Star Wedding Planner Mindy Weiss: Trends, Tips & Budgeting for your Big Day!

Mindy weighs in on flowers, The Beatles and sweet potato fries! (expert advice)

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Mindy Weiss, the force behind The Wedding Book (known as the wedding bible!) and many a-list celeb weddings, chatted with us about her favorite trends, color palettes and what a day in the life of a famous celebrity wedding planner is really like!

Famous for her stunning events, Mindy has worked with clients like Adam Sandler, Eva Longoria and Gwen Stefani -- among many others!

PW: How can one create a celebrity-like wedding on an everyday budget?

Mindy:  The first thing to consider is the venue, where you will have the event. You are bound to save a lot of money if a venue already has the kitchen and all of the rentals as part of the package. Celebrity brides really want the same thing as every bride - the fantasy part of it is the abundance!  If they love flowers, they can do these big beautiful flower arrangements and that is where the big cost comes in. If a bride can choose one specific flower to go with, and keep that theme throughout, this achieves the fairytale feel. Get the most bang for your buck - you can have more roses than peonies or lilies. People think roses are the most expensive, but they are actually the most available and easiest to get, you can get a better price as well. 

Personalize your wedding like a celebrity would do. Celebs step out of the box and customize their weddings.  That is what you need to do so people remember your wedding and it doesn't become another cookie cutter event.  Taking things in a different direction - maybe not with traditional classical music but The Beatles instead - that's a very a big trend right now. I'm a believer in venues that have the existence - and you bring in the fantasy.

PW: Where should you not cut corners?

Mindy: Photography. That is my favorite thing right now! That's the only thing you can take with you and it's the only thing left after the wedding. If that sucks ... you won't want to look at your memories. You will look at your photos and go, "I hate these pictures. I should have spent the money."

PW: If someone can't hire a planner, how do they stay sane through the crazy wedding planning process?

Mindy: First, they need to buy my book - every question is in there.  My client's mistakes are that they book the venue and use most of their budget there already. You have to slow down, take a deep breath and do your homework. By doing your homework - you can take these pieces of the pie and cut them properly.  Instead of offering a full bar, do a soft bar, which is wine, champagne, beer and a signature drink.

PW:  What are some of your favorite trends?

Mindy:  The Beatles music as ceremony music or famous movie theme songs, like 'Il postino', 'Legends from the Fall' or the 'Forrest Gump' theme. My favorite trend right now is the after-parties. The bride and groom cut the cake and then everything changes, the music gets crazy! People throw their shoes off, the bride might change her dress, and it becomes a lounge or nightclub situation. We serve comfort foods, like French fries in baskets on the tables. People love that. We just did a menu that was a wedge salad, steak, sweet potato fries and ice cream sundaes served in martini glasses. It wasn't a stuffy meal, and the food is actually eaten!

PW: What are your favorite color palettes?

Mindy: This summer we did a lot of orange and turquoise, which was really beautiful. This summer we also did a lot of green and purples - and yellow.  For the fall we are doing deeper colors, like dark purple and platinum, jewel tones, burgundy, jade green, emerald green and fuchsia. But we do more all white than anything year round. This weekend we are doing two weddings and they are all white.

PW: How can brides look their best on the actual wedding day?

Mindy: They should try to finish all their planning the week before the wedding if they can.  The first thing you want to do is be really relaxed that week because then you will look well. Plan ahead - have a good emergency kit with you - which I sell! Have a good talk with your bridesmaids beforehand, tell them that this day should be relaxing. Everyone should stay calm. Bring your favorite music on your iPod. Make sure you've checked in with your hair and makeup. Practice your hair and makeup before the day. A trial is really important and as much as you can get done earlier the better.

PW: What is a typical day like for you?

Mindy: I get up at about a quarter to six.  When I get up, I lean over the bed and turn on the computer! I check emails and do computer stuff for half hour. I make lunch for the kids, drive carpool, then two days a week I do Pilates. By nine a.m., I am at work, taking appointments and doing all of those lovely things. I work nine until about seven p.m. My husband is a Mr. Mom, so he does all the pick-ups! Then I have dinner with the family, answer emails again. I am waiting for Project Runway to start - I am looking forward to that.  I also walk the dogs in the morning, a Burmese mountain dog and a miniature labradoodle. I have two sisters whom I talk to between 5-10 times a day. I'm pretty normal!

Image courtesy: Union Photography

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