Photo by Bashir Olawoyin from Pexels
Are you getting married soon? If so, then you need to make sure that everything goes to plan. If you don’t, then you may find that you end up not being able to have the wedding day you hoped for.
Know that your Guests Come First
This may sound strange, but you really do need to try and put your guests first. Try and get a good grip on the number of guests that you are going to have at your event long before you settle on a venue. This will help you to make sure that you have enough space, and it will also make it much easier for you to reduce stress at a later date. If you aren’t sure how much space you need, then allow around 25 square foot per guest. This may sound like a lot, but you need to make sure that you have room for tables, waiters to walk past and the dance floor. You also need to think about the band too, so when you take all of this into account you will soon find that in reality, it’s not overkill at all.
Investigate Blackout Dates
It’s so important that you do your research and that you also make sure your wedding date does not fall on the same date as a big event. This includes charity walks or even trade conferences. The main reason for this is because it will affect hotel availability and if your guests are having to stay overnight then this can cause major issues for them.
Mother Nature
Guests have been known to leave wedding parties early because it’s far too hot outside. Sure, having a summer wedding may be a great idea, but at the end of the day, you need to make sure that it isn’t too warm outside. If it is, then you may find that you struggle to keep everyone cool. Hot weather also draws out mosquitos, gnats and other nasty pests, so take your time and make sure that there the weather is on your side. If you aren’t able to plan the weather as much as you’d like, then get in touch with a pest control service in advance. When you do, they can then get rid of as many as they can on the big day. Having a gazebo rental service on speed dial can also help you out if it turns out there’s going to be a heatwave on your big day.
Check your Credit Beforehand
You have to take advantage of the high cost that is associated with your wedding. One way for you to do this would be for you to sign up with a credit card or even a reward program. It doesn’t matter whether you get airline miles or even great shopping deals because it’s super easy for you to consolidate your wedding costs with airline miles as you may even find that it pays for your honeymoon.
Pay it Forward
Your wedding photographer might be able to advise you about a good florist, or you may even find that your reception manager is able to tell you which bands are able to really pack out your dance floor. If this is the case, then you should certainly try and take advantage of that and hire them. If you do then you’ll be doing a great thing by helping local artists to get publicity and you may even be able to score a discount as a result.
Tighten your List
The best way for you to trim down your wedding budget would be for you to cut down your guest list. Remember that over half of your wedding expenses will go to wining and dining all of your guests. If you cut just a few people, then you may be able to save hundreds and this can eventually add up to thousands, so you really can’t go wrong there.
Ask and You May Receive
Ask for an extra hour or so if you want to have more cocktails, or if you want your band to play a special song. If you do, then you’ll probably get it because a lot of vendors would rather go the extra mile to secure the reservation. If you ask them after you have the reservation booked then they might not be as inclined to provide you with an additional service, so you have to keep this in mind.
Meal Plan
A lot of people forget about things like this, but you also have to feed your crew for your wedding day. Before you even think about signing the contract, try and make sure that you are not required to serve the crew you have the same meal as your guests. If you don’t do this then you may end up paying for way more lobster tails than you expected, and this can really put a dent in your budget. If you don’t want to seem cheap then choose a less expensive, but great meal for them. You can let your wedding caterer know a couple of weeks beforehand how many crew members you need to feed, and this is a great way for you to make sure that everyone is satisfied. If you are serving steak to your guests then think about serving gourmet burger sliders to your crew to stick with the beef theme. If you are serving your guests lamb, then why not serve your crew lamb kebabs with skewered vegetables and couscous? That way they won’t feel as though they are losing out too much, but you can trim your budget effectively.
Organization is Key
Get a nice, big binder and compile all of your documents for your vendors and also make notes as well. It may also help to have photos. If you see something that you like in a magazine then tear it out and stick it in there as well. Phone numbers can also be stored in your binder because you never know when you are going to need them. Have a special email address that is entirely dedicated to your wedding, as this will help you to really keep track of everything.
Tend your Bar
Typically, you only need to have one bartender for every 50 guests as this will keep your queues at an absolute minimum. If you are planning on having some kind of signature cocktail however, or if you want to have large quantities of it then you might want to have an extra server who is up to the task.
Leave Some Room
Your wedding budget has to follow a certain formula. You need to allocate 50% of your budget to your reception. You also need to allocate around 10% of your budget to flowers and then 10% for attire. When you have done this, 10% should be allocated to music and 12% for your photographer. It’s essential that you allocate extra budget for things like tailoring, ribbons and even mistakes.
Ask in Advance
Your wedding vendor has to be your go-to. When you work with them, you should really feel free to explore what it is you really want. If you would much rather have a late-night snack as opposed to an afternoon bite then ask about it. Sure, you might not see it on their menu or you might not even think that they offer it as a service but if you ask them then you will soon be able to find out if this is an option so you won’t have any issues at all.
Wait for your Date
Sometimes things happen at the last minute, but it can work in your favor. The closer your date is, the more bargaining power you will have. A lot of people book their wedding venues around six months in advance but if you book around two months in advance then you may find that you can save even more.
You want your wedding invites to be perfect, so it really does help to spend a bit more time over them. Try and make sure that you really invest in high-quality paper and envelopes. When you do, you will soon find that you are able to get a great result without having to worry about anything. Mailing your invites way ahead of time will also help you here, so keep that in mind. A save the date magnet can really come in handy here if you want to do something extra special.
Rejection
10% or even 20% of people probably won’t come to your wedding. This will depend on where your wedding is because of course, overseas destinations will probably have a much lower turnout when compared to a wedding that is just at a local venue. The more you can prepare yourself for rejection, the more relaxed you will be at your wedding in general.
Of course, there are so many things that you need to do in order to save yourself stress when it comes to your wedding and these tips should help you to get well underway with your planning.