The ring is on your finger, the champagne has been popped, your friends keep pestering you for a wedding date, and now it's time to plan the wedding!With this in mind, HELLO! Online has enlisted the help of wedding planner and Director of Flutterfly Events, Erika Ubehaun, for a simple three-point-plan every bride-to-be should stick to before diving deep into the world of lush silk and perfect bows.
LocationTogether with your fiancé decide where you want to get married. Not referring to the actual venue at this early stage, but the town, city, or country in which you want to hold your wedding ceremony and reception. In many cases this will be a no brainer but if you're indecisive then think about the following to help generate ideas:Would you rather stay close to home or have a destination wedding? If you want a destination wedding, do you think your family and friends can afford the costs associated with air tickets and accommodation?Do you want a city wedding, country wedding, or beach wedding?It's also important to note the distance of your chosen destination from the nearest airport if you have guests flying in to witness your nuptials. Guest ListWith your partner and both sets of parents, draw up a first draft guest list which has two separate columns. One column is for those guests that must be invited to the wedding, and the other column is for guests you would like to invite. Consider what size you want your wedding to be and bear in mind that catering costs are usually based on a per person budget. An easy way of minimising the cost from your list is to eliminate plus-ones.If children are attending, you'll need to give thought as to how to entertain and look after them so their parents can enjoy the day celebrating the nuptials of the bride and groom.
BudgetSit down with your fiancé and your parents to discuss the wedding budget in depth and figure out realistically how much you have to spend. If your parents want to contribute in some way but don't like the idea of just giving you a fixed amount of cash, then suggest they pay for certain parts of the day such as the photography or the band to keep them included in the process.If you're on a budget, a wedding needn't cost a fortune as there are tons of ways to save. First and foremost, hire a wedding planner! They can save you time, energy and money with their long list of valuable contacts.If you prefer not to go down that route then friends and family can help in a similar way by calling vendors to get quotes, making flower arrangements, baking the cake and getting creative with stationary. Alternatively, Erika advises: "One thing I do suggest is signing an agreement with friends if they are playing a big role in your wedding. "Make sure all family and friends understand your wedding vision and are given a list with the order of timing that he/she should have their roles completed by. It does bring your personal relationship into a mildly awkward business relationship, but for good purpose."
Check out Flutterfly Events for more wedding inspiration.