How to plan your wedding in 10 simple steps
I’m sure everyone’s dreamed of the perfect wedding. Ok, maybe more of girls than boys haha but now it’s time for your perfect wedding celebration… so here are 10 simple steps for you! :)
1. Select your special date
This date will be your wedding anniversary for the rest of your life. So be sure to pick a date that you love. Go for pretty numbers like 12/12/2012 if that’s your thing, but do beware that certain seasons of the year tend to be “peak” periods for weddings, so vendors might be totally busy and services might be more expensive! I tend to prefer off peak periods and to steer away from festive seasons because it tends to be quieter and more peaceful, and higher chance that your guests aren’t away on holiday too! When selecting your date, it’s good to ensure that you have a solid 6 – 12 months of planning from the present date. If not, you’re heading for a mad rush! Also, it’d be a good idea to have a few backup dates, just in case! [Have a rough idea of your budget here]
2. Dream of your wedding
Theme, colors and location You only have one wedding in your entire life. This is huge. Take some time to visualize what’s truly the most perfect scene you’ll want to get married in. What the scenery is like in your backdrop. The colours, smell and sound surrounding you. Use all your 5 senses. & of course, be practical too. Don’t start thinking about getting married in space or top of an active volcano (even though I’m sure with current technology nothing is impossible) haha. If you find yourself stuck, surf wedding forums, flip through wedding magazines and look at photos for inspiration!
3. Hire a wedding planner
Ok, yes it’s my dream to be a wedding planner. But this point here is not to bring in future business haha. I truly think that planning is wedding is loaded with stress- dealing with deadlines, vendors, prices, and tons and tons of unlimited choices (which is not necessarily a good thing btw, because you start wanting everything). And in order to truly be able to enjoy the process, you have got to leave all the shitty stuff to someone else. It’s good to have a professional help you with the research, offer you good suggestions, narrow down your thoughts, and most importantly align your expectations with your budget. He/she will also be in tune with the wedding industry and will help you seek out the best from your dollar. If you ask me, despite my future dream to be wedding planner, if I was to ever get married, I’ll hire professional help too. Of course, it is important to get someone who truly understands your needs. Despite having someone to deal with all the stressful stuff, it’s also equally important to be heavily involved in planning the process. Leave the liaising and nitty gritty stuff to her, but the big idea should come from you and your finance.
4. To-do List
It’s a mad list yes, but start writing down everything that your wedding comprises of. From your bridal dress and jewelery, to flowers and decorations, to hair nails and makeup, wedding gifts cakes and food, to entertainment and photography ahhh the list is never-ending. Start from pre-wedding to wedding day to post-wedding, what do you need? Think of yourself not just as the bride, but groom, family and guests- what do they all need? Write everything down, even the smallest detail. Stay tuned for an upcoming entry on a complete to-do wedding checklist!
5. Plan a timeline
How many months do you have till your wedding? Go through your to-do list, and prioritize the things that require the most amount of time to settle.
6. Wedding Budget
A budget is super duper important. I had to struggle with myself whether to place budget planning at the top of the list, but I don’t wish for you to limit your ideas & creativity by thinking about monetary constrains first. Of course, it good to have a rough idea of how much money you’re willing to spend on your wedding in the beginning. At this step, think deeper about your budget. Instead of just having a big number as your overall budget, start allocating percentages (totaling up to 100%) of your budget to the categories. Place higher percentages for the things you really love and insist on having. It’s important to have a realistic budget, something that’s within your means.
7. Select your wedding Party
Very important people, Guestlist and Wedding invites
Who do you want as your bridesmaids and groomsmen? Start roping in your closest friends to be part of your wedding process. Do you want your wedding to be a more private personal affair with a group of close friends and family or a huge glamorous one? Start thinking about the scale of your wedding, and the number of people you’d want to invite. Do note that your guestlist has a huge impact on your budget, the more people you invite, the more money you’ll have to spend (but you’ll receive more presents and congratulations too!) Then think about your wedding invites, the colours and feel should correspond with your wedding theme. What’s in the content? You can choose to go the traditional route of cards (my favourite), whether print or DIY (this is recommended for smaller scale weddings). You can also go all social and set up a facebook event page.
8. Shopping!
This. Is. The. Best. Part. Go insane and buy whatever’s on your list (that adheres to your budget of course). Here you can feel free to go for tasting sessions, gown fittings, shop for your favourite flowers and jewelry. Best to focus and stick to the things on your to-do list first, then if you have extra time and money, feel free to shop around more for pretty things!
9. Finalize details
Confirm bookings, go for tastings, recee the places and arrange for rehearsals. Arrange for any pre-wedding luxury treatments- manicures, spas, facials and massages. A good idea would be to go for couple treatments together, it’ll be enjoying relaxing time together, and you both will look equally amazing on your wedding day.
10. Enjoy
Many brides are so filled with excitement, anxiety, stress coupled with tons of different emotions that they forget to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime chance. Yes, it’s a big event, but don’t take it so seriously, chill out and remember to breathe… and enjoy the experience.
Cause it’s once in a lifetime <3 Oh yes, be sure to not forget after-wedding plans: Honeymoon and after-party!