Wedding planning can be very time consuming, with brides spending an average of 320 hours planning their big day. That's over 13 days! We recently sent a survey to newlywed brides to get the low-down on their planning process and the big day itself. Whilst blogs and articles can provide some great tips, advice from real life brides who have recently experienced the wedding process will give you invaluable first hand knowledge.
Advice for wedding planning
Reconfirm your bookings - 'Make sure you reconfirm all the bookings - 1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days before! Don't assume people will do what you've asked, you need to remind them.'
Research venue restrictions - 'Find out all the rules about your venue - we had a sound limiter on our barn.'
Plan hassle free catering - 'We self-catered which put far too much stress on us and the family. The savings weren't worth it.'
Photo credit: Pinterest
Make a day of it - 'Have the wedding earlier to make the most of the day. You'll never want the day to end.'
Make it perfect - 'Get everything you want. Don't say we don't need a photo booth or an ice cream bike. If you want it, get it. Your guests will give you money which you can use to pay for these extra things if needed. It's one day of your life - do everything you want.'
Photo credit: Pinterest
Encourage your guests to stay - 'If your venue allows, I would advise guests staying over. It was piece of mind knowing that we were having breakfast with everyone the next day. Make sure you give your guests a list of hotel options.'
A helping hand - 'Try to hire a venue that comes with staff or a fully briefed organiser. Our venue was 100% dry hire, so we did everything ourselves. Despite everyone helping, my hubby and I were often being asked logistical questions. It wasn't really what we had envisaged.'
Photo credit: Pinterest
Advice for the Big Day
Professional make up - 'I wish I had got my make up done professionally on the day. The savings were actually not that much by the time I had bought the branded quality make up. The savings also didn't outweigh the stress on the day of having to do it myself!'
Don't peak too early - 'I would have held back a bit on the champagne in the morning! I got that bit just about right but my mum was a bit fuzzy towards the end. Enjoy the fizz but don't get too drunk.'
Photo credit: Pinterest
Enjoy the food - 'I wish I had eaten more of the food that I spent hours choosing.'
Take a step back - 'Take a moment to yourself as a newly married couple to enjoy it. Take a step back every now and then and look around you - all your loved ones in one room celebrating your special day is a memory not to miss.'
Photo credit: Richard Galloway Photography
Quality time - 'Make sure you spend some time with your husband on the day! Even though we had a small wedding we still found ourselves separated a lot of the night but managed to grab each other for a cuddle and a few dances. Take time out with your new husband, otherwise you'll spend all day passing each other and not making joint memories together.'
Don't sweat the small stuff - 'Don't stress about the little details that no one else will notice. Whilst the colour of the napkins may be important when planning - you won't notice them on the day. As long as you and your partner both turn up and say "i do," everything else becomes insignificant.'
