It may have been months (if not years) of waiting and now you’re finally engaged, congratulations! Now the two of you are about to start the craziness that is wedding planning…
From the ideal date, to nailing your location, selecting a gown, and setting a budget – there is so much to consider.
Don’t stress, Sarah’s worked in the industry for over ten years, and she’s picked up a thing or too along the way that will make your wedding planning life that little bit easier in an easy-to-follow timeline.
12 Months+ to Go:
THE DATE
Narrow down some dates that work for the two of you. Here are some things to consider:
• Set your wedding date in the season that you most want to be married.
• Be realistic about your finances. If it’s important to you to splash out on your celebration, then allow yourself more time to save!
• Look at important events that surround your wedding date like friend’s weddings, holidays and so forth.
• Ultimately your vendors, particularly your venue, play a crucial role in setting your wedding date. Quality vendors will be booked out quite far in advance, so be prepared to move dates if you have your heart set on a certain wedding supplier or venue.
• If you’re set on a venue and a time of year and they don’t have availability, consider shifting the date to another day of the week.
THE BUDGET
Crunch those numbers and start thinking about what are ‘must haves’ and what you can wriggle on. When setting your budget, break it down into key areas such as ceremony, reception, the dress, florals, stationery, entertainment, etc. Set your budget for each aspect of your day and stick to it.
THE VENUE
The venue dictates so many things; the style of the wedding, guest numbers and the date – so it’s important for this to be high on your priority list.
THE GUEST LIST
At the beginning of your planning, creating a guest list seems fun as you list everyone you would like to be there to celebrate your all-important day. However, your budget and venue capacity can limit this.
THE DRESS
Now for my favourite part, start looking for your dress! Bridal dresses made-to-order rather than something you can buy off the rack, and often take eight months to be made and then you should factor in some more time for alterations. See here for my top tips on finding ‘The One’.
SEND SAVE THE DATES
8 Months+ to Go:
With so many weddings in 2022/2023, the earlier the better!
SEND SAVE THE DATES
Pick those leading people in your lives that you know will always be there for you and will make the day that much more enjoyable. There are no hard and fast rules of who needs to be included, you do you!
PICK YOUR WEDDING SHOES
You’ll need these for your upcoming alteration appointments to ensure your dress is the perfect length for you, plus you need time to break in your heels to make sure they’re comfortable enough to wear the whole day.
