Is wedding planning getting stressful for you? I’ve seen some very cruisy brides and some who are still running around at the eleventh hour! The key is to not overthink your wedding day. Rather, prior planning will help you to enjoy the lead up to this important milestone, knowing that all the little details have been attended to. If something doesn’t go quite to plan on the day, it’s highly likely no-one else will know or even notice.
Here are some strategies you can employ to help with the process:
Set a realistic budget
- In order to plan properly, you need to know how much you have to spend overall. From there, you can set a budget for each element.
- If you can, include a contingency fund for the unexpected.
- As you commit to an expense, deduct the cost from the original budgeted amount so you always know how many $ you have left.
- If, along the way, something becomes “essential”, decide whether something else can be dispensed with, or if you have $ left in your contingency fund to include both.
Commit to print
- Make a simple wedding spreadsheet or start a journal which includes Supplier Contact Details for your:
- Celebrant
- Venue
- Photographer
- Flowers
- Cake
- Dress
- Hair
- Makeup
- Groom’s Clothing
- Rings
- Wedding Car
- Catering etc.
- Next to each supplier, include a column for their fee and keep a track of the amounts and dates when part or full payment is made.
- Add another column so you can confirm (tick off) arrangements with each supplier 2 weeks prior to your wedding day (1 month if you have had no contact since your initial booking was made.)
- Make sure you have your quotes and T&Cs for each supplier readily on hand so there is no confusion as to what service is being provided and at what cost. Don’t assume.
Tick off some tasks early
- Book your key suppliers early, in particular your celebrant, venue and photographer. These suppliers can only deliver their service in the one place at the one time (unlike a cake maker, florist, dressmaker etc. who can deliver ahead of time.) A Notice of Intended Marriage can be lodged with a celebrant up to 18 months before your wedding day but some celebrants (like me) will accept a booking fee over this timeframe so you can lock in your chosen date and time to avoid disappointment. Completing the NOIM and gathering all the relevant information can then happen when you’re within the 18-month period.
- Ceremony and reception song choices.
- Your wedding colour palette – this will help you when making many other decisions e.g. bridesmaids’ dresses, flowers, decorations.
Personal Vows
If you’re including these in your ceremony, I recommend you start writing them a couple of months out. It’s a balancing act as writing them too early may cause you to second-guess yourself. Giving yourself a couple of months will allow you time to tweak your vows until you’re happy with your wording and then send them through to your celebrant (in my case, at around the 1-month mark) so they can prepare vow cards for you.
Decision-making
Of course, you want everything to run smoothly but chopping and changing ideas along the way only makes more work for you. I recommend you look at as many options as you need to, choose the one that resonates with you, lock that in and then move on to the next thing to arrange. Of course, if an amazing new song is released and you want to include that in your ceremony in exchange for another one, go for it!
Back Up Plan
Always, always have a back-up plan for your ceremony venue if you have chosen an outdoor location. Getting married in the rain or howling wind is not romantic and your guests will not appreciate it.
Dream team
- Most couples will need to talk over their plans with someone because (i) they’re excited; and (ii) they need a second opinion. I recommend you find one or two special people who can keep a secret and discuss your ideas with them. The more people you involve in your wedding plans, the more likely you’ll start second-guessing things and become overwhelmed. The rehearsal is not the time for your wedding party to offer suggestions. Politely thank them, but let them know that you and your celebrant have this covered.
- Choose one person to be the go-to person on the day. They will either have all the answers available for guests or your suppliers, or know how to find them out.
- Trust your suppliers. They’re very experienced at what they do and will know what works best in most situations.
Will It Add to the Overall Experience?
Decide if everything on your list is really necessary e.g.
- Bonbonniere – this is often left behind by your guests and can be a costly extra expense.
- Order of Service – your celebrant will step through the ceremony in a logical way and those who need to know any special details about what’s happening and when (such as your photographer, musician etc.) can be advised separately.
- Instamatic Cameras – if you’re not booking a professional photographer, you could create a QR code for your guests to upload photos to, for example, your WhatsApp account. This will save you buying individual cameras for each reception table.
- Remember the adage “less is more”. Be guided by your celebrant as to how many extra elements need to be included in your ceremony so that it remains beautiful, balanced and not too long (I recommend around 20 mins from start to finish, unless it’s a short & sweet legals only wedding.)
Basically, don’t overthink your wedding day. It will be one of the most memorable days in your life but it should be so for all the right reasons. When you combine planning with a whole lot of love, the results can be amazing! 🎉
#133 ~ 30/08/2026
© Lindy Cooke Celebrant