#187 Spend Your Money Where It Matters

Petronella Lugemwa is an international wedding and marriage proposal photographer, speaker, writer and storyteller based out of the New York area who specializes in helping multicultural couples celebrate their love in a modern way and believes that what makes you different makes you beautiful. As a wedding photographer, Petronella sees it all and has put together a list for us all about how she sees couples spending money on elements at the wedding day that really don’t ‘matter’ to guests. We’re talking about impact, priorities, and putting the money where it really matters on your wedding day. Big Takeaways Top ways couples spend money that doesn’t matter to guests *1. Investing in decor that’s trendy that will “look” good for Instagram or social media but doesn't mean anything to you. * This list includes: attire, shoes, decor, wedding traditions like garter toss, diamond encrusted cake cutting knife engraved with your name. Decide why you’re doing something. Don’t do something because you feel like you’re supposed to do it. There is no “must have." What does it mean to you as an individual vs couple? Story: Sweetheart tables with all the things - initials, candlesticks, signage, florals, sparkly linens = Innate ability to tell when something is intentional. Guests want to see you happy. If you're doing something purely out of obligation and it doesn’t mean much to you, it’ll show in your photos & guest experience. Who are the most important people: family, out of town guests traveled far, grandparents, who might not be there much longer. How can I make the most important people feel special 2. Too much Cocktail Hour or Dessert Food 3. Ceremony Chair cover upgrades 4. Favors: A grab bag filled with a hodgepodge of random favors chosen because that’s you feel like you need to put together 5. A specific shot list of specific Pinterest images curated for “the Gram” 6. Ambient Lighting vs Uplighting vs Upgraded Laser Lighting from DJ 7. Drone Footage 8. Fancy Escort Cards 9. Luxe Stationery for Invitations for all guests 10. Guest List Key Takeaways: What You Should Do Links we referenced: instagram.com/petronellaphotography bypetronella.com The Big Wedding Planning Podcast is... Hosted and produced by Michelle Martinez. Edited by Veronica Gruba Music by Steph Altman of Mophonics On Instagram @thebigweddingplanningpodcast and be sure to use #planthatwedding when posting, so you can get our attention! Inviting you to become part of our Facebook Group! Join us and our amazing members. Just search for The Big Wedding Planning Podcast Community on Facebook. Easy to get in touch with. Email us at [email protected] or Call and leave a message at 415-723-1625 and you might hear your voice on an episode On Patreon. Become a member and with as little as $6.99 per month, you get 2 exclusive, ad-free episodes, + Zoom Happy Hour with Michelle and fellow patrons every month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices