You’re engaged! Congratulations! It’s a wonderful thing to find a life partner and you should definitely revel in it. Unfortunately, if you want a regular wedding, it also means a lot of planning in your future – from figuring out the videography to finding the perfect dress, and for the best results, certain things need to be handled quickly.
Creating a Budget
Creating a budget is one of the first things you want to do when planning your wedding for several reasons.
It means having a clear outline of how much money you have available to spend on each aspect of your wedding, such as the venue, catering, photography, and more so that you stay organized and avoid overspending in one area, leaving little left for other aspects of your wedding. Overall, it’s how you’ll stay organized, make informed decisions, prioritize your expenses, reduce stress, and save money.
Here are some tips for creating a budget:
- Before you start allocating money, determine what’s most important to you and your partner
- Use budgeting tools, from spreadsheets to wedding budget calculators, to make the process easier for you
- Factor in hidden costs such as taxes, gratuities, and service fees
Hiring a Wedding Planner
If you can afford it, hiring a wedding planner is one of the best things you can do for your wedding as having someone who knows what they’re doing coordinate everything often means pulling off a well-planned ceremony. Why should you hire a wedding planner as soon as possible?
Primarily, it’s because the best wedding planners tend to get booked up quickly, especially during peak wedding season so by hiring a wedding planner early on, you can ensure that you have a wide range of options to choose from and can secure the planner you want. Also, it means having help creating a timeline for your wedding planning process right from the start, which often ensures that everything is done on time and nothing falls through the cracks.
Plus, most wedding planners have a business relationship with all kinds of necessary wedding vendors and can get you discounts and premium service.
Drafting a Guest List
It’s easy to think that you can take your time with your guest list. However, it’s actually a task that should be done sooner rather than later.
Here’s why:
- Your guest list plays a big role in selecting a wedding venue and until you finalize your guest list, you won’t know the size of the venue you need, making it tricky to secure a venue that fits your needs
- Your guest list also impacts your budget and without one, it will be difficult to establish an accurate budget and plan your expenses accordingly
- Once you send out invitations, you’ll need to manage RSVPs, which can be time-consuming. If you wait too long to finalize your guest list, you’ll have less time to manage RSVPs and may need to rush to get an accurate headcount
Your wedding should be the way you dream of it. By taking care of these things right away, you’ll be able to plan your dream wedding with more time to focus on the details that matter most to you.
