The Ultimate Wedding Plan Guide

Are you a newly engaged couple preparing for the big day? With tons of best wishes turned in daily, it should be a reminder that there are lots of preparations to make toward the wedding date. If you’re looking for a guide to help you plan properly, here you have it. This article has all the important wedding planning activities to engage in as you are preparing. 

How to Plan a Wedding? 10 Steps

Planning a wedding can get overwhelming for most couples. There are so many things to take care of that you may find yourself at a loss on where to begin. To make the process easier, we’ve put together this step-by-step wedding planning guide for you:

1. Pick a date

The first thing you should discuss as a newly engaged couple is the season, time, and date of the wedding. A lot of couples would prefer to jump to other activities while tossing this aside. However, it has significant benefits and contributes to the planning process. With a date picked, you can proceed to hire vendors to cater for the event. When selecting a potential date, ensure you pay attention to the specific season and understand the peculiarities. 

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2. Select a location

Once the wedding date is fixed, the next is selecting a preferred location for the wedding. This is very important and should be secured to keep your proposed wedding date a reality. If you’re contemplating having a destination wedding, then you have to make plans keeping your chosen destination in mind at this stage. 

Popular destination sites like Santorini, Maldives, etc may require booking a year in advance. While working on this, inquire about the other requirements to hold a wedding at the venue, and familiarize yourself with these ahead of time. 

3. Hire a wedding planner

Planning a wedding comes with a lot of stress. But the best part is that you can hire a wedding planner to handle all the running around at an affordable cost. If you’ve decided to hire a wedding planner, you need to be sure it’s the best person for the job. 

A good way to find a professional wedding planner around you is to ask your colleagues and friends. If you’ve got a newly married friend in your circle that made use of a planner, ask for a referral. Ensure you make the necessary background checks properly before committing your activities to the planner. Remember it’s the happiest day of your life, so everything should run smoothly. 

4. Draw a budget

The next step is to draw up a budget for the wedding. Even if you’ll be planning a super expensive wedding, draw a budget using the various estimates you have already. The budget helps you work in line with your financial strength and prevents overspending. 

From the wedding planner’s list, you can ask for an estimate of the prices of hiring the various vendors that will be rendering services at the wedding. This estimate will guide you to calculate a rough amount you’ll need for the wedding. While drawing up the budget, however, you may have to mark some extra amount for miscellaneous costs. You may not have to shell out this extra money, but it helps you prepare for unforeseen spending. 

5. Select a caterer

If you’ll be working with a caterer for your wedding, finding one would be the next step. To avoid confusion or scouting for the best around, ask your wedding planner for a suggestion list. With this, you can decide to visit them for brief discussions or mini-interviews. Then, you can select the right person for your event. Fulfill all your wedding dreams by having the best food.

Before selecting the caterer, take some time to discuss the food menu. If the same caterer would be handling the dessert and cake too, then you may schedule a series of appointments for this aspect. In all, ensure the caterer is capable of delivering well on your wedding day. 

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6. Book an officiant ahead

Another professional you should book ahead for the wedding is the officiant. This may also require you to have physical or virtual meetings with the professional. Inquire about any payments and other requirements that will be needed for the knot-tying ceremony. 

7. Design the wedding invites

If you’ve taken this process gradually till this point, then the wedding date should be approaching fast already. It’s now time to design wedding invites. To do this, select a color theme for the ceremony and use the same colors for the invite as well. You can search for a professional designer to handle this. However, a good tip to cut costs is to handle the invites yourself. Using free design templates online, you can make your invites without payment of any kind. 

8. Book a makeup artist and hair stylist

Another vendor that you need to book at this stage is the makeup artist. This is very important, especially if you’re getting married during the peak season when most professionals will be busy. Also, last-minute bookings attract extra fees, which will affect your budget. So, tick the makeup artist off the box as soon as possible. 

9. Search for wedding attire

As the bride and groom, everyone will expect your dresses and attires to be unique, beautiful, flawless, and breathtaking. So, you need to carefully search for the best dress that’ll make a memorable fashion statement and also keep you comfortable throughout the day. 

As you’re doing this, take some time to search for accessories and shoes to go with your wedding attire. Take your bridesmaid into consideration here too and get something they’ll wear. Friends can be a vital support system in the wedding preparations process. Seek your girls’/guys’ help in selecting your wedding dress/tux.  

10. Buy wedding rings

You’re tying the knot, right? You’ll need to buy rings and other jewelry for the occasion. Together with your partner, decide the types you’ll like to wear and then proceed to search for stores around that sell. On the other hand, you can decide to divide and conquer by buying the rings individually once you’ve decided on the kind you want.

So, as the groom, you can enlist the help of one or two friends in searching for the best men’s wedding bands. Likewise, the bride-to-be can do this with her girlfriends. Before buying the ring, make sure the size is perfect and you understand the best ways to maintain the material your ring is made of. 

Preparing for a wedding is a journey that involves a lot of decision-making. In this article, you have read the most important preparations to make ahead of your wedding. With this followed as a guide, you’ll worry less and achieve more. 

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