You have just got engaged and you are absolutely over the moon. You are about to marry the love of your life, and rightly so. You have announced the good news on Instagram, created a gazillion Pinterest boards and trawled Google for all things wedding. Now the fun begins. However, with so many elements to consider, it can feel a little overwhelming at first. These are my top wedding planning tips to help you enjoy every single moment of the process and plan the most beautiful day.
1. Wedding Planning Tip One — Start Early
This is one of the most important wedding planning tips I can give you. Start as early as you possibly can. Once you have a date in mind, get cracking straight away. Wedding venues take bookings years in advance, and they fill up quickly, particularly in the summer months.
If you already have your dream venue in mind, you are off to a great start. If not, do the rounds and visit lots of different types of venues. You may think you want a rustic barn wedding, but then you walk into a grand stately home and fall completely in love. There is so much choice out there, so go exploring and keep an open mind.
Wedding fairs and showcases are also brilliant for inspiration. Venues often dress themselves beautifully to show couples how the space could look on their wedding day. Furthermore, there will be a whole host of suppliers to chat to, and you will come away brimming with ideas.
Once your venue is booked, secure your registrar or officiant straight away. Spots go quickly, and you will have more choices of times if you book early. If you are having a church ceremony, make contact as soon as possible. They may only host one service that day, so you want to be first in the queue. Above all, remember that it is never too early to start your wedding planning.
2. Wedding Planning Tip Two — Collate Your Ideas
Your head is full of wedding inspiration right now. You loved that dress in Brides magazine. You adored the colour scheme you saw on Instagram last night. The question is, what do you do with all of it?
Pinterest is brilliant for pulling everything together visually. Create a wedding board, or several, and pin everything you love. Table decor, flowers, wedding dresses, colour schemes, favours and more. You can share your boards directly with your suppliers too. Your wedding photographer will love to see images that inspire you. Your florist will welcome the direction. Meanwhile, if you are more of a tangible person, a good old-fashioned scrapbook is a wonderful idea and a lovely keepsake too.
Additionally, a budget spreadsheet is one of the most practical wedding planning tips I can offer. It sounds dull, but it is genuinely invaluable. Record every payment and keep track of what everything is costing you. This way, nothing spirals out of control, and you can see clearly if you have a little extra to spend on something special at the end.
3. Wedding Planning Tip Three — Book Your Wedding Photographer Early
I am not just saying this because I am a wedding photographer. Once your venue is secured, your photographer really should be next on your list. This is one of the most important wedding planning tips I can share. Good photographers book up quickly, particularly in the summer months, and some take bookings up to two years in advance.
There are lots of photographers to choose from and many different styles of photography. It is therefore really important to know what you want from your images before you start your search. If you have landed on my website, I am guessing your preferred style is natural, romantic and timeless. I do hope so anyway!
I adore what I do, and I simply cannot get enough of weddings. By blending quietly into your day, I will capture everything from the big moments to the smallest details and everything in between. Not comfortable in front of the camera? Please do not worry. It is my job to make you feel completely at ease, as though you are spending the day with a friend. Whoever you choose, meet with them first and make sure they feel like the right fit for you.
4. Wedding Planning Tip Four — Work on Your Guest List Early
This can be one of the most challenging parts of wedding planning, but it is a really important one to tackle early. Sit down together when you have a good amount of time and draw up a preliminary list. Start with the absolute must-haves and add or remove from there. Knowing your numbers early helps enormously with budget management, as you will know how much you have to allocate to other areas.
Many couples choose to have a smaller number of daytime guests and then invite more people in the evening. This is a brilliant way of making sure everyone you love gets to share in your celebration. Once your guest list is in good shape, you can start thinking about your seating plan. Most couples seat people with others they know, but some like to mix things up. Either way, it is one of those wedding planning tasks that is much easier when you tackle it early.
5. Wedding Planning Tip Five — Meet Your Wedding Suppliers
Most wedding suppliers will offer a consultation before you book, and I highly recommend taking them up on it. Getting to know your suppliers in advance makes an enormous difference to how relaxed and confident you feel on the day. I absolutely love meeting my couples before the wedding and hearing all about their plans and ideas.
If you are having hair and makeup on the day, always book a trial beforehand. This is a really important one to get right. Your stylist will advise on what works best for your hair type and your dress style, and your makeup artist will suggest colours and techniques that suit your skin tone. Go along with plenty of inspiration and let them guide you from there.
One thing worth knowing about makeup is that you can afford to go a little more dramatic than you might think. It will not look as striking in photographs as it does in the mirror. On my own wedding day, I went for a full smoky eye, which was very different to my everyday look. In the photographs, it looked absolutely perfect and not remotely over the top.
6. Wedding Planning Tip Six — Enjoy Every Single Moment
This is the most important of all my wedding planning tips. It is very easy to get so caught up in the logistics that you forget to actually enjoy the process. Remember why you are doing this. You are marrying your best friend, and this day is going to be one of the greatest of your lives.
Take time to savour the planning stages together. The venue visits with a glass of bubbly, the cake tastings, the hair and makeup trials, and the dress shopping. These are all wonderful experiences, and you will only do them once. Enjoy every single one.
On the wedding day itself, you may feel a little nervous in the morning. That is completely normal. Have a great squad around you, trust in your suppliers and let the day unfold. Most couples are surprised by how quickly they settle into it and how relaxed they feel once the ceremony begins. Your venue team will make sure everything runs smoothly. All you need to do is show up and enjoy it.
Above all, laugh till your jaw hurts, love each other deeply and dance your socks off.
I really hope these wedding planning tips have been helpful and that you are feeling excited and ready to start planning your perfect day. If you would like to see more wedding planning tips and real weddings, take a look through my blog. And if you would like to have a chat about your wedding photography, I would love to hear from you. Please get in touch and let’s talk about your day.
Please also check out my blog page for real weddings and wedding tips, and check out my portfolio page for more of my recent work.
