Dear Lindsey,
I just proposed to my girlfriend of three years, and she said YES!! I am on Cloud 9 right now and can't wait to get married and start our life together. Problem is, my fiancée works with the government, and she is stationed overseas right now. She has little time to make wedding plans.

Is it totally unheard of for the groom to plan the wedding, and WHERE DO I START?? I have NO IDEA what planning a wedding entails. Help!!

Adam

Dear Adam,
First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement! What an exciting and wonderful time in your life.

More and more grooms are helping to plan the wedding. Don’t be frightened. The first step in planning a wedding is either hiring a wedding planner or picking up a good how-to book at a book store.

Next you must set a date. Is there a season that you both love? Are you limited to specific dates when your fiancée is going to be home?

Is there a church, estate or other location that you have your heart set on? If so, I would start by calling them. Find out what dates they have available in the month of your choice, and work from there.

Once you have the date and location figured out, you will need to decide on a ceremony type. If you are planning a church wedding, then I suggest you call the church to find out what type of marriage requirements they have. Some churches require that you and your fiancée attend special classes, so you'll both need to make sure you will be available for this at some point prior to the wedding day.

Next, based on several factors, such as the location, time (day or evening event), type of ceremony, etc., you will need to make a decision about your attire (tuxedo vs. suit, etc.), pick out or custom-design your invitations, research photographers, arrange for food and cake tastings, compile the guest list and consider seating charts.

I know it may sound like a lot, but if you keep a checklist and follow what your planner (or your how-to book) tells you to do, you can’t go wrong. Remember that this is a day to celebrate the love that you and your fiancée have for each other. Keep that in the forefront of your mind at all times, and you will make it through all of the planning details.

Best,
Lindsey Hartsough
Owner, Magnolia Event Design

P.S. There are many great wedding websites where you can find new ideas and get answers to your questions. You can also find out about the vendors in your area. I suggest you take advantage of those, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Your Name   Email Address   Your Question

Dear Magnolia,
I've got my heart set on a beach wedding in Southern California—but we might not come to Santa Barbara. Most of my family lives in Los Angeles. Are you able to help us if we choose to get married in Malibu, or somewhere else along the coast?

Thanks,
Jennifer and Sam

Hello, Jennifer and Sam,
Thank you for contacting Magnolia Event Design. Magnolia Event Design would be more than happy to help you plan your wedding in Malibu (we travel all over California and the world!). Magnolia has strong relationships with many wonderful Los Angeles based wedding vendors that will help make your wedding day fabulous! We will create a proposal depending on the details of the event and the distance we must travel.

We look forward to planning your wedding!

The Magnolia Event Design Team

Hello MED,
Both of our families live back east. My fiancée and I would like to take care of everything related to transportation and lodging, so they do not have to spend a dime or take time trying to find the best flight, hotel, etc. Does your company handle this kind of thing, or do we need to find a travel agent to take care of this?

Look forward to hearing back!

Amanda

Hi, Amanda,
Yes, we can help you plan all travel arrangements, including flights, hotel blocks or buyouts, and ground transportation for you and your wedding guests. In addition to all travel arrangements, Magnolia Event Design offers a whole host of a la carte options to help you with your wedding. We can design and arrange for arrival gift bags to be waiting in your wedding guests' rooms, and we can set up tee times, massage appointments and more. Whatever you desire, we can handle all the details! Leave these things to our team, we’ll help make your special day even more stress free.

We are looking forward to meeting you personally and helping make your celebration a success!

—Magnolia Event Design