We’re going to take a stab in the dark and guess that you’ve never planned a wedding before? That’s ok! We’re here to help. Just promise us you won’t feel bad if it gets overwhelming – there is a lot to do! And it’s new to you, it’s only natural that you’ll be learning while doing. We want to make the process of planning weddings as stress-free as possible, which is why we’ve spent countless hours developing resources for people like you! So, here are our 7 steps to planning the perfect wedding day.
1) Write a wishlist
First things first, planning a wedding should be fun! This is the day you’ve been waiting for. Before you get buckled down in budgets and timelines, dream a little. Write down your wishlist – search Pinterest, ask friends for their favourite parts of their weddings, scroll through wedding TikTok! Use this time to envision what kind of wedding you’d like – think vibe, colours, music, activities. Ensure to get your partner involved too – you might like to write a wishlist separately and combine later. Whatever works for you! The point is, let your imagination fly and have fun with it.
2) Finalise a budget
Back to reality… Jokes! A budget is not there to remind you of the things you cannot have on your wedding day, but rather to enable you to build a dream day. It’s important to have a budget otherwise the costs can keep piling on and before long you’ve exhausted your credit card, which will need to be paid off well after the wedding. No! This is not chic!
Sit down with your partner, develop a realistic wishlist and draft a budget that reflects your wedding day goals. There are a lot of things that go to a wedding budget, so be thorough from the beginning, that way there’ll be no surprises along the way. (Need help or a template? Shoot us an email!).
3) Choose your vendors
You’ve locked in your budget and have an idea of what you’re wedding day is going to look like. Now it’s time to look in the rockstar group of people who are going to bring it to life. Two tips with dealing with vendors: 1) meet them in person or at least chat over the phone, you want to gel and feel at home with these people! 2) trust them! You’re paying these vendors good money to do a great job – the last thing you want is to pay them only to want to take on the tasks yourself. We see this a lot but put simply, you just cannot manage it all. Let go, trust your peeps and sit back to enjoy the moment.
4) Pop everything into a run sheet
Yes, you need a run sheet. A wedding day is a coordinated event that involves moving and feeding lots of people. It’s important you and your vendors are organised. A run sheet eliminates the guesswork out of timings, order of events and other things that come up on the day – like who to call if you can’t reach the Bride but need an answer STAT! (We’re the queens of run sheets, if you need a template shoot us an email!).
5) Prepare for speed bumps
We’ve been to nearly 200 weddings, and we’re yet to attend one that hasn’t had a case of speed bumps. Now, we’re not telling you this to freak you out, but rather the opposite. At each event, there is always going to be something that comes up that needs a solution. For instance, your DJ is running late, your MC got gastro, you’re one seat short at your in-laws table. It happens, and it’s all fixable. the best way to prepare for these speed bumps is to ensure you have delegated a person to smooth them out for you. And we’re not talking about Aunty Jill. We’re talking about a wedding day coordinator. They’ll find the cake knife, keep things on time, and remember your friend Beth is allergic to peanuts.
6) Be present
You truly only get this day once, so ensuring your present for every moment is all we wish for each of our clients. The day will go so quickly you’ll be eating leftover cake in your hotel room with your new spouse before you know it. Outsourcing what you can, trusting your vendors and rolling with the motions will set you up for an unforgettable day.
Need a hand? Need a hug? We’re here for you! Shoot us an email or call us on 1800 4 BESTIE.
K x
