Wedding Planning Tips - Early Days

Now I’m no wedding planner, but with the help of family and friends, Tom and I are slowly but surely planning our wedding. Yes the big day is already being planned after two months of being engaged. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve put together a few tips that I think may help any new brides-to-be. Like I said, I’m no expert but sharing a few tips may just help someone...

1)      Create lots of Pinterest boards

Well done! You’re engaged – happy days! If you’re not as crazy as me, you may or may not have created a ‘Wedding’ board on Pinterest already. Go wild, save lots of pictures of colours and themes you like, fairy lights, flowers, rings, dresses. You never know, you may find something that you never thought you’d like.

2)      Talk to your fiancée

What does he want? I get so irritated hearing from others that it’s all about the bride. It’s about the two of you coming together on one day before you start the wonderful journey that is the rest of your life together.

Women are lucky as we get to flaunt a beautiful flashy ring that immediately explains that we’re engaged to be married. But men, it’s not quite the same. Unless it comes up in conversation, people won’t know. So talk to him, you may be surprised with how involved he wants to be.

I was rather taken aback when Tom got stuck into planning!

3)      Create a spreadsheet

It may sound too soon to start budgeting but make a list of things you want on your big day. Dress, suits, bridesmaid dresses, photographer, cake, venue, catering, drink, invitations etc. At least you will then have a list of things you need to start budgeting for. It may even jog your memory of things that you didn’t think you would have to account for.

4)      Buy the odd magazine

As soon as I got engaged, I finally had a purpose to buy wedding magazines. But heck I didn’t know how much they’d cost – five pound a pop! Don’t get me wrong, I bought one or two but I am very lucky that my Mum has bought me some too. I love tearing them apart and pinning them up on a board, almost like a life-size Pinterest. If anything, you'll begin to see that each magazine has similar content and this won't tend to change.

In all honesty, you're better off saving your pennies, use Pinterest and read online content – it’s free!

5)      Buy a piggy bank

You’d be surprised but saving loose change can really add up. However if you’re like me and never take any cash out, you may struggle. I find it easy to use my debit card rather than taking out a tenner. It’s too tempting to spend that cash on Costa coffees or chocolate and once it’s gone, it’s gone.

6)      Invest in a wedding planner

I was very lucky and one of my friends bought me the wedding planner in the picture above. It’s the book I go to when I want to keep notes on certain caterers, photographers, cakes… I won’t go into too much detail as I’ll give far too much away! Some wedding planners even give you ideas of when you need to plan things by.

7)      Go to wedding fairs

You will get so many wonderful ideas! Not only will you get food for thought, but there are things that you think, ‘I can do that myself’ or ‘oh no I definitely don’t want that.’ Some wedding fairs you’ll get given a goody bag with local businesses that will be dying to help out with your wedding. Take the time to go through these, look on their website, check out their social media and drop them an email asking for quotes.

Most of all, try lots of wedding cake, drink lots of bubbly and enjoy it.

8)      Don’t be afraid to make decisions

I know it may sound silly but my final tip is – do not be afraid of making final decisions. I say this as I have recently bought my wedding dress. I never thought that after visiting two boutiques that I’d be buying my wedding dress. When you know, you know. I thought I’d be trying on dresses in various different shops but in all honesty, they all have similar shapes, styles and colours. You’ll start to get a feel of what suits you and what you like.

Don’t get me wrong, don’t make any rushed decisions. Take your time, it’s the one day that, yes, you will spend a lot of money but in my eyes, I’m only getting married once.

The next things to tick off and book are caterers, photographer, wedding cars, make up, hair, bridesmaid dresses, suits…. the list is endless. Try not to let wedding planning consume you. It’s very easy to get engulfed in the world of weddings – avoid becoming a bridezilla! Simply enjoy the time being engaged and spending time with your fiancée. We’re certainly still on cloud nine!