Just gotten engaged? Congratulations!  Hopefully you have been basking in the euphoria of being a newly engaged couple, but now it is time to think about the main event.

Planning a wedding can be a daunting task.  There can be so many things on your task list, big and small, and everyone you speak to has different advice.  Suddenly, you feel like this may be a full time job!

But fear not. We have put together a few tips to help you through the planning process.

1. Lock in your venue

One of the first and most important tasks when planning a wedding is to locate and book a venue.  It is important to do this early on because it ensures you know the date of your special day and then effectively check the availability of other vendors such as photographers and celebrants. 

Your venue is often also a great starting point for themes and setting the tone of your wedding.  If you choose a modern, city venue with lots of glass for example, you may want to keep going with structural floral arrangements and a strikingly contemporary dress.

2. Get organised with lists

There is a lot to remember when planning your wedding.  You have multiple vendors to contact and manage, payments will be required on different dates and all of a sudden you phone will be filled with contact details of a whole heap of suppliers.  No one can possibly keep all of this information in their head without getting a little overwhelmed. 

We recommend writing it down.  List each vendor, their contact details, any deadlines they have provided (eg. date by which you need to finalise your guest list or menu), whether you have paid a deposit and any money owing.  Think about a separate lists for things to deliver to the venue before the big day, acceptances from guests and items you will need at the venue on the day.

3. You don’t have to do it all on your own

For most brides-to-be, there are plenty of people who are bursting to help out with the wedding day preparations.  Perhaps it’s your bridesmaids, your family or your soon-to-be in-laws.  Say ‘yes’ to these offers if things are getting a bit hectic.  They don’t have to be big tasks, just anything on your list.  It might be useful to, say, have someone seal all of the invitations and put them in the post or prepare the first cut of your playlist for the dance floor.  And don’t forget there are plenty of tasks you can allocate to your fiancé as well!

4. Have fun

Planning a wedding can be a lot of work, but it is also such an exciting time.  Look for ways to make it as enjoyable as possible.  For example, rather than rushing around to see 5 potential venues in one day, choose to only see one and turn it into a lunch-date with your partner.

5. On the big day, forget about all the planning

When your wedding day finally arrives, you may want it to operate with military-like precision.  Resist this temptation.  Try to relax and take the day as it comes.  It doesn’t matter if the flowers aren’t the perfect shade of crimson or the band starts 15 minutes later than scheduled.  What matters is the commitment you and your partner are making to each other.  Enjoy every second of it!