Stress Free Weddings With Advice from a Wedding Planner

Making decisions from wedding invitations, gowns, and flowers to venues and music can prove to be stressful for any couple.  The goal of a wedding planner is to help alleviate a bit of the tension while finding the perfect options and keeping within your budget. Let's hear from veteran Wedding Planner Sabrina Cadini of La Dolce Idea. 

How many years of professional experience do you have planning weddings?

I have been helping couples plan their perfect day for over 25 years.

What are your favorite current wedding trends?

1) A return to glamour, sophisticated celebrations and impressive decor. I absolutely love this trend because weddings should be treated as one-of-a-kind events with a higher level of style.

2) The use of technology more and more - Several of my couples encourage their guests to share pictures and videos on Instagram and Snapchat (I provide printed signs to let guests know).

3) Personalized/custom items - today's couples want the wedding to tell their beautiful story. This is one of the reasons why I think Live Love Last could be perfect for weddings!

Why should someone hire a wedding planner?

My clients are busy professionals who don't have time to plan a wedding from start to finish. They want a trusted and experienced planner who can guide them throughout the entire planning process and be in charge of the wedding day so that they can enjoy every single moment with friends and family. Many couples don't realize the amount of little details that need to be taken care when putting together a wedding. I take the stress off their shoulders by doing what I'm used to do almost every weekend. I always tell them to focus on what's most important to them: getting married to the person they love. They can leave the rest to me!

Tell us one thing we might not otherwise know about your company.

I still cry when my brides and grooms walk down the aisle or they dance together for the first time. After all those months planning the wedding together they become like family to me!

What percentage of your business is dedicated to weddings? And your biggest accomplishment?

The majority of my events are weddings (about 80%), mostly because I love the emotional aspect of "getting married."  Weddings are a very momentous occasion for the couple as well as their families.

What is the best advice you give to a couple while planning their wedding?

Just let it go on the wedding day! Even after planning their special day to the smallest details things can always happen. Guests will never know if the bride's bouquet was supposed to have more roses or if the soup was supposed to be topped with chives, for instance. What they should focus on is the precious moments from "I Do" to the farewell song.

What are three words that describe your work?

Organized, creative, meticulous.

What are some common misconceptions about wedding planners?

Many couples think that wedding planners are too expensive and they don't feel the need to hire one because "mother of the bride" or "maid of honor" can take care of everything for free. They don't realize how a planner can save them time and money during the planning by guiding them in the right direction when it comes to budget, design, venue and vendor selections, agreements, etc. They also don't know what goes on behind the scenes in the morning during setup while they get ready, or when they are exchanging their vows while I am making sure that the band is ready for the reception or the cake is delivered, set up and decorated by the florist. My wedding days are between 15-18 hours long, and there's never a dull moment! If a family member or a close friend accepts to take care of the wedding day, she/he will not be in the pictures and will not have a lot of fun!

Sabrina Cadini

Founder & Creative Director

La Dolce Idea