Getting married is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make in your lifetime, and while you may be focused on a happy marriage, you’ll need to survive the wedding first. It’s a very special day, and it’s normal to want to make it unforgettable in every possible way.
The best way to make sure your wedding is everything you’ve ever dreamed of, it’s essential to start planning early. Otherwise, the wedding becomes a source of stress, and you won’t be in any state to enjoy it.
Here are some important steps you should be starting with:
Set the date
As soon as you and your fiancé are engaged and decide to get married, start talking about when you think is the best time to get married. Do you want a fall, spring, or summer wedding, or have you always dreamed about getting married in a winter wonderland?
As with most things you’re going to find out during the wedding planning process, your fiancé might have a very different picture in their mind of the perfect wedding. You need to talk about it so that you can reach a consensus of roughly when you’d like to get married.
Set up a budget
Very few people can spend as much as they’d like on their wedding. Most of us have only a certain amount of money, and we need to stretch it as far as possible. Do a little shopping around to find out what some of the standard things will cost.
Cost wedding venues, dresses and suits, a wedding videographer and photographer, décor, and rental cars. Sit down with both families so that you can discuss whether they will be paying for anything, allowing you to include their contributions in your total budget.
The problem with budgets is that they’re often hard to stick to when you get down to the final planning. You and your fiancé should make a solemn promise to each other to respect the budget and always discuss any deviations with each other before committing to spending the money.
Draw up the guest list
Once you have an idea of what the wedding is going to cost, you can calculate how many guests you’ll be able to invite to your wedding. Drawing up the guest list is arguably one of the most contentious phases of the wedding planning process. You and your fiancé are likely to butt heads over it more than once as you finalize it.
First, you should each draw up a guest list of your own, which will represent half of the total invitees. Include close family and friends, and don’t succumb to pressure from outside to add people you’re not that close to onto the list. Obviously, your mom wants her third cousin to attend, but it might not be possible, given the budget and logistics.
Compare your guest lists and remove any duplications as this will free up spots on the list for you both to fill. Maybe there will be a seat for your mom’s third cousin, after all!
Book the event
Let’s say you’ve settled on a spring wedding. Remember that a lot of other couples are doing the same, so you might have a problem securing a church and reception venue. Making your booking early is the best way to proceed.
Start looking at wedding venues to find one that encapsulates what you as a couple want your wedding to be like. You might have to be a bit flexible about your dates, and don’t be disheartened if you can’t get your first-choice venue. You’ll find the perfect place to say your vows and celebrate with your friends and family.