Firstly, Congratulations on your engagement! We know you’re probably overwhelmed with all the emotions and mushy feelings right now, Breathe… The next question would naturally be ‘what comes next?’. Therefore, we have put together this blog of a simplified step-by step process of wedding planning to steer you in the right direction.
We are strong advocates of basking in the newly-engaged endorphins but, it is also very important to start your wedding planning process with ample time and breathing room in between.This allows space for mistakes, comparisons and changing your mind!
Step 1: Pick a Wedding Date
As mentioned above, you can never start planning your wedding ‘too early’. If anything, starting early lets you have the advantage of variety. This includes variety of venue, vendors and options at your disposal. However, your options are severely limited the longer you wait as the best vendors get booked out quickly. One of the best ways to avoid this is to kick start the process and pick a wedding date.
Moreover, dates get booked out by the minute at all the prime venues/locations. The first thing you want to do is lock down a date at your venue of choice as this is likely the first question you would get asked by potential suppliers.
Step 2: Set a Realistic Budget
Now that the date is set…whats next? You have to set a realistic budget (you may choose to do this step before selecting a date or venue).
Undoubtedly, financing is a very important element of planning any event. You will need to have a serious and realistic conversation with your partner as to the amount of money you’re willing to invest in your wedding.
You know how you go to the grocery store without a list and end up buying things you don’t need? That is exactly what you are trying to avoid in budgeting. A lot of elements may seem very attractive and would be nice additions but they are most likely expensive and that money can be repurposed elsewhere !Therefore, to avoid over spending or misplaced budgeting, create a list of every and all elements you want to have at your wedding. Afterwards, categorise them in order of priority between two columns- ‘must haves’ and ‘ nice to haves’.
Moreover, some key questions to ask would be, ‘Is our venue’s natural beauty enough to go minimal on the decoration?’, ‘Do we have mortgage money?’, ‘Have we set money aside for the honeymoon?’, ‘Is this feature/ vendor a must have or it would be a nice to have?’. Questions such as these help you to visualise your big day and manage your expectations from early on in the process.
However, we would like to emphasise that we are not advising that you should overly limit yourself and strip all fun from your wedding. We love to encourage our clients to invest more and compromise where possible to have the wedding of their dreams (this is where your list of priorities would come in handy).
Step 3: Book your vendors and document your progress
Now at this point, you would have secured your ideal wedding date, venue and would have your wedding budget. Naturally, the next step is to secure all other vendors for your wedding day starting with your caterer and decorator as these two tend to take up more of the budget. After these vendors are secured, you can then explore other vendors such as film, beauty and entertainment amongst others.
We advice that you give yourself realistic bi-monthly goals to accomplish. Ensure that you are monitoring your progress regularly and are keeping record of all vendors you have booked as at when you book them.Make sure to update your records accordingly. These records include vendor contracts, written confirmation of complimentary benefits/ agreements , booking forms, packages and much more. The main take away is to document every step and also have time to relax and step away from wedding planning if needed (this is where an early start would be beneficial) . It can be a very stressful and overwhelming process to plan your wedding from start to finish!
Bonus step: Hire a wedding planner
This is an optional but highly encouraged step for you to take. I can guarantee the best fee you will spend would be that paid to the right wedding planner.
You may be asking yourself, ‘why would I pay for a wedding planner? I am very organised and I will start the process early enough’ and you would be right! There is no requirement to hire a planner nor would it mean that your wedding would fall apart without one! However, this optional step is for those couples who have a million and one responsibilities and have no idea where to start when planning their big day. Your wedding planner would offer invaluable insight into the industry and make the process as smooth as possible.
However, we do not encourage you to book the very first planner you come across or even book a full-wedding planning service. Many planners offer various packages including full-wedding planning or on-the-day services only. Conduct extensive research and have detailed consultations to get to know the planner before booking. Wedding planning is a personal and at times emotionally stressful roller coaster. It is essential that you are 100 percent sure you trust your planner to always have your best interests at heart whether it be your mental health, family drama, wedding insecurities, vendor contracts, budgeting and much more!
Next steps
If you are in need of a wedding planner who fits the bill we would be delighted to hear from you. We have planned several weddings at this many stunning venues and home residences before (previous weddings we planned ). You can get in touch with us by filling out the inquiry form on our Contact Page.
