Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, but with the right guidance and approach, successful wedding planning can also be an incredibly rewarding and successful experience. In this step-by-step guide, we will provide you with valuable insights and practical tips to help you navigate the intricacies of wedding planning with ease.
Whether you’re a first-time planner or looking to improve your skills, this comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to orchestrate a truly memorable wedding. So, let’s dive in and unlock the secrets to successful wedding planning together.
Successful Wedding Planning Steps
Your wedding planning style should fit your personality and preferences. Successful wedding planning will keep in mind important factors such as the travel needs of your guests and wedding party, your budget, environmental factors, personal and dietary preferences, and one that is overlooked, your stress level.
But there are a few areas in particular that if you can get a head start and keep up with will be beneficial to you in the long run. Those areas are your wedding party, your vendors, and your guests. Of course, your budget will always be an underlying influence. In this post, we will focus on these 3 main areas to help provide a framework for getting ahead in your planning.
Keep Your Wedding Party on Track
One of the most challenging parts of wedding planning is keeping your wedding party up to date. The reason for this is that your wedding party consists of a set group of people who will attend multiple events throughout your wedding. They will not all attend the same events however they will all attend multiple events. This makes communication very difficult if you try to communicate with each person and inform them of their events separately.
I can remember very well being a part of weddings when I would receive e-mail after e-mail with instructions on getting fitted for my tux, where to be for the bachelor party, and the closer it got to the wedding getting text upon text with when and where to show up on time. This can be downright exhausting for both the couple and the wedding planner.
Although this is part of the wedding planner’s responsibility, if one is hired, there are better ways that they could spend their time other than sending these individual messages to each person. There’s a better way.
Tip: Use the Wedistry for Wedding Parties app to organize your wedding party. You can set your events, invite your wedding party, and keep everyone on the same page with just a few clicks. The wedding party can be one of the most difficult parts of wedding planning but it doesn’t have to be. It’s difficult because there are so many details to keep track of and so many people to invite to different events.
But there’s a reason that the wedding party management is a challenge. It’s because these are very important members of the wedding. They are the Maid of honor and Matron of Honor, Best Man, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen, Ushers, Musicians, and participants of the wedding. They are very special people in the lives of the couple and they are critical to a wedding going smoothly.
By the way, you want to have backups for those who are in your wedding party, especially for those who have speaking, reading or singing parts. Many times, someone else who is in the wedding can fill in easily but you definitely want to have an idea of who will fill in just in case someone can’t attend the wedding due to illness, travel challenges, or other reasons.
Keep Your Vendors In the Know
Another essential part of your wedding to consider is your vendors. Your vendors consist of anyone whom you pay to help with the wedding such as your photographer and videographer, and catering, Your wedding planner would also be included in this category as well as your florist and wedding designer and venues. Think about anyone whom you have a contract with or anyone you are paying besides the officiating minister.
Your wedding dress and tuxedo companies and anywhere you host your events also fall in this category. A helpful practice is to look at your wedding budget and events to determine who all of your vendors will be for your wedding. Have a separate contact list for them that is easily accessible.
Start by booking your venue as soon as you possibly can. As soon as you know you are engaged, start looking into your venue. The reason for this is that you want to give yourself the best opportunity to select your preferred wedding date. You will likely need to put down a deposit unless you are member of a church that waives this cost. Once you have booked your venue, you don’t necessarily need to announce your venue yet. This is just for your knowledge and records.
You can follow your regular wedding announcement schedule such as save the dates followed by inviting your wedding party and inviting all of your guests. But be sure to have backup dates and a backup venue. Just in case something goes wrong you want to be able to let guests know that the wedding will continue even if you need to change your location. You don’t want to have to look for a backup location at the last minute.
When it comes to your vendors, successful wedding planning looks like having vendors you love offering services you find helpful and people who are kind and knowledgeable in their services. You want to lean on the recommendations from your wedding planner and your friends. A good wedding planner will know and have worked with phenomenal vendors who will be ready to offer an excellent experience to your guests. It’s not a bad thing if they have busy schedules. That means that plenty of others have enjoyed their services and are willing to recommend them to their peers.
Be ready to negotiate with your vendors no matter how well-established their pricing may be. They may still be willing to work with you due to your circumstances. Not all weddings are the same. It doesn’t hurt to ask. But remember that what is included in your agreement is what you should receive. Don’t assume that your services will extend beyond what you’ve agreed upon in writing. Your contract or written agreement is always your guide to ensure that you are on the same page when it comes to the services you will receive.
Keep Your Wedding Guests Up to Date
Keeping your wedding guests up to date is another important part of successful wedding planning. Things to remember are that you will have a structured process and a not so structured process. This means you will send out invitations on a specific date. You will have a certain number of people in mind and you will keep track of your wedding guests. But there is another part of successful wedding planning that involves the flexible aspect of planning.
This means that you may need to adjust your number of guests, your venue, or how you even follow up to receive RSVPs. There’s nothing wrong with contacting your guests if you think that they are someone who may want to attend but you haven’t heard from them yet. It’s very common to have a short list of people who are busy or have just not ironed out their wedding plans but will still plan to attend the wedding.
Feel free to text them or call them if you think they would like to hear from you and if you even think they would appreciate the reminder that you need to know whether or not they will attend. You know your wedding guests better than anyone. Trust your instincts and ask your spouse to be whether it might be a good idea to just give them a call or text. More people than not will appreciate a little follow-up.
As for the structured part of wedding planning, it isn’t a perfect science but there are some tried and trusted methods of reaching out to guests and receiving RSVPs. There are numerous well-designed wedding websites that will help to keep track of responses but just remember that you will always need to do a little nudging. Be patient and remember that these are your loved ones and try to ask in a way that lets them know you want to make them feel included.
