A Complete Guide to Planning your Wedding

One of the joyous days in a person’s life is his wedding day. When the groom-to-be proposes marriage, and the bride-to-be accepts the proposal, the process of wedding planning starts. Announcing the couple’s wedding engagement are popular to some, this can be done through a party or through a website, others just a personal chats or telephone or e-mails. A more formal way is to buy a space in the classified ad or send out engagement cards.

Planning your own wedding day is awesome. The experience is something you can treasure for the rest of your life. However, this can take so much of your time. If you are the type of person who likes to personalize everything, then you have to check your calendar and start jotting down.

Hiring a wedding planner for your assistance though it seems to be a bit expensive is also one good option because there are certain things that one actually cannot carry out by themselves in the midst of all the wedding preparations. Also with a planner at hand you would be less stressed.

If it is possible, you must as well delegate some responsibilities. I understand that it’s your wedding, but you can always ask your friends and family to help you out. They would be more than happy to be of some help to you, anyway it is your wedding day and you cannot compromise your health for pressure of doing it alone. Here is a guide to help you start your wedding plans right:

1. Prepare A Wedding Checklist

In any occasions, and most importantly on your wedding you need to have a checklist at hand. A wedding checklist must include all the necessary jobs that need to be done. From the venue to the wedding dress, to the reception and the honeymoon, everything needs to be listed in the wedding checklist for future use.

2. Start with the Date and the time of the Wedding

As soon as the engagement has taken place planning the wedding may start. The primary decision you will need to make is the date of the wedding. The date you choose can depend on various considerations such as your honeymoon destination, a special meaning of that specific day for both of you, or the availability of the church and reception location for rent. Once your date is set you can start planning other things.

3. Decide on the Wedding Budget

The wedding budget is the most of important aspect of every wedding because this will help you meet your requirements. In deciding this, always remember to have a realistic budget at hand. Unless you are filthy rich and you don’t mind spending your money, a budget should be decided based on practicality. When you set a certain budget to spend for your wedding you will less likely surprise you that you do not have enough money to spend in the end. Do not spend beyond your budget. Bear in mind that no matter how you want your wedding day special, it is still a one-day festivity and the more important thing than this is the future ahead of you and your spouse.

4. Choose your Wedding Color/Motif or Theme

Your wedding color/motif is important because it will be the basis for some of your decisions like the wedding cakes, bridesmaid’s dresses, the flowers, etc. The color you choose may depend on the color that best suits your complexion, or that has a special meaning to both of you. Experimenting with the color combination is also good if you have a special taste for fashion. A good advice on color-never use color that draw too much attention on it instead of the wearer. Common wedding color/motif is green and all its shades, blue, pink, yellow and red. Also, choose a theme for your wedding and convey it to your planner. If you have not hired a planner, you need to follow the theme and start working accordingly.

5. Reserve the Wedding and Reception Venue

Availability of the wedding and reception venue depends on your chosen wedding date. If you chose to marry on a peak season, you should not forget to reserve the wedding and the reception venue as soon as possible. In choosing for the venue, consider a place that is not very far from your wedding venue. This will lessen the burden of your guests.

6. Prepare your Invitation Cards and Send them.

Organize your guest list and send invites with some time at hand. You must do it as soon as you’ve decided your wedding date and venue. If people are invited earlier on, they would get some time to plan and attend the wedding as well. Also, your guest list would help you in deciding the venue space and the caterer. You will want to get approximately 20 additional invitations to cover errors. Remember to save one for yourself, and you may want to invite others if someone can’t attend.

7. Choose the Photography and Videography Service

Your pictures and videos are the memories of your wedding event. If you do not have idea on where to get the best wedding photography you can check on some websites that list wedding photography service directory. You can reserve your photographer for the day, or better still, you can ask any of your family members or friends to do the job for you.

8. Decide on Wedding Dress

One of the crucial parts of planning a wedding is to decide on your wedding dress. Look for the latest designs, embroidery works and colors. The color of your theme should match the color of your gown. You can purchase these at a bridal store, gift store, or you can make them yourself. You can go to bridal shops, online stores, or other options. You will need to decide on your budget first so you know the price range you are looking for. You don’t want to find the perfect dress and then discover you can’t afford it. You will also want to decide on the bridesmaid’s gowns and the tuxedos. The attendants at the bridal shop can help you match your colors with gowns and the tuxedo attire.

9. Pick your wedding ring and other wedding accessories

Take your would-be-spouse along and let her make the pick. You can also look for wedding ring designs from the magazines or create your own wedding ring.

The bridal wedding accessories can be a family heirloom or new jewelry piece. These ornaments make the bride look more elegant.

10. Choose your Wedding Cake and Wedding Food

The cake is included in some wedding reception package, however if you want to buy it or create your own, it is also a pretty good options. The cake should of course match the wedding theme and should taste good. You can shop from bakeshops and have a taste test to know if you will like it. Considerations on the food should include preferences of your guest it should be a selection of food that you think they will enjoy.

11. Select the Wedding Flowers and Decorations

Another important aspect of planning a wedding is to decide on your decorations. You will want flowers for the church, bouquets for the bridesmaids, boutonniere for the groomsmen and ushers, just to name a few. The flowers should also match the theme of your wedding, so look into these things carefully as well. You will also need decorations for the reception location, which will include centerpieces for the tables as well as plates, silverware, and napkins for the reception as well. You might consider artificial wedding flowers as well.

12. Choose your Wedding Music

The wedding music makes your wedding event more special. It adds color to the day, a good music adds harmony to the event. You can decide to hire a professional wedding singer or ask a friend to render the songs live for you. Otherwise make a collection of the music you love and compile it in a CD and play it on, just make sure to inquire the availability of the sound system when you choose your wedding venues. The CD can also be given as your token to the guest.

13. Reserve the Wedding Car

You may want to feel special by hiring a limousine to bring you to the wedding venue. It is fine as long as you do not exceed your budget. In any way, you can save still in transportation by having a friend or a relative to drive you instead of hiring a driver. The wedding car should be white and it will look good if you put a ribbon or bouquet of flower on the front. When the car is arriving, everyone knows that the bride is coming.

14. Select Wedding Gifts and Tokens

The best way to thank your guests for coming is through giving gifts and tokens. It may not be something expensive but this should be part of your budget. You can wrap some sweet goodies to give your guests and some keepsakes souvenirs for your sponsors like photo frames, CD of your favorite songs, etc.

15. Plan your Wedding Honeymoon

When you are planning a wedding make sure you don’t forget about the honeymoon, this should become the most exciting topic of your wedding preparation. Decide on your honeymoon destination and then make hotel, airline and rental car reservations as soon as you are decided on the date you want to go. The best rates are reserved for those who book early, so make sure to plan ahead.

Planning a wedding isn’t everybody’s job. Some of the talented lots are just inborn wedding planners. However, with so many things to be done for a single event, the steps to planning a wedding can be a stressful ordeal. It often seems like time is running out of hand and there are so many things yet to be done. What’s even more important is prioritizing the jobs to be done; that helps in doing first-things-first. Although everything about a wedding is equally important, but some things just demand more attention.

Once you have everything put in place your wedding day will be the most special and unforgettable day, the start of something truly beautiful.

Finally, once all these steps to planning a wedding are complete, you need to brush through your checklist to find if you’ve missed out in something.