Planning for your big day
We all know weddings take a lot of planning, plenty of preparation and excellent organisation. Take a look at this quick guide to what you need to arrange, and when…
12-18 months before tying the knot
- Make a decision on the type of ceremony you would like: Civil or Religious – so you can begin booking a Venue, Registry Office or Church.
- Although you probably have a date in mind, NOW is the time to confirm we are available.
- This is your day and you can have it your way. Do you want a formal, semi-formal or informal celebration?
- Allocate a budget. Yes, there’s every chance things might change, but this is still vital.
- Photographers, videographers, florists, wedding dressers, MUA’s and luxury cars are all in high demand – particularly for summer weddings. Be sure to confirm these at the earliest possible moment.
- Begin planning your guestlist. This takes time, especially if you have more friends and family than your wedding can hold. Remember – people are understanding of this issue, so try not to worry about causing offence.
- Take out wedding insurance – for peace of mind
6 months until the big day
- Finalise the outfits for the happy couple and wedding party, pending any final alterations.
- Spend some time deciding on a honeymoon destination; hardly a horrible task, nevertheless it’s a big decision.
- Visit the venue to confirm all details with staff.
- Ladies – book a hairdresser!
- Send out those invites. Giving people as much notice as possible is essential. Remind your guests to book accommodation if they are not local, ideally suggest some options.
1 month to go
- Confirm your final details with your venue.
- Make sure any outstanding accounts are paid in full to avoid any last-minute panic.
- In case you haven’t already started, now is the time to get your speeches written down before things get really busy. And vows too, if you are choosing to have them.
- Set out a table plan. Once it’s done, stick to it.
1 week to go
- Check that anyone helping with arrangements (bridesmaids and the best man) have a list of all services booked and contact details for each.
- Time for the wedding rehearsal – followed by plenty of excitement as the day is almost here!
- Hand the rings to the best man.
- Confirm when the outfits need to be collected if you haven’t already done so.
A couple of days
- If your venue is able to accommodate this, bring your place cards, gifts and decorations for safe keeping so nothing is forgotten.
Your wedding day!
This is it – the time has finally come. Thanks to your excellent preparation all there is left to do is turn up, relax and have a ball.