One thing that most couples find surprising about being engaged, is how quickly you’re expected to start planning a wedding! Firstly, please don’t feel pressure from anyone to plan a wedding in a hurry or within a certain timeframe. From the outset, you must remember this one thing: this is YOUR day. Secondly, how are you meant to know where to start? You’ve never done this before, right?!
Here are some tips you may find useful when you’re in the initial “ready-to-think-about-maybe-starting-to-plan-our-wedding-day” phase.
- Chat to your friends
Do you have any friends who are already married who you can chat to about their wedding? Most couples will have first-hand advice on what they might reconsider, what they’d do differently, or what they learnt on the day. Furthermore, can you chat with them about their experiences planning their wedding day? Chances are they will have some vendor recommendations too!
- Write a draft guest list
This might seem like a big leap in the planning process, but understanding the size of your wedding will assist you when determining your budget, choosing the right venue and what will make the cut from your wedding wish list. When writing a guest list, we recommend including two columns. In column A, write all the guests that are non-negotiable. This would include your immediate family and closest friends. In column B, include people you would love to attend if your budget can stretch to accommodate them.
- Research Venues
This is where the planning starts to get fun! When you start researching venues, try and determine an area first. For instance, are you thinking Hunter Valley? South Coast? Destination wedding? This will make your life SO much easier travelling to one area to suss out potential venues. Think about accommodation – where will your guests stay? Is there plenty of accommodation available in the surrounds? Is it easy to access via car or other means of transport? Once you’ve narrowed down a few places, book in to go see the venue in person ASAP! Remember, they book out 12+ months in advance.
- Think Bridal Party
More fun stuff! Choosing your Bridal Party will be a highlight of your wedding planning process. It’s such a beautifully personal gesture and a decision you shouldn’t take lightly. Think about who you want to stand next to you on the day, emotionally support you in the lead up, and will enjoy the memories with you for years to come.
- What can you outsource
Now that you have an idea of the foundations of your wedding day, you can start to determine what you need to outsource to wedding professionals and vendors. It’s important to know exactly what’s included in your venue booking so you can fully understand what you’re expected to organise for the day – i.e. do they have a commercial kitchen? Are you setting up the table settings? Who provides ice to chill the drinks? This is where engaging with a wedding professional will help you shortcut all the “figuring out” moments, and bypass straight to a stress-free wedding planning process.
Looking for a reliable, helpful, funny and well-connected wedding professional? Call us on 1800 4 BESTIE!
Happy planning! K x
