Did you know it takes on average 300 hours to plan a wedding from start to finish? Luckily SB Events are here to help you get started…
What sort of wedding do you want?
Prioritise what you want from your wedding. Listen to each other and draw up ideas you both like and dislike. You may find that the photography is your big thing, or it may be the grand venue, exquisite catering or being surrounded by all your family and friends. You’ll also need to decide what type of wedding service you want. Are you looking for a religious ceremony or a civil service? To find out the legalities of marriage and civil services take a look at Gov.uk.
What’s the budget?
This is the biggie! It will determine the number of guests you invite, the suppliers you can book, the timing, the day of the week and the time of the year you have your wedding. Setting and sticking to your budget is a must, but be realistic. You don’t want to start married life in a huge amount of debt. If you have family contributing to the costs then decide who’s paying for what. Talking money can be an awkward conversation to have, but necessary.
Where will your wedding be held?
Choosing a venue can seem a daunting task. Firstly think about location – would you prefer to get married close to your home, your family’s homes or your favourite part of the country? Or maybe you have your heart set on a destination wedding. Once the location is sorted you can start to research potential venues. Visiting them is essential, and some venues might be worth viewing during specialist open days or wedding fairs. Once you have a choice of venues, you’ll need to make sure they can fit in with your budget. Sit down with the breakdown of the costs and work out if you can afford to have your wedding there.
When do you want to get married?
Do you have a specific date in mind? If not then look to your favourite time of year and, if possible, work around holidays and public holidays as these can become very popular dates and can limit certain venues and suppliers. Weekday weddings are also becoming more popular with couples, offering more available dates and often a smaller price tag.
Who do you to be involved?
Decide who will be in the bridal party. Who do you want by your side throughout the planning process and on the day itself? The bridal party play a big party in the planning process so choose someone you trust to delegate tasks to.
What about the guest list?
Make a draft list of family and friends you would like to invite. This will help set the budget, too – the more guests you invite the larger your budget will need to be. It’s best to send out your save the date cards as soon as possible, giving your guests plenty of notice. This is especially important if you are getting married during the summer or on a public holiday.
Do you have a particular style in mind?
Although, it’s not crucial at this stage, it is useful to start thinking about what style of wedding you want. Do you prefer modern, vintage, rustic or whimsical? Think about your personalities and what you both like and dislike. Your wedding day is a perfect opportunity for your personalities to shine through and this will make it more personal to both you and your guests. Often your theme falls into place once you decide on the venue.
Start compiling a scrapbook of ideas from wedding magazines and blogs. Pinterest is a great website that acts as an online pinboard so you can pin ideas and share amongst your friends and family. Visit our Pinterest boards for some initial inspiration.
Have you considered wedding insurance?
This we highly recommend! Wedding insurance is there just in case things don’t go to plan, covering everything from wedding dress or hire suit damage to one of your wedding suppliers going bust. Cover starts from as little as £30, and with the average cost of a wedding of £21,000 it’s definitely an investment worth having.
Why not create a new email account?
Set up a new email account to use when planning your wedding. You can use this to contact suppliers and allow guests to RSVP to your wedding. It keeps everything in one inbox which will save you time trawling through endless emails on your other accounts.
Is it all getting too much?
As much as you might want to control every last detail by yourself, you will probably need to delegate and ask your fiancé, close friends and family to help. If it all gets too much or you are still overwhelmed by the idea of organising the biggest day of your lives then hire a wedding planner. They can source and liaise with suppliers on your behalf, oversee the day itself and provide a fun, stress-free experience as you embark on the journey down the aisle.
Thanks to Stephanie Bardgwanath for these top tips! To find out more visit sbeventsplanning.com or email [email protected]
