Your wedding day is slowly approaching, you probably do not even know what you are feeling anymore. From excitement about marrying the person you love, to anxiety about if everything will go right, planning a wedding can be a true emotional rollercoaster. But, do not worry, you are not alone in this. Most people feel all of this before their wedding.
But, as for anything else, having a well-structured plan can help you a great deal in this situation. Of course, not everything can go smoothly, but having a good plan will save you a lot of nerves and time. To help you prepare the wedding of your dreams, we have made a list of six steps you should take when planning a wedding.
1. Set a Budget
First and foremost, you must set a wedding budget. Before you start planning anything else, you have to know what amount of money you will be able to use. This might not be the most fun part of planning, but everything will be easier to manage once you know how much you can spend on every part of the wedding.
Once you establish your budget, you will know how many people you can invite, what kind of venue you can afford, what kinds of invitations, food, and so on. The last thing you would want is to go into debt because you did not plan your budget well. So, sit down with your fiance, your parents, or anyone else who is contributing to the wedding, and come up with a total budget. We would advise you to plan to spend a bit less than what your budget allows you to since it often happens that there are some unexpected costs.
2. Get the Dress and the Rings
Saying yes to the dress can be a lot more complicated than most of us imagine. Looking for the right material, the right fit, and the right feeling in a dress can be very time-consuming. But, it is also a beautiful experience. When you find that perfect dress, nothing else before that will matter. But, to make sure this experience brings as little stress as possible, make sure to start looking for a dress on time.
Other essential things to get are the rings. The engagement and wedding rings are beautiful signs of love that you will always wear, so you need to make sure that they are just right for you. If you live in a small town like Daylesford and Creswick and you are not finding what you like, try going to a bigger city. You can look for wedding rings and engagement rings Melbourne, in case you don’t have one yet. Since the city has a range of shops, you will certainly find what you are looking for. And the best thing is since there are so many shops, there are rings that suit every budget.
3. Make a Guest List
Before you start looking for a venue, you have to know how many guests you will have. Even though you might not have the final guest list right away, having an estimated number is very important for the rest of the process. For example, if you plan to have around 50 guests, you will know you can look for a smaller venue. However, if you are having a bigger wedding with 200 or 300 people, you will need to search for a venue that suits that number of guests. So, before you give your down payment, make sure you and your fiance have sat down and counted how many guests each of you will have.
4. Book a Venue
Once you know how many people will be at your wedding, it is time to book the venue. Of course, if you have a general idea about that number, start looking for a venue immediately. Venues book up very quickly and if you wait for too long, you might not be able to get married on the day that you set. Once you have the official date, inform your friends and family, just so they can save the date. Make sure to do your research and compare the prices, since many places will be more expensive just because they are popular. But, if you dig a bit more, you might find a cheaper venue, and save money for other things you need.
5. Book Your Vendors
If you have popular vendors in mind, make sure you book them as soon as possible. The best ones are always going to be booked a lot in advance, so you have to make sure you do not end up with an alternative you did not want. So, to make sure that everything at your wedding is as you want it to be, contact your vendors as soon as you decide which ones you want. In general, the vendors you will want to have are a florist, a photographer, a videographer, a hair, and makeup person, a band, a bakery that will make your cake, and so on. If you cannot handle everything alone, consider also getting a wedding planner as well. Of course, this is a general list. Feel free to add anything else, but remember to book on time.
6. Create a Wedding Website
Even though some people find it weird, creating a wedding website can make your life a lot easier. Setting up a website will make it a lot easier for you to know how many of your guests will come, it will be a lot simpler to inform all of them if there are any changes in the schedule. Of course, you can keep information such as location, date, and hotel room numbers there. After all, why wouldn’t you use all the technology we have today to make planning your wedding easier?
To make it even more useful and fun, you can set up a photo and video depository where everyone will be able to upload. So, when your guests take selfies with you or make a video of you and your partner’s first dance, you will be able to see all of it and save it as a memory.
There is no doubt that the majority of people feel stressed about planning their wedding. And we definitely can understand. After all, we all want our weddings to go as smoothly as possible. If you were having any of these feelings, hopefully, our article has helped you and has brought a bit more structure into your wedding plans. To sum things up, plan everything, and do it on time, and you will not have to worry much.