You and your significant other are engaged. Great! Now what? A wedding can be one of the biggest events you’ll ever have to prepare for in your life, so we’re here to provide you with some tips and tricks to make sure your big day goes as smoothly as possible.
1. Stick to a budget
Eager to start booking venues and vendors? You’ll want to sit down together and assess how much you can realistically and safely spend so you won’t be left trying to save every penny in your first few months as newlyweds.
You’ll first need to put your heads together about how much you each have in savings that you’d be able to spare for wedding expenses and how much take-home income you receive each month.
Tactfully find out if any parents are willing to contribute towards the costs. According to the Hitched National Wedding Survey, 61% of wedding costs in 2021 were covered by couples’ parents.
Creating a rough guest list will give you an idea of how much money you need to save. This will determine how large the venue will need to be, which typically makes up the largest chunk of the expenses.
After all the expenses, if due to any late emergencies, you are forced to go over your budget, then you can consider going for quick loans, instalment loans or an alternative to emergency loans. Make sure to check the interest rate and monthly repayments before agreeing to the loan.
2. Create a self-care routine
On your big day, you’ll want to feel your best. Creating a self-care routine well in advance of the day helps you get into your best state of mind.
Planning a wedding can be stressful. Consciously taking the time to look after yourself helps combat this.
One of the most crucial elements of this is sleep. Sleep is key to having a healthy mind as well as glowing skin. While it’s great to invest money in products that assist with your wellbeing, this can be undermined by poor sleep patterns.
Familiarising yourself with ways to improve your sleep and integrating them into your lifestyle in the months before your wedding day is foundational to great self-care.
3. Plan ahead
To safeguard your sanity, make sure you give yourselves the right amount of time to plan and pace the preparations in a manageable way.
Much of this depends on how big you plan to make your big day, of course. As a rough guideline, 12-18 months is usually a good length of time to set aside for planning, especially if you intend to have a full wedding reception, evening party and honeymoon.
4. Communicate clearly
Planning a wedding involves so many different stakeholders. Keep the communication flowing between your partner, family members, and anyone else who has an important role in making the day go off without a hitch.
Your guests will want to be in the loop too. Creating a wedding website is a brilliant way to keep all the logistical details they’ll need to know in one easily accessible place.
Don’t let anything come in the way of you enjoying your wedding day. Structured planning, budgeting, self-care and communication are all key. If done well, you will minimise the stress of the planning period and stay excited about your special day.
