8 steps to planning the perfect big day
Planning a wedding can be stressful, but our top tips will help to keep you on track to organise the wedding of your dreams.
They’ve popped the question (you’ve said yes, of course), you’ve shared the news with all your family and friends, and you’ve celebrated with copious amounts of champagne. But once the celebrations die down, it’s time to get serious and start planning the wedding you’ve always dreamt of.
Set a date
First things first, you need to set a date for your big day. The exact date may be influenced by venue availability, but at the very least you need to decide what time of year you want to tie the knot. Whether you decide on a sunny summer wedding, or a magical winter ceremony, make sure you give yourself adequate time to plan the wedding that you want.
What’s your vision?
When planning your wedding it helps to have a clear vision from the start. Do you want a rustic, vintage-style wedding, or would you prefer an elegant, contemporary affair? Do you envisage a big party filled with all your friends or family, or are you dreaming of a smaller, more intimate gathering? Determining your overall vision at this early stage will help to set the tone for everything that’s to come.
Choose a venue
Popular venues tend to get booked up months and even years in advance so it’s a good idea to start looking as soon as you have some dates in mind. There are loads of different venue options out there – rustic barns, fancy hotels, country houses, and even castles – so try and choose something that suits the personality of you and your significant other, and the vision you both have for the day. Pinning down your budget and guest numbers will help you to further narrow down the options available to you.
Pick your colours
Settling on your wedding colour palette is a great way to get the planning up and running, as it will influence almost every aspect of the day, from the flowers and decorations, to the wedding invitations and bridesmaid dresses. As a general rule of thumb, rich, deep colours work really well for a winter wedding, while spring and summer weddings suit bright or pastel shades. But it’s your day, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box and break the rules.
Tell the world
Once you’ve set the date and chosen the venue, it’s time to let everyone know your exciting news and invite your guests to share your big day. How you do this is up to you; mail out invitations that give a hint of the wedding theme to come or save money and paper with email invitations and your very own wedding website. If your wedding is quite a long way in the future, you may also want to send out ‘save the dates’ so that people know to keep the day free.
Find ‘the dress’
One of the most important (and exciting!) parts of wedding planning is finding the perfect dress to walk down the aisle in. It’s always best to get this ticked off your list as soon as possible, as finding ‘the one’, getting it ordered, and having fittings does take time. Before you go shopping, take a look through bridal magazines or browse Pinterest for some inspiration. However, do try and keep an open mind; it’s surprising how many brides end up with a dress that’s completely different to the one you envisaged.
Decide on your entertainment
Entertainment is a key component of any wedding, and there are loads of great options out there that will help you to create a fun and memorable day for you and your guests. As well as a band or DJ for the evening celebration, you might want to consider booking some additional entertainment during the day, such as a magician, caricaturist, acoustic musician, or a garden games set for some al-fresco fun.
Relax and enjoy
After all that planning, it’s time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour. Try not to get stressed if little things go awry on the day; what will be will be, and the most important thing is that you are getting married to the love of your life. Everything else is just window dressing.
Planning a wedding is exciting but it can get stressful, so don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. As one of the premier barn wedding venues in Essex, we have many years’ experience of helping happy couples to realise their vision. So, get in touch, and find out how our friendly team can share the load and help you to plan the wedding of your dreams.