You said yes – congratulations!!  Now the fun really begins, but with so much to think about it’s difficult to know where to start.

Here are some of my top pieces of advice to get you started:

Choose the date
It’s one of the most important planning decisions to tackle first, and not just for practical reasons.  Setting the date first will impact all the other areas of your wedding and once you have made that first decision, you’ll be able to go ahead and secure your venue and suppliers for your wedding day.

The most popular months of the year to get married in the UK are June, August and September.  If you’re not tied to a particular season or month, or even day of the week, that gives you a lot of options!  Choose a date that suits you both, however you may want to take into account any significant dates that involve your family or close friends, major sporting events and bank holidays.  The earlier you set the date the better!

Hire a Wedding Planner
Weddings are complex events with a lot of moving parts. Hiring a wedding planner saves you time and can save you money, as well as helping to take away a lot of the stress that is involved in planning your wedding day.  Here is an outline of my wedding services, from supporting you as we plan your whole wedding together, to being there just on the day to make sure all the details are covered. 

Questions, questions, questions
The first thing people will ask you when you tell them you are engaged is ‘when’s the wedding?’.  It’s natural for people to be excited for you, and want to know all the details of what you are planning but it can be difficult to not feel pressured by so much attention and interest.  Embrace the love and share your engagement story, and be diplomatic around questions of when and where the wedding is and who is invited.  Having a wedding planner can really help navigate you through all these questions,

Set your budget
It’s difficult initially to set your budget without really knowing what you want, but have a rough figure in your head of what you think your wedding budget will be.  Working with a wedding planner will help you allocate budget to the different elements of your wedding day, and they’ll also be able to help source venues and suppliers that match your requirements, as well as your budget.

Think about your wedding style
Will you have a religious or civil ceremony?  Are you thinking of a marquee or ballroom wedding?  Have a think about the type of wedding ceremony and reception you would like.  Together with your wedding planner you can really start to picture how you would like your day to be.

Insurance
It’s a good idea to insure your engagement ring, just in case.  Not only is your engagement ring an investment but also sentimental to you, so make sure you have insurance in case the worst happens.  Also think about wedding insurance – weddings are expensive and emotional and it is best to be prepared in case something does happen.  Wedding insurance covers you if there is a problem with the venue or a supplier, but be mindful that it does not cover if one of you changes their mind.

Don’t get caught up in planning politics
Your wedding is a special day to celebrate your love for each other and your relationship. It’s about the two of you, and the beginning of your life together, sometimes it can be difficult to ignore all the varying opinions about what you should do and how you should do it.  Stand firm and make sure that your wedding planning doesn’t take over your life, or relationship – this is where having a wedding planner really can support you both. 

Discover my services and find out how I can help support you with your wedding planning.

Image credits:  Helen Warner Photography