Rather than try to rail against something we can't control (i.e. inflation), take this opportunity to get real about what brings you and your partner value. Use a prioritization exercise to identify the vendor services that will most serve your wedding.

That's how we avoid "traditional" wedding planning advice, which would have you buy 15 different services and spend an average minimum of $2,000 on all of them. Whittle down the list so you can spend more on less.

My clients who mention COVID-19 when they send an invite have higher RSVP rates than my clients who don't. It's likely because you're telling your guests what to expect if they go to your wedding in person, even if it's a 2019-style event.

Don't know where to start? Create a COVID-19 safety policy. It's usually no more than three sentences.

How were these flowers grown? Do you support Black Lives Matter? What portion of your business donates to charity? These are all questions that couples are getting better at asking as we more consciously think of who we give our money to and why.

If you're a vendor, take this opportunity to check in with yourself. Does your wedding business share your values and what even are those values? If you're a couple, don't be shy about asking these questions.

Based on a 2021 study, the average wedding in the US can cost nearly $35,000 — I'd want to know how I'm spending that money, too.

Ask any wedding vendor about their 2021 and you'll get a knowing head shake and maybe an expletive. For many of us, last year was even tougher than 2020 as clients forged ahead with hosting live events.

Sadly, this single-mindedness often led to a general vibe of "Just try and stop me." Thankfully, in 2022, it seems gratitude is back in style.

Entitlement is giving way to empathy with clients returning to saying thank you, tipping, and generally being appreciative to teams they know are strapped for time, money, and energy. This serves you because nice clients get better service.

If I had a nickel for every caterer who's told me that bar tabs are bigger than ever, I'd be able to afford your custom cocktail. The theory goes that people are just so thrilled to be together that they're making the most of a hosted bar.

That can be bad news for a couple depending on budget so consider swapping to a cash bar mid-event. A tasteful way I've seen this done is to set a limit with the bar.

Then, appoint someone such as a trusted guest, wedding coordinator, or the head bartender, to communicate with you when you hit that number. Depending on where you are in the course of the event, you can then move to a cash bar, where guests pay for their own drinks.

If making it through a pandemic has taught us anything, it's that we don't have to go to all of the things. Wedding guests are taking this advice to heart and are RSVPing "no" if they don't actually want to attend.

That sounds like a bad thing until you remember that one wedding guest costs an average of $266 as of 2021 and nobody's paying a cover. As a couple, take advantage of a smaller guest count to invest in the services that actually bring you two value.

A third of my 2022 wedding-planning clients have been married for more than two years. This means that cookie-cutter language like "introducing for the first time" or "first dance" or even "first look" no longer serves them because, in reality, they've been wed for years.

I'm seeing the same awkwardness arise as couples navigate how to plan a ceremony that recognizes a marriage that has already started. When in doubt, consider the mission statement of your wedding and highlight the values that define your relationship. 

If you're still in the wedding industry after these past two years, you've had to do some serious reassessment of your boundaries as a business owner. For couples, this means that wedding vendors are better than ever at setting boundaries and explaining what they do and do not do fo a living.

That can be a tough conversation for a client and it also means that vendors are harder to get a hold of. Bonus tip: Don't email us on Monday. Chances are we worked over the weekend and are trying to take two dedicated days off. Wednesday is usually much better.

It's no secret that the entire world is having a reassessment of labor and this 100% applies to the live events industry. Wedding vendors, after all, are also service-industry workers.

For couples, this means that you're likely going to hear from certain vendors that they're having trouble staffing their teams. You might also have trouble getting rentals delivered or picked up at certain times.

Hold space for this reality and plan accordingly. Anything you're renting, when does it need to be back by and who's returning it? Is there a way to avoid a late-night fee and have items picked up the next day instead or delivered by a trusted (and informed) guest?

Whenever possible, please also consider tipping — it's one meaningful way you can compensate service-industry folks.