Getting engaged is the fun part, but planning a wedding is where you truly realize what you've gotten yourself into. It's important not to get overwhelmed and to make this part of your new life together is just as exciting and enjoyable.
For starters, don't feel pressured to host a huge event. If that's the kind of wedding you dreamed of, then it's fine. But you can have a small wedding party with just a handful of your closest friends and family members, and it'll be just as enjoyable.
Whether you're working on your own or with a wedding planner, we've covered the top tips for planning the perfect wedding:
Organizing Your Wedding Planning
Read on as we look at all the different aspects of your wedding planning to ensure that everything goes smoothly leading up to and during your big day.
- Be Organized
Before we even look into any of the actual steps of your wedding, the most important thing to remember is that you need to have some method to the madness. Even if you're hosting a small event, you will need to consider a number of factors, like the location, the décor, the catering, entertainment, theme, and so on. From the get-go, have a wedding checklist and a planner in hand. If you're working with a wedding planner, then they'll deal with this for you.
- Stick to Your Budget
Weddings don't just magically happen. You and your fiancé are the ones bringing it to life. And it all starts with something very boring but highly necessary – setting up your budget. Decide on how much both of you can contribute to the event, and if any family members want to be financially involved, ask them how much they're comfortable in spending. Ideally, your budget should be such that you can plan the perfect wedding without compromising on your regular living expenses (you don't want a lavish wedding only to live off ramen for the next couple of months).
Within your budget, add a minimum of 10% more; trust us, nothing will be within the exact price range that you plan. But once you reach your plan, it's time to stop. You don't need 100 live turtle doves, and if you do, keep them in your budget during the initial planning phase.
- Prioritize Your Wedding List
Weddings come with a range of fun fixings such as tasting cakes, wedding food and more. But there are some aspects that make a wedding. These include having a venue, a dress, and a date. You might even have other items in mind, like an incredible wedding photographer and florist. Break up your wedding checklist from most to least important and spend accordingly.
- Design Your Wedding
If you're unsure of the kind of theme and look you want for your wedding, check out some wedding themes, dress ideas and cake designs on 360sitevisit blog articles for inspirations. You will sure to find your taste that suits you. Create a vision board, and get your bridal team's input.
- Weddings are Between Two People
Weddings are the union of two people, so don't shoulder the wedding plan load on your own. Make sure your spouse-to-be is front and center throughout the wedding planning process and divide tasks among yourselves. If one of you is dealing with the food vendor, the other can take care of car rentals and photographers.
- Stay on Top of Your Plans
Remember that checklist you made in the beginning? Well, it's probably a good idea to turn it into an excel sheet where you can now insert the expenses, expected dates of completion, dates on which you need to visit or call your vendors to ensure that everything is on track.
- Make Sure the Venue is Booked on Time
Before getting into smaller details like hors d'oeuvres and photo booths, select and book your venue. Virtually tour wedding venues through 360SiteVisit, find the one you like, see if it's available on your preferred date/s and seal the deal. Once the venue is booked, everything else will fall into place.
- Decide How Many People You Want
This is where the key decision comes in. Do you want a hundred of your closest friends and family members reveling in some good food, wedding cake, and more festivities, or do you want a grand event inviting everyone, including people from your corporate network, social network, and more? This will also eventually help you decide whether you're going to have a buffet-style wedding or a sit-down meal.
- Get Some Input From People Who Recently Got Married
Look around your circle for people who got married not too long ago. Invite them over for a cup of coffee and a slice of tester wedding cake and find out what they learned along the way. They'll probably have some fun stories to share too, such as a band that didn't arrive on time, or a florist who got white roses instead of red.
- Book Vendors You're 100% Happy With
Don't select the first vendor you meet or deal with. Look around, read reviews, and select the vendors who you feel are passionate about making sure that your wedding turns out perfectly. It's important for you to be compatible with your vendors so that they can help you fulfill your vision and maybe even throw in some fun bonus options like a free bridal bouquet.
- Choose the Right Wedding Party
Your wedding party shouldn't just be the people closest to you, but also the ones who are willing to help you plan the event, go on dress fittings, deal with vendors, and more.
- Create a Social Media Event Page
If you're planning a big event, a good way to get people hyped for your wedding and to get a rough estimate of the number of people planning on showing up is to create an event page on Facebook. Here, you can even post about any extra events you're hosting like a wedding, a brunch, bridal shower, and more. If your wedding has a theme, you can share that here, along with ideas of what to wear for guests who are a little skeptical.
- Share Your Wedding Registry
You can share this on your event page as well. And if you're not one for china gravy boats and floral vases, create a more exciting registry such as funds for your honeymoon, etc. You can even choose to donate to your favorite charity.
- Make Your Wedding Unique & Personal
Add your own personality and flair to your special event. Maybe you can have fun props at your wedding photo booth, or get your wedding party to develop a fun wedding video (this can also cut into the time of boring wedding toasts). Tiny party favors such as Polaroids of wedding photos would make a great memento for your guests.
- Don't Forget to Remind Yourselves What All this Effort is For
All this wedding planning, dealing with vendors, and more leads up to the special day when you and your fiancé start a new life together. At the end of the day, everything you've been planning is leading up to this, so try not to argue or fight during this stage. If you're getting a little hotheaded, take some time off wedding planning and go out for a nice romantic dinner with your spouse-to-be. Maybe even catch a movie with extra-large popcorn after.
Your Big Decision Made Easy: Selecting a Wedding Venue Online
We know that selecting your wedding venue is perhaps the biggest decision you're going to make for your event. Instead of running all across the city looking for ideal wedding spots, sit in the comfort of your own home or your favorite café and head on to 360SiteVisit. We take you on virtual tours of your favorite wedding venues in New Jersey, including both outdoor receptions and indoor ballrooms.
Once you find a venue you like, we'll help you with the rest of your planning as well. We'll connect you to vendors such as caterers, florists, wedding transport, photographers, and more.
With 360SiteVisit, plan a perfect and complete wedding. Start your new life together in bliss.
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