10 Steps For Planning A Stress Free Wedding Day!

1 of 10. Plan Your Budget!

Set a budget and stick to it! Your budget decides the whole day; what vendors you use, where you get married and sometimes even the guest list! Are you getting financial help from your family members (parents etc)? Asking them how much they are comfortable to spend can be really hard but it is important to do this early so you can work out what your overall budget is.

2 of 10. List of Priorities

This is your wedding day and you can do whatever you want to do! Make a list with your partner of the 2-4 most important aspects of YOUR wedding day. Have a certain venue or photographer in mind? Is there a particular date that is important to you? Making this list will help guarantee you are on the same page as your partner and also keep your efforts and budget going in the right direction. This can also include planning a theme, colours or which season you want to get married in. Find your combined wedding vision!

3 of 10. Get Organised

Make a spreadsheet or document to help gather all your thoughts and budgets in one place. I also recommend making a wedding email address that both yourself and your partner have access to and check regularly. Doing this means all wedding emails will be in one spot and you won’t have to go searching through all your personal emails (like I did)!

4 of 10. Finding Quality Vendors

Okay, this can be hard! Most couples secure a venue (or photographer) first and then go from there. Having a venue booked means you will get accurate quotes in terms of travel/delivery from the rest of your vendors. I also suggest meeting either on zoom or in person with all your vendors. This gives you a chance to meet them, work out if you get along with them and raise any questions or concerns you may have!

Choosing your Venue: Where are you going to get married? Whether it’s a church, venue, gardens or on the beach, there is a bit of work to do when finding your ideal venue. When choosing a venue think of these three things; location, price and your vision! If you can find a place that fits all of these for you, you’ve found the place you’ll get married! Some other things to consider are transport options, capacity, and if you’ll be having the reception on or off site and what costs are associated with this. 

Choosing your Photographer (and Videographer): Figure out the style of photography/videography you want and how long of a coverage you would like! If you do want both, will they and their styles work well together? The best way to figure this out is to work backwards as in ‘what style do you not like?’! This isn’t just just how the photos look but the way the photographer or videographer goes about shooting/filming. Personally, I shoot bright and colourful images which would contrast with a videographer with a darker/moodier look!

You can read another article I wrote on how to choose your photographer at the link below.

Choosing your Celebrant: If you are having a religious ceremony you might choose your priest, pastor or imam etc. If not you should find someone friendly, experienced, and that you trust to marry you both. If you are a bit on the shyer side maybe don't go with someone super wacky and out there for example! Look at their reviews and of course meet with them and discuss how they like to perform a ceremony etc.

Choosing your Florist: Firstly go back to your theme and match your aesthetics. Have a look at their work and try to imagine it at your wedding, does it work? Season might also come into play depending on what type of flowers you are after. Ask about delivery/pickup options and if they will set up arrangements on-site. You can even DIY it and go to your local flower market!

Choosing your Hair and Makeup Artist: Most hair and makeup artists use instagram as their primary platform. Use their different instagrams to narrow down the look you love!  Do you like a more natural look or do you go all out with a bridal glam look? Plan a trial. I’ll say that again, plan a trial. Ask them what products they use and also how long they’ll need per person on the day itself! 

5 of 10. Finding Your Dream Dress or Suit!

Finding what you are going to wear can sometimes be the most stressful part of the planning process. You need to look into this early on (at least 9 months before the wedding) to allow for alterations/stock. Match your dress to the vibe of the wedding, should you really wear a ball gown for a beach wedding? Find something you feel beautiful and comfortable in and try on a few dresses because you just might find one you didn't know you’d love!

Gentlemen! You can either match your whole suit to the theme/colours or just match a tie or bowtie. Think of the season as well - maybe not a 3 piece suit in the QLD summer!?

6 of 10. Guest list and Invites

Making a guest list can be super hard (and can be budget motivated). Try to think ‘could I hold a 5-10 minute conversion and do I enjoy being around the person?’ and go from there! This also massively depends on venue capacity but remember you can invite people to the wedding only and have a close knit reception - It’s your wedding!

Depending on your time frame you might want to send out save the dates if your date and venue are locked in. You can also just send invites to your guests and I recommend you do this about 3-4 months in advance to give your friends and family as much notice as possible! 

7 of 10. Make a Wedding Timeline/Schedule

As a wedding photographer I often help my couples with a wedding day timeline. You can find my full guide at the link below but just remember the two most important factors of the day are ceremony time and sunset. You can do a quick google search of the sunset time for your wedding day specifically!

8 of 10. Organise Transportation

Organising the transportation logistics of the day often gets missed! Whether you are getting a limo or an uber to your ceremony, you need to work out how everyone is getting to and from each location (ceremony, portrait location and reception). Most importantly how will you and your guests be getting home from the reception if they’ve had a few drinks? For us we got married where taxis/ubers didn't frequent so we organised a charter bus to drop off our guests at the accommodation about 20 minutes away.  

9 of 10. The Legal Stuff!

This step is so so so important. A minimum of 1 month before your wedding day you need to submit your notice of intended marriage application form with your registered celebrant or you can’t get married! Your priest/celebrant should help you through this process but if it’s getting close to the deadline and they haven't reached out, get in contact with them.

10 of 10. Write Your Vows and Enjoy Your Special Day!

If you’re like me (who had no idea how to write vows) you’ve googled ‘how to write vows’ before. Your celebrant should be able to help you with this as well and make sure your partner and your vows match well. You wouldn't want one to be long and full of jokes and the other really short and emotional. Don’t leave it to the last minute to write your vows, it’s hard but you can do it! 

And finally, on the day itself just relax and be completely present on one of the best days of your life and remember what the day is all about - marrying your best friend!