Planning Your Wedding

Planning your wedding should start soon after you have announced your engagement.

The first steps are to think of what kind of day you want.

Most couples already have a notion of what it should or should not include.

Try and visualize the day that you want, it can help you with planning your wedding. Close your eyes and imagine your special day:

• What are you wearing?


• Where are you?


• How will you arrive at the ceremony? eg.Will it be by vintage car, horse and carriage or other means of arrival?


• What will the ceremony be like?


• What is your bridal party wearing?


• How will the flowers look?


• What is the reception like?


• What type of music is being played?


• Who will be at the wedding?


• What type of food will be served?


• What time of the day is it to be held?


• What time of the year is it to take place?


• What kind of celebration is it?

Both of you should discuss your ideas and agree to the type, style and size of the wedding. When planning your wedding ask yourself these questions:

• How many guests would you like to invite?


• How much do you want to spend on the wedding?


• Will you be paying for it yourselves. Or will you be helped out by one or both families?


• Set a tentative wedding date.

When planning your wedding, make a tentative guest list. It will help when you contact the various venues, to get a rough estimate on costs. By doing this you will know how much you will be spending on the reception, and will give you the opportunity to either increase the budget for the reception or cut down on guest numbers. It will also help you eliminate the venues that do not meet your needs.

When inquiring for suitable venues to hold the ceremony and the reception ask the following questions:

• How many guests can the establishment accommodate?


• Will there be other weddings in progress at the same time as yours?


• Do you have a liquor license?


• Are there parking facilities, wheelchair access, or any other guest conveniences that may be required?


• Ask what type of packages they have, and what is the price range?


• Ask what do the packages include?


• Will the prices be cheaper on certain periods? eg Getting married on a Sunday may be cheaper than Saturday, and in Winter might be cheaper than in Summer.

With all this information in hand you will have a realistic picture of your special day from the beginning.

This way you should be more in control of wedding plans, and are likely to have a day of your dreams, and not one that is getting out of control financially.

Traditionally the bride’s parents would pay for the wedding, but this is not the case today. Most couples will often pay for all or part of it themselves.