When a bride begins to coordinate her wedding preparations, that is one of the most exciting times of her life – in anticipation of the coming marriage. From hunting down a reliable professional wedding photographer to the music and more, organizing all the particulars that help to make the day so memorable are huge.
The wedding venue itself is certainly among them, and the city of Philadelphia serves as an excellent choice.
If you’re in the midst of some serious Philadelphia wedding planning, keep reading for five great tips that are full of local resources sure to make your wedding planning experience simple and enjoyable.
Tour a Wedding Show or Bride Expo
If you’re short for time or big on efficiency, hitting up a local bridal show is a great way to meet and evaluate hundreds of Philadelphia wedding companies, venues, photographers, DJ’s and more in one day and under one roof.
]The biggest company currently hosting bridal shows in Philadelphia is Bridal Event (bridalevent.com). They host events all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey and are known for large-scale bridal shows with hundreds of vendors. You can check their website for upcoming shows in the Philadelphia area.
Plan for Your Photographer
While Philadelphia is chock full of perfect wedding photography locations (the Art Museum, Longwood Gardens, LOVE Park), make sure that you don’t need a permit beforehand. Otherwise you could wind up having your wedding day photo session shut down sooner than you planned.
For example, to shoot on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you need a special advance permit from the Fairmount Park Commission, and it costs $50 an hour. So, do your homework in advance so you can be best prepared.
Get Online
Sometimes Philadelphia wedding planning can be overwhelming, so why not blow off some steam venting with other brides or doing your planning and shopping online. You can try a national site like One Wed (onewed.com) or something local such as PA Brides (pabrides.com) to find vendors or just inspiration.
Try logging on to local forums to connect with other brides in your area. They can offer advice or recommendations for service providers as well as provide an understanding ear.
Invest in a Philadelphia Wedding Planner
Of course the “city of brotherly love” is home to piles of well-qualified wedding planners. So, if you need someone to take over the whole process or just a one-hour consultation to help with budgeting or other plans, check the yellow pages or the websites listed above for a recommended, local planner. Popular companies include The Wedding Factor, Megan Kennedy Events and I Do Wedding Consulting.
Subscribe to Philadelphia Wedding Magazine
Philadelphia Wedding magazine only comes out four times a year, but its pages are full of local ideas, creative resources and helpful suppliers.
So, rather than waste your time on national publications that don’t offer the local information you need, use this local publication as your Philadelphia wedding planning guidebook.