Firstly, a massive congratulations to anyone who has stepped into the next chapter of their lives; whether you have graduated, said YES, walked down the aisle, or have a new addition to the family....CONGRATULATIONS! May it be beautiful for you and may you embrace each challenge with drive and determination.
I've returned to the blog to share some of my experiences with wedding preparation. I'm no way a proffesional wedding planner but I have planned my own from start to finish with my groom ;)
Now, I know I won't be able to give you all the tips and tricks but I think thats part of the beauty of preparing a wedding...all the suprises and achievements that come with it.
So here it goes...a bit of advice ;) I won't be able to cover everything but if you have any further questions or additional comments, feel free to share.
- Have realistic expectations. Putting uneccesary pressure on yourselves to have the most perfect wedding will only result in disappointment and feeling let down. Things happen, its how you deal with them that matter most. I looked out on the morning of our wedding and saw a blue and yellow bouncy castle being inflated on the grounds we had hired by another party. How did I deal with that one ay?
- Do decide on a theme and early enough to direct the rest of the preparation. Choose/Create one and stick to it (colours, style, size etc). Wedding fairs, wedding blogs, wedding magazines are all useful, be inspired and make a mood board. This will help anyone who gets involved to have a visual idea of how you see your day.
- Having a team is crucial to the process. You do not want to burn out at any point. If you plan to delegate, once your ideas are together, it will take off a huge load as it gets nearer to the day and you will have time to actually relax before the wedding.
- Detail is everything. From quantities of drinks to the minute by minute schedule of the day. Everything needs to be as clear as crystal and your ushers, wedding coordinator, parents will all need to understand the vision because you won't be contactable on the day. There were a few details of our wedding that we expected to see but never happened due to the fact that only myself and Jason knew about it! We live and we learn lol :)
- Look around. The wedding industry is a competitive one and there are a lot of vendors in the game. Check the small print regarding VAT, returns etc. and when you have found the right service for you, negotiate as much as possible. You wouldn't believe how much people will go down to for a wedding sale. Don't take the first price they give you as their last.
- Family and friends are important in the process, however, it is YOUR wedding. At the end of the day if everyone else is happy and you and your spouse are not, you will have regrets. Think carefully about the decisions you make or allow to be made, after all, this will set the standard for the rest of your lives together. Who decides what you want?
- On that note, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please everyone. You will find that without even doing anything, you manage to upset or offend people. If you have carefully made decisions, don't question yourself or your decisions based on their feelings. You are a couple with a budget and have to be realistic and hopefully people will be understanding and accept that. Even if they don't, they'll live. :)
- ENJOY! Wedding planning is soooo much fun! And I truly thank God that Jason was into it as much as I was! It made the whole process so much more exciting and really made us look forward to seeing the final product.There are times I wish I could do it all over again but our day was amazing and nothing beats the feeling and buzz we felt getting married in front of our loved ones and beginning our journey together as husband and wife. :)
x
