Planning a wedding is a big stress couples have to face together. Leading up to their marriage, there are many choices that need to be made in terms of the ceremony, reception, pictures, and more. Whether you have the help of others, or are tackling the project alone, look into all the logistics of preparing for a wedding. Everyone’s time allowance will be different, determine when these things must be done to help your wedding day run as smoothly as possible.
Beginning Preparations with a Budget
Before starting any concrete planning, sit down and make a list of all the things that you wish to have at your wedding. Use this time to mentally prepare for the task at hand. Be prepared to be flexible with the scheduling, choosing a few options for each aspect to include a backup plan.
Some of the most important things to consider in the beginning stages of planning include flowers, decorations, the venue, catering items, music, bridesmaids, groomsmen, photographer, rented items, clothing choices for the wedding party, jewelry, hairdresser, engagement rings, wedding car, and more. Choose the items that are most important to you and find the best way to include them. Be sure to do this with your budget in mind. It is senseless to start off your marriage in excessive debt, stick within the restrictions of your budget to prevent this.
The Early Planning
Make your guest list and determine who is going to be invited to the wedding dinner, ceremony, and reception. Plan out your wedding party and determine what you will need to invest in with each of them. From here you can begin to research the reception venue options in your area. This may be determined in part by the theme of your wedding, or your budget.
When choosing a date, be sure the big things are taken care of. Someone to perform the ceremony, a place for it to be held, and essential guests such as best friends and close family members are important to consider before setting the date in stone.
Leading up to the Big Day
Go through your list and make sure to invest in the items you will need a few months. Make sure to take care of these items at least a few months in advance. This will allow for any changes that may need to be done:
- Find a dress – wedding dress shopping can be a long process. While you might find the one within the first couple of hours of shopping, that doesn’t mean you will be free from alterations. Give yourself enough time for your seamstress to make any required changes.
- Other attire – find the suits for the groom and groomsmen, as well as the bridesmaid’s dresses.
- Meet with a few different photographers – find the one that will fit in with your budget and style. If possible use the same photographer for your engagement pictures to help them become familiar with you.
- Register for gifts – make sure to register only for those things that you really want.
- Meet with the florist – describe to the florist what you want from your bouquet, and how you want the flowers arranged through the reception venue
- Print out invitations – make sure to send these out about 3 to 5 weeks in advance.
- Put together the catering list – book the caterer for your special day before someone else can.
While there are more small things that need to be taken care of closer to the big day, these big things must be considered sometime well in advance. Make sure to do periodic checks to ensure nothing is being forgotten in the chaos of planning. By doing this, you will have a less stressful wedding day, ensuring everything is in place beforehand.