Is planning a wedding really that difficult?
Getting engaged and planning a wedding is a time to celebrate your love and commitment. But as exciting and meaningful as it is, it can also be very stressful. Most people think planning a wedding is easy because all they have to do is find suppliers and then deal with a few details. In reality, it can take a lot of time, energy and budgeting to plan a wedding and with today’s current challenges and the age of social media, it can be easy to become confused as well as overwhelmed by all of the information and inspiration out there.
However before you become daunted and put off by the amount of tasks you think you need to achieve to pull off the wedding of the century, we’ve pulled together a list of simple, yet effective guidelines to help you plan your perfect wedding, so you can sit back, relax and try and savour and enjoy this special time.
1. Evaluate your Wedding Budget
The main reason for keeping the budget at the top is because this is the most crucial step that allows the rest of the steps to fall into place smoothly. You can make a checklist for all the ideas you and your fiancé like and then do your research into what the average cost is and set a specific budget for each item. This will then allow you to evaluate everything on the list and if you and your fiancé can really afford them. Plus it also helps you keep track whenever you are over or under budget.
2. Choose your wedding season or month.
Have a chat with your partner about when you would both like to get married. This may also help you decide on the location and the style of your big day as well as give you both an idea of when to book holiday time off work. It may also be the case that some of both of your closest friends and / or family can only make it to the wedding at certain times of the year.
3. Make a guest list
Though you might feel it is a bit early to pen down all the names of the guests, this is a crucial part of the wedding planning process and budget and will also prove to be a big help in the next few steps. Give yourself an ample amount of time to remember which names to add to the list and have a rough estimate ready.
4. Inform your Wedding Party
A wedding is a time to celebrate your love and commitment with your nearest and dearest around you. So we suggest that you better hurry and ask your closest friends who you want standing beside you on your big day to be your bridesmaids, groomsmen, grooms ladies, or bridesmen. They should be provided with enough time to plan their schedule around your big day.
After having a few factors narrowed down including the time of the year you wish to be married, the number of guests you want at your wedding, and also a rough budget, now you can start your search for the perfect venue. This will also be the time you will start to make final decisions on the look and feel of your wedding as the venue will supply a backdrop for the overall mood you wish to set on your big day. It’s also important to look at factors such as the venue amenities, location, parking, do they do catering and so on and we suggest it would be best to have the venue booked at least six months before the actual wedding date.
6. Start booking all the suppliers.
From your budget you should have agreed a wish list of what you want to include at your wedding. It is important to research all of your potential suppliers from florists, to photographers, hair-dressers, caterers if your venue is self catering, wedding cars and more. Remember cheaper is not always better. We suggest looking at previous work for clients, reviews on websites, testimonials from other couples as well as seeking any recommendations from friends or family. Once you have narrowed your search down, you can weigh up the pros and cons for each supplier and agree suppliers which fit with the style of feel of your wedding day and are also within your budget or thereabouts. Then simply book your photographer, videographer, florist, or the salon timings and by the end, all you need to do before your wedding is possibly a few taster sessions (yum) and to confirm and check with them one final time.
7. Save-the-Date
Whether it be on a card, or in an email, or a link to your wedding website, send the final date to your loved ones as soon as possible so they can plan their visit accordingly. The Save the Date card should include yours and your partner’s name, the venue (or location at the very least), dates, times and also notice that a formal invitation is to follow. At this point make sure the theme for your wedding invitation matches the save-the-date one.
8. Say YES to the DRESS
Wedding attire can be one of THE most important aspects of a wedding day. If you don’t feel good in what you are wearing it can put a damper on anyone’s day. Before choosing your dress or tuxedo it is important to have already decided on the mood or the feel of your wedding day. You don’t want your dress style clashing with your wedding style. We also suggest trying on a few different shapes, styles, colours and materials whilst also staying true to yourself by considering what fashion you lean toward on a daily basis. When making your final decision, you should feel confident and beautiful, as long as it feels right and you feel like the best version of you, then go for it.
9.Make a seating arrangement chart
Work with your partner or planner about the seating arrangements. Make sure you have your family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances sorted out. This will not only make the event more organized but also help caterers tend to the guests easily.
10.Send the wedding invitations
You are probably six to eight weeks away from your wedding day. Now is the ideal time to send the invitations. The information to include on a wedding invite should be the name of the couple, the request to come to the wedding (including any plus one’s), the location of the ceremony the date and time (if its evening only make this very clear), reception information (if this is different to the ceremony), dress code and finally the RSVP details including the deadline (usually 4 weeks before the wedding). Couples may also have opted to sign up with a wedding gift list service, which they might want to include on the invite.
11. One last confirmation
Keep in close contact with all the wedding suppliers you have booked. Confirm with them all the necessary information and resolve any issues which may crop up as well as payments for any dues that need paying.
12.Finally…
At last, your big day is here, after months maybe even years of planning, the day has finally arrived. Start your day by having a refreshing breakfast, raise a toast with your bridal party, get pampered, have a little fun and let the little details go. You’re about to marry the love of your life, enjoy every minute of it.
Follow our weddings instagram: @weddings_vw
