Do You Really Need a Wedding Planner? What Couples Should Know:
Release Date: 09/03/2025
Maximizing Your Time at a Wedding Fair / Bridal Expo
Wedding Planning Podcast
Would you volunteer to host a party for 40 people and then rush out to the store with no menu planned & no shopping list? No way! You’d sit down and plan out what everyone was going to bring, make a menu of app's & drinks, look up some recipes, and then make a detailed list of exactly what you need to buy. So why on earth would you head out to a WEDDING FAIR / BRIDAL EXPO with absolutely no plan, and just "see what happens"? Today on the Wedding Planning Podcast we’re going to take inventory of your priorities, and make a list of your top goals for your day spent at the...
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Do You Really Need a Wedding Planner? What Couples Should Know:
Wedding Planning Podcast
"The more thought & intention you put into your wedding plans throughout your engagement, the richer your wedding celebration will be." Do we really need to hire a WEDDING PLANNER / Day of Coodinator? In Part One of today's featured show, we review a list of critical guidelines to keep in mind as you decide whether or not to hire a professional wedding planner. Do you HAVE to hire a professional planner? Spoiler alert - I definitely DO NOT think you have to spend thousands of dollars to hire a professional wedding planner. In Part Two of the show, we sort out some common...
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Straightforward Solutions To 5 Wedding Puzzles
Wedding Planning Podcast
Streamline + simplify has been a tagline for the WPP literally since I created the show way back in 2015. (Look closely, it's even on our old logo!) Not only are these two of my favorite words in the English language - that I try and live by in ALL aspects of my life - more specifically, they perfectly summarize my approach to wedding planning. Every situation you’ll encounter throughout your engagement can be examined through the lens of simplicity and potentially scaled back or streamlined in some way that will make your life easier, more affordable, more relaxing, and...
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Newlywed Notes, Carlsbad CA Wedding Recap + Wedding Q&A
Wedding Planning Podcast
I went to a beautiful wedding in Carlsbad, CA last weekend - tune in for the highlights, including a really unique venue, rocking dance floor, and the most beautiful gift to all the guests. But first, we're starting this week's show with some newlywed notes from my brother and sister-in-law, Mike & Laura. They share what worked, what stressed them out, and their true feelings on the wedding being "over". For lots more details on their Rochester, MI wedding, look for a show dated May 12, 2025. I also have an inbox full of your wedding questions to share: Dealing with...
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Asking for Cash Gifts, How Much Alcohol Should We Buy, Booking a Babysitter? Wedding Planning Q&A
Wedding Planning Podcast
Get ready for a jam-packed Wedding Q&A show, full of your planning questions & concerns! Here's a sampling of what's on the menu this week: How much alcohol to buy? >>> (and tune in to my full answer for lots more helpful tips on the topic!) What can we expect for the price of flowers? Who pays for the bridal shower, & should I offer to help? >>> Fiance doesn't want any wedding party at all, but I do. How to proceed? Rehearsal dinner options are way too expensive. Advice on making it more affordable? Should we hire a babysitter for...
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Follow Up Wedding Q&A | 4-6 Week Wedding Countdown
Wedding Planning Podcast
Happy Friday, and welcome to a BONUS Q&A follow up show to this week's feature episode, "4-6 Week Wedding Countdown" show that aired on Wednesday, July 16th. Today we're finding answers to everything on your mind, including: Dis-inviting moms to final venue walk through? Last-minute doubts about decor and signage, do we need more? Do we have to tell our guests that we're already technically married? How to design a clean & crisp tablescape Is it too late to hire a month-of coordinator? Dealing with unwanted, uninvited "plus 1's" in our RSVPs Questions about your own...
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4-6 Week Wedding Countdown: Your Final Month To-Do List
Wedding Planning Podcast
Today we’re going to run through a 10-item wedding to-do list for when you reach the final 4-6 week countdown before your wedding day. While some of the items in today’s show are pretty standard, others are much less obvious - and sadly are not commonly discussed. Overlooking just one of these important action-items can tip the scales towards a stressful, frantic celebration - and I don't want that for you! For a complete recap of today's show, visit
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Vendor Pricing Transparency Frustrations, How Much to Tip & More Wedding Q&A
Wedding Planning Podcast
"Why can't you just tell me the price???" Have you been victim of a vendor who insists on a lengthy meeting before they will provide you a price range for their services? This can be incredibly annoying when you are simply trying to determine if something is within your budget, or not. I have some advice for navigating this frustrating situation, including a copy / paste script for your inquiry emails: Hi, we are very motivated to choose a photographer {insert service here} for our {insert date here} May 2027 wedding. {insert how you found them, what sparked your interest}....
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Crafting Your Wedding Vows, Featuring "The Vow Whisperer" | Tanya Pushkine
Wedding Planning Podcast
Today on the Wedding Planning Podcast, we’re joined by a very special guest, Tanya Pushkine from . Tanya offers professional vow writing support, officiant services, and even wedding ceremony production support, including public speaking coaching. Tanya will guide you through exactly how to put your heart into words, resulting in crafted wedding vows that are truly meaningful to you & you partner. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes tour of her process, best practices for creating your wedding vows and ceremony flow, and so much more. To learn more about working with...
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6 Common Wedding Weekend Planning Mistakes
Wedding Planning Podcast
Tune in for the most common wedding weekend planning mistakes I see couples make as they formulate the details of a multi-day, multi-event wedding celebration. In this episode, we highlight 6 common planning mistakes, including: Feeling intimidated by the COST of hosting multiple events, Trying to accommodate ALL of your guests perfectly (spoiler alert - it's not possible, so don't even try!) Failing to consider the endless creative possibilities for food & drinks before committing to an overpriced & underwhelming caterer, Not communicating clearly with your guests before,...
info_outline"The more thought & intention you put into your wedding plans throughout your engagement, the richer your wedding celebration will be."
Do we really need to hire a WEDDING PLANNER / Day of Coodinator?
In Part One of today's featured show, we review a list of critical guidelines to keep in mind as you decide whether or not to hire a professional wedding planner.
Do you HAVE to hire a professional planner? Spoiler alert - I definitely DO NOT think you have to spend thousands of dollars to hire a professional wedding planner.
In Part Two of the show, we sort out some common misconceptions and FAQ's about wedding planners and day of coordinators.
When I got married, I wasted a lot of time researching and interviewing planners before I realized that A.) I didn’t HAVE to hire anyone, and B.) John and I had all the tools we needed to plan OUR perfect wedding day.
And side note, shocker - obviously, none of the wedding planners I interviewed ever mentioned to me, hey by the way, did you know that you could actually just do this on your own?
Thankfully I came around to that, but it took lots of wasted effort and stress to get there.
Flash forward to today - I literally created the Wedding Planning Podcast so that any engaged couple could tune in and use the episodes and the tools we review in the weekly shows to plan their own wedding - no professional or pricey wedding planner required.
Some alternatives? Try checking out the sites we mentioned in today's show, including your local Craigslist postings, Thumbtack.com, taskrabbit.com and fiverr.com
I also know that there are countless wonderful wedding planning professionals out there, and for some couples it’s a really smart investment … and we’ll get into all of that that much more in today’s show.
Click here for the full blog post from today's show.
Click here to submit your wedding questions or future show topic requests.
Thank you for your support of the Wedding Planning Podcast, and we'll talk soon!
Cheers,
Kara