The Perfect Wedding: How To Start As You Mean To Go On

Everybody wants the perfect wedding, but making the fairy tale into a reality is only one half of this equation; the other important ingredient to a perfect wedding is making sure that nothing goes wrong. Of course, things can still go wrong no matter how prepared you are, so it’s important that you have backup plans in place should such a circumstance arise.

Don’t just operate under the assumption that everything will run smoothly; fail to prepare and you prepare to fail. You can only have the perfect wedding if you have plans in place to fix any problems that might arise during or before the big day. Here are some more detailed pieces of advice to help you create the perfect wedding and start as you mean to go on with your marriage.

Plan your budget

Don’t underestimate the importance of your budget. It shouldn’t be a loose figure in your mind because weddings are expensive. If you stray too far from a strict money-spending limit then you’ll quickly find yourself pouring thousands into unnecessary expenses. Thinking about money before you do anything is a great idea because it means you can allocate certain portions of your budget to certain things.

In fact, friends and family may offer to chip in towards some of the spending (and gifts) too, and that can be factored into your budgeting process. Whilst talking about money is dull and unromantic, it’s going to be the cornerstone of your planning process. Everything you need for this wedding will cost money, and it’s important that you know when to stop spending so that you don’t go over the budget and buy things which you can’t afford. You don’t want to be in debt before you’re even married.

Invite friends and family

Budgeting is a kind of “pre-planning” process. Inviting people to your wedding, however, is step 1. Whilst your wedding is mainly about you and your partner unifying and committing yourselves to one another, there’s no denying that a wedding day is one best shared with the people you both love more than anything in the world. You want your family and friends to be there, so this should be at the top of your priority list. There’s nothing worse than the thought of making big plans on a fixed date and then sending out invites only to find that certain people can’t make it because they’ve already booked a holiday on those dates or they’re otherwise engaged.

Of course, as outlined over at eventjuice.co.uk, this all has to start with choosing a date. Having a fixed point in time at the back of your minds will help give you some structure in your mind as to the timeline you have for your wedding planning process. It’ll help you think about timeframes for suppliers but also the order in which you should be planning things. You won’t be rushing around at the last minute scrambling to do things; you’ll know a year or more in advance when you’re getting married, and you don’t have to think about it again. Of course, you’ll need to ensure you’ve sorted out the following thing before you can definitively set that date and get your friends or family to book it off work...

Secure the venue

Get in there early. That’s the best piece of advice when it comes to choosing a venue. If you’ve always had your eye on a particular hall or building for its historical significance or perhaps the pure aesthetic grandeur of the place then trust your gut. Don’t wait on the decision because the best places book up quickly (even if you’re looking at somewhere one or two years in advance).

You shouldn’t have to compromise on a venue, so make sure that you secure the ideal place as soon as possible. Once you’ve done that then you’ve got a fixed date (as mentioned in the previous step), and you can notify guests as soon as you’ve got confirmation that you’re booked into the venue. It’s always going to be hard to find somewhere available on a specific date on which everybody in your family and friendship circle is available, but you’ve just got to try your best to make sure as many of your loved ones as possible can attend.

Personalised touches

Adorning your venue in personalised touches (perhaps related to the bride’s interests or the interests of the groom) makes is entirely unique and unlike any other wedding that’s ever been before. If both the bride-to-be and groom-to-be get stuck in with the wedding preparation and throw in some personal touches that the other will like then that in itself will create the perfect wedding for both of you because you’re starting as you mean to go on; you’re doing things which matter to one another.

Remember the safety net

It’s so crucial that you have a plan in place in case things go wrong. This isn’t to put a downer on your day; it’s to make sure that your day can be recovered if the rings or other precious things are lost or if somebody falls ill. You could head on over to www.wedinsure.co.uk to get yourself insured and protected against the loss of valuables or money; you’ll thank yourself for these precautions if you do have to cancel because you’ll know you’ll have the money to be able to rearrange the wedding for a date not too far in the future.

Final preparations

You’ll have sorted out all the big things for your wedding months or perhaps even years before the actual date of the wedding. Still, as outlined over at www.marieclaire.co.uk, there are still things that you’ll be planning in the week leading up to the wedding and even the day before you get married. Make sure that you’ve collected the rings, dress, veil, and groom’s suit at least a week before the wedding; you don’t want any hiccups at the last second with those vitally important things. Make sure you’ve got everything ready for your honeymoon too. Sort all of these things out before the wedding, again, so as to make sure that you’ve nothing to worry on the day of the wedding or the day before, for that matter - you want to actually relax and take a moment to yourself.