Colorado Wedding Planning 101: Where to Begin

This week’s guest: Brandi Barela from Day of Your Dreams

Instagram: @dayofyourdreamsbybrandi

In this conversation, Brian and Brandi discuss the importance of trusting your intuition when planning a wedding. They stress that it is important to feel comfortable with the people and vendors involved, especially the location. They also mention the importance of finding a place that allows for adaptation and flexibility. They advise against letting others make decisions for you and recommend being careful when delegating work. They also discuss the other steps involved in wedding planning, which include finding key vendors like a DJ, photographer, caterer and florist.

Transcript:

Brandi: And come up with five dates. Start with dates. Dates that you're really solid on. Um, and you wanna have multiple dates because when you're looking for venues, you don't know who's gonna be booked and who's not. Mm-hmm. And when you find that it venue, you wanna be ready. 

Brian: Welcome to the Colorado Wedding Podcast, the ultimate place to plan your Colorado wedding.

Brian: From luxury weddings to intimate elopements, we'll guide you through planning your wedding in the beautiful state of Colorado. We're your host, Josh and Brian, and we're here to give you insider tips and advice. From all kinds of Colorado wedding experts, join us and discover the best ways to reduce wedding stress and design your unique wedding day.

Brian: Hey everyone, welcome back. Uh, we, this is Brian from Colorado Wedding Podcast, the ultimate place to plan your Colorado wedding. Today we are here with Brandy and she is an amazing, well, she did wedding planning and now she is, has more insight than anyone I've ever met about weddings. And so, yeah, of course.

Brian: And um, now you're a consultant, 

Brandi: right? I am. I'm doing consulting and I'm also working on some small digital books for people that are kind of concise and to the point. So they don't have to read a Bible to Yeah, get to the point that they're trying to figure 

Brian: out. That's awesome. That's exactly what we're here for.

Brian: Like, we're here to help brides in Colorado or people having a wedding in Colorado so that. We don't have to like sweat about everything. Right. Absolutely. Keep stress down. We're trying to keep 

Brandi: the stress down. Absolutely. Yeah. They, the brides, uh, even the grooms get super overwhelmed. There's so much Oh, yeah, 

Brian: yeah, yeah.

Brian: Um, so yeah, today I think we're just gonna cover like, kind of where to start planning a wedding. Right? Right. You know, that, that's kind of the first point where we get the most questions, you know, even us as photographers and videographers, people asking, you know, where, what venue should they pick and all this other stuff, and.

Brian: How do we know if we should have a planner, if we should do this, if we should do that. And I think, um, you'll have some great insight about that. 

Brandi: Yeah, definitely. Thank you. Um, so agreed. Uh, people get engaged and then they're like, ah. So I think one of the, one of the key points is to talk with your partner and come up with five dates.

Brandi: Start with dates, dates that you're really solid on. And you wanna have multiple dates because when you're looking for venues, you don't know who's gonna be booked and who's not. When you find that it venue, you wanna be ready, you wanna be ready to have dates available so that you can start Your venue is your, your secure spot.

Brandi: That's where everything's gonna happen. So you have to lock that in first, and it's really hard to lock it in if the one date you wanted isn't available and then you're, you're fumbling. So always have a few dates in mind that are solid dates that you can work with. 

Brian: Awesome. And, and do you recommend like people talk to their family or do you think they like kind of like choose what they wanna do?

Brandi: That is a great question and I think that from the very beginning you need to set boundaries. I think the person you need to talk to the most is your partner. Yeah. And really, Set boundaries and also hard nos. Believe it or not, you can get to a lot of your yeses by determining your hard nos. So set the boundaries right away of who we're going to let have some, um, you know, some input in our wedding.

Brandi: But remember, it's your day. It's at the end of it. This is your day, your memory, and you're building your life with this person. So, Put all that into play before you involve anybody else. Have that really in-depth conversation with your partner. One of the things I do is I send a questionnaire to my clients.

Brandi: Mm-hmm. And kind of have them banter these questions back and forth with each other. And the feedback I always get is, wow, that was so helpful. We didn't think about any of these things that I really started the conversation going in a good way. 

Brian: Yeah. That's awesome. And I think that's a, that's an awesome point.

Brian: I don't think we've talked about that before and it's like there are lots of people who can help you, right. Like family and friends. But sometimes it's too much help. Um, and yes, and you know, then they feel more involved on the wedding day or they feel that, you know, they chose a certain thing that's important to them when.

Brian: Maybe it's not important to you. So I think that's, that's really 

Brandi: good advice. Yes, definitely. And again, you also have a lot of people who say they'll do a lot of things for that day and they don't necessarily, so delegating can be a little bit of a slippery slope. You wanna definitely pick people that you feel very confident follow through.

Brian: Awesome. Yeah. And so after picking some of those dates and trying to match it up with your venue, what's kind of the next 

Brandi: step? The next thing is securing your main vendors. Um, you're gonna have main vendors that are, that are booked really frequently, so that would be your dj, your photographer, um, your caterer.

Brandi: Mm-hmm. And your florist. Those are your, your big four. You wanna get those locked in and make sure that they're accepted at the venue. Some venues have, Very strict guidelines and they won't allow any vendor you choose. Mm-hmm. So you need to kinda work within those parameters, lock all that in, then you can get more serious into the fun stuff.

Brandi: Okay. 

Brian: So those venues that have a specific. Vendors are those, is there a reason for that? Is it like because they work more smoothly or is it just like a 

Brandi: Yeah, it can be a, a varied amount of things. Some venues have a lot of rules. Yeah, they have a ton of roles. They want things left a certain way and they put a lot on the caterers, et cetera.

Brandi: So when venues find kind of that magic mix of a great caterer that comes in and meets all their marks and, and also leaves the guest happy, um, you know, when a, when a venue has a preferred vendor list, I wouldn't say throw that out. Definitely take a look because there's a reason they prefer them. Not always is it a great reason, but most times.

Brandi: They've seen them do that job over and over and over again. So there's a lot within that. Um, and then some just have very particular properties and there's a lot of guidelines around that. And they have rules they have to follow, therefore they have to limit who comes in and who comes out. 

Brian: Right. So it could be smoother working with a vendor that is recommended by a venue.

Brian: Um, but you know, just like you said, sometimes it's good reasons. Sometimes it's bad. Like selfishly as a photographer, we know there are some venues that I've been using the same photographer for. Years and years and years and, you know, they go to the same locations at the venue and they have the same, you know, process.

Brian: Which, you know, for me, I'm, you know, we are always promoting like, we want you to do your wedding your way. So curve, right? Big wedding, great. If you want a small wedding, great. If you want to do this, great. If you wanna do that, great. So, um, it totally depends on the vibe of, you know, the bride or, or whatever the other parts 

Brandi: you want.

Brandi: Percent, a hundred percent. There are some venues that are. You know, not, not to be rude, but they're a little more cookie cutter. They've got a lot of the work done for you, but it's also very systematic and it's not custom, and it won't be, you know, specific to what you want. And some people prefer that.

Brandi: Yeah. And that's fine. But if you're really looking to customize your wedding, then you really wanna find a venue that has a lot of flexibility and is willing to work with you and allow that. Awesome. So 

Brian: yeah. Yeah, that totally makes sense. Yeah. And like I said, we like just to emphasize like, do your wedding the way you want to do your wedding because Yes.

Brian: You know, I mean, how many times, I'm sure you hear it all the time, it's like, well, you know, my, my mom did this. We should do this. Or what should we do the bunny hop? Or should we do like, you know, it's like you don't have to do anything. Like, you don't have to do anything unless you want to do it. And I think that maybe we encourage, I hopefully don't encourage too much, but it's like, if you like a thing, like if you love Frisbee and you wanna throw a Frisbee on the aisle, like whatever that is, Awesome.

Brian: Like absolutely you should. I think you should lean into that. I think more people should lean into it. I think that makes it so cool. A hundred percent. You know, Brian, 

Brandi: you and I have done quite a few weddings where I had my clients come to me and say, Hey, we really wanna do this thing. And we pulled it off.

Brandi: And we pulled it off with you. Yeah. And those are the money makers, right? Those are those amazing things that are unique. I mean, we had to trash the dress and we remember, 

Brian: right? Yes. The pool. That was amazing. Trash. 

Brandi: The dress in the pool at the end of the wedding. Good. Not months later. Right. But it was amazing.

Brandi: Oh, it was so awesome. It was so great. One 

Brian: of my most memorable weddings 'cause of that. Absolutely. And yeah, I, I think that if, if I could give, you know, that advice a hundred times and I will give that advice a hundred times, is if you have a thing that you and your partner love and you've never seen it at a wedding, that absolutely does not mean you can't do it.

Brian: It means you should do it. Probably a 

Brandi: hundred percent. Yeah. Absolutely. And another thing that I put, um, you know, over and over again, and I say over and over again, don't force something. If it feels forced, you're gonna regret it. Yeah. If it, if it feels forced to you or your partner, that's, that's a boundary you need to listen to.

Brandi: And, and then readjust. Don't let other people. Dictate your day. Oh, for sure. 

Brian: Yeah. I think that's great advice. Um, yeah, we could harp on that for an hour, but a hundred percent. It's like, do you, do you do what you wanna do? It'll be better, it'll be better than worse for sure. And there's no 

Brandi: crazy idea. You 

Brian: No, no.

Brian: Like we, we can always make it work and we have to. Absolutely. Awesome. Um, and then after the ven, like we, we know that the venue is like a huge, huge choice and it's gonna impact a lot of your other. Choices, right? Because if you absolutely size of your wedding, you know, date, obviously, um, you know, indoor, outdoor, all of that sort of stuff.

Brian: So after that, like what are kind of, after you choose those vendors, is there, is there kind of like the next step that gets into the, the other main wedding? 

Brandi: Absolutely. So if you've picked your venue, the thing you need to look into is, do they have tables, chairs, linens. Stuff like that. That's another thing that fills up really fast.

Brandi: So if you have a venue where you're responsible for those things, you want to reach out to a rental company right away, and I recommend that you shop around. There's a lot of different prices, and definitely go to the rental company and see the product. Okay. You know, uh, Not all white chairs are created equal.

Brandi: Yeah. Yeah. So, um, so that would be the next big thing is to make sure that you have your rentals and, um, if you have any special details, if you have anything, you know, I've done Indian weddings and they have butterfly releases and stuff like that. Mm-hmm. So if there's anything very specific that you want, that's kind of a unique detail, you also wanna look into that to ensure that the date that you've chosen is gonna correlate with getting that done.

Brandi: Okay. Those would be the big ticket items. After you've got that done, then you're. You're well on your 

Brian: way. Awesome. And what, what do you think, so would that include like things that you need. Custom made. Custom built, yes. That sort of thing. Yes. 

Brandi: Anything that's, um, unique, if you have a specific officiant that you want, if you're not just having a friend do it or it doesn't, you know, come with the package per se, then, and I wanna, I wanna go back Your venue and your ceremony site.

Brandi: If your ceremony site differs, if it's at a church, what have you, that's something that you're gonna have to line up with the Oh yeah. Right. Sure. Don't forget that if you're, if you're doing two separate locations, which is common, um, then you wanna make sure both of those are done at the same time and have the same date.

Brandi: Um, so then yes. Again, uh, anything custom made, custom shot, glasses we've done, um, we've done custom dance cards, I mean, all kinds of things. Those things take time and you can't rush 'em, so you wanna make sure you, you get 

Brian: ahead on that. Yeah. And it's kind of like when you do a project on your house, it's gonna take three times longer than you think it's gonna take or however you want trips to.

Brian: Home Depot or Hobby Lobby or whatever. Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, I've heard horror stories of people having to tie things or whatever. They're center. They're making their own centerpieces or their own, yeah. Backdrop for their wedding oral alter. We've had a dad doing an 

Brandi: arch, then I used 

Brian: Arch. Arch, yes. That is a pretty common figure.

Brian: Ask your dad, tell 'em that your wedding is a year before it actually is actually, yes. But yeah, I think that. If you're gonna do stuff yourself, I think that's great. You know, you're probably gonna save some money and it's gonna be custom, like we talked about, but be aware that just like venues, if you're gonna do it yourself, it's going to take longer.

Brian: It's gonna take more work. Yes, yes. And possibly more choice 

Brandi: ordering online. Make sure you give yourself ample time to receive it and possibly send it back if you need to. Right. 'cause a lot of mistakes happen with the online ordering. So that's another caveat is do all that stuff way ahead so you have plenty of time to, to fix it if it's a 

Brian: miss.

Brian: That's awesome. Um, yeah, I think that's a great, that's a great start. And I think that, Your book probably is gonna cover a, like some of your books are gonna cover a lot more of those details. Absolutely. 

Brandi: I have one of the first books that will be released is how to Pick your Venue, you know, and there's so many ins and outs based on what you need for your day.

Brandi: So yeah, it's a guideline on how to pick the right venue for you. Yeah. Yeah. 

Brian: And I'm gonna brag on Brandy here too. Um, I know that she's told me that when people come and consult with her or we get, get a consult with you, that they walk out saying like, I had no idea. That I needed to know those things. Or I have a list of however many questions I need to ask my family, or I need to ask my venue, or I need to ask my planner.

Brian: Absolutely. And so like getting that expert help is, can be, can save you a ton of time and a ton of headache. So whether it's, you know, getting one of Brandy's books or just looking at a guide like doing your research. Early is Yes, is gonna be huge. And going to the the experts can be huge. 

Brandi: Absolutely. One other thing I can recommend for venues, if you've got a couple in mind, do a venue tour and try and do it all in the same day.

Brandi: Okay. Um, take notes, remember the smells, remember, you know, and take pictures and then go home and assess it all, and then that's helpful. But try and tour. All of them in the same day, then you know that wow factor when you hit it. Yeah. 

Brian: And I think one thing on when you're doing those is really go with your gut too.

Brian: I think that if you have a bad feeling, especially about the people, if the tour is, if they're pushing you along or you don't feel comfortable with the people, that is going to be critical on your day. And same thing with the vendors that you meet. Um, but especially the venue, you know, I've heard that, you know, we had a bad feeling about it and that we went with the venue anyway because it looked, it had all of other things on the checklist.

Brian: But if you have a gut feeling that. There's really no harm in, in really kind of leaning into that and making sure. Absolutely. 

Brandi: I think that people really second guess themselves when it comes to their wedding. It's a big day. It's an emotionally church mm-hmm. Event. Mm-hmm. And so, um, they don't listen to their gut enough.

Brandi: And you're absolutely right. You've, you, when you walk into that venue, it should feel easy, it should feel comfortable. They should be totally open to all your questions. Yeah. Yeah. And they should be open to touring the whole facility and explaining how things roll out. Absolutely. You're right. Yeah. And there's 

Brian: no shortage of venues in Colorado or the options of getting a tent and finding a field.

Brian: There's so many places that you can do it. So, Even though there are times when you, if you have one date, like you said, if you only have one date, it might feel like, oh my gosh, there's nothing available. Or if you want your wedding to happen within the next year, might be feel stressful, but. There are options.

Brian: There are definitely options. There are definitely 

Brandi: options. And I will say Colorado's kind of unique in that there's a lot of beautiful locations and the answer's always no, unless you ask. You'd be surprised where we've pulled off some weddings. Yes. So yes, 

Brian: absolutely. Yeah. And again, like do what you wanna do and if they'll, if it doesn't feel right, it's probably not gonna feel right on your wedding day.

Brian: So Absolutely. Just emphasizing that again. Yes. Um, well, Brandy, thank you so much for getting people started on their wedding planning journey. I know that there's. So much more to do and so much more to talk about and we could talk for hours and maybe we will. Um, and thank you so much for having me here.

Brian: So how do people get in contact with you or, or how do they find your books? Right. The best 

Brandi: way to reach me is on Instagram. Um, I have Day Of Your Dreams by Brandy on Instagram. Mm-hmm. Um, I will be posting a lot. I do have a. Talk as well, and you're more than welcome to go to that. But, uh, that's more fun content.

Brandi: But the real wedding content, you can message me, you can call me, you can reach me all through Instagram. That's the best 

Brian: way. Awesome. But as, as more and more of your books come out, we'll have links in the show notes that everybody can take a look and highly recommend it. Like I said, I've worked with Brandy many times and.

Brian: It's been the smoothest weddings that are very unique and, um, we just would like to encourage you guys to have an awesome low as low stress as possible. Yes, there's yes, stress, but low stress and amazing customer to be fun. Don't forget that. Oh my gosh. It will You a blast. Fun. Yes. Yes. We, we always try to make it fun, so.

Brian: Absolutely. Well, Brandi, thank you so much and I'm sure we'll talk to you again soon. Appreciate it. Thanks. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Colorado Wedding Podcast. We hope you found our tips insightful for planning your Colorado wedding. For all the free wedding planning tools, checklists, and guides, go to Colorado wedding guides.com.

Brian: Don't forget to rate us on Apple and Spotify and be sure to follow us on Instagram at co wedding podcast. We appreciate you and hope you have the best wedding possible. See you next time.