When we got engaged, I had no idea where to start when it came to planning a wedding. I knew I wanted to do a small, intimate event with just our immediate family, and initially thought I might be able to plan it myself. Luckily I didn’t have to, and Tracy Taylor Ward; an amazing event designer and wedding planner, was the perfect partner!

I worked with Tracy to come up with a design deck for both the rehearsal dinner and wedding, and she helped me source the caterer, coordinate with all of the vendors, and make sure everything went smoothly during both events. Our rehearsal dinner and wedding turned out absolutely beautiful – even better than I could have imagined. I wanted to share why working with a wedding planner is so helpful and go into more detail of how exactly we collaborated!

The Benefits of Working with a Wedding Planner

Tablescape and overall event design

One of the first things I did when I started working with Tracy was I created two separate Pinterest boards – one for the rehearsal dinner and one for the wedding. From there, Tracy used her design expertise to offer elegant and chic suggestions and pull my vision together. She created a master design deck that we edited and tweaked to get to a final design deck that we were able to share with the various vendors. The design deck was so helpful because the vendors were able to have a very clear sense of our style, colors, and all of the details I wanted incorporated. We constantly went back to the deck throughout the process.

Flowers

I had a very specific vision for the flowers based off of a stunning image I saw on Pinterest. I wanted crisp eucalyptus mixed with perfect white roses. We worked with the florist to get the arrangements just right – and did 3 test rounds prior to the actual wedding to ensure that the ratio of greenery to roses was accurate. If you have a specific vision in mind, don’t be afraid to share photos and be as detail oriented as possible so that each vendor can understand your vision!

Timeline and Checklist

Tracy made a really extensive personalized checklist for us with various tasks, suggestions and timelines surrounding our wedding. I am so excited that she is going to share her bridal checklist with all With Love From Kat readers! If you shoot her an email at Info@TracyTaylorWard.com she has kindly offered to share it with all of you for free! I highly recommend you reach out – it’s so much more detailed and helpful than all of the template checklists found online.

Day of Coordination

We could not have had our rehearsal dinner or wedding without Tracy and her team helping us on the ground the day (and days!) leading up to both events. They made the process so much more relaxing and enjoyable. Even though we only had 15 people, they worked around the clock to make sure that the vendors showed up on time, that everything was in place, and that everything ran smoothly. You absolutely need a day of coordinator at the bare minimum when you are having a wedding! You don’t want to be running around telling vendors where to place things when you’re trying to get ready and enjoy the time with your guests. Also, you don’t want your friends or family to have to do that – it will only take away from this special time together.

If you’re planning a wedding and on the fence about hiring a wedding planner, I truly cannot recommend hiring one enough. It is essential in my opinion. Tracy is based in NYC and South Florida, but plans weddings all over the world. You can inquire about your wedding or next special event with her here!