You deserve wedding insurance that's fast and affordable, and protecting your investment in your wedding celebration literally couldn't be easier than a quick online visit to Brite.co/wedpod. 

Today we’re joined by a very special guest, Dustin Lemick.  Dustin is the CEO and founder of BriteCo.  BriteCo is a modern insurance company built for the digital age, and their goal is to simplify the process of securing jewelry and wedding insurance.  

Well, mission complete, because streamline and simplify is exactly what BriteCo has done - with plans starting below $80, no hidden fees and up to 15% in discounts! 

In today's episode, Dustin walks us through everything you need to know about wedding liability & cancellation coverage, and jewelry insurance.  

We’ll explore all of your wedding insurance FAQ’s, including how much it costs (spoiler alert, it’s shockingly affordable), what exactly is covered, how to determine what type of coverage you need, and even how to file a claim.  

From your engagement ring to your wedding day, you can protect your most cherished memories with BriteCo.  Visit brite.co/wedpod for a fast, free quote today and unlock peace of mind knowing that you're covered!

Get ready for a fun show today!  Here’s a road map of where we’re going:

I have a recap of my brother-in-law's 3/30/25 wedding in Rochester, MI.  I'll share what was amazing, a detailed rundown of the venue / flow of events, how they took advantage of cost-saving opportunities, their solution to kids at the wedding, and lots more valueble takeaways!

I also have an inbox full of your questions on everything from:

• How to blend "nostalgic elements" into our wedding celebration?
• Responding to requests to invite more people (ew)
• Managing pre-wedding stress
• Proactively planning how to spend our time throughtout our wedding weekend

In the Detroit Metro area, and looking for an amazing venue?  We LOVED it:

Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI

Be in touch with your wedding questions and / or show requests anytime by visiting weddingplanningpodcast.co/contact.

Talk soon! 

PS:  From your engagement ring to your wedding day, you can protect your most cherished memories with BriteCo.  Visit brite.co/wedpod for a fast, free quote today and unlock peace of mind knowing that you're covered!

Today we’re going to chat about a handful of ways when trying to "save" money on your wedding can totally BACKFIRE. 

Aside of college educations, new homes and new cars, your wedding likely has one of the biggest price tags you’ve ever paid. You’re spending tens of thousands of dollars - of course you’re trying to save money when possible!

You’re not out there researching the most expensive venue in your area, or trying to find ways to spend more money on your invitations.

When a potential photographer or caterer gives you a quote for services, you probably don’t say “well that sounds OK, but do you have anything that costs more?”

From your engagement ring to your wedding day, you can protect your most cherished memories with BriteCo.  Visit brite.co/wedpod for a fast, free quote today and unlock peace of mind knowing that you're covered!

If you've been listening to the Wedding Planning Podcast for a while, I hope you know me well enough now to know that I’m NOT the wedding professional who’s going to tell you NEVER to try to cut this corner, or don’t DARE hire a friend to do x, y, z.

I see this type of messaging a lot. If you do your own wedding day hair and makeup it will totally fail, and you should hire a professional to do it for you. If you skimp on a photographer, you will regret it for the rest of your life.

The trouble is, professional service providers in pretty much any industry have an agenda - to sell their product or service.

And whether you hear from a wedding professional on a podcast, read their articles on a blog, or see their posts on Instagram, their position is probably that hiring a professional is THE BEST way to go. "After all", they say, "this is your wedding - you can’t afford to cut corners on the best day of your life."

Well, for lots of this, I call BS. Sure, if you have a wedding budget in the 6-figures, then “hire a professional” is a great option for everything I just listed.

But most of us DON’T have $100,000 to spend on our wedding, so making swaps and saves here and there is a necessary part of planning so that we don’t go thousands of dollars into debt - NEVER a good idea.

In today's show, let’s explore some common areas of wedding planning where couples to try to cut a corner, save some money, leave something out, and then sadly have it backfire in terms of lost money, lost time, lost sanity - and sometimes all three.

If you find yourselves at a cost-saving opportunity crossroads and you don’t know which way to turn, I have some smart questions to ask yourselves, and potential vendors, that I hope will guide you towards making the best decisions for you and your wedding day.

So when you find yourself wondering, hmmmmm ... should we cut that corner? What are the potential outcomes or pitfalls that might come of it? Hopefully after today’s show, you’ll have some solid answers to some of the most common situations, so that you can make the best decision for you.

For one wedding, that might mean hiring a photographer off craigslist for $500. For another couple, that will NEVER be an option that’s on the table. And you know what? Both sides are totally fine ;)

Full blog post available at www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/wedding-pitfall

Your bachelorette party is a really fun engagement milestone AND it'll be a breeze to plan with these easy planning guidelines + sample itineraries! 

Today's show also includes lots of your questions on party etiquette, gift giving, who plans what, and even a "tale of two parties" ... two very different bachelorette formats, each with their own pro's, and each guaranteed to result in an unforgettable night(s).

• Who plans the bachelorette party?
• Who should get invited?
• When should we start planning & schedule it?
• Honoring & accomodating everyone's financial circumstances,
• TWO sample bachelorette party itineraries,
• What are some creative bachelorette gift ideas?
•  

From your engagement ring to your wedding day, you can protect your most cherished memories with BriteCo.  Visit brite.co/wedpod for a fast, free quote today and unlock peace of mind knowing that you're covered!

Your WEDDING CEREMONY is undoubtedly the most important part of your wedding day celebration - it's literally the WHY of every single thing we touch on here on the Wedding Planning Podcast!

Unfortunately, many couples push the ceremony logistics to the very bottom of their wedding planning to-do list, and as a result, this critical piece of your wedding day misses getting the full attention & creativity that it deserves. 

Tune in to the full show for a start-to-finish guide for infusing your ceremony with deep meaning and your personalities. 

We’re also going to cover:

• Ceremony flow of events,
• Who walks who down the aisle, and in what order?
• The role of your officiant / celebrant,
• Intentionally setting the desired vibe with ceremony music & decor,
• Signing your marraige license,
• Tips for finding an officiant, 
• Crafting your wedding vows, 
• And finally, some additional ways to incorporate meaning and personality.

A well-crafted wedding ceremony will perfectly express your relationship as a couple.  It should make your guests understand exactly why they are at the wedding, and may address the couples past, present and future. 

We can be serious, lighthearted, traditional or a mix of all three - your ceremony doesn’t have to follow any script, and you’re free to personalize this portion of your day in any way you like!

ADDITIONAL LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE:

From your engagement ring to your wedding day, you can protect your most cherished memories with BriteCo.  Visit brite.co/wedpod for a fast, free quote today and unlock peace of mind knowing that you're covered!

LEAVE A VOICEMAIL with your questions, wedding stories, or planning concerns >>> www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/contact

Sample Wedding Vows & Guide / Examples 

Creative unity ceremony ideas 

"What’s really bothering me lately is I’m in a stress cycle over anticipating what might go wrong during our wedding weekend and wanting to proactively jump in and plan for those things.  What are some unexpected stress-points that we can be prepared for as much as possible?"

Do yourselves a favor - plan to be caught off guard by something on your wedding day! 

Next step, mentally prepare to brush it off in the moment so that you can be fully present and enjoy your wedding day.  

Survey 100 couples in the week after their wedding, and 97 of them will have multiple stories of things that went off the rails and/or not according to "The Plan".

The magic is in how you choose to react to the issue, combined with some tactical ways that you can be proactive and prepared. 

Tune in for the rundown on 7 common wedding day surprises that are shockingly easy to proactively plan for.  And stick around 'til the end for a handful of listener questions on moms, dress codes & more.

Cheers to being prepared!

PS:  From your engagement ring to your wedding day, you can protect your most cherished memories with BriteCo.  Visit brite.co/wedpod for a fast, free quote today and unlock peace of mind knowing that you're covered!

Enjoy a jam-packed show full of your wedding planning questions, including:

• What’s an ideal wedding planning timeline?
• How can we include family members who want to “help” with the wedding?
• Managing wedding planning stress,
• Inviting kids to the wedding?
• Cost-effective dessert options,
• Helping a younger bridesmaid feel included w/ the older girls,
• Are Bridal Expos worth it?  Should we go to one?
• How to chose our wedding theme?
• And soooo many more!

To submit questions for an upcoming show, visit weddingplanningpodcast.com

Enjoy!

The little dollar bill emoji with flapping wings is a great one-tap summary of planning a wedding.  Budgeting for expected expenses is hard enough, let alone all of the little unexpected stuff that sneaks in along the way!

Today we’re going to shine a light on 16 annoying + unexpected expenses that couples don’t plan for, so that you can adjust your budget early on and not be taken by surprise in the coming months.  

Full blog post for today's show can be found here.

Thank you for sharing the show with someone who is helping you plan!

Wedding questions, stories to share, or requests for a future episode?  I always have an open door and would love to hear from you >>> weddingplanningpodcast.com

Cheers to you! Kara

Engagement photos are an incredible opportunity to capture you & your fiancé in your happiest moments, and to share those images across your save the dates, your wedding website, holiday cards, and as decorations throughout your wedding celebration.

The thing is, choosing the perfect outfits, getting hair & make up just right so that you look incredible but still natural, and posing effortlessly can be much easier said than done!

Choosing what you’re going to wear and struggling through a last minute hair and makeup session an hour before you meet your photographer is not a great idea, to say the least.  

Neither is waiting until you show up to find out that your fiancé has the worst stage fright, and looks like Chandler from "Friends" (season 7, episode 5, The One with The Engagement Picture) because they suddenly can’t smile.  

Today on the WPP I have a handful of tricks and tips to make sure your engagement photo shoot is smooth, seamless, and yields those perfect shots that you’ve been dreaming of sharing with all of family, friends, and friends of friends.  

Tune in for so much more, and head over to the blog post for today's show for a full written recap & links:

www.weddingplanningpodcast.co/engagement-photos

Today we’re going to break down the complicated, sometimes messy process of crafting your wedding guest list.  BONUS, I have lots of your guest list questions to share along the way!

Tune in for a Wedding Guest List Step-By-Step guide that includes:

• An outline for getting started with your wedding guest list process,
• Smart Tips and benefits to running an "A List / B List" invitation tier system,
• How to manage non-invited Plus One's,
• Effective ways to trim your guest list,
• Managing family requests (demands) when it comes to who is invited,
• And so much more!

A detailed blog post for today's episode can be found here.

Thank you as always for inviting me to be a part of your engagement season!

Wedding questions, show requests, or feedback to share?  Find me here.

In today's bonus episode, we explore the risks of judging a wedding venue by the initial price tag.

Lots of budget savvy couples see their venue selection as a great opportunity to control costs and set the stage for major savings down the road.  This CAN be a great strategy … when approached the right way. 

The problem is that as we’re doing the research and gathering venue quotes, IMPULSE can take over.  What seems like a great deal on the surface can quickly spiral into a total money pit if you’re not careful.

Fact: All-inclusive venues pack a major sticker-shock factor. 

When you open that quote from an all-inclusive property and choke on your coffee - please know that you’re not alone.  

Maybe you’re intrigued by the flexibility and creativity that a more blank space, non-traditional / DIY venue can offer.  Combine this with a much lower initial price tag, and we have a perfect recipe for a magical solution to your venue and budget needs …. 

OR a situation where trying to save money on your venue can completely backfire and result in you spending more than you would have had you chosen the seemingly more expensive option to begin with. 

Yes, this topic is rich in irony.  

Tune in for a list of 6 major categories that you will need to have firm plans AND detailed pricing information for to determine if using a blank space wedding venue is actually worth it - or if you’d be better off going the all-inclusive route.

Written recap >>> weddingplanningpodcast.co/diyvenue

Submit your wedding questions & future show requests by visiting weddingplanningpodcast.co/contact

Talk soon!