If you’ve recently got engaged and need some hand-holding at the beginning of your wedding journey, then look no further than this wedding checklist. From advice for professional wedding planners, florists and part experts, basically consider this as your one-stop-shop for everything that will help you to get started in saying ‘I do’!
Before i go any further, i would first like to say, “congratulations to the pair of you” and welcome to a period of you life that you’ll treasure forever. With all the excitment and anticipation will come some anxiety too, as you start to wonder where the f*ck you are meant to begin and how to make you vision a reality.
Even thought it might feel a little overwheming, please still enjoy this stage – there a lot of exciting aspects of your wedding to get prepped and ready for ! But this is your special day and no one else’s, so take all the advice and opinions from others with a pinch of salt and remember what vision is. And lastly remember to take deep breath!
Now, let’s get down to the important business.
Your budget & the type of wedding your aiming for…
You will first need to decide what type of wedding you are wanting – church, celebrant-led one or registrar- as this will determine your venue and this will be the largest part of your budget of about 48% including food. It will also need to be booked first. It’s also a good idea to consider a couple of other different venues just as a backup plan. Consider the venue as a couple and how you are going to plan it – what the budget is, and who will be doing what, from start to finish and ensure that you make it as a team.
The venue
Choosing the venue is a big decision, so what do you need to know before deciding on yours?
- What dates are available?
- Are you able to bring in your supplier – some might prefer you to use their own?
- What do you get with your budget – do they have their caterers, as some don’t.
- How many guests can they cater for?
- How accessible is it – do any of your guests require better accessibility?
Flowers
Next up, the flowers. According to UK Bride, it’s estimates the you should allocate around 15% of your overall spending for flowers.
Wedding flowers are usually bespoke and created completely for the couple, cos you aren’t buying standard pre-made flowers from the supermarket. So it will take a fair bit of time to design, hold consultations, do site visits, create proposals, source flowers and the whole organise logistics for the day. Also, time and creative expertise are required, as weddings require a lot of actual flowers to create the designs. Even bridal bouquets have a multitude of individual different types of flowers to make them stand out and look beautiful as possible.
Photography
This is one thing that you won’t regret splurging on? Have a great photographer!
Yeah, of course, it’s easy to think that your friends or guest can do it, but these photos are going to be with you forever and you want a skilled photographer, that capture your special day by creating images that you would love instead of simply choosing the cheapest one. You might also be thinking that you can cut the cost by doing your hair and makeup, but you want to look your best all day, in all light, so I would strongly suggest that you book a pro.
Timings
Timings are everything when it comes to successful planning for something. So it’s really important at the start of your planning process to give yourself a realistic time frame that you can stick to.
Don’t rush, as there is so much that goes into designing a wedding. There is no need to add unnecessary stress if you don’t have to. That’s why is such a good idea to start planning about 18 months before your important day, especially if you want a large as venues tend to be booked up, super quickly for two years ahead and also wedding dresses can take 6-8 months to be made! For a much smaller, more intimate day, can be turned around a lot quicker, but still, to avoid disappointment, it’s best to allow a little more time than you think you will need!
