Would you like insider secrets from a wedding planner who recently planned her own wedding?
If so, read on for my 9 top tips for getting to your wedding day without losing your mind on the way.
Planning a wedding is such an exciting time, however, it can also be so frustrating when you just don’t know where to start, or what to look out for. I’m a great believer that the planning part should be just as blissful and fun as the actual day, so with this in mind I’ve given you the following tips to give you a sense of control during your planning journey. Enjoy!
1. First things first…
Worrying about things that might happen can set you up to loathe planning your day. As a recent bride myself, I watched what I thought about and advise my couples to do the same. Planning a wedding can be so stressful, especially if you are adding pressure to it that you don’t need to.
We always took time away from planning our wedding and went on date nights or had days when we were not allowed to talk about the wedding.
All couples should do the same and you’ll find that you’ll enjoy the planning a lot more.
2. It’s all about the budget
You need to start with setting a realistic budget. This can be difficult until you start speaking with suppliers, however you should have a figure in mind that you don’t want to exceed. Your guest list numbers may affect where you are able to hold your wedding and obviously affects cost, so early on you need an idea of how many people you are going to invite.
Right at the beginning of planning sit down together and talk about your priorities too. This means that you can split your budget in a way that the spending reflects what matters to you most. Have an idea of your top 3 must-haves and those things that you don’t want.
3. Your supplier teams
A successful wedding is one where the venue and all suppliers are aligned and work beautifully together. Couples should surround themselves with suppliers that they feel a connection with, as they’ll find it easier to work with them and so get the results that they want.
Once you’ve decided on a supplier, flower arrangement, dress etc. stop looking for that part of your wedding. If you continue looking, you’ll start doubting your choices.
You need total clarity on what you are paying for, so you should ensure that you have read and understood all contracts and communications with each supplier, so you know what’s included in the cost and what isn’t. If in doubt, always ask. Reread your contract before your wedding as a refresher. If it’s not in writing then it does not count – e.g., verbal promises.
4. Soaking up the atmosphere
A wedding day flies by, and as a couple you should take a moment during several parts of the day to just breathe and take in everything. Find the time to be alone together before and on the wedding day. Being alone together, even if only for a few minutes, will give you the chance to really appreciate what you have created and be in tune with your emotions.
Don’t depend on yourself to remember to do this, get someone in your wedding party to remind you at a chosen time as you will forget.
5. For the DIY’ers out there
It can be quite easy to think that you can do so much yourself, and maybe if you have a small guest count then you can. My general advice would be that unless you are creative, have a lot of time and space on your hands then don’t try and DIY too much.
I would say a maximum of 40% is enough as you don’t want to pressurise yourself, and a tip to really help you is to have organised boxes for your table layouts and list all your items for put up and tear down.
6. Getting help on the day
Even if you’re not having a wedding planner for the whole of your planning, for yourself, and your peace of mind hire a day-of coordinator to take the pressure off you during the day and allow your guests to enjoy themselves and not be worried about having ‘jobs’ to do.
If you’re not having a coordinator on the day, then have a dependable friend or family member oversee everything. Someone who can deal with any issues that crop up and will check in with your venue & suppliers before the wedding day.
7. Keeping a check on your RSVPs
Have your rsvp deadline at least 4 weeks before your date and expect to have to chase for some. Also, put numbers on your rsvp cards, this means that if any are returned without a name you can easily determine who it belongs to.
8. Walking like a model, not a new-born giraffe
If you want to look elegant and glide down the aisle then you must practice walking in your shoes, especially if they are higher than you normally wear. You can get help choosing your perfect wedding shoes here.
Equally important is practicing walking with your veil on if it is of cathedral or chapel length. You’ll be surprised how this takes some getting used to, we don’t normally drag all that material behind us, so it’s good to practice.
9. Knowing your back-up plans
Even with the best planning in the world there may be some unforeseen thing that goes wrong. If you expect that this can happen then it is easier to accept it if something does. For those things that you can, have a contingency plan worked out beforehand.
One more point…
Obviously, there are a lot more tips that I could list, but one of the most important things that I would say to you is to just ‘Do you,’ whatever that may be. This is so important that I wanted to make it stand out by itself. This is your wedding so don’t feel pushed into doing or having things that you don’t want to. Relax and enjoy.
If you’re needing advice about anything then get in touch, I love talking about weddings and, helping couples achieve their best day ever is totally my thing.
Tracy
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