How To Start Your Wedding Checklist — Top Tips for Planning!
“Don’t worry about high heels if you don’t like them, and don’t worry about flats either! It’s YOUR wedding, YOUR way!”
The dream has finally come true — you’re finally engaged! But of course, after the parties and celebration has died down, on comes the planning part. Sometimes you won’t know where to start; people will be giving you advice, help, telling you what you should be doing and asking you what traditions you’ll be following. What you need to remember most of all is that this is YOUR big day, not theirs. This day is for you and your partner only, and guests are invited to celebrate alongside you, not to be entertained by you. You set your own expectations and make your own choices together as a couple, just like you always have and always will. There are a lot of options and ideas out there, so to help you collate them into a list, we’ve got some ideas to help you get started in case you need it.
Something we suggest might be useful is settling on a theme. If you like traditional weddings, that could be your theme. Autumn weddings, summer weddings, spring weddings, even Halloween or Christmas weddings! Find something that relates to you and your partner. Do you both love video games? Maybe you met at a particular bar or event and want to hold your wedding at the same place? Either way, this is the first step to deciding what you want your wedding to be like.
Working out your theme can help you decide on a multitude of things, most of all your venue! You could go for tradition and hold a religious ceremony in a religious building (e.g. Church) and hold a dinner and reception in a separate location, or you could choose to hold the wedding all in one place, or even just have a simple registry ceremony at your local council or town hall and have a small gathering at your home! It all depends on what would make you feel most comfortable, even if that means hiring a wedding planner to talk to you about what you need. A wedding planner’s role is all about making sure your big day goes great without any fuss, from planning to during. You are their client and you need to let them know what they can do to help make your day extra special. They can suggest suppliers, ideas for decor, ideas for the schedule of the day, and even venues that would be suitable for your guests and yourselves. If you’re thinking of cutting down on your carbon footprint, it may be a good idea to host your day at one venue rather than move between, and it may also help those in your family less able to travel, such as older relatives.
Once you have your theme and venue sorted, why not create a checklist of things you want for your wedding? This can include attire, wedding parties (bridal and/or grooms-people), a list of people you’d like to invite, whether you want floral arrangements, cake, entertainment (music, DJs), catering, and also rings! It’s important to keep this checklist by you, so why not carry a small notebook with you to write ideas down, or use UPlanIt’s planner features? The platform offers a checklist you can create, so you can take it wherever you have an internet connection, and easily tick off different items as you get them booked. We recommend you attend wedding fairs as well to get some ideas as to what you need to add to your checklist that you may have forgotten, and also to keep track of the great deals on offer around you!
If you have a venue in mind, keep it jotted down in your notes for later — this will help with the budgeting! Ask around for brochures so you can have an idea of what the venue will cost and what features it includes. It may already have catering, which would save on finding another supplier! We think that the more you keep written down, the more organised you will be when you see that final budget total at the bottom of your list. Next is to look into attire — will you wear a suit? A dress? A jumpsuit? A two-piece top and skirt? Make sure you and your partner wear something comfortable, as you’re likely to wear it all day. If you’re wearing a long dress or skirt but you want fancy shoes for the photos, why not have comfy shoes for dancing later? Don’t worry about high heels if you don’t like them, and don’t worry about flats either! It’s YOUR wedding, YOUR way! If you’re looking online, bookmark pages you like so you can come back to it later and keep track of costs so you can create a realistic budget for your wedding.
Now that you have some notes down, have you thought of a date? It doesn’t have to be specific until you start booking, but it does help to have a good estimate. It can help with your designing and prices since the wedding season is usually between late May and September. If you’re planning on having your wedding outside of those months, there’s a chance you could get better rates from suppliers! The time of year isn’t just going to affect your cost either, so keep an eye on the sky and get some contingency plans for rain or sudden changes in the weather. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, why not have ponchos and umbrellas on hand just in case? Or if it’s in the winter, make sure to wrap up warm and offer around some hand-warmers!
Once you’ve got the specifics down — theme, date, venue — you’ll be ready to start writing a timetable or timeline for planning your wedding! There’s no rush if you’re not getting married immediately, so take your time. Relax and celebrate your engagement. There’s plenty of time to plan and get your ideas with your partner; working together is the best way to prepare for your wedding!
See you next week.
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