The Most Important Questions to Ask Before You Start Wedding Planning

 

Holy Crap- You’re engaged!! YAY!!

So, where do you start with wedding planning?

Today on the Banter, we’re talking about where to begin, and what questions you need to ask each other before planning your big day. Ready? Here we go!

#1) How much money do you want to spend?

It’s always hard to figure out how much you can spend on your wedding. If you’re having a longer engagement, then it might be easier to save up more to spend more on your wedding. However, you need to be responsible when it comes to spending- obviously, you’re all adults! One thing my husband and I did was figured out how much in total we would have for income up until our wedding day. Then subtract rent, other bills, how much we spend on food, etc, to come out to how much is ‘play’ money. Then, we figured out what we wanted at our wedding and what our ‘absolutes’ were that we had to have. For me, I needed a great photographer since I am too a wedding photographer, so I was willing to spend more of our budget on her than say a DJ. We saved money of course, but we also didn’t just spend everything we had on our wedding day. Remember, it’s about the marriage, not the wedding day.

So just be aware of how much you two can afford and see where you want to spend more money or save more for other things.

#2) How many people do you want to invite?

Who can you not imagine getting married without? You don’t have to invite everyone you’ve ever met. If there are people you haven’t talked to in over a year, then don’t feel obligated to invite them. Once you two have a number in your head, then you can start looking for venues that can accommodate and hold that many people, get estimates from caterers, etc. So start with the budget, then figure out the amount of people you want there to witness your big day.

#3) What vendors do we need for our wedding?

Knowing who you need to contact, be aware of, will help you narrow down not only what you’re going to pay for, but who all you need to research. If you don’t want a caterer, and are having an aunt make everything, great! Then you don’t need to research caterers near you.

Some of the most common vendors for a wedding are: wedding photographers, videographers, caterers, florist, venue, bridal gown, groom’s attire, cake/ dessert, wedding party outfits, hair and make up, reception hall (if needed), DJ/ Band, and if desired to have party favors for your guests.

Knowing what you want to include on your big day matters. If you don’t want a DJ, then it’s easy to have a phone hooked up to a sound system and play from a playlist. Sit down with your lover and just figure out what you want your day to look like and what vendors you’ll need to research. Just make a list and cross them off one by one.

#4) What do you want your day to look and feel like?

It’s always fun to dream and keep pinning all the things you want at your wedding day, but you two need to think about how you want your day to feel and how it will feel for you two alone. If you want a more intimate, cozy wedding day, then go for that! Look for cozy color tones, pillows, blankets, warm colors, anything to show off how you two feel for each other and what’s simply you. A lot of couples look on Pinterest and see what other fabulous weddings looked like and just want that same thing because it looks awesome- but think about what you really want your day to look like and how you want it to reflect your relationship with each other. The day is all about you and your love for one another, so make sure the vibes of your vision reflect that.

Now start wedding planning!! Woohoo!