All about design mock-ups for your wedding planning clients

How do we do design mock-ups and who the heck pays for them anyways? 🎉👇🏻

➡️When we initially sign with a client, we will provide them with questionnaires, request their Pinterest board, and ask hard questions, so we can create their wedding design and design summary. This ends up being a foundational piece of the design as the planning evolves. Some planners like to do this later in the process. But we like to do it upfront because we correlate the design with the budget and vendor recommendations so the clients know what they can and can’t afford!

➡️After we submit everything to our clients, we set up a review meeting. During that time, we will discuss the linen and place setting options they liked along with florals. We keep that info in our back pocket for later on when we do a mockup day!

➡️ If the client is local, we will meet at the rental company to review options to secure the official linens and place settings or at least narrow it down! We take photos there and make note that they want to see those options at mock-up. If they aren’t local and we can’t do this before the mock-up, we just bring the options from the initial design that they liked. And before they come into town we meet to review and make sure they like it! This is usually done in coordination with the tasting or venue walkthrough around 5-7 months out from the wedding.

➡️When it’s time for the mock-up, we contact the linen/rental company and reserve the pieces. We remind them it’s a sample only. This is typically free to us. We have established relationships that allow us to get them for free. If you haven’t you may have a cleaning fee or a small discounted fee. We also contact the florist who we already met with before to discuss florals and solidified what the client wanted. We ask them to price out a mock-up of the florals the client wants to see. Most just want to see one, but some want to see all options. We relay the cost to the client and have them pay the florist directly for it. This is usually less expensive than the actual centerpiece and is discounted but it all depends on the florist.

➡️On mock-up day, we arrive early at the venue and set up options! We review each option with our clients and make sure they are happy with the final look. After the mock-up, we update all the vendors involved on what the order should be and provide the updates to our client and explain how it affects their overall wedding budget!