Planning the Perfect Wedding

A Wedding Planning Checklist: Tips for the Perfect Wedding

The day of your wedding is so important that you should not leave anything to chance. So, consider these tips for staging a great ceremony and reception:

• • Stick to your budget. Weddings can be expensive affairs, especially if you are planning to host a luxury wedding at a costly venue. The best way to ensure that costs remain low is to plan ahead. It may be impossible to anticipate every possible expense that will be incurred along the way, but you can certainly figure out a price range for each part of your wedding. You may want to sit down at the beginning of the planning process with a wedding planner who can advise you on what to expect and what you can potentially afford. Keep in mind that you will have to pay for a venue at a minimum, and then there are likely to be additional expenses for food and drink, flowers and décor, a wedding photographer, and wedding favors.
  • Create a guest list. It is important that the guest list for your wedding includes all the people who you want to be there to see you get married. Do you want a small wedding or a large wedding? Do you want all your friends, coworkers, and acquaintances to be in attendance, or do you just want your closest friends and immediate family members to be there? Figuring out a guest list early in the planning process can help you budget and determine where else you might be able to allocate resources as you plan the rest of the wedding.
  • Choose a venue. The most important part of the wedding planning process could be the selection of a wedding venue. You will need to pick a venue that is big enough to accommodate your guest list and flexible enough to incorporate your desired theme, style, and décor. 
  • Pick a wedding theme. The style and theme of your wedding will help to set the mood for the entire event. Do you want a luxury wedding, a rustic wedding, a kid-friendly wedding, a destination wedding, or some other type of wedding? What color scheme do you want at the venue? Check out Pinterest, Facebook, and a variety of bridal magazines to get ideas and visuals for everything you might want at your wedding, including décor, lighting, flowers, and cuisine.
  • Hire vendors. Depending on the venue you select for your wedding, you may need to bring in outside vendors for things like food, alcohol, florists, photography, and videography, DJs, photobooths, and transportation.
  • Send wedding invitations. Make sure that your guests know exactly when they will need to clear time in their schedules. You can do things the old-fashioned way by sending out wedding invites and save-the-date cards that include an RSVP date, or you can use the internet to create your own personal wedding website where guests can log on and indicate their availability.
  • Remember to enjoy yourself! It’s important to have fun during the wedding planning process. After all, this is your big chance to do everything you ever wanted to do on your wedding day. So, enjoy the ride! Make sure that you don’t lose sight of the fact that you are about to marry your true love. You deserve to be excited and happy, even if all the steps involved in the planning process may seem a bit exhausting. If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed, take a step back, look at your engagement ring, and remind yourself that all of this is to celebrate your love for one another.