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| Carrie Underwood showing off her engagement ring |
Christmas is a very popular time for proposals. Men welcome
the opportunity to conceal their intentions in a well-chosen gift, containing
that surprise engagement ring. Or the romance of log fires, cosying up with
your loved ones and spending time off work together inspires them to pop the all
important question, ready for a fresh and exciting start to the New Year.
So, once you have got over the initial shock of the
proposal, no doubt your brain is swimming with ideas and questions for planning
your big day. The biggest one being where to start! Here are some questions to
ask yourself and help kick-start the planning:
WHERE do
you want to get married?
Do you have a specific venue you have always dreamed of? Or
are you keen to be married close to home, or abroad? Start looking at venues
now as they can get booked up 1 or even 2 years in advance. This should be your
priority in the early days as many other factors will depend on your location
and venue size i.e. hiring local suppliers and number of guests you can invite.
If you have the space, you can also look at holding your celebrations
in a marquee which can give you a lot more flexibility with dates, size and
timings.
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| esc weddings marquee |
WHEN do
you want to get married?
Are you a summer girl who has always dreamed of a strapless,
slashed leg wedding gown and an outdoor ceremony (with a British wet-weather
contingency plan? – sorry!)
Or does an indoor occasion with roaring fires and
winter-themed decorations appeal to you.
Bear in mind that marrying out of season (Oct – April) or
mid-week can bring some fantastic savings as venues and suppliers have more
free time and are willing to drop their prices to secure your business.
HOW do you want your day to look?
Do you have a favourite colour or style you want to focus
your wedding around? This gives you something to build around and all your
suppliers, decorations and attire to work towards.
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| Vintage lace theme www.rosieparsons.com |
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| Rustic wedding www.indulgy.com |
WHO do you
want at your day?
Will you have bridesmaids? Adults or children, or both?
Choose your bridal party wisely. You want a reliable team who you can trust and
who will help you, not push their ideas on you or let you down.
Once you know how many guests your venue allows it is time
to put together your guest list. You will likely have a set number allowed for
the ceremony and wedding breakfast, then another group you can invite for the
evening. Check and double check your list with you partner and both sets of
parents as you don’t want to leave anyone out. Equally, remember this is YOUR
day and if you don’t want to invite certain people, you don’t have to! If you
feel you still have to, just invite them to the evening as this will cost you
less
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| Gorgeous Bridal party from www.lovemydress.net |
Work out your budget and how you will pay for the day. Will your parents
contribute? Or do you plan to save up and pay yourself? What can you afford?
You may be surprised at the cost of everything once you get started so try not
to expect too much for your money or you could be disappointed. You don’t want
to end up in debt, not a good start to married life. Sometimes, small, intimate
weddings can be more meaningful and heartfelt than the larger, extravagant
affairs. Also look at DIY ideas and pulling in favours from talented friends
and family to save money. Generally people will be all too pleased and willing
to help contribute to your big day.
AND REMEMBER…
You are planning the happiest and most important day of your
life. Make sure you enjoy the process as (hopefully) this will be the only time
you do it! If organising is not your thing and you find the whole task
daunting, enlist the help of a wedding planner. The time and stress that you
will save will easily out weight the extra cost. And with planners having the
best contacts and ideas in the industry, you will very likely end up saving
money in the long run and they can secure discounts and eliminate money and
time wastage. This may sound biased but it is true!
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