Congratulations! You are about to embark on two incredible adventures – the first, your life as a wedded couple and the second being the exciting, and often overwhelming, is the process of planning a wedding. Of all the events you will arrange, nothing will be as special as planning your wedding day. We believe weddings should be amazing, once-in-a-lifetime events without rendering you broke.
A wedding will probably be the biggest and most involved party or ritual either of you have ever put together and as such tips and hints on managing all of the details of your wedding day are always very helpful. Now, before you get overwhelmed, take a deep breath, and go through the tips below.
1. Enjoy being engaged
When you first become engaged you begin to plan your perfect wedding day. Ideas begin to flow when you look at wedding magazines and browse the internet to find the perfect vendors. Then the reality hits of how expensive the perfect wedding day is going to be, when you consider all the things you have to pay for; remember, a wedding should not put you or your family in debt.
Relax, take pictures of yourselves to use for, perhaps your wedding invites and wedding mementos. Above all, contemplate the wonderful things ahead of you.
2. Tell your parents
You should tell your parents of your intending nuptials before anyone else. Ideally, both of you should be present to tell them in person – they will have a chance to see your happiness up close and start talking about the wedding. After your parents, share the news with close friends and trusting in the power of word of mouth, the news would travel to all that need to know.
3. Get a journal, if you don’t already have one (very important)
The journal will help you avoid the many things you won’t want to forget and as well as put the planning into perspective for you. The journal will not only help you while you are planning your wedding through this time but it will also be something you cherish for the rest of your life. If you are the internet savvy kind, you may consider using our planning tools at this point.
4. Set the Budget
Look at your finances, sit down and figure out how much you can both save monthly towards the wedding. You shouldn’t spend all your savings on the wedding day only, your lives starts after the wedding and you will need money after that. Talk to both parents to find out how much they are contributing towards the wedding and what specific areas they are covering, so you can strike out from your list. (You can use the planning tool section to work out your budget in a clear and defined manner)
5. Set the date
Your wedding date is one of the most important decisions you have to make; not only will it be the first question everyone will ask you, but you would be surprised at how difficult it will be to make any headway(progress) on planning your wedding without knowing the date.
Traditionally, wedding dates are set in a formal setting, where the groom’s family will visit the bride’s family to get the wedding date and wedding list (see all types of weddings in the article section).
6. Set the Tone/Theme of your wedding
This is the time to decide if you want a formal wedding, a casual affair, or a themed wedding. You will need to decide what you want your wedding to feel like and a good way to begin is to sit down with your partner and jot down your ideal wedding. Compare what you both like and see how they can blend, talk about favorite colours and see if they fall in the wedding colours for the season (or you can set your own. (Check out the Dream weddings section for pictures that can guide you)
7. Choose your hostesses (attendants)
Since most of your attendants do a lot more than just stand next to you on the day of your wedding, now is the time to get them involved. Get a friend that you know can organize everybody and who would be available to help you out with the errands – this is essential for the working bride. Choose attendants that can afford to get their own clothes and accessories or even help chip in when you need to pay for some certain things.
8. Venues – Reception
The reception is usually the most expensive part of your wedding – the venue, the food, the drinks, music, and hall décor. Depending on your theme and tone of wedding, start looking for venues that is close to your church or mosque and most accessible to your guests. Most event centers are usually fully booked and as such it is advisable to get the reception venue out the way.
9. Get Support
No man is an island! Don’t plan your wedding alone, Get help! Ask people to help you out, assign tasks to your friends. Let someone that is good at haggling go with you to some of the vendors, so the vendors don’t capitalize on the fact that you are getting married and work on your emotions. Talk to people that are newly wedded and get information of some of the vendors they used; this would also give you an idea on pricing and would help you plan better.
The Big Question – Who pays for what?
This section actually depends on the tribe, so it might not be applicable to your culture. Check out the different types of traditional wedding on the article section to know what is acceptable where you are from.
Bride’s Family
- Engagement/Wedding Ceremony (venue, catering etc)
- Invitation Cards
- Reception venue and Hall Décor
- Transportation for Bridal party
- Gifts for Bridal party
Groom’s Family
- Bridal Outfit (Gown, Accessories, bouquet etc)
- Rings
- Bridal Trousseau
- Groom’s attire
- Transportation for Groomsmen
- Gifts for Groomsmen
- Engagement/Wedding Ceremony support (cow, rice etc)
- Engagement Gift (list given by Bride’s family)
** The Bridal shower and Bachelor’s party (stag) are organized by friends of the bride and groom.
Be creative when planning your wedding and find ways to cut wedding costs creatively and one of the easiest way to cut the expense is by taking out any unnecessary extras.
Remember, it’s your wedding, your choice, taste and budget and pleasing your guests shouldn’t be your top priority; they are there to share in your special day and not to critique the food and decorations.
So, relax, think about how you imagine your wedding day and work towards achieving that.
Best of Luck!
Source: Na my Wedding