Wedding planning sounds exciting, doesn't it? I pictured myself sitting glamorously on a chaise lounge perusing glossy bridal magazines and sipping champagne. But in reality, I was drowning in leaflets, trying to remember the name of the nice photographer we spoke to, eating my sandwiches at my desk, trying my best to ignore the loud opinions everyone suddenly had on the merits of naked cakes.
Looking back, I would do so many things differently now! So I have compiled a list of amazing wedding planning tips for you! I also explain why I am always banging on about cardboard boxes...
1. Get Organised from the start! Get a wedding email and a cardboard box!
When you go to wedding fairs, venue showcases and contact suppliers you will get sent lots of amazing emails full of information, and enough leaflets and brochures to wallpaper your home. From experience, you end up drowning in leaflets you don't want, accidentally recycle the ones you do want, and can never seem to find the email with the price list on!
The first thing you can do is to get yourself a free Gmail account just for wedding-related emails, and a pretty cardboard box for all the leaflets and brochures you want to keep. This way, the information you receive will be safely stored away, and easy to find when you need it! But more importantly, if everything becomes too much, you can close that box, and log out of that Gmail account. Wedding planning should be fun and exciting, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming and stressful. To be able to close the lid and take a break until the excitement returns will make a huge difference.
2. Make it a special occasion!
Judging by the number of lunchtime emails we get, it seems a lot of you are planning at your desks at work! Whilst this is an efficient use of your lunch break or a good distraction during a very dull meeting (I won't tell if you don't), it does turn wedding planning into a rather dull checklist that you have to do by yourself.
So instead, make an evening of it! Schedule some time with your partner, cook your favourite dinner, or get your favourite wine or snacks, and plan together! Turn wedding planning into an event that the two of you do together, and both look forward to.
3. No idea on themes or styles? Lists and scrapbooks are your friend!
This one may sound silly, but write a list of words or ideas that describe your day. When you list what is important to you, not only will you know where you want to spend most of your budget, but a general picture of your day will appear. If you want beautiful, elegant, and bridal white, then you know the flowers, venue and dress are going to be your priority. If on the other hand, you want fun, happy, entertained guests, then a more relaxed venue with great entertainment is going to be your focus.
Scrap books may seem so 1999, but when you see all of the images side by side, trends and themes will jump out to you. You can also take these scrap books to consultations with you. I had no idea what I wanted my wedding flowers to look like, but my florist took inspiration from my scrap book and created something perfect just for me.
4. Rank if you care, or couldn't care less
Now you have a feel for the vibe of your day, sort the elements of your wedding day into categories. I recommend care, couldn't care less, and will decide later. This will help you decide where your budget should go, but will also help you get a much clearer picture of what matters to you on your special day.
5. Shove other people's opinions in the bin!
It is your day, so do whatever you want. Have the ice cream truck, wear a pink dress, invite your dog and disinvite your aunt. If you are paying for it, you get what you want.
6. Divert people's opinions to stuff you don't care about!
I get it - it really isn't that easy to ignore everyone else's opinions. Especially when they are loud and related to you. But, this is where your couldn't care less list comes in very handy indeed! Pick something you couldn't care less about, and actively ask for their opinions. This way they get to influence and you get to not care!
Your wedding is your special day, and often stress and worry (and people's opinions) get us super stressed out! So we want to encourage you to stop when things get rough, but make it special when you are in the mood.
Aria Barrett
Writing for FeteStall Attraction
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