Wedding Planning Tips to help you kick start!

Dear Brides-to-be! Happy Engagement and we’ve mentioned in previous blogs that you should spend some time to celebrate and enjoy the engagement, spare time for just the two of you to savor this moment! And after all these are over, it might be time to start thinking about the BIG DAY - the actual wedding.

Does the thought of it make you feel overwhelmed? Should I buy or rent a dress? Wow, I need to get power supply for lighting at an outdoor reception?! How much VAT do I need to pay if it is a destination wedding? I need to pay extra to bring in my own gown at some destination venues?! The list goes on and on… But don’t be too stressed, we are here to offer some tips and guidelines to help you initiate the planning smoothly :)

Courtesy of Mattie C Photography

1. Get your partner to lay out the fundamentals together!

List out expectations of both parties. Discuss and identify priorities, and what you both want out of the wedding, what sort of day you guys envision. If necessary, try to understand whether parents have any special requests. Better lay things out clearly and set things straight at the beginning to avoid any unnecessary conflicts along the planning process. For instance, leave ample time for tea pouring ceremony if this is deemed important by parents; or save budget for live band if music is one of the items which you care the most; or cut out items which are of low priorities.

2. Discuss about budget

Deciding on a budget at the beginning allows you to plan your wedding in a more efficient manner. If you are not familiar with how to set a realistic budget, you can speak to planners, or your peers to get an idea. However, remember that a lot of vendors will have a 5-10% increment on their rates every year, be sure to factor this in if you ask friends who got married a year or two ago.

Courtesy of Oliver Fly Photography

3. Come up with on a rough guest list

This is connected to the previous point, that the number of guests contributes to the overall budget - catering for guests, transportation for guests, accommodation for guests (people visiting from abroad or when holding destination weddings). This also helps you shortlist venue choices, on whether the venue has capacity to host all your guests.

4a. Decide on the Wedding Venue

Now that you have an idea on how many people you would like to invite to your Big Day, you can start brainstorming about wedding venues. It could be local or destination. It could be indoor or outdoor. You might prefer to host everyone locally, or you can consider celebrating with a group of the guests near home, and another group at an overseas venue. Refer back to the priorities above, and also the budget above to help you with the selection process. If your families are rather traditional, do check with them on auspicious dates before reaching out to the venues.

4b. How to Style your Wedding

I wouldn’t call this a point 5 since it is also related to the venue you pick in the end. Recall what you and your partner have discussed on preferences and priorities, what kind of day you both envision. If it is a cozy garden wedding, then look for venues with outdoor lawns or design a wedding with garden elements, which could be the main theme of your wedding. Ask yourself how you want to feel and how you want your guests to feel that day. The style can be something creative and does not necessarily have to be something you have seen on blogs or Pinterest. It could be unique to you and your partner! You can refer to the blog post on April 20 - The Art of Wedding Styling to learn more about wedding styling.

As a wedding stylist, we can offer you advice and assist you with developing a style that reflects your story and your personalities.

We hope this article lays a good start for your wedding planning and do reach out and speak to us should you need further help!

Courtesy of Le Secret d’Audrey