Planning a Wedding: A Simple Guide

*Collaborative post

 

Not every engaged couple has the budget for a wedding planner – and not every engaged couple wants to hire one! If you’ve decided to plan your own wedding, there’s an awful lot to think about and organize. Here is a simple guide to planning a wedding to help you keep on top of things and plan the wedding of your dreams! 

Set a Budget 

The first thing you’ll need to do when planning a wedding – before you start thinking about guests, dresses, themes, or anything else – is to establish your budget. This will help you make decisions later down the line without overspending.  

Consider where you’re getting the money for the wedding and work out exactly how much you plan to spend. Once you have an overall figure in mind, you can narrow the budget down further – think about how much you want to spend on the absolute essentials (see below) and the less important elements. 

Start With the Essentials 

There are a few things you’ll need to organize to make a wedding happen, so start by planning these.  

Start by finding a venue that you love, and book it for the date on which you want to get married. You may want to search for a San Diego wedding venue or somewhere closer or more personal to you. 

Then, you can start working on your guest list. Make a list of all the people closest to you (your immediate family members and closest friends) – the ones you can’t get married without. These are your essential guests. If you have the budget, you can start to invite people from your wider social circles. Send out invites with plenty of notice so that guests can RSVP early; this will help you organize the other aspects of your wedding with a list of attendees at hand. 

Another essential for a wedding is the registrar. Make sure you get this organized with plenty of time – otherwise, you’ll find yourself throwing a very expensive party for no reason! 

Once you have a venue booked, somebody to perform the ceremony, and a list of guests, your bare-minimum essentials are done, and you can start planning the specifics. 

The Devil’s in the Details 

There’s a huge amount to consider when planning the specifics of a wedding, so try not to get too stressed out about it. Work closely with your spouse-to-be to figure out the type of wedding you want. Here are a few tips to help you organize the details: 

• Organize food and drink options that cater to everyone – don’t forget about dietary restrictions! 
• Save-the-dates are optional, so don’t feel obliged to spend money here if the budget is tight. 

• Hiring a good photographer is a good idea – these memories will last you a lifetime, so it’s worth paying extra for quality. 
• Hire a band or a DJ; there’s no need for both! 
• Negotiate and haggle with wedding vendors to save money on flowers, cake, decorations, and other costs. Remember: don’t ask, don’t get. 

Organizing a wedding isn’t easy, but if you think carefully about your priorities and remember not to get bogged down in the details, you’ll find it doesn’t have to be too difficult either. Focus on the essentials first and remember why you’re getting married in the first place!