How to start planning a wedding
Congratulations! You’re engaged, but what are you supposed to do next? Once the reality of having to plan a wedding sets in, it can feel pretty overwhelming. There are hundreds ofquestions that only you and your fiance will know the answers to: do you want your ceremony at a church, woodland, beach, registry office or somewhere unusual? Do you want a big party, or an intimate gathering? Will you need a religious officiant or would a celebrant be best?
Firstly, try not to panic, I’m here to help. Whether you have all the time in the world, or a deadline by which you need to tie the knot, here are some top tips for starting to plan out your dream wedding.
Write it down
Everything feels better when it’s out of our head on paper, so it’s a great idea to get yourself a dedicated notebook or journal that you can use for all things wedding. Start by jotting down notes of you and your partner’s initial ideas, and highlight the most important elements that matter to you both as a couple. From there, you can begin to compile a wedding checklist to ensure you keep everything organised and don’t miss anything vital to your big day.
Consider your theme
Whilst there’s no rule that your wedding must have a theme, it’s something that does help to create a seamless and unified aesthetic to your day. Sticking to a few choice colours or tones helps to keep the focus on you both as a couple. You want your theme to set the mood and relate to your personal story and values. For example, if you are nature-loving, forward-thinking people who celebrate the great outdoors together, you may opt for a rustic or eco-friendly wedding theme.
Life-of-the-party, fun-loving couples may choose a vibrant mix of summer colours, whereas an alternative, rock-metal fan couple may be dreaming of a steampunk or gothic style day. Spending time looking through social media sites and exploring inspirational ideas is a fun way to begin to build the theme of your wedding together. You could even create a mood board together where you use special moments from your relationship to inspire elements of your decor.
Location
Of course, the final choices regarding the decorative elements of your day will largely depend on where you want to get married. Some venues may have restrictions for things like open flames or lighting above a certain height, so make sure to ask how much creative freedom you’re allowed when you go for a tour of your favourite venues.
If you’re thinking of an outdoor ceremony, chances are you won’t need as many decorative elements. The beauty of an outdoor ceremony is the natural ambience and picturesque scenery that comes with it. A simple archway or wrapping some silk ribbons around two trees is sometimes all that’s needed for a stunning wedding set-up.
People
One of the most important aspects of planning your wedding is who you want there with you on the day. It’s wise to take some time to decide carefully who to invite, considering which people really matter to you both and who you couldn’t possibly get married without. Most venues will have minimum and maximum numbers for their packages so again, be sure to find out how much you’ll be paying per head.
Enjoy the process
When all is said and done, you’ll want to look back at the planning of your wedding as a positive and enjoyable experience. Try not to let yourself become overwhelmed or stressed, and take time away from the process if you need to. Have fun with creating the perfect celebration of you and your partner’s love for each other and everything in between will fall into place.