Wedding Planning: A Step By Step Guide For Your Big Day
Make Good Choices & Get Ahead
Planning a wedding can be a daunting task but rest assured help is never that far away.
In the beginning you will be gripped by the excitement of the actual proposal but before too long, thoughts will turn to the actual practically of organising a wedding.
This step by step guide will assist you in making the process as easy as possible, so that on the big day itself you are ready to cherish and enjoy every moment.
Wedding Shows like the ones organised by The UK Wedding Event can play a major part in that task as you will discover by reading on.
Essential Tips For A Perfect Wedding
Set a Budget (and Keep to It!)
It is easy to get carried away as you prepare to embark on your forever journey, but is it worth overspending and putting unnecessary pressure on your relationship for the sake of one day?
All parties need to be sensible about how much you can afford and where the money for the wedding is going to come from.
If parents are going to chip in, discover early on how much they are prepare to give and where those funds will be allocated.
Define Your Priorities
Communication is essential in any relationship but being honest with each other is particularly important at the outset when planning a wedding.
You may have very different ideas on what you see as the perfect wedding and being prepared to compromise should not be overlooked.
Serious questions like whether you want a big wedding or if a more intimate affair would be preferable should be debated.
Alternatively, does one of you or both want to marry in the UK or have you designs on tying the knot Abroad.
Once these fundamentals have been agreed you can then processed with your planning.
Identify Wedding Shows to Visit
The primary purpose of a wedding fayre is introduce engaged couples to a large array of wedding suppliers who can help with your needs.
They also serve as a window of opportunity to enable visitors to see what is on offer at any given venue staging the event and to find out the cost to hire.
Most of these shows are free to attend with welcome drinks and food served upon arrival.
The more intimate wedding fayres at hotels usually feature between 20-30 suppliers with over 100 exhibitors typically in attendance at the bigger shows will also include catwalks and live music.
A visit to one of these events is strongly recommended as brides and grooms often pick up ideas they hadn’t even thought about before attending.
Discover Your Dream Venue & Save The Date
One of the key decisions you need to agree on is the location for your wedding.
The UK Wedding Event works with several top venues throughout Yorkshire offering different types of events catering for all tastes.
Do you want to get married in a Castle?
If you do then a trip to our next wedding fayre at Allerton Castle near Knaresborough may be on your to-do-list.
Looking for a Church wedding? Venues don’t come more spectacular than Ripon Cathedral which is the setting for one of our big wedding shows every year.
If it is a hotel you are fancy again we have plenty of amazing locations to choose from.
A couple considering a more intimate wedding may look to opt for Hilton York or Hotel du Vin Harrogate.
If money is no object you may want to go for a five star setting from our Elite Collection of venues including The Grand York, The Principal York or Oulton Hall in Leeds.
Alternatively should capacity be your biggest concern then York Racecourse, New Dock Hall in Leeds or the large exhibition space at Cedar Court Bradford may be the answer you are looking for.
For anything else such as a Tipi or a Marquee these type of providers can usually be found exhibiting at our big shows too or listed within the directory section of our website.
All of these unique options are out there to accommodate your needs but knowing where to find them and at the right price to match your budget is easier said than done.
Our large scale events will always consist of stand holders representing many of the different types of venues.
At the smaller wedding fayres, just the wedding co-ordinator and their team will be accessible from the host venue.
Once you have agreed upon the setting and a workable date, you are then in a position to move forward on this exciting adventure.
Find Your Suppliers for Your Perfect Day
Hundreds of different wedding suppliers exhibit with The UK Wedding Event every year.
Our shows are great way to meet a variety of wedding businesses who can help shape your dream day.
These face-to-face meetings and the ability to form relationships with the suppliers should never be underestimated.
We are all so used to online shopping in our every day lives these days, but when it comes to your own wedding, the personal touch is so important.
You are going to want to work alongside people who you can trust and like.
For example there are many talented photographers in the industry who can take a great picture.
However, the chances are you will end up talking to these guys and girls more than anyone else on your wedding day so it’s crucial that you can all get along.
The exhibitors who we invite to our events are passionate about what they do and that level of love can be felt from the moment you speak to them.
Tickets to any of these shows can be pre-booked now by clicking HERE.
Be Organised
- Decide on a Theme
- Create Wedding Checklists
Organisation is key skillset to have when it comes to planning a wedding.
A good idea is create a Wedding Checklist which you can pin to the fridge to tick off as you go along.
It may even be beneficial to create two checklists splitting up certain tasks between you to take the pressure off.
The smarter you work, the easier you will find your personal planning journey.
Don’t try and do too much too soon but equally don’t leave everything to last moment either and then expect to get everything you want.
If you don’t work in a structured manner some of your initial decisions may influence what happens next.
Decide upon the colour scheme or a theme for your wedding early on so you don’t waste time or money on buying/booking items that don’t fit in with your grand design.
Draw Up A Wedding Guest List
Now this question could be the source of your biggest headaches.
A lot will depend on the size of the wedding venue/reception as dictated by your budget and venue(s) you have selected for your celebration.
Who will just come to the evening do? Who won’t get upset if they aren’t invited. The whole topic can be a real can of worms and family division.
In more recent times, couples are being more practical with the question of who gets an invite and who doesn’t.
Weddings are expensive at the best of times but particularly in the current climate, no one wants to run up a debt they are going to struggle to service simply for the sake of it.
You will both have people you want to share the day with, but after that be more savvy and lose the guests you can’t agree upon.
Other factors to consider
- Plan A Hen & Stag Do
- Buy Wedding Dresses & Groomswear
- Source Wedding Rings
- Checks the Legal
- Buy Wedding Insurance
- Decide On Your Wedding Party
- Arrange Wedding Transport and Accommodation
- Send Wedding Invites
- Create a Wedding Gift List
- Create Seating Plans
- Set a Schedule for the Big Day
- Allocate Speeches & Readings
- Book Your Honeymoon
- Write Your Vows
- Arrange Final Fittings
- The Finishing Touches
In our next blog we will flesh out this additional points so do keep checking back onto The UK Wedding Event website to read part two.
Also don’t forget to check out all of our upcoming wedding shows by clicking HERE.