What My Wedding Planner Wants You To Know

*Carly Ostroff was planning her wedding for August 16, 2020. Since COVID-19 has other plans, she’s making new ones. Carly had a family ceremony in August 2020 and has rescheduled her larger wedding celebration for 2021.

The idea was always to meet with a few wedding planners, see what each was about and choose the person who best fit our vibe. Then we sat down with Marsha Baker of Cherry & Baker Events. Right after the meeting, we called the search off.

Marsha was an obvious choice because she put us all at ease and made us feel confident about going through the process. She’s done more weddings than I can count. After 17 years in the business, there’s nothing she hasn’t seen or done before. Plus, she knew everything about every venue and vendor in the city.

Getting a wedding planner is some of the best money you can spend says Marsha. “Let’s put it this way, as a wedding planner, even when I did my wedding, I used a wedding planner,” she says. I think having a wedding planner gives you a resource of information that you might not be privy too,” she explains. “Now with the Internet, brides are really savvy with what they’re looking for, but a wedding planner can always help you sort out the information and head in the right direction,” she adds. Plus, when it comes to negotiating contracts, they can even help you save money.

A wedding planner can also help eliminate day of stress for the bride, groom and their families. “I don’t think any member of the family should have to worry about what’s happening,” she says. “If something is going to go wrong, and often things do, you don’t want to know about it. And if you have to know about it, you’ll know about it after the wedding, not during.”

Once you’ve chosen your planner, Marsha suggests three key areas of focus. The first is a venue to fit the celebration. It’s important to select one based on the right amount of space for your head count. “When it comes down to it, if you’re planning a celebration for a considerable amount of people, the two things people will remember most about your wedding is food and music.” Make sure both will appeal to all your guests.

On the day of, Marsha has some key advice for all brides. “Sit back, breathe, and enjoy it,” she says. Don’t try to micro-manage she says. It will only create added stress. “Try to take it all in because really it’s over in five hours, and if you’re stressing out and looking at everything that’s happening, you’re not going to enjoy your day.”

These days, Marsha says she spends 24/7 dealing with ever changing plans due to COVID. “I encourage brides to stick with their original dates or pick another date that works given the timeframe and the uncertainty.” Almost 70% of her brides are going forward with ceremonies. And when her brides get upset about the current limitations, Marsha reminds them to focus on the actual marriage. Because when they do, love wins.