Tips for Planning a Luxury Wedding

rnGetting married is one of the most exciting and happy occasions in a young couple’s life. However, it can also be one of the most stressful. Once you get engaged, where do you start? There is so much planning to do, it can be a little confusing trying to decide where to begin. The best way to go about your wedding planning is to take things one step at a time and to not let yourself get overwhelmed. If you are going to have a big wedding, then you will need about ten months to a year before you actually have the ceremony and reception. That may seem like a long time, but is necessary to get everything lined up. Here are the first few steps you should take when planning the perfect wedding. Spread the News Of course, the first thing to do when you have gotten engaged is to tell everyone you care about! Call up your close friends and family, and consider putting an engagement announcement in the newspaper. You can send out a mass e-mail, make a Facebook post, or even go the traditional route by mailing your announcements. Set the Tone Once you have made your big announcement, you can start thinking about the tone and theme of your wedding. Do you want to invite everyone you know or keep it small? Do you want to have a religious ceremony or would you rather keep it secular? Are you planning a strictly formal affair or does a casual ceremony sound more up your alley? These are just a few of the questions that you and your fiancée should be talking about. Remember to be willing to compromise, but only after making your case. This is also a good time to think about a possible theme for your wedding, as well as wedding colors. Make your Guest List It might seem a little early to think about who you are going to invite, but the size of your wedding will determine what size venue you need and how much you are going to end up spending. Set your Budget Once you have your guest list, you can start figuring out how much this wedding is going to cost you. Talk to both sets of parents and see if they are willing to pitch in. If they plan on paying for just part of the wedding, find out what the split will be. When you have a number picked out, stick to it. Newlyweds fight about money more than anything else, and you don’t want to start off in debt. Pick a Date At the beginning, you are going to want to be a little bit flexible with your wedding date. When you start calling venues and booking vendors, you might find that a key element is missing or unavailable. Once you start contacting these people and places, you will be able to solidify your date. Book your Site Now is the time to start looking for venues for the ceremony and the reception. Talk to people you know who have gotten married recently and see if they have any advice. Also, if you aren’t planning on getting married in a church, you might consider getting married at the same place you plan on having your reception. This saves everybody a whole lot of running around and will give you more time to enjoy your day.Remember to book your location as early as possible. Wait too long and it might be all booked up. Pick out your Officiant Whether you plan on having a religious ceremony or not, you are still going to need someone to legally marry you. There are many different options out there for both religious and secular officiants. If you are having trouble finding someone to fit your needs, feel free to ask the people who work at your selected wedding venue. They will have dealt with many different officiants and should be able to help you out. Pick your Wedding Party Before things start getting really hectic, it is time to choose the people who will be helping you through the process. Bridesmaids, groomsmen and ushers aren’t just a great asset on your wedding day; they will be an integral part of the planning process. Pick people who live close by so they can assist you during this stressful period. Book your Vendors Just like with your venue, vendors fill up fast. More than one ceremony on the same day won’t mess up a florist’s schedule too much, but you want to make sure the caterer and the DJ are all lined up. Booking your photographer is also important, but that can be done about six months before the wedding. Most photographers don’t need to be booked much further in advance than that. Of course these are just the first steps. There is much more to come, but this is a great way to get started in planning the wedding of your dreams!