First steps to planning your wedding day
I’ve just got engaged and am obviously on cloud nine! Now the wedding planning begins but where on earth do I start planning your wedding day?
I’ve searched the web and have come across some really helpful and informative sites with a step-by-step guide from finding your dream venue to keeping track of your budget to help and advice on table plans which is always a tricky one! One in particular that I would highly recommend is https://www.bridebook.com/planning-tools it’s also available in a handy app one of its most useful tools is giving you a month-by-month guide/ checklist advising what you should be doing in the build-up to the big day.
Plan your wedding budget
This is never going to be an easy one but is vital as without can lead to undue stress and disappointment. What can we jointly afford are parents or family offering to help financially and if so how much? A wedding spreadsheet is a really good idea but many of the wedding planning websites offer this as one of their planning tools.
Name your wedding day
You may have a particular month or even date in mind. Spring and summer weddings are more popular and usually more expensive and will often need to be booked further in advance if you are interested in popular venues.
Number of wedding guests to invite
Put together a list of family and friends that you would like to help celebrate your amazing day with. Try to be realistic in the numbers as this will greatly affect your budget and often your choice of wedding venue. Plus there’s always the option of inviting some guests to the evening reception rather than the whole day.
Finding your dream wedding venue
There’s a lot to consider here from theme to location and whether they can offer accommodation to budget and availability. Many wedding planning websites can be helpful in narrowing down your search into categories for instance a barn venue or perhaps dreaming of a grand affair in a stately home like the beautiful Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire. https://www.clivedenhouse.co.uk/host-your-wedding/packages/
Why not consider having a wedding planner and a Toastmaster
As exciting as planning your wedding is it’s also incredibly time-consuming and at times stressful and can become a full-time job. Therefore you may want to consider a wedding planner. There is, of course, an additional cost involved, however, their experience, knowledge, and an endless list of supplier contacts in the industry can prove invaluable and prevent you from running into hidden expenses.
Choosing your ideal wedding party
You may already have an idea of the best man and how many bridesmaids, flower girls, and ushers you would like of course it’s really helpful when making the choice to have the right people around you that are supportive and that can be relied upon. It’s also worth considering the cost of their dresses, suits, bouquets and thank you presents and how this will affect your budget.
Your perfect wedding dress
Now for the really fun part, you’re looking for that one dress that is going to make you feel like a million dollars but where do I start? A good place to begin is by looking for a few wedding dress shops in your area and going along and have a browse but do check that they allow this before you set off as you’ll find that trying the dresses on is almost always by appointment only. Being able to peruse the different styles and designs will hopefully give you a good idea, if you didn’t know already what you do and don’t want in a dress there are also likely to be future brides there trying on dresses.
When you’ve made your first official appointment the sales assistant will discuss your tastes and show you some options, it’s good to go in with an open mind and you may be surprised that the dresses that you think won’t suit you actually do. It’s recommended that you should purchase your dress at least eight months before the wedding as this allows time for any alterations and final fittings there are normally three.
Most importantly enjoy it, who doesn’t enjoy playing at dressing up now and again up so bring your camera and get whoever’s with you to take some pictures of you in an array of dresses after all it is a rather unique occasion!
Suits and attire for your guy
Theme/buttonhole/color/style.. Hire or Buy
Wedding Makeup and Hair
If you’re planning to hire a wedding hair and makeup artist, you can expect an average cost of £200-£300.
There’s nothing wrong with doing your own makeup especially if you are on a tight budget and there are lots of online tutorials to help. Here’s one I would recommend using Charlotte Tilbury makeup. https://youtu.be/39c4_mjOtJw
If unsure or in need of some hairstyle inspiration Pinterest is a great place to start.
A Wedding Photographer and much more.. Finding great Suppliers
This can be a bit of a minefield so I would start by looking at some real weddings online. This will give you some great ideas and inspiration from flowers to photography.
The photos that tell the story of your amazing day are something to be treasured for years to come. Therefore its so important to choose a photographer with the talent, experience, and who’s style of photography that grabbed your attention safe in the knowledge that their expertise will shine through in capturing all those cherished and special moments.
Mark Seymour is an award-winning and Berkshire-based professional wedding photographer https://markseymourphotography.co.uk
A three times winner of UK Wedding Photographer of the year, along with being a Nikon UK wedding ambassador and a National Geographic photographer whose work is also featured in The National Portrait Gallery, London.
Mark’s wedding photography is done in a relaxed and informal style, capturing and documenting those treasured and incredible moments of your very special day. He has photographed weddings at some of the U.K’s prestigious venues such as the beautiful Cliveden House https://www.clivedenhouse.co.uk/host-your-wedding/
So why not check out Mark’s wedding photography portfolio and take a look at his incredible wedding photographs https://markseymourphotography.co.uk
What style of wedding cake will you choose?
Chocolate / how many layers/cheesecake / Cupcake / Ice cream cake
Wedding Flowers
Church/ Bouquet / Buttonholes / Reception
Should I do my own wedding flowers or hire a florist? The flowers can really set the theme for your day from a simple bridal bouquet to perhaps a floral extravaganza. The average cost for wedding flowers is upwards of £1200-£1500 and of course, the venue will dictate this to a certain degree.
For some, this is considered too much of an expense and you may prefer to create your own reception flower arrangements and buy the flowers from a farm or market but get professionally made bouquets and buttonholes. The more traditional bridal bouquet flowers often include roses, tulips, hydrangeas, and peonies more modern choices are wild or dried flowers.
Wedding Cars
Choose a car that ties in with your wedding theme. Classic cars are always a popular choice and can be dressed to suit your color scheme. Others options can range from a VW campervan to a classic American Cadillac A local company is always a good place to start as they should have a good idea of the best routes and timings etc. Also, choose somewhere local. If your wedding is in Essex, choose a wedding car company based in Essex. It’s just if something were to go wrong with a car, they have others nearby.
Wedding Day Music
Your wedding music can make a big difference to the atmosphere of your big day. During the ceremony, you may choose to go with tradition and have classical music or alternatively choose something more modern that means something to you as a couple. A DJ or live band are the popular choices or perhaps a combination of the two as this usually covers various music tastes. Tribute bands are also becoming a fashionable and modern choice.
It’s recommended that you book your entertainment at least 10-12 months in advance
Great suppliers Mark Seymour has worked with and highly recommends
Hair
Makeup
Band
DJ
Wedding Dress Shop
Wedding Planners
Toastmasters
Car Hire Companies
Icecream vans
Wedding cake suppliers
