Congratulations your getting married! After the engagement shock has worn off, it is time to start making some serious decisions in achieving your dream wedding. Most brides know the type of wedding they want whilst other do not. Then there is knowing what is on trend.
Wedztyle have done some research for you on what is currently trending and will share some tips that can make planning your special day as stress free as possible.
Set The Date
Setting the date is not a easy task. There are many factors that needs to be considered. What type of wedding do you want? A spring or summer wedding? Is there a special date you have in mind. Are there any conflicting dates such as another friends wedding, or a special event. Are family coming over from overseas, are they able to travel on that date. The list is endless. Sending out save the date cards are a great way of letting your guests know in advance that you have set the date and that the formal invitations will follow.
Create A Wedding Checklist
Weddings are a big event for anyone to plan. Setting a solid checklist will allow you to organise everything by setting firm dates and deadlines not only for yourself, but also for your family and bridal party. It will also act as a guide of prioritising what is important, what is not. A wedding checklist gives you complete control over your wedding. We recommend creating one main checklist outlining what needs to be done within a 12 month timeline, along with a checklist for the actual wedding day. Too many checklists will cause confusion and unnecessary stress for yourself and the people around you.
Choosing Your Style And Location
Before you book your venue, try on a wedding dress, you must decide what type of style and vibe you want to create for your day. We all have an idea of what type of wedding we want and visualising your day will help you in deciding. Have you always visualised yourself walking barefoot on a beach, in a beautiful garden or in an old church? Do you want it to be a traditional wedding, a vintage wedding or rustic wedding? A large or small wedding with only close family and friends. Is it going to be a destination wedding, and if so what type? What we love are vision boards. These allow you to take some inspiration from different weddings, and help you create your perfect day; not to mention staying on budget.
Images supplies by Dreamingtree //www.facebook.com/dreamingtree.oz
Set a Budget
Setting a budget is one of the most important part of planning any event especially a wedding. The average Australian wedding costs $40,000.00. Keeping to your budget will allow you to still have your dream wedding without making you broke. A budget checklist that you can cross reference against your wedding checklist will keep you as close to your budget as possible.
Choose Your Wedding Party
How many bridesmaids are too many? How big of a wedding party do you really need? It all depends of the type of wedding your having, and the budget that you have allocated. The trend these days is for bridesmaids to contribute to their shoes and dress, while the bride will pay for the makeup and hair on the day. If your thinking of providing everything for your bridesmaids then this needs to be factored into your budget. Costs can creep up quite easily so you need to stay on track!!
Another trend is for bridesmaids not to wear the identical dresses but keeping to the same or similar colour scheme. This allows your bridesmaids to wear dresses that suits their body shape. The groomsmen can wear the same suits with the matching colour scheme running through the ties or the cravats.
Image copied from Pinterest, coolbridedress.com
Create Your Guest List
Depending on your cultural background, the size of your guest list will vary from wedding to wedding. I am from a European background therefore I had to invite people that I personally didn’t know. All these people were friends of my parents and in laws. Times have changed. Creating your guest list requires quite a bit of thinking. We all don’t want to offend people, but sometimes we have no choice. We recommend by firstly deciding on a preliminary number of guests you want to invite. Then begin your invite list with immediate family members, followed by your closest friends. From here, then you can play around with the invitees. Be firm with your guest list, the more people you have the more you will go over your budget. This might mean cutting things out of your wedding or compromising on the things you really want.
Image supplied dreamingtree www.facebook.com/dreamingtree.oz
Book a Venue
Choosing the venue is an important step. The venue is an important part of your wedding as it ties into your wedding theme. Most couples will book the venue before the church/wedding ceremony site as sometimes the most popular venues are booked 12-18 months in advance. What to look for in a venue:
1. Do they cater for the amount of guest I have?
2. Do they have the correct facilities for my guests?
3. Do they supply an events manager to help you with your vision?
4. Cost per person?
5. Is the food and alcohol a set price or are they seperate?
6. Do they cater for all dietary requirements?
Image supplied by Dreamingtree www.facebook.com./dreamingtree.oz
Choose Your Suppliers
When choosing your suppliers, make sure you have everything written down, especially pricing that has been negotiated between the parties. I have heard of some horror stories of the wedding cake was completely different to what was ordered, or the photographs were not what you had asked for. These are our tips when choosing a supplier:
1. Make sure you have everything written down and signed by both parties. Include some images of what you want and give them a copy.
2. Communications with your suppliers is key, as this will ensure everyone is on the same page and there is no room for misunderstanding.
3. When ordering your cake/ food, make sure they are able to cater for anyone with dietary requirements. Supply a clear list of your guest with dietary requirements and were they will be seated to the venue.
4. Take photos of your hair and make-up trails to make sure your happy with what you have chosen. This will also help your hairdresser and makeup artist remember what was discussed. Any changes, document them. Trial two weeks prior your wedding.
5. Make sure that you have your final wedding dress fitting approx two weeks before the wedding. This will allow for any changes and most importantly if the dress requires dry cleaning.
6. Contact all your suppliers one month and two weeks prior your wedding to confirm everything is track and if changes need to be made this is the time to do it. Give all your suppliers a running sheet of the day so they know what is required from them on the day.
Image Supplied by Cakes By Fay K https://www.facebook.com/Cakes-By-Fay-K-187902414572836/
Feature imaged copied from Pinterest etsy.com