When it comes to wedding planning, some things are nice to know and things that you need to knowโadvice that is so important that any bride who is fortunate enough to hear it thinks to herself, “I’m so glad someone told me that!” Anyone who’s planned a wedding knows that there’s always leave with information that makes you say, “I wish I’d known that when I was planning our wedding!”
When you want to learn how to renovate your kitchen, build a boat, bake a cake, or take great photos, you go to the experts, right? If you want to know how to plan a wedding effectively, efficiently, and on a budget, you should consult with wedding professionals. Wedding Secrets gathered advice and tips from wedding professionals as well as couples who had their dream wedding. To help you kick off the planning process and, more importantly, enjoy it! Get ready for some powerful and empowering planning knowledge as you go through some helpful wedding planning tips below.
Start wedding planning early
The earlier you start, the easier and less stressful it will be as your day approaches. Having a clear plan before you begin will help you stay organized and ensure that you don’t forget anything important. Late planning will drastically decrease your alternatives, resulting in second best, worse service, and a wedding that is far from perfect.
Trust your gut or follow your heart!
Couples get caught up all the time in what they think to believe they should do or what their parents expect them to do. The day is all about you and your partner, and you should have the wedding you want! When you find yourself at wits end, going back and forth on everythingโฆjust STOP! When you just stop and listen, everything will fall into place. This is one of the most memorable times in your life and you want to look back on it and smile. Nobody, not even your wedding planner, florist, cake designer, stylist, best friend, or soon-to-be mother-in-law, can tell you what you like or want to see at your wedding. Trust yourself, your judgment and your GUT.
Feel fabulous, but donโt overdo it
Everyone wants to look fab in their wedding photos, so if you like to increase your confidence, now is the time to start eating healthy and doing a few simple workouts to tone your body. On the other hand, going on an extreme diet is definitely not a good idea. Relax before the big day. Itโs easy to get swept up in the stress of your wedding. The solution? Treat yourself to a little luxury – get a massage or a skincare treatment. It will leave you feeling refreshed and will help you get a good nightโs sleep. Just remember that your groom wants to marry you exactly the way you are!
Get organized
Put together a wedding planning schedule and do things one by one, in a logical order, so you don’t take on too much too fast and end up with everything snowballing around you. Create a master document or wedding journal with supplier names, contact numbers, and other necessary details.
Donโt sweat the small stuff!
Spilled red wine on your dress? Dress strap ripping off? The DJ playing requests when you clearly stated no requests? This is probably one of the worst things that could happen, but it could also be very minor if you just take it in stride. There are endless things that can go wrong at a wedding โ or even during the wedding planning, but you canโt sweat the small stuff. Weddings donโt have to be the epitome of perfection. They arenโt fairy-tales. Theyโre real-life events produced by human beings, and sometimes, things can go out of control. The key to planning a wedding is to keep calm, expect bumps in the road and remember, itโs your day and itโs going to be the best day ever โ no matter what!!
Get the menu right
Food is the essential element of your wedding after exchanging vows with the one you love. When it comes to having an unforgettable wedding, you’ll need to consider the reception venue, your dress, the music, the photos, and so on, but what might be surprising to know is that the most essential factor in the success of a wedding reception is the FOOD! People will remember if they enjoyed what they ate, regardless of how wonderful the venue is or how good the DJ is.
Remember, this will also be your first meal as a married couple. Between delightful hors dโoeuvres and a satisfying main course, an exceptional menu enlivens any event. Above all, keep in mind that the caterers you hire are experienced professionals. If you’re unsure about what to put on the menu, don’t be afraid to ask them for suggestions and help. Talk with the caterer about their specialties; perhaps they’re great at making a dish you never thought of. Allow them to look over your menu and be open to suggestions. They know what they’re doing, and they want their food to be a success just as much as you do.
Involve your significant other
Don’t feel as if you’re going through the wedding planning process alone. Consult with your partner throughout the road. Although your fiancรฉ may not have been planning his wedding since he was young, he will undoubtedly have his ideas and thoughts and will want to be involved in the planning. Pay attention to what he says and keep in mind that it’s his day, too.
Hire the best photographer you can
Choosing a photographer for your wedding is one of the important decisions you’ll make when planning your wedding. Each photo on your wedding day is a captured moment in time that will never be repeated, so hire someone that you know will do the job. Choose a professional photographer so you can relax and enjoy your day while knowing they’ll take care of everything. A good wedding photographer is one who does an excellent job, knows the couple’s needs, and is both professional and amicable. They have the experience and knowledge to see the right situations and capture them in the best possible way, both technical and compositional terms. Research carefully and find someone who understands exactly what you want.
Have day-of timelines
Many couples get caught up in the thrill of preparing their wedding day and forget about the inner workings of the actual wedding day and how it all comes together. This is where the importance of the Day-Of Timeline comes in. Having a master schedule of events, accessible to everyone who has a role in your wedding, is vital to ensuring that your day runs smoothly. A complete wedding timeline will cover everything from vendor arrival to boutonniere pinning to when linens will arrive. It may appear to be just another piece of paperwork, but your timeline is your opportunity to take control of your celebration and ensure that your priorities are met. Just remember, the day-of timeline is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule book. Everything in between is flexible.
Make sure you have a Plan B
Even the best event planners can’t guarantee that a wedding will go off without a hitch. Expect something to go not as planned, and when it does, if you are the bride or groom, you can either be well-prepared to have your day-of coordinator jump in and tackle the issue, or let it roll off your back! Plan alternatives for each scenario and account for anything that might not go to plan so youโre not left stressed out and panicking on the big day.
Having the right tools and tips ahead of time, will help go a long way when taking the dive into the sometimes overwhelming, but very rewarding process of wedding planning. There are more important wedding planning tips and tricks, but we believe these are the most important, and we hope you enjoyed reading them. We are confident that if you get the above correct, then nothing will stop you from having the wedding of your dreams.
We strongly advise you to enroll in a Wedding Course to help you conceptualize your wedding planning journey.
