Our Brides' Top 10 Wedding Planning Tips
Congratulations - you’re engaged! Hopefully you’ve spent a little time celebrating with your friends, family and beau-to-be, but now it’s time to actually start putting some plans into motion, right?
All Brides have done it, they’ll sit down to Pinterest, pinning all of their dream wedding inspo to a board, then hitting a wall.
WHERE DO I START?
So we've asked some of our past brides to give us their advice on the most important parts of planning a wedding. And from all of that knowledge, we have put together these top 10 tips to follow for a successful, stress free (ish) wedding!
Image by Steel & Oak
1. Get your budget sorted first
First things first, let's get real with how much this is going to cost you and how much you're willing to spend. Knowing what budget you have to work with will make it easier to make key decisions, for example, what wedding venues to look out and how many guests you can afford to attend.
There may be certain things that take priority - maybe you simply cannot cut down numbers which means you'll have to compromise somewhere else. Having your budget locked in with your partner means that you won't go overboard and get carried away and can allocate according to your dream wedding.
Top tip: Remember that episode of Friends where Monica is planning the wedding with Rachel & Phoebe and she has 3 top wedding scenarios? This isn’t a bad idea. Discuss with your partner what the very top end of your budget would be, what you’d ideally spend and the lower end of the budget if you figured out some corners to cut!
Check out this handy budget planner from Rock My Wedding
2. Book your venue as soon as possible
Remember that top tip above? Narrow your venue down to the Top 3 - visit all of them. You have to see how it feels before the big day.
Securing the venue first allows you to plan all the other details to match so that your whole day feels well thought out. It will also make it easier to make the right decisions on smaller details because you will know the location, size and theme of the venue you will be at.
Make sure you have a rough idea of your guest list size when booking the venue to make sure there’s space for everyone you want there.
Image by Wimsical Wonderland Weddings
3. Next up, your Suppliers
Have you got your checklist of people you need to book? Here's a good starting point;
Caterers
Cake Maker
Photographer / Videographer
Hair/ Make-up Artists
Celebrants
Musicians / Entertainment
Florists
Photographer / Videographer
Hair/ Make-up Artists
Celebrants
Musicians / Entertainment
Florists
Add any others you can think of and narrow down your top 3 depending on their style, availability and price point. Get them booked in as early as possible to avoid any disappointment - you'll start to feel a relief as soon as those big decisions are nailed down!
Image by Two-Souls
4. Download the Bridebook App
Now, this is in no way affiliated with the app, just a recommendation from many of our Brides. This is an all-in-one app that lets you track your budget, find venues within your budget and location and plan your guestlist. If you're a list-maker like I am, this app will be your lifeline & it's completely free!
Image from Bridebook
5. Have fun with it
You'll soon realise that there's a lot to consider when planning a wedding, but before overwhelm hits, make sure that to plan ways of having fun with your wedding planning. Why don't you invite all of your friends round for a signature cocktail making competition for the big day? Or get the hen party round to help with making some decorations. Take your time and enjoy all the little details that go into making the day as special as possible.
Image by One Fab Day
6. And on that note, remember to get your partner's input!
This day is for both of you so make sure the planning is a joint effort that both of you will enjoy. They like fast cars? Why don't you book his dream car as your wedding car!
Plus, you’re marrying this person for a reason, right? They must be fun! Take your time and enjoy the planning process with each other. Plan quirky date nights for cake testing and flower-making or even set aside some time to do some DIY together.
Image by Rachel Takes Pictures
7. Take a notepad to all your appointments
Word of warning - you're about to be hit with a lot of information. Be kind to your mind and take a notepad with you when visiting suppliers and venues otherwise you will forget all of those important little details. This will also allow you to make sure it aligns with your budget and theme plans when you get home.
Image by Rock my Wedding
8. Choose food that you love
Pick the food dishes that you would love to eat, it is your special day after all! Couples can often get caught up worrying about everyone else when planning menus and forget about themselves.
And remember to eat it! So many of our Brides have told us stories of being so caught up in the day that they’ve missed almost all meals, surviving on a diet of cake & champagne! Sounds ideal, but also, that Champagne will go straight to your head so make sure you remember to eat.
Image by Martha Stewart Wedding
9. Plan some alone time on the big day
There's a lot going on on your wedding day; the ceremony, the photos, the wedding dinner - give yourselves some time out from the often hectic schedule of the big day by planning in some relaxing alone time so you can really appreciate being in each other’s company.
So many of our Brides felt as though they barely saw their newly betrothed on the day itself. When the reception is in full swing, steal some time away for just you two.
Image by Joie De Vivre Photography
10. Make it personal
This day is to celebrate your love so don’t be afraid to make it about you guys! Adding fun or quirky personal touches always goes down well with the guests too.
Image from Hitched.co.uk
And there we have it - the top 10 things to consider when planning your wedding. We've popped them all together in a handy checklist for you, so give it a screenshot and start ticking off those tasks!
& now, all the exciting stuff starts!
Enjoy,
Love Hannah & Hayze xx
