So you are ready to start planning your wedding! Planning a
wedding should be viewed as making a series of decisions. This
makes it much less daunting because all the decisions don't
have to be made at once. Remember - one step at a time!
The first decision and probably the most important decision,
is the budget. Setting the budget creates a base from which
to go about planning the wedding and it will help you in making
decisions further on. Once you have decided on budget,
you can determine your guest list size, the venue and of course
the date! Some brides also like to "book" their
photographer early on.
Once the main financial and related decisions have been made,
you can essentially
start planning the style of your wedding - these decisions represent
the bulk of the decision-making. Lastly,
you need to make all the small final decisions. These decisions
are all about the details and practicalities of the "big"
day. Things like who is going to do ceremony readings, or
who is going to transport family or elderly guests to the
wedding, setting up of the reception room on the day etc.
Step
1 |
- Budget
- Financial commitments
(who pays for what).
- Guest list
size
- Ceremony time,
day and year
- Marriage officer
- Ceremony location
and reception venue
- Photographger
- Wedding planner
(if you like)
|
| Step
2 |
- Decide on Bridesmaids
and Groomsmen
- Bride and Groom
wedding attire and accessories
- Bridemaids
dresses and suits for groomsmen
- Menu and beverages
- Wedding Cake
- Source Decor
for recption venue and ceremony
- Musicians or
DJ at ceremony and/or reception
- Florist
- Organise Gift
Regsitry
- Hair and Make-up
Artsists
- Source accomodation
near to reception for out-of-town guests
- Videographer
and photographer (if not already planned)
- Stationery
- invites, menus, table seating plan, order of service
- Honeymoon planning
- Pre-Nuptial
Agreement
|
| Step
3 |
- Wedding day
schedule
- Ceremony rehearsal
- Transport of
elderly guests to the wedding
- Setting up
of reception room on the day
- Ceremony readings
- Picking up
of Suits, Wedding Dress and Bridesmaids outfits
- Introductions,
toasts, first dance, bouquet toss, etc.
- Gifts for bridemaids
and parents
|
Now that you have some
idea of what decisions need to be made, you need to give yourself
deadlines and make sure you stick to them! Obviously
the schedule depends on how much time you have until the big
day, or the length of your engagement. Planning a wedding
is a lot of work for one person, so ask friends and family
to help or you can always enlist the services of a professional
wedding planner.
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