Wedding Day Advice | Wedding Planning

Your man has popped the question and it’s time to start planning your wedding, but where do you start? 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! It’s almost like training for the comrades – it’s all about breaking the race up in stages as well as mental endurance!

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.

Photo courtesy: Style Me Pretty

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
First things first

• Budget
• Financial commitments (who pays for what).
• Guest list size
• Ceremony time, day and year
• Marriage officer
• Ceremony location and reception venue
• Photographer
• Wedding planner (if you like)

Step 2
Having fun yet?

• Decide on Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
• Bride and Groom wedding attire and accessories
• Bridesmaids dresses and suits for groomsmen
• Menu and beverages
• Wedding Cake
• Source Decor for reception venue and ceremony
• Musicians or DJ at ceremony and/or reception
• Florist
• Organise Gift Registry
• Hair and Make-up Artists
• Source accommodation 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
The end is in sight

• 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 bridesmaids 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.

Happy planning!