Planning a wedding is a significant milestone for many couples, and it's a time filled with excitement and anticipation. However, planning a single wedding can be an overwhelming experience that requires careful attention to detail, organization, and coordination. From selecting the perfect venue and caterer to choosing the right flowers and decor, every decision can have a significant impact on the overall success of the event.
But what happens when you're tasked with planning not just one, but multiple events or entire weddings? Whether you're a professional event planner or a bride-to-be with several weddings on the horizon, the task of managing multiple wedding-related tasks can be daunting. From juggling schedules and budgets to managing multiple vendors and timelines, the challenge of planning multiple weddings requires a unique set of skills and expertise. In this article, we've asked the pros to share their tips and strategies to successfully plan multiple weddings and ensure that every event is a success.
Determine your guest list for each event.
“The first and most important step in planning multiple events is to establish your guests list for each event. The anticipated guest list for various events will help you establish your budget and overall needs in planning going forward and the guest list is the most important piece of information that every vendor will need to know as you begin planning.” – Mandy Connor, Owner, Hummingbird Events & Design
Organize your invitations for each guest.
“Your love story begins with a spark, but your wedding celebration starts with the perfect invitation! When planning a wedding with multiple events, your invitations should be carefully thought out and tailored to each guest. You don't want to offend or confuse anyone by including any information about an event that the recipient is not attending. With our clients, we suggest structuring the suite with inserts that can be swapped out depending on the events for each guest. We like to design an elegant pocket or folio that holds all event inserts and components as part of your invitation suite. It is the best way to keep things organized and clear for your guests while making it easy for you to tailor each invitation to each guest, and it also elevates the look of your invitation to make it stunning! *Pro tip: Your details card, website and rsvp cards should also only reflect the specific information each guest needs.” – Andaleeb, Azure Invitations and Design
Stay transparent with your guests.
“More than one event means more questions on what to wear from your guests. A wedding website with clear instructions will help, but ultimately be prepared to spend time talking one-on-one with guests who are unsure.” – Philip Casey, Philip Casey Photography
Create an organization system.
“Creating a system of organization is key to pulling off multiple events or weddings! A way of being organized can be to host separate folders in your Google Drive for each event, then sub categorize each of those in terms of vendors. Separating your timeline documents will also help the process not to feel so overwhelming, but as if you're tackling each event as its own entity.” – Casey Stamouli, Owner and Lead Planner, Casey & Co. Events
Blend who you are as a couple.
“Make sure to make both events blends of who you are as a couple. From two different cultures and hosting one event in each place? Make sure that it doesn't become “my party, and their party” – it should always be a mix of you both.” – Charolette Ricard-Quesada, La Fete
Budget accordingly.
“Budget accordingly. Realize that multiple events means multiple bookings for each vendor.” – Philip Casey, Philip Casey Photography
Reuse vendors.
“When planning a multi-event wedding, or maybe a second larger wedding after a smaller elopement, things can quickly get overwhelming and overlooked. The keys to pulling off all of these moments are organization, delegation and utilizing the same vendors. For example, if you have a welcome party, wedding day and an after party, ask your vendors if they can assist at all 3 or provide any additional services that are needed. Try to utilize your same wonderful vendors for multiple events to keep the planning simplified and more cohesive.” – Kari Dirksen, CEO and Lead Planner, Feathered Arrow Events
Incorporate your culture.
“If you are planning multiple celebrations due to widespread family and friends, find a way to highlight the culture and traditions from each location! I am currently planning a US-based celebration for a couple who will be hosting an international celebration for more family and friends who are located in Peru shortly after. Their priorities have been incorporating Peruvian flavors and traditions into their US celebration and arranging for communication to be available in both English and Spanish (at both celebrations) so all of their guests know what is happening throughout the ceremony and reception. We are working hard to represent the important elements from each of their home countries and traditions so that they feel their heritage is honored while enhancing the party!” – Alexandra Denniston, Owner and Lead Planner, Eventlightenment Planning
Pay attention when picking your venue.
“Do you want it to be a smaller event and the next one a bigger one? Then make sure that when you pick your venues, you take into account the accessibility factor – if it's harder to fly to or get to, that will automatically cut your guest list.” – Charolette Ricard-Quesada, La Fete
Rely on your planning team.
“Your planning team can step in and alleviate a lot of stress as it pertains to multiple events in one weekend. Even if they haven't worked the venue before, it's their job to step in and figure out all of those logistics issues that can turn into BIG headaches and head them off at the pass. Timing, vendor load-in, set up, and tear down are all within a skilled planner's wheelhouse to figure out and help facilitate day-of alongside your vendor team.” – Ashley Lachney, Owner, Alston Mayger Events
Focus one event on design, and one event on meaning.
“To help ease the burden of planning two separate events, consider putting more design and detail effort into one event, and let the other have an emphasis on the meaning behind the occasion and/or having it take place at your dream location. For example, you might want to have your ceremony be more intimate and take a drive to that gorgeous historic courthouse you've been eyeing or even elope to the mountains, but of course there is no need to worry about details like decor or favors. Then your reception can have the grand design elements and theme you've also been dreaming of – the best of both worlds!” – Lisette Gatliff, Lisette Gatliff Photography
Planning multiple wedding events can be overwhelming, but with these expert tips and tricks, you'll be able to pull off an unforgettable celebration that will leave your guests talking for years to come. From determining your guest list for each event to incorporating your cultural traditions and highlighting your love story, there are many factors to consider when planning multiple events. But don't worry, with careful planning and organization, you can create beautiful and memorable events that reflect who you are as a couple.
Remember to pay attention when picking your venues, stay transparent with your guests, and rely on your planning team to alleviate stress as it pertains to multiple events in one weekend. By putting more design and detail effort into one event, and letting the other have an emphasis on the meaning behind the occasion, you can create a unique and unforgettable experience for all your guests. So take a deep breath, and start planning your multi-event wedding with confidence!
