Wedding Planner guide
Planning Your Wedding
When you first get engaged, you're so excited, that you can't wait to start planning for your big day.As exciting as it is you need to understand your budget and plan carefully.
Good planning is crucial to the success of any project, and that’s effectively what your Wedding Day is – a big project. Everything you are working on is for one 24-hour period in your life, and most importantly, it's fun and exciting!.
The average cost of a wedding can be as much as £20,000 - but you can have a great wedding on a much smaller budget.
Set a realistic budget at the start and decide on your top priorities. Do your research to find the best deals, and join an online wedding forum for tips from couples who've been there and done it or ask your friends and family for advice.
Little extras add up, so when your getting prices find out exactly what you are getting for the price you are quoted.
Most brides and grooms do go over budget so set aside an emergency fund. Confirm all arrangements in writing to prevent any hidden extra charges. Keep track of how much you're spending (try an online budget planner or a simple Excel spreadsheet).
Wedding ceremonies are the serious part of the day. They are the part where the vows are spoken, the rings are exchanged, and the promises that you will love, cherish and honour your partner for the rest of your days are made. But wedding ceremonies are also the most romantic part of the day, and at the same time can be quite good fun too!
First of all, you will need to decide what type of wedding ceremony you would like to have, then, having decided this, there are the vows, readings, hymns/music and decorations to determine, not to mention who to invite and where to hold it!
Whether your looking at Church ceremonies,civil wedding ceremonies or Civil Partnersips we have something on the site for you.
Choosing the wedding reception venue is never an easy thing to do. It plays such an important part in the day, and let's face it, these days the choice is huge!.
The location of the venue will be of huge importance to all couples, regardless of whether they are heading down the civil ceremony route or tying the knot in a religious service.
For those wanting a civil wedding or partnership in an approved premise, the venue choice is pretty extensive with no real limitations on location.
For couples geting married in a religious service, the choice of Reception venue will be somewhat limited. In fact, in any situation where the Service venue and the Reception venue will be different, the travelling time between the two will need careful consideration. In all cases, try to keep journey times to a maximum of one hour, although under thirty minutes is much more appropriate.
There are lots of different types of venues from which couples are able to choose, with many wierd and wonderful venues available.
Castles, exclusive hotels, country/manor houses, multinational hotel chains, golf clubs, function rooms in clubs, pubs and restaurants are just some of the potential options.
Music and Entertainment
Think of any great party you've been to or recomendations from family and friends.
Music goes a long way to setting the scene for a celebration.
So, if you haven't already, now's the time to put some serious thought into the wedding music that will feature during your big day.
For inspiration and ideas, why not take a few moments to check out the following catergories,Music, Entertainment and Singers.
Entertainment during the day from Magicians to Impersonators also go down well as a bit of fun during the day.
Themes and colours
Setting a colour or theme is also traditional the theme and colours are central to the day and will flow through each and every part of it, from the outfits to the favours. Knowing your wedding theme and being aware of your colour scheme up front will help to make life easier when taking decisions for the dress, reception venue and much more, so it is essential you decide upon them sooner rather than later.
From the wedding service to the bride's bouquet, and from the wedding reception to the buttonholes and corsages, wedding flowers are everywhere to be seen. Co-ordinating the ‘floral package’ so that it complements the day, but at the same time looks subtle and romantic, is a tricky affair. When you also consider that certain flowers are only in bloom at certain times of year while others are only available in certain colours, you can easily understand why you may need a little help coordinating them!.
No one can advise you better than a good quality florist on the types of flowers and availabilty.
The dress is probably one of the first things people will ask you about and for the Bride one of the things she most looks forward to trying on and decideing.You will receive a good deal of advice from all corners on the subject of your dress. Always remember, however, that your final choice should express your taste, not that of the designer, your mother, your sister or your best friend.
Spend time looking through wedding magazines, which can help you get an idea of what styles you like, but when visiting a designer, go with an open mind. I have known of brides who were sure they wanted a slim-line wedding gown but have changed their minds in favour of a full-skirted one, having tried on ones in this style.
You should also take into account the kind of wedding you plan to have. A relaxed, casual wedding on a beach will require a very different style of dress to a formal evening affair.
If your budget doesn't run to a designer dress, there are many other options open to you. Some designers offer 'off-the-peg' garments for sale and others may make the dress for you and charge you a hiring fee only. (The garment is then handed back to them after the wedding.)
If you are having your outfit specially made for you, or even if you plan to hire one, it is important to wear the bra and petticoat you intend wearing on the day (as well as your chosen shoes), whenever you go for a fitting.
It is also a good idea not to wear much make-up at fittings, to avoid the risk of marking your dress.
The bridesmaid’s outfits will often, but not always, match in colour but perhaps vary in design to accommodate the varying ages and sizes. The outfits can be hired, bought or designed from scratch, all of which are perfectly acceptable as long as the Bride is still the star of the show!
The Groom’s & Groomsmen's Outfits
Usually hired rather than bought outright, the Groom, Best Man, Ushers and Fathers of the Bride & Groom will all need to be kitted out in formal outfits with a consistent theme that compliment the Wedding Gown and Bridesmaids dresses.
Wedding Cakes
The Wedding Cake is the traditional cake served at the end of the Wedding Breakfast to all guests. The image of a three tiered cake decorated in white icing still is popular, but with modern utensils, equipment and ingredients, if you employ a skilled cake-maker your cake’s design is only limited by your imagination.
The rings
The wedding rings, usually gold, platinum or white gold symbolise marriage and indicates commitment and fidelity. Typically worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, they are exchanged at the service and it is becoming popular these days to have matching rings for both the Bride and Groom.
Photographs and film provides a lasting memory to your Big Day that you can revisit over and over again – even show them to your children! Choosing the photographer and videographer, package, style of imagery and more are all things that you need to think about.
Normally, three vehicles are hired for the Wedding transport and are used by the Bride and Groom, Mother and Father of the Bride, the Best Man, and the Bridesmaids. Traditionally vintage cars or horse and carriages were the mainstay of the Wedding transport, but these days Fire Engines, Police Cars, Tuk Tuk's or even Combine Harvesters can be used.
Invites, thank-you cards, orders of service, menus, place-cards, not to mention the writing and proofing of them, are all part of the stationery that you will need to sort out. A consistent theme and style will usually run across all of the stationery items and be closely linked to the style and theme of your wedding.
Banners, streamers, balloons, ice sculptures and more can be used to decorate the Reception venue and create a serene or party atmosphere. If you are planning a break in the day, it is quite common for different arrangements to be used for the reception and ‘evening do’ to help set the scene and add to the fun and romance.
Once you have decided upon your theme and chosen your outfit, you will need to decide upon how to wear your hair and how to have your make-up done. It is common for elaborate, but not overpowering, hairstyles to be worn with subtle make-up that compliments the dress. You may wish to arrange hair and make-up trials to help you decide. For all you Groom's out there, you too will need to think about your beauty regime (shaving, haircuts etc).
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