Ensuring your wedding day goes to plan without a hitch is so important. You want the day to go smoothly therefore we want to offer you some of our top tips for planning your perfect wedding day. Advising you on everything from venues to suppliers – we have got your back!
To start with, think of what your priorities are when it comes to your wedding day, do you want certain décor? Do you have any food requirements? A certain style when it comes to the flowers? Do you prefer a certain videography style? Write your list and then decide what to plan.
Top Wedding Planning Tips
- When To Start Wedding Planning
- Plan Your Wedding Budget
- Example Wedding Budget Breakdown
- Planning Your Wedding Guest List
- Choosing The Right Suppliers For Your Day
When to Start Wedding Planning
You may have summer 2023 in mind as your ideal wedding date, but that doesn’t mean you have to start arranging two years in advance. As your day approaches, the earlier you get started, the easier and less stressful it will be.
One of our top tips for planning your perfect wedding day is having a clear plan in place before you begin, that can help you stay organised and ensure that you don’t forget anything vital. Your first three priorities should always be insurance, an approximate guest list, and a budget.
Plan Your Wedding Budget
One of the most vital aspects of wedding planning is breaking down your wedding budget.
You should choose this amount wisely because it affects all of your other decisions including venue, guest list, food, and whether or not you can afford that expensive band. Prepare to spend the most on meeting guests’ needs, which includes the venue, food, and drinks.
Fixed costs such as your videographer, photographer, and entertainment are included in the remaining amount. Then there’s the more arbitrary and logistical stuff which includes the transportation, labour, lighting, décor, and anything else you’ve decided is necessary.
Example Wedding Budget Breakdown
- Venue and Catering – 40% of your budget
- Photography and Videography – 15% of your budget
- Wedding Attire and Beauty – 5% of your budget
- Music/Entertainment – 10% of your budget
- Flowers – 10% of your budget
- Favours and Gifts – 2% of your budget
- Transportation – 3% of your budget
- Stationery – 3% of your budget
- Cake – 2% of your budget
- Décor – 10% of your budget
Planning Your Wedding Guest List
Sorting the guest list ahead of time is a top tip for planning your perfect wedding day, as it allows you to focus on locating the ideal venue that can accommodate your desired number of attendees.
Costs per person will most likely be the most expensive part, so don’t feel obligated to invite people you don’t want to join. It’s the most important and difficult decision you’ll make during the planning process, but making the right decision for you is important.
Do you plan on having a large wedding or do you want a small intimate wedding? A large venue is likely going to cost more (bigger venue and more people to pay for), whereas a small intimate wedding requires a smaller (possibly cheaper) venue, or no venue at all if you choose to elope.
Choosing the Right Suppliers for Your Wedding Day
Choose your suppliers wisely and within your budget. Think of your absolute must-haves!
- Some of the Best Wedding Dress Shops in the UK
- Some of the Best Wedding Flower Suppliers in the UK
- Choosing the Right Videographer and Photographer for your Wedding Day
- Choosing the Right Wedding Venue for you
- Choosing a Makeup Artist and Hairstylist
Choosing the Right Wedding Dress
Buying your wedding dress is one of the most exciting purchases of your life. With all the pressure to find ‘The One’, dress shopping can be stressful and overwhelming too.
Some of the Best Wedding Dress Shops in the UK
- Morgan Davies Bridal, London & Hertfordshire
- The Dressing Rooms Bridal, Birmingham
- Maria Modes, Cheshire
- Bromley Brides, West Wickham
- Birdcage Bridal Boutique, Hertfordshire
- Wedding Atelier, London
- Sassi Holford, Taunton
- Behuli by Sanyukta Shrestha, Fulham
Choosing the Right Wedding Flower Supplier
Your wedding flowers will have a significant impact on the overall look of your special day. They create the tone and theme for the day, whether you opt to have a simple bouquet and buttonholes or to decorate the entire venue.
Some of the Best Wedding Flower Suppliers in the UK
- Avant Garden
- Cherfold Cottage Flowers, Surrey
- The Wedding House
- Hazel Holly Florist
- The Flower Shop, Bristol
- La Belle Floral Designs, Berkshire
- Sonning Flowers, Reading & Newbury
- Lily Jayne Florist
Choosing the Right Videographer and Photographer for your Wedding Day
Now if we do say so ourselves, this is the most important choice, right?!
Don’t underestimate the importance of a good videographer and photographer for your wedding album, since it will be how you relive the cherished memories of your special day.
One tip for planning your perfect wedding day is to do your research and discover someone that understands exactly what you’re looking for. You can check out our combined videography and photography packages to see what we can offer you!
Choosing the Right Wedding Venue
Choosing the right venue is crucial to creating the perfect wedding venue beyond just its location. As well as the venue itself, food and drink are extremely important, making sure they provide the food you want, or if they are happy for you to supply the food from somewhere else.
Understanding the venue’s food and drink policies, whether the business caters or you bring your own food, is a vital topic to ask any venue. Menus differ greatly from venue to venue, you’ll want to choose one that matches your vision of the ideal wedding feast.
Check out our blog post where we talk about some of the most luxury wedding venues in the UK.
You may want to go somewhere away from home, but straying too far from the majority of your guest list will result in fewer people attending. It will also influence the timings of your day. Consider whether you are willing to make your day perfect for you by having fewer guests so you can get married where you want to. You can reallocate the budget of having fewer guests, to your preferred wedding venue!
Choosing the Right Makeup Artist and Hairstyle for your Wedding Day
When it comes to choosing your stylist for the day, we highly recommend that you choose someone local to your wedding venue. This makes it easier for your MUA and Hairstylist as they will not have too far to travel and ultimately is more reliable than someone who needs to travel halfway across the country.
As well as this, choose a stylist whose work you adore! There is no worse feeling than not being happy with the way you look and you most definitely do not want to feel this way on your wedding day!
Someone who specialises in wedding hair and makeup is ideal and be sure to love their work, as they will understand the look you are going for.
Our Most Important Wedding Tip?
Have fun! This day is going to be one of the best days of your life and you want to make the absolute most of it, without stressing about it.
Enjoy this special moment with your significant other and celebrate it in a way that is special to you both however you decide to do that. We hope that we helped with our top tips for planning your perfect wedding day.
