Planning makes for perfection

If you haven’t already begun then it’s time to get ready to make those all-important wedding choices. Not sure where to start? Here are some key points to consider...

Once the excitement of becoming engaged settles, it’s time to turn your thoughts to planning out your big day.

A great starting point is to make a guest list. Are you hoping for an intimate celebration with close family and a few friends, or do you want to throw a huge party for all your extended family and acquaintances?

The numbers will impact on everything from the venue you choose to budgets for food and drink.

Start with your must-have guests: those people who you can’t imagine missing out on your big day. This will be the core of your list – and you will be amazed at how it can grow from there.

Use this as your starting point when researching venues and pricing food and drink as this information can be useful for initial budgeting.

Finally, make a reserves list. This can be people you’d quite like to invite, but won’t be too upset if they’re not there, or people you think you should invite.

Number the reserves list in order of priority. This is important to avoid arguments with your other half further down the line because if anyone on your core list drops out, you can fill their place with someone off the reserves list.

The next step is the serious matter of working out a budget. Wedding costs can easily mount up, so you may need to figure out how much you can realistically save each month and how much you want to spend.

This may also affect your wedding date as the summer months tend to be more sought-after and therefore expensive.

If you hit a snag with your finances, don’t panic and remember you can always return to your guest list and make some changes. For example, perhaps scaling down the ceremony and having a larger reception in the evening will make a considerable different to the cost of the event.

If family are keen to help out, try to be clear about which aspects they will be paying for to avoid any awkward situations arising later on.

While it’s good to send out Save The Date cards early on so people can start to make arrangements, wait until you’re reasonably sure about your budget and final guest numbers before you stick anything in the post or online.

This is supposed to be the best day of your life so make sure you enjoy the journey!

Try to take your time and don’t let yourself become too worried or stressed.

This is supposed to be a once-in-alifetime celebration and you want to be sure that it is a day you will look back on fondly for the rest of your married lives.