Arranging your wedding flowers can be a mind-boggling affair due to the multitude of options for integrating flowers into your wedding day. The below list includes all the main flower options you may want to consider. These are suggestions only, not necessities. Pick and choose what suits your wedding theme. Pinterest is a great place for flower inspiration.
Once you’ve finalised your Guest List – and we mean finalised, not nearly finalised – it’s time to send it to your venue and your caterers so they can prepare accordingly. We’d tend to advise against sending your Guest List before it’s fully finalised as you’ll end up sending revised version after revised version, and that risks leaving you (as well as your suppliers!) confused.
How Can You Make Sure You Have All This Information?
Well, there’s one easy way to keep track of all this information – it’s your Bridebook’s handy Guest List Tool! You can use it to keep track of your RSVPs, +1s and any extra information like dietary requirements and access needs too.
If you haven’t sent out your invitations yet, make sure to include a clear RSVP deadline. As a rule, set your RSVP deadline at least six weeks before your big day. We also recommend that couples always check with their venue, caterer and other suppliers if they will need confirmation of numbers earlier than this and adjust accordingly.
If you’ve already sent out your invitations and your RSVP deadline is fast approaching (or has even already gone by), don’t be shy! Reach out to any guests who haven’t yet RSVP’d to confirm whether or not they’ll be attending.
With these tricks up your sleeve, you’ll have your Guest List finalised in no time – and then it’s back to the fun stuff! Did someone say cake tasting…?
Planning your wedding is a fun, exciting and challenging time. It’s fun and exciting because you and your best friend are planning the biggest party of your lives before you spend the rest of your lives together. It’s challenging because, unfortunately, it’s actually pretty expensive to plan a wedding.
In the UK, the average cost of a wedding is £20,775, which is a considerable amount of money for most couples. It’s amazing just how expensive weddings can become as budgets spiral out of control. Small costs can quickly stack up. Plus, if you don’t keep on top of invoices and payments, it can soon suck the joy out of the experience, and become something altogether stressful.
The great news is, there are things you can do to make sure you don’t get carried away and you keep on top of your payments. In this post, we’re going to dive into how to pay for a wedding, including budgeting and payment options, as well as tips for making sure you manage your money smartly.
How to pay for a wedding: cheat sheet
Check out the below cheat sheet for the key takeaways when it comes to paying for your wedding. Refer back to it whenever you need to.
Follow this cheat sheet when thinking about your wedding payments
If you’re looking for how to pay for a wedding on your own, this isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. We’ve already covered how the average UK wedding costs almost £20,000, but that figure is exactly that – an average. So, there are plenty of weddings that cost way below this (as well as some that cost far more, of course). And, a wedding that costs far less than the average is a much easier and more achievable goal if you want to pay for it all yourself.
Here are a few things to consider if you want to pay for your wedding:
Set a realistic budget. If you’re going it alone, you may have to consider what are must-haves compared to nice-to-haves.
Consider the venue carefully, because some cost way more than others. For example, getting married in a castle will cost you around £12,454, while a registry office will cost around £1,342.
Rather than a wedding that takes place across a whole day, you can slash costs by having a twilight wedding, which takes place during the latter half of the day.
Ramp up your monthly savings where possible – even one less meal out per month could save you around £1,000 over the course of a year (if you regularly eat in places that are a little pricey, that is).
Think about how you could make money through a side hustle. It shouldn’t take too much time – after all, you still need downtime and an opportunity to actually plan your wedding. But, you could earn an extra £1,000 a year and avoid paying any additional tax.
Choose to get married during off-peak days and months, which could save you thousands. With only 13% of couples getting married on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there’s also much less competition out there.
Be open to compromise – if you are, there are plenty of ways to cut costs.
When you plan your wedding there are quotes, figures, deposits, instalments, direct debits and invoices flying around from all different directions. With so much going on, how are you supposed to keep track and make sense of everything? Below are a few things to keep in mind so you don’t get lost wading through mounds of overdue invoices.
Agreeing on your budget is more than sticking your finger in the air and plucking out a magic number. If you do that, and then try to fit your venue, catering, outfits, rings and more around it, you’ll soon realise that you’re likely to run out of budget.
Of course, it’s useful to have an overall figure to aim for. But, in order to do this accurately, you first need an idea of what each individual vendor is going to cost. The best way to do this is by using a budget calculator, which helps you visualise everything using realistic figures. That way, you can instantly see that your dream venue, which costs £8,000, might not align with the overall budget of £10,000 that you were hoping for.
If you’re not quite sure about what you want at this stage, it can be useful to use average wedding costs to get an idea of what it might set you back. From there, you can determine where you can make savings and which costs are your non-negotiables. Getting out there and gathering quotes will also help you figure out how realistic your dream vendors are.
One important point to remember is that your life will continue long after your wedding. You and your new spouse may want to go on your honeymoon, buy a house or start a family – and all of those require money. So, while you may want to throw a lavish and memorable wedding, you might not want to start married life from square one.
You’ve worked out your money, you know how much you want to spend on your wedding, you’ve maybe even started booking one or two vendors, such as your venue and caterers. The deposit for your venue could be as much as 50% (but is usually closer to 10%), which could instantly drain your bank balance. So what does that mean for the other countless things you need to pay for over the coming months?
There are several ways couples choose to pay for their wedding. They may use one of these methods or a combination of several. Which you choose is down to you, your preferences and your financial situation:
Personal savings
Pay by monthly instalments
Credit cards (though not necessarily recommended due to high interest rates)
With so many quotes flying around and important vendors to book, how do you know which one you should book and pay for first?
The most important thing to secure first is your date. This is predominantly decided by your chosen venue and whether or not they have availability on the date you’d like to get married. If this is a peak date, such as a Saturday during the summer, then you may find that you have to book this at least a couple of years in advance. If you’re happy to get married midweek during the winter, you’ll have a lot more flexibility.
Once you’ve secured your date at your chosen venue, you can start fitting everything else in, which you’ll probably want to do in order of whatever’s most important to you. For example, it may look a little something like this:
Photography/Videography
Catering
Celebrant/Registrar
Flowers
Cake
Dress/Suits
Transport
Entertainment/Music
As the big day draws closer, you’ll also want to sort out your accessories, rings, favours and hair and beauty. There are also the invitations, which you’ll want to put together fairly early so you give your guests as much notice as possible.
Another way to approach it would be in order of the most expensive. Get the larger payments out of the way first, such as the venue, food and dress, then think about the cake, transport and entertainment a little later on. Of course, if you do that and you leave it too long, it does risk your chosen vendor not being available for your date.
When you start making payments, the worst thing you can do is not keep track of which bills you’ve paid and when. Every time you make a payment, no matter how small, make sure you keep a record of the who, when and how much.
We’ve built a super smart budget tracker to help you manage the costs. You can make a note of how much you’ve paid so you know exactly what balances are still outstanding – perfect if you want to avoid complicated spreadsheets!
As you pay each vendor through their preferred payment method, mark this off your tracker as you go. As devastating as it may be to spend so much money in such a short amount of time, it will feel great getting these costs ticked off your lists.
Once all the payments have been made, you’ll feel like the cloud has been lifted and once again you can look towards your wedding, enjoying that wonderful mix of excitement and joy.
Once you’re deep in planning mode and it feels like things are going well, it can be easy to get carried away. You might even feel like a wedding planning genius! When this happens, it can be easy to feel a little overconfident. This can lead to the odd mistake, which is more than likely avoidable.
Some of the most common wedding payment mistakes include:
Purposefully overspending, which means payments can quickly become unmanageable. Don’t let anyone else sway how much you spend.
Refusing to be flexible can potentially cause issues. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that everything will go 100% to plan, so be open to compromise.
Even with meticulous planning and budgeting, sometimes costs can rise and you go over budget. Failing to have a contingency plan means unexpected costs will sting a lot more than they might have otherwise.
Always share concerns and worries with your partner. Chances are, they’ll share the same thoughts (which is why you’re getting married, right?) and you can think of a plan B together.
Don’t book anything without getting several quotes, first. Quotes will help you see if the vendor you choose is offering a fair price.
Don’t forget to ask for a discount from every vendor you book. Almost everyone you get a quote from will have some wiggle room – usually, you’ll save at least 5%, which can add up massively.
We get it, weddings are incredibly expensive, and even if you’ve carefully budgeted and you’re on top of your payments and savings goals, the costs can still sting. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can save money on your wedding. Just a few ways include:
Get married on an off-peak date
Choose a venue outside of the city – especially London
Hire more inexperienced vendors, such as your cake-maker and photographer
Choose in-season flowers and arrangements that use more foliage
Go for a cake with a simple design to save on decorating time
This is just a taste of the ways you can save money. Check out our comprehensive guide to saving money on your wedding, which features dozens of cost-cutting tips.
Two thirds of couples ask for help to pay for their wedding, so if you can’t pay for your big day by yourself then it’s okay to ask for a little support from your family.
When doing so, give them a heads up that you want to ask them to help pay so you don’t spring it on them unexpectedly. Then, sit them down and share your budget and plan with them in person so you can explain what you’d like and how they can help. The more they can see you’ve planned everything thoroughly, the more they’ll be inclined to help if they can.
Need a few more handy ways to understand more about paying for your wedding? Here are ten helpful tips for scraping and saving.
Treat your budget as your bible.
Be realistic and don’t set your heights too high. It’s easier to add more on later if you’ve underspent than it is to take things away if you’ve overspent.
Have a contingency plan in case something goes over budget – try to allow for around 10%.
Always start by booking your venue, as this is often the biggest expense and the trickiest to secure.
Always think about the bigger picture. If one thing doesn’t quite go to plan, there will more than likely be ten things that do.
Start paying for things as early as possible to avoid missing payments and accruing fees.
Prioritise vendors that are most important to you.
If you’re asking family for financial support, do so as soon as you can so you know your total budget early on.
Try not to rely on your credit card. The last thing you want during the build-up to your wedding is looming credit card debt.
Consider opening a dedicated savings account that the two of you can pay into each month. Having it right there will help you keep track of how much of your budget you have left.
Manage your wedding payments on Bridebook
Here at Bridebook, our handy budget calculator helps you keep track of how much your wedding costs so you don’t accidentally spend too much. Sign up and start planning your perfect wedding today!
Since your bridal party have been so helpful with your wedding preparations, it’s only fair that they get some kind of reward for their efforts! Well, that’s the idea behind giving them gifts. This is optional of course. Nobody is forcing you to dish out gifts! If your wedding party have been genuinely helpful however, this is a nice touch as it lets them know that their help is appreciated. What you buy and how lavish you are is completely up to you. If you intend to go big with your gifting, you may want to budget this into your budgeter spreadsheet as this could end up being a significant cost!(this is often overlooked). Here are the people you would traditionally buy gifts for:
Best man
Maid of Honour
Other groomsmen(optional)
Other bridesmaids(optional)
It’s also traditional to buy a bouquet of flowers for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom(1 each!) which will set you back an extra £100. Remember to budget that in.
You may also wish to purchase a gift for the fathers if you feel compelled to. This is not a traditional option so you would be breaking the mould!
A gift for the wedding officiant is also something you may wish to consider. This would just be a small token gesture to thank them for their part in your wedding day.
Finally, a gift for your fiancé prior to the wedding(or on the wedding night) will never go amiss as it adds a final flourish of romance to what is already an uber-romantic day!
The wedding is approaching fast and the tasks are piling up! It could be tempting to postpone your haircut to the last few days before the wedding to keep it looking as fresh as possible….but this is a mistake! Your hair takes time to settle into a new style, making a last-minute haircut a bad choice. Most hairstylists would advise you to get your hair trimmed and coloured around 2 weeks before your wedding (tweet us if you disagree). Any earlier than this and your hair would have the opportunity to grow too much before the wedding, potentially ruining the style. Any later than 2 weeks before and your hair may not fully settle into the style. The other advantage of getting a trim 2 weeks before is that if the stylist makes any mistakes, you have time to try and rectify it.
Once your hair is trimmed, try experimenting with the style you plan to do on your wedding day to see how it looks. If you feel that something doesn’t look right, look for small changes you can make to improve it. You may want to go over this with your hairstylist.
Read more about working with your wedding hairstylist
‘I had prepared an excellent speech for you today, but unfortunately, now that I’m married … I’ve been told to read this one instead.’
‘I have been told that this is usually one of the only times in a married man’s life when he can speak without being interrupted … I may be here sometime.’
‘I didn’t actually receive an invitation to the wedding, so I hope I haven’t just eaten somebody else’s meal.’
‘When I asked [bride’s] father if I could marry his daughter, he wanted to know if I would be able to support the family. The answer was no! I was only planning to support his daughter. The rest of them would have to look after themselves.’
‘A lot of people believe that girls marry men who remind them of their fathers, which explains why [bride’s] mother crying so much during the ceremony.’
‘I was a bit nervous about giving a wedding speech so I had a look online for some tips. The best advice came from Franklin D Roosevelt who said “Be sincere; be brief; be seated”. So…..thanks very much for coming!’
‘[bride] says that I never listen….or something like that’
Those who want to get married near their home town
Those who want to get married(a little further away) in a different city
Those who want to get married in a different country
In this hack, we are going to talk about the latter. This hack is for those adventurous couples who take their entire wedding overseas to create the ultimate dream wedding. This is the destination wedding!
Choosing the location
This is the hardest part. Where do you begin? Well, as always, a good place to start is your wedding theme. Do you already have a theme in mind for your wedding? If so, try to choose a location that suits your theme. Consider if you want an outdoor or indoor wedding and scope out areas that you think would be well suited. Keep in mind that the best weather usually occurs during the tourist season which could mean that your dream location ends up being really busy (a beach full of spectators probably wasn’t on your wish-list). If you already have a location which is important to you and your fiancé or that has some sentimental value, these locations bring an added touch to your wedding which can make it even more special. Of course, always keep an eye on the price to check if it’s in your budget. There are some additional costs needed for a destination wedding which we will discuss in more detail below.
Money-saving tips
If you plan to get married outdoors, use the natural beauty of the location to save on decorations. Likewise, try decorating indoor areas with local goods, adding an authentic feel. This could include plants, produce, crates etc. Be creative.
Look for non-city locations with cheaper flights, venues and accommodation. Just make sure that it is easy enough to travel there and that there are enough hotels to house all your guests.
Block-book hotels
As mentioned above, depending on when you book, it could be tourist season and there may not be enough accommodation available to cover all your guests. To avoid this, block-book hotels or self-catering accommodation in advance. The quicker you can finalise your guest list the better, as this will give you a more accurate idea of the total number of guests you need to book rooms for. You can then ask your guests to pay you directly to allow you to settle the bill with the hotel. For more complex bookings (e.g. if you are arranging self-catering or room-sharing), a Facebook messenger group can be incredibly useful.
Visit first yourself
Oh what a burden! It is highly recommended that you visit the location/venue yourself at least once before you get married. Ideally, you would want to visit before booking your venue and visit a few possible venues to make sure you are completely happy with it. If you are going to go to the effort of getting married abroad, you need to make sure it’s right. If possible, try visiting 2 or 3 times. This is something else to add into the budget.
Vendor issues
Do you plan to hire a local vendor for your destination wedding or are you bringing a vendor with you? If they are a local vendor, you would probably want to meet them first, prior to booking them. If they don’t speak English, you may want to consider hiring a local English-speaking wedding planner to liaise with all vendors on your behalf (it’s an added expense but could save a lot of hassle). If, on the other hand, you are bringing a vendor with you, there will probably be a requirement to pay for their travel and accommodation costs. If you need to do this for multiple vendors, costs will quickly skyrocket.
Local marriage requirements
This is a biggie! It is essential that you check the legal requirements of getting married in whatever country you choose. Many countries have a residency requirement which means that you must reside in the country for a certain period before your wedding ceremony. The duration of this period differs between countries although some countries are quite lengthy e.g. France is 40 days!
Warn your wedding party in plenty of time
It’s important to stay aware of the financial responsibilities you are placing on guests by getting married abroad. Unless you plan to pay for all your guests’ flights and accommodation, give your guests as much notice as you can so they can prepare accordingly. This is especially true for your wedding party and guests who you are really close with as you want to ensure that they are able to attend.
Can all your guests travel?
It’s also good to consider if all your guests are able to travel? For example, any friends who will be in the late stages of pregnancy around your wedding date may not be able to make it.
Weather and Outfits
Unfortunately, getting married abroad still does not guarantee good weather and you should prepare a backup plan if the weather takes a turn for the worse. As well as rain, wind can cause a serious issue for outdoor weddings. We have outlined some wind/rain busting solution in our beach wedding hack.
Your outfits should also be weather appropriate. Make sure to choose lighter fabrics that you won’t overheat in. Unless you are having a destination wedding in Greenland, in which case the opposite is true!
If you are considering a destination wedding, the above points are your key considerations to whether you think it will be achievable. If planned well, a destination wedding can actually work out cheaper if you choose the right location(although that’s not the best reason to opt for a destination wedding). Keep in mind that the difficulties of wedding planning are immediately doubled when you are planning the wedding overseas so you need to decide if it’s worth the extra effort. But don’t let me put you off! A destination wedding can be one of the most spectacular weddings imaginable……and if it’s what you want, who cares how difficult it is…..just do it!
Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life, but it brings with it an unusual cocktail of emotions. Joy, nerves, excitement, panic…to name a few. The combination of extreme fear and extreme excitement at the same time is a very strange feeling. Of course, nerves and fear are totally expected. Getting married is a big deal and the thought of exhibiting the event in front of 100+ guests can make it all-the-more daunting. Let’s face it! You’re not going to be able to get rid of all the nerves, but a few quick tips can make all the difference between anxiety and bliss.
1. Do what you can to relax in the morning
The morning of your wedding is where the real nerves start. Here are a few tips:
Start the day with a bath
You may not feel like eating, but going out for breakfast can also be a nice start to the day
A good way to keep yourself calm is to get some company. Ideally, you want to have somebody with a calming personality with you as you start to get ready. Parents, friends or other members of the wedding party are a good place to start. If you’re getting ready on your own, your mind is free to race and that’s when panic can set in. Get distracted, get some company.
2. Remember what it’s all about
There are many things that you may be feeling anxious about…..the ceremony, speeches, first dance etc. Whatever it is, try to remember that these things are only moments in time, they will be finished as soon as they start. Your marriage however is going to last forever. As pleasant as these individual parts of your wedding are, they are only components of the overall celebration of your marriage. Focus on the reason for the day, your love for one another and you will find yourself hopelessly distracted from everything else.
3. Remember that nobody wants you to mess up
If you are nervous about the audience that will be watching you getting married, don’t be! Remember that everyone you have invited is there because they love you and want to share this day with you. Nobody is hoping you mess up (if they are then don’t invite them!). If anything goes wrong, nobody is going to mock, it just becomes a humorous moment that you will be sharing at dinner tables for years to come.
4. Take it all in
If you are too busy panicking, you may forget to take in the events of the day. It’s so easy to get distracted by your nerves, so instead, just focus on the beautiful little moments that occur during the day. Soak in every conversation, embrace every hug and every handshake. It flies by! And regardless of how nervous you were at the start of the day, you will most likely go to bed saying it was one of the greatest days of your life. Live in the moment. Take it all in.
Are you looking for some quotes from famous individuals for your wedding speech? Here is a short list to get you started:
“I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.” – Groucho Marx
“The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” – Allan K. Chalmers
“The man who says his wife can’t take a joke forgets that she took him.” – Oscar Wilde
“A man is incomplete until he’s married. After that, he’s finished.” – Zsa Zsa Gabor
“Some women pick men to marry, and others pick men to pieces.” – Mae West
“There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day, knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.” – Ronald Reagan
“The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman’s heart.” – Timothy Titcomb, J. G. Holland
“It’s not as great a day for the bride as she thinks. She’s not marrying the best man.” – Anonymous
“It’s a funny thing that when a man hasn’t anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married.” – Robert Frost
“Any fool can have a trophy wife. It takes a real man to have a trophy marriage.” – Diane Sollee
“You know you are in love when you see the world in her eyes, and her eyes everywhere in the world.” – David Levesque
Crafting the perfect wedding playlist is a skill in itself. Your task is to take your guests on a musical journey that tells them a story or guides them in a certain flow of emotions.
The ceremony music is a bit more self-explanatory so we won’t discuss that in this hack. Instead, we’ll discuss playlist structure for the other 2 key (musical) points of the day.
Backing music for the meal
The dancing
Music is such a personal thing. There will be songs that remind you of certain moments in your life and instantly transport you back to that time. There will also be songs that are a shared memory for both you and your fiancé. These songs are often a great starting point for building your playlist if you are willing to share them with your guests. You can then work around them with songs of a similar style.
You may wish to place the songs in chronological order of their meaning to your relationship….. i.e. from when you met until the present day. This can be a nice touch and will be very special for you(even if it means nothing to your guests). Whether you tell your guests the significance of the songs is up to you.
The other option is to use songs that you feel match the tone of your wedding and you believe your guests will enjoy. For the meal, don’t use anything too lively. Some unfamiliar relaxing backing music is a good choice as your guests probably won’t know the words(you want your guests to talk to one another…..not sing throughout the meal). Listen to the words, not just the sound of the song! I heard about one couple who chose “Still haven’t found what I’m looking for” by U2 for their first dance! Cringe!
The evening playlist is a bit different because you don’t want all the songs to have the same tone. The best way to structure the evening playlist is like this:
Lively(get your guests up and dancing and working up a sweat)
Quiet(let your guests relax, grab a drink and have a slow dance)
Lively again(Once your guests have got some energy back, finish your night in style)
This is a good balance of lively and quiet. Your guests won’t be too exhausted but have had the opportunity to dance as much as they wanted to.
Booking your wedding music is one of the most fun tasks in your wedding planning. It is the soundtrack of your wedding and the backing music to your first dance! A big deal! So it’s important to get this right. Here is a quick 4-step guide to power through this task quickly and happily, whether you are booking a band or DJ.
1. Think about the style
The best place to start with all vendor bookings is your wedding theme. The same is true for booking your wedding music. If you don’t have a wedding theme yet, we would suggest coming up with one as soon as you can as it makes your life a whole lot easier. Once you have decided on your theme, try to base your music around this. Certain themes are naturally suited to certain genres. E.g. a 70s themed wedding would be well suited to a disco/funk band, whereas a rock n’ roll wedding would be best suited to a……erm……90s pop band(obviously). Of course, it’s important to make sure you like the genre yourself. Looking at your theme will at least give you a starting point.
2. Do the research
The next step is the research phase. The best place to begin your search is on wedding directories such as Little Book for Brides or music-specific-directories such as Hireaband. An alternative approach is to use a site like Soundcloud. Most bands/artists on Soundcloud won’t promote themselves as a wedding band but you can still reach out to them and ask if they would be interested. This is a good choice if you want something a little bit more unusual.
3. Initial enquiry
Depending on how tight a deadline you have, you can either contact bands individually based on your preference or you can build a small list of potential bands and contact them all at once. Reach out with a simple email to check their availability on your wedding date, how much they charge and what their service includes(this is a good point to ask if you have any specific requests e.g. can they play a certain song). This is a casual enquiry so don’t feel obliged to book after this first email.
4. Book
Once you have found a band/artist/DJ that you are happy with(you should be happy with the music and the people), it’s time to confirm the booking. Confirm in writing, ask for any contracts that they provide and pay the initial deposit to confirm the booking. You have just booked your wedding music. Nice!
We know, we know – you don’t even want to think about it! And trust us, we’d much rather focus on the fun stuff too. But it’s got to be done – so let’s talk clear-up.
Who’s Going To Clear Up?
In an ideal world, you and your partner will be involved as little as possible in the clear-up – and if you can, we say delegate! If you’ve booked your wedding as a package (ie. including catering, decorations, etc.), the day after your wedding is likely to be a lot more straightforward as your venue may well take care of almost everything for you. You can also ask your suppliers what they offer in terms of clear-up – florists, for example, will likely come to collect any reusable elements from their displays. But if you’ve gone the DIY route, it’ll be on you. In that case, get your wedding party to take care of as much as possible so you and your partner can enjoy your first days as newlyweds… instead of spending them litter-picking.
How Are They Going To Clear Up?
Once you’ve confirmed who’ll be taking care of the clear-up, make sure they have everything they need. This includes things like bin bags and boxes – but it also includes transport. You’ll almost certainly want to make sure they have access to a car so that anything that needs to be stored elsewhere can be easily removed.
What Needs Clearing Up?
A few days in advance of your wedding, make a list of everything that will need to be cleared up – especially if you’re handing over responsibility for the clear-up to someone else. Start off by thinking about your decor, including decorations, signage, floral arrangements and table decorations. Equipment also falls into this category – sound systems, lighting and so on. Next, if you’ve rented any of your clothing, you’ll want to make sure you know when and where it needs to be returned, and whether it needs to be dry-cleaned in advance. Finally, work out what you’ll do with leftover food and drink.
Where Are You Going To Put It?
Start off by splitting everything into four categories: keep, collect, recycle/donate, bin. If you’ve arranged for your wedding party to take care of the clear-up, make sure to communicate to them what falls into each category. You don’t want keepsakes thrown in the bin – but you also don’t want to come back from your minimoon to find you have to recycle a hundred table settings. If you’d rather do it yourself, a good alternative is to arrange for everything to be temporarily stored somewhere until you have time to deal with it.
If wedding venue hunting isn’t up your street, a beach wedding could be the perfect alternative. Feel the sand on your feet and the wind in your hair as you wal…..ok, ok, let’s not get carried away!
A beach wedding is a beautiful thing….we can’t deny that. But it does come with some logistical issues…..sorry to be so un-romantic. If this is your dream however, don’t let anything stop you from going for it. We’re going to walk you through everything(well…not everything…..but almost) you need to consider when planning your beach wedding. Here’s a pre-warning…..it’s not going to be pretty….but it is practical. Let’s start with……
Tides
Make sure the beach will actually be there at the time of your wedding otherwise you may end up with a “sea wedding”. Check tide clocks for the date and time of your wedding to make sure the tide is out for the entire duration of the time you plan to spend on the beach.
Bride outfit
As you can imagine, various elements of the bride’s outfit become a lot trickier when you’re getting married on a beach. Consider the following:
Dress length
While a long dress can bring a floating elegance to your wedding outfit on a non-sand surface…..all this changes when you are on a beach. A long dress will be more difficult to walk in, will get dirty quickly and will probably look out of place. If you have already decided to wear a long dress, make sure it can bustle (and you know how to do it) to make things easier on the day.
Dress weight
Depending on the weather on your wedding day, a traditional heavy dress may not be the best option. Instead think about lighter fabrics. Remember that beaches can be windy so make sure the dress is long enough that it’s not going to blow up revealing your underwear!
Consider skipping the veil
Speaking of wind! The veil will be an even greater victim. With such light lace, the veil is going to be blown all over the place. This will cause a distraction during the ceremony and will be a real annoyance for you. Look at other options for hair decoration such as hair clips or flowers.
Go for flats
Heels and beaches are a no-go. There is nothing graceful about walking on sand with high-heels. Instead, go for flats or sandals(they will go better with a lightweight dress anyway). If you have your heart set on high heels, you would need to come up with some sort of aisle walkway to make things easier.
Groom outfit
If you are getting married in a hot country, a 3-piece suit may be an unwelcome burden on the wedding day while you are marinating in your own sweat(sorry to be so graphic!). If you are happy to go a little less formal, consider wearing linen trousers and a less formal shirt. If you are getting married in a cooler country, the traditional suit should be fine. If the weather heats up, you can wear a waistcoat instead of the suit jacket to keep things looking a little more formal.
Hair
Remember that wind we spoke about?! It can cause big problems with your hairstyles. You may be happy for your hair to be blown around if you are going for the natural, wind-swept look. If you want things to be a bit more tailored however, you will need to think about hairstyles that can easily be controlled. This is easier for grooms(with short hair) as a strong wax or gel will do the trick. Brides on the other hand have a bigger challenge. Look at up-dos or pleats and discuss this with your wedding hairstylist to find a style that they think would work. Invest in hair spray!
Makeup
If the weather looks to be hot on your wedding day, you may not want to be coated in a thick layer of makeup. Chat this over with your wedding makeup artist to find out a look that they think would be suitable. If you are going for a more natural look with your dress and shoes, lighter makeup may be a suitable compliment.
Weather
Depending on where you are in the world, the weather could differ greatly. Beach weddings are more weather reliant than an indoor wedding(as you would imagine) so it’s even more important to keep an eye on the weather forecast in the weeks and months leading up to the wedding. Make sure to dress suitably and consider your hair and makeup as already mentioned. It’s also important to think about your backup options if the weather takes a turn for the worse. E.g. if there is a light shower, you may still be able to go ahead with a beach ceremony but would need to think about keeping the guest seating dry and potentially a canopy for the bride and groom. If the weather was worse than that e.g. torrential rain and gale-force winds, you will need to abort and take the wedding inside. Make sure you have arranged a backup location indoors. If, on the other hand, the sun is beaming down, remember to wear sun-tan lotion. This would be easy to forget as we don’t imagine needing sun-tan lotion on your wedding day. But just imagine how you would feel if you ended up with wedding day sun burn!
Don’t forget about the wind! It’s not only your dress and hair that is affected by the wind. Any decorations(particularly paper) are at threat of being blown away if there is a mild wind. Avoid using:
Paper signage
Paper place names
Balloons
Fabric decorations
Loose flowers
Anything else lightweight
Tie anything down which you are able to.
The backup venue
You obviously don’t want to spend money booking a venue that will never be used. For your backup option, try the following options:
Are you having an indoor meal/reception? Would this venue allow you to use their premises for the ceremony if the weather was to change suddenly?
Is there a local church hall that you could make an agreement with? A small token payment could be made for your gratitude if the venue is used.
Just make sure that you can legally get married in the location. The laws are different depending on which country you are in.
Flowers/Decoration
One major benefit of getting married on the beach is the costs saved on decorations. You can’t get much prettier than the beauty of a beach. There is no need to go overboard with flowers and decorations. Keep it simple and natural and let the surroundings speak for themselves.
The legal bits
Laws are different worldwide so make sure to check your local laws for where you can/can’t get married. There may be additional documentation needed for a beach wedding so make sure you check this thoroughly.
Choosing your beach
You may have seen a beach online that looks beautiful but it’s important that you visit it before committing. Visit the beach on the same day of the week that you plan to get married and at the same time. This is to check how busy it would be at this time. Obviously there are other factors which contribute to the busyness of a beach(such as weather) but at least this gives you an idea. You probably don’t want hundreds of spectators at your wedding ceremony so it’s important to check how busy it is. A beach with hidden quiet spots is a good option to give you a little more privacy. Take a walk along the beach and find the perfect spot that balances good views and privacy. Not all beaches are a good choice for weddings.
Guests
Make sure to provide all the important information on the wedding invitations so your guests are adequately prepared. You may want your ushers to hand out some necessities as your guests arrive(e.g. bottles of water, sunglasses). Here are the things you may wish to suggest that your guests prepare for:
If you have any guests who struggle to walk, the beach may cause some problems. Make sure you plan a solution for this in advance and have somewhere comfortable they can sit(ideally with some shade).
Photos
There are lots of great photo opportunities at beach weddings. Think about this in advance and discuss it with your photographer. Look at Pinterest for some inspiration.
Choose canapés and drinks to suit
Choose refreshing options such as plain iced water with fresh lime and mint or a zesty-lemonade. Go for light canapés such as filo pastry(nothing that will melt into mush).
Sound system
Beaches can be noisy with the sound of wind and waves. You may need to set up a sound system with clip-on mics for the officiant, bride and groom, as well as handheld mics for the readers. Check with a local sound-hire company what their solution for this is. They will also need to provide some sort of power supply.
Toilets
If you are just having the ceremony on the beach, you may not need to think about this but it’s worth finding out where the nearest toilets are anyway. If you are also having the reception on the beach you will need to make sure there is a toilet available nearby. A local restaurant probably won’t be happy with all your guests using their toilets, so check if there are any public toilets. If there aren’t, you may need to hire a portable toilet.
Reception on the beach?
If you plan to have your reception on the beach too, you will need to make some additional arrangements such as hiring tables. Check that your caterer is happy to provide their service for an outdoor wedding and check what equipment they are able to bring. They may need you to hire a marquee for their preparation space. Once again, it’s important to think about the weather for the table setup. Keep it simple and avoid anything that can be blown over. Avoid Excessive fabrics, tall vases and unnecessary paper. If you have place cards and menus on the table, use something heavy to weigh them down(you could use your favours as weights). Alternatively use a large chalkboard as your menu that everybody can see and write place names on slate with chalk. To keep bugs away you could use citron candles. Put them in glasses with wide bases and sides that rise above the flame, this is to prevent them for being blown over or out!
If you are thinking about having a beach wedding and you weren’t put off by this hack(we’re sorry if you were), share this with your fiancé and wedding party to help you start making the necessary arrangements for creating the perfect beach wedding.
Deciding what you’re wearing on your wedding day is hard enough – let alone deciding what everyone else will wear! But even though we can’t promise it’ll be totally smooth sailing, these three questions will get you and your bridesmaids well on your way to your dream dresses.
1. What Colour Will Fit With My Wedding Theme?
If you’ve already decided on a wedding theme (and we highly recommend you do), you’ll have a much easier time of it when it comes to picking out your bridesmaids dresses. Even picking out two or three colours will help narrow down your options – or knowing whether you’re going for something more casual or formal. On the other hand, you could start off by thinking about the time of year. If you’re having a winter wedding, for example, you’ll probably be discounting anything that gives you “sundress” vibes. On the other hand, you’re unlikely to want to go for dresses using velvets or furs in the height of summer.
2. What Suits My Bridesmaids?
Okay, so colour’s sorted – now what kind of style? This is when you’ll want to spend some time thinking about your bridesmaids and what suits them. The same dress is unlikely to look as good on your tallest friend as on your shortest. In our opinion, the easiest thing to do is to let your bridesmaids pick out their own dresses – with guidelines, of course! That way, your 5’10 sister can stun in a silk slip dress – but your pint-sized bestie still looks super cute in their A-line minidress. If you definitely want all your bridesmaids to wear the same dress, look for a “compromise dress” that looks just about okay on everyone. What you want to avoid at all costs is choosing a dress that looks spectacular on one of your bridesmaids – but terrible on everyone else.
3. Do Your Bridesmaids Like It?
At the end of the day, it’s your wedding – but your bridesmaids are some of the most important people in your life, so you want to be sure they’re happy wearing whatever you’ve picked out. Ideally, make a day of it and take all your bridesmaids on a shopping trip. At the very least, though, send them a link to the dress you’ve chosen before you commit to buying it. After all, you want everyone smiling in the photos!
Yes, it has finally arrived! Probably the most exciting dress purchase you will make in your entire life! After months/years of research and multiple dress fittings to find the perfect gown, the day has come for you to hold the finished article. Try to arrange your dress pickup around 2 weeks before your actual wedding. Any earlier than this and your dress may not fit when your wedding day arrives….any later and you won’t have enough time to make any changes if you need to.
Try the dress on one last time to see how it fits. Even if you have not been trying to lose weight, there’s a good chance that you have. The stresses of wedding planning affect us all and can impact your appetite in a big way in the lead up to your wedding. When it comes to the pickup, you may find that the dress is suddenly a little loose and needs a slight re-adjustment. This is why you pick the dress up in advance to make sure any small alterations can be made with time to spare. Otherwise, you can take the dress home and try to put on weight before the wedding. A nice problem to have, I know, but it’s a risky strategy! If you eat too much you may overshoot the mark then not be able to fit into the dress but if your appetite remains small, you may just lose more and it could be even worse. Seek the advice of the person in the store to whether they think it should be resized or not(they have helped hundreds of brides so you can rely on their judgement).
And that’s it. Resist the temptation to wear the dress every day in the lead up to your wedding. Avoid damage at all costs!
Deciding on who to invite to your wedding is one of the most diplomatic matters of your wedding planning.
There are people who you are obliged to invite but don’t want to. And others who you want to invite but you are unable to as they have a major conflict with another guest who is essential. These delicate situations can result in political scenarios more complex than United Nations discussions…..or not.
Start this task by mentally preparing yourself for the fact that you may not be able to have your perfect guest list. You may need to miss some people out. And you may need to put some people in. Try your best to deal with that now.
Next, sit down with your fiancé and get yourselves on the same page. There may be some people that you have a love/hate relationship with i.e. you love them and your partner hates them. Get this out in the open at the start to avoid arguing later.
Now it’s time to establish the core people on your guest list and build out from there. Take some paper or a spreadsheet and make 5 columns. Write the total number of guests you are able to invite(if you have a limit) at the top of the sheet. Give the columns the following titles:
Wedding Party
Essential
Preferred
Preferably not
No
The next step is self-explanatory. Start in the first column and add the names of your wedding party(including yourselves). If you haven’t decided on your wedding party yet, read this hack. Move along to the “Essential” column and add all your essential guests(grannies, close friends etc.). Next, move to the “Preferred” column and add any guests that you would ideally like to attend. Now comes the harsh part! In the “Preferably not” column add any guests who you prefer not to invite but feel obliged to. And finally, the “No” column speaks for itself(you don’t actually need to add names to the “No” column).
Take some time to do this, don’t rush as you may miss somebody out.
Once complete, start counting the guests from left to right and stop once you reach your guest limit. Ideally, you want to stop in the “preferably not” column so that you can invite all the people you want to. When you reach your guest limit, now comes the hard part. Look at the current column only and work out how many guests you are able to invite from that column. Choose your favourite guests and remove the others. Your guest list is now complete.
This may seem like an overly-systematic harsh way to build your guest list…..and you’re right, it is. But sometimes this is just what’s needed. This is as simple a way as you will find to build your guest list.
When you start to plan your wedding, it can be tempting to jump straight into the “exciting stuff” like booking vendors and ignore some of the more boring tasks. One task that you will hear very little about in wedding magazines is creating an email list for all your guests.
This small task is a major time saver! Once you have finalised your guest list, create a mailing list in an email client such as Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail and add all your guests who have email addresses. If you don’t have an email address for a specific guest, message them to ask if they could provide one. Don’t spend too much time on this as it defeats the “time-saving” purpose.
Once you have your email list fully built, you can use this along the way for many aspects of your wedding planning. Here are some uses of your email list.
To find out any dietary requirements
To find out how many children will be attending
To find out who requires transport and who will be driving
To find out who requires accommodation
To confirm any details or changes to arrangements
These are just a few of the circumstances in which your email list is immensely useful. Without an email list, you would need to contact your guests individually to find out all of this information so this is a big time-saver. On top of this, if there are any major problems on the wedding day(such as the transport company cancelling!) you can quickly advise all guests in a few minutes. Very handy!
Build your email list as soon as you can and save the time later. The other alternative to an email list is to create a Facebook Messenger Conversation which can be quicker to setup but may be more intrusive.
OMG. If you’re reading this article, your wedding day must be close… How exciting! But that also means it’s time to make sure absolutely everything is in place. Now, every wedding is unique so we can’t guarantee that this list is exhaustive – but with these key tasks ticked off, you’ll definitely be in a great position.
1. Give Your Guest List A Once Over
Do one last guest list check. Are all your RSVPs in? Did you catch all the +1s and dietary requirements? Do you need to make any last-minute changes to the seating plan? If so, now’s the time to make those changes and send a completely up-to-date guest list to your venue.
2. Wardrobe Checks
If you’ve purchased your outfits, it’s dress rehearsal time. Get the wedding party together (including you and your partner) and make sure everyone’s outfits are just right. If you’re renting any aspect of your wedding outfit, make sure to finalise the date and time for pickup and collection. Now’s also the time for any last hair appointments, beauty treatments and so on. Don’t forget to put your shoes through their paces to make sure they’re broken in before your big day. And always pack an extra shirt!
3. Pin Down The Details
Contact all your suppliers to confirm all the details, including timings and locations. Now’s the time to give them clear directions to your wedding venue too – you don’t want to be fielding calls on your big day! Make sure you tick off the following:
Officiant – arrival time, details of any personalised vows
Photographer – arrival time, shot list
Videographer – arrival time, shot list
Cakemaker – arrival time (likely the day before), storage arrangements
Caterer – arrival time, menu, serving times
Transport – pickup and dropoff times, locations
Entertainment – arrival time, timings
Band or DJ – arrival time, timings, first dance song, set list
Hair and makeup – arrival time
Once you’ve confirmed with all your suppliers, make one last call to your venue to make sure they know everything that’s going on too.
4. Speech, Speech!
Give your vows and speeches one last read through and make sure you’re 100% happy with them. Give yourself a day or two to get familiar with any edits you make – and set aside some time to do a practice run in the bathroom mirror!
5. In Case Of Emergencies…
A few days in advance of your wedding, put together an emergency kit of wedding-day must-haves. This will be personal to you and your partner but might include items like deodorant, safety pins, plasters, a hairbrush or comb, wet wipes, a travel sewing kit… It might seem like overkill but we can guarantee you’ll be glad to have it on the day!
Now don’t get us wrong – you may well have a lot more to do than that! There are decorations to organise, rehearsal dinners to host, place settings to write… But make sure you’ve covered this in the week or two leading up to your wedding and it’ll be much smoother sailing.
If you are opting for a traditional wedding, you will be provided with the ceremony wording by your officiant. If you have decided to write your own vows however, you will need to be a little more creative. Here is our guide on writing your vows.
1. Will you keep your vows secret?
Most couples write their vows independently and say them to their fiancé for the first time during the ceremony. This is a very emotional option(if you are a “crier”, this may be difficult) but can be very beautiful. Decide together if you are going to keep them secret until your wedding or not.
2. Format
If you are writing your vows separately, you can optionally agree to stick to a set format such as the following:
[Name] I take you to be my [husband/wife]
[your own wording here explaining briefly why you love them]
I promise to …..[list of things that your promise to do]
[your own wording here explaining that you will love them forever]
A format like this can make it a little easier to write the vows and brings a consistency between both sets of vows during the ceremony. If you opt against a fixed-format like the above, you have more room for expressing your love through your word choices but sacrifice the consistency between bride/groom vows. This choice is down to what suits your personalities best.
3. Mention your relationship
If you are struggling for content, your relationship history is a beautiful reminder of your love. Mention mildly-funny(but sweet) moments, how you first met or a challenge that you have overcome together. This brings memories of your relationship thus far and leads you beautifully into looking at your future together.
4. Make promises
So, you have spoken about your past. Now it’s time to mention the future. These promises are declarations of your love and commitment to your fiancé. Your promises can be anything you like as long as you intend to keep them!(don’t say “I promise to never be annoyed” as that’s impossible). Make them real, emotional and meaningful. Use generic promises such as “I promise to do all I can to make you happy” but also use promises that apply only to you and your fiancé, such as “I promise to love you even when you leave your mucky boots in the kitchen!”(this adds humour and lightness to your ceremony and gives your guests an insight into your relationship).
5. Keep it less than 2 mins
This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, you don’t want to bore your guests. And secondly, if you do get emotional, you will probably struggle to get through the rest of the vows so keeping it short makes it a bit easier for you.
6. Say it out loud to somebody else
Once you have written your vows, practice saying them out loud in front of somebody else. There is something about saying them in front of somebody other than yourself that makes it more emotional. You may be able to say them in front of the mirror with no problems, but saying them in front of somebody else could be a challenge.
There are many guides you can read on writing your wedding vows but in the end it all comes down to what you want to say. Be honest and be kind. Don’t leave it to the last minute as the stress will hinder you from writing really heartfelt vows.
This is one of the last tasks on your wedding planning checklist(ignoring all the annoying problems that pop-up in the final week). You’ve probably got a to-do list about 100 items high so it may be tempting to assign this job to one of your groomsmen or bridesmaids. This is a perfectly reasonable option but it’s better if you can find the time to go yourself. Take this opportunity to try your outfit on and make sure everything fits. If somebody else picks it up and then you find it doesn’t fit, you will need to make the journey back to the shop again anyway. Take somebody else with you to validate that it looks good and to check that everything fits OK at the back.
Here are the key things you want to check:
It fits!
It’s comfortable
Make sure the shoes match(take them with you)
Have you got all the accessories you need?
At this point, it’s worth arranging who will return the outfit to the shop the day after your wedding. If you are honeymooning straight away, this is a necessity. One of your friends or family will be more than happy to help out to give you time to relax and enjoy your new marriage. You deserve some time off! Think about the logistics of how you will get your outfit to this person the day after the wedding.
Once you get the outfit home, keep it somewhere safe. Iron your shirts etc. a couple of days before the wedding(just in case you burn it!).
Try wearing the shoes around the house for 1-2 weeks before the wedding to soften the leather and make them more comfortable for your wedding day
