9 Simple Rules for Planning a Wedding

Congratulations! You’re getting married! Planning a wedding can, however, be stressful. Below are a few easy pointers to follow when planning the biggest day of your life.

1. Stick to your vision

• Brainstorm with your partner and decide what kind of wedding you want to have. Do you both want a big or small wedding? What kind of venue do you want?
• Once you come up with a vision, write it down, and stick to it. Every time you find yourselves drifting, refer to your ‘blueprint.’

2. Make a realistic budget

• Many couples make the mistake of coming up with a wedding budget that is way beyond their means. The result? They start their marriage in debt. To avoid this, budget for a wedding that you will still be able to pay for even if your friends and family don’t help.

3. Get advice from your married friends

• The best people to advise you on planning a wedding are those who have been through the process. Seek out your married friends and ask them for tips on how to organize a great function. Also, be sure to ask them what mistakes they made, so that you don’t repeat them.

4. Do your research

• Are you wondering where to start as you plan your wedding? There is loads of useful information on the internet and in wedding magazines. Get reviews from your married friends on service providers, wedding venues, and cost-cutting measures.

5. Schedule everything

• Planning a wedding must be done with precision so that nothing goes wrong. Vendor meetings, family meetings, and deadlines must be scheduled in and adhered to. Make sure that everything is in place at least one month before the wedding day.

6. Negotiate

• Getting married doesn’t mean paying the highest prices on the market. A good service provider will give you room to negotiate on the price quoted for the service. Take advantage of this chance to bring the price down, or to have some extras thrown into the service.

7. Delegate

• Don’t try to do everything yourselves unless you want to be totally exhausted on the wedding day. Get close family and friends to help with sourcing providers, doing wedding errands and running things on the wedding day. You can be sure they will do a great job.

8. Use a wedding planner.

• For some couples, the stress of planning a wedding is too much to handle. Get a certified wedding planner to handle all the nitty-gritty’s of the ceremony and reception, at an extra but well-deserved cost.

9. Sort out the legal requirements in advance.

• Find out what is needed for the marriage license, and if you have to give the state notice of your intended nuptials. Also, get to know if there are any fees paid for the license, and to the person conducting the ceremony. Note that in some countries, the state charges an extra fee for weddings held outside religious premises.

Planning a wedding will be a walk in the park if you follow the nine rules listed above. Start planning early and everything will be perfect. Good luck!