Weddings. Really, what are they for? A man and a woman can formally and legally get married without the lavishness that this ceremony often requires. The American wedding industry boasts of $53.4 billion. The average wedding is estimated to cost at least $29,858, excluding the honeymoon expenses. Brides are often willing to spend over $1,000 on their wedding dress alone. That’s a lot of numbers for a party.
But, of course, weddings aren’t just a party, are they? They mark the beginning of a new life, and who doesn’t want the starting point to commence with a bang? (New Year is celebrated with fireworks for a reason.) This is a monumental day. It’s basically what every young boy and girl has pictured themselves doing in the future, though they still don’t understand its weight at that time.
It’s exactly why we look for relationships, and why we try to make each one work. So that, one day, we get to have that very same (absurdly expensive) party thrown for us as a symbol of the marital life we are soon to enter.
Planning a wedding involves infinite details, deadlines, stress, and, sometimes, even family drama. The few months between the proposal and the wedding ceremony itself are crucial to the to-be-wed. So many things need to be prepared, and so many things can go wrong, that at least once during the whole process, the couple consider eloping.
But, of course, it rarely happens because planning a wedding is a great experience for the couple. More for the girl, since men often just let their fiancees do what they want, but the main point remains. The wedding planning is just the beginning of the many things that the couple will go through together as one.
Planning a wedding can be, to state it lightly, pretty overwhelming. Of course, the great thing is that you don’t have to do it alone. You can always ask for help from the girls in your life. Your mom, your chosen maid of honor, and the rest of your bridal party are all there to help you. Your new in-laws might be willing too. You don’t have to carry all the burden alone. (In fact, now that you’re getting married, you will never have to.)
No amount of work cannot be done with the right amount of organization, and that is exactly what you need to do to keep track of every tiny aspect about your wedding. Take one step at a time, start recruiting your friends, family, and your future spouse for assistance, and start planning.
Regardless of how big or how intimate the wedding you are planning to have, there are things you need to make a checklist of to make sure that things run smoothly in time for the big day.
Just because you have a lot of money in your hands, doesn’t mean that you’re free to squander it all into this wedding. Yes, it’s an important day, but it’s still a day. The rest of your life with your husband begins after it, and that is a long-term ceremony you will need money for. Be smart with your spending. Save a little for after the wedding.
Have a defined budget, and make sure you record every penny you spend so that you can keep track of your expenses. Your budget will be the deciding factor you’ll consider for many of your wedding planning decisions. No, you can’t buy that cake even if it will make your wedding look divine because it costs too much, and you won’t enough left for other things.
This is going to be the constant voice you will hear inside your head when it comes to financial matters regarding your wedding. And, yes, this voice can be pretty annoying, but you need to listen to it, or else you’ll end up buying a three-tiered cake but no real food to accompany it.
If you and your husband will be shouldering all of the expenses, take a hard look at your finances before you start spending too much. If any of your family members are willing to help with the monetary obligations, consult them first about the amount they are willing to put forward for the wedding. Then, you can decide on the exact amount you should spend.
No, not every aspect of the wedding is a priority, although it might seem that way at first. Especially if you’re working with a budget, setting at least three aspects of the wedding that you should prioritize will help you spend your money on the most important parts. Talk to your fiance about this.
What are your priorities? Is it the food? Her wedding dress and his tuxedo? The drinks? Once you have a clear idea of the details you must put on top of the others, focus on these things and be prepared to compromise on the rest. If a big portion of your money will be spent on the food, be willing to adjust your budget for your DJ. If it should be on your attire, then your buffet table will have to suffer a little.
You wouldn’t want your wedding to be a conglomeration of random ideas poorly put together, right? So it just makes sense to have a governing theme. Do you already have a concept of what you want your wedding to be? If so, then all you need to do is to realize that.
However, if you have absolutely no idea on what to do, or if you have so many ideas, each one so different than the last, that you have a difficulty in deciding, why don’t you try looking for inspiration? Pinterest and Instagram are both great social media platforms where every frustrated bride-to-be can run to for wedding ideas. You can also browse bridal magazines and blogs for a wider source.
Try looking for examples of weddings. This can help you get a good grasp of the general look that you want your wedding to take. Once you have a perception of the style you want, try to create a vision board so that you can have an actual personalized reference you can refer to. Old-fashioned cutting and pasting magazines onto paper always works for this.
This isn’t just the bride’s day nor is it just the groom’s. It’s for both of you, equally. Which means that all this wedding planning should not only include one of you. Both of you must work together to realize the wedding you both want to have. The wedding planning process can even be an enjoyable, unforgettable experience for the both of you.
Consider what the other wants to happen. Have you both agreed to have a big wedding, or would the other prefer something more intimate? Have you decided on the venue? What if the bride wants a classic church wedding, but the groom would prefer to have one outdoors? Make sure that you are both on the same page on every little aspect of the wedding. Make sure that when you both look back to this day, none of you will regret anything.
Wedding planning is a combination of about a million tiny decisions you will have to make, each one just as important as the other. When you’re doing the actual planning, be careful not to rush into any quick decisions. Yes, it can be tempting to book the first photographer you can find because that would mean checking something off your to-do list, but that would also mean that you will no longer have the chance to look for better, cheaper ones.
Make sure that you weigh all of your options, and that you actually have options in the first place, before you start booking services and purchasing products for your wedding. You have at least a couple of months to decide. Don’t rush. Make sure that that’s exactly what you and your fiance want first.
Creating a guest list isn’t as easy as simply enumerating the people in your life you are closest to. There are probably a lot of people that you and your fiance want to invite, but your guest list must be limited by a number.
Think about your venue. How many people can it freely accommodate? The bigger the venue, the bigger the rate. So how much can you spend for that? Also, you must take your budget into consideration. How many mouths can you feed? How much have you set aside for food and drinks? These factors are important to help you narrow your guest list down to only the most important people.
Bridesmaids and groomsmen aren’t just there to serve as your entourage for the actual ceremony. They are also important members of your wedding planning team. They are meant to give you and your fiance all the tactical help you need. Also, they are your buddies for your pre-wedding events.
When it comes to choosing your wedding party, choose the people you know you can trust, those who will have your back no matter what will happen. Wedding planning doesn’t only include choosing the type of flower you will have on your bouquet. It’s also going to include a lot of stress, pressure, and even late-night doubts. Make sure that the people you’ve chosen for your wedding party will be there to help you get through it all so you can arrive at the altar in one piece on your big day.
An important part of your wedding planning is creating and sending your wedding invitations. These tiny pieces of paper are important because they will serve as your medium for announcing to everyone that you are finally getting married. They will help you get the word out, while also inviting everyone to come witness the big day.
So many roles for one unassuming piece of paper, right? Which is why it is absolutely imperative that we get this part right. Here are a few wedding invitation tips you can follow to make sure that you do.
It might seem like a lot (because it is), but all the effort that you, your fiance, and your families will put into your wedding day will all be worth it. One day, when you look at your wedding pictures and reminisce the stressful few months that lead to the event, you’ll see how much it all is worth it. Now go start that new life together.