He/she asked and you said Yes! After the fact is settled you might find yourself asking ” now what or what are the next steps?” Especially if it is your first time around, future brides and grooms can feel overwhelmed. But keep your calm, things will go so much smoother if you keep following a few steps. So don’t panic and enjoy the process of planning one of the most important days in your life together. 

The Top 10 Steps in Wedding Planning

1. Always Set a Date first

Just like you wouldn’t be able to book a holiday without exact travel dates, your first step should be to select a wedding date. It is always a good idea to have a backup plan so one or two extra tentative dates are recommended unless you have to get married on that day. Depending on the guest count and how elaborate you want your wedding to be,  you should give yourself time for the planning process. While it is possible to plan a smaller wedding in a short amount of time keep in mind that some vendors and locations will be booked over a year in advance.

2. Have a realistic budget and stick to it!

No matter if you are eloping or celebrating a traditional wedding at home with 100 or more guests, set a budget for your wedding. Unless you have unlimited funds available make sure you stay as much as possible with what your finances allow. You should calculate 10% for incidents and charges not initially included in the budget. Unforeseen things happen and you want to make sure you can cover those costs. For elopements and destination weddings, many couples choose an all-inclusive package and work with a wedding planner. While pricing is often fixed keep your wiggle room of 10%.  If you are working with a wedding planner make sure you include all those costs into your budget. Some will ask a percentage of the wedding total cost for their service.  Don’t forget to add Gratuity and Tips. Yes, your hair and makeup artist, photographer, officiant, and service providers are expecting a tip for a service you were satisfied with. Other than catering, restaurants, and limousine services they are not including Gratuity on the initial invoice.  So keep that in mind when booking any service or wedding package where services are included.

3. Decide on the size of your wedding and guest count

This is an important part of your wedding planning. The guest count will affect the choice of location and budget. If you have a smaller budget try to keep your guest count lower. More Guests = More Money. Food, Beverages, and Alcohol will be a big chunk of your budget. While it might be possible to get a simple catering in Florida for around $50 per person you should realistically calculate $85 and up per person.

4. Find your wedding location

Once you have a date and your budget set you can start researching the location for your wedding. If you are planning a wedding away from home you should consider working with a wedding planner. For elopements decide what city you like to travel to first. States can be quite big and you need to narrow down where your wedding should take place. Most couples who are getting married at home will already have a few locations in mind. Start with contacting those facilities and ask for their availability and an estimate.

5. Start researching your preferred Vendors

If you are thinking of hiring a wedding planner you may want to consider choosing her or him first. Why you may ask? Well many wedding planners are working together with vendors like photographers, videographers, hair and makeup artists, wedding locations, hotels, and more. They often have special perks and pricing with their selected vendors or can negotiate a better price for you. The fact is that a wedding planner may book the vendor or location again and again, while you as a single customer will only book them once. This can save you quite some money and possibly even pay the cost of your wedding planner.

6. Invitations and guest RSVP

For destination weddings, you should start your invitations as soon as you have all the basics covered. Guests will need time to decide, check with their employers for vacation time, and if their travel is not paid by the wedding couple calculate their finances. The perfect time to send out the wedding invitations would be approx. 10 – 11 months prior. Airline tickets are usually available 12 months before the departure date.

7. Choose your color theme and decoration for the ceremony and reception

Many couples already know what they want, but there may be some disagreements down the road. When it comes to weddings the guys may have different ideas than the gals. Make those decisions together and try to compromise. Today’s grooms are much more involved in the planning part of their wedding. We had quite some grooms planning the whole thing.

8. Choose your dress, rings, and enjoy all the fun things when planning a Wedding.

Logistics, scheduling, and timelines are usually the part that is the least fun when planning your wedding and can get stressful. Family and friends are giving “good” advice that is not always on par with what you wish and desire. Embrace our differences and keep your cool.  Fully enjoy the fun things of having a wedding, like buying your bridal gown and wedding rings. Spend time with your partner and never forget in the end it is your wedding no matter what other people think.

9. Take care of all loose ends and ask for help if needed.

When the day comes closer it usually gets a little more hectic. Even if you plan your wedding in all the details, there may be some surprises that you have not calculated in. If things get overwhelming ask for help. Your friends and family usually want to be involved and they are happy to take some of your load off. Assign your best man or maid of honor to take care of things like bringing guest favors or wedding programs to the reception/ceremony site. It is always a good idea to make a list of all the things that you have to pack.

10. Congrats you made it!

Tips on Saving some extra cash

Inspiration From The Season

You don’t have to match your floral theme or paint your nails red for Christmas, but the time of year and the flowers that are in season could help you find inspiration when it comes to choosing a color. ” On top of that fresh flowers that are in season are less expensive and save you some money. If you have a tight budget keep the flowers simple and add more greenery to your decoration than actual blooming flowers. Many different color shades and flower variety = higher costs.

Avoid Holiday Weekend’s

Yes, most certainly you have to dig deeper into your pockets if you choose a wedding date that falls on a holiday or holiday weekend. New Year’s Eve is probably the most expensive day of the year for a wedding. If you are thinking of a New Year’s Eve Wedding be prepared to pay a pretty high surcharge for almost any vendor and facility. Weddings during the week with holidays excluded will often be less than weekends. Many resorts, ceremony locations, and banquet facilities offer special pricing for a weekday wedding.

Save on wedding planning time

How? You can always hire a wedding planner. It not only saves you time but can also substantially save you money by hiring their preferred vendors. Got you interested and want to know more about us? Here is how to contact us.

BABETTE HILL – LIFESTYLE WEDDINGS