15 Things to Think About When Planning a Wedding
Maybe the thought of planning your wedding is giving you sleepless nights already. There are things that are nice to know and there are things that you need to know when it comes to planning a wedding. Maybe your friends and family can give you some advice on what worked for them and things that you should definitely avoid. Haarlem Mill know all about weddings and have years of knowledge and expertise about what goes into planning a successful wedding. We have put together a top 15 list of things to think about when planning a wedding:
1. Choosing a Wedding Venue
This comes at the top of our list for a reason, it's a huge factor when planning a wedding. There are many factors to consider:
How many guests can the venue hold?
Can we afford this venue?
Will it be easy for everyone to get too?
Is there local accommodation for all the guests?
Is the venue weather permitting?
This all comes down to the wants and needs of the bride and groom, our best advice here is to sit down with the venue owner and discuss all these points. We suggest doing a little research on the venue first to see if it fits your main criteria, but the best thing you can do is visit the venue, speak to the team and see if you fall in love.
2. Setting The Date
Would you like a summer wedding or a winter wedding or somewhere in between? When choosing a date it’s again about working with what suits you and your family. It can be a struggle planning a wedding to fit in between holidays and other commitments. If you are keeping to a strict budget it is worth considering that weddings will be more expensive in certain months, there are lots of opportunities to save money by booking off-peak or snapping up a late availability offer. April to September is classed as peak season, making the cost for a venue more expensive than October to March, which is worth taking into consideration when setting the date.
3. Start Planning Early
Like with anything in life, the longer that you leave something the worse it gets. If you are planning on having your wedding in 2021 or 2020 you might think that you have plenty of time. However, it's never too early to start planning a wedding, have you heard the expression of how long is a piece of string? This definitely represents the huge list of things you are your partner have to organise for the big day. Key things to remember as the list grows and time disappears are:
Insurance
Guest list
Budget (this should be at the forefront of your mind during early planning)
4. Set a Budget
Before you do anything, the most important thing you need to do is set a budget and try your best to stick to it. Don't forget about all the little extras that can add up such as dress alteration, gifts and many more. Remember half of your budget will be spent on hospitality when it comes to wining and dining your guests. *TOP TIP – save a pot of £200-£500 completely separate from your budget for any little things you may have forgotten which could crop up close to the day.
5. Be Selective with Your Guest List
Selecting the right guests for your wedding is a crucial part of your big day. Once you have a solid number down then that will help you decide on the perfect venue for your wedding. The cost per head will take a large amount of your budget, also its your wedding so don’t feel guilty about not inviting everyone. It's all down to you and your partner to decide who comes, also it could be the case that not everyone you invite are able to come!
6. Plan B
The universe works in mysterious ways, it might be your special day but that doesn't mean that you are exempt from anything bad happening. We are not saying that anything will go wrong with your big day but there is nothing wrong with planning for those unforeseen circumstances. Plan for bad weather or a problem with the catering, if you have a plan in place then it will help make the day less stressful.
7. Research the Local Area
Take some time to research the local area when you are about to set a date. The reasons behind this is that there may be a huge local event going on the same weekend that you are getting married. This will fill up all the local hotels or b&bs with people attending shows or events. Also this scenario can cause traffic issues for those travelling to and from the venue.
8. Use Existing Connections
Let one vendor lead you to another one. Say for example you have found the perfect caterer for your special day. Whilst talking they tell you about this amazing florist they worked with before on another wedding. From that you can source everyone you need for the wedding. This will help manage your stress but provide a fantastic wedding from vendors who know they can do the job well.
9. Make a Meal Plan
Your guests will remember a few things about your wedding. After the way the bride looked the next most talked about topic of conversation will be about the food. This is one area that you do not want to skimp on as hungry guests are not happy guests. Talk with our Haarlem team about catering and what they might suggest. Also think about what type of food you want and what everyone will able to eat. Make sure it's something you like as well because after all, it’s your big day so you should LOVE the food.
10. Adults Only or Not
Do you want children at your wedding? Some people do and some don’t, it's all up to you and your partner. To prevent future problems we advise that you avoid allowing some families to bring children while excluding others (unless the children are in your bridal party).
11. Be Realistic With Your Time
When it comes to planning a wedding you can only do so much. Take another look at what you have left to do and ask for help with the none crucial tasks that you just don’t feel like doing. Aim to tackle the crucial decisions when you have a clear head as they need to be done right.
12. Dress Shopping
Don’t go dress shopping by yourself, after a while they will all end up as a blur. Take a friend or a family member with you especially if they will be honest with you. It’s important to choose one that you love but it should also give you the WOW feeling, you can normally gage this from friends (or mums) that cry as soon as you put ‘the one’ on.
13. Emergency Contact Sheet
We recommend that you keep a sheet with your vendors contact numbers on you on your wedding day, this can easily be given to a member of our team or your bride tribe. Things may go wrong or you might want to make some last minute checks with the different vendors. Your aim is to keep your stress levels down as much as possible. If something goes wrong like the wedding car gets lost then you will be able to still get to the venue on time.
14. Getting the Right Shots
No, no, not those shots, we are talking about wedding photos. When you and your partner look back at that special day when you are grey and old you want to make sure the pictures are perfect. It's all about choosing the right photographer and talking to them about the kind of shots you would like them to take.
15. Share the Responsibility
The wedding should not be planned out by one person, each of you will have certain ideas of what you want. That's why it’s important to come to a decision together. Family is always a good go-to as well because there is a chance that they have done this before and will be able to help with some of the responsibilities of planning a wedding.
We hope that you have found the article helpful in your steps to planning your wedding. Obviously this list could go on forever, but we hope we have got your planning off to a great start. If you have any enquiries about Haarlem Hill and the facilities that we offer then please get in contact with us today. Call us on 01629820253 or you can fill in our contact form.