How to wedding plan? Probably what you are thinking right now! So, you’ve just got in engaged…what an exciting time for you both! And so the fun begins! You could have been dreaming for years about pulling out your wedding planner, signing into Pinterest and searching thousands of suppliers on the internet for ideas and inspiration, or the idea of it could be really daunting and overwhelming. We have five top tips for you to help you feel not so overwhelmed by your wedding planning, whether you have just started planning or are part way through.
Have an initial conversation together
Before booking venue viewings or visiting wedding fayres, have an initial conversation about your day together. So many couples I work with have a very different idea when they are first thinking about how to plan a wedding and how they would like their wedding to be. Once you know the style you want, it is so much easier to stay focused on looking for inspiration, ideas, venues and suppliers for the wedding you both want. There is SO much wedding inspiration out there, you don’t want to be like a magpie with shiny things, stick to the style you have agreed on. For instance, if you have chosen an informal, field style wedding, stick to looking at what will match this theme, not beautiful stiletto heels or venues with no outside space.
Choosing your bridal party wisely
When it comes to choosing your bridesmaids, maid of honour, best man, groomsmen etc (which is an important part of how to plan a wedding and one people get over excited about!) choose the people who you want to be by your side during your wedding day. Don’t feel pressured to choose certain people because you have been their bridesmaids or because they are your sister, or your partners sister. I hear so often that they bridal party actual cause so much stress for the couple as they don’t want to wear the bridesmaids dress that has been chosen or they don’t want to plan the honeymoon – choose people who you know will support you, whatever your decision and will help relieve your stress, not cause you more!
Parents
It is an exciting time for all of your family to know that there is an upcoming wedding on the horizon, especially for your parents, and they may also be thinking about how to plan the wedding! Some couples love that their parents want to get involved with their planning and give their ideas and opinions, and others…don’t! My top advice if a parent wants to get involved with planning is to give them a specific job, whether it is arranging the favours, booking dress appointments or helping with the table plan, let them be involved, but give them something to focus on. Also, make sure they understand that it is your day and you want them to be involved but also to respect your wishes.
Terms and conditions
It can be oh so exciting when you are sitting at the venue of your dreams, speaking all about colours and flowers, the pretty things, then a copy of terms and conditions are put in front of you to be signed. One of the most important things when working out how to plan a wedding is to make sure you take these home, read them, understand them and get an extra person to read over them before signing. This is the same for suppliers too, don’t sign anything in the moment until it is fully digested.
Keep organised
During your planning process, make sure you stay organised, whether this be using a planning book, excel sheets or an app. Keep a list of all of the suppliers you have booked with their name, business name and contact details, along with the dates they require payments and further information. So often I speak with couples part way through their planning, or even a few weeks before the Wedding and they cannot remember who they have booked and have to search back through old emails! You also want to avoid unexpected payments!
Take time out of planning
This may seem strange now as I am sure you are super excited about planning your wedding day and don’t want to talk about anything BUT your big day, but there will be times that it can get a bit too much for you or stressful times. My advice is, from the very start of your Wedding planning journey, either set time aside when you DON’T talk about Wedding planning or time where you DO talk about Wedding planning. One of the couples I work with only discuss their Wedding plans once a week. Trust me, you will be glad for the break from it all further down the line…
Your day is YOUR day!
Remember your day is YOUR day, yours and your partners. Of course, you will want all of your friends and family to enjoy the full day, the setting, the food, the music etc but this is a day about YOU. Make sure you stick with what you have decided and how you would like your day to be. The whole planning process is part of your wedding memory – don’t let it be a stressful one because you are worried about other people.
If you need help, get help
Whether it is from one of your bridal party, your partner or a wedding planner, make sure you ask for help if you feel like your to do list is never ending and you cannot catch a break from wedding planning! It is also really important to talk to your partner or wedding planner if you are feeling stressed or worried about anything to do with your wedding day.
If you’re reading this, feeling slightly overwhelmed and still thinking ‘how am I going to plan a wedding?!’, and want to speak with a wedding planner sooner rather than later, you can book a consultation with us here!