10 top tips for organising your Essex Wedding stress-free

Write a to-do list

Planning a wedding isn’t easy, but with organization, time, focus and vision, you can plan the wedding of your dreams.

Start now. Even if the wedding is 3 years from now you can never be too organised! List all the things that you might need. After a while you will realise the ‘musts’, ‘might’s’ and ‘don’t needs’. Leave big spaces or do it through Microsoft Word so you can add new ideas all the time. One of the first things to take into consideration is the season you want your wedding in or if you’d prefer it abroad. If it’s hot you could have an outdoor ceremony in a gardens or keep it in a beautiful but warm church in the winter? Next, pick the exact date and location so you can work around it finding out how many guests you want present, which cars, Djs, photographers, caterers and other services will be available on your date. You can then spend time relaxing a bit more finding out what colour scheme you’d prefer, the wedding dress, groomsman’s outfits and also the bridesmaids. Start planning which décor you’d like at the ceremony, the flowers, menus, music, entertainment, invitations and all the nitty gritty that makes your wedding the day you’ve always planned in your mind. Remember, it will take time and money but its one day that cant be re-arranged, make the most of it and plan, plan, plan!

Set a budget

You and your partner must agree on a budget, everything can be cut down from just buying it from a different place or even on the web. Plan if anyone’s going to help you fund the day, or if you’ll be using savings without using it all up! Talk to your suppliers upfront about what your needs are, as they will often be able to make suggestions about how you can make the best of the day, point you in the direction of a less expensive alternative, or different ways to achieve what you are looking for without cutting corners or quality. Go through a list of all the wedding items and decide on which ones you will definitely have to purchase, and the ones you will not need to buy or will simply not need. Just remember, this is one of the biggest days of your life so make it special.

Speak to your friends and family

Parents, relatives, friends there will always be married couples around you, so ask for some tips and see what advice they have to give. See what bad points they had and if they have anyone to recommend, a Dj? A photographer? A wedding-dress shop? Ask them what worked well for them, and if they did it again what they would change. Other peoples mistakes/success could help you plan your perfect wedding day!

Attend wedding fairs

There will be many opportunities for you to visit fares where all the services come together and show you their prices, examples of work and a chance to book there and then. These events are often free and they will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Such businesses as Djs, singers, photographers, wedding cars, flower arranging, possibly even a bridal and groomsman clothing fashion show.

Research on the web

People shop for everything on the web everyday from the finest pet food to buying a property in another country, so why not take the chance to look around at all the latest wedding fashion, the venues in your area or maybe the honeymoon side? Even see other people’s reviews and recommendations about the services they have had. There are plenty of websites on Google that can help plan for your big day, take a day to look around and find all the top tips you want.

Leave yourself enough time

On the day of your wedding, you must ensure that there’s plenty of time between each part. This will save unnecessary stress, and people will always know where they need to be at what time. After all, you don’t want to rush your big day!

Also, make sure that everything is arranged to allow some time around it for traffic reasons or a chance of running late. Let your service providers know the exact timings they are needed but find out how long they will take at your wedding day. This includes any Party rental services, Manicurist / Pedicurist, Makeup artist, Hairstylist, Limousine/ car hire, Additional transportation, Caterers, Bakers, Florist, Wedding photographer, Band / DJ.

Organise a plan for the big day

You can go online for ideas and plan templates, here are all the main parts of the wedding day but you can go more into detail, erase parts and change things to make it feel unique to you and your partner.

This is my example:

Wakeup, Shower, Light breakfast, Hairstylist & Makeup, Wedding photographer early preparation snaps, Get dressed, Break, Light lunch, Drive to the venue, Pre-ceremony Wedding photos, Wedding ceremony, Drive to reception, Wedding reception, Reception toasts, Reception dinner, Music/dancing.

This is a basic and easy plan of the day, you will need to add timings to each part and arrange where everyone will be at each time.

Expect the unexpected

There is always the potential for something to go wrong, but the key to handling it like a pro is to just relax and know that you can’t be in control of everything. This is one of the biggest days of your life, you and others around you will be stressed so just try go with the flow and enjoy yourself. Carry some tissues and keep a friend nearby to make you laugh!

Keep hydrated and snack

It’s going to be a long day with a lot going on, so you’ll need lots of energy. Water throughout the day will keep you from feeling thirsty, plus nibble on healthy snacks such as nuts, carrot sticks or whole-wheat crackers (take a pass on garlic or onion flavours!) If you get too hungry, your mood will form a negative – not what you want on your wedding day.

Remember to have fun

Even though there’s lots to do and the potential to panic, remember that it’s your day and you should enjoy it. Don’t let anxiety ruin your fun or before you know it, the day will have passed in a blur of stress. Take a few minutes at a time with or without your partner throughout the day to take in all that excitement, before you know it you’ll be ready to hit the floor and dance the night away!

10 top tips for organising your Essex Wedding stress free