So that all important question has been asked & you said yes - Congratulations!!!
But what now? So many of our clients have told us – the first question they had was “How to start planning a wedding”.
Here is our Deckerdence guide on the first 5 things to start planning a wedding. From a venue team that has over 100 years of combined experience in hosting weddings.
Everyone you know will have an opinion on how to start planning a wedding. Many people will tell you to start with a budget. Or your first stop must be to head to Pinterest, Instagram or TikTok. Or to write a list of everything you can think of ….. And yes all those things are valid. However, we know there is such an important step before any of those things need to happen.
So our first step on how to start planning a wedding is;
1. Enjoy your Engagement! – Celebrate!
This is a super exciting and special time – so enjoy the moment! Whether that’s heading to Instagram and showing those fabulous pictures of the ring. This very much seems to have taken over the old announcements in the papers – but if that’s your thing, do that too!
Get family & friends together in what works to your vibe to celebrate. Just beware, this maybe where the questions start getting asked, when, where, will I have a role in the wedding? Remember, at this time it’s totally ok to say “we will come to all of that – right now we are celebrating being engaged!
Capturing this time is so important – many great wedding photographers offer engagement shoots as well as wedding photography.
Then there is so much advice out there on what you should do next – set a date, choose a venue, set a budget, write a guest list
And well in all honesty, they can be done in any order, and the order you do them is a personal choice – there is no right or wrong here.
Here’s our top tips on how to start planning a wedding
2. Envision Your Dream:
So we know there are lots of people around you who think they know how your wedding should be, and we aren’t saying ignore these family and friends, but begin your wedding planning odyssey by envisioning the kind of celebration that reflects you and your partner’s personalities.
One of the first thoughts might be about wedding traditions – what are they, do you have to do them? (but that is a whole another blog topic we will come to another day.
I suggest this is where to begin, now not to start on a negative, but I always ask my clients…. what did you dislike about a wedding you have been to recently, and of course on the flip side, what did you love about it. This is far from copying an idea – but it’s a great starting point or wedding planning that gets you going. This also will lead to you figuring out if there are deal breakers for the day, like – must be able to have your dogs with you – or you don’t want a formal 5 course sit down meal.
Great places for inspiration for planning are wedding listing websites & blogs, Instagram and Pinterest. My top tip is on Pinterest, you can keep boards private – so you could set up 3 boards
- Things we love
- Things we might consider
- Things we don’t want
Also we really recommend visiting wedding fairs – it’s a great way to see things in full details. Make sure the fairrs you are visiting are right for you. Many venues host open days – but they will focus on weddings at that location. Independent fairs five you a greater mix of suppliers. These are some of our facourites that we will often be at!
Some great listing sites that have blogs, and epic wedding events we love are:
MNT _ Make New Traditions https://www.make-new-traditions.com
Unconventional Wedding https://unconventionalwedding.co.uk
These are great for quirky, unique wedding inspiration when you start planning your wedding.
3. Budget Basics:
Sorry to bring in then hard reality – but this is true. Establishing a realistic budget is crucial. Are you Chandler Bing and do you already have the savings account ready? Is anyone else contributing to the fund? What’s the amount you have? Once you know that total spend the budget sets the tone for the entire planning process and helps you prioritise where to allocate your resources.
Take into account all potential expenses. Make sure you are comparing like for like.
Especially for outdoor weddings – many structure suppliers only include the actual structure and some furniture in the quote. You will then need all the infrastructure like power, toilets – perhaps even a water supply.
With our Deckerdence packages we include everything you need – even with the essentials package. We like to make it super easy and clear to see and understand whats included in the packages. These aren’t set in stone though, there extras you can to increase the fun!
4. Setting the date / Choosing your dream venue
What came first the chicken or the egg?
It’s an age old questions – like ‘should we set the date first – or find the venue first?
Is there a date it just has to be – no compromise? Then you have your answer. Date first
If thats not the case then here’s some things to think about – do you have an outdoor festival summer wedding? Do you want your venue draped in Christmas garlands and drinking winter pimms?
For us with outdoor weddings at our events space in Warwickshire, the time of year becomes a key factor. Spring and summer are popular choices, but fall weddings bring a cozy charm, while winter weddings can be magical with the right decor.
Availability for the venue may then lead to the date being chosen. For us, we only take on 1 wedding a week on a Saturday. This means we can give everything to our clients and make sure within the booking set and clear down time works for us and them.
4. Guest List Magic:
In many cases step 2 and 3 can determine your guest list – Creating your guest list is like curating the cast for your own love story. Consider the capacity of your shortlist of venues – if they can only hold 80 and you want / need to invite 150 – then you have to make that horrid decision of changing venue or a cull to the guest list.
Outdoor festival style weddings can allow for greater numbers, especially if you are not looking for your guests to all be seated for the wedding breakfast at the same time. If you street food vans and guest can go when they want and sit where they want
– this can give you greater flexibility on numbers.
Another way we have brought flexibility to weddings at Deckerdence is that we have created an ultimate wedding package with an extension marquee which allows numbers to go up to 300!
5. Find Your Dream Team:
For us at Deckerdence once our couples have had a virtual viewing and held a date or come along to an in person viewing & booked the next step is building your wedding dream team. These are suppliers who will bring your day & night to life.
Many venues have a recommend supplier list – and we do too. Our little black book of suppliers is built on trust and not commission. If we recommend a supplier to you – its because we love them, we have worked with them, we trust them and we know they will deliver for you! (No commission is charged or offered).
For many venues you must use their supplier list – but we know working with our clients it needs to be about flexibility. You may have seen an epic band that you love – or been to a food festival and food an amazing street food cart. We love working with
new suppliers too and once you have make those important decisions with them we will take care of the logistics for you with them.
We hope this helps with the question of how to start planning your wedding!
If you are looking for an outdoor wedding – you can get more tips in our guide to 3 mistakes to avoid when planning your outdoor wedding here on our website.
What to know more about Deckerdence for your fabulous outdoor wedding? You can quickly & easily book a viewing with us here: https://www.deckerdence.com/book-a-viewing/
