How to start planning a wedding
8 steps to planning a wedding
The question has been popped (you said YES!!), you’ve enjoyed the excitement of being engaged for a while and now your thoughts turn to looking ahead to the big day. Here comes the overwhelm!! We totally get it. When we began planning our own wedding way back in 2010, it became clear there’s a LOT more to planning a wedding than just picking a date and confirming a wedding venue!
Stress not! We are here with our expert knowledge to help. This is likely going to be the biggest event you’re ever likely to plan and it can be difficult to know where to begin to start planning your dream wedding day. Although some couples will book a wedding planner, in our experience, most couples choose to plan their own wedding themselves. We bring our 11 years experience of being in the wedding industry to help guide you through the wedding planning process.
1: Set a budget. This will be one of the most important parts of your wedding planning, and although it can be a little overwhelming, your wedding budget needs to be agreed upon before anything else. Are you paying for the wedding yourself? Are any family members contributing? Are you hoping for designer outfits and an abundance of florals on your wedding day? You need to think realistically what you can afford in congruence with the kind of wedding you have in mind, weddings don’t have to be expensive, you can get married at your local registry office followed by a low key meal or afternoon tea, but if you want a lavish black tie event with huge guests numbers, that certainly won’t be cheap so budget according to your vision.
2: Make a guest list - Think long & hard about who you both want to invite to your wedding, remember, you will have to feed each guest and the costs can add up, not seen your distant cousins in over 10 years? Not spoken to your old school friend inquire a while? Then don’t feel that you HAVE to invite them. We know the talk of child free weddings can be a tricky subject, but if you both have big families with lots of children on each side, the guest numbers can start to add up quickly. Don’t be afraid to stand your ground, we would say around 80% of our weddings are child free, and the costs plus limited guest numbers are the main reasons for this.
3: Set a date - Really think about the time of year for your wedding, if you love blooming English gardens you may want a spring or summer wedding, or a backdrop of the fiery autumn colours may set your heart on fire. Also, think ahead for any upcoming key dates or events that may occur, are one of you huge football fans and there’s a world cup during your wedding year? Is there an annual event at your wedding location (Glastonbury anyone?!) that will limit hotel spaces or travelling times? A quick Google on local or sporting events should help you dismiss certain dates. And remember, have a couple of date options to hand, especially if you are hoping for a weekend wedding in the summer months. Wedding venues can get booked up to 3 years in advance so dates may be limited, so the sooner you contact them the better. Which leads us on to….
4: Choose your wedding venue - This is where most of your wedding budget will go to, it will be the backdrop for your day, so choosing your dream wedding venue is an important task! Start researching venues in your chosen areas, can they accommodate your guest numbers? Is there on-site parking for all your guests? Do they have accommodation? Ask your venue for advice on booking a registrar, or search for local celebrants if you are opting for a celebrant led wedding. Side note - Ask your registrar or celebrants advice on all the legal stuff like giving your notice etc.
5: Hire suppliers - Prioritise what is most important to you, determine your top 3 suppliers and allocate the majority of your supplier budget to them. Make sure you book suppliers you feel comfortable with, especially your on the day vendors such as photographers and your hair and makeup team, they will spend a significant amount of time with you on wedding day so you want someone can feel relaxed around. You really want to book your wedding suppliers as soon as you can, good suppliers get booked up quickly, especially for peak wedding season.
6: Buy a wedding planning book or create a wedding website to stay organised. Make notes of the dates your suppliers will need final payments, a record of who has RSVP’d and who you need to chase. Keep a record of when your wedding venue needs your final numbers to be confirmed, and when you need to book your wedding hair & makeup trial. Some of your wedding suppliers (like us!) will send out helpful guides to help you you on your wedding planning journey, don’t be shy to ask your suppliers for their advice or help at anytime.
7: Decide on your wedding colours or theme, then order your wedding stationery and send out those invites! Save-the-dates can be sent if your wedding date is over a year away, then your main wedding invites can be sent around 4-5 months before the big day. If you are getting married during school holidays or if you’re planning a Christmas wedding, or you haven’t sent out save-the-dates, maybe give your guests a little more notice so they can plan ahead.
8: Start shopping for your wedding outfits. Now for the fun stuff!! You have all the ‘big’ things confirmed so now it’s time to start booking dress & suit appointments. Wedding dresses should be ordered around 9-12 months before the big day unless you are planning to buy off the peg, and as its such a huge part of the day, you don’t want to rush he decision so get making those appointment. Expert tip; a lot of bridal boutiques hold sample sales throughout the year so keep your eyes peeled on their socials, you might just get yourself a bargain! Your bridesmaids & groomsmen will need plenty of notice to go for fittings etc so get a few dates on the calendar in advance so everybody has ample time to attend.
Remember to have an open mind when it comes to planning your wedding, you may need to be flexible with things such as certain dates or the flowers you wanted not being available during the season you’re wedding is being held, (peonies in November isn’t going to happen). Trust in your wedding suppliers to give you their expert wedding advice & let them guide you through the process. They all want you to have the most perfect wedding day ever and will do whatever they can to make that happen, so you can just sit back, relax, and look forward to marrying the love of your life.
Much love, J&K x
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