Put a Ring On It: How to Start Planning Your Wedding

Firstly, congratulations! You’ve just got engaged and you’re ready to start planning the wedding you have always dreamt of. But where do you start?

You’ll no doubt have had numerous questions about where you’re getting married, who your bridesmaids are going to be and what entertainment you’re going to have at your wedding, and this can all be somewhat overwhelming. However, stay calm and take a few deep breaths because we’ve put together a guide that will help you to prioritise your wedding planning, so it all runs as smoothly as possible.

Put Together a Wedding Timetable 

Everyone will be keen to know exactly when you’re getting married but don’t feel pressurized into booking a specific date just yet. To start with, you need to find the right venue and will have to check its availability so just put some rough dates together that would work for you. Think about work and family commitments, holidays and what kind of weather you’d like for your wedding day and go from there.

Choosing a Venue and Wedding Style

You’ve probably already got a good idea as to what type of wedding you’re wanting – whether you’re dreaming of a candlelit castle location or walking barefoot on the beach. However, you’ll need to hone in on some of the finer details when choosing a venue, including how many people will be attending the wedding and what type of location will suit your wedding theme.

Flick through wedding books and magazines for inspiration and attend wedding events to start piecing together exactly what you want from your big day.

Create a Budget

It goes without saying that you’ll need to have a budget in mind when planning your wedding as everything can soon start to run away with you if you’re not careful. Figure out if any of your family will be contributing and what you can afford because this will create the perfect basis upon which you can start planning your wedding. You’ll need to be quite specific with the budget, as there are so many things to choose from and decide. From finding the perfect wedding bands, to the catering, venue, and cake, you need to have a very clear idea about budget.

If you’ve got an unrealistic budget in mind from the offset, you could cause yourself further problems down the line, so getting these awkward conversations out the way to start with is for the best.

Also consider where you could make savings, including using the garden of a family member for the location or buying a pre-owned wedding dress (there are great ranges to choose from).

Pick Your Guests

If you can put together a guest list before you start looking at venues and arranging caterers etc. this will help you to keep a tight hold on your budget and will show you what you can / can’t afford. You might find that a small and intimate wedding in the ultimate location is going to be better for you than having to sacrifice your dream venue so you can invite hundreds of guests that you barely see from one year to the next.

The important thing to remember when planning your wedding is to take your time, particularly during the early stages. As exciting as it is, try not to rush into any decisions and consider all of your options before booking things.

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