Wedding Preparation 101: Wedding Planning Tips and Tricks
A wedding requires a lot of planning and creative input from the bride, groom and any family members and friends you choose to include in the process. Organizing your wedding can be an exciting thing, but it can also be very challenging and stressful. You need to be prepared for the fact that not absolutely every aspect of the day will be as you wished it to be – not least the unpredictable British weather, one thing you can’t do anything about.
The key is to stay organised, stick to a budget and to give yourself plenty of time to achieve everything. Whether it’s planning and ordering the ladies’ formal dresses or choosing the catering, time is your best friend here so plan well ahead to reduce the workload and avoid unnecessary stress.
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- Set a budget – It’s important to stick to a budget and to keep your wishes realistic. While this is a very special day in your life, it’s not an excuse to be wildly extravagant with money you just don’t have.
- Delegate! – This is one of the great advantages and uses of best men, ushers and bridesmaids, as well as the parents of the bride and groom. If there is a task you can delegate to someone you can rely on, ask them – they’ll probably be flattered to know you value their support and are happy to have them help in the planning of your big day. Ask friends and family to pick up the cake/flowers/suits/dresses, book the hairdresser appointments and help make the invitations. Make it clear you’re on a certain budget so ask them to shop around for quotes.
- Leave plenty of time – It is absolutely crucial to start your planning early: the longer you leave it the less time you’ll have when you really need it. So avid stress, start your planning early and spread the tasks out rather than rush around in a panic nearer the time. Give friends and family who have offered their help plenty of notice.
- Create a spreadsheet of things to do – This will assist you hugely with the general organisation of your big day and enable you to tick off jobs as they are completed. You’ll be surprised at how this will help reassure you that all is done and nothing has been forgotten.
- Decide on the size of your wedding – Remember to talk this over with your fiancé: your idea of a dream wedding may not be theirs. Whatever, you’ll need to know how many people are going to attend for the purposes of venues, catering and invitations.
- Choose your venue – The sooner you can do this the better. This will give you more choice over potential venues and avoid disappointment. Check the spaces available, the catering deals, the marriage fees and the possibility of decorating the church or wedding space. Find out whether the prices quoted cover everything or whether you’ll be expected to pay for extras.
- Set your wedding date – The factors in choosing a date will include the availability of your venue, friends and family. Think about who is most important to have at your wedding, and try to set the date with their availability in mind. Still, most people will do their best to change any existing plans in order to accommodate a wedding date.
- Choose a theme and send out invitations – Your wedding theme need not be anything specific – but a successful event tends to have a consistent feeling throughout. Try to choose something that is easy to plan for.