If you are recently engaged, you probably can’t wait to get into planning the best day of your life. You’ll be dreaming of the perfect dress, (or dapper suit) the magical venue and thinking about your romantic first dance. But unfortunately, not every aspect of planning a wedding is quite as exciting as it first seems.
Many of these elements of the wedding include the budget management – but this is absolutely essential to outline before you get ahead of yourself. If you don’t stick to your budget then you’ll be compromising on some aspects of the big day, or starting your marriage in debt. As it’s wedding season, we’ve asked some experts to share their wedding planning advice and to focus on the least exciting parts which many couples are likely to forget.
- 1. Deciding (and sticking) to a budget
Talking finances is pretty dull, but it’s essential if you want to make sure you can afford the day you’ve dreamed of. Have a chat to both sets of parents and ask if they are thinking of contributing – don’t ask for the money outright but say it is easier for you to plan ahead if you know what they would like to pay for in advance. Then it’s time to get realistic about the kind of wedding you can afford, which venues are out of budget and how much you are willing to pay on details such as the dress and the photographer. If each of you have different priorities it might take a while to come to a compromise.
- 2. Find suitable wedding insurance
You may not be used to ensuring events, but when you think about the amount of money you’ll be spending on the wedding it is insane not to. You insure your property, your holidays and your car so this is exactly the same. Wedding insurance should cover and supplier failures, lost videos and photographs and cancellation. Make sure you compare wedding insurance policies as they are all different, and some may not include all cancellations; there are also extras you may need to add on such as marquee cover. You need to purchase your insurance policy before you pay any deposits or they will not be covered.
- 3. Deciding where to seat distant family members
Fast forward to a couple of months before the big day when you have all your RSVPs back, and the seating plan is the biggest challenge. Stressful for some and just downright dull for most brides, the hardest guests to decide where to seat are your distant family members you haven’t seen since you were a child, and your single friend from your childhood/work/university who doesn’t know another soul at your wedding.
While these may be boring aspects of the planning, they have to be done – so good luck!