Planning
a wedding, while exciting, can be incredibly overwhelming. This is why so many
couples turn to wedding planners to take the stress away.
However, while this solution works well for a lot of weddings, it might not be
the one for yours. Perhaps you don’t have the funds to hire a professional or
would rather do it yourself. Whatever your reasons, it is a lot of work.
Thankfully, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. If, like many other
couples out there, you’ve chosen to plan your own wedding, here are ten simple
tips that you will need to know.
Give Yourself Enough
Time
One
of the reasons why wedding planning can be so overwhelming is that many couples
try to do everything in one go. Instead of doing the same, you should give
yourself enough time to complete tasks at your own pace. Rather than deciding
the guestlist, booking the venue, planning the menu, and choosing the music
today, you should spread these jobs over several days or weeks. Just make sure
that you keep track of everything that you do along the way.
Begin With Your Budget
Before
you can plan anything for your big day, including the guest list, you need to
work out exactly how much you have to spend. If you hired a professional
planner, this would be the first thing they’d ask you to do too. This budget
will be the driving factor for almost all of you wedding-related decisions, so
don’t put it off. Make sure you take a hard look at your own finances, and, if
any friends or family are contributing to the big day, speak to them about what
they plan to spend.
Create A Master
Checklist
Planning
a wedding involves making a lot of decisions and buying, booking, and hiring a
lot of things. Forgetting to complete any one of these jobs could cause chaos
on your big day, potentially ruining it for you and your partner. This is why
it helps to create a master checklist of absolutely
everything that you need to do to get your big day up and running. To make this
easier for you, there are lots of lists online that you can adapt and use for
your wedding day.
Know What You Need
Your
entire wedding day is important, of course, but there will be certain aspects
that are more important to you than others. It’s these key features that
deserve the majority of your time and the wedding budget. With that in mind,
you should sit down with your fiance and figure out the three aspects you care
about the most. These could be the food, the venue, or even the DJ. Whatever
they are, you should make them your priority and be willing to compromise on
all else.
Don’t Do Everything
Alone
Many
brides joke that their fiances had very little to do with the wedding planning
process, but, if you want this time to be more enjoyable and a lot less
stressful, then yours should be just as involved as you are. It’s vital that
you make decisions together, to ensure that you’re both happy about your
wedding day plans. You may also want to bring in a few friends or family
members to lend a hand. You may not have a wedding planner, but that doesn’t
mean that you’re totally alone.
Never Rush Into
Decisions
With so much to do and so
little time to do it in, it can be tempting to hire the first photographer or
caterer you meet with. However, this could be a major mistake. While the first
company you turn to very well might be the best in the business, it’s much more
likely that there is someone better or more cost-efficient out there. Before
making such an important decision, you should take a step back, shop around a
little more, and weigh up all of the options you have in front of you.
Understand Contracts
With Vendors
When
you do decide to work with a vendor, you must ensure that you read through
every detail of your contract with care. Wedding planners have plenty of
experience and know what to look for in such documents, but you, unfortunately,
don’t. However, with just a few more minutes of thought and maybe even a second
opinion, there’s no reason why you should make a mistake. Certain details you
should double check include dates, times, and cancellation policies.
DIY The Small Stuff
Many
couples opt against using a wedding planner because it simply doesn’t fit in
their budget. For this reason, you may also choose to DIY certain aspects of
your wedding. However, as any decent planner will tell you, this won’t always
save you money, and it certainly won’t save time or worry. If you do plan to do
some things yourself, steer clear of last-minute tasks, like food and wedding flowers. Leave those to
professionals and stick with things you can do well in advance.
Get A Planning Book
A
wedding planner may not be an option for you, but, thankfully, a wedding planning book
is the next best thing. There are plenty for you to choose from, all with lots of
their own expert advice, tips, and tricks. Some even have examples of timelines
and checklists for you to use, saving you from looking for or creating your
own. You can also read wedding blogs and stock up on lots of magazines to offer
you plenty of inspiration, support, and guidance.
After
spending months, if not years, planning your wedding, you certainly deserve one
day off. With that in mind, you should leave all tasks that need to be done
on your big day to someone else. From friends and family to venue staff and
vendors, there are plenty of people available to lend a hand and keep you from
getting yours dirty. Just make sure that you have a plan for the day, as well
as any information you help may need.
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