He or she
just proposed! Congrats! You are now planning a lifetime of happiness together
and, in the upcoming year(s), a wonderful wedding. But the question now hanging
on your mind is; where do I start? I remember asking myself the same when the
"OMG I am getting married" phase finished. How do I plan my wedding?
What is my vision? Who should I ask for help? Keeping this in mind, don't
forget that you are not alone in this adventure and that your fiancé is
probably asking himself or herself the same questions. So sit down together,
grab a cup of coffee and start reading my top 7 steps on planning your dream
wedding.
1.Wedding
Planner
Yes, you can hire a wedding planner right away to save you a lot of time and
headache. They often offer quality services responding to the client's personal
interests and desires. Plus, they know all the local secrets and latest wedding
trends. But it is unfortunately not for free. As a cheaper and even more
personalize alternative, I recommend you
buy a wedding guide (or planner) in your local book store. Most of them are well-made and have all of the information you
need to know during your pacification. From budget to detailed guides, this
will be your bible. You can find a few of my favourites here:
-Etsy: Personalised Bridal
-Indigo: Meg Keene
2.Religious
or civil
Probably one of the least enjoyable but most important decision you have to
make with your other half. Do you want a religious or civil ceremony? If there
is any hesitation between the two of you, make sure you make a list of the pros
and cons of each type of ceremony together. In the end, you will spend the rest
of your life with the other person, so you better start communicating now.
3.Guests
One of the first thing you should do is sit down with your fiancé and start
doing your guests list. Here is a tip; start by the most important people you
want at your special day (close family, wedding party, important friends, etc.)
and continue the list by order of importance to yourselves. Remember! It's YOUR
wedding. So if you don't want to invite the drunkard cousin or the
overly-attached jealous bridesmaid's boyfriend, it's your choice. Make sure you
are surrounded by the most important people for you and your fiancé.
4.Budget
Now that you approximately know your number of guests, you have to set a budget
together. Get help from a recently married friend or your wedding planner. Once
you set your mind on a number, make sure you respect it along the way. At this
point, you should also decide if you want the guests to pay for attending your
wedding.
5.Date
If you are like myself and work on weekends, setting the date can be kind of
tricky. Most people work during the week and have the weekend off, so choosing
the right day only depends on yourselves. Depending on the type of wedding you
intend to have, it can take you up to 18 months to plan it, so make sure you
have enough time. You should also make sure to have different date options,
because your venue location might not be available on your initial choice.
6.Location
Let me tell you one thing; the location has to be somewhere that you both want,
not something that everyone else wants. First, you should make a list of what
you want for your venue. Do you want to have your ceremony and reception at the
same place? Do you want to celebrate your wedding outside? If so, what was the
weather like for the past 10 years? (Find out here).
Do you want it to be a destination wedding? Or where the bride was born? Once
you've figure this one out, all you have to do is visit the places and book it.
7.Inspiration
During the week following the proposal, we got so excited, we bought 3 wedding
magazines, which were filled with publicities and about two interesting articles. We felt
overwhelmed and were disappointed since we didn't feel inspired. Then, one of
my friends, who recently got married, told me that she found her wedding ideas
on Pinterest and that there were tons of inspiration. Way too many coffees and
late-nights scrolling through the internet later, we found our wedding theme
and overall inspiration for our wedding. But remember, once you have found your
theme, do not look back, or you will have regrets. (My pinterest)
These were
just a few tips that I found especially useful once I got engaged. I hope they
will help you navigate through the preparation of your wedding. And most
importantly, don't forget to have fun planning it together. It might be stressful
at first, but it will be pleasant since it's a reflection of your future life
alongside each other.
Enjoy,
The little traveller's boots
Xox
