Before we dwell deeper into all the important questions you have to ask yourself before you get married. Let’s step back from everything and start by saying congratulations on the amazing news. I know how special it is to be asked the four magical words “Will you marry me?”  by the person you cherish the most and dreamt about spending the rest of your life with.  So, let’s get you ready for that special day and help you to create the perfect wedding that you have always wanted by answering a few important questions.

How much do you plan to spend?

This is certainly not the easiest of questions to talk about with your significant other, but it is certainly the most vital one that needs to be had. The budget will determine what you can have at your wedding and how much you need to allocate to each. Without having an open conversation with your partner regarding the finances you risk giving up the chances of manifesting the perfect wedding for both of you.

So how do you ask this question?

The most important thing to bear in mind is, just like everything else, be open and honest with what you can afford. Many couples can sometimes shy away from this, which can create uncertainty for both sides. Finally, be flexible, some couples come in with an expectation but once they realise and see how much a wedding can cost, they make adjustments to their budget according.

So, it’s important to get this conversation out of the way at the start so you can focus on the actual planning and organisation. If you are struggling to see what a wedding costs, there are many different tools which help you give you a ballpark figure on how much it can cost. We sometimes forget how inviting additional costs can ramp up the cost very easily.

Who will join you? The guest list

Talking about guest and the costs leads us perfectly into our next question that you have to consider. Whom do you want to invite and how many people can you afford to invite? Everyone has a different presence some people want a small intimate wedding with a few friends and family members, but others want their wedding to be grand inviting all their family and friends. So first things first, what do both of you want, as the majority of what you end up spending will be determined by the size of the wedding.

Once you have the size in mind you can start making a list of the ones that will share the special day with you, those people who brighten your day and you cannot imagine being without. What this does is it puts things into perspective for you on who is important to you and allows for you to cut down in the worst-case scenario if you have to. We suggest that you list be numbered as this will make it easier to see who can be cut.

Picking the right professional for the job!

Having gotten the finances and the guest list out of the way, you now need to start thinking about what you need at your wedding to make everything perfect for you and your guests. This is where hiring the right professional for the right task is vital. We recommend thinking about the following: venue, photographer and videographer, make up artist, food, cake, decor, wedding car hire.

Each wedding will be different and tailored to each couple, so I have kept it simple and have only mentioned what I feel are the core vendors. So, don’t let this stop you in thinking that this is the final list, for example, you might have to sample different caterers or cake baker to see what suits your personality, as well as seeing what company are willing to provide the best wedding car hire experience for you.  Some additional things you might want to consider are the florist and you might want to have for entertainment.

It is the journey as well as the destination

Planning a wedding is an exciting task, one that is filled with many joys but also many hurdles. So don’t worry this is the norm when it comes to planning a wedding to feel overwhelmed with all the things you have to do. But the things you want the most do not come easily, and a wedding is no exception. That is why I recommend creating a mood board as a starting point. This will help to get you inspired and show your creative side.

Last but by no means the least the main thing you need to remember a wedding is not about the dress or the cake but rather to celebrate your love for one another with the rest of your friends and your family.  That is the most important thing, so enjoy the journey and when the final day will fall into place.