The Unconventional Wedding Planning Podcast

REBROADCAST: Are you an introvert planning a wedding? Do you hate attention, dread hanging out with large groups of people and shy away from the spotlight? Same. And while it may feel like the wedding industry is not geared towards people like us, there are lots of ways to create a wedding that is introvert-friendly. Don't spend your whole engagement worried about all of the people involved in you...

Everyone wants to find a good deal and save some money on their wedding. But how do you save your budget without making your wedding look cheap? The last thing you want your guests to think as they leave your reception is, "Yeah, they sure didn't spend a lot on that!" In this week's episode I'm sharing some ideas for how you can save money, cut back on your wedding budget, reduce wedding waste, an...

REBROADCAST: Want to have the best honeymoon ever after your epic wedding? Let me help you make that happen! We just got back from our 3-week honeymoon (want to know where we went? You'll have to listen to find out!), and it was awesome. But we definitely messed up on a few things. This week I'm sharing our honeymoon story plus 10 tips to help you have the most amazing honeymoon ever. Happy weddin...

REBROADCASTS: I've talked a lot about wedding regrets on The Unconventional Wedding Planning Podcast and now... it's time to admit my own! On today's episode I'm sharing 12 regrets I have from my 2021 wedding day, looking back now that I'm married and the day is behind us. All in all, I loved my day and these regrets don't keep me up at night. But if I had to do it all again, there are a few thing...

There's a lot of negativity when it comes to weddings. They're too expensive, too stressful, too much work and too much drama. No one even wants to get married anymore! Plus, how could you plan a wedding when the whole world is falling apart? It's true: weddings can be expensive/stressful/dramatic and there's a lot of hard stuff happening in the world right now. And yet, you're planning a wedding!...

REBROADCAST: Wedding planning can be STRESSFUL! And while I can't eliminate the stress entirely (unless you throw the whole plan out the window and go elope today which...I definitely considered!), I believe these 7 tips will help all engaged couples focus on what matters (hint: your marriage!), cut down on wed stress, and enjoy the wedding planning process a little bit more!  Have a wedding...

Weddings are about bringing together two people. And those people often bring with them their own families, cultures, languages, customs, religions, traditions and more! So how do you fuse those things together into one cohesive wedding? How do you honour your Japanese culture and your partner's Spanish culture? Do you do your ceremony in Italian or Swahili? Do you serve paella or fried rice? Do y...

REBROADCAST: We made it down the aisle despite... my dress not fitting, needing to fire and hire a new officiant and photographer, getting a visit from Aunt Flo, and 11 more disasters that all happened in the few weeks before our wedding day! Wedding planning is full of disaster-prone situations and odds are you'll face the toughest ones just before your wedding day. But you will make it through a...

More and more couples are choosing non-traditional and unconventional paths for their weddings. They're eloping, not wearing white dresses and black suits, not inviting their extended family, not blowing their life savings on one day, writing their own vows and writing their own rules. So if you've made choices for your wedding that break from tradition but feel right for you, congratulations! Now...

REBROADCAST: After months (or years!) of wedding planning, you've finally made it. Today is your wedding day! If today is your wedding day, start the day off with this 12 minute episode that will get you in the perfect mindset for your big day ahead. Deep breath. You've made it. And you only have one job today: get married. As long as you do that, your day was a success! With this episode, I want...

Should you host a family-friendly wedding with kids invited? Or should you go for an adults-only event with no kids allowed? In this episode, I'm breaking down why you would want to invite kids to your wedding and why you wouldn't, compromises if you want some kids there for some of the time, and what it actually means to say yes or no, including how to share the news with your guest list and deal...

REBROADCAST: On today's episode I'm sharing 10 things I wish I had known before my wedding day. And now that you know these things before your wedding day, you can learn from my mistakes and have an even more amazing day! Happy wedding planning to all of the engaged folks, brides and grooms to be, out there!  Have a wedding planning question or episode idea? Let me know what you want to hear!...

It's one thing to want your guests to have a good time at your wedding. It's another thing to actually design a wedding around your guests, that involves them in the day and proves to them how much you value them as part of your wedding day and part of your life. In this episode, I'm following up last week's with more ideas on how to engage your guests on your wedding day, connect with them and ma...

We all want our guests to have a good time at our wedding, to feel connected by our love story and like they really matter on the big day. But how do you actually make that happen? How do you get your guests involved in your wedding so they feel like part of it, rather than just witnesses to what's happening? How do you take them from a bored audience watching a show to engaged loved ones you actu...

REBROADCAST: I'm breaking down my actual wedding budget using the real numbers from my 2021 wedding! I'm sharing what I originally budgeted, how much I ended up spending, what I splurged on and where I saved, plus how my numbers measure up to what wedding media tells us we "should" be spending. Whether you're planning a low budget wedding or something more luxurious, hearing the real numbers alway...

If there's one wedding tradition I stand by, it's wedding thank you cards. Yes, they're an old school wedding tradition, but they're also a really thoughtful and polite way to thank your guests not only for their gifts, but for the time, effort and love they put into your wedding. In today's episode, I'm breaking down all of the wedding thank you card do's and don'ts. I'll tell you who gets a card...

REBROADCAST: The wedding comparison game: A fun little game all engaged couples play when they compare their wedding to every wedding they attend or see on social media in the months leading up to their big day. Toxic thoughts include: "Why didn't we get the 3-foot high centerpieces? They look so good", "Thank god we went for the chicken instead of this awful fish" and "A sparkler exit? Now I want...

If you're an organized person planning a reasonably small wedding, do you actually need a day-of coordinator? Is it worth adding another $1000-3000 to your wedding budget if you can do the job yourself? Or are DOCs actually worth the cost? Do they really save you time, stress and work? In today's episode, I'm breaking down what a day of coordinator does (and how that's different from a wedding pla...

REBROADCAST: I'm back with 10 MORE wedding traditions you can skip. From parent/child dances to who pays for the wedding, this is a list of items that people are begging engaged folks to just retire already. I'll go through the list, give my take and hopefully give you something to think about. Do these traditions work for you? Will you be including them in your wedding? Have a wedding planning qu...

REBROADCAST: What wedding traditions are begging to be skipped? What are guests tired or seeing and what are couples tired of doing? Find out in today's episode of the Unconventional Wedding Planning Podcast! And find out whether I agree that these traditions should be skipped, plus some food for thought on whether you should skip them or include them in your wedding day. Then stay tuned for...

I'm back with another wedding planning Q&A episode! This time I'm answering questions about where to start with wedding planning, how to plan your timeline, when to have your ceremony and what to do for the parent-child dance if one partner's father has passed away. Have a wedding planning question you want to ask me? Or a topic you want me to cover on a future episode? Let me know what you wa...

REBROADCAST: Trying to make your wedding more feminist and inclusive? Tired of all this "man and wife" and "honor and obey" stuff? Refuse to wear a big white dress or call anyone your "bride tribe?" Then this episode is for you! And even if you are wearing white and changing your last name, there are still lots of things you can do to make your wedding more feminist and inclusive - which just mean...

Wedding planning is stressful in the best of times. But it's that much harder when you're worried about political instability, travel restrictions, safety and the comfort of your guests. In today's episode, I'm answering a listener question about planning a destination wedding in the USA amidst all of the political upheaval. How do you decide when and where to hold your wedding? What do you say to...

REBROADCAST: If you are newly engaged or just starting your wedding planning journey, you'll want to listen to this episode! Before you book any wedding vendors or tour any venues, before you choose your wedding party and before you start spending any of your wedding budget, take a listen and ensure you and your fiance are starting wedding planning on the right foot. Happy wedding planning! ...

This week I'm back with more hidden costs that can sneak their way into your wedding budget and end up costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars! From outfits for your wedding week and overtime fees to vendor meals, welcome bag delivery costs and exchange rates, tune in to hear 13 more wedding hidden costs you need to be aware of so you don't get surprised with a huge bill! Have a wedding plann...