The Stages of Planning a Wedding: How to Plan Your Wedding

You have finally found the person you want to commit to spending the rest of your life with. Now the day has come that you need to start planning a wedding. You have the wedding planning checklist ready. Unfortunately, unless you’re a professional events planner, this can be overwhelming and, at some points, extremely stressful.

The Stages of Planning a Wedding

Just the thought of starting a to-do-list can be a lot to take. Let’s face it, there are a million things to do, and there’s no way of knowing where or how to even start. It’s a common problem to experience, and it shouldn’t ever be something to feel discouraged about. This is a complete guide on how to start planning a wedding, in an organized, calm, and relaxed way.

“plans are nothing. planning is everything” – Albert Einstein

Wedding Reception
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Stage 1 of Planning a Wedding

Before even starting to plan anything, you need to confirm a few details to help guide you towards making sensible decisions for your future event. These are factors that you first need to confirm before you can start planning a wedding.

Confirm Your Budget for Your Wedding

Before anything else, you need to know what amount of money you’ll be working with. It’ll be very difficult to plan anything without first confirming the budget you will have for your wedding. It’s important to work with an amount that you are 100% sure of.

It is even better to use an amount that you currently have, rather than one that you’re expecting to earn later on. This is to guarantee that there are no financial factors that will hinder or change your plans once you start planning a wedding. Here’s a wedding budget worksheet to help you plan your budget.

Confirm your desired wedding dates or season

The next step is confirming the dates you desire to work around for your wedding. This can be specific, or it can be a certain season. You should consider what type of theme you’re looking to have if you’re planning on the dates. For example, if you want a tropical beach theme, then you need to plan a wedding during the summer season.

Factors to consider when choosing a wedding date:

  • Give yourself the time to plan: Unless you are looking to have a really simple wedding, you’d want to give yourself at least 6 months to plan. The more time you have planning a wedding, the easier and relaxed the process will be. It’ll also give your guests the time to take time off of work or obligations, and commit to your date.
  • Choose a date when everyone’s available: As much as possible, it is best to have your wedding date land on a weekend or a time when you know people will have time off of work. It’ll be easier for everyone if you do this. You can also get the input of your close family and friends, to get a good idea of what dates are best to choose from.
  • Avoid national holidays: As tempting as it is to plan on a national holiday (assuming everyone will be available), this can be a risk. Vendors and venues may be closed for the holidays. Your guests may have prior commitments. It’s just not a good idea.

Identify a theme and do a little research

After knowing what dates you’re planning to have your wedding on and having a good idea of the budget you’re willing to dish out for your wedding, it’s time to do a little research and brainstorming. You’d want to get a good idea of what theme you’re aiming to have at your wedding. This can be a rustic, tropical, vintage, and even a simple garden theme.

Once you have a good idea of the type of theme you want, you can then start looking into research. This includes:

  1. Venues
  2. Catering
  3. Flowers
  4. Music
  5. Cake Bakery
  6. Photographer and Videographer
  7. Church
  8. Decoration

This doesn’t have to be detailed and extensive research. It’s just a way to get an idea of what you can and can’t have at your wedding. Keep your budget and dates in mind when you do your research.

Don’t forget to include the opinion and wants of your partner too. This may be obvious, but not everyone does this. This will guarantee that both of your preferences will be represented at your wedding.

Stage 2 of Planning a Wedding

This is the stage when the real planning for a wedding begins. It’s when you start to pull all of the foundations of your event, from the planner, to the guest list, to the venue, together. This all needs to be done before you can move on to even start considering the food and everything else.

Hire a planner

Hiring a planner is completely optional, but it is also strongly advised. The problem with weddings that do not have planners is that both the bride and groom and their entire entourage end up experiencing the bulk of the stress and exhaustion that comes along with planning a wedding. This results in the entire wedding party feeling significantly tired on the actual wedding day.

You need to hire a planner that you know will be able to accommodate your needs and will prioritize what you want, over what they have experience with.

Factors to consider when hiring a wedding planner:

  • Experience: A lot can go wrong at a wedding, and only an experienced wedding planner will have the knowledge to anticipate and resolve a problem. Make it a point to check that they have had a lot of experience planning for a wedding. It’ll also be a big advantage if they have experience planning a wedding that’s similar to the one you want to have.
  • Accommodating to your preferences: Once you start talking about what you and your partner want on your special day, it’s important to take note if your wedding planner helps give you tips to achieve your preferences, or if they are discouraging of your ideas, and are insisting on their own. You need a planner who will be there to take care of your needs, but also, who will also respect what you want on your wedding day.
  • A personality you can work with: No matter how good your wedding planner is, their personality can make the biggest difference in the outcome of your wedding. You want to be able to plan your wedding with someone that you enjoy working with. It may not seem like a big deal at first, but it will be a significant factor when you experience the stress of planning a wedding with this person.
  • Must be local to your area: It’ll be easier working with a wedding planner who is local to your location. They will have a good idea of what it’s like where you live. They’ll know all of the local vendors and venues. And they will be able to anticipate the weather and any other possible hindrances that may affect your wedding day.

Start the guest list

The next step is starting your guest list. Don’t get this wrong. This isn’t the final guest list for your wedding. It is more of an estimate of how many people you’re aiming to accommodate at the event. You need this to move on to the next steps of planning a wedding.

Here’s a helpful Guestlist table that you can use!

DEFINITELY INVITED MAYBE INVITED IT’S OKAY IF NOT INVITED

 

This table will help you identify and break down your list of friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances, and give you the chance to adjust and categorize who is ‘definitely invited’, ‘maybe invited’, and who’s okay to leave off of the guest list.

Look for a venue

With the number of guests in hand and an idea of the date, it’s time to consider what venue will work around this and your budget. If you have a venue in mind, this is the time to arrange a viewing. Know the capacity of guests at the venue. Check the available dates.

It’s important to have your wedding planner with you so that they can confirm if your desired venue will be able to accommodate the production of a wedding. This includes parking, lighting, tables and chairs, a stage, and a sound system. Your planner will be able to help you out with this process, but it’ll also be good for you to be present to see the venue for yourself.

Reserve the venue

As soon as you are happy with the venue, and your wedding planner has confirmed that it can work for your wedding, then it’s important to reserve this as soon as possible. Venues can often be booked out up to a year or two ahead of time. It’s important to put a deposit down to reserve your date as soon as you possibly can, to guarantee that you have reserved the dates you want. Once you have, you can move on to the next stage of planning a wedding.

Reserving a venue also includes reserving the church or venue for your actual marriage ceremony. Again, take into consideration the number of people, and the accessibility of this place (this includes parking).

Stage 3 of Planning a Wedding

This is the stage of planning a wedding when you can start building the structure for your actual wedding day. This includes your decorations, the food, the cake, your dress, and all the small details that will fill the venue and your wedding day’s festivities.

Plan for the catering

If your lucky enough to have a venue that provides catering, you need to confirm what food is available for your wedding. You also need to plan a taste test. If you want a private catering company to handle your reception, you’ll need to explain what type of food you would want on your wedding day. Planning for a wedding means trying everything for yourself before letting your guests experience the food.

buffet table
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What you need to discuss with the caterers:

  • The number of guests: Let the caterers know the estimated number of guests that you need to cater for. This is to guarantee that your catering will be able to accommodate your entire guest list.
  • The meal options: Not everyone will like the dish you choose for yourself. It’s safe to have an option of meat, fish, and a vegetarian dish, for your guests to choose from. You’d want to be able to provide for everyone’s preferences.
  • Plan a taste test date: Choose the dishes that you’d be happy to have at your wedding, and arrange for a taste test. It’s a good idea to have 2 choices of meat, 2 choices of fish, and 2 choices of vegetarian food. This will allow you to choose what dish tastes better. You should also taste the desserts and/or drinks they are planning to serve.
  • Confirm if they cater for alcohol too: You’d want to be able to provide wine, champagne, and other liquor at your wedding. Confirm if your venue or catering service provides this, or if you will have to hire a separate vendor for the booze at your wedding.

Find a cake maker

Your caterers may be able to recommend a good cake maker for your big day. But it’s always best to find the cake maker that suits you and your preferences. Remember, when you’re planning for a wedding, it’s less about what everyone else wants, but rather, what you and your partner want. And choosing the right cake maker is an important part of planning a wedding.

If you’re not particularly fussy about your wedding cake, then you can choose an affordable bakery to make you a multi-tier cake for your reception. If you are particular about your desserts, then you can request for a taste test to get a good idea of the flavors you can choose from.

Plan for the decorations

You’d want to have great decorations for your wedding day. Once you’re done planning for the catering, you can have a good idea of how to plan for your decorations. This includes everything from flowers, lights, table settings, food displays, and everything else that’ll add to the visual aesthetic of the venue. The decorations are another big part of planning a wedding.

This is a crucial part of planning for a wedding as you will not be able to do this for yourself. Instead, you will be relying entirely on the collaboration of your wedding planner’s team and your catering team. You need to set your instructions and make them clear.

Find the right dress or dressmaker

It’s now time for one of the best moments for every bride to be. Finding yourself the perfect dress or meeting the right dressmaker. You may already have a good idea of what you want for your wedding dress. If you don’t, it’s okay too. This is the time to go out and explore what options you have locally.

If you’re looking for a dress:

  • Go to a dress boutique: It’s better to be able to fit a dress, to see if it looks good on you. And going to a boutique will give you the chance to try different types of dress styles, colors, lengths, and fabrics.
  • Avoid buying a dress on the Internet: Buying a dress online won’t allow you to fit it on yourself. And not everything that’s posted online, reflects the real quality of a product. It’s not a good idea to buy your wedding dress on the Internet.
  • Set a budget for your dress: It’s easy to get carried away with the amount of money you plan to spend on your dress. You need to first set a budget for your dress so that you do not commit to spending on a dress that in the end, you can’t afford. You may find that you run out of money if you’re not planning a wedding with your budget in mind.

If you’re looking for a dressmaker:

  • Ask for their price range: Different dress designers will have different prices. It all depends on what market they are catering to. When you meet possible designers, immediately disclose the amount of money you have for a dress. This will help you avoid wasting each other’s time.
  • Research your choice of designers: You want to go for a designer that has experience working with your body type, who has good feedback from previous brides, and who has good experience.
  • Try to work with a local designer: To get the absolute perfect fit, the altercations and changes to the dress can happen just days before your actual wedding day. Your body will go through changes, and you will need to have a designer who will be close to you/your venue. This will make it easier for you to see them whenever you want to get re-measured.

Find the right Suit or Suitmaker

Take your partner to get his suit made, or to fit suits, the same way you are planning to have your dress done. It’s also important that the suit fits him well. That he is comfortable in it as he will spend almost an entire day wearing this. Finding a suit will not be as time-consuming as the dress, but it is still a good idea to give him enough time to choose the suit that he is happy with.

Plan your entourage’s attire

As you have confirmed you and your partner’s outfits, it’s time to talk about your entourage’s clothes. You need to plan this alongside your entourage. You have to know what they are comfortable wearing. Or if you have outfits in mind, you need to let them be aware of it.

It can be expensive to have your whole entourage’s clothes custom made, so it’s usually a common practice for brides and grooms to either ask their entourage to buy their clothes with a request of a color theme. Or there’s also the choice of buying ready-made dresses and suits, and just have them altered to fit each person perfectly.

Plan the attires for:

  1. Maid of Honor
  2. Best Man
  3. Bridesmaids
  4. Groomsmen
  5. Flower girls
  6. Ring bearer
  7. Bible bearer
  8. Coin bearer
  9. Parents
  10. Primary and Secondary Sponsors

It doesn’t matter what approach you take, but it is a good idea to plan for these outfits all ahead of time.

Create your invitations

With the venue, the menu, the date, and the event coming together, you can now officially create your invitations. This is the time that you confirm all of the guests you plan to have, give them the options for your meals on the day, and share all of the exciting details of your wedding day.

You can build invitations with your wedding planner to guarantee that all of the necessary details are present in your invites.

Hire a photographer and videographer

A common aspect that people tend to leave at the last minute of planning a wedding, is hiring a photographer and videographer. It is really important to have a professional team handling the documentation of your special day.

You don’t have to hire an expensive photography and videography team if you don’t want to dedicate too much of your budget to this aspect of your wedding. You can hire a local photographer, maybe even support someone who is just starting in the industry. What’s important is to have someone who can take the photos and videos you’d want of your wedding day.

Give your photographer and videographer a brief idea of everything you’re planning for your wedding, to give them a good idea of what they should prepare to cover. This includes your venue, the color theme, the season, and the number of guests you are expecting.

Hire a host for your wedding reception

Having a host for a wedding may not be something you’re considering to have. But it is really important. You need someone who can organize your wedding and all of the activities of the reception and to overall control your guests, the timing of the event, and everything that’s happening. It’s a good idea to have a host who knows you well.

Hire a DJ or a band for music

Having the right type of music at your wedding will set the ambiance you want. You need to consider what type of songs you’d like to have at your wedding. It’ll be great if these are songs that both you and your partner enjoy.

This is around the time that you should be hiring a DJ or a band. When planning for a wedding, you wouldn’t want to leave this too late as entertainers are booked ahead of time. And you wouldn’t want to find yourself without the band or DJ that you want, hosting the music for your special day.

Plan for your transportation

You need to book a wedding car as soon as possible. This is the car that will take you to the church, to the reception, and then back home after the wedding. You need to hire a driver and a car as you may not have the time to get anyone to drive you to the church. You also wouldn’t want to drive yourself there wearing your wedding dress.

If possible, you should also try your best to arrange the transportation of your entourage so that you can guarantee that they are all on time before you walk down the aisle. It’ll also be nice to have them by your side throughout the event.

Book hotel rooms (if necessary) for you and your entourage

If you’re not using your own home, you should also be booking a hotel room or accommodation for you, your groom, and your entourage, for the wedding day. You will all be working with the same designers and makeup and hair artists, and it’s always a good idea to have everyone under one roof.

Stage 4 of Planning a Wedding

You are just a few weeks away from your wedding, and these are the final details that you need to confirm and arrange for before the big day.

Register for gifts

If you haven’t already, it’s time to register for gifts, so that your guests have the time to choose what gifts they can give you on your big day. When you register for gifts, you can make it easier on everyone and do this through an online store. Lucky for you, many of the big department stores offer their wedding gift registration services online.

Create a Timeline for the Wedding Day

With everything booked and in place, you must not forget this important factor when planning for a wedding. You and your wedding planner need to confirm the timeline of the entire event. You need to do this to be able to give this information to everyone involved.

The catering, the production team, the church, the venue, the host, the entertainers, the decorators, they all need to know the gist of the timing of everything at your wedding. This will help keep things organized and stress-free.

Plan for your rehearsal dinner

Your rehearsal dinner is really important as you need to give your entourage the chance to understand what will happen during the event. With a lot of people involved, organization and synchronization are important.

They need to know what they should be doing at that time. Your wedding planner will not have the time to guide and direct people’s directions. And a rehearsal dinner will be what everyone needs to get all the timing and obligations correct.

Finalize seating plan

You need to finalize seating plans to give to the wedding planner who will organize all of this on the wedding day. Of course, this is optional. But it will be a lot more organized if people have seats allotted to them.

Confirm all of your bookings

This is more of a job for your wedding planner. You need to confirm everything at least 3 days before your actual wedding day. Make sure every vendor and service are reminded of your day and their obligations. Once you have confirmed all of this, you will be happy to move on to preparing yourself for the big day.

Conclusion

This should be everything you need to do when it comes to planning a wedding. You do not necessarily have to follow this guide word-by-word, but it’s a good reference to have when you ever feel overwhelmed or if you think you might just be missing something. Click here for our wedding band designs to get your wedding ring shopping done and out of the way before starting your wedding planning.

 

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