As Benjamin Franklin once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. To make sure your wedding day isn’t undone by a small detail, take a look at our wedding planning checklist and help your day run as smoothly as possible.
Make your guest list before you choose your venue
The number of guests you invite will have a big impact on the venue you choose. Make sure you have a good idea of how many people will be there on the day before you go booking a cosy village hall or a cavernous country house.
Book your venue
Book your venue well in advance to make sure you get the day and date you want. Venues can be booked up months if not years in advance and it’s important you get the venue you want for your big day.
Book your wedding official
Wherever you choose to get married, you’ll need some kind of wedding official to legitimise your partnership. If you choose a venue that’s remote or that doesn’t normally hold weddings, this can be difficult to arrange. To ensure you’re not left stranded on the day, get your wedding official confirmed well in advance.
Arrange travel between the ceremony and the reception
Though you may have a driver to whisk you between your ceremony and reception venues, guests that are travelling by public transport, or those who have left their vehicle at their hotel, could well end up stranded if you don’t arrange a fleet of taxis or busses.
Check travel options between the reception and local hotels
Taxi services often stop early in rural areas. You’ll need to talk to local taxi companies in advance to ensure your guests can get home easily at the end of the night.
Check passports are in date
If you’re jetting off on a honeymoon straight after you say ‘I do’, check your passports are in date a few months before you plan to travel.
Book your hairdresser and makeup artist
Having a professional attend to your hair and makeup will make your wedding day a lot less stressful. Book your beauty professionals well in advance to get the best people possible.
Feed the people who help make it happen
Your photographer, videographer, musicians and florists have been working hard all day so make sure you give them the fuel they need to keep going. As Valerie Gernhauser says in the Huffington Post: “Be sure you remember to feed the people that are working nonstop to make your day flawless!”
Practice walking in your wedding outfit
Though your wedding shoes may be to die for, if they cause you to take a tumble at the altar you’ll wish you’d chosen a safe pair of trainers instead. Practice walking in your entire outfit before the big day to make sure you can master the dress and the shoes – and to check your Spanx don’t roll up as you journey up the aisle!
Nominate a trusted friend to deal with emergencies
The last thing you want is for the band or the photographer to be calling you for directions on the day. Nominate a capable and trusted friend to take care of all but the biggest emergencies, leaving your to focus on the task in hand – getting hitched.
Get in touch with a member of our team, or take a look around our website, to make sure your wedding day is memorable for all the right reasons.
