So you've got the ring ( or given the ring ) - and you're now in utter bliss? I don't blame you, I know that feeling well! The other feeling I remember well is once you've had that glass of champagne to celebrate, you've told everybody through your excitement like wildfire and your feet come back to the real world, you realise you have absolutely know idea where to start with wedding planning.
It's such an important day for people for all different reasons that nobody really gives you any preparation for. So in this blog I am going to give you my tips in the first steps to help you finding your feet when wedding planning.
Step 1
Insurance
Insurance for that rock on your finger, many people will be given the incorrect size due to the partner not knowing your ring size, its very common, the last thing you want to do is lose it. Insure it and get it sized correctly - my advice is if it doesn't fit, although you want to wear it everywhere and show everyone ( I get it ) wait till it's sized correctly, otherwise you might notice one days that its slipped off your finger without you realising.
Step 2
Budget
Working out a budget ( and sticking to it ) This is super important because it wilily down the foundations for everything to do with your wedding to your venue, your suppliers to your dress. It's more difficult then it sounds and I know when we were looking at our budget we didn't really have any idea how to determine what our budget was as we had no idea how much wedding stuff cost. We did a little research, looked into our savings and then determined from there how much we were willing and were able to send on our day.
Step 3
Guest List
Some people may disagree with me on this step, but my next piece of advice would be to draft up a guest list. My reasoning being that I think you need to know many many people roughly you would be looking to invite to then know the size of the venue ( my next step ). If you go in blindly looking at venues you may end up booking one that is far too big ( or worse ) too small for the capacity you would be looking for.
Step 4
Venue & Date
Finding your venue sets you up for the rest of your wedding. There are so many places now that you can get married I think the first steps to finding your venue is deciding what sort of wedding you want. Off the top of my head some options you have are: *Barn *Marque *Backyard *Church *Town Hall *Hotel *Country House *Outdoor Woodland Venues *Beach/Elopement *Registry Office
The list really is endless of places and venues where you can tie the knot, so finding your type of location first is a really good start. We narrowed down quite quickly that we wanted a rustic barn setting, we then researched in the area for one in our budget that catered for our wedding size, we fell in love with it and that's where we say our vows in February 2022.
Step 5
Theme
My next piece of advice would be to think about any particular theme or colour schemes you want. It may not seem overly important but once you have a theme or colour scheme, that's what you will end up basing everything else around, such as flowers, bridesmaids dresses, centre pieces, tie colours, the list goes on. It's a really helpful thing to decide early on so you have the ball rolling and you can start Pinterest boards with these ideas in mind.
Also at this point I would also say its worth considering whether you want a wedding planner or finding out if you get one with your venue, I am an organised freak and love DIY so we have been ok without one ( we do also get one with out venue ) but if not, it may be worth looking into one.
Step 6
Photographer/ Videographer
These are one of your most important vendors on your wedding day ( other than your planner or co-ordinator ) We are with you all day, usually from bridal prep through till the party, documenting your entire day. My advice is to find somebody who you not only love their work, but who you get on with as well. If you can meet your photographer in person to have a chat about your day and ask questions then that's super, you can really get a vibe from someone face to face and you can see if they are going to make you feel comfortable on the day, help you out and capture special memories. If you find a photographer who you love their work but you don't really click with them as a person, I am not saying don't book them, I am saying just remember they will be with you for potentially 12 hours on your most special day - that's a long time :)
These are my personal top tips for getting started with wedding planning, I am sure many people do these in different orders and in different ways, my next steps from this would be looking into taking the wedding legal with getting in touch with the local registry office, and looking at other suppliers and vendors. My most important thing I can say is to enjoy the planning, enjoy the build up, and don't loose track of why you are getting married in the first place. I photograph so many wedding that look like Pinterest boards, and don't get me wrong, they look beautiful to the eye ( and it's great for me to photograph ) but sometimes theres actually very minimal that's personal to the couple or that's sentimental and it becomes more of a show to guests. Even if it's the smallest things, I would advise to remember to keep your wedding about you both. If you agree or disagree with the above or your have any examples and little tips on how to keep your wedding personal and about the two of you, leave me a comment below! If you want any advice on planning a wedding, or if your still looking for a photographer - drop me a message :)
Sianp_photography@hotmail.com
www.sianp-photography.com
www.instagram.com/sianpphotography