COVINGTON, Ga. — A lot of things go into planning a wedding day. From flowers to picking the right dress, couples wanting to get married go through a lot to celebrate their special day. 

However, Erica Thomas, a Covington-based wedding planner, echoed the importance of establishing a “realistic” budget to help eliminate the “confusion” and “stress” of the wedding planning process. 

“The first homework I give every client is to sit down with the paying party and come up with a budget,” Thomas said. “The budget is definitely always first. And that’s hard because it’s difficult to process how expensive weddings are. Then also trying to break it down in that way is a tough pill to swallow. But it’s important because we can’t do anything until we know how much money we can spend.” 

As a matter of fact, Thomas highlighted not setting a budget as a major pitfall in wedding planning. 

“I think it’s the give and take that’s hard for people,” Thomas said. “Because it’s a lot of money and it adds up so quickly. There is so many different pieces — it’s your attire, your jewelry, all of the showers and all of that stuff — so I think being realistic about your budget so there are no surprises down the road is the biggest thing.” 

After couples have established their budget, Thomas said that they immediately go on the search to book the venue and then the vendors. Thomas said, too, that once the budget, venues and vendors are set, everything else falls in afterward based on each couples’ plan.

Thomas services her clients through Blush and Bashful Events — a full service wedding planning company that she owns and operates. Thomas has been in business since 2018. And, in those four years, she’s identified a major pitfall that she always warns clients of. 

“I think it’s so important for the couple to stay true to who they are,” Thomas said. “It’s still your day and you won’t get any of this back. If you want to have flamingos walk down the aisle, have flamingos walk down the aisle. A lot of couples try to stay within what’s expected of them, but I’m always an advocate of doing what you want to do. 

When asked about which part of the process excites her the most, though, Thomas couldn’t pinpoint one specific step. 

“All of it, honestly,” Thomas said. “Then, on wedding day, to see it all unfold with all the hardwork and preparation, it’s so rewarding.” 

That’s why Thomas decided to enter the wedding planning industry four years ago. And, even though things have changed with her business, Thomas said the goal has remained the same. 

Thomas wants to assist couples and their families along the wedding planning journey. 

From booking the venue and vendors to the wedding day itself, Thomas and her team is there for all of their clients. 

“We get in there and get it done,” Thomas said. “Every event is different and things come up that we have to adjust and rework. But we do it. We’re very hands on planning company. I get very close with my clients to the point where they come over to my house, we go out to dinner afterwards. It’s a more intimate relationship than I think people expect.” 

For more information about Thomas and Blush and Bashful, visit https://www.blushfulevents.com/.