How to Plan a Wedding

1. Prepare yourself mentally.

Get into the right frame of mind. Be prepared to compromise. Enter into the planning of your wedding with an open mind and flexibility. You may have it all planned out in your mind but not keeping your ideas flexible will leave you frustrated and disappointed. Be ready to alter your ideas of what your dream wedding is. Not only will you need to be flexible with your planning but you need to be willing to make compromises financially. Don't try to over plan or be too controlling. Take everything with a grain of salt and a sense of humor.

2. Decide on a budget and stick to it.

This is the first step in planning any wedding but even more important when planning on a short time line. Because of the short time frame the money you spend won't be spread out over a year or two. You need to look at what funds you have to spend and be able to live and pay your bills. You may need to scale down the vision of your wedding. It's very easy to rely on credit but you need to seriously consider if entering into a marriage with enormous bills is a healthy start just to have an over the top wedding. No one wants to start a marriage in bankruptcy court. The number one reason for young marriages failing is financial stress. Keep your eye on the ball.

3. Work with your partner to make a guest list.

Determine how many people you can entertain with the budget and space you have available. As you proceed through the planning process, your guest list size may influence your destination choice, and likewise your destination choice may affect how many people you can invite. If you start getting an idea of guests together early, it will help you throughout the whole planning process. Start getting their addresses together, but don't worry about invitations until you're sure you want to invite (and can accommodate).

4. Buy a wedding planner book or make your own.

Make sure it has a calendar and pockets to store brochures and clippings. This helps you organize your ideas and helps you store contact information all in one place. Write down vendors you have talked to along with contact information and appointment dates and times. You can also add swatches of fabric and photos of flowers to show to your florist.
Start planning as soon as you decide on a date! If you take care of everything in the beginning, you have more time to enjoy your engagement and more time to focus on the small, minor details (e.g. the font color of your invitations).

5. Make a time line with a to-do list.

The time line will differ depending on where you live and the bridal market. The time line could change drastically if you were planning your wedding for January or June. Most of the following steps need to be completed in the first month to month and a half to get the vendors (florist, photographers, dresses, etc.) booked or picked in time if you're in an average sized city. When planning something fast the bulk of the decisions are made in month one. You just spend the other months fine tuning and hoping the wheels don't come off the wagon.

6. Consider a destination wedding.

These are usually the easiest to do on short notice. All you need to do is show up, get married and have a great time. This may end up costing you less money in the long run. Weigh your options. Most resorts have everything in place and can schedule multiple events with no problem on short notice.

 7. Consider a casual theme wedding.

Have a great party instead of a formal affair. Be creative and try to plan something fun. Remember at the end of the day you're still married, so try not to be as stuffy with your wedding when you're short on time. Think out of the box and you'll save your sanity and have a more memorable wedding than your friends who planned twice as long and spent ten times as much.

 8. Decide on a date and an alternate date.

Call your ceremony location options to find out what is available and how the cost fits into your overall plan. If you wait, you risk the date being unavailable. If you find a place you like that is available and in your price range you should book it and not wait.

9. Research reception areas to see what is available in your budget.

Consider the usual reception halls but also look into historic buildings, museums, vineyards, art galleries, botanical gardens, historic hotels with parlors. Zoos can also be a unique place for a reception that may be more affordable, available on a short time line and really make a fast turn around wedding memorable.

10. Contact an officiant to conduct the ceremony.

Certain religions or churches require couples to attend pre-wedding counseling. If you want a religious officiant, your officiant will likely want to meet with you and your partner before the wedding to discuss the vows, how they usually conduct ceremonies and other details. Don't wait until the last minute. Ministers book well in advance but they can usually do several ceremonies in one day. You may need to be flexible with your time if you must have your preferred officiant. If they aren't available you can ask if an associate pastor is available or if they can recommend someone else.View more photos: https://www.bridesdressau.com/bridesmaid-dresses-melbourne