Where to start...

Daxx

Good morning,

We got engaged on Friday and would ideally want to get married in 2015...but no idea where to start, what to watch out for and how to get the best prices.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you

ellesbellesxxx

Congratulations!
I am pretty sure there is a guide on this site.
First of all though, you need to decide church or other venue?
As you might have to coordinate between both.


You need to decide what do you want to prioritise?
EG: do you absolutely want a summer wedding or is that flexible?
Do you want a saturday wedding or can you go for mid week to get a bargain?
We saved by going for a November wedding but we went for the Saturday to make it easier for people to come.


Then once you have done that... photographer!
Have a look on here though, also some other wedding based sites have checklists too!
Good luck!

Si_Clist

Congratulations. Speaking as a retired full-time pro wedding snapper, just off the top of my head ...

Don't believe half what you read in the bridal magazines and on the dedicated wedding forums.

Try to keep reminding yourselves that the idea is to get married, not to put on an expensive pantomime.

Accept now the fact that some folk are going to fall out with you sooner or later over your plans. When that happens, they need to put up or shut up. It's your day, not theirs.

Beware cheap photographers. Be aware that an awful lot of part-time photographers describe themselves as "professional". What that means to them and what it means to you might well be entirely different.

And remind yourself that if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

minerva_windsong

Congratulations!


I would say your first thing to do is find out your budget - how will you be paying for the wedding? What savings can you make between now and then? Have any relatives offered to contribute? Once you have that it will make things a lot easier to know how much you have to play with.


Secondly - make a list of your priorities in terms of location, type of venue/ceremony, how many people you want there, time of year etc. Then it's about prioritising the details - is a designer dress more important than a great photographer, for instance? You might really want a band, but will you do it if it means you have to hire taxis rather than book wedding cars? And so on and so forth - but don't feel like you have to do everything just because the magazines tell you to.


Finally, I'd say start looking at suppliers and get booking if you can, especially for venues, caterers (if you're not doing your own) and photographers. Also give notice and book your registrar ASAP. Some of the wedding websites have good timelines for what you should book when as mentioned above, but based on my experience those would be my priorities.

snow_ball

Bear in mind Notice only lasts 12 months, so don't do it too early.

If you google 'wedding checklist' you'll find lots of helpful stuff that you can copy and adapt as needed.

But making a list of priorities according to budget should be the first thing you do :j

ETA: I also got tempted by glossy wedding magazines and found them no help whatsoever. I did go to a big wedding fair that was good though, helped me get some ideas and rule out other stuff I'd been considering.

Relocationrelocation

Don't waste your money on wedding mags! They're expensive and useless, you can find everything you need on the internet (pinterest great for ideas). Budget is a great place to start - and engagment drinks!