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| Christmas is a wonderful time to get engaged! Make sure, however, that you know how best to start your wedding planning to avoid costly mistakes. – Photo courtesy of Mark 11 Photography |
Newly engaged couples will rejoice in the holidays and be eager to share their good news with family and friends. People will admire the ring, and for most couples, they get caught up in the excitement and want to begin planning their big day right away. Unfortunately, with all that enthusiasm, many couples make some costly wedding planning mistakes by making decisions and commitments before they are really ready to do so.
Here are some ideas to help make your wedding planning go much smoother:
1. Determine The Budget: How much money do you have to spend? This is the first and most mportant question that needs to be answered before you do any wedding planning, or worse yet, put any deposits down. Are parents going to be helping, and if so, how much are they willing to contribute? What are you able to contribute? The amount of money you have to spend is going to shape the way your wedding is going to look and feel. You don’t want to get locked into a venue that you can’t really afford or overspend on your flowers so you have to cut back on everything else.
To figure out your budget, begin with the following:
a) Start with when you want to get married and count how many months that gives you to save.
b) Multiply that by the amount that the two of you are able to contribute and save each month for the wedding fund.
c) Add to that any money that your parents are able to contribute or savings you might have that you want to use.
d) Subtract maybe five to ten percent for over budget items.
e) Voilá – you have your wedding budget!
2. The Guest List: There is no point of planning on an intimate family celebration when Mom and Dad’s initial list of attendees of immediate family and close friends is over one fifty. Sit down together and with both sets of parents and begin creating a list of possible guests. This isn’t the final version, but will give you an idea of how many people will be in attendance. Once you have this figured out, this will also help you determine the size of your venue and how many people it will have to accommodate. It’s also a quick way to figure out catering costs and whether or not you really want that big wedding, as big weddings usually equals big bucks!
3. Create Your Vision: As well, this is something that is usually a work in progress, but you need to at least start with the feel you want for your wedding. If the idea of getting married in the garden in your parent’s backyard sounds appealing, you will want to find an intimate reception venue that will match. As well, you would want to make sure that your wedding is scheduled for mid- to late-summer, allowing the flowers to bloom and for the garden to look its absolute best. Some types of weddings are really dictated by the time of year and/or the venue selected. It’s a good idea to start thinking about what you both want your wedding to be like in order to make other decisions that will ensure your wedding plans match your vision and ideas.
4. Hire A Wedding Planner: There is nothing wrong with planning to do a lot of the work on your wedding yourself, but one of the most common things I hear from others when I tell them what I do, is that they wished they had hired a wedding planner when working on their own nuptials. For most couples, they are planning a wedding for the first time where as a wedding planner has the experience, the contacts, and the expertise. She can not only save you time, but also suggest ways to save money making it a win-win situation for everyone. Having her on side right from the beginning ensures that your wedding will be a success. If you don’t think you can afford the full wedding planning services, at least consider hourly consulting so the planner can keep you on track, make suggestions for you to follow through on, and still give you some of that expert advice that will make your planning your wedding so much easier.
Getting engaged is such an exciting time! Make sure it’s a process that you both can enjoy from beginning to end by making sure you take the first few steps in the right direction.
If you need assistance in planning for your upcoming wedding, or just want some advice along the way, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@creativeweddingsandoccasions.com.or info@delsoldestinationweddings.com
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Cathy MacRae is a certified wedding and event planner, and owner of Creative Weddings and Occasions and Del Sol Destination Weddings. Located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she plans wedding for couples in and around the Calgary and Banff area, who want a wedding that is a unique and personal reflection of them. She is also a destination wedding specialist, working with couples who desire to wed in various picturesque dream locations throughout the world. For more information about planning your own wedding or for advice from Cathy, please contact her at info@creativeweddingsandoccasions.com.