The big proposal has happened and you’ve said yes. Now once the shock of being engaged begins to wear off, you’re left with the somewhat jarring realization that you actually have to plan a wedding.
Some eagerly meet this challenge head on, but for others, it can be intimidating just trying to figure out where to even begin. Wedding planning is not always easy, especially if you have no prior event planning experience. Your married friends might be able to offer helpful advice, but ultimately the choices and decision-making is entirely up to you and your fiancé. But no need to panic—today we have some helpful wedding planning tips & tricks from the pros to help you create your dream day.
1. Look Into Wedding Blackout Dates
One of the first steps you’ll take in wedding planning is choosing your date, but before you do it’s always a good idea to look into what other events are falling on the same day or weekend. You never know what kind of trade show, marathon, walk, or conference could cause unexpected traffic jams or road closures as well as a lack of hotel room availability. Save yourself a potential upset and do the research beforehand. Not to mention checking on when other large family events are taking place that may occupy your guests for the weekend.
2. Work With Mother Nature
Everyone wants the weather to be perfect on their wedding day, but here in Ontario we rarely have much consistency, even in the summer. It’s important to consider the weather conditions when making your plans and to listen to mother nature. If your guests end up baking in the sun all day or getting eaten alive by bugs, they’re not likely to stick around at the reception for very long, which could mean your night ends earlier than planned.
While you may not be able to control the weather, there are ways to ensure your guests remain comfortable even in unfortunate weather. Consider preparing “care baskets” that include sunglasses, mini bug spray cans, sunscreen, or handheld fans and leaving them at the entrance. If you are planning an outdoor ceremony or reception, always remember to prepare an indoor or tented alternative in the event of rain.
3. Consider Opening a Wedding Credit Card
Here’s a wedding planning tip for thrifty brides and grooms: take advantage of all the large payments that will be made for your wedding and consider opening up a credit card with a good rewards program. Dedicate it to all your wedding purchases and you’ll easily be able to see if you’re staying on budget. You’ll also get some sweet rewards like cash back or travel points for your honeymoon. You might also get points to use towards anything left on your registry after the big day.
4. Remember to Feed Your Wedding Crew
There can be a lot of unforeseen costs when it comes to wedding planning, and one of them is feeding your wedding crew. You’ll have a lot of vendors and other people working to make your big day go smoothly, so feeding them on the day of is essential (some vendor contracts even request a meal). If you’re serving your guests an expensive meal like beef filet or lobster tail, you may want to ask your caterer to do a less expensive meal plan for your vendors to help control costs.
5. Stock Your Bar
The drinks are always flowing at weddings so it’s important to make sure your bar is well stocked—not just with supplies, but also with staff. Many wedding planners recommend a minimum of one bartender per 50 guests to avoid long lines, but if you’re serving a signature cocktail that has to be made to order, you should strongly consider hiring a couple of extra bodies or designating someone to cocktails exclusively. If you know your guests are prone to drinking a specific drink, like martinis, consider offering a separate bar specifically for that drink. Not only does it offer a cool presentation, but it also helps to alleviate long lines at the bar.
6. Kids In or Out
Every bride and groom has to make the decision about whether or not they’re going to allow children at their wedding. To avoid any hard feelings, you should pick a rule and stick to it rather than allowing some people to bring kids but excluding others. Typically the options are: welcoming all kids with open arms, having an adults-only wedding, including only immediate family members’ kids, or hiring a child care service at the reception space or hotel for the night.
