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Alexandra
Beginner October 2020

Remote planning

Alexandra, on November 7, 2019 at 6:45 AM Posted in Planning 0 11
Hey all, I was wondering if anyone has any tips for remote planning their wedding? I currently live in Seattle and go to school and work full time and I'm struggling with being able to make solid plans. We are getting married in my home town, New Orleans. I will not be able to fly down until I graduate from my program in June so any information will help a ton!

11 Comments

Latest activity by Christine, on November 7, 2019 at 11:07 AM
  • M
    Expert September 2020
    Marcia ·
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    In your case, a wedding planner could be invaluable.
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  • Jeanie
    Super February 2020
    Jeanie ·
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    Just think of it as planning a destination wedding. Since it’s your hometown, you may have family and friends still in the area to help if you need them to scope something out for you.
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  • Alexandra
    Beginner October 2020
    Alexandra ·
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    My mom and aunt are kind of assuming that role, I don't think a true event planner will fit well into our budget.
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  • Chandra
    Master May 2019
    Chandra ·
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    All inclusive venues are a lifesaver! We had our reception at a hotel and all we had to really hire outside of them was the DJ and photographer. The venue included the cake, floral centerpieces (she would have done our party flowers too be we used sola wood for those!), and the food and bar for way cheaper than separate vendors would have been.
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  • V
    Rockstar July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    We got married about 4 hours from where we live. It was half way in between both of our families. His family lives in NJ and mine lives in PA and we live in MD. Most of my communication with vendors took place via email. In my email, I created a separate folder for all things wedding related. It made it easier because I knew exactly where all of my emails about the wedding were. I didn't create a separate folder for each vendor, but you could totally do that as well. Most of my emails were chain emails so there was no need for a separate folder per vendor. I would also call people if I had questions I wanted answered immediately. Emailing and calling became my friend. We did travel to the town our wedding was in multiple times, but I would often plan multiple meetings in one day. For instance, we did our cake tasting, meeting with our florist at our venue, searched for a rehearsal dinner venue, and main food tasting all in one day. It was a lot to do in one day, but it prevented us from having to do more trips. I also had telephone conferences with my photographer to discuss everything. We met with our videographer about half way since he was willing to meet with us that was somewhere a bit more convenient for us. The key is to stay organized and do a lot of research before picking vendors. We also got really lucky that some of the vendors were willing to meet with us when we were home for holidays, but not every vendor is as accommodating.
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  • Mrs. S
    Master November 2019
    Mrs. S ·
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    I’m planning an NC wedding from CO. I’ve had to do a lot of things by email and I made a trip out there to do certain things in person. I left decorations with my parents and have had some things shipped directly to my moh, including my dress. It’s been a little stressful but I don’t think anymore stressful than planning a wedding by myself anyway.
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  • Chrysta
    Master November 2022
    Chrysta ·
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    We are also having a DW, and my best advice would be to look for all-inclusive venues!! It has been a life-saver!! The fewer vendors you have to coordinate with the better. And the fewer people involved, the less likely things will go wrong. The biggest struggle I’ve had so far has been finding hair and make up artists since I will not be able to fly there to have a trial run. I am actually contemplating just flying my Local hairstylist out to the wedding!
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  • Dayna
    Expert September 2021
    Dayna ·
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    We are getting married about 3 hours from where we live (so not terribly far at least). We've done most things through email, and then schedule occasional weekend trips where we try to meet with a few vendors all at once. I also made a separate folder in my email to keep everything together. Our venue includes all of the basic rentals (tables, chairs, linens, serveware), all catering except a cake, the bar, ceremony and reception space, and basic planning services. Having all that from one vendor is a huge help. We've also gotten their recommendations for other vendors so we know we are choosing people who have worked with the venue and we won't need to micromanage set up.

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  • Alyssa
    Super December 2021
    Alyssa ·
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    Limit your vendors, and all inclusive venues will make your life way easier as will a DOC or wedding planner in the area who knows the area and everyone who works there.

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  • Monica
    Devoted August 2021
    Monica ·
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    We're doing the exact same thing (planning from near Seattle, getting married in Wisconsin where we're both from). It's honestly been less difficult than I imagined. We've done most of it through email and occasional phone calls. The tricky things are looking at venues, showers and tastings. Those pretty much have to be done in person but you can have friends or family do that or plan a wedding planning trip back. We also had a long engagement, just about 2 years, so we could spread out the amount of trips if needed. It's definitely possible!
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  • Christine
    Expert September 2020
    Christine ·
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    I'm in the same boat - we live in DC but are getting married in CA where I grew up. We've had a 2.5-year engagement to make things easier on us though, and have been able to come out to CA at least a few times a year to visit family and plan the wedding. Most of our planning has been done from afar. We've hired vendors through phone calls, video conferences, and email, and every time we visit my family in CA we try to squeeze in a few wedding tasks (like in-person vendor meetings). Our reception venue is more on the all-inclusive side which helps a ton - they have a day-of-coordinator and handle catering, tables/linens, set-up, and clean-up. I think in your situation a wedding planning would be incredibly helpful as well, since you won't be able to visit your wedding location until just a few months before the wedding.

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