Planning a wedding can be a long road with many challenging decisions! Now that the party season is over, it’s time to get serious. That’s where a winter wedding venue open day can help.
At this amazing and crazy time in your life, take a minute to step back, relax and organize your thoughts. Then grab your entourage and head to your local winter wedding expo to discover all the best wedding service providers in your area.
A winter wedding venue open day is a great way to find everything you need under one roof. Now that your social calendar has opened up, you can take the time to do all of the research you need and meet the people who will make up your wedding team!
It’s time to get a grip on the project you have just undertaken, follow some seemingly simple steps, and let planning your wedding be a wonderful and memorable experience.
Here are some handy ideas to consider before you make your way to your first winter wedding venue open day this chilly season.
Establish your budget
It is essential to get your budget in order before making any financial decisions. Our tip is to choose a figure for your budget that is 10-15% less than what you actually plan on spending. This way you essentially have a buffer when additional expenses arise – and chances are they will. The great thing is that if you don’t use your entire buffer, you will have some extra spending money for your honeymoon.
Hire wedding professionals
When your best friend’s second cousin volunteers to do be your wedding photographer, and promises a nice discount, it might be tempting to take advantage of the offer. However, a big word of caution – hiring friends or family members can often backfire. Expectations may not be met on the wedding day and friendships can become estranged. Additionally, these friends may not have all the necessary experience or equipment to complete the task effectively. You should hire wedding professionals for their experience, expertise, and resources. True professionals will assist in making your day hassle free. You hire them, you can direct them, and the relationship is not personal.
Compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges
Many times, when a bride begins a search for a reception location or for wedding vendors, she simply compares prices, not services or characteristics of the services. It is rare that you will find two locations offering the exact same “package,” or two videographers that offer the same quality of service (time and style) and variety of products (prints and albums). You need to carefully evaluate each aspect of the potential venue or vendor. What seems too expensive at first glance may actually be a better deal when you realize what it offers compared with others in the same category.
Be different – cookie cutter weddings are out of style
Brides and groom continue to look for new ways to add a personal touch to their wedding day. Giving your wedding personal style means thinking outside the box. Hiring a wedding planner or event designer, even for a few hours, can help you be inspired and lead to amazing results. Instead of a guest book, have guests sign a coffee table book on a subject that is of interest to you. Learn an unexpected choreographed first dance, like the tango, and wow the crowd.
Surround yourself with the positive people
When selecting a wedding party and asking other friends to be involved in the wedding, select people who have positive attitudes and those who support you unconditionally. The last thing you want is people criticising your decisions, or trying to impress their own opinions or desires on the outcome.
Make your ceremony mean something
The reception might be the party and be fun to organise, but your ceremony is your commitment to each other. Is there a special song for you and your partner, perhaps the one that was playing the night you were engaged? Have you ever written a poem or love letter to your fiancé? Read it during the ceremony, or if nerves won’t allow you to read it yourself, have your celebrant read it for you. Choose readings that mean something to you.
Create a timeline for the wedding day
If you are not working with a wedding planner, it is your job to create a realistic timeline for everyone to follow. Detail and document all key elements and activities that are to take place on the day. Include addresses of locations and who needs to be where and when. If you do not do this, you are trusting others to instinctively know your needs.
Ask for help when you need it
It is not uncommon to become overwhelmed with wedding planning. It takes a lot of time, dedication and work. Typically, there are many people knocking at your door anxious to help.. When asking for help from friends or family members, give them specific instructions and deadlines. Also, make sure they know you still have final say.
When wedding planning consumes every aspect of your life, take a breather.
Schedule a date with your fiancé and go to dinner, take a walk, or just go for ice cream. There is only one rule—no wedding talk. Reconnect with the ones you love and then get back to the planning with your mind and heart focused on the right things.
Of course these are not the only steps to planning a wedding, but these are very important aspects of planning that will help you keep your sanity and your focus on the reason you got engaged in the first place!
Keep in touch with the upcoming expos in Melbourne, and be sure to check out the winter wedding venue open day at Ballara Receptions, at the foothills of the Yarra Valley.
