Planning Your Wedding

So he’s proposed or maybe even you have proposed and he/she has accepted. Everything is exciting and wonderful and everyone wants to offer their congratulations.When things quieten down you will need to start planning for the big day.
 
Give yourself quite a bit of time:- You don’t want a last minute rush where you find you are limited in choice of dates or you cannot find what you are after and have to settle for second best, it also gives you time to save (a bit of an old fashioned idea I know but a good one)

Get Wedding ideas:

Perhaps buy one or two of the bridal magazines on sale at newsagents these are full of photos tips and probably most useful of all are directories of businesses providing wedding services and where to find them.
 
Ask friends and relatives if you can see photos of their wedding and encourage them to talk about their own experiences, you may find things that you like or even what you definitely do not like, but they are all ideas that are going to help. Some people have been lucky enough to walk down the aisle in mum’s or Gran’s wedding dress and have been absolutely delighted with the results .If the budget is tighter than you would like or if you would like to save money on some items to spend more on others maybe friends or relatives or work colleagues have items you could buy or borrow from them (remember that old wedding proverb that a bride should have something old, something new something borrowed and something blue)
 

Start planning:

So hopefully you have collected ideas and have a better idea of what you want but there is a lot to think about.
 
·         Location- church service, registry office, castle, hotels and other venues that have a licence to carry out marriage ceremonies or even a wedding abroad.
 
·         Style of wedding- quiet and simple or very large and formal or perhaps with a theme i.e. Medieval, Victorian, western, Vegas or Indian.
 
·         Your wedding dress- style, length, colour, with or without a veil, length of the veil, shoes perhaps a handbag a bouquet or posy or even a single flower. All can be traditional or themed.
 
·         Your hairstyle, you will probably want to go to the hairdressing salon on the day, it might be an idea to go and try certain styles out before the day, perhaps take your veil, hat or headdress along, a good hairdresser will advise. It may not be wise to have a new perm too near the day just in case it goes wrong. We have some great ideas for wedding hairdos, checkout our articles here.
 
·         The groom – Well he at least needs a mention, you have to decide what he is going to wear, a new suit, a hire suit, top hat and tails or something suiting your theme
 
·         Best man- You have to decide who it is going to be and what he will be wearing, again a suit or matching the grooms, or themed.
 
·         Who is going to give you away- Well traditionally it is a girls father who gives her away, and if he can’t an uncle or brother, in these modern times many mums have given their daughters away and many girls have given themselves away. Again you need to decide what this person should wear.
 
·         Attendants- Will you have bridesmaids, flower girls maids of honour and page boys , what will they wear will they have a similar colour in their outfits, will they carry flowers, prayer books, decorated hoops or maybe just hold your wedding train.
 
·         Mother of the bride/groom It is a courtesy to both parties to let the other know what colour at least their outfit will be, you will find most ladies do not want to be seen in the same dress.
 
·         Decoration of the ceremony location: This could be simple flowers in vases to more elaborate floral displays, sometimes the church or hotel may already decorate in readiness there may be a charge so best to check.
 
·         Music: You will almost certainly want music to make your entrance, church services tend to have more musical content, speak to the vicar or the person who deals with weddings at your venue so they can advise you, there may be a choir, musician, band or soloist available.
 
·         Transport: How are the main people going to get to the ceremony, and also to the reception, this may be by hire cars, or vintage cars, a pony and trap or even a taxi, you need to decide how many cars and how many people will be driven, some weddings where there have been a lot of guests, a coach has been provided.
 
·         This can give the added advantage of transporting guests to the reception and may be even allowing them to be able to drink by taking them home at the end of the day. You may prefer letting guests make their own way to the venue and reception being cheaper but also allowing them to leave when they are ready.
 
·         Photography: You will almost certainly want photos of your day, this can be from a photographic studio (take a look at the work of a few before deciding, they should be only too pleased to show you their work) You could ask a member of the family or friend or colleague to take some photos if you know they have a talent, I am sure there will be lots of people clicking away with their cameras anyway.
 
·         Reception: You do not have to have one but it is a courtesy if people have come a long way or taken time to be there to wish you well.
 
Decide where you are going to hold it, at a hotel, a pub, the local village hall or sports club or even the chip shop why not! Decide what kind of food you want to provide and how many for, this can be approximate at first, sometimes hotels will provide food or maybe have a package where a few services are provided it might be worth checking, Lots of families have some wonderful cooks so there may be someone close to home who would be delighted to be asked to cater for your wedding it might be the break into catering they’re looking for.
 
There may also be small businesses that can cater for you check out local papers and business directories. You may want the reception to carry on into the evening, again you might want to lay on food and provide a bar or drinks, either free or guests paying for their own, a reception into the night will need entertainment maybe a DJ or a band or magician or comedian.
 
The reception is usually where the speeches are made, these should not be too long and should thank everyone for coming, and thank in particular bridesmaids ushers and anyone else who as been a big help. Another thing to consider when thinking about your reception is whether you want people to sit down to eat or have a standing buffet, the standing buffet can be good if you don’t relish sorting out a table plan with everyone given a designated seat hopefully allowing for personality clashes and family feuds.
 
You will probably like to have a wedding cake, again some families are made up of talented people who can make and ice a beautiful cake, or if you are not so lucky check out the bakers and sometimes supermarkets do more modest ones, also check out the bridal directories as you may find a specialist. You may want to mount the cake on a stand, again these can be hired from bakers and specialists, and top the cake off with decoration or ornament.
 
·         Honeymoon: This is optional, and could be a few days or even a couple of weeks if you are lucky, in this country or abroad, but can be enjoyed just staying at home.
 
·         Is your head aching yet? With so many things to think about it is hardly surprising. But try and enjoy it, it is a great experience, and wonderful to see everything come together, it is your day.
 
·         Relatives: You may get requests from well meaning or even over bearing relatives, try to remain calm and polite and accommodate their wishes, if you feel you are able but remember it is your day not theirs, you have every right to choose what you want, who you want and where you want it .It’s your wedding and I hope you both will be able to look back on it and cherish it for years to come.
 
·         Tips: Do not be scared to try things on in shops, be prepared to visit many shops and make return visits, take the shoes you intend to wear, or material swatches for matching colours. Take your mum or trusted friend or relative along for help and advice. Ask people for recommendations, ask for references and look at portfolios of their work, if they have them. Consider hiring your dress or suit/suits this can mean you get to wear a designer dress at a fraction of the cost to buy, or have it made by a local seamstress or as I have said before you could call on talented relatives or make it yourself if you can.
 
·         Bookings:- It is probably wise to book your wedding service first, then you have a firm date in mind that you can give to the other service providers, and they can then tell you whether they can meet your requirements. Be prepared to use second or third choice services as with such a lot of things to bring together on one date it will not be surprising if some are already booked, and if you have the majority of services booked you could be running around in circles changing dates only to find that other services cannot deliver.
 
·         A few weeks before:- A few weeks before the date ring round and check that all the services are booked and can still provide their goods on the day. If they can’t then you at least have some time to find replacements. Invitations are generally sent out about six weeks before the wedding with an RSVP date, when these are all back you will have numbers to give to caterers if they want them. Hen nights and stag nights generally take place during this time, they can be low key say a few drinks with friends, to a party or clubbing, this is often organised by friends so hopefully it is one less thing to worry about.
 
·         The wedding day:- Hopefully you have had a good nights sleep and are looking forward to the ceremony. Leave yourself plenty of time and try not to worry. Remember to enjoy yourselves and remember who you are marrying and why.
 
CONGRATULATIONS