If you are like most women, you have been planning your wedding since you were just a little girl. As you grew up you probably went through hundreds or maybe even thousands of scenarios for your wedding. From the style of your dress to the theme of your wedding, these may have changed as you grew older and your sense of style developed. Or perhaps you have had one wedding fantasy that has stayed with you from a very young age. Regardless of whether the wedding plans taking place in your imagination have changed from day to day or year to year or whether they have remained the same, chances are this will all change when you start planning for real. From the moment the special man in your life proposes, you begin planning your wedding all over again. Only this time it is for real. This article will discuss some of the highlights for planning a wedding.
The process of planning a wedding starts with choosing a date. Once you have this set you can proceed with everything else but a great deal rests on the date. It may dictate factors such as your style of dress, the theme of the wedding, the design of your invitations and the colors you choose. Consider the date carefully. You may want to impulsively pick a date just weeks away but this won’t give you much time to plan properly. Consider selecting a date at least six months away. Work with your fiancé to choose a few dates and then begin contacting banquet halls and churches to ensure you can reserve a place for the wedding ceremony and the reception on the date you choose. You may want to avoid days that coincide with other significant family events such as birthdays and anniversaries but in some cases this may be unavoidable.
Once you set a date for a wedding, it is time to make your guest list and inform everyone on the guest list of the date you have chosen. If the wedding is only a few months away, you can go ahead and send out invitations as soon as you can get them designed and printed. However, if the wedding date you have selected is more than a few months away consider sending out save the date cards approximately 6-8 months before the wedding. This lets others know when the wedding can take place so they can mark it on their calendars but does not require them to make a commitment just yet.
Creating your guest list can be a challenging part of planning your wedding. One important factor to consider is the maximum number of guests allowed in the banquet facility you have booked. Ideally you would have a general idea of the number of guests to expect before you starting looking for a facility for your reception so you can choose a suitably sized location. You will also have to consider the rate charged for each guest at the reception. This is especially important if there is a tight budget.
Once you get through the logistics of choosing a date and location and inviting guests the fun part of the planning process starts. If you are like most brides your next step will be to start dress shopping. This is actually a good idea because finding the perfect dress can take time. Also, once you find this dress it will take awhile for the dress to be made and you will then have a number of fittings to ensure the dress fits you perfectly.
After you have decided on a dress other planning considerations may become much easier. For example if you were unsure of a theme, you may feel more confident once your dress is selected. The types of flowers you choose, colors and styles for bridesmaid dresses and favors for the wedding will also become easier decisions once you have selected a dress because you will want to make decisions that will compliment the dress perfectly.