Wedding Planning Collective

About Wedding Planning Collective

Wedding planning shouldn’t feel this overwhelming. If you’ve ever wondered what to do next, worried you’re forgetting something, or felt buried under a million decisions, this wedding planning podcast is for you. Each week, I share practical wedding planning advice, expert insight, and sanity-saving tips to help you plan your wedding with more confidence and a lot less stress. I cover the real questions engaged couples have about wedding budgets, wedding timelines, wedding vendors, wedding design, guest logistics, and all the small details that can easily slip through the cracks. I’m Kate, a wedding planner with over 20 years of experience helping couples plan their weddings, and I created this show to give you the kind of guidance that makes wedding planning feel simpler, clearer, and way more manageable. Whether you’re just getting started or already deep in the planning process, this podcast will help you stay organized, make confident decisions, and actually enjoy being engaged. If you’re looking for a wedding planning podcast that gives you clear next steps, real advice, and support from an experienced wedding planner, you’re in the right place.

Publisher

Kate McClellan

Category

education · leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Nov 2020

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

167 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   157 - Wedding Planner vs. Day of Coordinator: Which One Do You Actually Need?

   Wedding planner, wedding coordinator, day of coordinator, venue coordinator. Do you need one? All of them? None of them? This week I saw a bride on Reddit ask someone to explain it to her like she's five, and over 20 people answered. A lot of them were wedding pros, and almost every answer was different. So if you're confused, it's not you. Even our industry can't agree on this one. In this episode, I'm refreshing one of my classic topics. I walk through each type of planning help, what it really includes, when to book, and how to figure out which one fits your wedding. I also share the story of a couple who booked their venue first and ended up losing their band budget because of it, and why I always recommend booking your planner before anything else. In this episode: The Reddit post that started it all: "Explain this to me like I'm five" Two different problems: "we're going to miss something" vs. "we don't want to be in charge of the day" What a wedding planner actually does (sorry, J.Lo) The two big hesitations: cost and giving up control Why the titles are so confusing, and why I still call it day of coordination My number one tip: don't shop by title Full service planning, and why you still get to do the fun parts Why you should book your planner before your venue (and the band budget story) Day of coordination: what really happens before the wedding day When to book a day of coordinator Partial planning, and what I'd tell the bride from that Reddit post Venue coordinator vs. independent planner Planning it yourself, with a roadmap Four questions to ask yourselves before you hire anyone The "explain it like I'm five" recap Mentioned in this episode: Free Wedding Planning Happy Hour, Wednesday, October 21 at 6pm EST: planningcollective.com/happyhour (https://www.planningcollective.com/happyhour) The Wedding Planning Blueprint: the Planning Path, Pocket Planner, and Ask Kate (add Blueprint link) Read the blog post: How To Tell If You ACTUALLY Need A Wedding Planner (https://www.planningcollective.com/how-to-tell-if-you-actually-need-a-wedding-planner) More on day of coordination: What Is Day of Coordination? (https://www.planningcollective.com/what-is-day-of-coordination) If this episode gave you even one helpful tip, I'd love it if you could rate, review, and subscribe. It helps other couples find the planning help they need, and it would mean the world to me.

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   156 - 2027 & 2028 Wedding Trends: What's Worth It on a Real Budget

   Every fall the wedding trend lists start rolling out, and every fall I watch couples start to feel like their wedding is out of date before they've booked a single vendor. So this year I'm doing things a little differently. In this episode, I'm walking you through eight wedding trends for 2027 and 2028, what the data from The Knot, Pinterest, and Zola actually says, and most importantly, how each one can work for a real wedding on a real budget. Because some trends are worth the splurge, some are an easy, inexpensive add, and some are going to make you say "why did we do that?" when you look back at your photos. In this episode: Trend 1: Something Old Is the New Something New (and why a family audit beats a vintage shopping spree) Trend 2: Your colors don't have to match anymore Trend 3: The room is the decor Trend 4: Think Italian summer, not a theme party Trend 5: Flowers with focus (hello, hydrangeas) Trend 6: Guest experience starts with the basics Trend 7: Photos that feel real and cinematic Trend 8: Your wedding, your rules Plus my one bonus prediction about how couples are getting planning help Vendors I mentioned: Simply Brilliant Events (https://www.instagram.com/p/DcMgAcUvyms/) (Nicola's stunning sage and lavender palette) and Kristina's Catering (https://www.instagram.com/p/Db5h7bNRfjX/) (interactive food done right). Both are on Instagram. Want help making these trends work for YOUR wedding? Join me for my free Wedding Planning Happy Hour on October 21 at 6 PM ET. We'll talk through how to actually put these trends to work, and I'll answer your questions live. Can't make it? Sign up anyway and I'll send you the replay. planningcollective.com/happyhour (planningcollective.com/happyhour) Wondering where to start? The Wedding Planning Blueprint gives you a clear Planning Path, the Pocket Planner AI (trained on my 20+ years and 500+ weddings), personal video answers through Ask Kate, and templates so you never start from scratch. planningcollective.com/membership (planningcollective.com/membership) If this episode gave you even one helpful tip, I'd love it if you'd rate, review, and subscribe. It helps other couples find the planning help they need!

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   155 - Amazon Prime Day Wedding Deals: What to Buy, Wait On + Skip

   Amazon Prime Days are October 6th and 7th, and yes, there are absolutely things worth buying for your wedding while they’re on sale. But a sale doesn’t automatically make something a good deal. In this episode, I’m breaking down my BUY / WAIT / SKIP strategy for Amazon Prime Day wedding shopping, including the wedding purchases that make sense to grab early, the things I’d hold off on, and the “deals” that can actually end up costing you more. We’re talking wedding party gifts, getting-ready items, décor, beauty products, bulk wedding-day supplies, weather-related purchases, TikTok “essentials,” return windows, and how to tell whether that Prime Day price is actually worth jumping on. Because the goal isn’t to find as many wedding deals as possible. The goal is to spend less on the wedding you’re already planning. I put the entire list in a companion guide so you don’t have to take notes while you listen, and I’ll be updating it during Prime Day with wedding deals I find that I think are actually worth checking out: PlanningCollective.com/PrimeDay And if this episode helped make wedding planning feel a little easier, subscribe to the Wedding Planning Collective Podcast and leave a quick rating or review. It helps other couples find the show — and helps me keep bringing you free wedding planning advice every week.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

23 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

53

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32