First 5 Steps to Take When Planning Your Wedding

Congratulations on your engagement! You’ve bought the engagement ring, announced it to your friends and family and you may have even had an engagement party by now … but where to from here?

You might have an idea about the type of wedding you want, but which steps are the most vital to take first when planning it? We have listed below the first five steps that all soon-to-be bride and grooms should take. Once these have been sorted the timeline and planning process will naturally start to fall into place.

1 – Buy a Journal or Scrapbook

This is a nice and easy small step for a newly engaged couple to take. And the best part is this simple step will fast become your best friend during planning. Use the scrapbook to store pictures you have cut out of magazines, write down notes to yourself when inspiration strikes and even paste in some past wedding invites and place cards that you have received before. But the most important part, keep a list of names, phone numbers and other contact details of all suppliers you are planning to use for your wedding. Even keeping each supplier quote you are given in this book will be handy so it is all in one spot for ease of reference. Write down your appointment times and your thoughts on a place as soon as the appointment is over. You will be so grateful to have all of this information in one place that can easily be lugged to work, appointments and pulled out on the sofa in the evening.

2 – Set a Budget

Set yourself a realistic wedding budget and stick to it. Try to be as thorough as possible by allocating money to all of the major areas such as: Reception, photography, invitations, food and beverages (if they are not already included in your reception package), cars, decorations and of course the outfits.

When you are tempted to break the budget on one of these aspects, take a look at which category you can ‘steal’ the budget from to pay for it. It makes it much easier to prioritise when you look at it in that way, i.e. is better invitation stock really more important than that dress you have your eye on?

3 – Set the Date

A good place to start is to begin by agreeing with your fiancé on some vital points such as whether you want a summer or a winter wedding. Once you have narrowed down to a month that you are happy with, try to be as flexible with the date as possible. That is because once you find the reception or ceremony location of your dreams you may have to compromise on the date if yours has already been taken. So unless there is a specific date you must be married on for whatever reason, try to keep an open mind on this point.

4 – Ceremony and Reception Venue

Venues often book out a year in advance, so it is important to secure this before anything else. Once you have found a place you love, lock it in. This means you have now cemented a date, a time and a location and everything else can be planned and worked around this. Your timeline can now be worked out based on a real end date and when planning flowers and cars etc you can get a solid quote, as you know the specifics of the date and location of your wedding.

5 – Choose the Wedding Party

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen aren’t there just to turn up on the day. Choose them early, as they can become a huge help with the planning and preparations in the lead up to the big day. Don’t be afraid to set them to work!

Finish these five steps and you will already be well on your way with your wedding planning. Good luck!

Pre-Wedding Beauty Routines

With all of the fuss and excitement that planning a wedding can bring, it is no surprise that many brides forget about themselves in the lead up to the big day. There are just too many things to do and complete to take time out for some pampering, isn’t there? No. There is always time to make sure you are looking your best!

There would be nothing worse than hosting the wedding of the year only to have the bride look like a zombie walking down the aisle, with flaking dry skin, dark circles under the eyes and dull hair. Luckily, with a bit of planning you can avoid this look completely and instead be the gorgeous, glowing bride you should be.

All it takes is a plan. Even with your wedding, you have a full appointment book and a strict checklist so why wouldn’t you make your beauty routine part of it? Once it is written on the list, in black and white, you are far more likely to stick to it. And while it may feel indulgent at the time while having your facial, you will thank yourself on the big day when you are looking radiant.

Beauty planning can start as early as 12 months before the wedding day. It may sound extreme, but it will be worth it in the end. Try to follow this guideline to help you plan your beauty routine in advance:

12 Months Out

– Plan your beauty budget upfront so you know what can realistically be achieved. Some brides like to have a monthly facial in the lead-up to the wedding as skin renews itself every 28-days. But if this won’t fit within your budget, simply buy a good exfoliator to keep in your shower.

– If the work you are planning on doing is more intensive than just a facial, such as a face-peel or laser hair-removal treatment, then now is the time to do it. You still have time to experiment with new products and procedures without the worry of having to look perfect and fresh in just a few weeks time.

– Begin an exercise routine – it is never too early to get into good exercise habits.

– If you were considering a change in hair colour for your wedding, now is the time to start experimenting. It will give your hair a chance to grow out if you find you don’t like the new look after all.

3 Months Out

– If you haven’t already started a diet and exercise routine now is the time to really get stuck into it. Hit the gym, go for jogs and swap those French Fries for a healthy salad.

– If you are planning on applying fake tan, or having a spray tan, you should practice now. Test out a few salons to find the best one for you or if you are applying it yourself try some different products to make sure you find the best shade and get the application process down pat.

– Even though this might be a fairly stressful time for you, it is unfortunately time to kick the nail biting habit. Stop the chomping now so nails will be in top form in three months time.

1-Week Out

– Go to the hairdressers to have your hair touched up by getting rid of any roots, but don’t try a new colour.

– Have a manicure and pedicure and while you are at it, ask them for the works with a foot scrub and deep moisturising treatment to relieve any dryness.

The Wedding Day

– Pack a little kit of supplies such as gloss and nail polish to take with you in case of emergency.

– Relax and enjoy!