“We’re engaged! Where do we start with planning our wedding…?”

A friend got engaged in beautiful Budapest over the New Year! She was naturally over the moon and filled with excitement, which was then followed by “We want to get married before September 2011, there is soooo much to do…I don’t know where to start!”

This will be a feeling that a lot of engaged couples will experience so I thought I’d jot down a few starting points to help you on your way:

• Chat through and write down what is most and least important to you about your wedding day. Whether it be things you absolutely want the best of such as food or photography, or whether it is to do with the ambiance you want to achieve or things you definitely do not like about weddings whether it be traditional formalities or evening buffets, for example. Also write down any key words, activities, hobbies, experiences that mean something to you as a couple and you might like to feature in some way in your wedding.
• Write down your guest list, this helps to identify definite numbers and, if required, a ‘maybe’ list. The guest list impacts the venue choice and your budget.
• Work out your budget, taking into account any savings you have and top up from earnings between now and your ideal wedding date. Some couples may also receive some support from family, as they may wish to gift to certain aspects of the wedding or pay towards certain elements, so it is best to establish this as early as possible as it will impact your budget. Be realistic about your budget, it is not worth getting in to debt for your wedding day! It is much better to start your married lives together without additional financial strain.
• Talk through your preferred wedding dates, month and day of the week that you want to aim for. Weddings are happening all throughout the year and on most days of the weeks now. You may want your wedding date to be meaningful to you both in some way. Discuss whether you are prepared to be flexible on the month and/ or day of the week should it be required to get the venue you really want.
• What sort of ceremony you want to have: religious, civil, blessing, humanist…this will impact your venue options. There are hundreds of wedding venues, of all different styles and types. So have a think about which ones you would prefer so that you can narrow down your search – castle, country manor, vineyard, barn, golf club, marquee, hotel… Also consider location and style, will it be formal, informal, rural, urban, beach…

Once you have the above pulled together you are then fully equipped to start your venue search! From there you’ll no doubt want to get looking at wedding dresses, stationery, photographers, florists, cake designers, entertainment, music, styling and decor bits ‘n’ bobs, researching creative ways to incorporate your personalities…

I hope this helps to get you started!

Treasure and enjoy the planning process, whilst remembering the most important thing which is your life long commitment to each other. Be mindful not to lose sight of the first point above as you may soon get into a wedding whirlwind once you start reading magazines, listening to the opinions of friends and family and wanting absolutely everything your eyes fall upon!

x

Banner photo from: Tela Chhe

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