Well, these are some things that people forget to think about when they start and if you do, then it
can cause a bit of a mess when planning your wedding. I recommend sitting down with your
partner and going through these steps right from the get go, so you are both on the same page and
know exactly where to start when planning your wedding.
Wedding Planning Tip 1: Guest List
Before you can start to plan anything to do with your wedding, you need to know your guest list!
So, sit down and write down who you want at your wedding and get your partner to do the same,
then merge them together! There are a number of ways you can do this, you can do it online, on
your phone, in excel or the good old fashioned way of pen and paper! But what you need to do is
sit down and think about who YOU want to invite to your wedding. When I say you, I mean YOU!
Don’t think about the politics at this stage, just write down who you want to invite. If you need to
you can absolutely do this, but just remember this is YOUR special day so think about who you want there
to celebrate with you. With this you will be able to gain an understanding of your budget from the
get go! This will help give rough figures for your budget, your venue, your location, and everything
else that you need to know.
My recommendation:
Most people think to start with your budget, but if you don’t know your guest count than your
budget can be blown straight away. So I would recommend taking 5 - 10 minutes to sit down and
knock out your guest list straight away!
Wedding Planning Tip 2: Your Budget
Yes, the dreaded word that no one wants to hear…. Your budget…
No bride wants to think about their budget, they just want to think about creating the most special
day they can.
I have had plenty of brides come to me and say “Yeah okay, just look after my budget and we will
be fine”. But I recommend sitting down and talking about it. Where is the money going to come
from? Do you need to save up? Does that mean the wedding has to be in a couple of years time,
so you can get the magical dream that you want? Is someone going to help you? Are your family
and friends going to help support you to get that dream wedding? Or do you just need to make it a
small wedding?
Obviously you now have your guest list so you know who you want there and what type of wedding
you are going to have. But without knowing your budget, your vendors and everyone else that is
involved can get a bit overwhelmed and fuzzy about trying to create your perfect day.
So make sure you sit down and talk about your budget. Not only will this budget give you an overall
view of your wedding, you can then sit down and look at how much you want to spend on the
venue, food, dress, flowers, hair and make up and everything. So just make sure you think about
this.
My recommendation:
It’s a good idea if you are getting a wedding planner involved to show them this too and ask for
help! They know better than anybody about how much everything is going to cost and how much
you need to spend on each supplier to get what you want. So talk to them! Most wedding planners
will think about how much you are going to spend overall and they can give you a rough estimate
on how much things will cost. If the wedding planner knows exactly where you are going, they are
in a better place to help you get that fairytale wedding you are after.
But, if you are going to do it yourself, I would recommend an excel sheet! Keep track of it and keep
it up to date. I know sometimes this is the last thing you want to do, but it will help you immensely!
Wedding Planning Tip 3: Your location
You now have your guest list, so you know what you are after and you have your budget so you
know how much you want to spend. But, where do you want to get married?
Do you want to get married in the UK?
Do you want to travel off to Spain?
Do you want to get married on a cruise ship?
The ideas and locations are endless! But hopefully at this stage you have a little bit of an idea of
what you are after. With your guest list you are able to know if you are having a small wedding,
maybe only 6 people? If that’s the case maybe go on a cruise ship!
If not, maybe you have 200 people at your wedding, if that’s the case maybe travelling isn’t the
best thing! You also have to think about the people you have attending. Can your aunty drive? Can
your cousin fly to you? Can they drive that far away? There’s so many things to think about!
So take a moment and think about where you want to get married. As soon as you know that, you
can start looking for your venue because you have the 3 things you need to go and chat to them!
This brings me to step number 4.
Wedding Planning Tip 4: Suppliers
Now, your suppliers come from your venue - which is the most important supplier there is - to your
photographer, videographer, dresses, decor, there are so many things to think about and so many
people involved in your special day.
But don’t get stressed out, take a breath!
This is meant to be fun and exciting to plan! There is always going to be moments when you get
stressed out and overwhelmed, especially when people start asking you questions and you don’t
have the answers yet. But just breathe, it will be okay.
You can keep looking at these blogs to give you an idea, or contact a wedding planner who knows
how to talk to these suppliers and knows where to get started. Just think of them as your best
friends!
Your venue - make sure you know your guest list, budget and location because that will narrow
down which venues are best for you! Make sure you get that special magical moment! You should
walk into a venue and get that sigh of relief and know that they are going to look after you no
matter what. So, make sure you get those butterflies in your stomach.
My recommendation:
You should always go and visit at least 3 venues before settling on that perfect place!
Wedding Planning Tip 5: The Date
The last one on the list and it’s the one that some people tend to forget.
Now, you have obviously thought about location which is great, but don’t forget that date!
Do you want to get married in summer? In winter? Do you want a Christmas wedding? (That is
something that I have dreamed about since I was a little girl.)
This is something to really think about! The venue and the date go hand in hand, but make sure
the date is special to you! Whether it’s your first date, your engagement date, or the date you first
starting talking to each other, something you want to remember. Make sure its important to both of
you! Talk to each other and get an idea of what they have in mind. Once you go to the venues, they
can tell you what dates they have available. If one suits you, then it’s meant to be! But also keep in
mind, school holidays, the seasons, all these things could also have an impact on your guest list!
Think about what is important to the two of you, cause at the end of the day, that’s all that matters!
It’s your wedding day!