Welcome to The Wedding Planner Count Down by event’s extraordinaire, TWE’s Planning Editor – Georgie. Founder Moriarty Events she gives you access to her month by month guide to planning a wedding.
12 MONTHS
Budget Budget Budget – “the scariest part of planning your wedding” and it really doesn’t have to be!
It is vital to begin with an idea of what you would be willing to spend for your big day. Your wedding is an ever-changing entity. There are so many elements of your wedding that may change throughout the process, so try to not get bogged down in stressing about the pennies or the spreadsheets. Agree a figure together that you are both happy with but be open to flexibility if, for example, you choose to add more guests than originally expected, or you find the dream dress for slightly more than planned, THAT IS OK! You can plan smartly and reduce other elements to get back on track to that original figure. To ensure you don’t end up having to reduce the budget for your most important areas, make it easier for yourselves and each come up with a list of five of the most important elements of your day (these may overlap) that are key and will not be compromised on within the planning process. However, the most important thing to remember is to always allow for plenty of contingency within your figures for the unpredicted or unavoidable. Who’s to say that it won’t suddenly be cooler in temperature in August than predicted, (something to think about especially if you are tying the knot in the UK)… you might need that contingency for last-minute blankets or fans! Deciding where and when to wed is likely going to be one of the biggest stresses of the planning, get this confirmed before focusing on the smaller details. Your venue and date will dictate so many of the styling options as well as supplier availability that once you have these nailed down the rest will begin to fall into place. But most of all, have fun! This is such an exciting time, remember to enjoy it!
6 MONTHS
Suppliers are your best friends!
Consider that there are larger elements within the day that are provided by suppliers, and they may already have other clients in the pipeline for up to 6 months. Suppliers for weddings tend to be booked a while in advance so it is great to find out who is available to supply your food, entertainment, photography and so on, as soon as you can at this point and utilise them as best as you can. Especially if you’re planning a peak season wedding! Then after this, you can get the beautiful finer details decided, although they are sometimes so tempting to choose first, they are easier to leave closer to the time. Good suppliers know their stuff and should instil trust for you to be able to go to them with questions and ask for their advice. Don’t be afraid to use their wealth of knowledge wherever possible. An example may be why and where your lighting team might place really cool up-lighters or how they might enhance the dance floor space to make it fun, they will advise as best as they can and are there to reach the same goal that you have imagined. Use them as much as you can, they are so willing to work together and with you, rather than just for you and this tends to really take the edge off the unknown if this is all new to you.
3 MONTHS
Just 12 weeks to plan – Focus on quality over quantity.
There are an abundance of elements that a wedding could include, ranging from the smallest and lovely personalised details, to the most extravagant 8-course wedding breakfasts. With just 3 months, it is ok to consider a smaller wedding (and we don’t mean how many friends and family can attend). Maybe focus on beautiful florals and work hard to ensure they are your wow-factor feature of the day. What is most important to you, as a couple? Think about how you can relieve stress in some areas, and take away elements that actually to you, won’t be something you will remember or that wouldn’t add anything incredible to your day. Florals aren’t important to everyone, so what about delicious wine to really
compliment your wedding breakfast? We have had clients emphasise that they quite literally do not care about any element of their day other than making sure the main course incorporates their favourite spices and flavourings – it’s such a small detail in the grand scheme of the day but it really made a difference to the groom. You will appreciate taking the time and care on the most important parts to you, and not worrying about considering all other elements too as you won’t have the time to perfect these all, and who doesn’t want a perfect day to look back on?
6 WEEKS
Think small and intimate
Remember it is your day and if you would like something exactly to your taste, there are lots of alternative options out there, that could still be available in your time frame. Some of the most memorable and special weddings of ours, include personal and different elements, like not having a first dance if you feel like it’s your worst nightmare, or not wearing a white dress. Run with your creativity instead of feeling you have to tick boxes. It is ok that your wedding may not have all the traditional elements, run with it. Six weeks is not a long time, and the process can be extremely overwhelming so it is really worth looking into an Event Planner like ourselves to be able to assist on the planning and on the day too. We can take the brief and deal with all for you, from just a venue find or sourcing and styling to running the whole event, making the seemingly impossible, possible.
Related Article: The Dos and Donts of Wedding Planning
