Choosing to get married should be one of the most romantic and wonderful moments in your life, and very often it is, until…you have to plan the wedding. Where to get married, where to have the reception, who sits where, what should be served, which colours to choose, the list goes on and on. That’s why we decided to make it easier for you. Here are some useful tips for wedding planning so that the occasion is a tad less stressful on you and your loved one.
General Tips
- Try not to stress – this seems obvious but it definitely not overstated enough. Trust that everything and everyone that you have chosen to play a part in your big day will come through and execute their task well.
- Take your time – Some persons aren’t fans of a long engagement, but really taking the time to plan a wedding significantly reduces the stress of an occasion. Sit down with your fiancé and talk about everything you could possibly want, and then set a date giving yourself plenty of time to enjoy stress free planning of your wedding.
- Don’t get caught up in the idea of perfection – sure every couple wants their day to be perfect and magical, but unexpected events will occur. Accept if some things are unattainable and aim for something more realistic but just as magical.
- Prioritize what is important – sit down with your fiancé and discuss what the most important things you want to have at your wedding are and go from there. Often when you settle on the important matters, the less significant aspects fall into place.
Tips on Planning the Details
- Set a Budget and A Timetable for panning the wedding – getting this done early
will ease so much of the potential stress and pressure that may arise. Decide what you guys can afford and decide what aspects are important and what aren’t. Sticking to the budget will be harder than setting it, so just ensure that you keep that in mind. Also, plan the timetable of what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. This point can go hand in hand with the “take your time” point, as it will allow you to give ample time to the aspects that need it and ensure you don’t waste time to those things that require less time. - Settle on the Guest List before choosing the venue – Decide who you want to invite to the wedding so that you have a figure of how many persons will be on the final guest list and then decide on a venue for the reception. You wouldn’t want that you chose a space but then invite far too many people and the space is all cramped up. Ensure there is ample room for the dance floor, servers and tables. When deciding on the guest list, also take into consideration if you can afford to have ‘x’ amount of people at your wedding.
- Be well organized – keep all the important documents and contracts/agreements
you have signed all in one place. Also, it is ideal to have a separate email for your wedding, so you won’t have to go riffling through your inbox to find an email from your caterer. - Check for important happenings on your big day – make sure your big day will not clash with any significant event (reduces the likelihood of cancellations and last minute bail outs) and of course, for those getting married in the great outdoors, check the weather reports.
- Make use of Referrals – chances are, your photographer knows a great interior designer and that that same designer may know of a great catering company. Make use of the expertise of the persons you will choose so that they can refer you to similarly excellent people/companies. Still, this does not mean you should not check the references of those persons referred to you.
- Take Friends dress shopping – and when we say friends…reliable ones that won’t
just agree with everything you say, but will tell you the truth. Friends whose instincts you can trust will be important as sometimes dress shopping can be very, very frustrating. - Delegate the money in the wedding budget carefully – make a list of all the crucial details of your wedding. This can include the music, the flowers, food, invitations, photographer etc. Assign a number between 1 to 5 to each, with 1 being very important and 5 being of little importance. Invest the money on the very important aspects, whereas you can cut some budgetary corners on the aspects that are less important.
- Schedule the Setup of the Wedding Venue and Reception– Ideally if this can be done the day before the wedding that would be great, but if not, at least ensure that everyone on the set up crew has enough time to prepare their respective venues.
…and finally…enjoy the day itself. Don’t get too caught up in the planning that you 
forget to enjoy the process of the planning and the actual day. Focus on what the day means and the fact that you get to stand up in front friends and family and declare your love and pledge your life to your fiancé. Bask in the moment!
For image sources click here
