Congratulations! You are engaged! Now, where do you begin your wedding planning?
Read on for a few suggestions on where to start.

Wedding planning can be stressful, especially when you decide to have a shorter engagement than most. Although the idea of planning an entire wedding can be overwhelming, being organised and following a logical sequence will make the process much easier and more enjoyable.

There are basically five decisions you have to make before anything else can be planned. If you can take care of these in the beginning, you will have a great time finding ways to make your wedding day one of a kind.

1. Set the date

First things first, you will need to discuss when the both of you would like to get married. “When’s the wedding?” It will be one of the first questions you will be asked by friends and family and it will certainly make it easier to plan the specifics of the celebration when you have a date to work with. Once you have a date, you will be able to book all the necessary vendors according to
their availability.

If you don’t know where to begin, decide on which season you would like to get married in. Would you prefer an outdoor Springtime wedding or a cosy Winter celebration? After you’ve decided the season that you want to get married, you can narrow it down to month and day.

2. Set the budget

There’s no denying it all that wedding glamour costs money, and setting a realistic wedding budget now is going to save you from a nasty shock on your wedding day. Talk to each of your parents and ask them if they would like to contribute to your wedding. Before you start number crunching, set your priorities. Once you know what elements you can and can’t live without, you’ll have a much clearer idea of how to allocate your money. You will need to take into account the number of guests you plan to invite as well as the elements of the wedding that you want to splurge on, be frugal with what you can do without.

3. Formulate the guest list

An Excel Spreadsheet is a great way to compile the names, addresses and phone numbers of all your guests. It may be worth it to prepare a primary and secondary list - the primary list being the “must-haves” and the secondary list includes people you will have if the budget allows it. You should both also each create a guest list for your friends and co-workers.

4. Set the tone of your celebration

Decide on the level of formality you wish to achieve. Would you prefer a traditional formal wedding, a casual affair, or a themed wedding? Will it be a large or small celebration?

5. Decide on a wedding venue

Many venues are booked a year in advance, so the further in advance you start looking, the more likely you are to get the time, date, and cost that you’ve planned for.

Taking care of these first five important steps will build the solid foundation you need to plan the perfect wedding. Do remember, you can ask for help. Besides, what are friends and family for? Take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back because this is only the beginning. Once you have the main aspects taken care of, you can focus on the finer details – dresses, suits, flowers,
entertainment and more!

Source: Wedding Magazine