First off, congratulations on your engagement! After you proposed or “said yes,” the thrill of being newly engaged begins and you shout it out from the rooftops because you want the world to know. It’s exciting stuff telling your friends and family, receiving a multitude of comments on Instagram, hundreds of likes on Facebook and with every “thumbs up,” your everlasting love becomes even richer. Then it hits you like a ton of bricks…It’s time to plan your dream wedding! But who, what, when, where do I find vendors, do we have a destination wedding all runs through your head in a frenzy. Well, fear not lovebirds! Pure Joy is here to help. We’ll give you a quick run down of how to be prepared to plan your wedding:
The second question everyone will ask you is, “When’s the big day?” Right after they ask to see the engagement ring of course. Their second question is your first cue. Setting a loose date for your wedding day. Think about the time of year; peak season will be more expensive, as will Saturdays so consider your options and your pocketbook. Don’t get your heart set on a specific date, as it may change a bit once you find your perfect event venue and fabulous wedding caterer.
Second step, start counting friends and family. That’s right, the rather uncomfortable narrowing of the wedding guest list. This list will be tweaked, prodded and refined over and over again in the coming months. A good suggestion is to have a “must have,” “should have” and “nice to have” list going. You can narrow down your count that way, just don’t reveal to your guests which list they were on. From our Pure Joy statistics we’ve calculated guest count usually goes down by about 5% from the time couples save the date with us (the caterer) from their actual wedding day. So it’s good to take that into consideration.
Next on the list is finding your dream wedding venue. We have created a fantastic resource for this, Santa Barbara Venues. You can peruse over 120 venues on the central coast, mainly between Santa Ynez and Malibu. You can narrow your search by type of venue, location, guest count etc. Plus, we know these venues well, we can help connect you or answer your venue questions since we have a good bird’s eye view of the venue landscape around us.
Finally, it’s time to cater to your guest’s hungry bellies. Just remember, Pure Joy Catering is a great option to cater your wedding and we have a multitude of awards to prove it. We are full service, meaning we will help you create the perfect reception dinner menu, all scratch made and unique, we will staff your event, set it up, tear it down; leaving the venue better than we found it and we will help manage all your rentals to ensure a perfect and smooth event.
Lastly, you’ll need to find all your other vendors. Use your chosen venue and your caterer as a useful resource to find your vendors. Chances are, they have great preferred vendor lists that are tried and true. Venues and caterers definitely have their favorites, and for good reason. Not everyone out there is equal and some may be best suited for your personal wedding preferences. Talk to them about who you should use and ask questions. Your venue may require bathroom rentals and lighting or even valet. Your caterer will know who the best rental company to work with in town is and will find your perfect linens, can recommend fabulous florists, makeup and hair artists and the list goes on. Through experience, preferred vendor lists are essential to a successful wedding and we wouldn’t dare steer you astray. After all, we all have the same goal as you; to create your perfect wedding day.
Again, congratulations on your engagement! Now you’re ready to tackle the wedding world! Don’t hesitate to call us for questions, we’ll be looking forward to hearing that engagement story and your vision for your dream wedding. events@purejoycatering.com or (805) 963-5766
Photo Above by Kristen Victoria Photography