Each month Marie Haverly, The Wedding Expert and Founder of
Isabella Weddings, will be solving your top wedding woes…
Isn’t it amazing, that just-engaged feeling? How many times have you glanced down at the new sparkly circle of love – the engagement ring that the person you love above all else has chosen for you, to prove that you totally rock their world and they want you in it forever. This is the best bit, the easy bit. You just don’t know it yet. You have in front of you months (or longer) of wonderful wedding planning, sweeping through wedding venues and chatting to endless suppliers about how they can make your day perfect.
You have endless Pinterest boards of every wedding theme imaginable and your Instagram feed is now full of everyone who ever took a picture of anything remotely wedding-esk. It’s amazing to be immersed in all that wedding inspiration isn’t it? Or has it started to feel just a little bit daunting? The excitement of starting out on your wedding planning journey might have just lost momentum and you now feel like everyone is sending you their best wedding ideas. There’s so very much to choose from and – oh goodness – where on earth do you actually start now? This is supposed to be fun isn’t it?!

Photography by Studio 1208
It is fun but like anything, it is more enjoyable once you actually know what you are doing. So before the sparkle you feel right now starts to wane let me give you some advice. If you are right at that moment we just spoke about – starting out but really overwhelmed by all the choice – then these mini tips are what you need right now. Trust me, I’ve been here 600+ times! Phew.
1. Write it all down – before you speak to anyone, before you share your thoughts on Facebook or grab every magazine on the shelf. Write down what you love, what you don’t love, what you want to remember about your day
2. Listen to your heart and your gut instinct. Both of you. What is it saying, what can you really see yourselves doing for your special day?

Ali Paul Photography
3. Be realistic about your budget right from the start – no one else needs to know what you are spending by the way, that’s your bag. However, if you know what you can afford you can then be specific about what you are looking at in terms of venues and guest numbers.
4. Be true to yourself – this comes from a wedding planner who has sat with many a Bride to try and focus her thoughts. Don’t follow the crowd; don’t do something because it is the trend. Do it if it fills your heart with joy and gives you happy goosebumps.