Congratulations, you’re engaged! Now, what? It can be hard to know where to start when planning your perfect day, and it can be very easy to feel overwhelmed by all the decisions that you’re faced with. But fear not; follow the simple steps below and the process need not be stressful or intimidating.
See The Bigger Picture
At this stage, it pays to keep things simple and not worry about picking a theme or a color scheme or other fiddly little things. This will only panic and confuse you, and these considerations will naturally fall into place once a few key components are decided first.
Focus instead on what type of venue you desire, who you want to attend, and how much you can spend. These considerations will dictate all the smaller ones, so they are a great starting point.
Research Venues
Venues can book up incredibly early, so start your research as soon as you have determined the size of your party. Each venue will have its unique feel, and you can choose from the traditional to the quirky to the downright bizarre. The options are almost endless when it comes to wedding venues these days; you can get married outdoors, on a boat, in a museum or even have an exclusive Heaton House wedding in the upscale UK countryside.
The venue will ultimately determine the atmosphere, the photos, the theme, the dress code, the extent your guests enjoy themselves, and the overall mood of the day. Consider how you want the wedding to feel, and look at a variety of venue styles to see which one impacts you. Think practically, and remember that you won’t love every part of even your favorite place.
Decide Your Guest List
No matter how much effort and energy you pour into the big day, without the right people there that you love and need, things can be a little stale and even tense. So this is an important starting point as it affects the whole dynamic of the day, and it dictates the budget to a certain degree too.
So define the list now, and work everything else around it. Ask yourself how intimate you want the wedding to be, and if you want children to attend. Remember that not everyone you invite is going to attend, so factor this into your plans too. Don’t forget to check out my favorite list of rustic outdoor wedding invitations.
Work Out Your Budget
Allocating a budget is imperative as it determines almost everything later on. So now that you have decided who you want to attend and what style of venue most appeals, you can find a way to make it work financially.
Your budget does not have to be enormous, and remember not to be deterred if you have a below-average amount. Remember, there are numerous creative ways to organize and run your wedding, and you don’t have to spend as much as you first may think.
Once the above considerations have been finalized, then you can make a list of more focused decisions and associated actions. You will find that by focusing on people, budget and venue first, a lot of the difficult decisions have now been made for you, and the rest of the planning won’t be so stressful!