Me and my beautiful fiance are getting married on Valentines day 2008 does any1 have any advice that i should know about b4 the planning gets underway.
2006-08-27 20:42:21 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
Set a realistic budget and stick to it.
Friends and relatives will constantly give you input into what THEY think your wedding should be like. Expect tears and anger when they don't get their way. Be gracious--listen respectfully, but go with what you and your fiance want.
Go for marriage counseling before you get too involved for plans. Air differences and expectations and learn how to compromise.
Best of luck in your future together.
2006-08-27 20:47:54 · answer #1 · answered by goldie 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
before you start planning get it fixed in your mind the type of wedding you want.
Do you want a large flowery wedding? A small intimate gathering? A themed do? Visualise it, then make a list of all the decisions that need to be made.
You will find that you are usually forced to compromise on some things along the way - be prepared for this.
You don't have to pay enormous amounts for everything, some suggestions:
order a cake from a local individual - I found a baker through the local cake decorating shop - she did a beautiful cake for 50 quid, versus the several hundred pounds others wanted.
I bought a bridesmaids dress rather than a wedding dress, half the price, and to be honest, it was twice as beautiful. A designer gown for £250.
I checked out venues through various websites, including hitched.co.uk.... looked at ratings and feedback - was very useful.
ooh photos..make a list of who you want in which photos..then hand it to the photographer. I didnt' need to worry at all..as he organised each photo and I just stood where I needed to. Much better than being caught trying to decide things on the hoof and possibly leaving people out.
We had a good wishes book which we asked everyone to sign - we got some lovely messages.
Think about whether you want standard vows or your own. I fyou want your own, then check you can do that at your wedding venue and with your celebrant.
Good luck
2006-08-27 22:19:36 · answer #2 · answered by untappedatom1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Loads.
Each of you make a planing wish list of everything you would like to do for the big day. The compare the two wish lists and see how many things you agree on, and how many need to be talked over. Decide on a final wish lists that makes you both happy.
Then set a budget of the amount that you can spend.
Start your guest lists, and tell each of your parents to start one too. Even if they aren't helping you to pay, they could still remember some important people that you might want there. Combine all 4 guest lists and figure out who you really want there, and who you don't. This gives you a rough idea about how bid a site you need and how much you can spend per person for refreshments, gifts, etc... It makes it easier to plan when you know what you are planning for, a wedding of 50 or a wedding of 200.
Check out places like
http://www.weddingchannel.com/
for planning help.
They have a budget calculator, guest list manager, planning checklist, shopping list, etc... It's free to join, and it makes everything very easy to see in real numbers and facts.
Once you've got some good ideas that you both agree on, a set budget, and a tentative guest list, then plan away!
2006-08-28 02:10:03 · answer #3 · answered by welches_grape_jelly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Set your budget now!!!! this is probably the most crutial part of the wedding. This will let you know what roads to go down as far as your planning. Second would be decide on your theme and find your place asap. Many locations will have restrictions and sometimes may not be able to accomodate for your requests and/or guest list. Third would be guest list. Planning a wedding should be fun and stress free. Sometimes little road bumps happen so it's best to always have a back up plan. If planning your wedding you find that you don't have "time" to do it all, I suggest a wedding planner. You can either hire them out right, tell them the ideas they have, and they will run with it...or you can work side by side with them. They will do the stressing for you! Congrats and remember to enjoy!!
2006-08-28 01:39:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a wedding planner!! They can save you a lot of time and will at the very least pay for themselves.
Define the budget and do a rough budget planner, making sure you cover off:
Dress
Rings
Transport
Wedding itself
Wedding reception
Honey moon
Stag Night/Hen Night
Do a lot of planning up front; make sure you involve all the parents and they have something to do on the big day.
And wedding etiquette is okay; but you can be a bit choosey as to what you do and don't do; especially if YOU're paying for it. If it's the folks coughing up; well, they're going to want a say (As they probably will anyway).
Get some of the basics covered off ASAP; venue, how you're going to run your wedding list (John Lewis, Debenhams, Oxfam Gift Aid, etc.), what sort of wedding reception you want, and broadly speaking how many people you will invite.
Where to go on the stag night/hen night and the honeymoon as also easy ones to tick off, as should be the bridesmaid/best man.
There' also books you can buy and websites to look at; so spend some time doing this as well.
2006-08-27 20:52:57 · answer #5 · answered by Felidae 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Weddings have a way of snowballing on numbers, budget etc. Decide on your guest list as a priority so that you get an idea of numbers, and then plan your reception accordingly.
Don't let anyone browbeat you into doing things in a different way to what you want. It is a day for you and your husband to be, not anyone else - so take into account parents' suggestions etc but stick to your guns when necessary.
I would suggest getting a ready-made list of things that you need to do from somewhere like http://www.weddingtracker.co.uk - you get a two week free trial but can download what you've saved into Excel and carry on using it there. It will need altering to fit your own wedding, but it's a useful place to start.
Above all, enjoy the planning! A wedding is supposed to be something joyful not something stressful, and the planning needn't be stressful if you're organised about it. Planning our wedding hasn't been stressful at all - despite the hours of making our invitations!
2006-08-31 12:45:58 · answer #6 · answered by pomme_blanche_2004 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best advice I know of , you seem to have already made and that is to allow plenty of time. The next thing I would suggest is that the two of you have disscussions on what each of you would like, and anything you don't. Do this before you start planning actuall details and before others are involved. Sometimes to many opinions can lead to confusion and stress. Your wedding is for you first, Family and close Friends should not be left out, they are "Honored Guests" The next thing is to plan a day 2 or 3 days before the wedding for you to have a last "single date" things will be crazy at times then, you will need the break, Plan this first and stick to it. You will be thankfull later.
2006-08-27 20:57:36 · answer #7 · answered by malraene 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before you start planning anything at all, read this book: Miss Manners on Weddings
You've got to get your etiquette straight, above all else. No one will remember what food was served or what your colors were. EVERYONE will remember you screwing up your etiquette or having bad manners (accidentally or not).
The actual details of the wedding planning really shouldn't be started until 12-14 months out from your date. It's kind of too early for that part, right now (with the exception of starting to save up some money).
2006-08-28 10:12:18 · answer #8 · answered by Etiquette Gal 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
During all the planning focus also on the marriage relationship and not only on the wedding. Talk openly about your expectations of each other and the roles that you play in your life. Talk about finances, kids...etc..prepare for this as you prepare for the day.
Have fun during the planning process but remember not too stress too much about the details...no day is perfect but it will seem perfect for you and your partner if you decide to enjoy it together then it will be a treasured memory.
ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY the day and remember every moment. Take lost of pictures and film as this is all that's left of all the planning for one day.
May you have a beautiful day and many blessed years of companionship and love.
2006-08-28 02:11:00 · answer #9 · answered by Issabella 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I get married in 8weeks time and the best advice i could give is:sit down together and write down what kind of wedding you both want-church,civil or registry office.How many best men/bridesmaids you both want,how many wedding cars would you need.Also are you going to have a sit down meal after service `cause mine is about £30 a head.What kind of cake you`ll want and if you have an evening reception and you decide upon a buffet you need to pay for 90% of your guests.Make a budget and stick to it,remember it`s not just about your day but your commitment to each other.....Best wishes and good luck.
2006-08-28 22:05:05 · answer #10 · answered by sarah y 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The thing I would advise is to keep your wedding dress on into the evening as well. I changed after about 1 hour from the evening guests arriving, and I really regret that, I should have left my dress on all night, as you never ever get to wear it again and for something so lovely that you feel so special in, you should get the most out of it and keep it on. Good luck for your future together and I hope you have a wonderful life, keep talking to each other, and don't lose that special feeling that you have today with each other.
2006-08-27 21:16:09 · answer #11 · answered by radiant 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋