
Engagement photos by Devlin Photos
Where to start with Wedding Planning?
So you’re engaged? Well, congratubloodylations are in order we think! I hope you celebrated accordingly, whether that was a romantic takeaway as just the two of you or a big boozer with all your bests. But after round 1 of the celebrations are over (I say round 1 because they’re just the beginning, really) where do you start with planning a wedding? Excitement can quickly turn to panic, but don’t worry – we’ve got it covered. Here are our top tips on starting wedding planning!
Work out your priorities
It may seem like quite a heavy task to start with, but working out your priorities as a couple and individuals is crucial in wedding planning. Believe me, doing it early can solve you a whole host of problems down the line. Sit down and candidly and honestly discuss things such as: What’s the most important part of the wedding for you? What couldn’t you go without at your wedding? What have you disliked about other weddings you’ve been to in the past? How crucial is x to you? If they’re truly how you feel, there are no stupid answers in this. Not even when your partner says the most important thing to them is a meaningful, personalised ceremony, and you say yours is a hot air balloon-shaped bar.
Work out a few potential dates
Get your diaries out and see what suits you both best. If the attendance of your guests is of paramount importance to you, make sure you consider their diaries too – of course, you shouldn’t dictate your day based on them, but planning your wedding when it clashes with another engagement a high percentage of them are attending is going to leave a lot of people unhappy. Also, think about the temperature (although it’s fairly unpredictable!), and the styling you want, as these will help guide you towards a season.
Choose your area and shortlist some venues
For a high proportion of couples, there’ll be more than one place where you feel an emotional pull too. Whether it’s where either of you grew up, where you met, where you live now, or where your parents live, there are probably at least a couple of places you can see yourself tying the knot. Narrowing the geographical area down will help you in your venue search – you can then start shortlisting the ones available on your date by your guestlist capacity, ceremony requirements, etc.
Please note: the above are somewhat changeable. If the date doesn’t bother you so much but you have 1 venue in mind and 1 venue only, approach the venue first and see what dates they’re free first.
Start gathering inspo
Start to collate all of your inspiration in one place for you to refer back to – we LOVE Pinterest and Instagram saved collections for this. For top tips on how to use Pinterest effectively to plan your wedding, we heartily recommend this blog from wonderful Mr & Mrs Unique recommended photographer (and total powerhouse!) Parrot & Pineapple.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to suppliers you love
It may seem crazy to be emailing someone for dates a couple of years in advance, but in the industry it’s nothing we’ve not seen before! Some suppliers won’t have their books open that far ahead, but you can only ask – and if they haven’t yet, they’ll most likely be able to give you a date as to when they will open. It’s much better to be seen as too keen in booking your dream supplier, than pretending to be cool and then missing out on someone you’ve had your heart set on.
Enjoy it
At points, wedding planning can be stressful. It’s only natural that tensions can get high during it, but don’t forget why you’re going through all the stress – because you want to marry the love of your life! If it’s all getting too much, make sure to schedule in regular date nights where wedding chat is offlimits. And whatever you do, enjoy the engagement ride!
Huge thanks to Devlin Photos for sharing these gorgeous London Engagement photos of Holly + Simon. You can see more of her work HERE
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