Planning your wedding can be a stressful, and an expensive, business. So, if you want your day to end up as happily as that of the couple in the title photo, with your dress hanging beautifully before you get ready and his shoes as shiny and perfect as this groom’s below, have a think about our simple tips…
Wedding dress
Boys getting ready
Budget
A good way to start your life together – make sure you agree what you can or will spend on your wedding and who is paying what.
If parents, or others, are making contributions, ensure you know up front what you have to spend overall: it makes for easier decision making as you move forward.
If people are making contributions, it works well to allocate their money to something specific – the entertainment or the transport for example – rather than putting it all in one pot.
Civil or Church Ceremony?
It’s really important to agree whether your ceremony will be religious or civil.
Some couples choose to have a legal ceremony then an alternative faith or Humanist ceremony later in the day, or a fews days afterwards: this can be a wonderful way to personalise things.
For those wanting a ceremony outside, non-legal ceremonies are very flexible.
Who do you want involved?
Rather like when one has a baby, practically everyone wants to give advice when it comes to a wedding.
Some couples find this rather overwhelming, so it’s a good idea to think about exactly which friends and family you’d like involved and let them know in advance what you’ll be asking for their help with.
Give individuals specific tasks to work on: people love to get involved, but having everyone work on everything can end in tears.
Most important elements?
Once you’ve agreed your overall budget, it’s useful to think about which elements are really important to you. It might be that you’re dead set on a particular designer dress, a high end photographer, or maybe you’re real ‘foodies’ and want to give your guests exquisite cuisine.
Making a shortlist of the items which are an absolute must helps you focus on how your budget will be split.
I always ask my clients what their three must have’s are.
Do you want children there?
This is one of those questions which tends to come up a lot during wedding planning.
Making a firm decision early on can really help and allows you to manage your guests’ expectations from the outset.
My advice is either have them, welcome them and cater to them, or don’t invite them at all. Both can work really well but it’s hard to invite some and not others. I know this isn’t always possible, but it can be a good starting point.
When?
Deciding when you want to get married helps with all sorts. If you are having a long engagement, that means lots of planning time, whereas marrying quickly means making lots of decisions fast.
Think about which season you’d like to marry in and whether you want a weekend or weekday wedding.
If you, like most couples, have forever dreamed of a Summer Saturday wedding – go for it. However, choosing Winter and/ or a weekday can keep costs down.
Overall Style
The way you picture your wedding in your mind can help identify venue, time of year, colours, decor and everything else besides.
Keeping a scrapbook of ideas, or using online tools such as Pinterest really helps.
Try not to feel that you have to do whatever seems ‘in’ this year – do what makes it feel right for the two of you: your guests will love it being ‘your day’ even more.
Do you want a Planner?
It’s worth deciding whether or not you want professional assistance with your wedding as early as possible. It isn’t for everyone. Some people love to everything themselves, but if you feel you may not have time, or you like the idea of handing over the reins, it’s worth considering.
A professional planner doesn’t take over, but rather works with you to make all your ideas come to fruition.
If you do decide you’d like help, I’d suggest you talk to more than one planner. We all vary and it’s so important to find someone you trust, who fully understands you and your ideas.
Finding it a bit overwhelming planning your wedding? Get in touch to discuss your big day.