1. Book everything well in advance
Key advice for most couples planning a wedding! Unless you fall in that category of planning a wedding in under a month, then just keep on being spontaneous and awesome. If you are getting married somewhere that isn’t your home town, booking in advance is so important. No doubt you will spend a lot of time and effort researching venues, caterers, celebrants, florists and every vendor in between that fits in with your style and what you want to create for the day, there is no feeling quite like the disappointment of finding out your dream make up artist is already booked for your date. Photographers can begin getting bookings a year and half or more out from an event, popular venues can be the same. If you have your heart set on a venue or a specific vendor it is better to lock them in as soon as you have a date or work with them to find out an available date that they have.
2. Choose AMAZING vendors
This will make your life a whole lot easier! Take the time to choose those who you trust will go above and beyond to make your day perfect instead of it just being another event. Having these people on your side will make everything run more smoothly not only on the day but in the lead up as well. Most venues have a co-ordinator which will help you with questions you have about the venue, they will be your go-to person when you need to get lawn measurements for the marquee, or to work out the best ceremony spot. If you aren’t getting married in a hired venue, other vendors can step in and pull out the superhero moves for you. We are getting married at a family property, one that no one lives in year-round, so when our stretch tent man Jonathan needed measurements, we were pretty useless being 10 hours drive away. Jonathan knows we live in Marlborough so being the superstar that he is, offered to pop over from Queenstown and measure it up for us. You need these wonderful people on your team so you don’t spend half your time pulling your hair out. If you are having an overseas wedding where you are not going to be able to visit before the wedding, choosing amazing vendors is even more of a priority! Look at a lot of reviews, talk to others that have been married there and most importantly go with your gut feeling, it’s generally pretty onto it in my experience.
3. Plan your visits
It takes time and extra money to travel to your wedding location and you will on many occasions. Save yourself both by planning these trips out really well, make lists of who you need to visit and when, group them together and get a few ticked off in one go. Your first visit will be to look at venues to decide where you will get married. You can also meet with a few photographers, caterers and even celebrants and wedding bands during this early stage. Any hire equipment, styling and decorations can be put together so you can compare each to each other. Hair and make-up trials can be on another visit, send them pictures of your dress, any styles you like so they can have some ideas prior to your arrival. Make sure you leave confident in their work and that it is exactly how you would like to be styled for your day. Be organised but try not to book too much of your time while visiting, you want to enjoy the process and not be stressed about making 5 different appointments in one day or be overloaded with choices.
4. Give your guests plenty of warning
Depending on where you plan to marry, giving guests enough time to also plan their trip is imperative. They will need to apply for time off from work, arrange babysitters if you’re having a child-free wedding, as well as save for travel and accommodation. Smaller towns will have less accommodation options so the more notice you give your guests the easier it will be for them to book into a place they like that is also close by. Blocking out a range of accommodation for your wedding is also an option, this way there are rooms available and they can book in there if they need to.
Avoid disappointment by preventing anything that may possibly stand in the way of them attending. Unless of course you don’t want them there, then invite them as late as possible and hope they have organised something else for that date! *I don’t advise this, if you don’t want them there, ask yourself why they are actually invited?
5. Arrive at least four days before your wedding
The weeks leading up can be a crazy time, you will be constantly running over last minute details and trying to think of anything you may have forgotten. Arriving two days before the big day will mean you will be rushed to co-ordinate the set up of the venue and it doesn’t allow for any spare time in case something goes wrong and trust me, something always will! Give yourself at least four days in the region to allow for any changes of mind to the table setting or delays in the delivery of your chairs. This gives you ample time to go shopping for new candles or a different table runner, remember to delegate any tasks that don’t need your approval. If you haven’t had a hair or make up trial in the lead up to the wedding this is the week you will want to get that done, being on the same page as these talented individuals will make the morning of the wedding run so much smoother.
Remember, it is the week of your wedding! You will want to relax and enjoy this time with your loved ones, not be rushing around.
6. Enlist the help of a wedding planner / co-ordinator
A lot of the stresses of the wedding day and the months leading up to it can be taken care of by a wedding planner or co-ordinator. A planner will be the one talking to and organising the vendors, ensuring they have all the correct details and they know what they need to do. A planner can help plan any of your visits, let you know of any decisions that need to be made and a timeline of when to make them by. A co-ordinator can assist in the week leading up to the wedding, put out any fires that may crop up, organise the entire venue set up as well as co-ordinate absolutely everything on the day. I highly recommend having a co-ordinator to relieve you, friends and family of any duties that may get in the way of actually celebrating and enjoying the day!
Don’t forget that at the end of the day, the saying ‘I do’ part is the most important, everything else is a bonus! Enjoy the journey and if you need time out, take a few days or even weeks off from planning and start again when you are refreshed.
All the best,
Ash xx