Wedding Chat: I've said yes, now what?

It's rather inevitable that some of New Girl in Toon over the next year will be dedicated to our wedding.   As a very normal girl with no crafting skills and not much of a clue I thought it may be helpful to write about my experience of planning a wedding.

As soon as we shared the wonderful news of our engagement with family and friends it was funny how quickly people started to ask us what our plans were - namely where we'd be getting married and if we'd picked a date. 

Of course, in the real world your wedding plans don't instantly fall into place the second you have a ring on your finger.  If, like me, you've never had any experience of planning a wedding the task ahead can be rather daunting.  How do you plan something you've never organised before?

Here's a few tips I've picked up over the last few weeks as a great starting point after you've got engaged.

Ask your friends

If you're very lucky like me, you may well have a couple of friends who are also engaged at the same time as you.   These friends are priceless.  They'll understand your worries and concerns and are brilliant if you do feel the need to have a bit of a rant.  If they are ahead of you in the planning process be sure to ask them for any hints on how to plan your day.

The Internet knows it all

There is a huge amount of information available to you on the net.  Snuggle down on the sofa with a nice hot cup of tea and have a good hunt around for things that can help you.  From reading up on venues to helpful checklists, there are plenty of answers for you on your laptop.  Just try not to get overwhelmed!





Grab a notepad and pen

Embrace your inner geek and get list making.   From the word go it's a good idea to make notes of any ideas you have, helpful hints from friends, venue ideas and guest lists. 

There are wedding journals available with helpful sections to fill in or if you want to make it your own head to a stationery shop for a blank pad and pen.

Create a Guest  List

We found the most helpful first job was to create a draft guest list.  You can't think about setting a budget or shortlisting venues until you've got an idea of numbers.  If you don't want your wedding to get crazy expensive be sensible and remember it's your day.  Don't let nostalgia and returning favours overrule your head.  

Set a Budget

Yes weddings are ridiculously overpriced and it's a little unfair but unfortunately that's just the way that it is.   Weddings make businesses huge profit and if you put the word "wedding" in front of anything expect to add a few 000 to the end of the price.

Location, Location, Location

Probably the part of the initial process that we've found the most exciting is picking a venue.  Have a think about how you want your wedding to look and feel and shortlist the venues that you think will most fit in with your plans and will be a good size for your guests.    

Contact the venues you are interested in and book appointments for a good look round.  Make sure you prepare ahead so you can provide the venue with your ideas and budget at the appointment and also any questions you may want to ask about your day.

Let me know if you have any helpful hints and tips for the initial stages of planning your wedding!