Halloween is upon us and it always makes me think of the creepiest, scariest things that could ever happen to me… binge watching all 80 Halloween remakes with my husband doesn’t help! I love all things scary and actually fall asleep to horror movies more often than I would like to admit, but that’s another story for some other time! Today I want to talk about “scary” things that couples say during the planning process that are the makings of a horror film that I’m working on called “Planner-normal Activity”…. Get it? OK, OK… Let’s get on with my recommendations for having a hauntingly beautiful wedding celebration.

“I don’t want to have a rain plan”

There is a huge difference between hoping for the best, and being unprepared.  I hate to use the “R” word, but it’s setting yourself up for disaster to ignore the fact that nature can do whatever it wants, even on your big day.  It’s never too early to think of these things either. I would recommend asking your venue what its potential rain plan set up is on your first walkthrough so that you know it’s a setup you can live with.  We know that it’s never ideal to have rain on the big day, but look on the bright side… a lot of people think it’s good luck AND double bonus: the lighting on overcast days make for some of the most amazing photographs we’ve seen!

“We don’t need a professional caterer, we have friends who would love to help”

Please, please, please do not put yourself, or any of your wedding guests in this position on your big day.  A lot of my couples have no idea how large of an undertaking serving and cleaning up after a 100+ person event is.  Once we talk through the logistics, they quickly understand that this is a job for the pros! Even if you are convinced that a buffet is low-maintenance, who will bus each and every table after dinner service concludes?  Who will bus and stack glassware once the party is over? Who will break down the rental items at the end of the night? You see where I’m going with this? It takes a ton of professional manpower to set up and break down a large scale event and although your friends may have the best intentions in the world, they are ill-equipped to pull off the job.  Besides, wouldn’t you rather have them by your side dancing the night away rather than taking out the garbage? But what if you want your favorite restaurant from childhood to provide food for your wedding, but they don’t provide a catering staff? There are actually professional staffing services and/or independent contractors that you can hire to stand in to perform the duties of a catering team for the entirety of your event.  Money well spent!

“We don’t want to provide transportation, everyone can Uber”

This is only scary in certain situations… like in the mountains of Central Virginia.  If you are in a metropolitan area where Ubers and Lyfts runneth over, then this is a great idea!  You can even treat your guests to a wedding group code for a discount! However, a lot of our couples love the beautiful serenity of vineyards and farms that lie on the outskirts of the city, making it extremely frustrating to get 1 Uber, let alone 75 at the same time at 11 p.m.  In this case, transportation can be a lifesaver (literally) as your guests are not forced to navigate the dark and winding terrain where a lot of these wedding destinations are set. When transportation is provided to and from the wedding hotel where most of your guests are staying, your guests are free to let their hair down and party with you without having to cut themselves off after cocktail hour.