A simple guide to planning your wedding

 

Are you engaged and planning your wedding? If so, congratulations! This can be a very exciting time, but it can also be a lot of work. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming, so it's important to take the time to plan everything out correctly. This guide will help you get started on the right foot.

 

Set your budget

The biggest piece of advice that anyone will give you is to set a budget. Once you have your budget, it will help enlighten you on what's realistically possible for your wedding.

A destination wedding might be out of the budget, particularly if you want a large wedding. The number of guests will directly impact the cost of the wedding – you need more food, drink, larger venue and so on.

 

Find your venue

Finding the right venue will determine almost any other aspect of your wedding. You might find the perfect one, but it is only available at the price you can afford in autumn, or perhaps the perfect place won’t hold as many guests as you were hoping. Start looking for venues early, and make sure to visit each one personally.

Make sure you understand their cancellation policies, as well as their policies with regards to decorating.

 

Sort your food & drink

There are loads of good wedding reception caterers out there. Just find one that suits you and your budget.

You'll also need to decide what you want your food and drink to be. You can have a nice sit-down dinner, or you could skip the course system completely and serve only appetizers.

 

Send your invites

Once you have your venue, food, and drinks sorted out, you can start to send your invites. It’s often a good idea to send out save the date notices to people you particularly want to be there before sending out the official invites to all those invited. Remember to allow a lot of time for RSVPs and put a date for replies on the invite. Prompt non-returners so you don’t have any last-minute problems. Remember to keep a record of who has been invited and if they are coming!

 

Book your entertainment

If you want entertainment at your wedding, like a band or DJ, then book them now. Keep in mind that the busier they are, the more expensive they'll be. Call around to different companies so that you can get a good idea of what you can expect for your budget.

 

Take care of the legal stuff 

There are some legal requirements you need to fulfill, depending on the country you're in. For example, if you're getting married at your reception place, contact them and make sure that they've got all of their paperwork properly filed with the government.

 

Register for gifts

Some people like to do this right away because it helps couples figure out what they need, and it can make things easier down the line. This usually involves choosing a wedding registry or gift registry.

 

Pack for your honeymoon

Make sure you check with your partner first to see if there's anything on the honeymoon wish list that they want! You'll also want to pack all of your clothes and anything else you might need.