To plan a wedding, what are top considerations?

Our big day is coming up and if yours is too then you’ll want to keep reading. As we’re getting ready for our fall nuptuals, a lot of choices have to be made. To help you out as you plan (and to keep me and future hubby in check too), here are the 4 main considerations when wedding planning.

By thinking about the things below, you’ll feel more like the wedding day is how you want it to be. Sure, there’ll always be something that goes sideways at the special event (so I’ve been told more than once!!) but at least the big details will be ones that you two have talked about and decided on.

Work out a budget

One of the first things to do is to come up with a suitable budget. Otherwise, you’ll end up spending waaaay more than you would have, likely.

It can be easy to forget all those little extras that need to be paid out, so in order for your budget to work for you, you need to be thorough on how much you can realistically spend. There are many extra costs that you may be faced with later down the line, including:

• Dress alterations — Changes to your body are natural, especially when you’re running left and right to plan a once-in-a-time wedding. Be prepared to spend on getting your dress refitted when it’s closer to your wedding date.
• Table favors — These will become essential elements to table decorations at your wedding reception and will also serve as little gifts to thank your guests.
• Gifts for the bridal party —  Your girl friends, who’ve stood by you through thick and thin, deserve a little thank-you gift for throwing an amazing bridal shower for you and helping you through the wedding jitters and making your special day perfect.

Although it may not seem like a major expense right now, they certainly will add up and could leave you strapped for cash!

To plan a wedding that is intimate, be selective with the guest list

Sorting the guest list as early as you can is sure to save a lot of time, disagreement, and discussions about costs as the planning process goes on. Once you have come up with a guest list, the next thing is to find a suitable venue that’ll accommodate that approximate number.

It’s likely you’ll be paying a cost-per-head, so don’t feel guilty about not inviting every single person you know. It’s one of the biggest decisions you have to make as part of the planning process, but it should be the decision of yourself and your other half, over other people’s opinions.

That’s easy to say and tough to remember at the time – This is YOUR special day, you two. Not anyone else’s.

A big source of discomfort can come when you invite one person but not another relative you’re less close to, for example. Then someone feels left out. Or if you invite cousin A, who you see all the time, do you then need to send cousins B and C invites too? Given that you only see B and C once a year? Tough choices!

To plan a wedding they’ll remember, hire entertainment

Make the entertainment aspect of your wedding one of the earliest considerations. That’s especially true if you’re selecting a date in the peak of wedding season: the summer months. Otherwise, the top entertainers in your local area might already be taken on your wedding date.

You may wish to have entertainment running throughout the day, from the ceremony itself to the reception or the evening do. One thing’s for sure, you’re certainly going to need some good tunes as the daytime turns to the evening.

The music can really pump up the fun if you have a dancefloor in your reception area like us! Companies like Lark Music wedding DJ hire are specialist DJs for weddings, who will chat with guests over the microphone and accept those all-important song requests.

I love that our DJ asked us what songs we want at all-important times in the evening, such as the first dance as a married couple. It’s all part of the efforts to plan a wedding and a major consideration. Plus, having tunes there will help keep kids happy too!

Book the best photographer you can

The photos from your wedding day will be ones you look back on for years to come. They will serve as a lasting memory of your big day. Therefore, don’t underestimate the importance of a good photographer.

When selecting who to hire, research their work to get an insight into their work. We interviewed a few of them before deciding on the right one for us.

You could hire them for an engagement shoot, which will serve as a practice run for your big day. Then you can inform them of what you like and what you don’t like. Plus, you all get to know each other better then so you’ll feel more at ease on the big day.

Wishing you and your partner a smooth wedding planning process with these considerations in mind. Have an amazing wedding day!