Wedding Planning Timeline

Wedding Planning Guide

Have you always had an idea in your mind about your perfect wedding? Whether it be a simple wedding ceremony at a scenic spot at sunset followed by cocktails; or big church wedding with a full nuptial mass and a formal wedding dinner in one of the best hotels, good planning can help you achieve the wedding you want with a minimum of stress on your big day.

Planning a wedding is a huge job. If you plan your wedding well, you will be able to sit back and enjoy your big day. The first things to consider when you start planning your wedding are your budget, the amount of time you have to devote to the planning, and the amount of control you want to have over the final result. If you have a big budget and very little time, a professional wedding planner may be the way to go. They can assist you with all of your planning needs from booking a celebrant to organising room decorations, wedding music, limousines etc. On the other hand, if you would like to have more control over things and want to have control over your budget, you may like to do your own wedding planning.

Stage 1: Get your wedding venue and celebrant sorted.

Don’t set your date yet! You need to decide upon your ceremony and reception venues. At this stage, if you are having a civil ceremony, you need to make enquiries and secure the services of a wedding celebrant. The date that these are available may affect your choice of wedding date. Do you have your heart set on a particular church or reception venue, or is it more important to you to secure a particular celebrant?

Some popular venues and celebrants can be booked out many months or even years in advance. It is a good idea to be flexible with your wedding date until you have checked out their availability. It may be necessary to have your wedding on a Sunday or a Friday evening so that you can get what you want.

Finding a Wedding Reception Venue

A great venue is essential to the success of your wedding. Most venues have a function coordinator who will manage your wedding. You need to feel comfortable with the function manager as they will play an important roll. If you have a small number of guests a smaller, more intimate venue with a lovely view may be nicer for an afternoon wedding, but the view is not as important if they wedding reception is in the evening.

A few questions to ask:

• Do they have a room suitable for the number of guests you are planning?
• What different packages do they provide for different budgets and styles of wedding?
• Do they provide a drinks package or do they sell alcohol on consumption?
• Are they flexible with regards to vegetarian options/ special dietary needs?
• At what point do you need to finalise the numbers? Will you have to pay for guests who are unable to attend?
• Can you make an appointment to be shown through the venue by the function coordinator?
• Can you make an appointment to try the food and wine they have on their menu?
• What kind of deposit is due upon booking?
• When is the final balance due?
• If you are planning to have live music, is amplification allowed?

Finding a Celebrant:

You need to find someone who can share your vision of your wedding ceremony.

Do they have a set format they like to use or are you able to design your own wedding ceremony? Ideally, you might have a combination of your own words and suggestions by the celebrant.

Religious Ceremonies:

If you are having a religious wedding ceremony you should find out what the religious requirements are. Many religions will require you to go to pre-marriage counselling or participate in other special preparations.

Once you have set the date, you need to choose and invite your brides maids and groomsmen.

Legal Requirements:

Once you decide to marry, you are required to give a marriage celebrant at least one month and one days notice (and not more than 18 calendar month's notice) of an intended date of marriage.

Once you choose a marriage celebrant, they will ask you to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage form which they will provide to you. Alternatively, you can download the form from the Attorney General's website.

Stage 2: Organise your bridal party.

Once you have chosen your bridal party, you may like to have a chat with your maid of honour and the best man about their responsibilities. You can give them as much or as little as you like. Here are a few ideas:

You may like to ask your Maid of Honour to

• Give moral support to the bride during the wedding preparations and during the wedding itself
• Help with shopping for a wedding dress
• Hold a bridal shower
• Attend wedding ceremony rehearsals
• Help the bride get dressed on the wedding day
• Witness the signing of the register
• Hold the bridal’s flowers during the ceremony

You may ask your best man to:

• Help with formal suit hire for the groomsmen
• Hold a bachelor party
• Attend wedding ceremony rehearsals
• Assist the groom to get ready on the wedding day
• Hold the rings at the ceremony
• Witness the signing of the register
• Propose a toast to the bridesmaids at the reception
• Dance with family members at the reception

Stage 3: Finding Wedding Service Providers and a dress.

After you have set your date and decided upon a wedding ceremony venue and reception venue, it is time to look into other services. A few you may need are:

• Wedding flowers
• Wedding musicians
• Wedding cars
• Wedding cake
• Wedding photographers
• Wedding decorators
• Wedding Stationary
• Wedding Suit Hire

Most brides these days gather their information online, but you can also purchase wedding magazines such as Bride to Be, Cosmo Bride etc. and you may also like to find out what bridal fairs are in your area and attend some. Your friends are a great resource for wedding planning. Ask married friends about their wedding experiences.

At this stage it is a good idea to purchase a note-book, wedding folder or start a new file on your computer to keep track of your information as there will be a lot of it! Put in all of the information you have gathered so far regarding your venue, menus, your celebrant etc. If you are computer savvy, another great way to go is to get your own wedding website. These have great resources for keeping track of all of your information, as well as important information and handy tips.

Online:

You can search online for most services either by typing information into your search engine and seeing what comes up, or using one of the many reputable online wedding websites. The quality of a website can tell you a great deal about the quality of the business being promoted. Make sure you create a special bookmark folder in your web browser so that you can easily re-locate the sites you like the look of. Another great resource is wedding planning e-books. If you are not quite sure where to start, there are some great wedding planning e-books which can be purchased online, which can give you some great tips about planning and budgeting for your wedding.

Stage 4: Making enquiries with wedding service providers:

If you have a big budget you may like to hire a company that specialises in wedding decorating. They can help you with our overall theme for your ceremony and reception. Of course, you can always do your own research and theme a wedding yourself. There are some great online resources to help you.

Once you have found some wedding service providers you like the look of, it is time to make some enquiries. The response to your enquiries can serve as a very good indicator of the service you will receive on your wedding day.

• Are their responses prompt?
• Are they friendly and helpful?
• Do they have positive feedback or references from previous clients?
• Do they have experience in the wedding industry?
• Do their services fit in with your budget? If not, do they have some cheaper alternatives?

Stage 5: Booking wedding service providers:

When you want to secure their services, there are a few things you will need to know:

• What kind of deposit do you need and when is the final balance due?
• Do they have public liability insurance?
• What are their booking conditions?
• Will they be flexible with regard to changes in times etc?

Stage 6: The Guest List

Now that you have booked everything, it is time to finalise your guest list. The number of guests will depend on your number of family members and friends you have, and of course, your budget and the constraints of the venue. If you are trying to cut back, consider not inviting people not seen for more than a year or two. Remember…this weeding is about your future, not your past! Invite people who you genuinely believe will make a positive contribution you your future marriage. If you are concerned about the potential for bad behaviour, it is very easy at this stage to exclude those people who you think may cause you stress. This is not about pleasing people, it is about you celebrating your relationship. When sending out invitations, make sure you invite according to the number of people you wish to attend. Do not assume people will decline! Most people will say yes to a wedding invitation. In the even that someone can’t come, you can always have a back-up list of people to ask.

Stage 7: Tying Up the Loose Ends:

Once all of your guests have RSVP’d, you need to confirm the numbers with your venue. You also need to re-confirm all of the wedding service providers in the week before your wedding. Call any important people and make sure they know their responsibilities. Have a final dress fitting and make sure you are happy with the fit. Make sure you speak up if it is not quite right!

Stage 8: The big day.

Hopefully all of your great planning has paid off! You have a long day ahead, so don’t start drinking too early. Have a good protein based breakfast to get you through the day. Have a luxurious bath, get your hair and makeup done and slip into your dress. Make sure you protect your dress from the make-up when you put it on. Get your bridesmaids to assist if necessary. Have a bag ready to go which contains the essentials: a small sewing kit, some makeup and a mini hairspray for touch-ups, a mini deodorant, some breath mints, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and some Paris Tape for any potential wardrobe malfunctions.

And when you arrive at the ceremony... Just enjoy yourself. All the hard work has been done.