Budget
When it comes to your wedding planning, getting your finances in order is one of the very first things you should do. The last thing you want is to start looking at venues or dresses or menus that you fall in love with, which turn out to be out of your reach financially.
Money conversations can often be tricky, but are absolutely essential to be able to start planning your nuptials in the best possibly way. Set aside some time with your partner and try these few questions for starters.
- Will we be self-financing our day?
- If Parents/Extended Family will be helping financially, will they be putting the same amount into the pot, irrespective of their own income?
- Will we be using our own savings, or will we need to arrange a loan? And will this be a Bank loan or from Family?
- When it comes to ‘Our Wedding’ what is important to us? What are we happy to spend more on and what are we prepared to economise on or do without completely?
By having a frank conversation about money before you go headlong into booking cake tastings, you will have a better idea about what your ‘Wedding Priorities’
actually are as a couple. Which areas you can splurge on and which areas you
are happy to save the pennies on.
Countdown Calendar
A lot of Wedding Planning happens as soon as you set your date….and then you wait…..and wait….and wait…and then all of a sudden it is go go go again!
Given that weddings are often planned a year or more in advance, having a ‘Countdown
Calendar’ of jobs to do and when you plan to do them can really help alleviate any last minute panic and help you really enjoy the lead up to the big day, as much as your wedding day itself and if you are working with a Wedding Planning Specialist like ourselves we can work out a plan together that really makes the lead up to your Wedding extra special.
Dress
‘The Dress’
Most brides to be will tell you ‘The Dress’ is THE most important part of her day
and whether you fall into that camp or not, you will certainly want to be wearing something that is 100% you!
According to Marie Claire (April 2018) the average cost of Wedding Dress in the UK is a little over £1300, but it is easy to spend a lot more….and also a lot less!
With the likes of H&M now producing stunning Couture style Wedding Gowns for
less than £200 ‘off the peg’, that is a whole lot of budget you have just saved
for something else!
If, however your dress is a ‘non-negotiable’ element
of you wedding and your ‘Wedding Dress’ board on Pinterest is positively
blooming with beautiful images, time is key!
If you order your gown from specialist store, likely hood is that it will have to be ordered months in advance of your actual wedding and that will include at least one ‘fitting’ close to the time of your wedding to make sure any
alterations can be made for the perfect fit on your actual wedding day.
Most stores will require you to make an appointment to try their gowns on. This will
generally be about an hour, but will almost definitely need to be booked in advance. So, if there is an outlet you particularly want to visit, make enquiries about booking an appointment in as soon as you can.
It is not unusual for it to take another few months to visit all the stores on your list and find ‘The One’ and once you have made your decision, the retailer will often need at least 6 months to be able to have your actual gown in their
store.
So, from start to finish, the hunt for your Gown could easily be a 12 month process. To reiterate, Time is key and leave yourself plenty of it to find the perfect gown
for your perfect day.
Emergenices!
Whilst we all want to think our Weddings will go off without issue, sometimes a little extra planning can go a long way.
From the tiny emergencies (making sure your bridesmaids have extra hair clips and lipstick to hand for you!!) to considering ‘Wedding Insurance’ for if something truly unavoidable happens. For a lot of us, the money we have tied up in our
wedding may well be the most money we have ever spent and if something should
happen that means the wedding has to be rearranged completely or there is an
issue with a supplier, wedding insurance can be there to help.
There are lots of high street options for Wedding Insurance and policies can start from around £30 for a very basic level of cover, but most providers will offer
a selection of ‘cover levels’ which may include Cancellation or Rearrangement
of your wedding date, Failure of Suppliers, Loss, Theft and Damage of your wedding outfits, gifts, cake rings etc, Photography, Personal Liability and specialist insurance for those of you getting married overseas.
It is worth taking some time to investigate if some sort of insurance would be worth your while and what sort of cover you would need. Just in case