When people imagine their wedding day, they already have the venue, caterer, and photographer, at the top of their wedding planning checklist. While they’re arguably some of the most important elements of every wedding, there are a few other things that people don’t think to add to their list. Here are 5 wedding planning must-haves that you need in the leadup to your big day.
A Wedding Planner
Many people delve into wedding planning without realising how difficult it is. Unless you’re confident enough to plan your wedding yourself, you’re going to need a wedding planner. A wedding planner will help you stay within your budget, come up with unique design ideas, and talk to vendors on your behalf. They’ll already have good relationship with suppliers, and will be able to give you recommendations on which ones are the most reliable. They can help you with the nitty-gritty parts of wedding planning, like posting the save-the-date cards for you, planning the seat chart, and helping you book hotel rooms for your relatives.
A wedding planner will be there on your wedding day to ensure the venue is set up properly, that all the vendors have arrived, and that the venue is cleaned up after the reception. They will check that everything is going according to plan and will handle any problems or setbacks, from rescuing the brides dress with a few safety pins to giving the best man a copy of his speech if he forgets it. Hiring a wedding planner will give you and your partner the chance to enjoy your engagement and your first day as a married couple.
A Jeweller
Many people forget that they need to find a jeweller to purchase their wedding rings from. Start the search for your perfect wedding rings a minimum of 6 months before your big day. You’re going to need plenty of time to research the kinds of rings you and your partner want, order them, and have them engraved (if that’s what you want). A bespoke wedding ring will take up to two months to be created, and it may take longer if both of you want custom-made rings.
Closer to your wedding day, you may want to take them back to the jeweller to get them polished and resized. Being in possession of your rings well in advance of your wedding day will give you the peace of mind that you won’t need to purchase stand-in rings for your wedding. If you like the jeweller’s designs, you may want to purchase the rest of your wedding jewellery from them.
A Wedding Website
A wedding website is a wedding-must have. You and your partner can use it to share your romantic journey with your loved ones, post your engagement photographs (and photos of the wedding late on), and introduce your wedding party. What you may not realise is that a wedding website can also be a handy tool to have when planning your wedding. You can link to your registry, and instead of asking your guests to post their RSVP responses back to you, you can manage your RSVPs on the website. You can have your guests fill in an online form with their menu choices and dietary requirements, special accommodations, and song requests.
You can even use your wedding website to fill guests in on all the important details about your big day, such as the date and time, schedule of events, and directions to the venue. If your wedding is being held in an out-of-the-way location or if you’re worried about your guests getting home safely, you can provide them with information about pre-booked transportation and hotel blocks. Don’t forget other essential info, such as the dress code, if there will be an open bar or cash bar, and whether the wedding will be child-free.
A Wedding Stationery Designer
Arguably, choosing a wedding stationery designer is one of the first things you should do once you’ve booked your venue and set your wedding date. You’ll need them to design your save-the-date cards so that your guests will know what day to set aside in the future. If you have already picked your wedding colours before sending out your save-the-date cards and RSVP cards, you can incorporate those elegant colours into their designs. For example, if your wedding colours are green and gold, you can choose to have your invitations feature gold text on green paper or have them delivered in green envelopes with a gold wax seal.
Your wedding stationery designer should be able to create custom wedding signs so people know where to sit during the ceremony and what table they’ve been assigned to during the reception. You’ll also need the to create order of service booklets, place cards, and thank you cards.
A Travel Agent
Many couples get so caught up with organising their wedding, they forget to plan their honeymoon. If you’re already stressed with wedding planning, then be prepared for even more stress when it comes to planning your post-wedding trip. Fortunately, some travel agents are specialist honeymoon planners, and they can take care of everything for you.
They can get you great deals on your honeymoon and get you upgrades on flights and accommodation. They can help you pick the best destination and activities based on the kind of honeymoon you and your spouse want to have, and make sure you have a romantic and fun-filled trip. You won’t need to worry about any issues that arise during your honeymoon because your travel agent will fix those for you.
If these wedding planning must-haves aren’t already on your checklist, add them now before you forget. The keys to planning the perfect wedding is to always be organised, get help if you need it, and periodically check in with your vendors. Your wedding is going to be one of the happiest days of your life, so try to enjoy the process of planning it.
Image Credits: Jelabill Lawas
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