps a specific schedule to make sure every part of the day is executed as intended. Building trust with her clients is paramount, and helps her battle the incorrect information that can be found online or shared “by a friend that just got married.”

Photography by Jessica Janae Photography. Used with permission

Lauren Chitwood of Lauren Chitwood Events

Lauren will make it easy for you to make decisions! “I like to present two to three options to my couples along with the pros and cons of each. I’m happy to tell them what my first choice would be and they typically choose that option.”

She also shares that “my job would be a breeze if I didn’t have to worry about physics or finances!”

Photo by Amy Campbell Photography. Used with permission.

Tonia Adleta of Aribella Events

Developing trust in a client’s relationship is the biggest priority for Tonia. Finding a way to manage couple’s expectations of a perfect wedding within their resources of time, money and support is also critical. “More transparency in the industry would be helpful for couples to have a better sense of what is possible for their budget. A bride might fall in love with a design on Pinterest and it is crushing when I have to explain that it cost ten times their budget.”

Renee Flores of Mariee Weddings

“We communicate constantly with the couples we work with. I’m a big fan of spreadsheets, calendars, checklists, and deadlines. As soon as they sign up to work with us, couples are provided with documents that help them make critical decisions.”

Renee Flores is a Thumbtack.com professional – you can find every possible vendor for your wedding on Thumbtack Weddings, and they send YOU bids based on the needs you describe when you fill out a request!  Check out the Thumbtack.com Wedding page here.

Ted Daniels & Michael Boivin of Boston Harbor Hotel

“Efficiency really starts at the beginning. We love to start all planning with a great conversation to learn more about the couple so that the rest of the planning can be more efficient.”

Ted says “family and friends should let the details of the wedding be a surprise. When outside parties ask, the couple and their parents feel like they need to respond and then the person asking the questions gives their opinion which can sometimes make the couple second guess their decisions.”

Michael says “having one main point of contact (whether it be the bride, groom, mother of the bride or whomever) would help streamline everything throughout the entire process.”

Photography by Allegro Photography. Used with permission.

Leah Malin of The Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center

“Put on your Bridal Blinders!” Leah says, “make a plan and stick with it, regardless of what everyone else is doing. Attending other weddings while planning your own might cause you to fret, stress and make changes in your own plan. Having a vision that is true to your desires and sticking to the plan makes your day that much more beautiful.”

She says that wedding planners are in the business of “graceful disguise of disasters, handling those behind-the-scenes issues no one ever finds out about because you handled it before it adversely impacted the wedding day.”

Sutisa Spellman of Pechanga Resort & Casino

“What I’ve found to be the best way of efficiently planning a wedding is by utilizing our tasting appointment as a way to secure wedding details and tie up loose ends (linens, centerpieces, décor, etc.). Since they’re meeting with me in person, I try to make the most of their appointment time and it erases the need for an additional meeting to discuss these details.”

Her major suggestion for a smoothly-running big day is: “Make sure anything you drop off at the venue is properly labeled so that everything ends up where you intend it to be.”

Photography by Jenna Joseph Photography and Kelsey Rae Designs. Used with permission.

Michael Motylinski of St. Thomas Wedding Officiants

“I make everything more efficient by establishing up front my expectations for the planning process and giving a clear time frame for each step of planning, i.e. 1. First, we’ll pick the date/time.  2. Beach location. 3. Flowers. 4. Decor. 5. Cake. 6. Reception.  It sets the expectations and keeps everyone on task and reduces stress!”

photography by Mary Latham Photography. Used with permission.

Jamie Chang of Mango Muse Events

For Jamie, understanding her clients really helps streamline the process. “I love to get to know who they are, what they like, what they love, their love story, everything. People are what make this industry magical and exciting. Getting to know them better lets me anticipate their questions and build an event they’ll love.”

Photography by Arrowood Photography. Used with permission.

Anastasia Stevenson of Coastal Creative Events

The hardest part of helping someone plan a wedding is helping them understand a situation they’ve never been in before. “Wedding planning can be stressful like any new situation. Our job is to listen and help them by providing information on vendors, insurance, contracts and more.”

Photography by Britt Bacon of Spartina Imagery. Used with permission.

Jillian Stevens of Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

Managing the client’s budget is the hardest part. “As a wedding planner, I want to meet and exceed their expectations and wildest dreams, but sometimes we have to go with just what they need.” Jillian relies on her amazing wedding concierge team to be her clone and support her in places she can’t be at all times – allowing her to provide the couple with the luxurious full-service experience they deserve.

Photography by Santa Barbara Photography. Used with permission.

Ani Hovhannisyan of Through the Veil

Ani loves to help brides find the perfect dress by helping them create a custom Look Book to work through the many options available. “There are a lot of moving parts to having a custom wedding dress made, and I help guide the bride through the design process for every gown she plans to wear.”

Photography by Matthew Ree. Used with permission.

Janessa White of Simply Eloped

Janessa feels strongly about working proactively rather than reactively. “I try to collect as much information as possible prior to the couple booking with us so that we have a realistic idea of what will be involved in the event. It helps me be able to anticipate issues and provide solutions before the situation even arises.”

Keeping information in the cloud as well as sharing it with vendors and everyone involved in the wedding helps prevent miscommunications and saves a lot of time and headaches. “One single Google Sheet is incredibly helpful!”

Photography by Jackson Hardy. Used with permission.

Last but must certainly not least (since this is my favorite wedding picture ever!):

Leah Weinberg of Color Pop Events

“People get weird when it comes to weddings,” Leah says that this statement that a couple once told her applies to everyone – not just the couple getting married. “Family politics, opinions of friends, everything seems to come into play when a wedding is being planned.”

She loves to prevent the overwhelm that comes with the wedding planning process by providing easy checklists and helping organize everyone involved.

Photography by Ardent Story Photography. Used with permission.

Header image provided by Heidi Hiller, taken by Shawn Hubbard. Used with permission.

Are you a wedding planner with advice to give brides and grooms considering hiring a planner, event designer or coordinator? Get in touch or leave a comment here with your words!