This week we will explore the last set of top 10 initial decisions a couple should consider once they start the planning process for their wedding. Last week I covered the first set of important decisions. As a recap those questions are:
1. When and what time of day?
2. What is our budget?
3. Where are we going to marry?
4. Who are we inviting? and
5. Who’s going to marry us?
Okay, so for now you and your fiancé have five important decisions to discuss which don’t necessarily have to be answered in one day or discussion, but eventually will need to have an answer before you can move on to make other plans for your wedding. A great next topic of discussion would be:
6. What style and formality do we want? – When discussing the style for your wedding, be sure to cover how formal or informal you want your wedding to be. Deciding on the level of formality will go hand in hand with the location and time of day of the wedding. The ultimate decision is really what you want and desire your day to be like, but be careful not to take on someone else’s dream. If you want to wed in a cathedral chapel, it would be more fitting to do a formal event verses let’s say, having an event in the backyard of aunt Beverly’s house or at the fire station house. The style and formality also must go hand in hand with your budget. You can still have a glamorous wedding on a budget but it may call for a lot of DIY projects, borrowing unique items from friends and family or purchasing things from lower-end stores like the Dollar Tree or 5 below. Whatever style you and fiancé select, you can always add your own small touches to personalize it to reflect the theme that you all want.
7. Who’s going to be in the wedding party? – Deciding who is going to be selected to play a role in one of the most important days of your life can be a difficult decision. You may want to include all your friends however, your budget may not support that. You may want to include your fiancé’s sister(s), your cousin or your BFF since grade school/college in your wedding party. It is typically an honor to be asked to serve in a position of the wedding party. It can be viewed as a sign that you mean a great deal to the couple. It can also be an opportunity to blend the two families together by being a part of the couple’s union in a happy harmonious way. This decision should be well thought out and in advance so participants can help in making decisions and planning the many parties of the upcoming months. Be sure to select people you love, trust and those you spend a lot of time with because these are the people you’ll particularly want to party with you.
8. What kind of rings do we want? Deciding on what rings to purchase can affect the budget of the couple. Your rings can be selected at the time of engagement or throughout the engagement period. This task should be done by both parties as you want to be sure you are selecting a set of rings that is affordable, reflective of your union that has meaning to the both of you, and the style that will compliment both tastes. It doesn’t necessarily mean you must buy a super-sized diamond but you will want to have a solid representation of your commitment to each other. If your budget cannot afford those gleaming diamonds and you just can’t imagine not getting married without them, you can choose to select a more affordable stone such as cubic zirconium which are man-made stones that resemble natural diamonds. If diamonds aren’t your thing, you can opt for another stone like a ruby, an opal, a sapphire or no stone at all. Some couples choose to have a standard, gold, platinum, titanium or sliver band for their wedding rings.
9. Do we want to go on a honeymoon and when do we want to do it? Many couples choose to vacation after a long season of planning and getting married. It is a great way to kick off your new life. In many cases, if the desire to go off to another country is in the plans, much research and preparation has to be made of location, requirements, cost and amenities. If it is a costly trip you can find creative ways to finance your honeymoon by opening a honeymoon fund from websites like www.honeyfund.com and ask your family and friends to help raise money to support your honeymoon as their way of providing a gift. Sometimes if you are a busy couple, going on a honeymoon right after the wedding may not be an option or maybe cost is a factor. Be sure that if your plans is to honeymoon right away, add the cost into your wedding budget.
10. Do we need to hire a wedding planner/consultant? – For the busy couple that have little time to devote to the details of planning and executing a wedding and have disposable income to do so, hiring a wedding professional may be the best decision. A wedding professional will help you realize your dream wedding while you sit back, relax and enjoy being in the spotlight. Your professional can provide a number of services that will ease your worries by utilizing their network of vendors or new ones to provide the services you want, oversee the budget to keep you on track, seek out venues, serve as project manager, and do it in a professional manner.
No need to ask your sister, best friend or aunt Lucy to stress over trying to avoid you turning into Bridezilla, you want them to also enjoy you and your future spouse. A full service planner can do almost anything and everything you need. A professional planner typically has a team that is working with him/her to handle all the logistics and they do it with a smile because that’s what they love to do. Hiring a professional is also something all brides can obtain as today’s professional have multiple payment plans so you don’t have to stress about not having enough money for their expert services. Think about your needs and your availability of time before making a decision.
Now that you and your sweetie are aware of what you need to focus on for the next few months, make the best of it, take your time and enjoy this period before you join lives together. If you are still unsure or really want to savor this time, be sure to highly consider #10 where you decide whether to hire a professional. A professional can lift the heavy burden off of your shoulders with the wedding planning. Of course, hiring a wedding planner doesn’t mean you have no say so in what you are about to embark on, this is not the wedding of your planner/consultant, except it is yours.
Your hired professional will not make a move towards the planning of your event without your input highly involved. It’s your day, have it your way and the professionals at Devoted to Your Event, LLC will do just that to make your ideas come to fruition so you can create memories to cherish for a lifetime.
TAP