Massive congratulations, you’ve just got engaged!
You’ve told everyone you know and are super excited to start planning your dream day. Before you excitedly rush to Pinterest to start pinning your dream day make sure to consider these 5 things. You don’t want all you hard work and hours of planning to go to waste.
1. Take time to discuss your core values
Now what do I mean by core values? Your core values are your likes, dislikes, your hobbies, things that interest you, your family values etc. They are the things that make you, you. Now the both of you will probably have slightly different takes on these, but that’s ok and is why it’s good to talk through them now.
2. What makes you unique & individual as a couple?
Take time to think about what you enjoy doing together. The places you like to go on holiday. What your favourite restaurants are. What type of music you love.
It is really important to consider this details early on as they they help to build the fundamentals for your whole planning process.
Remember, your wedding is a reflection of you and what you enjoy. Without knowing what is important to you, how can you select the perfect team of suppliers for your big day? The suppliers you choose should compliment your individual style and vision.
Image by Taryn Elliott
3. What do you want out of your wedding?
How do you want to feel on your wedding day? How do you picture your day from start to finish? What and who do you see your dream wedding including?
This includes thinking about the location of your wedding. Is it local to you, your family home or could it be your favorite holiday destination? Considering this now. This will have a big impact on the overall feel and atmosphere of your day, as well as how you picture it.
Understanding the answers to these questions will help you narrow down what style of wedding your are looking to achieve. The how you achieve it will follow as you take to Pinterest, flicking through magazines and start visiting venues and speaking to suppliers.
Many couples try to skip this stage and go straight onto looking for inspiration. However, without discussing these points your research will soon become an overwhelm of unrelated images and web links with no direction.
Image by Kumar Saurabh
4. The guest experience
No matter the size of your guest list, you want your guests to enjoy your wedding day as much as you will. To achieve this I suggest you consider the following;
- Who do you see around you? Are you really social and just can’t see your day without everyone you know? Or would you prefer to keep it a smaller, more personal affair by inviting only your most nearest and dearest?
- What atmosphere do you want to create? Do you just want a big party with lots of music and dancing? Or would you rather opt for something a little more laid back and relaxed, think cocktails on the terrace?
There really is no right or wrong answer to these questions. It all comes down to your core values and identifying what is important to you as a couple.
Another reason why it’s so important to have this conversation early!
5. Narrow down your priorities
Now this is not always the easiest of thing to do. However, it does make the rest of your planning much easier and provides direction throughout your planning process.
I would recommend by starting with a list of everything you would like to include in your dream day. Make sure you take the time to consider your initial guest numbers when doing so. By doing this, it will provide you with an understanding of the size of your wedding. Does this fit with how you picture your day and who you see yourselves celebrating it with?
From this list you now need to establish your top 5 priorities
These are things you just can’t see your wedding without. Go back to your core values and what makes you unique as a couple. Take the time to consider how you might look to reflect these in your day.
For example, do you love live music? Then why not incorporate this into different aspects of your day? You could have a guitarist play an acoustic version of your favorite song as you walk down the aisle. A harpist for your drinks reception. With a band playing your favorite songs to conclude your evening.
Whatever you establish as your core values, now is the time to workout ways of incorporating them into your perfect day.
Image by Ben Rosett
Identifying your style as a couple is a crucial step in your planning process. It builds the foundation for every decision you make and is so much more than just how you want your day to look. I know it may seem hard, but considering these 5 points will help you to create a wedding day which truly reflects who you are as a couple.
Now is the perfect time to start pinning and researching your dream day. For tips on where to start why not check out my post on all things wedding planning – Help! Where Do I Find Inspiration For My Wedding?
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