You’ve got the ring and now it’s time to set a date and plan the best day ever! We’ve been photographing weddings for three years now and have helped countless brides & grooms find the best resources and vendors to plan their wedding day. One of the most common things we hear is “We just got engaged and we’re not really sure where we’re at in this whole thing. We’re just gathering information!” And there’s no problem with that! But maybe this blog post will help you feel less overwhelmed and more empowered to tackle the planning process!

STEP ONE: FIND A VENUE

I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on this, but as a photographer there is nothing more important than booking your venue because 1.) that means you have a date and 2.) It means you have a place. There is nothing more upsetting than dreaming up your big day with a specific venue in mind and then finding them booked. So sign that contract with your venue FIRST. Here are a few of my favorite Springfield Area Wedding Venues to get you started on that search and also a guide on How To Find A 417 Venue That Speaks To You.

GO TO A WEDDING EXPO

As a bride there was no better resource than a wedding expo. We attended the BEST show in the area as an engaged couple in 2018 and now were vendors in that same show! If you haven’t heard of Metropolitan Weddings, now you do! Meg and Dawn have a whole website, show, and magazine solely for engaged couples. At these shows you can book your entire wedding day. There are planners, florists, venues, bakeries, bar tenders, caterers, rental companies, dress shops, Photographers (Just like us!), Videographers (Thats us too!), DJ’s… I mean the list could keep going for miles. It’s truly your one stop shop! Metropolitan Weddings has two shows a year in Springfield and two shows a year in Joplin as well. Make sure you look for the little “Best of Springfield” and “Best of the Four States” awards! We have five of them!

FIND A PLANNER

If you asked me what the most important vendor to a wedding is I would have to say a quality wedding planner or coordinator. I mean, photo and video are incredibly important, but your stress level (and ours!) goes down exponentially with a planner. Let them handle all those small details while you focus on having fun. You won’t regret hiring one ever. Here are some planners that I know and love!

BOOK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER

It’s no secret that photographers book a year + out. I’ve had fall dates being booked a year and a half out! Once you’ve secured a date and venue go and find your photographer! The longer you know us and work with us the better our relationship is. We like to work along side our couples to ensure that we’re capturing their wedding day authentically. Plus, it gives you longer to prep for your engagement session!

Selfishly, I think you should book me. I’m pretty funny, great with a camera, and always down to sing Pink Pony Club with you on the dance floor, but I also have tons of incredibly talented photographer friends around the area too. Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Finding Your Dream Photographer in Springfield Missouri

BOOK YOUR VIDEOGRAPHER

Just like photo, we book video a year + out as well. The sooner you lock in that date, the better! The good news is once you book us for photo we are all yours for that date so its SUPER easy to add video on! Plus, when you book both services with us we give you a $500 discount. All because we love you- er, I mean we love capturing your love story!

Want to know if you should hire a videographer? Here’s all the reasons why you need one!

SAY YES TO THE DRESS

You don’t have to choose a dress immediately, but you should start scheduling those appointments to try on dresses. As a bride, I went in to a dress shop with a specific style in mind and actually ended up not liking anything in that style. Finding your dream dress is one of the most fun parts of wedding planning, so soak it all in! Gracies, The Dress, and Normans Bridal are all incredible options in the area. Plus, they’re all Metropolitan Weddings award winners!

GET A WEDDING PLANNER (THE BOOK)

I actually found this on accident, but I wish I knew about it when we were planning our wedding! Ditch that clunky wedding binder and say hello to The Dailee Wedding Planner. This thing is the ultimate planning organization resource. Get this first and then do everything else.