Planning a Wedding

You have announced your engagement by now so what are the next steps?

Here are some helpful steps to take you through to your big day.

12 Months before your big day

The Theme

Have a look for some inspiration for a look and feel for your wedding day.

Read wedding magazines, and look on the internet for some inspiration.

Theme ideas: Vintage, Modern, Fantasy, Exotic.

There are so many to choose from that can be broken down even more.

Budget

Decide on how much you can spend on your wedding day, take into account what money you have from your family and what you have to add to this.

Ceremony Total:

Reception Total:

Honeymoon Total:

Bride and Groom Wedding Party

Select who you would like to have as your bridal party, select well to avoid drama along the way.

Bear in mind that the Maid of Honour should assist you and if you chose the wrong one, you may be left planning alone.

Remember the choice belongs to the two of you.

Draw up your guest list

Remember that this will change a lot over time, be sure to keep all relevant information so that when it comes to sending out invitations you not scrambling for info.

A spreadsheet is a good idea to have, it can be your checklist as you send out invites and get RSVP’s as well as when you need to do your seating plan.  Also, you can have it handy when opening your gifts after your wedding to note who gave you what in order to send them a think you.

Decide on how many guests you are going to have and try to stick to it. Work on friends and family that you have seen most recently and then add from there.

Find and book a Venue

This step needs to be done in order to send out your invitations as this will determine the date and place of your wedding.  If you are going to have your ceremony and reception at different venues try to keep them close to one another.

Some venues have a planner, ask when you are enquiring as it may be a cost saver rather than hiring one and you can get a little helping hand from the inside.

Book the people that make your wedding day a good memory

If you want to have good people you need to get them early they are usually very booked up.

Photographer and Videographer – a lot of the times you can get both at one company. Ask to see some of their work as there can be some bad ones out there.

A DJ or Band – Whichever you prefer or both it's all up to your preference and budget. Ensure you do a list for them of all the music for your walk-in after photos and first dance. Also a list of some songs you know your crowd will love.

Florist – remember that some flowers are seasonal so make sure that what you are looking for is going to be available.

Caterer – Do a taste testing of all that you are going to choose, food is a big part of the wedding, people always scrutinise the food.

Minister – Today not everyone attends a church, so access to a minister is not always possible, but you can find one online in your area

9 Months before your big day

Time to go dress and suit shopping.

Alterations may have to be made or you may struggle to find what you like, so best to start getting this organized, as well as your wedding parties attire. If you are trying to lose weight before the wedding this is the time to mention it as you may need to fit the dress a few times to ensure it may not need altering.

Accommodation

Try to reserve accommodation close to the venue or even at the venue if possible for those who would like to stay over the night or for those who have travelled from far to be with you on your special day.

Gift Registry

Open a gift register at some popular stores where your guests can go and see what you would like and purchase those items rather than things you may have or wouldn’t really like to receive. Try to pick a less pricy one out of the options as well, not everyone will be able to afford the high-end items

Whatsapp group or Wedding Website

It’s becoming popular to have a wedding WhatsApp group where everyone is made aware of what is happening all the way up to the wedding day. A wedding website is also a nice way to do this.

Invitations

Time to send out your invitations, there are a few options here, make your own, purchase ready-made and write in the details, or hire someone to do all this for you. It can be very pricy either way so watch the budget here.

6 Months before your big day

Decide on your honeymoon, where would you like to go and start booking.

Book flights if needed and handle any other arrangements that may be needed for while you are away.

Meet with your Officiant

You will need to walk through the wedding ceremony and do some rehearsals in order to make sure the ceremony runs smoothly, especially if you have ring bearers and flower girls as well as a bridal party walking down the aisle with you.

Transportation

How will you be getting to your wedding, you may have a family member with a really nice car that you would like to use to save on costs or you can hire a vehicle/carriage for the day.

Schedule

It's always good to do a schedule for the day, write down how you would like everything to go.

From the first dance to speeches and then cutting the cake, this is usually done with your planner if you have one, or you can do it yourself and ensure that your Maid of honour is there to assist.

Wedding Cake

You may want to try out a few bakeries before deciding on who you would prefer to make your cake.  Once you are happy then book and pay for your cake.

Music

It is always best to give the DJ a music list, this would be songs that you know everyone will love and make the party come to life. A good idea is also to mention what not to play.

Book Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist.

Some of the above will do a trial on you before the day so that you can see if you are happy. Let them know what you would like, remember to mention what kind of headpiece you will be wearing if any, such as a tiara or veil. If you have some images of what you have in mind that would be very useful to the hairstylist.

3 Months before your big day

The final stretch, and here is what you should be finalizing:

Flowers

Favours if you should decide to do any.

Seating Plan

Toast schedule

Print Menus and name tags for tables if needed

Check with all the companies you have hired that everything is on track and they are not still requiring anything from you.

Fit your Wedding attire to ensure all still fit.

Purchase thank you gifts for the Bridal Party if you wish to do so.

Have an amazing bachelor/bachelorette party.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, have an amazing wedding day and all of the best for your future.

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