Wedding
GuideTaytum & Stone Events
2025 - 2026
A toast, to a seamless Planning Experience
Babe, you did it! You checked off one of the most significant boxes on your wedding planning to-do list — hell yessss! Now, let’s dive in. This exclusive planning guide has been curated to offer you reliable support, no matter where you are. Imagine a scenario where you have a midnight wedding thought and you need immediate desperate reassurance or it’ll keep you up all night, your guide is just a click away. We want this resource to be informative and convenient to you.
Hiring a planner is by-far the smartest decision you could have possibly made for your special day. Don’t forget, this is still very much your day and we want all of the decisions made to reflect that. We cannot possibly bring this to life without your vision. So kick off your slippers and let’s cheers to planning your wedding!
A letter from your
PlannerHello, hi, welcome! Words can’t express how happy I am to welcome you into our family. I often times find myself wishing there was a way to express the amount of love and gratitude I have for each and every one of my couples. I created this brand because I just simply love, love. I wanted to create a brand with effortless intention, a creative outlet with purpose, and a space where I can advocate for my couples wants and needs. Understanding all of the intimate moments that happen in a wedding day and their purpose is crucial to executing your unique day.
So, this is us. This is who we are. We are a family of four who simply love being surrounded by family, friends and love. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being here and trusting in me to carry out your special day!
xoxo, Cindy
Design & Aesthetic Trends - color palette
As seasoned wedding planners, we have seen trends shape and shift the industry. From time to time trends will heavily influence design ideas couples wish to incorporate into their wedding day. Below are the current color wedding trends that we are absolutely loving!
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Marseille Bleu
Deep pigmented shade of ocean blue inspired by the vibrant hues found in the coastal city of Marseille, France. his color elicits feelings of tranquility, serenity, and escape. It conjures a sense of calmness and relaxation.
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Peach Fuzz
Picture the soft, velvety texture of a peach's skin, bathed in the warm light of a summer sunset. It sits between pale orange and light pink on the color spectrum, exuding a warm and inviting glow. This color elicits feelings of warmth, comfort, and nostalgia; symbolizing sweetness, innocence, and gentleness.
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Red
This color exudes passion, vitality, and sensuality. It has a luxurious and indulgent quality, evoking feelings of warmth, comfort, and decadence. As a bold and striking hue, red is versatile and adaptable. It can be used as a statement color or as an accent shade to add depth and dimension to a palette.
Design & Aesthetic Trends - Elements
Below you will find different design trends that are being incorporated into the overall wedding aesthetics and decor. We have a very strong feeling these trends will carry into the next few years.
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Luxury Candlelight Design
Luxury candlelight design exudes elegance and sophistication, setting the stage for a refined and upscale atmosphere. It goes beyond mere illumination to create a sense of opulence and luxury. The soft, flickering glow of candlelight adds warmth and intimacy to any space, transforming it into a sanctuary of relaxation and indulgence.
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The Bow Era
A bow made out of ribbon is a delightful and versatile decorative element that adds a touch of elegance and charm to various items and occasions. Showcases the skillful craftsmanship and attention to detail required to create a perfectly symmetrical and visually pleasing form. Each loop and fold is carefully crafted to achieve a balanced and cohesive design.
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Retro Wedding Cake
Retro wedding cakes often feature iconic design elements from specific decades, such as the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s. This could include bold geometric patterns, playful polka dots, intricate lacework, or whimsical motifs like retro florals, vinyl records, or classic cars. A retro wedding cake exudes a nostalgic charm that harks back to a bygone era.
Preferred Vendors
Long story short, we cannot make your wedding day happen without the strategic help and collaboration of our remarkable vendors. We have curated a list, specifically for our booked couples, to sift through and learn about all of their amazing services. We have worked with these vendors and stand behind their work and ethics time and time again.
Vendor Checklist
Our vendor checklist template is designed to assist you in keeping all important vendor information in one place, from photographers and florists to caterers and musicians.
Guest List
We understand the importance of keeping track of your wedding guests. That's why we provide a comprehensive guest list template for couples to use. Our template includes sections for guest names, addresses, RSVP status, meal preferences, and more. By utilizing our organized template, couples can effectively manage their guest list and ensure that every detail is accounted for on their special day.
Wedding Planning Timeline
Utilizing our planning timeline will help you stay on track throughout the process. There is a lot of details and logistics that go into planning your special day that we handle on our end depending on the package collection you choose; however, there are many elements involved that we cannot check off on our end — like picking out a wedding dress or purchasing wedding bands. This timeline mainly outlines those meticulous to-do’s for you so that everything is completed ahead of time. Click on the link below to view and print your planning timeline.
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☐ Celebrate your engagement and shout it from the rooftops!!
☐ Take engagement photos
☐ Plan an engagement party (if desired)
☐ Discuss priorities and determine your budget
☐ Start wedding website and create a wedding email
☐ Meet with wedding planner to begin wedding preparations and decide on style/look
☐ Book venue to finalize wedding date
☐ Select bridal party and other attendants and ask them to participate in your wedding
☐ Prepare invitation list (with mailing addresses) and guest count
☐ Start researching vendors and booking, send contracts to planner
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☐ Determine what customs and/or traditions, personalized vows, readings and/or exchanges you would like to include at the ceremony (e.g. lighting of unity candle, flowers to mothers, etc.)
☐ Select and meet with wedding officiant
☐ Book your photographer
☐ Book videographer
☐ Hire your florist
☐ Hire your caterer & beverage vendor
☐ Hire entertainment - band/DJ
☐ Send Save the Dates
☐ Start a wedding Pinterest Board
☐ Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out of town guest
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☐ Sign up for premarital counseling, if required
☐ Bride to select and purchase wedding dress, headpiece/veil, shoes, lingerie and
accessories
☐ Bride to select bridesmaids and flower girl dresses and accessories
☐ Create wedding registry
☐ Discuss bachelorette/bachelor weekends
☐ Discuss bridal shower
☐ Book hair & makeup artist
☐Book wedding night accommodations
☐ Reserve any other rentals that you may need (photo booth, soft seating, backdrop etc.)
☐ Book lighting designer, if applicable
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☐ Have mothers select their dresses + confirm wedding party members have purchased their attire
☐ Provide any required deposits for vendors
☐ Begin planning and booking honeymoon including air, transportation, hotels &
entertainment and update passports, obtain visas and any inoculations required
☐ Sign all vendors/suppliers contracts (review them, planner will review too)
☐ Start pinning wedding design must-haves
☐ Begin wedding dress alterations
☐ Attend a hair & makeup tutorial
☐ Reserve transportation to and from venue - including getaway car
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☐ Select wedding day invitation suite design & order them
☐ Select ceremony music
☐ Select music: ceremony family walk down, wedding party walk down, bride walk down, recessional song
☐ Finalize wedding invitation list
☐ Book rehearsal dinner
☐ Research wedding favors
☐ Purchase gifts for wedding party
☐ Shop for rehearsal dinner outfit and getting ready outfits for yourself + bridesmaids
☐ Purchase flower girl and ring bearer items
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☐ Purchase wedding rings and arrange for engravings
☐ Groom to select and get fitted for tuxedo or alternative formalwear and shoes
☐ Have groomsmen (and possibly ring-bearer and ushers) fitted for tuxedos or alternative formalwear including shoes
☐ Meet with caterer for tastings and to find out menu options
☐ Finalize floral look
☐ Decide on other speakers (e.g. individuals making toasts) at the
reception and ask these individuals about performing these duties
☐ Reserve suite for wedding night
☐ Arrange gown and/or bouquet preservation
☐ Contact calligrapher
☐ Have bridal shower
☐ Mail wedding invitations
☐ Book honeymoon excursions
☐ Write thank you notes as you receive gifts
☐ Fill out Details Questionnaire (4 month check in email)
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☐ Bride to make all appointments for manicure/pedicure for wedding
☐ Finalize food/menu and beverage selections
☐ Select any readings/unity for the ceremony
☐ Meet with the officiant to review ceremony and finalize vows
☐ Determine what customs and/or traditions you would like to include at the reception (such as formal cake cutting, toasts, etc.)
☐ Finalize time and location of rehearsal
☐ Schedule Zoom chat with planner to go over final timeline details
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☐ Complete final walkthrough with Coordinator, Venue Manager, Caterer & Florist (if needed)
☐ Collect remaining RSVP'S and submit final head count to designer, Planner, Caterer and other necessary vendors
☐ Create seating chart
☐ Obtain marriage license
☐ Speak with Musicians/DJ to confirm specific music choices
☐ Work on writing vows
☐ Confirm floral arrangements and table count w/ final head count
☐ Have additional stationary printed (programs, menus, signage etc.
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☐ Prepare envelopes with thank you notes and tips for vendors
☐ Write cards for your wedding party
☐ Meet with photographer/videographer to create a "must have" shots list
☐ Designate someone to be in charge of transporting gifts at the end of the night and tell your coordinator
☐ Select individual to arrange for return of groom’s formalwear attire
☐ Select individual to drop off bridal gown at the cleaners
☐ Select individual to take flowers to be pressed
☐ Put together favors, if necessary
☐ Collect something new, something blue, something old & something borrowed
☐ Make haircut appointments
☐ Start packing for honeymoon
☐ Bride & bridesmaids to pick up dresses and other accessories if havent already done so
☐ Meet with the wedding planner to review all final wedding plans
☐ Ensure all vendors are fully paid up, if paying day-of make labeled envelopes for planner to distribute
☐ Pack for wedding night
☐ Get day-of liability insurance
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☐ Get mani/pedi with your bridal party
☐ Give envelopes with gratuities to wedding coordinator
☐ Attend rehearsal/rehearsal dinner
☐ Give Marriage License to planner
☐ Groom & attendants to pick up tuxedos
☐ Confirm early meeting times with bridal party for the day of the wedding
☐ Give parent gifts
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☐ Make sure MOH & Best Man are given the appropriate rings
☐ Hydrate & eat
☐ Marry your best friend!
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☐ Enjoy your honeymoon!
☐ Check the guidelines for your area about changing your last name
☐ Update your drivers license, passport, and social secuirty card
☐ Update bank information and all credit/debit cards
☐ Update your work for insurance policies and beneficiary purposes
☐ Update mailing address and names
☐ Open joint bank account (if desired)
☐ Write and send out Thank You cards for gifts and attending wedding guest
☐ Pay any outstanding wedding invoices
☐ Have bouquet preserved
☐ Have wedding dress cleaned and preserved
☐ Freeze your top layer of wedding cake, eat it on your 1 year anniversary
☐ Return all rented tuxes/attire
☐ Order prints and/or wedding album for your wedding photos
☐ Leave all of your vendors a Google review (The Knot/Wedding Wire too)
Wedding day essential checklist
Don’t forget to use your packing list to help you make sure you don’t leave anything behind. We recommend packing your bags the week before your wedding day. Click the link below for a printable checklist with all of your day-of essentials.
Bar Guide
Making sure you have enough alcohol for your guest can be important. If you run out of alcohol, you run the risk of guest leaving. On the contrary, you don’t want to have too much left over and have to lug it all back home.
A general rule of thumb we like to preach is as follows. At most weddings, account for one drink per guest during cocktail hour. Followed by, one drink per hour per guest during dinner and reception. Why this might seem like a lot, there will guest who drink more than one drink per hour and some guests who only have one to two drinks the whole night. This general rule will help balance those situations out. For example, if you have a final guest count of 90 guest and your cocktail hour last one hour and your dinner/reception last five hours. You take 90 x 6 which equals 540. Now, you can figure out how much alcohol you want to provide and what types. Knowing this number will help us figure out how much glassware we need order as well.
However, you know your guest better than we do. So compensate for that. Also, think about what types of drinks your guests will likely gravitate towards. If you feel that most of your guest will sip on wine over beer, purchase more wine and vice versa. Also, if you plan to have liquor, make sure you check with your venue first to ensure that they allow the serving and consumption of liquor on their property. Also, be sure you have the correct insurance in place to serve hard liquor.
Curating signature drinks is always a fun personalized touch to add to your night. Couples like to name these drinks fun names, like after their pets or other intentional names. Keep in mind that your bartending service may be able to provide the alcohol however, most do not. In that case, you will be responsible for bringing all of the alcohol in. Bartenders and bartending services can also prepare you a shopping list and go over the garnishes and items that they plan to include in your personalized package.
