I am very grateful to my guest all the way from Australia, Bronte Price, who has contributed this very useful piece on planning your wedding. Enjoy!
Weddings are beautiful events; full of life, fun and frolic. Of course, you want only the best on your wedding day. There are a thousand other aspects that are part of a wedding, apart from just the dress or the food. A lot of strategic planning goes into having that picture-perfect image you have in mind. It becomes an arduous task without a stepwise guide and checklist. It’s easy to miss out on something in times like these, when a lot of tasks overlap with each other.
In today’s world, weddings can be a costly and posh affair. Unlike what happened in the past, most weddings are brought together by the couple getting married. They take help from celebrants and event planners to plan their big day efficiently. Remember, with a wedding, something as trivial as the flower girl or the entrées can make or break the day.
It is wise to outsource specific tasks in order to have some bandwidth left for crucial tasks that need your attention. Additionally, having it, all planned out in advance will save you all the stress that you don’t want to show on your face.
Here’s how to plan a wedding checklist to save you the trouble.
1. Sit down with your partner and decide on your wedding priorities:
It could be the attire or the guests or anything else for that matter. As soon as you engage in discussion with your partner or with others close to you, you will get more ideas. You don’t want to set the wrong priorities and regret them later. Check that your priorities are in line with something that would matter to you in the long run. And now you can move on your planning from this point.
2. Having a wedding binder can be a big help:
You can either choose to keep your notes haphazardly or be wise and have them all in one place. There are several binders that you can find online. These will help you organise things based on the different tasks for the day. You can download them and print them later to use these templates.
3. Decide on your colour and a possible theme:
You want your wedding to be memorable. You want it to say things about you, your partner and the story you both share. A wedding is an excellent occasion to tell the world about your creativity and choices. You don’t want to go wrong here and regret it later. Decide on a colour pallet, depending on your preference and the season that you are getting married in. For example,
4. Determine a comfortable budget:
It’s easy to plan the best possible things for your wedding and go overboard. What is hard is to be able to pay for all of that. Plan a strategic budget that allows you to have a decent wedding and not go bankrupt after that. Once a budget is decided, you can choose to play around how much you are willing to spend on what areas. You can also choose to research online and find creative ways to save money on your wedding while still having your dream-like wedding. It will take some extra effort but will be absolutely worth it.
Most newlyweds complain that they go overboard and deviate by about 45% after the actual wedding. This is why it’s wise to have something in reserve and be mentally prepared for it.
5. Assemble your team:
Nowadays, couples are taking complete responsibility for planning their weddings. With the ease of having a celebrant, it’s wise to outsource all the duties to an expert in the field. You would still need to have a core team to help you with the execution. Decide on your team based on your comfort level with them and their expertise. It could be a family member, a colleague or a friend. See to that, that they are happy to take up the task too.
6. Start jotting down your guest list:
This is a big task when it comes to most weddings. Decide on a number, based on your budget and the kind of venue you have in mind. There will be some guests that won’t turn up; be wise to calculate accordingly. There will always be some guests that you will miss out on inviting to your wedding. This might seem hard, but it is absolutely crucial to provide the best to the ones you are inviting. You don’t want to invite all the guests you have in mind and not be able to cater to them appropriately. Understand that guests need to be attended and fed, which takes both effort and resources.
7. Pick a date:
You might want to get married on a date that holds some sentimental value to you. See if it coincides with any other popular wedding date. Check if you’re going to get married on a weekday or a weekend.
8. Book your venue & an officiant:
Once your dates are finalised, do not delay in booking your venue. Chances are, there are many others in line wanting to get married on that day at the same place.
There can be fun ways of getting married. Book an officiant of your choice, based on your religious beliefs. You can save money by getting your family members or closest friends to perform your wedding, but the quality of their performance will not be guaranteed.
There will be many other tasks that will eventually need attention. However, they will all fall into place if they are planned in advance.
Author Bio:
Bronte Price is Australia’s First Certified civil celebrant in Melbourne and the co-founder of The Equality Network that helps wedding suppliers create a better wedding experience for LGBTI couples. He is also a member of GLOBE (Gay and Lesbian Organization for Business and Enterprise) that empowers the LGBT community. His stand on ‘marriage equality’ and ‘love has no boundaries’ is unparalleled. Apart from that, he enjoys volunteering as a newsreader at Joy 94.9, spends time in his organic backyard vegetable garden and goes on walks with his fiancée Clint and their four-legged fur baby – Bingo.
Image: Robin Higgins, Pixabay