Once you’ve made the leap of faith and become engaged, what do you need to do next? Well, it’s sooooo easy to get carried away with wedding planning and creating visions in your mind about what the day is going to look like. Just remember, at the end of the day, if you get married to the person you love and you’re had a good time, then the wedding has been a success. In the long run, much of the other stuff doesn’t really matter and isn’t worth getting stressed about. 

And just one more thing worth mentioning here is that there’s no right or wrong way to plan a wedding. You don’t have to have everything as prescribed in a magazine. You can have whatever you want! So many couples are ditching boring old traditions in favour of new ones. And as I mentioned before, keep in mind that it’s the celebrations that count!

1. After setting the date, get a venue! Nowadays there are all kinds of venues you can choose from, including empty fields, woodland, farms, desert islands and beaches. Or even post apocalyptic greenhouses like the Barbican Conservatory! Choose something that reflects you as a couple.

2. Calculate the cost and prioritise. The photographs are the most important obviously! What I mean by that is that after all the food has been eaten and the hangovers have passed, the photographs (and maybe a video) are the only thing you’ll have to remember the day, so making sure you don’t scrimp on photography is my advice 😉  Weddings cost a pretty penny so determine the budget so that you have the ability to allocate and agree on how to keep it no matter what happens so as not to be surprised. Keep a detailed list of expenses and be sure to set aside some money for possible last minute expenses. 

3. The food. Tons of people are bypassing the formal 3 course meal in favour of street food, tapas or similar. Eating posh food can take ages too, so you need to decide how much of your day you need to be sitting around eating!

4. The number of guests. I hear all the time that couples feel forced into inviting family members they’ve never met and will never see again after the wedding. There’s a lot to be said for starting off with your favourite people and going from there. But of course family politics will be involved so be careful!  

5. The wedding dress. According to research from the University of Guadeloupe, 99% of married women do not wear the wedding dress they dreamed of, so do not get tired of finding the perfect one. Once you have chosen it, be sure to combine it with the appropriate shoes and accessories and make an appointment with the hairdresser and make-up artist for a trial. The groom’s suit is a much easier affair and you can leave the choice even a month before the wedding, maybe even a few hours as I’ve witnessed first hand. 

6. The invitations and save the date cards. Booking an engagement shoot  can be a great way to meet your photographer and get used to being photographed. The photos can also be used for your save the date cards and invitations as well as table plans and signing boards. Save the date cards can go out as soon as you’ve set a date, with official invitations to follow a little later.

7. Pick a theme. You may want a theme for your wedding, such as nautical, vintage or rustic! These can be so beautiful. Browse rustic wedding ideas to see what takes your eye! Other wedding themes I’ve seen include, lego, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Dinosaurs, James Bond, country and the 1980s. Although I’ve seen a lot of couples lately not going with any theme at all, just focusing on styling the wedding in a tasteful way that helps the focus to be on the party and the occasion.